Building a 1/12th scale canoe

     OK!  This is the process I go through to build a one inch scale canoe.  This particular project will be a 16 footer in one inch scale, made of cherry wood.  It will be a "plank on frame" construction, using 1/16" x 3/32" strips of cherry wood.

     I start with a jig I made for the basic shape and size of the boat I want to make.  I call it a "strongback".  The strongback pictured is for the 1/12th scale, 16 footer I'm making now.   I also have jigs for a one inch scale 12 foot canoe, and for two different types of rowboats I like to build.  The base of the strongback is made of very strong apitong wood, and the forms are made of basswood.  I reinforced the forms with a triangle wedge for strength.  The middle form is the widest, the 2nd and 4th forms are the same size, as are the end forms.  There is a notch in each, on both sides, where the first plank for both sides rests.  A lot of tension is put on this strongback while planking the canoe, so it must be able to withstand this pressure.  The canoe is built upside-down with this type of construction.