Question about a broken plywood keel, how to fix or rebuild?

[madwolf]

I have an older wooden Aeropiccola HMS Bounty model which has a somewhat sentimental value to me. The problem is that it came with a warped keel. A while back when I got it, I tried just about anything the manufacturer recommended (soak it in water, then let it sit for a while under some pressure), but the keel was still just as warped as it was before. Finally, I ended up breaking it in half.

I've tried to order another one from the manufacturer and not only was the new keel they sent me wrong, but even more crooked than the original one. At this point I'm thinking of maybe drawing it in Autocad and have a cutting company cut me a new one out of a plastic or other material. I'm just wondering if there is maybe an easier way to make a new keel. The one that came with the kit is 5mm thick. Plywood in the US is usually around 4 or 6. I am not even sure I want to use plywood anymore. Any other ideas?

[Laurent]

just redraw your keel on a new ply sheet with a pencil , why would you use Autocad for that ?

What I do to have a straight keel , is to glue to pieces of one same ply sheet together , in opposite direction , to avoid warping

Regards ,

Laurent

[madwolf]

Right. The only problem I have is how to cut the shape out properly?
Which tool should I use?

[Andy G]

I'm a fretsaw fella.

...Can't afford an electrical tool - and enjoyed the control whilst cutting out my 24 frames for the Dreadnought. A little light sanding afterwards and the job's done!

Andy

[Admhawk]

Band saw, jig saw, scroll saw, rotozip, any will do the job. Don't have one? borrow a friends/relatives. Some places have wood shops that can be rented out. You may even be able to rent something from a local tool rental place.

[commodore4]

Hi; You will find that an old hand powered fret saw will work.You can probably get plywood that will work from the local hobby shop. If not , try this. I had a wooden ship model that had similiar problems .I got me a box of tongue depressors and lamimated a new one from that. If you don,t want to do this try to get at HOME DEPOT a small strip of mahogany or oak that is used for baseboards.Have them mill it down to the thickness you need(they will do this , at least they do here!)This way you will have a factory laminated piece to work with.(Most all trim wood is laminated anymore).Try this and I think you will solve your problem. commodore4