> I use particle board for forms. The cheapest I can find.

> Staples don't get as good a grip on chipboard as they do on plywood. If
> you are using the longest staples you can get, and drive them in straight,
> you should have few problems. If your strips are fatter (thicker) than 1/4
> inch you might have a few more problems, and if they are 3/16 or thinner
> you might have fewer problems -- all becasue of how much of the staple
> would actually seat in the edge of the particle board or chipboard.

> In areas where the strips are flexed a lot the staples may not work. That
> is not a real problem. You can use 1 inch wire brads to hold the strips in
> these areas. A box of brads should be under a dollar -- a big savings over
> using plywood.

> There are several ideas for assembly that do not use staples: clamps,
> straps, wedges, etc. With all of these particle board or chipboard works
> dandy.

> Another possibility is to use lots of drywall screws driven into scraps of
> wood, as mini clamps to hold the strips in place while the glue sets. The
> screw goes through the wood scrap and on into the edge of the form. It is
> alongside of, and not through the woodstrip, so there is no hole in the
> strip. Tightening the screw causes the wood scrap to pinch the strip like
> a clamp, securing it. Back out, and reuse the wood scraps and screws. An
> electric screwdriver makes this a fast job. If you plan to reuse the forms
> a lot, all those holes will get to be a mess after 4 or 5 boats, though,
> so I wouldnt recommend this for a production shop.

> Hope this helps

> Paul G. Jacobson

Also, if you drive a wedge between the screw abd the strip, you drive the strip down tight to the last one.

Greg