> I am half way through with my first stitch and glue and I am
> eagerly looking forward to a strip built. I have access to as much
> free red oak, white oak, popular and gum as I need. Are these woods
> usable in strip builts? If not why not?

Usable, yes. Absolutely! And very pretty, too. Commonly used? No. In general, the cost is higher than cedar, and they weigh more. Since your cost is zero, go for it. Those of us who have to pay for our wood use different stuff. :) Also, hardwoods like oak and poplar are usually sold in shorter lengths (maybe 8 or 10 feet, maximum), so you will hae to do some scarfing to get long lengths. You'll want a few full-length strips as you start stripping (they are easier to work with). You can do butt joints with shorter pieces once things get going. Cedar CAN be bought in long lengths, which don't need scarfing, but not everybody wants to pay for these longer lengths. A lot of people get shorter ones and scarf them -- which puts them in the same category as you and your hardwoods.

Tough woods like oak can be difficult on saw blades when you rip the strips. Use a sharp blade, and a slightly slower feed rate. Don't force the wood. It will probably take 10 to 15 minutes more to rip the strips than with a softer wood like cedar or pine. Poplar should be about the same as pine. Sanding time may be a bit longer and you may use more sandpaper with oak. Figure this to be the price you are paying for the wood. Again, poplar should work like pine.

Oak is usually sealed, and then sanded as part of the finishing. The sealer might raise the grain a bit, but a light sanding makes things smooth for the final coats. With epoxy, you may use more resin due to some of it soaking deeply into the wood on the first coat. Some people place the fiberglass cloth on fresh wood and saturate the cloth and wood with their first coat of epoxy. Others coat the wood with a coat of epoxy first, to seal the wood, before applying the 'glass and resin. If you use the second method you may want to do MORE sanding after that first coat. I hope you are on good terms with your sander. Poplar should be a bit easier to work with for finishing.

I would test a sample of the gum before using it. I have not worked with it, but I have read that it glues well, which implies it should take epoxy well. Glue a couple of blocks together with epoxy and let this harden a week or two, Clamp one block in the vise, and whack the other block with a hammer until something shatters. If the blocks separate at the glue line, then the wood may not be suitable for an entire boat. You can probably use an occasional strip for accent, though.

Your sample will also show you the color that the wood will be when finished with a coat of epoxy. If the color is intense, consider using it on the cockpit coaming, hatch covers or deck designs, where it will be seen.

> What would happen if I used them?

You would probably have a very pretty boat that is about 5 pounds heavier than one made of cedar or redwood, but still lighter than a solid fiberglass, or molded plastic one. That is assuming you used slightly thinner strips than you would use if they were cedar. For example, instead of using 1/4 inch cedar strips you could use 3/16 oak or poplar strips. If you kept the strips at 1/4 inch your boat would be a little bit heavier. The additional weight would only bother you on portages or when loading the boat on your car's roof rack. If your boat is pretty enough (and it probably will be) you will draw an audience whenever you put in, or take out. Ask one of the admiring throng for a hand.

On another note: Oak is a nice wood to use with fabric covered kayaks. You can steam bend it for ribs, attach stringers of oak or poplar and cover with canvas. If I had only a small amount of oak, I'd use it in this fashion. There is a posting on this bbs from last week about steambending. You may want to contact the person who made the original post to ask about their project, and wht plans they are working from. Wooden Boat magazine for August 1998 (July/August) has an article on making Baidarkas and shows the nice, steam-bent ribs in this construction. It is something you might want to look at.

Best of luck with this project. Any more of that free wood around? Paul Jacobson