: Hi all,

: I know there have been several threads about using the rolling bevel to mate
: strips, but this question is a bit specific so I thought it best to start
: a new thread.

: I have just cut all of the strips for my first boat. I have been planning to
: use a rolling bevel instead of the cove and bead. However, the wood I
: bought was surfaced on one side and the other side is a bit rough.

: It didn't occur to me until after everything was cut that this might pose a
: problem. I think I would have to make a pass down the whole strip to
: smooth out the roughness so the edges will mate nicely. Obviously, I
: wanted to remove as little wood as possible to minimize time and waste.

: Can anyone with experience using the rolling bevel give some insight? Did I
: shoot myself in the foot?

: At this point, if it's easier, I would be ok with buying the router bits and
: cutting the cove and bead (that should clean up the edge provided I cut
: the bead on the rough side, right), but I'd still like to stick with my
: original plan if possible.

: thanks!

Here is how I delt with this problem on my first boat I am now finishing. This might be unorthodox, but I ended up with very tight beveled joint between strips (well, most were tight).

I used WRC from Home Depot and Lowes, 1" x 4" or 6", 10' to 12' long. It comes rough on one side. I cut it into 1/4" strips, which were also rough on one side. I installed "flankers" on either side of the strong back, boards with a 1/4" wide by 1/2" deep grove running the length. After scarfing strips into long strips (when I needed long), I place the strip into the groove in the "flanker", the edge in now on top. I ran down the length of the strip with a very sharp block plane to clean up the edges. Maybe two passes on the good side, as many as necessary on the bad side. With a sharp block plane, you can produce about as square and clean an edge as possible. I held the plane horizontal over the strip.

I used this same groove to support the strip to bevel as necessary. I held the strip to the previous strip, marked the angle of the bevel needed, put the strip in the groove, then beveled as necessary. I also slighty beveled the side which would meet the next strip, estimating the required bevel. It was probably a slow system, but the results were good.

Personally, I prefer to spend time using a sharp block plane over a noisy, dusty router.

I'm satisfied with the result.

Ken F