Tips from a Shipwrightvideo

Building Orca - Ep. 23: Mold FIVE

27 March 2026 · 17 min · 31K views

What this video covers

Louis Sauzedde builds the fifth of 13 molds for the boat Orca on the loft floor, demonstrating the full sequence from body-plan lines to a bevel-cut mold section.0:46 Because the body plan is drawn to the outside of the planking, he offsets each station line inward by 1¼ inches — the planking thickness — using a small block of wood to establish the mold's actual shape.1:05 He transfers that shape onto 2×10 lumber by pressing the board onto stainless-steel ring nails driven along the offset line, then striking the board with a sledgehammer to imprint the nail-head positions.2:36 A lead-filled batten connects the impressions, and the piece goes to the bandsaw.4:01 Before cutting, he lifts bevels at 8-inch intervals using a shop-made plywood bevel board spaced 3 feet apart to match frame spacing, and a plastic protractor read under a nailed batten on the loft floor.6:20 Bevel readings run from 10 degrees at the bottom to 7 degrees at the top; the bandsaw table is reset at each interval to cut a progressive bevel along the mold edge.11:47 The finished section fits against the reference nails without adjustment.13:12 Both halves of the mold are cut from one side of the body plan, then traced for the opposite side using a diagonal reference line.15:51

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