Some of us Soling 1 Meter skippers have had our mast snap at the glue joint causing the sails and rigging to collapse and fall into the water. Whether or not it was due to faulty workmanship or some other cause the fact is it has happened. Options to this problem include gluing the mast back together with the possibility of another failure or making a one-piece mast. I chose to make a one-piece mast.
First off, I went to my local Home Depot to see what kind of wood they had on hand that might be suitable for this project. I chose a 1”X4”X6’ piece of poplar wood for two reasons, it is a close grained hardwood and under stress it will bend to an incredible angle before it breaks. It is also a very pretty wood.
In the following steps I will describe with photos and dialog how I went about making my one-piece mast.
This photo shows the two tools that I used to make the one-piece mast for my Soling 1M.
The first thing to do is set the table saw blade angle to match the angle on the Victor mast.
Position a 3 foot long piece of 2 X 4 against the table guide and cut it down the approximate center so that you have two pieces with the same angle as the mast angle.
This is the 2 X 4 after being cut. Use one piece and cut it lengthwise to match the width of the router table top. This length will enable you to clamp it to the router at the ends of the piece. Remove the router guide for this project.
Position the Victor mast section on the table saw and set the blade to rip blanks with the same thickness as the Victor mast.
Using the thickness obtained by measuring the Victor mast start ripping blanks from a 1“X4“X6‘ piece of poplar wood (or whatever type of wood you prefer).
Center the angled piece of 2 X 4 on the router table and start the router motor. Holding the angled wood flat down and centered on the table top, carefully pull the wood all the way through the spinning router bit. This will allow you to position the bit so that it will duplicate the Victor angle when the blank is pushed through the guide which you will make next. You may find it necessary to pull the angled wood through the router bit a couple of times to open the hole just enough to allow wood shavings to escape as the blank is pushed through the guide.
Using a piece of the remaining angled wood, cut a piece approximately 6 inches long. This will be the guide for the mast blank as it is pushed through the spinning router bit. Note in the previous photo that the router bit extends through the angled wood and will produce the proper angle in the blank. As shown in this photo, hold the blank against the guide and using a pencil draw the blank outline on the guide.
This is the outline as drawn on the guide.
Set the table saw blade straight up with the height as shown
in the photo. Hold the guide flat down on the table and against the Table
guide. Carefully cut the guide as shown.
Now reposition the guide against the table guide and make the second cut as shown. Note: In order to be able to put some pressure against the mast blank as it is pushed through the guide, make this cut just a hair inside of the line. This will narrow the hole through the guide just enough to allow you to put some pressure on the mast blank to keep it from wobbling in the guide.
This is what the guide looks like after it is cut and ready for use.
In this photo note the position of the router bit in relation to the angled backing wood. You can change the amount of cut in the mast blank by loosening the clamps and slightly moving the backing wood in or out. Pass a spare piece of mast blank through the guide to determine how much angle you want on your mast.
Since you would not know exactly where the router bit is located once the guide is covering it up, make a mark down the angled backing wood to show it’s position. You might also want to extend this line down the center of the guide as shown.
This photo shows the mast blank cutting in progress. Holding
a little pressure against the guide push the blank through the router bit. When
one side is finished, reverse the blank and cut the other side.
This is what the mast blank should look like when cut on
both sides. Cut the mast to 52” in length. Now is the best time to drill the
holes for the cotter pins, etc. Next, sand the blank to shape according to the
Victor plans and you are done. Paint or stain and varnish the mast to suit.
If you have a drill press here is the way to quickly and accurately drill the cotter pin holes along with the other holes needed on the mast. Take two pieces of wood and lay them on the table top side by side with the mast placed between them and, assuming that you have marked the position where the cotter pin holes will be drilled, clamp the assembly to the table as shown with the 1/16” drill bit centered on the flat. Set the drill press depth at ½” and begin drilling the holes. Move the mast along from one mark to another until you have drilled all of the holes. Turn the mast over and drill the marked holes on the front.
