Pygmy Boats Kayak Kit Tools

thingiverse

These tools are designed to assist builders of Pygmy Boats stitch and glue kayak kits. Stitch and glue kits use precision cut thin marine plywood planks that are stitched together with short pieces of wire – then edge-glued with epoxy. After the wire stitches are pulled, the seams are filled and sanded, and the boat is covered in fiberglass inside and out. Pygmy Boats: http://www.pygmyboats.com/index.html It’s the stitch wires and their little holes we are dealing with here… My Pygmy Poke tools are designed to assist in drilling the many 1/16 inch holes that will be stitched with the wire. Pygmy Poke-6a: This tool is for drilling the majority of the holes, which are 6 inches apart ¼ inch from the edges of the planks. Pygmy suggests a guide piece of wood 6 ½ inches long and ½ inch wide. A hole is drilled at each end, centered left and right, 1/4 inch from the end. You drill the hole, keep the drill bit in place, and swing the other end around to position for the next hole, etc. Problem is that you may go through a lot of those wooden guides. I drilled 300 test holes in a piece of pine 2x4 with just one end of the prototype Pygmy Poke and could have accurately drilled 100 or more holes – a total of 600 – 800 holes per guide. The underside of each guide hole has been relieved just a little to handle saw-dust from your drilling. The height of each guide “tower” is 5/8 inch so you can drill two layers of 4mm plywood using the 1/16 inch bit in a 1/4 inch hex base – the type used with cordless screwdrivers. (In the photo with the ruler, the hole on the right is after 300 holes. We've lost one layer of the four -- .4mm.) UPDATE: After drilling a bunch of holes, I found that you can use this tool to drill more holes without going through the wooden guides. Pygmy Half-Poke-2: This tool uses the same method for drilling the holes, but it's smaller and faster. To drill the holes, center the guide piece in the hole at each end, then drill a hole ¼ inch from the edge of the plank. You can use this tool to drill more holes without going through the wooden guides. Pygmy Button: This tool is used to create the buttons that hold the stitch wires in place. To make a button, simply place the wire into the hole at the top of the tool and bend it 90 degrees towards you using the guide groove. Then another 90 degree bend downwards using the vertical guide groove. The wire is now shaped like a staple. Pygmy Bend-1: This tool uses the same method for bending the wires, but it's bigger and faster. To bend the wire into the staple shape, center it in the groove atop the two towers. Grip the wire with a pair of pliers held horizontally. Draw the wire straight down, using the vertical grooves as guides. This will create the “staple” shape. Pygmy Bend-2: This tool uses the same method for bending the wires, but it's smaller and faster. To bend the wire into the staple shape, center it in the groove atop the two towers. Grip the wire with a pair of pliers held horizontally. Draw the wire straight down, using the vertical grooves as guides. This will create the “staple” shape. Pygmy Cut: Use this tool if all you want to do is measure and cut your stitch wires to 3 1/2 inches. Maker Notes: All: I used a Robo3D R1+ printer with Simplify3D software, Hatchbox PLA filament, and medium resolution settings. Pygmy Poke-6: 4 layers bottom, sides, and top; 35% infill; 1 hour, 14 minutes. Pygmy Half-Poke-2: 4 layers bottom, sides, and top; 35% infill; 28 minutes. Pygmy Button: 3 layers all bottom, sides, and top; 35 % infill, 2 hours and 45 minutes to print 24 buttons. Pygmy Bend-1: 4 layers bottom, sides, and top; 35% infill; 3 hours, 30 minutes. Pygmy Bend-2: 4 layers bottom and sides; 6 layers top; 35% infill; 3 hours, 54 minutes. Pygmy Cut: 4 layers bottom, sides, and top; 35% infill; 2 hours 34 minutes. Warning: Both Pygmy Bend tools have the warning “SHARP!” set into the tool base. This is because you will be handling pieces of wire with sharp ends. Wear gloves. Print Settings Printer Brand: Robo 3D Printer Model: R1 ABS + PLA Model Rafts: No Supports: No Resolution: Medium Infill: 35%