Going in to #10 Strake, which is a little bit under 1/2 of the way done, I just realized something which I want to write down before I forget about it.

I’ve read a few different sources and watched a few different videos about Planking… And really, the only real constant is the fact there are as many different ways to do this Planking as there are Model Makers out there.

You can’t really throw a criticism out there at somebody’s work and judge the work as being right or wrong. Well, you can, but most people are going to judge your work simply from the perspective of the finished product and they really can’t appreciate the work that you spent in making the Model because they’ve never actually done it.

So, as I make this turn into #10, I realize now that it’s always right around at this point where I get into a lot of self doubt about whether I’m doing it right or wrong.

I’ve been doing a lot of measuring and calculating and it landed right at around 11.6 Planks… So I’m at 10 right now so I figure that I’ll round up, although the Planks are beginning to become a bit tight and I realize that I can only bend them just so far.

Something interesting I just noticed.

Well… I put the 2 Planks in the Jig last night and went to sleep. When I woke up, they were completely dried and took to the form pretty hard.

I noticed that it has this springy quality, that it actually helps in the gluing process. Because it has a self-clamping quality about it.

I guess you guys have already figured out that i don’t like the Plank Bender process. I just think that it’s too much of a short cut. I mean, I have one, but I’ll only use it in the most desperate situations.

Just thinking to myself that I think I’m going to hit it perfectly at 12 Strakes for the upper band. Hmmm… 🤔🙄