I decided to try and machine the hinge block first as I knew this would be the hardest part, having only limited machining skills and a lathe of dubious antiquity.
My lathe was deemed 'worn out' and sold for scrap, just after the war. I purchased it, completely dismantled, in a wooden crate, in the early 1970's and paid
the princely sum of a fiver for it. It took me a whole winter of evenings, cleaning off decades of rust, painting it and trying to work out how it went back together.. happy days.
The hinge block is almost finished now, but full credit must go to Watermole, because without his excellent step by step tutorial, I couldn't have done it...
So, thank you Watermole Sir
Before I can drill the block for the hinge pins, The arms need to be made along with the associated metalwork. I intend to use Greenheart for the arms, because it's what is to hand.
3/4" has been allowed for the depth of the arms at the hinge block and I thought 1/2" would be thick enough? and perhaps taper the arms to about 1/2 deep at the cord end and about 3/8" thick?
I like the look of Dicks net in the photograph, on here somewhere, of the arms under tension from the cord, in a graceful curve.
The arms will be 30" long, as I read somewhere that Dicks first net was this size and will be plenty big enough for anything I am likely to catch.
Your thoughts regarding arm dimensions, or any other aspect of the net, would be appreciated, thanks.
