Image: Caulking chisels – Chisels of different blade thickness, used for caulking.
All the woodwork in Betina shipyards was done manually in the first half of the 20th century. Tools were made by local blacksmithers in coordination with shipbuilders and their needs. In wood processing and construction of the ship even small works require specially designed tools. After sawing the wood by different types of saws, wood parts are being handled by a number of different tools before their installation. By tools used for carving or smoothing such as the adze, or different types of axes and wood shapers, the wood is formed by the lines created by a shipbuilder designing boat lines.
All the tools were simple. Adze, chisel and a small saw were the basis for every shipbuilder. Adze was the most important; it was used for straightening the frames and for giving the form to the boat. FOur chisels for caulking and hemp, later we used oakum, soaked into tar or carbon.
Qoute: Šime Jušić, shipbuilder
First, second, third padela – chisels of different blade thickness, used for caulking. First padela is used for inserting the oakum, the second and the third are used for straightening the oakum. Špinel is a narrow chisel used for caulking parts that are difficult to reach and to separate the planks. Oakum is a caulking material used for sealing the spaces between the planks. Hemp or linen leftovers are used.