US Brig Syren by NWdiverTodd - Model Shipways - 1:64

[NWdiverTodd]

Hello all,

My name is Todd and I’m planning (with your help) to build a model ship.

I have built RC planes for many years, and I am lucky to have a large shop for hobby woodworking. 

A few years back I was given a kit of the USS Constellation.  I worked on it for a while and decided that I needed to learn some skills before going much further.  There is not much in the way of build information for that ship so I looked at the practicums that are offered for other ships and started reading build logs here on the site.  While reading I came across the Syren logs and the info that Chuck had written a step by step manual.  This along with so many others currently building and posting about the ship, seems to me to be an excellent way to pickup some skills.

My thanks in advance for answering all of my silly questions.

 

-Todd

[NWdiverTodd]

This is part of the front office of my shop.  Messy, but useable.

[NWdiverTodd]

Some of the parts are a bit toasted from the laser:

[NWdiverTodd]

Installing the rabbet strip

[NWdiverTodd]

Gluing the keel.  The blue is card stock that I stacked to set the keel on.  This will center the keel on the rabbet strip.

[NWdiverTodd]

The keel installed.  I got a little excited and installed the stem knee before finishing it up.  It turns out that is not a big deal, I will nick and scratch it several times over the next few steps.

[NWdiverTodd]

How much do I take off?  How do I get the angle right?  How hard is it to sand after I have them installed?  These were the questions going through my head as I tried to shape these parts.  

I found that it saves time to be reasonably close, but you can sand them pretty well once they are installed, so I didn’t need to be concerned.  You could sand them entirely after installation, but it is much faster to cut them close now. 

[NWdiverTodd]

Huh, I guess I got so involved with doing this part that I didn’t take any pictures.  The manual explains it very well.

You need to buy your own balsa or basswood for the filler blocks. I used 1”x2”x24” balsa stock.  Basswood would work fine, but it is heaver and a bit harder to sand. You sure don’t need the extra strength.  As many others have noted, it is really solid with balsa when you are done.

I first sanded all the laser burns off.  

The frames fit very well if a bit tight.  I sanded them a touch so they were still very snug, bumped them gently down so they lined up exactly on the laser marks, used steel blocks and a steel square to plumb them up, and glued them on with wood glue.

I used a micrometer to measure the space between the bulkheads right at the bulkhead former and then cut the balsa stock with my Byrnes table saw.  Though I’m not even close to the first person to say it, this saw ROCKS!  I have a proxxon saw, that just collects dust now.  The Byrnes will only cut ¾” but I just flipped the stock and there was no way to tell that the wood was double cut.  Sweet!

I used a rasp to rough in the blocks and a 12" sanding block to finish.

Oh, don’t even sneeze in the direction of the top of the bulkheads, I broke so many that I should have just cut them all off and re-glued them after I finished.  Ok, I’m clumsy, but those things are really easy to break.

This does NOT bode well for me doing rigging.

[NWdiverTodd]

More pictures

[NWdiverTodd]

After quite a lot of sanding and fairing and gluing all those bits at the top back on, I have to find “the line” This step is probably really easy for folks who know what the heck they are doing, but for us er, challenged folk, it is a bit daunting. It seems that so much of the final look of the ship will depend on getting this just right.

I think I made a mistake here.  I used a much lighter (thinner and narrow) piece of wood to layout.  It bent better than the plank wood so I was thinking it would give a better line.  It did, but the plank didn’t bend laterally as well, so I would use the planking next time.  I had to correct a bit as I added the sills and checked with the planking to see how it would run.

It would go better if I knew what the heck I was doing :-)

[NWdiverTodd]

Oh Boy!! I get to do the sills now!  I thought “This will go fast, measure, cut, glue, done!”

Not so much J  Obviously the ship has curves, this means that your sill ends should have an angle on most of them.  Ok, I can do that.  Cut them on the nifty tool and pop them in, yes?  Not quite.  I added a few and then looked, hmmm, these are not looking very nice.  I was not keeping the inside of the sills even with the bulkheads.

I’ll go back and fix those later.  I was also thinking that the less I had of the sill on the inside, the less difficult it would be to sand.  So I started keeping the sills to the inside edge.

To do this, you must cut angles in the sills.

I was lining up my sills with the marks I made based on “the line”.  After a few sills I could see that the lines were not keeping me in a pretty, smooth, transition.  I started using a plank to lay along the line and fair the top of the sills to that.  It made a big difference.  I found that I had to let the plank lay and go with that, ignoring small differences in my original marks.

 Off we go again.  After two more, I see something wrong.  After looking close, the sills were not all in plane.  They were close, but it really showed.  I’m not convinced that it will matter all that much after I’m finished sanding, but better to be safe.  Now I have to angle each end, get the length right, get the height right using the plank, and then adjust the plane of the sill, all before the wood glue gets too tacky.

I got better at it after a while.  Sort of.

I did use a level to get close and to keep the sills consistent, it worked pretty well.

The good news is that alcohol works a treat to remove the wood glue, the bad news is that I had to use it with alarming regularity.

[NWdiverTodd]

Here are a few of the tools that I used to make cutting and sanding the angles quick and mostly painless.  Yay airplane tools!

[NWdiverTodd]

You can see where I started on the aft end of the ship, there is a dip there.  I did a bit of deconstruction, and it looks better now.

[NWdiverTodd]

It gets a bit better as I work my way along.

[NWdiverTodd]

I can’t really see the dip from here, it only became apparent (to me) when I sat back.

[NWdiverTodd]

That’s looking a bit better.

[NWdiverTodd]

Reasonably happy with this, I’m sure I wouldn’t be if I knew better J

[NWdiverTodd]

I never fixed the first block. It was even, and well, I forgot.

[NWdiverTodd]

I sanded the outside, easy peasy.

Now for the inside.  Um, how to do that?  I can’t see an easy way to sand it flat with the bulkheads and because it is an inside curve, not bite into the next line on either side.  Ideas anyone?  What did you use?

[NWdiverTodd]

Started on the inside, but it is really slow going.

[augie]

I made a comment over on your 'other' log.  I assume you'll be sticking with this one.

 

Looks like you're off to a GREAT start.  It's a good practice to step back once in a while and have an 'overall' look.  We get so immersed in what we're doing we can sometimes miss the big picture. 

 

Yes, sanding the outside curve is straightforward.  The inside is harder.  No magic ---- you'll get the hang of it.  Get used to it as you'll be doing it several times by the time you finish the inboard planking.

 

I have the feeling this is going to be a great voyage!

[Charley54]

Hi Todd. I will be following along. Good start. I had a time with the insides of the framing also. I got better as I went along.

 

Charley

[fnkershner]

Todd & Charley - Do I have you on my mailing list for the Puget Sound Ship Modelers? We have a very active club. And by the way Todd you have way too much wood in that workshop I can see a scratch built ship in your future.

[NWdiverTodd]

Augie: Your build is a big part of the reason that I chose to build the Syren.  Thank you for the excellent log!  How do I reach that log now that it is no longer "in progress"?  I look forward to your advice and tips!  Do you remember your long boat build?  I think I'm missing the top lift, it's in the book but no part.

 

Charley: I'm following your log as well :-)  Your build is looking really clean!  I too have the little sander on the way, this part of the job sold me on the idea.

I have the bad template, it's the wrong size.  How do I get a hold of Chuck to get a new one?

 

Floyd: How do I get on the mailing list?  I'd like to catch a meeting and meet some folks.  Are there others up north near me?  You should see the wood in the "real" part of the shop.  

As to scratch building, I have my hands full following simple directions at this point 

[augie]

Thanks for the complement, Todd.  There are some fine Syrens in progress right now for you to follow.  But to get to my old (abbreviated) log that I put back up when MSW restarted, just click on the bold dark blue US Brig Syren link in my signature.

 

As for the longboat lifts, there should be 5.  I don't recall exactly but, as they are all the same thickness, I thought they were on the same laser cut sheet.  The top lift is quite different from the other 4 so if you don't have it, give ME a call.

[fnkershner]

Todd - If you send me a PM I will take care of the rest. All I need is an email address.

[NWdiverTodd]

Augie: There is no place or space on the sheet for the 5th lift.  I read your post and was thinking "How can I call you? I don't have your... Oh! ME=Model Expo!" Duh :-)  Not enough sleep.  Thanks for the link.

 

Floyd: Thanks!  I sent a PM.

[NWdiverTodd]

Augie, 

Your link goes to "kit build logs in progress" and as expected, there is your build.  I went back and did a search for "syren" in "kit build logs in progress" and your build does NOT show up.  As a newbie, I am probably doing something wrong, but it seems a shame for people to miss your and possibly other completed builds.  What did I do wrong?

[Charley54]

Todd- I sent you a PM with copies of the Templates that Chuck sent to me just in case.

 

Charley

[NWdiverTodd]

They printed great.  I'll check the size when I get home.

Thanks!!

 

-Todd