ChrisLBren

Hi all,
 
just a quick update. I've finished the gunport openings. In the picture the two halfs are put together loosely. The are not yet joined. She looks a bit sad at the moment. Can't wait to get the inner gunport frames done and the final fairing.
 
best regards
Tom

Not perfect - but the cheeks are carved and installed...

This phase is taking forever (then again my time in the shop is limited).  It takes a good amount of time to cut out and sand a rail that fits your model to spec and then this happens - the boxwood crumbles as you are carving the molding. And im using a hard wood...
 
The scrap box is growing......

With some care - Chucks Figurehead paints up nicely.  I'm hoping to get the rails and trailboards finally installed by the end of next week.

OK Group,
 
An update at last - starting the headrails.  Up first is the lower cheek.  After careful sanding to get it to fit - the next issue was devising a way to get straight groves along the faces of the cheeks.  The solution is simple - create a handle - which I did with a couple scraps of wood - and a brass nail elevated exactly 1/64.  Then all you need to do is run the piece along the nail several times to create a groove - which was then enlarged with a series of larger nails used by hand similar to an awl.  
 
Ive also attached a bow shot - alignment here is so critical - and by my eye the right side is a little lower than the left.  Not much can be done here to correct other than possible adjust the height of the hawse hole boards if need be to compensate for the upper cheek.  We will see how it looks once i remove the black strake above the cheek in order to install the hawse hole boards - hopefully this weekend if the twins allow.
 
 

Hey Group,
 
At last all deck furniture is finished with the re installation of the ships wheel (i lowered its supports 1/16) and the binnacles.  All thats left on this one is the headrails, dummy masts, channels/deadeyes, gunport lids/fenders and anchors.  I need to decide if i want to proceed to the head rails or revisit the WVH - it is painting and sanding season outside here in Chicago (if it cools down just a bit).  On the other hand Ive got some renewed momentum on the Confed.  Have a great weekend,
Chris

Here are the pics

Hey Gang,
An update at last !  Ive rigged and installed the rear cannon as well as the ships wheel.  As you can see by the profile photo - i probably should have mounted it about 1/32 further aft as the ropes arent centered on the drum.  And i think wheel stand is a little too tall by maybe 1/16.  Some corrections may be in order....
 
Stay tuned,
Chris

Hi Gang,
 
After a hiatus due to my wife and I having twins, she's dusted off and I'm hoping to recommence this build.  I've attached some not so great photos from my iphone - the idea here is just to get a log started and motivate me to get back in the shipyard - for at least a few hours per week.  
 
This build was started back in November of 2009 using Chucks plans that later were used in the Model Expo kit.  The woods used were swiss pear from Hobby Mill for almost exclusively with the exception of boxwood for the decks and a little bit of ebony for the false keel and checkerboard flooring in the great cabin.  Im a big fan of Fiebings dyed swiss pear and used this method for all black areas with the exceptions I just mentioned.  I used three finishes, pure tung oil for the hull, Watcos Danish Oil for the deck fittings and beams, and diluted sanding sealer for the deck.  
 
My goal is to at least get the 6 lb guns rigged and installed along with the ships wheel hopefully by the end of the month so i can begin the headrails this summer if the twins cooperate....
 
Thats it for now - by the way the photo posts looks a bit different than the old Modelship World - any tips on the best size to upload so they look more standard/fill the screen ?
Chris

Thank you for all the "likes" and comments. 
 
Hawse timbers... version 4.5 (1 side was replaced once, the other twice).   The hard part (to me) is that lines drawing give no shape to the bow forward of the first cant fram so I'm fumbling with templates and photos.  I think I'm close.  I've filled in most of the low spots and sanded down the highs.  Cherry has this nice feature  that if it ages a bit and darkens, when you sand it the sanded parts become light. This, coupled with a batten and templates gives you a pretty good idea of where one stands in the fairing.
 
They still need more fairing but I need to hold off a bit.  Frankly, I'm getting tired of the sawdust in the air at the moment.     The reality is, I need to put in the gunport sills and fair those in.  And then the interior.  The deck clamp "knees" (actualy just nubs of wood) need to be worked such to give a smooth sheer to the clamps.  I'll have to hold on the clamps though, until the stern is finished.
 
Yes, I'm avoiding the stern like the plague.  Hahn doesn't give you a template on the plans for the transoms so I'm sorting this out.  I have the stern framing showing height and width of the timbers, the side showing the location and depth but no top view showing the shape.  Again, much staring at the prints and Hahn's limited build photos.  This seems to be one of those areas that are "up to the builder" to sort out like the quarter galleries.   Speaking of which I'm also sorting out that area as it's not really defined on the prints as to timbers.  However, I'm putting together a plan, which if it works I'll happy dancing for weeks.
 
So... to the pictures.  The first three show the hawse timbers and cant frames.  None of this will be visible when planked.  The last is kinda' artsy-craftsy looking at the interior so I can get an idea of amount of fairing in there to be done.
 




 
 
As always, feel free to click on any picture to enlarge it to full size.  Oh.. sorry for the sawdust and debris.  I really need to hit this with the shop vac.

Bob - hang in there with the figurehead.  Its a leap of faith to learn to carve - I recommend sticking with  boxwood and a scalpel.  You can do it !!!
Chris

Hello and many thanks for warm words! Now it's time for litte update. Firs the last hanging knees in the cabin, I have decided to make them a little compass:
 

 

 

 

 
Then completted fore bulkhead of captains cabin, I leave the doors half open as in the rear bulkhead:
 

 

 

 

 

 
I hope I will have more time for modeling now...
 
Alex
 

more

I don't own any of these marvelous tools and am very jealous - I make due on an obsolete Preac table saw, a 30 year old Dremel, a rickety Delta scroll saw, and fingernail sanding sticks from a beauty salon...

I don't own any of these marvelous tools and am very jealous - I make due on an obsolete Preac table saw, a 30 year old Dremel, a rickety Delta scroll saw, and fingernail sanding sticks from a beauty salon...

I don't own any of these marvelous tools and am very jealous - I make due on an obsolete Preac table saw, a 30 year old Dremel, a rickety Delta scroll saw, and fingernail sanding sticks from a beauty salon...

cont...
 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Sure Jack - you could approach your model in this fashion to make sure its historically accurate.  However in my opinion - the figurehead adds so much to the elegance of the model.  Both Bourdriot's Cyclope and the Le Cygne are spectacular examples of this class - Id love to build a model one half as good as these examples. 

Hey Andy,
A couple ideas for you - I created my wale using two strips of 4mm by 3mm strips vs one 8 mm piece - it was much easier to install this way.  Also you may want to consider mounting a strip equal to the thickness of your planking material and half of the dimension of your bulkhead former and mounted on your bulkhead former.  Then go ahead and add the stem assembly and keel assembly on top of the strip now vs later after you've planked.  What this does is create a rabbit for your planking and makes things much easier and cleaner when you plank - as the strips have a grove to mount into. I learned this technique from Chuck Passaro on my Confederacy build - Ive attached a photo of my bow so you can see.  

Sure Jack - you could approach your model in this fashion to make sure its historically accurate.  However in my opinion - the figurehead adds so much to the elegance of the model.  Both Bourdriot's Cyclope and the Le Cygne are spectacular examples of this class - Id love to build a model one half as good as these examples. 

Well I dont have any pics of the machine working...today is a rope making day.  But here are some images of the shop with the laser cutter.  Its very very messy as I am in high gear making stuff for the NRg conference in a few weeks.  The laser cutter....is a BOSS Laser cutter 80 watt.  But its custom and I had the larger laser tube placed in a smaller machine body for space reasons.  I dont need a huge laser bed because most of the parts we make are small.  I am very happy with its performance.  Buying a laser cutter is like buying a car...so many opinions and stuff to weed through on the web about which is the best one.  This particular unit cost about $5500 after everything was all set up.  The cheaper desktop models you see just wont do the job and cut very poorly.   Many promise to cut through 1/4' plywood but just wont.  So far I was able to cut through teh plywood using only 65% of the power that this tube is capable of generating.  It sits on a stand with wheels and can be rolled around teh shop but I like it right next to the workbench.  Its just like sending a document to the printer....instead you just hit "file Cut"   rather than "file print".   Its very easy to get up and running.
 

 
Baiscally the Laser is hooked up directly to an old laptop of mine.  I use Corel Draw to draft my cutting files.  They are saved as DFX files and opened up in the laser cutters software...lasercut 5.3.  Note the dryer exhaust behind the laser cutter.  The laser cutter doesnt leave behind anything after it cuts.  It actually obliterates the wood in its path leaving only residue....thats the brown stuff you see on the cut edges.  It is also on the laser bed.  It must be cleaned from time to time.  The material will smoke a bit as it cuts and there is a powerful exhaust fan that blows it outside through that vent.  My shop always smells like a fireplace now...very pleasant actually.  But I wont cut plastics and other materials because its noxious and the fumes are usually very hazardous...it could literally kill you.
 
Its a bit noisy because of the blower to work the exhaust and the pump to cool the laser tube.  Water is constantly pumped through the center of the laser tube as it cuts.  
 

 

 
You can see its size in relation to my work table...
 
This is the bed of the laser which allows me to cut a 14" x 14' piece of wood comfortable.  Its big enough for what we do.
 

 
This is the actual 80 watt laser tube in the back of the machine....the heart of the machine.   Th e laser beam is invisible and bounces off a series of mirrors to the laser head.   The laser head moves with a pulley and track system to follow the path of your lines.
 

 
The three things used to become an effective laser cutter is mastering the POWER setting for any given thickness of material,  the SPEED of the laser as it travels...and the maintenance of the machine to focus the laser as sharply as possible to give you the thinnest kerf.   Oh and of course the drafting and files you create must be done to the best advantage for your laser settings.
 
Basically its trial and error...place a thickness of wood on the bed and try various setting of power and speed until you find the optimum settings.  Every type of wood and thickness has different settings and they are recorded once I find them.  
 
Now back to the rope burning station where I need to finish up these 24 packs of black .012 rigging rope.  From high tech to incredibly low tech in just a few steps.
 

 
When you think about how much money you could spend on a Sherline lathe and mill and all of the accessories...$5500 is not that crazy.  I make a lot of parts for a living and that isnt the case with most ship modelers but I view this as just another tool to make parts.  You can excel at using it just like you could with a mill and lathe...which by the way,  a lathe is something I dont own.

Hey Andy,
A couple ideas for you - I created my wale using two strips of 4mm by 3mm strips vs one 8 mm piece - it was much easier to install this way.  Also you may want to consider mounting a strip equal to the thickness of your planking material and half of the dimension of your bulkhead former and mounted on your bulkhead former.  Then go ahead and add the stem assembly and keel assembly on top of the strip now vs later after you've planked.  What this does is create a rabbit for your planking and makes things much easier and cleaner when you plank - as the strips have a grove to mount into. I learned this technique from Chuck Passaro on my Confederacy build - Ive attached a photo of my bow so you can see.  

Hey Andy,
A couple ideas for you - I created my wale using two strips of 4mm by 3mm strips vs one 8 mm piece - it was much easier to install this way.  Also you may want to consider mounting a strip equal to the thickness of your planking material and half of the dimension of your bulkhead former and mounted on your bulkhead former.  Then go ahead and add the stem assembly and keel assembly on top of the strip now vs later after you've planked.  What this does is create a rabbit for your planking and makes things much easier and cleaner when you plank - as the strips have a grove to mount into. I learned this technique from Chuck Passaro on my Confederacy build - Ive attached a photo of my bow so you can see.  

An update !  Ive committed to setting aside an hour a night 5 days a week - and Ive added the fenders and ships ladder. The fenders were tricky to get right - I used an old planking iron to get the correct bend to fit flush with the hull.  
 
After i add the channels, I suppose i need to start thinking about some sort of stand - open to suggestions - Im bummed i didn't predrill the keel to accept rods so i can use brass pedestals. 
 
 

Hey Andy,
 
Here are some photos of my WVH as she stands today - I built her between 2002-2005 using mostly kit parts - single planked with the walnut wood provided.  I followed Corel directions as to where and how to start your planking run.  It turns out well - - as you can see the wales are placed on top of the planking after she's fully planked -which is not correct. You see a lot of kit models constructed this way - because its easier. Wales go on first to determine your planking run - then you plank from there.  If you want to paint your hull off white though - you can cover up the inaccurate run if you choose to follow the instructions.
 
I also attached some photos of the main deck - I milled my own holly for deck planking and tried to do a cut away to show the lower gun deck - which at the time seemed like a good idea - but now looks wrong to me - there would have been a few more beams here.  I also scratched my own gun carriages - because the ones in my kit were metal - i understand they have replaced these in newer kits.
 
The good news is I did a lot of research - Corel's plans are strong. I did some research secondary sources and the other sheets of plans I ordered to research the WPV. Some things are simplified - but overall Corel did a nice job.  
 
Look forward to seeing your progress,
Chris