fnkershner

Hi there - 
 
Another very interesting build using modern technology.  I will be following with lots of interest.
 
I did a USS Maine in the same scale some time ago and found out two things that might be useful to you.  First, although authorized, the torpedo boats were never carried by the Maine in the two years between her commissioning in 1896 and her end in 1898.  I had to scrap the ones that I started.  You can certainly add them to your model, and they look good, but not historically accurate.
 
Also, there were a series of photographs taken of the entire ship from various angles and others taken on deck in several places.  These are in the Library of Congress and have been scanned at 1200 bpi, so they can be enlarged to an amazing degree, which can show many construction details that do not show up anywhere else.  They are free to download from the Library's website, which I don't have at the moment.  Let me know and I can dig it up for you.  In the meanwhile, below is what can be done with an enlargement of one of the overall shots.   Hope it is useful to you.
 
Dan

(message meant for AL actaully...)

3D printing is simple technology in that it lays down a layer of plastic type material at a thickness you specify. There's tweaking that needs to be done but once that's completed you can get reliable prints again and again.  

poor video but this camera is attached to the bed of my printer and shows the vertical build-up of a part (shroud the turrent spins inside). 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/baGSAz0jqbQ

Hi Roger, 
 
the magazine Marine Modeling International Nov 2013 issue (page 44) had a nice write up of the guy that made the plans (Rene Lefarve or something like that) and a 1/12.5 running steam boat model of the boat.  The plans Rene made were available at some point - I was able to find a usable set.  I've actually found a pic or two in the US national archives also. 
 
Attached a picture of the first torpedo boat that was produced for the USS Maine (as published in the Scientific American Navy boat Special Edition) that Google digitized - I think it was from about the time period of the USS Maine so 1898 or so. 

Hello all, 
 
Things are moving along quite well in the design and build of the USS Maine.  I've been concentrating on the hull and the control mechanisms and preparations for running in the water.  I'm just about ready to start printing the hull - but have started with the turrents. 
 
Speaking of turrets here's a shot of the internals of the hull showing the servo pockets and a pulley on the turret support that will be used for rotation (along with mock ups of the propulsion and some exterior shots + a pic of a printed turret!

Hello all,  I’d like to share a project I’ve been working on for the past month.  I chose to start with the USS Maine in 1/72 scale but in truth I’m captivated by just about any pre-dreadnaught design especially some of the tumblehome hulls like the USS Brooklyn and the French Massena, Carnot, etc.
 
Most of the work accomplished thus far has been in the cad program (fusion 360) but I’m just about to start printing parts as I move through  and complete the design.  
 
I am including the torpedo boats that were meant for the Maine, and hope to eventually figure out a way to launch them while underway. 
 
 
 

I started work on the hammock nettings. I changed the boarding panels so that the wooden rail could be attached to the back of the panels and not to the side. I also added a little ornamentation to the panels (img 1). I used the hammock cranes from the kit, thinned them down and mounted the whole arrangement as described by Chuck in the kit instructions (imgs 2 and 3). The netting itself was framed with a rope on 2 sides to give it a clear delineation against the wooden rail and the boarding panel side (img 4). Framing only 2 sides allows for easy fine adjustment of the final width and length of the netting when mounting it on the hammock cranes. The ‘unframed’ sides are then attached via black 100wt silk thread and CA glue to the rope which spans from the boarding panel to the last hammock crane. The last hammock crane is also used to attach the ‘unframed’ end of the netting. Images 5 – 10 show different states of the process.
 
Thomas
 

Image 1
 

Image 2
 

Image 3
 

Image 4
 

Image 5
 

Image 6
 

Image 7
 

Image 8
 

Image 9
 
 

Image 10

CDW - I suggest you friend also look at Shapeways.com. Cost is a bit higher but the quality is amazing.

CDW - I suggest you friend also look at Shapeways.com. Cost is a bit higher but the quality is amazing.

Joe - I will echo CDW. I have recently retired after 44 years in the IT industry. So I do understand the technology side, and I enjoy it. I should also mention that my modeling skills are not what I would hope for. I often substitute power tools for skill. So spending time in front of the computer seems normal to me. (just ask my wife) . I have spent the last 4 months learning Fusion and 3D printing. I am very impressed with the opportunities this gives me. Now it is hard to say where I spend more time. We will see as I progress.

Fusion 360 is Cloud based. So you can store your designs on the web and share with others easily. Also several people can work on the same design.

Joe - I will echo CDW. I have recently retired after 44 years in the IT industry. So I do understand the technology side, and I enjoy it. I should also mention that my modeling skills are not what I would hope for. I often substitute power tools for skill. So spending time in front of the computer seems normal to me. (just ask my wife) . I have spent the last 4 months learning Fusion and 3D printing. I am very impressed with the opportunities this gives me. Now it is hard to say where I spend more time. We will see as I progress.

I cannot comment on Onshape. I have never used it. But considering the amount of free training available for Fusion I think that would sway me.

Joe - I will echo CDW. I have recently retired after 44 years in the IT industry. So I do understand the technology side, and I enjoy it. I should also mention that my modeling skills are not what I would hope for. I often substitute power tools for skill. So spending time in front of the computer seems normal to me. (just ask my wife) . I have spent the last 4 months learning Fusion and 3D printing. I am very impressed with the opportunities this gives me. Now it is hard to say where I spend more time. We will see as I progress.

I'm probably too old to change. But if I was young and starting out fresh, technology would be the way to go. Opens up so many exciting possibilities.
My concern is whether or not I will be willing at this stage of life to put in the hours required just to learn the software. Been there and done that before I retired with many complex software programs so I know and understand what is required to learn it well enough to be proficient.

I have been following these threads of "technology" introduction into this wonderful hobby/art form. I am also a woodworker and have seen the same thing happening there. Tonight I attend a "Period Furniture"  SIG and the topic is on a newly acquired CNC vertical mill with attendant new software for design. One product this individual makes is a wooden bench vise screw, a very complicated part. I find this all so fascinating. My background is in real time machine control but I find myself fighting what I perceive as a "tension" with these new technology introductions into any of these pursuits. Where do I spend my time is probably at the heart of the tension as I am beginning to realize I am not immortal. Do I spend my time at the computer or do I spend my time at the bench?
 
How do you early adopters feel about it?
 
Joe

I can do that.....Thanks.
 
Chuck

Chuck you provide the most concise instruction booklets available. They are awesome and I would like to make a suggestion based on ten years of writing technical documentation. Number your photos and refer to that number in your instructions. Lessens confusion. Looking forward to this kit.

Fusion 360 is Cloud based. So you can store your designs on the web and share with others easily. Also several people can work on the same design.

Haze Grey - A few posts back you mentioned Seattle. Do you live in the Puget Sound region? We have a club - The Puget Sound Ship Modelers. I would love to meet you and compare notes on Fusion360. Please PM me with an email address.

I agree about the YouTube videos. Lots of good info. Not much for ship building. So your initial plane was the deck or the cross section along the keel? How big is your 3D printer? This is a large model.

Haze Grey - A few posts back you mentioned Seattle. Do you live in the Puget Sound region? We have a club - The Puget Sound Ship Modelers. I would love to meet you and compare notes on Fusion360. Please PM me with an email address.

Sharing some more on the Charles Martel Build - I worked a little on the forward outward turrets and their mounting/rotation axels - I haven't quite got it right as I have yet to find a clear photo that is 90° to the side.  I decided to take a break and sketch up a cradle from the boat that I can lay it in while i work on it as it's no fun working on a hull on the ground - tends to not stay still.  
 
 

I'm using eSun PLA+ which is pretty good for PLA, you just need to make sure (as with any PLA) you paint it as it can be sensitive to UV.    ABS is another material I'm considering.    For PLA, I've been using Jet Hot brand super glue, also the gorilla superglue is good. 
 
18 days might seem like a lot but the machine does all the work at that point and right now I have the hull split into 9 segments so about 48 hours each. It is a 1/72 scale boat and so not exactly on the small end of the scale although I can print a 1/96 scale version of it in 10 days and use about 1/2 the material. 
 
 

Thanks...I still have to edit it.  Its on the list of things to do.
 
Below is a dry fit of the bulkheads and stern frames.  All looks good to go for the next step.
 
And just this one time only...I dragged out the old dusty and broken 3/16" scale version of the Winnie for a size comparison.  They are lined up at the stern so you can see the difference.  What a mess the old model is....full of dust and filthy as well as busted up a bit.
 



 
 

I am so glad to find this thread. For the past several months I have been teaching myself Fusion 360. I have found it very powerful. There is a steep learning curve but it does pay off. Particularly for someone like me who has never used any CAD/CAM S/W before. I have just recently started to experiment with the lofting command. So get ready I am going to bore you with lots of questions! 
 
So I am still more interested in using Fusion to create plans for wooden Sailing Ship based on blueprints, or creating a design for a CNC Router to cut a half hull. But first let me comment on your subject. I think this is a very interesting subject. These Pre-Dreadnought Battle ships are some of the last Tumblehome designs. It seems that the French were quite late in moving from Tumblehome to Flared design. There are some that feel that this contributed to the failure of the Russian Fleet during the Russo-Japan war. Most of the Russian ships were of a French design. While the Japanese were more modern and used the Flared approach. Tumblehome ships had poor protection below the waterline and were susceptible to capsizing. The Russians lost 2 ships this way.
 
PS most of the navies of the world watched the Russo-Japanese war with great interest. Afterwards almost all Tumblehome ships were scrapped.
 
I will organize my thoughts on Fusion and be back. Thanks again for starting this very interesting discussion.