FrankWouts

Very, very, good to hear that Tom! Back problems are terrible, I can tell as I have some damage in my lower back on the left side. It sometimes takes me out for days or weeks! We'll be checking regurarly for your progress, as I think your work is very beautiful and methodically. Keep on going Tom!

Hi Tom, Thanks for your advice on the glues, I will order them where necessary and try to use them as you advize. Yes, there are lots of steps ahead for me, but wasn't there also, I believe a Greek Philosopher who claimed you can never cross a river: because you first cross the first half, than there is the second half, which again in its turn can be divided in two halfs of which you first have to cross the first half, and so on, thus in theory, one can never cross a river, as there's always another second half to cross. Ofcourse I'm sure that with the right boat or bridge I will cross a river in no time, so as being an engineer (who now works in IT) I don't take those philosophers too seriously... Then there's the persisting problem of long delivery times of tools and materials as till the end of March we are still in Covid lockdown and have a night clock, which means everyone must be indoors before 21:00u (€95 fine if you're not and get caught). Furthermore, I have to divide my sparse free time off in building and studying for my second certification on TOGAF, The Open Group Architecture Framework, TOGAF Part II Certified. So I'm afraid I will not be building any faster than this the coming weeks and months, but I will get there hopefully in the end. I hope your back problems are all over now Tom and that your making a fresh start on a POF Winnie as well now? Or will you (also) proceed on the solid hull one? I would find the latter very, very interesting to follow! Thanks, Frank.

Thanks YankeeD and Tom! Okay, what glue do you prefer then? I’m just trying to follow Chuck’s instructions to the letter so when I read to use Titebond in the laser char, I don’t take risks, though I have other glues on my shelf, including a bottle from Kolderstok... Thanks Tom, no I won’t rush, the rabbet strip is on the keel now and drying for two days already, here some pictures of my slow progress, but that’s a good thing I understand ☺️. Frank.

Your build is really coming to life and looking good Matt. Also your report is a pleasure to read and follow. I’m very busy working as well with long days and wish I could spend more time in my attic building, so I recognize the feeling I guess you sometimes must have as well. Keep up your good work! Frank.

Hi Tom, my build has just started as well. I hope you are fully recovered soon and that our builds of POF Winnie models can go alongside, as I'm sure I can learn a lot of you and your years of experience!

Scuppers, in Dutch almost the same as in German: ‘spuigaten’, that is the ‘holes’ along which surplus or superfluous water on the deck(s) can flow back in to the sea. In Dutch we also can get things ‘of our chest’ by ‘spuien’, that is ‘get rid of’ thoughts that bother us. Not to mention all the thousand expressions we have with ‘wind’ in it!

Now that means a lot me Chuck, thank you!

Thanks Edward and Vladimir! I finally am able to get started now. My first two bottles of Titebond came in last week and despite the lockdown here in Holland I also finally managed to lay my hand on a thick multiplex plank of 30x90cm (11.81”x35,43”). So here also my first picture of the stem and knee and extension following Chuck’s instructions on the first pages of chapter one. No tweaking the joints in between removing any char it says, but it seems the laser does not always cut exactly square in a 90 degrees angle as I would like it to, as on one side some joints are very tight while the same one on the other side seem just a very little bit more open. But so far I’m very pleased how the first step turned out. Next step will be tapering the head knee and glueing the gammon knee and extension piece on (not glued yet on the last knee picture, only test fitting: I have to remove some more laser char first now I can still easily reach it).

You’re making progress fine Matt, and the roofs and all the rest as well look very, very good to my eye. You’re about finished when I will be able to get my workboard.... I only freed the laser cut parts of the false keel and frames thusfar...can’t start without a workbord ofcourse.

Yeah, it smells awesome Matt, Thanks!

Hi Marc, Almost a year since your last post, I hope you're okay and healthy in this pandemic? Frank.

Tadaa, yes here it is finally, after crossing the atlantic! Happy as can be!

Yes Tom, everything here in Holland is closed till at least the 8th of February. Luckily this week I received chuck's big beautiful box with yellow cedar for all three chapters in one, I'm happy as can be! I have to find me a building board now, maybe even online when all the hardware stores keep closed. I really hope you can keep modeling and that your back cures soon, as I'm following and reading your Winnie build log meticulously as well to learn from your mastership. I find it a real pitty you will / cannot not continue on your solid hull Winnie project. Frank.

Wow Tom, that's real artisanal and beautiful work! You're a true old master! I'm very much enjoying your build story and your extensive explanation.

Wow, what a sharp build real beauty and though I haven't even started myself, there's so much to learn from you Mike!

Hello Ron, Thanks, this build group feels like a local model club with all the warm welcomes! Yes, I'm stil looking for a decent build board, which at the moment is difficult to obtain in person with a total lockdown in Holland, without any stores open. I don't want to order that online as I want to inspect it in person to be 100% flat, not twisted etcetera... That's a good tip which I'll keep in mind, hopefully I can get such a pre-made laminated shelf. The cigar boxes here are very ugly nowadays, with ugly dirty pictures of black lungs, people with perforated necks from esophagus cancer. So I only smoke one expensive cigar a month, which is sold in still a nice tube and don't buy any cigar boxes anymore... So less bad for my health as well. Thanks, Frank.

Hello Tom, Ofcourse I'd like to get started right away, but don't worry I'll take my time, maybe I won't even be doing a plank a day, but only a plank a week, Not untill it's perfectly spilled and bent... I won't glue it on until 'm 100% satisfied over its form and position...maybe there wil be more planks in the bin than on my ship eventually... But planking is not until chapter 2, so I even have time ordering the yellow cedar planks in the material list for chapter 2. I read Chuck's instructions and they're very clear. I even confiscated my wife' travel iron already. The soldering iron plank bender gets too hot sometimes indeed. Yes, you're all more than welcome to take look at what I will be 'baking' and scan my work with your hawk's eyes...the more remarks made, the more I will learn. I'm still reading all the build logs so far and following them: yes I just hope I can avoid mistakes others made, but I'm sure I will able enough to make new ones, ones no one has made before :-). I'm already enjoying it, reading all comments so far here and in other build logs and I'm sure I will enjoy every minute of the build once I'll get started! Thanks! Frank.

Hi Hans, Really very, very beautiful build of our nation's pride! I can only dream of reaching your level of scratch building and building our country's flagship! Maybe you are willing to give me a few masterclasses in the future!? Did you build it from the drawings in and with this book in this picture? I have this book with the drawings, which must be enlarged ofcourse to the scale one would like, but I would not know where to start. Yes, ofcourse with the keel, knees and frames, but where to draw and saw the inside of the contours of the frames? The outer outlines are clear on the drawings, but where are the boundaries of the insides? Meaning amongst others e.g. how thick will the 'verschansing' be? Thanks, Frank.

Hi Hans, Thanks, I hope so, and hope I can reach only half the level that is being displayed in this group build. For me it hopefully will be a steep learning curve, getting so much tips and help here. Luckily the four big drawings came back from the print shop today. I'm now waiting for the Syren shipment to come in. Thanks, Frank.

Happy New Year to you too Andrey! I'm still following you with great admiration and have read and watched everything from you thusfar. I learned a great lot and am very amused with your humor as well! Keep on going like this for many years to come and stay healthy! Thanks, Frank.

Hi Chuck, Thanks for your tip. I'm reading lots and lots, including all of the builds here, ánd the pdf files for the four chapters. I now remember seeing those list of materials before, but had forgotten all about them, obviously... I must have miscalculated with the inches, it's confusing for me, as I already downloaded an app for calculating to centimeters and millimeters. I think it's better to get used to 1/8 inch etcetera for me as European and read my devices in inches, though not all give inches as a reading. Funny, as the old drawings in the 17th century for the Dutch ships are also in inches (duimen) en feet (voet), with a small difference between feet in Rotterdam (shipyard 'van der Maze' e.g. build the Seven Provinces of the Admiral de Ruyter) and Amsterdam (half the Dutch fleet). But since Napolean came here, we all read meters, centimeters and millimeters and forgot about feet and inches. Thanks however for swapping those extra sheets with the right ones... I'll make another order hopefully by the end of the month or at the moment I can move on to chapter two. Also because right now I'll be eating dry bread for the rest of the month with the heating off and lights out. Two boxes? Wow, I hope my Admiral (Matt D's joke...) won't be asking where I'm going to put those big boxes... Thanks, Frank.

Hi all, Small update from me. Still without pictures unfortunately... I ordered all sets from Syren (to combine and thus save shipping costs), except the resin ornaments set, all in Yellow Cedar and boxwood where appropriate. The also already ordered ornaments set will come in CNC carved boxwood from MSW member Jack from China. Thanks for this information JJ!!! Also some blocks of Yellow Cedar 1/8 x 2 inch, as I would know where to find that here in Europe. Still on my to do list for this week are: 1. Find an appropriate working plank (I was not succesfull last Saturday); 2. Printing the four large work/instruction sheets at the local copy shop;

Hi all, many thanks for the warm welcome and first tips already! I'm off to the wood store in a few minutes for a (large: I did not have a plank that large here...) building plank and I understand from chuck's reply I can place my order at the Syren shop for chapter 1 tomorrow. And maybe more depending on the price: I'm sure I will also have to pay custom duties again... a price we have to pay for delaying our shipments for a few days :-). So maybe first only order chapter 1, it will keep me busy for the coming months, so I'll see. Though I printed the 29 pages with false keel and bulkheads (on A3 paper in Europe), I'm not sawing the bulkheads, as I cannot saw more accurate than a laser I'm sure. Also in the mean time I'm trying to find a print shop in the neighbourhood that can print the other four large sheets. So my first picture posts may be coming next week. Thanks, Frank.

Hi Matt, thank you, you and your family too a Happy New Year and yes, they taste great, but already on day one not inline anymore with my new year's resolutions of losing some extra weight this year....

Thanks Chuck, First of all Happy New Year and good health for you and your loved ones. Stay healthy above all! I'm also reading on in your beautiful build as well with some nice left over 'oliebollen' ('deep-fried rasin buns' google-translate says) with powdered sugar from New Years eve and a big mug of coffee. Thanks for enabling me and making this whole group project possible! Now I'll have to see, what I will be scratch building, probably the frames and false keel... I'm not much of a boxwood carver I'm afraid, still thinking of taking lessons in carving here in Breda in the oldest art school of the country ( St. Joost Arts & Design School Breda). But perhaps making a jump start with the starter kit isn't a bad idea too, why not. Am I missing some hyperlinks (to the Syren website?) to the starter kit and the CNC carved boxwood, or isn't the latter available for sales? On the Syren website it says it's 'down for maintenance' at the moment, so maybe I'll check again later...