Chuck Seiler

Mike, Dang! You guys have a roof not made out of canvas! I see you are using beech for your gundeck framing as well. I did not notice it with the other framing, but it really shows here. Do you only use if for faming or will you use it for planking in any areas? I was thnking about using it for ceiling planking for my next project...give it that miniature oak look. Thoughts?

Byrnes Saw (he hates when you call it that) DEFINITELY. A precision tool with a lot of options. Hopefully soon he will come out with a featherboard. If you get one, I think you find many more uses for it. (See my build log for Gunboat PHLADELPHIA and making gun carriages). http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/5721-gunboat-philadelphia-by-chuck-seiler-scale-148-1776-scratch-from-ms-plans/page-4#entry176933

More on the cook stove. I checked the reference book I spoke of. I stated that when found, the cook stove was located on the center deck, just forward of the port 9 pounder, as indicated here. (Along with cooking gear and at least 1 bone) This is where it is located on the PHILADELPHIA in the Smithsonian It went on to say that due to the scorching on the underside of the mast partner, it was routinely used in the forward cockpit. So, there is evidence it was used in both locations. If you have been following Mike41's build log of his 1775 Row Galley WASHINGTON, you will see a discussion on stoves. See below (I hope this link works) http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/5902-uss-washington-by-mike-41-1776-row-galley-scale-148/page-4#entry175102 The 'inside story' on that thread is that both PHILADELPHIA and WASHINGTON were part of the Continental fleet at Valcour Island. As the PHILADELPHIA was sinking, the WASHINGTON came alongside and offloaded the crew. Believe you me, they were quire disappointed to learn that, while they were eating hot dogs on a stick, the WASHINGTONians were getting donuts and baked Alaska

Bob, No worries. It gives me some ideas.

<sigh!>

Bob, With regards to using paint brush bristles as nails...are you using natural or synthetic bristles.

I got the idea on the jig from Clay Feldman, as part of his LEXINGTON build. It helps keep everything aligned properly. Seems like a waste when making 1 or 2 carriages (One 12 pounder and 2 nine pounders), but essential when dealing with 8, 10, 36 guns.

Are those donuts? We don't get donuts on PHILADELPHIA.

Tony, Thanks for the tip.

That sounds like what I use. The bottle says "rubber cement" though. I know they make another type very much like it...more like a contact cement. Maybe that is it.

If the shafts are going to be 1MM in diameter, and you are adding the blade to the shaft, I would recommend using bamboo for the shaft. I use it for 'functional trunnls' where I want to attach something (deck furniture) with something more than glue. At 1MM it is still strong, however I do not go for any lengths greater than about 1/4 inch. I use bamboo BBQ skewers, Split them to almost the desired diameter, chuck them in a Dremel and sand to the desired diameter.

As an alternative, check out my gun carriages in GUNBOAT PHILADELPHIA. The process is not as precise as Jay's, but effective for the table saw and dremel folks such as myself. (I would include the link, but I have not mastered that yet.)

Carriage sides cleaned up. 9 pounder carriage in its jig (right). I stained the jig a little darker so you can differentiate jig from carriage. I'm not sure it helps. 12 pounder slide carriage in its jig (left) with gun mounted for size.

As promised. Here is a picture of the building jig. I have subsequently made some changes and will show them in a future post. 1. I want to color the jig so the carriage wood is more discernible. 2. The sides come right up to the hole for the rear carriage bolt. When the hole is enlarged to accommodate the bolt, it is lower than the side. I had to put a crease in the jig along that access.

It sounds like the consensus so far is "natural". I will try some natural stain on scrap and see how it looks.

The stuff I got from the friend must have been old. It appears lead to me. I looked at AMAZON and found I can get bearings from 1MM up. I will look into doing that.

I will be doing more work tonight and tomorrow, so I will have more pics...including my assembly jig. A question for the assembled gallery: What color should I make the carriage? I am not s re the plan specifies. My original plan was some sort of brown stain, but I have plenty of brown already. Natural stain? Pale yellow dye? (more of an ocre) Barn red dye (much like the bricks)? Your thoughts and recommendos are encouraged.

I cut the carriage templates to size and rubber cemented them to the stock I was using for the carriages. I decided to use a double wide piece of stock in order to facilitate using the table saw. It will be more obvious once you see it. I rubber cemented two pieces of stock together so that when I made the cuts, I would have two exact pieces. I actually made the stock slightly oversized, then milled it to the correct size...again, so the pieces would be exactly the same. In Modeler12's post, he is making a bunch of pieces at the same time. I could do the same by adding more pieces of stock, in multiples of 2. The other option (in retrospect) would be to use a thicker piece of stock and slicing it off later. Thickness is restricted by how long my drill bit used for drilling holes in the side (for bolts and eyebolts). This shows the basic milling method. I sense a bunch of folks with REAL mills are shuddering right now. The first cut is to make the trunnion "hole"...or half hole. I am sure there is a term, but I cannot recall. This is a starter cut. It will be rounded out with a file later. Here I am cutting the indent for the front axle. Now it is the safety guys that are shuddering. I decided to change operations a little in order to cut the rear axle indent. There was not enough stock to do it safely or accurately. It turned out pretty well. Next step was to cut the steps. This went well until I got almost to the end, then part of the stock snapped off. No damage, but I would have preferred it not happen. When I cut the other side, I made a initial cut at the back end of the carriage. This worked...it did not snap off this time. These look pretty crappy, but that is due to the paper residue, not the cut. If you looked from the other side you would see that it is very crisp. I don't know why I didn't take any pics of the reverse, but you will see them later.

One of the things I need to get out of the way sooner or later are the gun carriages. The two 9 pounder guns have traditional carriages, except the front wheels are the same size as the rear. The 12 pounder s mounted on a slide carriage (sled?). I am using cast pewter guns from LUMBERYARD. The carriages available from them are okay, but I am not wild about them. Chuck Passaro's carriages are too small for the guns used...plus I wanted to go with boxwood. Modeler12 in his "Making Gun Carriages" shows a great way to mass produce the sides of the carriage using a mill. Being a tablesaw/dremel type of guy, my method is less precise but simpler. The plans I was using had a good profile view of the slide carriage but only a quarter angle view of the traditional carriages. Taking measurements from the quarterview, I made modifications to the slide carriage diagram in order to fit the bill.

POOP!!! The stuff I put in last night apparently went away with the server. Fortunately I received an email/digest with it all included. I will reconstruct as best I can.

Featherboard featherboard featherboard featherboard featherboard........

Hmmm. Decisions, decisions. I am eyeballing the CONFEDERACY due to it's reduced price, but I need to finish PHILLY (end of May) and SULTANA (by next year) with scratch sloop PROVIDENCE on the drawing board and SYREN in the wings. Maybe I will forgo CONFEDERACY and wait for Winchelsea. Rusty. You said you used craft glue to affix your templates to the wood. Is that water based? Doesn't it have a tendency to distort the plan, or am I thinking about something else?

Chuck, When do you anticipate this kit going to market?

I used bird shoot for my cannon balls on PHILADELPHIA. A guy in our model guild gave them to me. It solves a short term problem, but I think I will have to replace them eventually. Lead has a tenancy to deteriorate over time and your lead fixtures end up as piles of dust at the bottom of your case. I think I will check out Amazon. Bill, did you try soaking them in a pickling agent such as vinegar or some stronger (if available)?

This weekend looks to be a little chilly...only 72 degrees. I will stay home and work on PHILLY. coming up...GUN CARRIAGES.