Chuck Seiler

With the frames roughed out it was time to think about how to make the Hahn style jig.  I had success previously with the full hull but had lessons learned for my building style (read accuracy and capability).  So I came up with the following:
 

 
First off, I did copy the base pattern off of the plans but did not go and cut it all out at once.  Lots of small errors compound to very noticeable ones.  So after cutting out the center portion I picked the first frame, centered it over its location then cut out notches for it to fit snugly.  I also fit out pillars that insured the keel was at the exact height and centered over the jig.  So the frame is inserted into its groove, the pseudo keel is put into position and then the frame is pulled up into position perpendicular to the board. 
 
For the next frame I inserted a 1/8" board spacer to define the start point of the frame, then measured as above off of this starting position.  Very close to the plans but tweeked here and there.  So everything is based off of the first frame.
 
Nothing is glued yet (still have to scrape off the remaining templates).  After everything is verified, the frames will be glued and then the real keel will be fashioned.
 
Also need to detail out the face frames of the first and last exposed frames.
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark

With the holidays (and the family flu) in the rear view mirror I finally spent some time in the shipyard.  I finally got all ten frames rough cut out.  No bevels yet (after they are installed in the jig) and the face frame sides will have futtock join pieces with trunnels added.
 

 
You can see one of my Christmas gifts from the kids - 1:48 scale plastic figures.  They are Air Force ground crew figures, so some modifications will need to be made, however I really liked the look of them on the full Druid.  Nice to see the figures fit so well.  They will be all over the cross section: climbing, cleaning, firing - you name it.
 
Next up is to cut out the base jig to hold these frames inverted (the Hahn method).  Hope to pick up the wood tomorrow.  You can also see the other big gift from the family:  Volume IV of the Swan books - AWESOME!
 

 
BTW:  I picked up this sanding belt cleaner bar and it works fantastic.  I would highly recommend.  It basically brings the sandpaper back to like new.  The top of the spindle sander hasn't been treated, below it has.  Simply push it against the running drum whenever it is starting to gum up.
 

 
In other news:  The full Druid has been invited to another Art Showing for January in Lowell, Michigan.  This will be followed by a request for a business to host for another month.  Tremendous positive feedback.
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark

Gosh...I got a sled for Christmas. 
 
 

 

 
This does not have a sawcut all the way thru the bed yet.  I did my initial cuts with a larger blade.  I will make my final cut with my .030 slitting blade, the one I will use with this.
 
My thanks to Krug for his directions.

Gosh...I got a sled for Christmas. 
 
 

 

 
This does not have a sawcut all the way thru the bed yet.  I did my initial cuts with a larger blade.  I will make my final cut with my .030 slitting blade, the one I will use with this.
 
My thanks to Krug for his directions.

Gosh...I got a sled for Christmas. 
 
 

 

 
This does not have a sawcut all the way thru the bed yet.  I did my initial cuts with a larger blade.  I will make my final cut with my .030 slitting blade, the one I will use with this.
 
My thanks to Krug for his directions.

So crazy thing happened at work a week or so ago.  We had a secret Santa sort of thing at work and one of my coworkers went well out of there way to find a ship in bottle kit.  They went to just about every hobby store in Denver and found this one which was under the $20 limit set by the company for this activity.  I'm actually highly surprised they found one at all in an actual store.  I've only ever seen them online.    
 
After I got it they told me they want to see it when I'm done.  I accepted politely and told them I would, inside I was thinking haven't you seen the ten ships in bottles in my office?  I'm going to bash the heck out of this kit and show you a ship in bottle you won't believe!
 
 I've actually built this kit before and as far as beginning ship in bottle kits go I think it's one of the best.  It is incredibly simple and the instructions are pretty good.  It follows the most basic ship in bottle process using hinges for the mast.  As far as ships go the rigging very basic and the parts are way off scale, not that they had any scale in mind for it.  The bottle is a great beginners bottle as well.  The opening is a massive inch and a quarter.  More than twice the size of my usual half inch bottles.  It gives you a lot of wiggle room to work with.  If any one were to try a ship in bottle using a kit I think they would have an easier time with one of these then the Amati kits.  Bearing in mind of coarse these will look much cheesier.  Enough talk here's a photo.  
 
   
 
Here is everything that comes in the kit.  There's the ship itself which I think is made out of pine.  It's a more solid wood them I'm used to.  There's skewers, tooth picks, popsicle stick and piece of balsa.  Sand paper thread and larger string for the bottle neck and a cork.  Also some tiny nails and wire for the hinges.  I'm missing a page of the plans but I'm not to worried about it.  I will also note that the bottle stand that comes in this kit is one of the best and I've designed many stands after it.  It's just a block of wood rounded out on top but it seems to fit any round bottle I put on it.  Big enough to hold the bottle small enough to not detract.  
 

 
I really want to go for the romanticized pirate look.  Looking at the block they supply the ship has more of a clipper type deck with a long narrow bow section.  I suspect they use the same piece of wood for their Cutty Sark kit.  Most "pirate" like ships had a more rounded bow so I looked through the book The Story of Sail for something with a narrower bow.  I think galleons is as close as it comes.  They are rounder but the forecastle juts out and narrows similar enough to the cut out that came with the kit.  This particular ship plan is for a ship named the Revenge from 1577.  It was for a time Sir Francis Drakes Flag Ship.  The ship itself has an incredible story even after Sir Francis Drake I highly suggest looking it up.  I'm not sure I'll copy this one exactly but I will take a lot of aspects from this ship.  Also if any one has any ideas they want to throw in to totally bash this kit post them.  I want to have a lot of fun with this one so the crazier the idea the better.        

In the Army there is a saying that no plan survives first contact, and it looks like it applies to ship modeling also.  After butchering a frame and a half I took a step back and reevaluated how I was making the frames.  After punching out three successful frames I have found what works for me.
 
I still used the rough cut out futtock pieces (trying to get a 1/16" buffer around).  I then proceeded to exact cut the join edges without refining the other edges.
 

 
The layers were then independently glued together over an uncut picture of the frame.  I omitted the upper pieces on the top layer to allow both layers to be aligned.
 
Then using a faux keel for center alignment and matching the upper parts of the frames the frames were glued together.
 

 
For the final steps after drying I used the spindle sander to finalize the frame outline and removed the last of the paper templates.
 

 
This is what worked for me.  Now just to get the rest of these frames finished off (if I can keep the rest of the family from getting the flu).
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark

Agreed.  My point was that you don't NEED those tools if you want to scratch build but don't have a shop full of tools.  I functioned very well for many years with my Dremel, exacto and sanding block.  One day I got a Byrnes saw and the world opened up for me.  Since then I started scratch building.  I have now purchased a disc sander and expect my model building experience will gt easier and models better.  Some day I will get some other thingamajig when I see a need for it.

That depends on what you will be scratch building.  I have been scratch building (although not necessarily scratch completing...but I digress) for years.  The Byrnes saw and a handy Dremel are all the power tools I used.  I was doing plank on bulkhead.  If you plan on going plank on frame, using , say, the Hahn method or the Antscherl method, I think a scroll saw will be needed to cut out the frames. 

1/32" planking...yowza!!  Mighty thin...not much there for sanding.  Where will those planks go?

1/32" planking...yowza!!  Mighty thin...not much there for sanding.  Where will those planks go?

Thanks for the "likes and" comments.
 
Just a break from building here while dimensioning my Swiss Pear supply for this.
 
For hull planking, I'm need 4 sizes of wood:  1/32" X 1/8",  3/32" X 3/16", 1/16" X 1/8" and 1/16" X 3/16".
 
I have an ample supply of planking wood that is  +1/16" X +1/8" and +3/32 X +3/16" that I'm converting down.  I've been testing out my technique on this and sorting things out.  For the first batch of 1/32" X 1/8", what I'll be doing is running it through the thicknesser to get it down to 1/32" (dead on exact) and then running it thought the table saw with a 230T blade to get the exact 1/8" I want..   For those on metric, 1/32" is equal to about 1mm. 
 
I give the raw dimensions as "+" because they're all a tad oversize and the oversize seems to be inconsistent.
 
I'm attaching two pics of the saw with the wood being run through it.  You can see that very little wood is being removed and also how I'm keeping my big paws away from the blade. 
 
I hope to have planking underway pretty soon.  In fact, maybe tomorrow, I'll take a break from dimensioning and do the counter.  Hmmm... I need some ebony for the stern above the lights so I'll have to do that also.
 
 
Overall view: 
 
Close up of blade area: 

Agreed.  My point was that you don't NEED those tools if you want to scratch build but don't have a shop full of tools.  I functioned very well for many years with my Dremel, exacto and sanding block.  One day I got a Byrnes saw and the world opened up for me.  Since then I started scratch building.  I have now purchased a disc sander and expect my model building experience will gt easier and models better.  Some day I will get some other thingamajig when I see a need for it.

Agreed.  My point was that you don't NEED those tools if you want to scratch build but don't have a shop full of tools.  I functioned very well for many years with my Dremel, exacto and sanding block.  One day I got a Byrnes saw and the world opened up for me.  Since then I started scratch building.  I have now purchased a disc sander and expect my model building experience will gt easier and models better.  Some day I will get some other thingamajig when I see a need for it.

Agreed.  My point was that you don't NEED those tools if you want to scratch build but don't have a shop full of tools.  I functioned very well for many years with my Dremel, exacto and sanding block.  One day I got a Byrnes saw and the world opened up for me.  Since then I started scratch building.  I have now purchased a disc sander and expect my model building experience will gt easier and models better.  Some day I will get some other thingamajig when I see a need for it.

Agreed.  My point was that you don't NEED those tools if you want to scratch build but don't have a shop full of tools.  I functioned very well for many years with my Dremel, exacto and sanding block.  One day I got a Byrnes saw and the world opened up for me.  Since then I started scratch building.  I have now purchased a disc sander and expect my model building experience will gt easier and models better.  Some day I will get some other thingamajig when I see a need for it.

Agreed.  My point was that you don't NEED those tools if you want to scratch build but don't have a shop full of tools.  I functioned very well for many years with my Dremel, exacto and sanding block.  One day I got a Byrnes saw and the world opened up for me.  Since then I started scratch building.  I have now purchased a disc sander and expect my model building experience will gt easier and models better.  Some day I will get some other thingamajig when I see a need for it.

That depends on what you will be scratch building.  I have been scratch building (although not necessarily scratch completing...but I digress) for years.  The Byrnes saw and a handy Dremel are all the power tools I used.  I was doing plank on bulkhead.  If you plan on going plank on frame, using , say, the Hahn method or the Antscherl method, I think a scroll saw will be needed to cut out the frames. 

That depends on what you will be scratch building.  I have been scratch building (although not necessarily scratch completing...but I digress) for years.  The Byrnes saw and a handy Dremel are all the power tools I used.  I was doing plank on bulkhead.  If you plan on going plank on frame, using , say, the Hahn method or the Antscherl method, I think a scroll saw will be needed to cut out the frames. 

That depends on what you will be scratch building.  I have been scratch building (although not necessarily scratch completing...but I digress) for years.  The Byrnes saw and a handy Dremel are all the power tools I used.  I was doing plank on bulkhead.  If you plan on going plank on frame, using , say, the Hahn method or the Antscherl method, I think a scroll saw will be needed to cut out the frames. 

Hit a big milestone...  framing is complete and ready for planking.  Well, one minor tweak to the transoms to get smooth run to the counter but that's not going to be a stopper.
 
Right now, I'm having second thoughts about the bulk of the planking in Swiss Pear and am considering cherry.   I'll ponder a bit more.....
 

Here's a photo of my Philadelphia build. 
 
Keith

I was just browsing your log and found this...sorry for a belated response.
 
I believe that the "Arrow" is a fictitious vessel.  However, I think it is patterned after the gunboat "ALLEN".  I have the kit (and still have not built it), so I was somewhat aware of the kit when I heard a presentation in 2001 or 2002 by Dr. Kevin Cristman from Texas A&M University on the "ALLEN" and it's recovery from Lake Champlain.  In a side discussion he was talking to somebody about how the ALLEN and kit ARROW differed, but I don't recall the details...but it is close.

Another option
 
http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Drill-Chuck-Shank-Micro/dp/B001S00FYM/ref=sr_1_29?ie=UTF8&qid=1418837229&sr=8-29&keywords=dremel+micro

Planking progress continues.  As previously reported, I am running some tests on nail patterns.  I decided to go with black monofiliment line.  I think I figured half inch nails would have been .020".  I got close to that with .5MM (.0198"). 
 
My first test was on boxwood planking the same size (width) a on the model.  On the primary width planks I went with the standard 4 nails and a couple spots with 3 nails.  Using #76 drill bit, I made my holes, dipped the line end in Weldbond glue and inserted it into the holes.  Some I snipped off immediately and some I let dry first.

 
In all cases there was some glue residue and (more importantly) the nail head made the nail more noticeable than I wanted.  After the rig had an hour t dry, I sanded don with very fine sand paper.
 

Here it is again from a further distance.  I am not wild about it.  I think the nails are too prominent.
 
I will stain the wood with pecan and see again.  I will also insert nails in the other side after it is stained to see if there is any difference in appearance.