MEDDO

Thank you Ryland for your kind words and thank you to all the 'Likes'.
 
I started working on the stern.

I started by planking the counter. I first determined with the help of the plan the curvature to give to my planks.
 

Then I have to admit that with the travel iron it's really easy to shape the planks. You just have to moisten the wood with your finger and bend it while passing the hot iron. And the plank keeps its curvature.
 

For gluing, although no pressure is really needed, I still hold the planks in place with clamps while the glue dries. I can't master gluing with CA, it sticks my fingers more often than the planks... So I use good Titebond wood glue which requires 30 minutes of holding time for the glue to set.
 

Once the whole counter is covered, as this part will be painted red, I allow myself to fill all the micro-cracks between the boards. Often, they are not even visible to the naked eye but with a magnifying glass or by observing against the light you can see them.  I use acrylic wood filler (Jubin Akrilin) that I tint with a drop of acrylic paint and add a little white glue.
I mark the areas to be filled with protective tape and use a toothpick to push the filler in.
 

The over-lengths are first shortened with my proxxon and then refined with sandpaper.
 

The whole thing is then carefully sanded.
 

 

The interior has been lightly cleaned of a few small traces of glue. I don't know yet if I'll fill the inside joints between the planks perfectly or if I'll leave them like that. I don't mind that you can guess the joints between the planks...
It's time to move on to the upper part of the stern.
 
 
 

yust go for it, i did....  its yust wood so you can make new ones if you are not happy with it😉
here are some photos , hope that helps.
 
svei.erik

I am further busy with sanding the hull. The starbordside is finished. At the port side some further sanding at the stern is necessary. It's a lttle bit difficult to get this really smooth with stem glueded in place.
 

 

 
 

Chuck says I will look just like that guy if I buy a shirt...  Nice!
 
Just need some hat choices
 

Looks like a great subject. Unfortunately my French is very weak. Maybe a few years with Berlitz, Duolingo, Rosetta Stone will get me to the point where I could read and understand something like this😁

This forum is read by people that range from World Class professional model builders to assemblers of mass market kits.   A recurring theme on the forum is “What amI going to do with my models when I am no longer around?”
 
If you are assembling a USS Constitution or HMS Victory kit, there is a high probability that it’s never going to see the inside of a museum and your heirs may or may not appreciate trying to find room for it in their home.  Therefore, you should enjoy yourself and not worry about what the model will look like in 100 years.
 
If you are a professional you have already answered these questions.

I cut the pillar under deck beam #2 to length.  Here it is, dry fitted.  I plan to pin it to the keelson and the deck beam.  The piece of holly near the footwaling is just a measuring stick I used to locate the pillar on the keelson
 
 
 

It's been almost a year since my last update. The reason is that Speedwell has been landlocked in Canada since last November. My very talented collaborator David Antscherl had made and applied all the carvings and I was going to pick her up to rig her just when Covid struck and the border was closed. I have all the blocks, ropes, masts and spars ready but no model. I'm hoping to get her this summer but who knows at this point. At any rate here are some photos of her sporting her wonderful carvings. 

This is fantastic. The carvings look great and your fit and finish bring out the true beauty of this ship

Continuing to impress Bob, that looks really good.  If you have a pause I would say go grab a Queen Anne Barge to build while you wait but they just sold out again.

For the upper capstan, which is the part I plan on using, I made a jig to get a more even surface to fix the whelps.
I just take a couple of strokes on the sand paper on each surface that will be visible after whelps and chocks are in place..
 

 
For the upper capstan I made a jig to help me hold the whelps in alignment while I glued them up with the chocks.
 

 

 
This time I drilled the holes for the simulated bolts in the chocks before going forward with the assembly.
 

 
 
Here the lower chocks are glued in, with finishing to follow.
 

 
Here are some of the parts for the upper drum.
 

 
I thought I was on a roll ( yes a drum roll ), but I did this before I had the discussion above with Chuck, about how those holes should line up..
 

 
Here is the condemned effort before I realized my mistake and proceeded to  rip it apart.
To be continued..
 
 
 
 

Manufacture of the cannon barrels.
Instead of the tin casting process,
this time I used casting powder.
Advantage ower tin casting , considerably cheaper
and enormus weight reduction at this 1/24 scale.
 
Karl
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hello.
Continuation after little break.

Post Eleven
 
Flying Transom.
 
This is another tricky piece to hold in the correct position whilst the glue bites.

1192
I used pva and bamboo poles to secure the angle and to support the Flying Transom whilst the glue bites.
It allows me time to sight and check the Flying Transom  set-up from various angles.

1201

1208(3)

1214
With the Flying transom in place I use a template taken from the plan to mark the curve down from the underside to the Transom base.

1224
The stern area is then taped up to provide stability for the next stage.

1226
I then carefully pare down to this line using a No 11 scalpel.

1228
The plank ends are then sanded back to the Transom face.

1234

1232

1231(2)
The next stage sees her released from the base and the removal of the frame centres.
 
B.E.
21/03/21
 

Hey everyone my name is Rob and I did a lot of model cars as I was growing up. It's been 15 years since I picked up a model so I wanted to see how doing wooden models would be. I just post my first log after doing extensive research on good starting models to get my hands wet. So come and check out my HMS Beagle build and looking forward to getting to know you guys. 

Thanks to all the 'Likes'.
 
This week, I put the planking between the wales and the first layer of the molding.
For this I used the method described by Chuck and proceeded to shape the planks using a small travel iron and a hair dryer.
I have to say that this method works pretty well and makes it easier to get the planks in place.

 
I found that the second strake, the one that fills the space, was still difficult because the width of the planks must be really precise.

 

 
The next strake should be easier as it will consist of a constant 5/32" width, although here it will be the length that needs to be precise to leave a 1/64" gap around each gun port.
 

I finished all the blind mortises for the carlings using the technique I described earlier.  It really went pretty quick and doesn't look bad.  There is poly on all the deck beams, and I'm ready to start assembling the deck. Sorry for the blurry photos!

Post Nine
 
 
Fitting planks 3 and 4
 
 
This is where the clinker comes into play.
 
Port and Starboard can get a little confusing when it comes to these pre spiled planks. What initially looks like the outboard face of Plank 3 on the fret is in fact the inboard face.
 
When working with the hull inverted I have to remind my addled old brain that Port is on the right and Starboard on the left.
 
Having bevelled the inward face of plank 3, the corresponding bevel of plank 1 is carefully pared down at the bow to allow  plank 3 to fit into the stem rabbet with a feather edge.
 
I find the 2mm Swann-Morton chisel blade perfect for this.

1071
The plank is water/heat treated to form the bend around the bow, and a small amount of lateral twist is imparted to the end of the plank to allow it to sit flush against the stem rabbet.

1069
With the plank temporarily in place the aft end can be marked for trimming on Futtock 2.
 
As with the first planks I prepare both sides before any glue is applied.
 
 The Portside plank went on without trouble using ca, but I keep a small pot of acetone at hand to clean off any overspill on the face of the plank.
 
The main concern now is to ensure that the opposite side plank has a uniform meet at the bow rabbet.

1073
For this reason and to give me a little tweak time I used pva for the rabbet join and the first two Futtocks.
 
This allowed me to sight along the bow and make any minor adjustment before clamping in position. Use of ca would have precluded this.
 

1078(2)
Light pressure is used and the model is set aside for the pva to cure.

1083
Plank three successfully (I hope) attached. I continued to use pva which worked out ok.

1084(2)
It will stand a little more feathering into the bow but that can wait awhile.
 
 
Onto Plank 4
 
Very little fiddling needs to be done, I did impart a little twist towards the end to allow the plank to lie flat without tension across Futtocks 9 and 10 and the Transom.
 

1100
At the sternpost I added a balsa support piece to brace the planking for gluing the extensions beyond the transom.

1106
The final plank 4 goes on without incident.

1113

1108

1111
At this point the clinker has yet to be feathered out at the stern.
 
 
Onward and upwards to the sheer strake.
 
 
B.E.
17/03/21

I feel fortunate that I am able to be the first to show off this beautiful little kit from Chuck and the Syren Ship Model Company
I know quite a few Winchelsea builders already have this, because I had to stand in line for a couple of weeks to get mine.
 

 
Here is the no frills packaging ( I ordered one each of the cherry and Alaskan yellow cedar versions ) next to the comprehensive assembly instructions, available for download at Syren.  Winnie Capstan Instructions
 

 
Here is the cherry version spread out.  The wood is as high quality as I have ever seen.  It reminds me of pear, in that there is very little noticeable grain.  However, having worked with a lot of cherry lately, I look forward to the color I know will pop out with a very light finish.
Chuck has provided five different thicknesses of material, from 1/32" to 1/4".    The attention to detail is what you have come to expect from Chuck and Syren, with the included black monofilament to simulate bolts and the black laser board ring detail.  
 
There is just nothing else out there, kit or molded, to compare to the realistic look of this kit.  Sure, we might see a 3D printed one any day now, if they are not already out there, but they will not be wood, and we will know it..
 
I can't imagine how Chuck found the time to design this and bring it to production.  He never sleeps.
 
At $23.00 it is a steal..   It will be a great addition to any 1:48 project, and in an historically accurate way.  The design and look of these things did not change much over a 100+ year period.
 
I don't have any plans to build the Winchelsea, but I have a couple of projects in mind where  this kit will fit right in.
 
The quality and completeness of the kit is fairly self explanatory, so I don't know what else I can say at this time.
Please hit me with any questions you have.
 
I plan on putting it together in the next few days and will create a build log to document the experience.
 

 
I hope I can get close to the bar Chuck has raised.
 

Post 54: the Main Boom
 
This was trickier than it looks as the outboard end tapers to a diameter of only 2.5 mm.
I first make the boom octagonal using the 7:10 :7 rule and then plane of the corners with my Veritas block plane.
 

 
Then  I turned the inboard end first down to a diameter of 5.3 mm.  On my home made lathe the central board is usually a moveable support but this time I clamped it in place at the widest point and then tapered to the outboard end.  I use decreasing grades of sand paper from 130 down to 400 but like any rotational method it does leave slight radial grooves so I finish of with  400 and 600 grade paper in the longitudinal direction
 
 

 
The bearings on this device are roller blade bearings and I have a number with wooden inserts to reduce the diameter:
 

 
These ensure that the mast (or boom) in this case fits firmly so that there is no scoring since it is the bearing which rotates.  Here is the completed boom after turning to the shape indicated in the plans:
 

 
The next task is flatten the inboard end to take the crutches which connect the boom to the mast. I used the mill for this with the head set to an angle of 2 degrees :
 

 
Next the boom crutches themselves.  I used my Knew Concepts Jeweler's saw for this, and then  finally shaped with files and sand paper.
 

 
On the subject of Jeweler’s saws:  I originally owned one like this
 
 

 
I  had a problem finding the correct tension and kept breaking blades. This was probably down to my poor technique and perhaps I should have persisted.  However,  recently I have acquired a Knew Concepts saw and for me this is a much superior tool.  The lever system ensures the blade is always at the correct tension.  It is beautifully balanced so I can cut really close to the line and I have not broken a blade in nearly 12 months.

I would recommend these to anybody about to purchase a jewelers saw. They are not cheap but like most things quality cost money.
 
Some would use a scroll saw for this task.  I did own one of these but it was a cheap model – I paid A$80.  I was disappointed. Even though I bolted it to the bench over a rubber pad it still exhibited lots of vibration.  The foot designed to hold the work down constantly came loose and for thin timber, say 1/16 inch, I could not install fine enough blades to meet the “three teeth rule” so there was lots of tearing.  So, in the end I sold it and made more space in my workshop..  I have written about this elsewhere on this site.   My local woodwork shop does weekend workshops and demonstration and I have trialed out there a parallel arm scroll saw.  These are a very different story.  Virtually vibration free and they will take finer blades so quite fine work is possible .   A fine tool.  They do however cost about A$1000 and are out of the question for me.  A nice tool though.
 
I digress! So, here is the boom with crutches installed
 

And finally with the blocks added and ready for installation

 
John

When I built a Polacre, I made some research on the subject, since was a scratch build model.
Below there is a scheme that explain better than many words how where managed the latin sails.
Hope it clarified all of your doubts! 😀

The Byrnes saw, is a professional quality machine.  If you decide to buy one, I suggest that you discuss spindle sizes with him.  Mine came fitted to use a blade with a 1/2in arbor hole.  Living in Europe, you will want to be able to buy replacement blades locally that will have metric sized arbor holes.  If he does not automatically fit his saws sent to Europe to accept metric sized blades you should ask him to make you an adaptor.  This is easy and inexpensive for him to do.

Post Eight
 
 
Progressing the planking strakes.
 
I begin with the Starboard aft first strake which is a simpler arrangement than the bow section.

1024(2)
Dry fitting the aft plank.
 
I imparted a shallow bend to assist the plank to lie flat across Futtocks 8 and 9, followed by a shallow outward bend between Futtocks 10 and the transom. This is to create a concave sweep running into the Flying Transom.
 

1025
This photo shows the concave curve that will run to connect with the Flying Transom.

1027
As with the stem, a support block is temporarily fixed to the board to support the Transom and counter any lateral pressure when gluing.
At this point I haven’t glued the aft plank to the transom, I will do that once the second (Portside) plank is fixed, and I can tweak the set up with both in place.
 

1030
Aft piece shape.
 

1051
The Transom is held steady for the gluing.

1050(2)

1036

1048(2)

1063(2)
A small block of balsa is used to support and protect the transom.
 
 
B.E.
13/03/21

hi all
cant believe its been so long since i posted anything!
unfortunately two family bereavements, both parents, and being recently made redundant after 27 years with the same company has kept me otherwise engaged.
I have not forgotten about everybody and the site and hopefully will soon be back in the thick of it.
 
cheers....mick

Post Five
 
Fairing.
 
I approach this job with a degree of trepidation, being aware of the damage that can be done by a simple lapse of concentration in holding or manoeuvring, or a degree too much pressure put on the frames.
 
Chuck re-iterates this point more than once.
 
Using the fret from the Futtock sheets, I practised sanding the edges with a variety of different grade papers to gauge the removal effect and effort required to achieve it.

0929
I am using a finger sander with P150 and P240 papers, and Sheet P240 papers were also used.
 
 
Using a fine touch was uppermost in my mind but even so a couple of frames dislodged from the keel at the stern, but it was easy work to re glue them.
 
The process mainly seems to consist of cleaning off the char with actual bevelling only being applicable to the forward four and aft five Futtocks/frames plus the Transom board.
 

0935
I use a 0.7 x 6mm Boxwood strip to check the lie of the strake across the Frames.
 
 
I am taking this very slowly, a lot of the fairing I do is along the vertical line to clean the char to avoid putting lateral pressure on the frames.
 
This also has the effect of easing the friction when applying the necessary lateral strokes to fair the forward and aft frames.
 
I didn’t do too much fairing at one time lest my natural inclination to complete the job got too much and the speed of working picked up.

0930
With the test strake fully sitting across all frames at various points I decided it was time to move on.
 
 
A coat of wipe-on-poly is applied.
 

0942

0943(2)

0939

0953(2)
The planking phase beckons.
 
 
 
B.E.
09/03/21