MEDDO

Superb work. Always perfectly clean and precise. And I still admire the work on the harmony of the different wood species.

I finished the decking (holly) and glued it into place.  One coat of poly applied.
 

Hello folks,  I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays.   Its been awhile since my last installment.   Today's focus is on the ground tackle and making the flag which upon completion essentially completes the entire build project.  
 
Cheerful has your traditional anchor design from the period.   Syren provides a very nice laser cut mini kit to make the anchors which I took full advantage of in my build.  In the first photo you can see one of the two assembled anchors:
 

Black artist tape is used to simulate the iron banding.  I used some rust powder to show some affects of salt and general weathering of the anchor.
 
Here is another view:
 

 
 
 
In the photo below, the anchors are positioned on the cap-rail ready to be secured with line.   
 

 
For the flag, the instructions provide a scale graphic that can be printed out on any ink jet printer.    Chuck suggests gluing a piece of tissue paper, similar to what you may have used to wrap all those great gifts you gave out this year ;  ) to a regular 8 1/2"x11" paper for printing.      Once printed you can use some clear varnish spray liberally to help get the ink visible on both sides of the tissue paper.      You can then cut out the printed flat and use a cylindrical object, (paint brush handle) to help form the curls and waves of the flag.    The below picture shows the flag raised:
 

 
 
Final thoughts.    The HMS Cheerful is designed with the beginning scratch builder in mind.   This is a single plank on bulkhead hull using quality wood, with a relatively straight forward rigging and a wealth of precision mini kits available as options for the builder.    I personally took advantage of all the mini kits available but you certainly don't have to depending on your skill level.   
 
There were two main things that made this build a success for me and that was:
 
1).    A very well written thought out practicum by Chuck Passaro.    His writing is understandable by the novice with sufficient detail to get it right.    He not only tells you "what" to do but also in a lot of cases  "how" to do it and even more importantly "when" to do it, which for someone like me was essential.    You just don't see this with a lot of instructions.
 
2).   Even with those excellent instructions you will have questions.   For me, I had the support of the kit designer and my ship model club which I have said in the past is your most important tool in your shop hands down.  I can't thank those folks enough.
 
In the end I am very pleased with the outcome.    I learned a lot and definitely upped my game.    I still have huge areas for improvement.   My block stropping is horrendous, I still over glue, and my planking is, well lets say there is room for a lot of improvement but thats what this is all about isn't it?  This project has given me the confidence to take on more challenging subjects in the future.   There are no modeling awards in my future but there is satisfaction that you have completed a complex project and there is a sense of pride in doing so.    
 
I have already started a new project, completely scratch this time, and completely different from the Cheerful.   Stay tuned as I start a new build log on this one very soon.   Until then, here is to a better 2021!
It has to be right?    Be well
 
Bill
 

This was fun. I’ve scratch built a few things here and there in my modeling but Cheerful’s winch is the first ‘complex’ thing I’ve made from nothing but some wood and a set of plans. As I’m prone to do I thought I’d share how I made it - once again acknowledging there are many ways to do things, this is just mine…and it was my first.
 

 
The mini-kits available for Cheerful are great little projects in and of themselves, however in the case of the winch Chuck elected to leave us to fend for ourselves. So I gathered up the material I’d need, two thicknesses of wood strip, one of wood sheet and two basswood dowels I had in stock along with some brass rod and brass micro-tubing and off I went.
 

 
First I cut square pillars from 7/32 stock and the crossbar from 3/16, thanks Byrnes saw. I cut out the pillar supports from a copy of the plans, rubber cemented them to 1/8 sheet wood, then cut them out using my scroll saw - cutting right along the line through the paper while keeping my fingers.
 

 
Then it was to the mill. I learn a little more each day about how valuable and useful the Proxxon MF 70 can be. I’m still fumbling a bit maintaining consistency with the X,Y.Z axis control, while they can be very precise the knobs are be a bit tight. Stating the obvious, t’s important and a bit of a challenge to get zero set. I used a piece of paper between the bit and the wood. When I could barely pull the paper between them, literally scratching the paper and not the wood, I set the knob for that axis at zero.
 

 
I used the mill to cut the notches in the cross bar and a more shallow notch in the two pillars, so that the cross bar sits out from the pillars when connected. I also used the mill as a drill press, drilling a hole through both pillars together for mounting the winch drum. Again the obvious, it’s critical for the milled parts to be level and square top and back. The Proxxon vice accessory makes this easier, I cut various spacers from scrap MDF to help with the alignment.
 

 
I now had the easy part done. The winch drum, a small thing, was more problematic. It consists of the drum, raised spacers, and sprockets. I thought about using the lathe, I mean I have it and all, but the crown, the raised portion of the drum (like a spool of thread) had to be equal to the sprockets which I had no clue how to make. So I used a larger basswood dowel, sliced off two pieces, then used my chisel to cut notches around the dowel, painted that bit Ironwood Black, dusted it with Rusty Brown weathering powder, and sliced off two sprockets. I glued all 5 together for a completed drum.
 

 
With this done I had all the major components. Time for a little dry-fit test. Following the plans proved important, as it always does, since the overall width of the winch supports have to fit between the deck ring bolts and stove pipe hatch.
 

 
Then it’s back to the mill to shape the pillars. I went through a lot of practice attempts, and despite great advice from others I just wasn’t happy with my attempts to cut the angled top consistently on eight sides (two pillars). I know how now, I  just need more practice - it’s a surprising small angle as it turns out. So I opted for an alternate approach, I cut in the top 1mm from the top and 1mm in with a 1 mm bit, yes you can be that precise, creating the cap. I moved in 5 mm and cut a .5mm slice to form the base of the cut in. That was it for the mill. I thought about going ‘fancy’ on the crossbar but it’s not shown that way on the plans so I just rounded off the edges by sanding.
 

 
I used my freshly sharpened (I know how to do that now too) Veritas Chisel to slice in the angle using the .5mm cut as a stop and finished it up with needle files and sanding sticks. I was able to create the eight consistent sides this way, something a proper use of the mill could have done faster (well, maybe not by me), but I venture to say not better.
 

 
After painting the assembly and adding in the drum using brass rod inserted into both sides the last step was the handles.  There are of course numerous ways to go about this. I chose to create the handles using small boxwood strip shaped and sanded, drilled holes into both ends, make the handles from brass rod with small micro tubing glued over it, the other end added to the brass rod on the drum then the rods cut flush. Of course it being ‘metal’ I first painted them Ironwood Black and added the weathering powder, it makes a difference even on these small handles.
 

 

 
And I now have a completely scratch made winch, it goes on the shelf with other deck items until later. I’m kinda proud of it, obviously since I devoted a post just to it. I offer this to those considering building Cheerful: It has presented me with the opportunity to try so many new things I’d not done before despite having built nine kits. I’m treading new ground with each step.
 
At first I was kinda wishing for another mini-kit for the winch but now am quite happy with the opportunity to build it on by own. I also once again thank others for their help and inspiration and can only hope I can provide a little inspiration myself for others take on this great model.

Gun Deck Eye Bolts and Rings
Eye bolts and rings for the gun train tackle (pulls the gun back from gun port) and the messenger and anchor lines were added to the gun deck.

Post 48: Bowsprit step and Windlass
 
To complete the fore-deck paraphernalia there are two more nice little mini-kits from Chuck.
 
First up was the the bowsprit step:
 
This could be scratch built but the square holes might present problems.  So the kit looks like this:
 

 
The uprights are constructed in three parts
 

 
It is important to sand these well so that the joins are not visible after painting.
 
The  brackets are then added
 

 
I simulated the bolts with 24 gauge black wire.  After filing these flat the brass ends were chemically blackened with a selenium based product.  I find that there is no staining of painted timber using this technique but bare timber often does show some staining and more care is needed. 
 
The pawls were painted black and weathered with rusty brown powder as suggested by Chuck for all metal parts. These were pinned through. the uprights  and finally the uprights were joined with 1/16 inch square boxwood strips, left unglued for the moment.
 

 
Next up the windlass which would be a real challenge but thanks to another kit from Chuck I nice, though challenging job, can be made
 
First a set of " barrels" is constructed on hexagonal end pieces
 

 
These are threaded onto a square boxwood strip and the supports and end-pieces added before guleing the whole lot together.
 

 
The bowsprit itself was made some time ago and the hole in the bow widened to allow a tight fit of the bowsprit so the next task is to install the bowsprit permanently.
 
John

Thank you all for your condolences and kind words, dear friends. Life has brought me terrible suffering, and the pain in my heart is unbearable. I know, it is necessary to go on, I try to finish everything I started, and hope that one day it will be better again.
I finished the flags, inspired by Sailmaker's painting of the Royal Katherine:
 

 
 

Absolutely!  If you can possibly join one, the benefits are definitely worth it.

I always love seeing more Cheerful build logs.  Can't wait for the next installment.

Beautiful, such clean and precise work.  

The trim looks wonderful.I am looking forward to the next steps

I spent the last two weeks having adventures in bending wood. I’ll briefly summarize here.  When I downloaded pictures, I realized I had only taken a few.  
 
The model has 5 different trim strips that go around tight curves at the stern and cockpit combing.  I’ve bent wood for hull planking before, but never around curves this tight.  Up until now I’ve used soaking and a bending iron, which worked adequately, but I was afraid might not work well for the tight bends.  I’d heard good things about using a heat gun, so gave it a try.    Other than at the stern, the bending was only in one dimension, so spiling wasn’t necessary.
 
I did the cockpit combing first, trying to air bend with the heat gun held in a vice.  Didn’t work.  I cut a form to the shape of the cockpit opening from ¼” plywood, and once I’d figured out clamping and the right heat setting, it worked great.  The 1/32x1/4” cockpit combing bent right around the form.  I could actually feel the wood give as the heat did its job.  It took a little experimenting to find the highest heat that didn’t discolor the wood.
 

 
The false wale at the stern had the added challenge of being thicker 1/16x9/32”, and wrapping around a beveled surface, so it needed to be spiled.  The pattern wasn’t hard, and I was able to reuse it for the 1/8x1/16” rub rail that went over it.  I made a beveled bending jig that matched the shape and angle of the stern.  Biggest challenge was clamping the piece while gluing in place.  Would have been much easier to install the two stern trim strips prior to planking the deck, when clamping would have been very easy.  I think I used every clamp I have ever accumulated when gluing the trim strips in place.
 
 
 

 
The 1/16” square pear trim strip around the cockpit combing turned out to be the biggest challenge.  Dry heat worked OK for the fore piece.  I had saved the aft piece for last thinking it would be the easiest, but the two bends were the most acute, and the pear kept breaking.  That was when I finally tried soaking the wood prior to using the heat gun.  I really wish I had tried this at the beginning- it was like magic.  Not only did the wood bend without breaking, but once dry it had much less memory and did not try to spring back to its original position.
 
 
 

 
I put the first coat of wipe on poly on the deck, which highlighted glue spots I had missed sanding away.  Getting the curved pieces all clamped into place was challenging, and frequently I got glue spots.  It is easy to sand it away, but because it dries clear, some of it wasn’t visible until I tried to put finish over it.
 
This is somewhat of a milestone with an essentially completed hull and bowsprit.  Mast, boom, gaff, rudder, stand, and rigging to go.  I need to sort out a stand next.  There weren’t real options for hiding mounting bolts in the flat hull.  I don’t anticipate needing to transport the ship once finished, so I will probably build some sort of cradle and not fasten the boat in place. 
 
 
 

 

 

Dear Doris,
 
I'm so sorry to read of your personal tragedy. As someone who lost a partner too early in life, I feel for you. Ship modelling kept me sane through a very difficult time. I hope this model's completion brings you some solace.
 
Your Royal Katherine is nothing short of superb. You should be very proud of your work.

Thanks for the "likes", guys!
I began construction of the shell room with the lower support beams.  I cut them to overhang the floor riders by 3/32" on each end and then chamfered both ends of each for visual interest.  These were glued in place.  Next I cut out two filler pieces to fit between the support beams.  These are 3/32" thinner than the thickness of the support beams so when the decking is installed, there will be a flush, flat surface.  Next is to trim and finish the filler pieces.

I finished all the planking in the hold and installed both upper and lower mortar pit clamps.  Everything was given a first coat of poly.  I also cut out the shell room lower support beams.  They are boxwood.  Swiss pear and holly will be used to build the shell room.
 
 
 

I had better hope it goes well then Tim 😉
 
Post 2
A little fairing is required to the bulkhead frames, which with this method of construction are held firmly on the building board.
 
This is small scale stuff; the boat is a mere 80mm long but at least the base board provides a reasonable purchase to work on the frames.
 
I have also added a grip to the bottom of the building board to secure in the vice.
 

9692(2)
My first action is to make some suitable sanding sticks to carry out the task. I am using P240 paper pva’d to strips of varying widths.
 

9653(2)

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Once fitted the bow fillers need further chamfering to meet the plank rabbet in the bow.
Planking
 
The kit provides 2x1mm Pearwood Strip for the purpose of carvel planking. It is a simplified form with some tapering and allowing the strakes to sit where they run and infilled with stealers.
 
I have decided to Clinker plank her with 0.7mm thick Boxwood strip.
 
This means that the planking will start from the keel and run upwards to the gunwale.
 
Despite my aversion to the stuff I will use thick ca to apply the planks given the small width and length of the strakes, and the need for a rapid grab.
 
I start with the Garboard plank using 3.4 x 0.7mm strip.
 

9688
Garboards are tricky and I have shaped it purely by eye, bringing the forward point terminating on the first bulkhead.
 

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The boat is dwarfed by the clamps.
 

9697(2)
Garboard planks in place.
 
From this point on I will use card templates to determine the run and overlap of the planks.
 
 
B.E.
04/01/21

Once again, clarification:
 
SeaWatch is a small 'mom and pop' publishing operation. The owner, Bob, has had serious health issues this past year. The books are shipped from a storage facility elsewhere - not from Oregon. As books almost always arrive, the shipper is reliable, but does not send out confirmation or tracking. In the rare event that a book does not eventually show up, I'm sure that a replacement will be sent. Remember also that the U.S. postal system is in some disarray.
 
Patience, folks!

First planking complete and sanded smooth. This is 1mm thick x 5mm wide limewood, much easier to work with than 1.5mm thick lime (Took a day to plank and 20 minutes to sand). Hull lines are quite planking friendly, so not much overlap to sand. No changes needed for the bulkheads, as all planks sit just right on each, so this means I have no more work to do on main skeletal structure. No gun ports to mark out and cut out, too, they will just need a slight file so they are flush with the main frames.

Those look really nice especially if you were able to whip em up over the weekend.  Properly scaled figures always add life to a static model and really help with visualizing the scale of the project

That stack of wood is sweet.  

The flip the piece to account for the angle is so simple its brilliant!

Very interesting project.  A frigate sized project like the Cheerful is going to be very nice to see develop.

Dave, it works great on the Byrnes table saw and the disk sander.  I have not yet needed to try it out with the thickness sander.  I will give it a go this weekend.  I tend to do the thickness sanding in the garage were it is less of an issue but if it works out I may leave it in my shop so I don’t have to carry everything up there. Previously I had used a cheepo no name wet/dry shop vac and that one is significantly less powerful than the festool (and significantly louder).  A buddy of mine has one of the cyclone over a large vac and it seems to work well but is pretty inconvenient to move around different machines.
 
edit: I am pretty sensitized to cedar so I will run some western red through it this weekend to see.  It will be pretty easy for me to tell if it is doing it’s job

This is the one that I have. I really like it. It is great for our hobby sized tools (Byrnes).  I especially like the auto on off feature. The only weirdness is the end of the hose connection to the tools where you have to use an adapter. Other than that I really like this unit.

Really excellent progress there can’t wait to see more