JSGerson

Gregg, it's taken me 7 years to get this far, so hopeful I'll be working on the spar deck in months instead of years from now!😁

Gregg, it's taken me 7 years to get this far, so hopeful I'll be working on the spar deck in months instead of years from now!😁

Then I had to do it all over again for the main hatchway ladders were fabricated. This time because the two ladders were identical, the grooves in the four sides were cut at the same time. These will be installed when the hatches are. Mustafa made it look easy.

I initially used white glue to install the steps one at a time with a right-angle block. This allowed me to adjust the steps. Once all the steps were glued to one side, it was a little like herding cats. All the steps had to line up exactly to their counter part on the second side piece before it would all come together nicely. The results were not perfect, but better than my previous attempts. Here is a dry fit. Although the access is closed with the grating, you might be able to see part of the ladder from other openings in the spar deck. I will probably remove the grating when it’s permanently installed.

The Dremel drill press stand is not a precise instrument. I needed the router bit to stop precisely 1/32” above the X-Y table when I lowered the Dremel to its stop position to cut the 1/32”x1/32” groove in the 1/16” thick side pieces. Unfortunately, the drill-stop only adjusted to 1/16” increments. I had to use a piece of scrap 1/32” wood inserted in the drill stop.
 
Because the X-Y table is just clamped to the drill stand, aligning the block with the ladder images as well as the X-Y table to the stand was very tricky and tedious. The X-Y axis of the table must match the X-Y axis of the ladder images. This in turn must align with the drill bit so that the cuts match the images when the table cranks are turned. Finally, I got it all working after a couple of false starts.

There are several things that still must be accomplished on the gun deck before I can start work on the spar deck. They are:
Ladders going up to the spar deck. Main mast bitts Capstan and its related anchor ropes and chain “Temporary” support posts under the main hatchway Ladders
The first item I attempted was the ladder leading up to the double hatchway by the ship’s wheel. I figured this would be a good one to do first because if I don’t do a decent job here, it would be hidden under the grating I presently have in the hatch.
 
I have yet to make a ladder to my satisfaction starting from my first POB model, Rattlesnake. Because of my dissatisfaction, I haven’t made ladders the same way twice each time trying a different method. This time, I am taking my cues from Mustafa (aka mtbediz, post #340)
 
Mustafa has a real drill press, something I don’t have. So, using my Dremel rotary tool, an old version Dremel drill press accessory, and a Proxxon X-Y table, I rigged an ad hoc drill press. I mounted a normal and reverse image of the US Navy plan for the ladder on a wooden block with double sided tape. The sides of the ladder were to be 1/8”x1/16” and the steps 1/8”x1/32” boxwood, also mounted on top of the plan images with double sided tape. Then the wooden block itself was mounted on the X-Y table with double sided tape. A 1/32” router bit was installed in the Dremel to cut grooves in the ladder sides 1/32” deep to accept the steps.

Gregg, it's taken me 7 years to get this far, so hopeful I'll be working on the spar deck in months instead of years from now!😁

Then I had to do it all over again for the main hatchway ladders were fabricated. This time because the two ladders were identical, the grooves in the four sides were cut at the same time. These will be installed when the hatches are. Mustafa made it look easy.

I initially used white glue to install the steps one at a time with a right-angle block. This allowed me to adjust the steps. Once all the steps were glued to one side, it was a little like herding cats. All the steps had to line up exactly to their counter part on the second side piece before it would all come together nicely. The results were not perfect, but better than my previous attempts. Here is a dry fit. Although the access is closed with the grating, you might be able to see part of the ladder from other openings in the spar deck. I will probably remove the grating when it’s permanently installed.

The Dremel drill press stand is not a precise instrument. I needed the router bit to stop precisely 1/32” above the X-Y table when I lowered the Dremel to its stop position to cut the 1/32”x1/32” groove in the 1/16” thick side pieces. Unfortunately, the drill-stop only adjusted to 1/16” increments. I had to use a piece of scrap 1/32” wood inserted in the drill stop.
 
Because the X-Y table is just clamped to the drill stand, aligning the block with the ladder images as well as the X-Y table to the stand was very tricky and tedious. The X-Y axis of the table must match the X-Y axis of the ladder images. This in turn must align with the drill bit so that the cuts match the images when the table cranks are turned. Finally, I got it all working after a couple of false starts.

There are several things that still must be accomplished on the gun deck before I can start work on the spar deck. They are:
Ladders going up to the spar deck. Main mast bitts Capstan and its related anchor ropes and chain “Temporary” support posts under the main hatchway Ladders
The first item I attempted was the ladder leading up to the double hatchway by the ship’s wheel. I figured this would be a good one to do first because if I don’t do a decent job here, it would be hidden under the grating I presently have in the hatch.
 
I have yet to make a ladder to my satisfaction starting from my first POB model, Rattlesnake. Because of my dissatisfaction, I haven’t made ladders the same way twice each time trying a different method. This time, I am taking my cues from Mustafa (aka mtbediz, post #340)
 
Mustafa has a real drill press, something I don’t have. So, using my Dremel rotary tool, an old version Dremel drill press accessory, and a Proxxon X-Y table, I rigged an ad hoc drill press. I mounted a normal and reverse image of the US Navy plan for the ladder on a wooden block with double sided tape. The sides of the ladder were to be 1/8”x1/16” and the steps 1/8”x1/32” boxwood, also mounted on top of the plan images with double sided tape. Then the wooden block itself was mounted on the X-Y table with double sided tape. A 1/32” router bit was installed in the Dremel to cut grooves in the ladder sides 1/32” deep to accept the steps.

Then I had to do it all over again for the main hatchway ladders were fabricated. This time because the two ladders were identical, the grooves in the four sides were cut at the same time. These will be installed when the hatches are. Mustafa made it look easy.

I initially used white glue to install the steps one at a time with a right-angle block. This allowed me to adjust the steps. Once all the steps were glued to one side, it was a little like herding cats. All the steps had to line up exactly to their counter part on the second side piece before it would all come together nicely. The results were not perfect, but better than my previous attempts. Here is a dry fit. Although the access is closed with the grating, you might be able to see part of the ladder from other openings in the spar deck. I will probably remove the grating when it’s permanently installed.

If you don't need to make the rudder move, make your own pseudo hinges and pin the rudder to to the post. Or, if you do want the moveable rudder, that will take some skill and creativeness to make your own working gudgeons and pintles. My MS model is a larger scale (1:76.8) and I made the working rudder with some effort. I don't know if I would have tried it at 1:96.
 
Jon

I have the process down.  I make five planks at a time using my tapering fixture, which turns out pretty consistent results.  I made the planks long enough to fit the entire span between the main hatch and the transom, with a smidge to spare. These are then cut into segments to fit the plan.
 
For each new pair of zones (5 planks per zone), I redo the measurements and recalculate the widths at the butt joint intersections.  So far, no fine tuning with sand paper has been required.
 

 

 
I'm set for the next 10 planks, but ran out of shop time today. Off to church.. 

The fabricated main hatchway DOES NOT match or align with any plan!
The biggest surprise was that the main hatchway DID align closely (although not perfectly) with the pre-installed knee supports on the gun deck bulwarks which were “eyeballed” into position. If I had just looked far enough ahead to understand all the interconnections or had a consistent and complete set of construction plans. I might have had a little better alignment at this point.
 
If one fabricated the kit as designed like Mr. Hunt did, there would be no problem; all the beams would be hidden. The 1927 and 2010 US Navy plans for the hatchway support beams match closely with the kit (which was based for the most part on the 1927 restoration). The kit plans even indicated the removal of the aft ladders during the 1996 restoration. The kit’s laser cut gratings, however, do not match anything I can find in the US Navy plans and the gratings design are not even shown on the kit plans. So, my model will be a Frankenstein combination of components and adjustments that may look good to the layman but won’t be accurate. So be it and move forward. Below are some dry fit ups.

The remainder of the main grating was sliced lengthwise. One half remained intact, while the other was cut again into individual gratings. It is to be noted that there are six different size gratings that comprise the 18 total on the single laser cut piece. So as not to mix them up, I only cut off what I needed, before I moved on to the next one using them to set the next beam frame in turn.
 
The internal framing was made from various pieces of 5/16” x 1/16” boxwood which I had to mill myself on the Byrne’s Saw. The supplemental wood package was based on the practicum which did not address removing grating to reveal underling structure.
 
Using 1/8”x1/32” boxwood, the internal lip was created to support the intact remaining long grating as well as the individual open frameworks. Finally, the assembly was stained and painted. The last components to be added to the main grating frame were the six eyebolt and rings assemblies.

The Main Grating
If I was following the kit instructions (what there is of them), the main grating would be very simple; just build a border around the laser cut main grating provided by the kit and it would be done.
 
If I were following the practicum, it’s a bit more complicated. Mr. Hunt would have you slice the grating lengthwise and add a support beam down the length of the full grating using complex lap joints.
 
But, if you plan on leaving half of the gratings open, and adding ladders to the gun deck so that the gun deck can be viewed, it’s almost a complete scratch build.
 
The exterior border frame, which is taller than the other grating frames, was fabricated just like all the other frames using the boxwood pieces (provided by the wood supplement package). The 5/16” x 3/32” boxwood was cut as follows:
2 pieces: 6 9/16” lengthwise 2 pieces: 2 5/32” beam wise These pieces were glued together with butt joints creating a large open frame.
 
Next, I held my breath as I cut off the four most forward gratings with the Byrnes Saw. These were used to set the first internal beam frame. The two outer corner gratings will remain off the framework to allow the installation of ladders to the gun deck.

The fabricated main hatchway DOES NOT match or align with any plan!
The biggest surprise was that the main hatchway DID align closely (although not perfectly) with the pre-installed knee supports on the gun deck bulwarks which were “eyeballed” into position. If I had just looked far enough ahead to understand all the interconnections or had a consistent and complete set of construction plans. I might have had a little better alignment at this point.
 
If one fabricated the kit as designed like Mr. Hunt did, there would be no problem; all the beams would be hidden. The 1927 and 2010 US Navy plans for the hatchway support beams match closely with the kit (which was based for the most part on the 1927 restoration). The kit plans even indicated the removal of the aft ladders during the 1996 restoration. The kit’s laser cut gratings, however, do not match anything I can find in the US Navy plans and the gratings design are not even shown on the kit plans. So, my model will be a Frankenstein combination of components and adjustments that may look good to the layman but won’t be accurate. So be it and move forward. Below are some dry fit ups.

The main reason the hatches were fabricated at this point was to workout the alignment with gun deck bulkhead spar beams. If you look at the image below, you will see the comparison of the:
Assembled main hatchway based on the kit’s gratings, 1927 US Navy Main hatchway beam plan which matches the kit’s plans, 2010 US Navy Main hatchway beam plan which also matches with the kit, Kit bulkheads beam plan.

The remainder of the main grating was sliced lengthwise. One half remained intact, while the other was cut again into individual gratings. It is to be noted that there are six different size gratings that comprise the 18 total on the single laser cut piece. So as not to mix them up, I only cut off what I needed, before I moved on to the next one using them to set the next beam frame in turn.
 
The internal framing was made from various pieces of 5/16” x 1/16” boxwood which I had to mill myself on the Byrne’s Saw. The supplemental wood package was based on the practicum which did not address removing grating to reveal underling structure.
 
Using 1/8”x1/32” boxwood, the internal lip was created to support the intact remaining long grating as well as the individual open frameworks. Finally, the assembly was stained and painted. The last components to be added to the main grating frame were the six eyebolt and rings assemblies.

The fabricated main hatchway DOES NOT match or align with any plan!
The biggest surprise was that the main hatchway DID align closely (although not perfectly) with the pre-installed knee supports on the gun deck bulwarks which were “eyeballed” into position. If I had just looked far enough ahead to understand all the interconnections or had a consistent and complete set of construction plans. I might have had a little better alignment at this point.
 
If one fabricated the kit as designed like Mr. Hunt did, there would be no problem; all the beams would be hidden. The 1927 and 2010 US Navy plans for the hatchway support beams match closely with the kit (which was based for the most part on the 1927 restoration). The kit plans even indicated the removal of the aft ladders during the 1996 restoration. The kit’s laser cut gratings, however, do not match anything I can find in the US Navy plans and the gratings design are not even shown on the kit plans. So, my model will be a Frankenstein combination of components and adjustments that may look good to the layman but won’t be accurate. So be it and move forward. Below are some dry fit ups.

The main reason the hatches were fabricated at this point was to workout the alignment with gun deck bulkhead spar beams. If you look at the image below, you will see the comparison of the:
Assembled main hatchway based on the kit’s gratings, 1927 US Navy Main hatchway beam plan which matches the kit’s plans, 2010 US Navy Main hatchway beam plan which also matches with the kit, Kit bulkheads beam plan.

The remainder of the main grating was sliced lengthwise. One half remained intact, while the other was cut again into individual gratings. It is to be noted that there are six different size gratings that comprise the 18 total on the single laser cut piece. So as not to mix them up, I only cut off what I needed, before I moved on to the next one using them to set the next beam frame in turn.
 
The internal framing was made from various pieces of 5/16” x 1/16” boxwood which I had to mill myself on the Byrne’s Saw. The supplemental wood package was based on the practicum which did not address removing grating to reveal underling structure.
 
Using 1/8”x1/32” boxwood, the internal lip was created to support the intact remaining long grating as well as the individual open frameworks. Finally, the assembly was stained and painted. The last components to be added to the main grating frame were the six eyebolt and rings assemblies.

The Main Grating
If I was following the kit instructions (what there is of them), the main grating would be very simple; just build a border around the laser cut main grating provided by the kit and it would be done.
 
If I were following the practicum, it’s a bit more complicated. Mr. Hunt would have you slice the grating lengthwise and add a support beam down the length of the full grating using complex lap joints.
 
But, if you plan on leaving half of the gratings open, and adding ladders to the gun deck so that the gun deck can be viewed, it’s almost a complete scratch build.
 
The exterior border frame, which is taller than the other grating frames, was fabricated just like all the other frames using the boxwood pieces (provided by the wood supplement package). The 5/16” x 3/32” boxwood was cut as follows:
2 pieces: 6 9/16” lengthwise 2 pieces: 2 5/32” beam wise These pieces were glued together with butt joints creating a large open frame.
 
Next, I held my breath as I cut off the four most forward gratings with the Byrnes Saw. These were used to set the first internal beam frame. The two outer corner gratings will remain off the framework to allow the installation of ladders to the gun deck.