Justin P.

Hey Mark, thanks for dropping in and thank you very much for helping me with all the questions I had getting started.

Building Jig. In the last few days I set about creating a building jig similar to other previous builders. I had thought there might be an available cross section Jig plan in the Triton downloads section as there is one for the full POF Triton build, but came up short. I experimented with trying to cut down a full size jig plan to create a cross section plan, but discovered there are a number of differences between the full build and the cross section, despite being both 1:48 scale sets of drawings. In the end I created my drawing as Im sure others have done, and went to work. If anyone would like to use my drawing for their own work, I'll attach it here. If printed at 100% on standard letter copy paper it should be accurate. Be careful to check the lines against those of the provided drawings to be sure it is scaled and printed correctly. Triton Jig Plan_1-48_Justin P.pdf Having never done this before, I did sort of invent my own process which may or may not be like how others have approached this. I wound up using a 1/4" rough ply for the top and a 1/2" rough ply for bottom. I bought a sheet of 2' x 2' of each and sanded an area marked out exactly to the dimensions of the printed drawing (8.5 x 11" copy paper). I used a plain Elmers glue stick to apply the sheets. In order to really prevent the paper deforming at this scale you really need to glue out the ply instead of the sheet - the reverse of what you might do when gluing assembly parts. I had drawn guide lines on the ply to help with laying down the sheet of paper and help ensure that I have properly glued the entire area. Using my full-size table saw I then ripped down the two sheets of ply along the edge of the copy paper. This gave me two sheets exactly 8.5 x 11" with a duplicate and well-aligned drawing mounted to each. I then drew in registration marks to each board edge marking the keel and the center frame. This was important as there was a 1-2mm of difference in the alignment, so by using the registration marks I could clamp them together just right and drill the post holes so that when assembled all the lines would be true and aligned to one another top to bottom. I drilled those holes at exactly 3/8" and used 8" x 3/8" all-thread for the posts. This provided a very secure fit, and along with the washers and nuts created a very rigid structure. I used a jig saw to cut out the meat of the top board interior and then a coping saw and files to finish the cut. I then used a combination of squares and the provided drawings to make all the necessary checks. I had set this drawing up so the the distance between the top of the bottom board and top of the top board came out to exactly the distance between the floor of the keel and the upper Deck Beam Clamp mark. Incidentally, this turns out to be roughly the same as the indicated height for the full POF jig plan. After that I positioned the keel in a jig mounted to the bottom board. The jig itself is complete and ready for frames. As for frames, Im still working out all the steps of my process. Trial and error, but Im close. My drill press/drum sander setup is finally put together and is working well. I had intended on using a 2" diameter drum but had trouble getting it to center properly causing it to wobble intolerabely. The 1" drum works perfectly though. Ive gotten all the components of my first "test" frame cut out and ready for a final fitting at the joints. This step is hand work, so will proceed much more slowly to get it right. Hard to know what the tolerances are and how falling on either side of those tolerances will effect the end result... Right: Fresh off band saw, ready for sanding. Left: After sanding on the drum. Two halves of a single frame ready for final assembly.

Thanks! I thought about this a long time and considered the coping saw. I even went so far as to have a go trying to cut out a frame piece and I just didn't have the patience for it, and the considering the time requirement for each and my own limited time in the shipyard I figured a power tool was the way to go for me - and if Im honest, I also wanted a reason to buy a new tool or two ;).

Very clean! I wish mine came out like that. Seems like no matter how hard I try I can never get my cuts or joins that clean! You've got it!

I totally agree, the transom took me ages to get through and even then when I thought I had finished I would come back to it another day and decide I needed to work on it some more. At one point I tore bits off and redid them. Progress is slow, but the wait is worth it!

That bow rigging is really bring the thing together, and your execution is fantastic. Are you using any supplemental reference materials or going by the plans and kit provided stuff only? Those masts look great too!

Frame Tests So today I took a crack at cutting some frame components. I am learning a lot... namely, that I need to practice a lot. I fixed the templates to the sheet with an Elmers glue stick to avoid deforming the paper and it seemed the more more easily reversible of the various options. Im trying to fit the pieces between the grain with a mind towards paying careful attention to the most fore and aft frame faces in particular. At the moment Im really just viewing this first frame assembly as a practice piece, and to work out a process and decide how I want the various tools I intend to use set up. I tested a few approaches and ultimately think the band saw was the right choice. I was able to cut within about 1-2 mm without much trouble and only had two sacrifices to the bone pile. The first set came out a little rough, but as I went I got much better. When I really nail down a process that seems more repeatable and less experimental, Ill be sure to detail it here.

Actually no. Im not doing any resawing at all. The Ryobi couldn't handle that type of work unless resawing very small billets. I ordered all my wood pre-milled to the thickness required by the parts laid-out in the Triton plans. There are a few parts, like the Keel and others that are stipulated at a thickness that Ocooch does not provide and so the Byrnes was required to take it down. The band-saw is for cutting out the keel parts from sheet stock. For example, a single side of a frame is 3/16" making the assembled frame a full 3/8" when complete. Therefore I ordered 4" x 24" x 3/16" Maple sheets to cut them from, make sense? See here: https://ocoochhardwoods.com/scroll-saw-lumber/ As I said in my first post, ChadB did a lot of the work going through and making a list of required dimensions, I made some species substitutions, verified the required thicknesses from the plans and ordered all the wood pre-milled. There will be minimal re-thicknessing required on my end. Most of the work will be on my Byrnes table saw and the new band saw. The drill press was added to make final sanding of the frame parts easier using a drum sander attachment (total for both < $200) and because I just wanted a drill press.

Indeed! I agonized over this bit for a while. I have a scroll saw that Ive never really liked using, and did a number of trial runs before ultimately deciding to go the band saw route. After trying out cutting the frames on a friends saw, I decided the band saw was definitely something I wanted for this build. I didn't invest a lot and picked up a Ryobi 9" bench-top model for about $150. Many people gripe about the quality of this level of saw, but I found that if you spend enough time learning how to properly set one up and investing in a good blade for the right purpose then a cheap band-saw can be a really good tool. The subtle scroll work required by the frames for this build is easily handled by the Ryobi, and seems to cut through the 3/16" Maple like butter. If you do end up with a bandsaw, I recommend "Band Saw Clinic by Alex Snodgrass", lauded by many as the best instructional video (on You Tube) for setting up and maintaining even the cheapest bandsaws. While the Snodgrass doesn't speak about the smaller saws, the information is just as applicable. For ordering wood, I found that lowering my standards and learning to love the more available hardwoods alleviated a lot of my anxiety Thanks for joining up early! I hope I can contribute something of value that isn't already well covered by the builders who've come before me!

I was recently working on the rudder, and just couldn't get behind it. I think Im getting a bit saturated on this build and need a break. Not from modeling, but perhaps from the type of modeling demanded by Syren. Ive been wanting to dip my toe into more scratch building as well, and have a project that can fit the weird time I have to model when I don't have the focus and stretches of time required by the Syren project in the coming steps. Im also waiting on some bronze sheet that will take some time, and I hate idleness. Im also not the type that can jump ahead effectively and still keep track of what Im doing. I can multitask-task several projects but have never been good at seeing projects through in a non-linear fashion. Ive been preparing for a crack at the Triton cross section group project featured elsewhere on MSW, and have created a build log to record my efforts there. Perhaps some of the skills developed as a scratch builder will benefit me as I approach the more complicated steps coming in this build. To be clear, Im not abandoning this project, just fitting something else in knowing this one may take a quite a long time and want to prevent burn-out. Stay tuned ;), rudder coming soon.

Prep. This will be my first wholly scratch built project. Im undertaking this in addition, and as as a distraction, from my longer-term project HMS Syren by Chuck Passaro and Model Shipways. Ive spent quite a lot of time looking over the various build logs, both more recent and those recovered from pre-crash MSW. I had initially wanted to experiment with the more rare woods, but after getting a sense for their availability and expense, I thought it better to stick to the more common woods for this first attempt. While I would have liked to achieve the contrasts that other builders have achieved using more exotic woods, Im hoping to achieve something similar with some subtle staining. We'll see how successful that turns out. That said, Ill be using primarily Maple for the frames and deck framing and Cherry for the keel and keel components, planking and assorted deck fittings. While some way off right now, Im also hoping to experiment with incorporating Walnut for traditionally darker features and possibly Wenge for the wales. Ive made an initial purchase through Ocooch Hardwoods utilizing the timber plan originally provided by @ChadB from his gorgeous build. Aside from my making some species substitutions, I found his plan to be immeasurably helpful in preparing my order and want to be sure he gets the credit that is due. Reading through the many later Triton builds, I think his contribution has been valuable to others as well. In addition to this other prep, Ive finally added three new titles to my library which have also been mentioned by many in the Triton cohort: Dodds and Moore, "Building the Wooden Fighting Ship" Frolich, "The Art of Ship Modeling" Goodwin, "The Construction and Fitting of the English Man-Of-War, 1650 - 1830" ...as well, I have been intending to finally invest in Antscherl's "The Fully Framed Model" series. Day One. For the first stages of this build, Ive only ordered the Maple and Cherry, in a quantity that should take me through much of the construction phases of the build and with a healthy buffer for mistakes. Ocooch does not supply wood pre-milled to the 5/16" thickness required for the Keel components, so after cutting them out from a sheet of 3/8" Cherry, I took them down with the Byrnes thickness sander. I then took the Keel and milled out the rabbet using my Proxxon MF70 and the appropriate bit. Sadly I was so focused on getting it right, that I neglected to stop and take a picture of this step (UPDATE: Photos added). Luckily, all went well here and Im excited to move on. Im not fooling myself though, I know this step is really nothing compared to the challenge of building the frames and Ive got a lot to think about. The next step is to prepare the building jig, which Im hoping to move onto in the next few days. As this is a concurrent build I suspect progress will be slow, but Im looking forward to it:

In most cases yes. But Titebond sells a type that looks almost exactly like the stuff in that video that is ready to use with no heat. Also, there is nothing to say the person in the video didn't have that jar on a warmer.... Its just a guess, but it looks like hide glue, or maybe "Old Brown Glue," another variant of similar make. '

I don't know about "best" method, but I much prefer blackened brass to painted. Blackening takes some practice and messing around with preparing/finishing to get a good result but is easier than painting I think.

Just looks like a thick hide glue variant to me. Nothing special, and if made for purpose may explain why its in a nondescript bottle.

Agreed. Wonderful detail.

I don’t know how I missed all this progress! It looks fantastic, you're moving into my favorite part of a build, I love seeing it come together with masts, spars and rigging. Great photography too! Really elevates the build log and illustrates the work when the lighting and background is simple and well done. I really must do something about that myself!

George - Thanks. I think much depends on the curves of your hull. For SYREN, I haven't needed any stealers or to cut any of the plates to triangles. The overlapping of the plates allows one to make gradual adjustments so that they sweep up towards the bow naturally. At the stern, the curvature of the hull is relatively straight and thus the plates simply run aft without much deviation. If you decide to butt plates edge to edge, which I believe would be an inaccurate representation (I am no expert), then you would need to be more calculated with your pattern and would require the use of stealers to make the curves (much like with planking). Axo, I think you just have to compare what your kit is calling for against what Amati has available. You could even cut them down a bit if needed. I think they offer 1:72, and 1:64 scale plate options. I went with these because they were the only ones with scale nailing patterns and the same pattern stipulated by the plans.

Coppering is 98% done. I still have the rudder to deal with and another few wipe-downs with ethanol but Im happy with it. I learned a lot in the process, and will definitely tackle it differently next time. Not pictured is the finishes and stained false keel and drilled post holes for mounting.

Out of curiosity are you thinking of "Black Cherry" as something different than the standard Cherry that is commonly sold? I see these terms used interchangeably and I'm always curious what folks are thinking when they choose one descriptor over another... My understanding is that Black Cherry and Cherry are the same thing.

Yes... when I said "side business" this is more or less what I meant, too. The Byrnes is well worth it, by far the best tool I own.

I've been exploring this as a side-business for some time. Especially given how frustrating it can be to track down any exotic materials at all (in the US) without having to have a full mill at home. The existing model ship supplier I know of has mixed reviews and I think we all lament the loss of Hobby Mill and then Crown Timberyard. I've been slowly acquiring the necessary equipment (bandsaw, jointer, etc.) and have come to a few rather unfortunate conclusions. Namely, to make it work even as a small side thing you need something that the other suppliers cant provide, namely exotic hardwoods (which will never be a money maker) and be reasonably reliable about it (also extremely hard if you ever want to do your own modeling). As @Chuck mentions there are other suppliers who can get sheets of cherry, walnut and maple to you almost the next day AND at rates supported by larger mill operations. A Its a shame, but I have resigned myself to the fact that sourcing wood other than the big three will now always be as slow and meticulous a process as the rest of the build...

One way or another we all get there in the end! Nice job.

I agree with others that it looks great as is. In terms of accurate representation, I would say a perfectly hung boat would be less accurate. And I can’t tell that you’ve glued the rope in any particular way. I only question whether oars would have been stowed in the boat long term, or just when about to be launched...

I don't really have any expertise to offer, but will say that I think you've done a nice job. I have no idea how I'm going to approach this particular step myself so if I get even close to something as nice as this Ill be happy! The important thing is that you like them. Are they permanently mounted? Perhaps only fix them temporarily and give yourself time to look at them for awhile before making a commitment? I do notice you haven't got your lettering on... I was thinking about this and how Id better get it on before it becomes harder to do with more of the deck components added... can I ask if there is a reason you are waiting? Something I should consider?