Jump to content

Thistle17

NRG Member
  • Posts

    1,041
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Thistle17

  1. Paul I plan to follow your build progress. I acquired the Florida Shapie Fishing Schooner that is recorded on this site. Panel #33 is where I finished off about a year ago. Still some rigging to do and a case. I acquired it from the estate of a fellow modler who found it in n antique shop about 5 years ago. The model is scratch and is done equistely so I am challenged to achieve the quality it deserves. David Bennett of the NC Museum sent me some pictures of rigging of models in his collection you may wish to study. The rigging of these vcessels is relatively simple but there are some gaff hauls that I have yet to find a home for since there are no logical termination points but at the masts.

    Joe

  2. I attendd a session of the Modelswrights of Niagara yesterday and was made aware of this procedure. I am about to go through this procedure on my Byrnes saw which was upgraded with the wider table top. I shared the very problems you all relate and I have a drawer full of tortured blades due to the misalignment of the fence. As I think back this all became a problem when the table top was replaced. Of course I was not aware of this procedure. I will feedback my experience for others.

    Joe

  3. I am sorry somehow I did not look close enough at themachining  method as I seemed to think it was a laser. So another comment is that I had some blow out on the fback side of the material from the router cutter. I had to add some "face material to that side for those that became "cheeks" of gun ports. It turned out that the .015 material thickness deficit became a non problem when compared to the drawings as I used .015 AYC.

    Joe

  4. Welcome to the group 'Archie"! I too took the route of fabricating my own bulkheads and "strong back". However I chose a CNC router route. It did not go well for a number of reasons.  A couple of cautions. I did not have the witness marks for the gun ports added in. I hand scribed them using the drawings. Are your bulkheads laser cribed? Secondly the drawings depict 1/4" bulkheads. The material I used was .015 thinner. Where this showed up was in the transom area. Chuck has cleverly designed the transom assembly parts so when assembled yield a well registered framework. Check your work carefully and if you go to "Stuntflers" build you will see he had to build out the last bulkheads to align correctly as they were .015 shy as well. These are just cautions that I learned the hard way.

    Joe

  5. You are a brave and determined heart! I too gave up on my first build of Winchelsea after too many compromises. I started with my own frames, strongback etc and although relatively sucessful error started to creep in and things went slowly downhill from there. I am poised to start again but your restart is impressive. I will surely follow your journey! Joe

  6. Glenn on Cheerful I ganged 4 canonn wheels of like diameter on a screw of prpoer diameter. Placed a nut on screw end to secure them. I placed the wheels so that the "fatter" diameter of two wheels faced each other. Then I carefully but ever so lightly turned/sanded them on my lathe. The key is to keep the pairings together once removed. Worked fairly well.

    Joe 

  7. Your deliberate and informative sharing has become an invaluable reference for all of us. And I might add your willingness to share set backs as well as successes is apppreciated. I can't tell you the number of "do overs" I have experienced that have slowed progress and dampened enthusiansim. So when I observe your end result I am encouraged to press on.

     

    I get the same encouragement from Bob Emser (The Art of Boat Building) by oserving his methods of work. Don't know how to pay you any better a compliment!

     

    Joe

  8. I had missed your posting of this build earlier. It is truly lovely!!!!

    I stopped my Winchelsea build for a number of reasons recently and went back to my Cheerful. It has so much merit as your build loudly proclaims.

    I will pick up the Winchelsea again as soon as I finish ny Cheerful after an unsatisfying start on the her. I made a number of mistakes as well and I think that has a lot to do with one's mindset about the project. From the looks of your work you are capable of any path you choose.

    Joe

  9. Hard to believe it was 2019 when I ventured out on this project. The skeletal work was completed during that period. It was put aside for other projects including the Florida Sharpie restoration, the Laura Goulart repairs (hard to consider that a restoration) and of course the Mark I PBR. I picked up this project in more ernst in the latter half of 2022. Things haven't gone well if you have read the log. As a result about 2 weeks ago I put the project aside after a cold hard stare at what I had wrought. The stare was somewhat of a one eyed look as I contracted shingles at Christmas that found its way to my left eye this February. I am on  the mend but the journey's end is not yet evident.

     

    Cheerful has been sitting on the bench staring back at me. It is in its final stages of completeion with all deck furniture, cannon, mast and spars completed. It needs final riiging appointments and a case. So needing a "win" I have returned to it. 

     

    So I made a decision with Winchelsea. I have decided to shut this build down for the time being. In this interim I came across the components for the skeletal structure and Chapter 1 from an MSW member who has decided against the build. I purchased his components for a very reasonable price. The package arrived yesterday. First impressions when I opened the box was that the plywood material was superior to what I had bought (I elected to fabricate my own skeleton).  That is encouraging.

     

    So as the song goes "you have to know when to hold 'em and you have to know when to fold 'em"! But I am not walking away.!!!!!!!

     

    Joe

  10. Trying again to make a log entry with photo(s).

     

    I have completed the port side planking above the first layer of the wales. The whole effort was an experience in working with this new wood AYC, the model complexities and my relearned or new techniques.

     

    Let me comment a bit about the material as I am a bit surprised no one has to date. Overall it is a good material to work with. It does have its own subtle characteristics beyond handling. In bending planking for the bow I did have a few planks shatter at their ends, even after heat bending on a form, at the bow. I suspect the billet end had dried out a bit. Cutting back the plank somewhat allowed usage elsewhere. The second more troubling but correctable problem with AYC I found is what I will term beam deflection tendency. Even with the closely spaced bulkheads it seemed in some cases to bow under the pressure of sanding. Not all planks, just some. The only solution I found was that I had to add a veneer backer across several planks internally to allow uniform sanding. It nevertheless is a easy wood to work with.

     

    Well here is the port side planking progress in the attached photo. The first layer of wales recall was salvaged after too anxious a start (and incorrectly so) of the second layer. I did not attempt the rather complex planking "tabs" above and below the gun ports as I thought I was at the limit of my skills. Also it was evident all that difficult work, even if successful was going to be obscured by the frieze application.

     

    Gun ports as many of you know, all 24 for a side are quite difficult. I had made a set of gun port plugs with a 1/32 frame around the perimeter that fit snuggly into each recess. The intent was to use them as a stop guide for the ensuing planking. For me, after a few attempts, they were abandoned. Any variation in match up to the banded perimeter became a glaring error when removed. It just shouted at you! To correct any of these early imperfections I ended up hand trimming the openings with a scapel and a guide as shown in the setup photo below. A metal rule with sand paper attached to the rear to add traction kept it in place along with the clamp. It was a  tedious, nerve racking effort but I was loathed to rip out yet more planking off.

     

    After all that and with some manipulation of plank widths I ended up with the results shown. I was relieved the frieze tryout it came out correctly as can be seen in the stern area with its temporary placement.

     

    Joe

    port.adj.JPG

    port.plnk.JPG

  11. You folk are so supportive! I appreciate your kind words.

    All your works are inspiring and drive me on. It reminds me of when I was playing ball. I always wanted to play with those that were much better than I. It raised my game even though there were some hard knocks along the way.

    Anyway I am nearly finished planking the port side up to the sheer after fine tuning the wales and of course removing my incorrect interpretation of the 2nd layer wales. So far with a little retuning of plank width milling I am coming out quite well. Imagine that!

    Cutting out planking around ports is such an arduous and frustrating task. After more than a few plank discards I think it passes muster.

    I am using this shop made plank clamp to hold strakes that have been premarked for cutout and then one by one carving out the port opening. A little sanding using a dummy port plug with 1/32 built out sides gets me in the game.

    Joe

    plank.clmp.jpg

  12. In confering with Rusty this morning I now know I had read (and reread) the monolog incorrectly. Sometimes information sequency or at times too much information can lead to incorrect interpretation. Nonetheless I own the error.

     

    I updated my drawing to reflect the correct interpretation of the wales. So I will deconstruct what I have done and finish the 3/64" planking above the wales and at least the two lower strakes below the wales.

     

    Joe

    Wales.draw (1).pptx

  13. Thanks Bob! It has actually turned out to be quite functional just for the table top and working on Winchelsea. I just ordered some shop wheels that are low profile that will also give me a bit more outboard stability when rotating the top to the lathe function. It is well balanced and stays at rest when the locks are open but there is quite a bit of rotational imbalance when it is rotating to the lathe function.

    Joe

  14. Maybe it is time for me to call a 'time out" on myself. I had quite a time milling my 1/64, 2nd layer wales stock until I took the time to set up the saw with a new blade. modify my cut off jig to work on my larger table top. Then and only then was I able to fine tune the strakes to the desired thickness. To make the story a tad longer I found I was eating up the cut strakes a bit getting the butt placement so I was hesitant moving

    the setup until I understood the consumption. Hence the start of the top black strake. I now realize that I will need to sand the black strakes a bit so indeed it was only a good idea to do only the edges with the pro Marker. I will either rip it off or finesse that one in place and return to the regimine layed out.

     

    Joe

     

     

  15. I learn so much from other, reading posts and confering with those that have advanced before me. Truly a gift!

     

    After completing the wales first layer on both sides, I was anxious to try my hand at the second layer. Stuntflyer coached me through the process and I must admit it is quite straight forward. One justhas  to progress slowly and deliberately. Mike's "stops" to align the black strake at the top is such a simple but effective measure. I colored the top edge with a Winsor Newton Pro Marker, XB Black, rather than paint it with acrylic so as not to have paint build up on the back side. Since the strake from the bow was too short I 'buried a butt joint under the anchor lining and then continued on to follow the pattern.

     

    That void in the first layer wales at 'G' I caught too late. It is such a smooth run that breaking the joint and reclamping I anticipate will foul me up with the lower planking. So I made the wales strakes just a tad wider than the 7/32" so the second layer will over lap by just a tad.

     

    Joe

    P1010502.JPG

  16. The purpose of this post is more of a personal nature than news worthy to others. With my committment to the Mark I PBR completed I can be more focused on this project. Today I milled the wales first layer planking out of AYC that I happened to have. After confering with the "master' it was suggested I use other than the stock supplied as future need may arise.

     

    The wales have been carefully aligned (even checking the P/S height to ensure symmetry after slight adjustment). So now I am ready to start and this post is a marker to see how long this is going to take.

    Joe

    P1010492.JPG

×
×
  • Create New...