davec

Underside planked.  I used holly.  Finish is minwax polycrylic satin, which is water based and doesn't seem to change the color of the wood.  It says on the can that it is good for light colored wood.  I started using it 13-14 years ago, and the holly on those models has not changed color.  It does seem like the can has a shelf life.  When I reopened my old can and tried it on scrap, it did darken the wood a little.  It was probably about 15 years old.  I bought a new can which worked fine.
 
I don't think I am going to treenail the holly.  I will treenail the boxwood, but not until the upper hull is planked,  Plan is to do the upper hull, at least to the level of the shear strake, then start installing all the inside parts that I was working on.

We just finished some work on our house, which included major renovations to my workshop.  I thought of putting up a build log of the renovations, but it wasn't me doing the work, and I just never got it together.
 
My old workshop was my dream workshop when we moved into the house. It was the first time I ever had a dedicated room, and it was decent size, around 17x12 feet. It was a usual basement room: unfinished, with exposed insulation, uncovered small part-eating gap between slab and wall, and just got outgrown as I go more tools and tried to work on two projects at once.  The room was off a “two-car garage”, which only fit two cars if they are parked front to back.  I used my table and band saws there.
 
At the urging of my tremendously supportive wife, we put up an insulated wall that splits the garage and creates a new second workshop room. There is a third furnace room in back, which we were able to clear out.  All three rooms will be part of the new workshop.  The two front rooms got:
 
-Sheet rock over ceilings and exposed insulation
-Painted walls, ceilings, and floors
-lights and electrical outlets
-dehumidifier with drain for condensate
-vent for spray booth
-molding covering gap between walls and slab where parts always disappeared
-utility sinks
 
The unfinished furnace room got lights and electrical outlets.  The epoxy floors should be dry enough that I can start to move my tables and tools back in over the weekend.  Plan is for storage and big sawdust producing machines in the unfinished room (band saw and table saw). Still working on the layout of the other rooms.  Most likely paint and assembly in the new room with the spray booth vent, and wood and metal small power tools in the old workshop.  I don’t think I will outgrow this workshop, and now could build something bigger than a model if I ever want to.
 
Some pictures below. The camera on my phone made the rooms look a lot darker than they really are - the lighting is great.   I didn’t take any of the furnace room. It looks like an unfinished basement room with a furnace in the corner, but now with lights and enough electrical outlets.  First two pictures are the new room, second two are the renovated old workshop room.
 
Should be able to get back to Echo in a week or so.  It’s been sitting on the shelf if my office waiting. 

We just finished some work on our house, which included major renovations to my workshop.  I thought of putting up a build log of the renovations, but it wasn't me doing the work, and I just never got it together.
 
My old workshop was my dream workshop when we moved into the house. It was the first time I ever had a dedicated room, and it was decent size, around 17x12 feet. It was a usual basement room: unfinished, with exposed insulation, uncovered small part-eating gap between slab and wall, and just got outgrown as I go more tools and tried to work on two projects at once.  The room was off a “two-car garage”, which only fit two cars if they are parked front to back.  I used my table and band saws there.
 
At the urging of my tremendously supportive wife, we put up an insulated wall that splits the garage and creates a new second workshop room. There is a third furnace room in back, which we were able to clear out.  All three rooms will be part of the new workshop.  The two front rooms got:
 
-Sheet rock over ceilings and exposed insulation
-Painted walls, ceilings, and floors
-lights and electrical outlets
-dehumidifier with drain for condensate
-vent for spray booth
-molding covering gap between walls and slab where parts always disappeared
-utility sinks
 
The unfinished furnace room got lights and electrical outlets.  The epoxy floors should be dry enough that I can start to move my tables and tools back in over the weekend.  Plan is for storage and big sawdust producing machines in the unfinished room (band saw and table saw). Still working on the layout of the other rooms.  Most likely paint and assembly in the new room with the spray booth vent, and wood and metal small power tools in the old workshop.  I don’t think I will outgrow this workshop, and now could build something bigger than a model if I ever want to.
 
Some pictures below. The camera on my phone made the rooms look a lot darker than they really are - the lighting is great.   I didn’t take any of the furnace room. It looks like an unfinished basement room with a furnace in the corner, but now with lights and enough electrical outlets.  First two pictures are the new room, second two are the renovated old workshop room.
 
Should be able to get back to Echo in a week or so.  It’s been sitting on the shelf if my office waiting. 

I completed the upper hull planking to the level of the shear strake.  Treenails are boxwood.  I started work on the inner upper hull planking as well.  I added the quarterdeck clamp and port stops.  I’m going to use swiss pear on the bulwarks planking and gun carriages.  I have some bloodwood, which would do better for a red color, but the grain seems too prominent.
 
I must have had some cumulative error in my measurements.  The plans specify two 11.5” planks with the lower one starting at the upper edge of the gunport.  This put the quarterdeck too high, so I thinned both strakes.  I used boxwood for the clamp on the side I am leaving unplanked.  Hopefully the different woods on the two sides won’t look bad.  The alternative was to use pear on both sides, but then it would have been the only piece of wood that wasn’t boxwood on that side of the hull.
 
I still haven’t decided about treenails for the holly lower hull.  I’m going to put finish on the upper hull tonight and reassess.  I think it will make the boxwood treenails more prominent, and if it does, I may decide the outer hull looks busy enough and not add any more treenails.
 
I’m still a little stuck on next steps.  I’d planned on putting in the lower and upper deck quickwork and spirketing prior to installing the deck beams and inner fixtures so I can sand and treenail without disrupting anything.  It looks like the placement of the deck beam and waterway determines the placement of the quickwork, so I may need to start work on the lower deck.
 

We just finished some work on our house, which included major renovations to my workshop.  I thought of putting up a build log of the renovations, but it wasn't me doing the work, and I just never got it together.
 
My old workshop was my dream workshop when we moved into the house. It was the first time I ever had a dedicated room, and it was decent size, around 17x12 feet. It was a usual basement room: unfinished, with exposed insulation, uncovered small part-eating gap between slab and wall, and just got outgrown as I go more tools and tried to work on two projects at once.  The room was off a “two-car garage”, which only fit two cars if they are parked front to back.  I used my table and band saws there.
 
At the urging of my tremendously supportive wife, we put up an insulated wall that splits the garage and creates a new second workshop room. There is a third furnace room in back, which we were able to clear out.  All three rooms will be part of the new workshop.  The two front rooms got:
 
-Sheet rock over ceilings and exposed insulation
-Painted walls, ceilings, and floors
-lights and electrical outlets
-dehumidifier with drain for condensate
-vent for spray booth
-molding covering gap between walls and slab where parts always disappeared
-utility sinks
 
The unfinished furnace room got lights and electrical outlets.  The epoxy floors should be dry enough that I can start to move my tables and tools back in over the weekend.  Plan is for storage and big sawdust producing machines in the unfinished room (band saw and table saw). Still working on the layout of the other rooms.  Most likely paint and assembly in the new room with the spray booth vent, and wood and metal small power tools in the old workshop.  I don’t think I will outgrow this workshop, and now could build something bigger than a model if I ever want to.
 
Some pictures below. The camera on my phone made the rooms look a lot darker than they really are - the lighting is great.   I didn’t take any of the furnace room. It looks like an unfinished basement room with a furnace in the corner, but now with lights and enough electrical outlets.  First two pictures are the new room, second two are the renovated old workshop room.
 
Should be able to get back to Echo in a week or so.  It’s been sitting on the shelf if my office waiting. 

We just finished some work on our house, which included major renovations to my workshop.  I thought of putting up a build log of the renovations, but it wasn't me doing the work, and I just never got it together.
 
My old workshop was my dream workshop when we moved into the house. It was the first time I ever had a dedicated room, and it was decent size, around 17x12 feet. It was a usual basement room: unfinished, with exposed insulation, uncovered small part-eating gap between slab and wall, and just got outgrown as I go more tools and tried to work on two projects at once.  The room was off a “two-car garage”, which only fit two cars if they are parked front to back.  I used my table and band saws there.
 
At the urging of my tremendously supportive wife, we put up an insulated wall that splits the garage and creates a new second workshop room. There is a third furnace room in back, which we were able to clear out.  All three rooms will be part of the new workshop.  The two front rooms got:
 
-Sheet rock over ceilings and exposed insulation
-Painted walls, ceilings, and floors
-lights and electrical outlets
-dehumidifier with drain for condensate
-vent for spray booth
-molding covering gap between walls and slab where parts always disappeared
-utility sinks
 
The unfinished furnace room got lights and electrical outlets.  The epoxy floors should be dry enough that I can start to move my tables and tools back in over the weekend.  Plan is for storage and big sawdust producing machines in the unfinished room (band saw and table saw). Still working on the layout of the other rooms.  Most likely paint and assembly in the new room with the spray booth vent, and wood and metal small power tools in the old workshop.  I don’t think I will outgrow this workshop, and now could build something bigger than a model if I ever want to.
 
Some pictures below. The camera on my phone made the rooms look a lot darker than they really are - the lighting is great.   I didn’t take any of the furnace room. It looks like an unfinished basement room with a furnace in the corner, but now with lights and enough electrical outlets.  First two pictures are the new room, second two are the renovated old workshop room.
 
Should be able to get back to Echo in a week or so.  It’s been sitting on the shelf if my office waiting. 

We just finished some work on our house, which included major renovations to my workshop.  I thought of putting up a build log of the renovations, but it wasn't me doing the work, and I just never got it together.
 
My old workshop was my dream workshop when we moved into the house. It was the first time I ever had a dedicated room, and it was decent size, around 17x12 feet. It was a usual basement room: unfinished, with exposed insulation, uncovered small part-eating gap between slab and wall, and just got outgrown as I go more tools and tried to work on two projects at once.  The room was off a “two-car garage”, which only fit two cars if they are parked front to back.  I used my table and band saws there.
 
At the urging of my tremendously supportive wife, we put up an insulated wall that splits the garage and creates a new second workshop room. There is a third furnace room in back, which we were able to clear out.  All three rooms will be part of the new workshop.  The two front rooms got:
 
-Sheet rock over ceilings and exposed insulation
-Painted walls, ceilings, and floors
-lights and electrical outlets
-dehumidifier with drain for condensate
-vent for spray booth
-molding covering gap between walls and slab where parts always disappeared
-utility sinks
 
The unfinished furnace room got lights and electrical outlets.  The epoxy floors should be dry enough that I can start to move my tables and tools back in over the weekend.  Plan is for storage and big sawdust producing machines in the unfinished room (band saw and table saw). Still working on the layout of the other rooms.  Most likely paint and assembly in the new room with the spray booth vent, and wood and metal small power tools in the old workshop.  I don’t think I will outgrow this workshop, and now could build something bigger than a model if I ever want to.
 
Some pictures below. The camera on my phone made the rooms look a lot darker than they really are - the lighting is great.   I didn’t take any of the furnace room. It looks like an unfinished basement room with a furnace in the corner, but now with lights and enough electrical outlets.  First two pictures are the new room, second two are the renovated old workshop room.
 
Should be able to get back to Echo in a week or so.  It’s been sitting on the shelf if my office waiting. 

We just finished some work on our house, which included major renovations to my workshop.  I thought of putting up a build log of the renovations, but it wasn't me doing the work, and I just never got it together.
 
My old workshop was my dream workshop when we moved into the house. It was the first time I ever had a dedicated room, and it was decent size, around 17x12 feet. It was a usual basement room: unfinished, with exposed insulation, uncovered small part-eating gap between slab and wall, and just got outgrown as I go more tools and tried to work on two projects at once.  The room was off a “two-car garage”, which only fit two cars if they are parked front to back.  I used my table and band saws there.
 
At the urging of my tremendously supportive wife, we put up an insulated wall that splits the garage and creates a new second workshop room. There is a third furnace room in back, which we were able to clear out.  All three rooms will be part of the new workshop.  The two front rooms got:
 
-Sheet rock over ceilings and exposed insulation
-Painted walls, ceilings, and floors
-lights and electrical outlets
-dehumidifier with drain for condensate
-vent for spray booth
-molding covering gap between walls and slab where parts always disappeared
-utility sinks
 
The unfinished furnace room got lights and electrical outlets.  The epoxy floors should be dry enough that I can start to move my tables and tools back in over the weekend.  Plan is for storage and big sawdust producing machines in the unfinished room (band saw and table saw). Still working on the layout of the other rooms.  Most likely paint and assembly in the new room with the spray booth vent, and wood and metal small power tools in the old workshop.  I don’t think I will outgrow this workshop, and now could build something bigger than a model if I ever want to.
 
Some pictures below. The camera on my phone made the rooms look a lot darker than they really are - the lighting is great.   I didn’t take any of the furnace room. It looks like an unfinished basement room with a furnace in the corner, but now with lights and enough electrical outlets.  First two pictures are the new room, second two are the renovated old workshop room.
 
Should be able to get back to Echo in a week or so.  It’s been sitting on the shelf if my office waiting. 

The stays are all at different angles, so the distance between deadeyes actually varies slightly.  It may be something you can deal with by sizing them all the same and using different tightness on the lanyards.  I use a little different jig which accounts for the difference.

Greg and Druxey - many thanks!  I'm working on the 'steady' part.  The ventilation holes were fun.   I don't get to spend much time in the workshop, but get to spend a fair amount of time out of it planning what I will do when I finally get there, so I had plenty of time to map out the pattern. 
 
Well and shot locker almost done.  I will add the very top strip when the lower deck beams are installed, and I have some great photo etch hinges to add.  They were the subject of a workshop on photo etching done by one of the extremely gifted Hampton Roads Model Ship Society members (thanks Gene!).
 
I've begun work on the main deck beams.
 
Dave

Time for a semi-annual update.  First post since January other than my pleas not to archive the group build log.  Work continues slowly as a bunch of other commitments continue take priority over shop time. I have the inner hull done to the level of the upper deck clamps, and have begun work on the well.  Mast step is also done, as well as the limber boards and lower deck beams.  I haven’t put any finish on – I used some mineral spirits to clean off the sawdust. I’m continuing to work on the well.  I began gluing the sides on right before leaving on vacation, but didn’t take a picture.
 
Dave

I finished the treenails on the partially planked side.  The other side has all the ceiling planks, so will take longer.  I'm hoping to finish the treenails on that side before heading back to work on Monday, when the model will resume its glacial progress.  I also milled stock for the mast step and well.  I bought a 6' boxwood 2x4 from Gilmer wood 8 years ago, and just cut into the last 2' length.

I've added the lower deck clamps, more of the ceiling planking, and begun treenailing.  I put some mineral spirits on to get some sense what they would look like with finish. I'm very impressed with the Jim Byrnes drawplate.  I was able to make .018" treenails (just over 3/4" scale) - second smallest hole on the drawplate.  Much happier with the effect here than on my prior models.
 
Hope everyone has a great new year.
 
Dave

Greg – thanks!  I am using yours as a guide, and will aim for something similar in terms of half fully finished and half frame exposed. It will be a mirror image and include one gun.
 
Druxey – you are as always incredibly kind.  I took the picture at an angle that hid the uncorrectable low spots.  As they aren’t near the ends or gunport, the planking should effectively hide them.  There are also a few frames that are misaligned vertically, also not visible at an angle.  I kept knocking them loose when fairing, and after regluing the same frames multiple times, they migrated.  Again, mostly on one side, and soon to be hidden forever.
 
I’ve been having a good week off from work.  My kids are home, but sleep until late, so I have had workshop time to begin planking.  I’m going to work my way up to the lower deck clamps, then stop and treenail.  I made 7/8” boxwood treenails.  I’m hoping the end grain gives enough contrast that they are visible against the boxwood planks without having the measles effect I have had on prior models.  On the Rattlesnake I used cherry, which was too visible, and on Hannah I used boxwood, but was using cheap drill bits that left a burn mark at the edge of the hole, and was using an old drawplate that only got me down to about 1 ¼”.  I got a Byrnes drawplate and am able to go smaller, and got better drill bits and lower speed drill, so now get clean holes.  It looked OK on the test piece.
 
Best wishes for the new year,
 
Dave

Even though it has been 2 years, 9 months, and 29 days since the last post, work didn’t actually stop.  The framing is finished.! One side looks OK to leave uncovered, and the other is begging to be planked (meaning I can’t true some of the frames without either completely disassembling and replacing them, or thinning the others too much).  Planking one side was the original plan, and the bad areas will get covered, so this is OK.
 
Few things of note:
Future builders should be comfortable that the project is doable even if you only have around 90 minutes per week to work on it. It was a fun project to do a little bit at a time. The time limitations were responsible for the problems on one side.  At some point ‘perfect’ became the enemy of ‘good enough’, and I stopped doing redo’s.  It was too disheartening to go long periods of time with no apparent progress. I think I have defined some sort of record for how slow progress on a ship model can go without actually stopping. I plan to fit it out, and hope to have more time to work on it over the holidays.  David and Greg sent me a copy of their instructions, which are super.  The framing was all new to me while most of the rest is similar to things I've done before.
 
Happy holidays!
 
Dave

My old log was lost, as was the Hannah one.  After a lot of thought, I have decided to just restart both where I left off.  I didn’t save them, and given the choice between spending time on the computer and spending time in the workshop, it was an easy choice.


I’m looking forward to the workshop in 2 weeks.  I redid my keel (pictures below are the fifth redo).  I had originally planned to use the previous one, but had made that with the dimensions from the contract, which are slightly different than the plans.  When I made the framing jig and it was loose on the keel, I realized I might have other problems down the road, so I made another keel using the wood Greg sent.  I have also made the dead flat and dead flat one frames.




I’m going to hold for now and play with my new ropewalk. I don’t want to make any more frames until after the workshop as I think they will be a lot better after.
 
Dave


 

I decided to plank boxwood down to the waterline and holly below.  The top of the waterline is pretty close to the bottom of the wales.  I used a taper jig to taper strips of boxwood and holly, and glued them together into a single plank 10" scale in width.  I need to rip out the plank below this one that tapers from 3 1/2" to 3" thick, then can begin planking.  I think I am going to take the approach that the whitestuff would cover the treenails and not spend a week treenailing under the waterline.  I will probably treenail the boxwood below and above the wales.
 
Dave

Underside planked.  I used holly.  Finish is minwax polycrylic satin, which is water based and doesn't seem to change the color of the wood.  It says on the can that it is good for light colored wood.  I started using it 13-14 years ago, and the holly on those models has not changed color.  It does seem like the can has a shelf life.  When I reopened my old can and tried it on scrap, it did darken the wood a little.  It was probably about 15 years old.  I bought a new can which worked fine.
 
I don't think I am going to treenail the holly.  I will treenail the boxwood, but not until the upper hull is planked,  Plan is to do the upper hull, at least to the level of the shear strake, then start installing all the inside parts that I was working on.

Toni and Maury -
 
Many thanks!  I have been working from David and Greg's practicum, and took the height of the waterline from the diagram on page 25.  In the diagram, it comes to just under the wales at this part of the ship.
 
I'm still up in the air about treenailing the holly.  I finished planking from the wales to the shear strake last night.  I'm heading out for a business trip, and will treenail the upper hull on my return.  I will decide about treenailing the lower hull when I see how busy the hull looks at that point. 
 
I think I'm going deviate significantly from the practicum order and finish the internal and external planking before installing the deck beams and interior fittings.  Things like sanding treenails and port stops flush should be much easier without these parts in place.  Hopefully this isn't going to cause me problems later.  It seems like it should be OK - it looks like the placement of all the innards follows from the location of the deck clamps, and there aren't any parts of the internal planking that depends on anything else.
 
Dave

I completed the upper hull planking to the level of the shear strake.  Treenails are boxwood.  I started work on the inner upper hull planking as well.  I added the quarterdeck clamp and port stops.  I’m going to use swiss pear on the bulwarks planking and gun carriages.  I have some bloodwood, which would do better for a red color, but the grain seems too prominent.
 
I must have had some cumulative error in my measurements.  The plans specify two 11.5” planks with the lower one starting at the upper edge of the gunport.  This put the quarterdeck too high, so I thinned both strakes.  I used boxwood for the clamp on the side I am leaving unplanked.  Hopefully the different woods on the two sides won’t look bad.  The alternative was to use pear on both sides, but then it would have been the only piece of wood that wasn’t boxwood on that side of the hull.
 
I still haven’t decided about treenails for the holly lower hull.  I’m going to put finish on the upper hull tonight and reassess.  I think it will make the boxwood treenails more prominent, and if it does, I may decide the outer hull looks busy enough and not add any more treenails.
 
I’m still a little stuck on next steps.  I’d planned on putting in the lower and upper deck quickwork and spirketing prior to installing the deck beams and inner fixtures so I can sand and treenail without disrupting anything.  It looks like the placement of the deck beam and waterway determines the placement of the quickwork, so I may need to start work on the lower deck.
 

Nice work greg - looking well and truly battered like she has been sat in a ships graveyard for years.
 
OC.

Now the rear aircraft deck with machine gun controllers, anchors, and the lino strips used for the aircraft and the gun pits. Once weathered, I will sand back the brass strips that hold back the lino. Also the boat hangar door with some added strips.

The front of the ship, with the aftermarket capstans and the kit included leadsman's platforms. This has not yet been properly weathered.

So many little pieces to paint for the rear flight deck! I have value added to the boat hangar doors as well as adding some voice pipes and seats to the crane controller which had no detail at all.

I dulled down the green a tad, the the shiny brass props which would look a bit silly glowing under the grunge, so I used some blacken it and a light grey overspray.