toms10

Thanks Marku.  It was tedious but I like the way it came out.
 
I put the catwalks in and fared the bulkheads and catwalks.

The pic shows the fore deck just held on with clamps for now.  I think I figured out a way to install the cannons on main deck that are under the fore and aft decks.  I need to think it through but right now I am thinking about temporarily putting the decks in place while I plank the hull.  I am going to pin or screw the deck to the bulkhead where the mast is going to be located.  The hold the ends with clamps as shown.  The hole where the screw will be will disappear when the hole is enlarged for the mast.  I am hoping that this will lessen the chances of knocking off the cannon while doing the planking.
 
 
The next step is to put the supports for the "pin" cannons.  I am a bit confused by the directions.  The picture for step 15 shows the cannon with the pin not set into the support yet.  The written instructions say that after the pin is "nailed" the end of the cannon should stick out 9mm past the edge of the deck.  I would take the written instructions as the pin inserted into the drilled hole but the picture shows something else.  I am thinking the picture is wrong because once the pin is inserted into the support the cannon would only stick out about 3mm ( the pin is 6mm long).  With the gun port covers raised you would barely see the cannons after the planking is on.  I suppose if the supports were too far in, I could put another piece on top of the support to bring the cannon out more.  That might just be a good idea anyway  because I think it would be easier to fix the cannon to the spacer piece that would fit through the gun port and glue that sub-assembly to the original support.
 
Any thoughts?     

 
Tom

So I have gotten a bit further.  I did not like the way the original gun port linings looked per the AL plans.  It was time for my first "do-over". Instead of using the 0.6mm thick basswood as suggested, I opened up the holes replaced the liners with 1.5mm thick basswood to make them look more framed.  My intent is to paint them black with the planking between the rubs painted white.  The rubs will also be black.  The rest of the planking will be done with the walnut that was supplied.  I need to lower the 12 cannon carriages on the gun deck a bit.  When they are assembled the are a bit high in the port hole.  Should not be a big deal, I will probably skim a bit (1.5mm) off the top of the sides where the cannon barrel mounts.  The deck in relation to where the upper rub and bulwark meet seems to be a bit high.  Either the bulkheads were not cut down far enough for the deck or the cannon carriages aren't quite right.
 
Once the outer layer of planking is done, I will plank the bulwarks both inside and out, place the 4 cannons that go under the top decks and then put the decks in place.  I figure this order will produce the least amount of chances to knock off one of the 4 cannons that need to be placed early.
 
Here is where I am right now.
 


 
Expecting a blizzard to bury us tonight and tomorrow with 2 - 2 1/2 feet of snow.  I guess that just means less time at work and more time in the shipyard.   

So I have gotten a bit further.  I did not like the way the original gun port linings looked per the AL plans.  It was time for my first "do-over". Instead of using the 0.6mm thick basswood as suggested, I opened up the holes replaced the liners with 1.5mm thick basswood to make them look more framed.  My intent is to paint them black with the planking between the rubs painted white.  The rubs will also be black.  The rest of the planking will be done with the walnut that was supplied.  I need to lower the 12 cannon carriages on the gun deck a bit.  When they are assembled the are a bit high in the port hole.  Should not be a big deal, I will probably skim a bit (1.5mm) off the top of the sides where the cannon barrel mounts.  The deck in relation to where the upper rub and bulwark meet seems to be a bit high.  Either the bulkheads were not cut down far enough for the deck or the cannon carriages aren't quite right.
 
Once the outer layer of planking is done, I will plank the bulwarks both inside and out, place the 4 cannons that go under the top decks and then put the decks in place.  I figure this order will produce the least amount of chances to knock off one of the 4 cannons that need to be placed early.
 
Here is where I am right now.
 


 
Expecting a blizzard to bury us tonight and tomorrow with 2 - 2 1/2 feet of snow.  I guess that just means less time at work and more time in the shipyard.   

Well...Picking up where we left off I'm done!
 
I think as of last post I just had to finish the sheets on the main, and do the mizzen and the spanker. All done now. Also did the little row boat (it's a pretty lowsey cast) and I painted up the little crew.
 
Overall this was a great ship and I had a blast! I'm glad I took my time on it. I basically did the hull up to he masts then took about 3 months off on it then did all the masts, took another month off then did all the rigging. I've found it's important to take breaks!
 
This is a great model and a great kit. Instructions are as is typical kind of lowsey as well, but with some knowledge, a little research and some help on the forums it's not too bad at all.

So I have been making a bit of progress since my last post.  I cut out the gun ports and framed them.  My plan is to put the 2nd layer of planking up to the liners and sills and then file the liners and sills flush with the planking.  I think I can get a cleaner look that way.  In the end, the planks surrounding the gun ports will be painted white and the liners and covers black.  I am not really following the building order laid out in the instructions.  I am trying to do as much as I can prior to putting in the 4 cannons that are underneath the upper fore and aft decks.  I don't think that is the right terminology for the deck names.  The more I can do now, the less chance I will have of dislodging a cannon while working on the hull.
 
This kit does not plan on rigging the cannons either.    I decided that was something I wanted to give the model a bit more detail.  So now I am waiting for the blocks and some other stuff I ordered to make its way to my door.  I was going to make the blocks but after making a couple and having them split I decided for the number of them I will need it would be much easier to buy them.  I did end up making 200 eye hooks from some wire I had.  That was relatively easy with the right pair of pliers.
 
I managed to put in the keel and bulwarks while I am waiting.


 
Next I plan to start the 2nd layer of hull planking, then rig the 4 cannons in the corners of the main deck and finally place the remaining decks.

So I have been making a bit of progress since my last post.  I cut out the gun ports and framed them.  My plan is to put the 2nd layer of planking up to the liners and sills and then file the liners and sills flush with the planking.  I think I can get a cleaner look that way.  In the end, the planks surrounding the gun ports will be painted white and the liners and covers black.  I am not really following the building order laid out in the instructions.  I am trying to do as much as I can prior to putting in the 4 cannons that are underneath the upper fore and aft decks.  I don't think that is the right terminology for the deck names.  The more I can do now, the less chance I will have of dislodging a cannon while working on the hull.
 
This kit does not plan on rigging the cannons either.    I decided that was something I wanted to give the model a bit more detail.  So now I am waiting for the blocks and some other stuff I ordered to make its way to my door.  I was going to make the blocks but after making a couple and having them split I decided for the number of them I will need it would be much easier to buy them.  I did end up making 200 eye hooks from some wire I had.  That was relatively easy with the right pair of pliers.
 
I managed to put in the keel and bulwarks while I am waiting.


 
Next I plan to start the 2nd layer of hull planking, then rig the 4 cannons in the corners of the main deck and finally place the remaining decks.

1st layer of planking is finally done.  After some sanding I think we will be in good shape.  Next I will probably trim the edges where the walnut keel pieces will fit and continue on with the bulwarks.  Looking back I am wondering if it would have been easier to put these in before the 1st layer of planks and fit the plank lengths.  Like everything there are good and bad points with either way.  That is what makes this hobby fun... there is absolute right or wrong.  It is up to each person's creativity.

Well, it's been a while. I promise you I've been hard at work. BUT I've also had a wife hit 4 months pregnant, had a birthday, moved to a new apartment hit 290lb on bench press, brewed a TOP NOTCH batch of Winter ale, and tied a couple thousand clove hitches.
 
I'm working on back and forward stays this week, then will get my jib sails on and then I'll be back to the woodworking carving up some yards to get some sails on this thing. It's coming along and I'm happy. A much more complex kit than that SF and I've learned a lot on this kit. I'm already looking forward to my next kit and will be trying my hand at painting next time. Here's a couple shots of my recent progress for your enjoyment.
 
 

Still moving forward with the 1st layer of planking.  About halfway there.


Both sides are coming out pretty symmetric so I am happy with the progress so far.
 

So I started the first layer of planking.  It is the first time I have done this and have read many tutorials which have helped greatly.  A few planks a night so it should take a while but I am in no rush.  Knowing that this will be covered up with a second layer definitely takes a lot of pressure off.  Each one gets a little better.  I am trying to approach it as if it will be the only layer so I can learn how to do it correctly i.e. not tapering the ends down to more than half the width, where and when to insert drop planks or stealers.  I end up dry fitting a couple and attaching with t-pins to try to figure out if I will need stealer before I actually glue.  This seems to work best for me.

There is one plank that needs some sanding as it is a bit high.  It has a seam because it "had an accident"  and broke after I shaped and fitted.  I also need to trim them all to length when I fit the front keel piece in.

This one here that has a low spot so I will be using some filler.  Again, good thing this is the underlay planking as this is definitely not worthy of display.

Overall progress.
 
I did try the plier type plank bender and found it to be more hassle and less effective than it's worth.    I am soaking and using an old modified soldering iron and homemade form tool to bend and found it to be much easier.  If you go a bit too deep with the pliers the plank ends up snapping when it bends.  That is the "accident" I was referring to in the first pic.

So I started the first layer of planking.  It is the first time I have done this and have read many tutorials which have helped greatly.  A few planks a night so it should take a while but I am in no rush.  Knowing that this will be covered up with a second layer definitely takes a lot of pressure off.  Each one gets a little better.  I am trying to approach it as if it will be the only layer so I can learn how to do it correctly i.e. not tapering the ends down to more than half the width, where and when to insert drop planks or stealers.  I end up dry fitting a couple and attaching with t-pins to try to figure out if I will need stealer before I actually glue.  This seems to work best for me.

There is one plank that needs some sanding as it is a bit high.  It has a seam because it "had an accident"  and broke after I shaped and fitted.  I also need to trim them all to length when I fit the front keel piece in.

This one here that has a low spot so I will be using some filler.  Again, good thing this is the underlay planking as this is definitely not worthy of display.

Overall progress.
 
I did try the plier type plank bender and found it to be more hassle and less effective than it's worth.    I am soaking and using an old modified soldering iron and homemade form tool to bend and found it to be much easier.  If you go a bit too deep with the pliers the plank ends up snapping when it bends.  That is the "accident" I was referring to in the first pic.

Hello MSW.  I am starting my AL Constellation kit I purchased from a fellow MSW member.  As a newbie, I followed many of the build logs for a while and found them to be full of great ideas and advice.  Hopefully, someone will benefit in the same way from mine.  Cutting to the chase, I opened the box and did a parts list inventory... which took way longer than I anticipated. The way AL set up the parts list was "interesting" with regards to all the strips of wood.  Instead of having a list of what should be in the box, i.e. 30 strips of this and 40 strips of that, you need to go through all 446 parts.  Each part that was made from the various wood strips was listed with its approximate finished size.  So if you needed 10 pieces of a part that were 30mm long you would have to measure off 300mm from one of the supplied strips.  Unless you want to spend days checking everything it is a virtually impossible task.  I would imagine someone at AL has already done this so why not supply a general what's in the box list along with the detailed list already given?  I didn't bother checking the wooden strips, just the individual pieces.  There were a few items that came up slightly short in the count like some deadeyes, blocks, belaying pins and some other minor things that can be picked up on-line or at a local hobby shop.  What did surprise me is that there were no chains at all for the anchor and stern decor.  No biggie, picked that up at a dept. store.  Here is what was inside.


 
Reviewing the instructions, it is a good thing I have an engineering background.  They are somewhat vague but there are a lot of pics to go by.
 
Then probably the most important part of the kit...

the bubble wrap.  I plan on taping it to the wall behind my chair so when I bang my forehead into the wall for doing something stupid it won't hurt so much!!
 
My next step will be to set up my work area and create a fixture to squarely secure the keel while I start the framing (bulkheads).  As with any project, if the frame is not right, the rest will follow as such.

Mark,
Thanks for the info about the AL rigging.  I am a bit nervous about trying to match the colors so I will probably buy an extra spool of each before I start just to make sure.  That is still quite a ways off but something to think about.  I did find much more of a selection at Model Expo with regards to different sizes of various rigging components.  AL uses 8mm belaying pins in the kit and this was the only place I could find them.  The kit shorted me about 10 pins.
 
I checked out your Constellation build... INCREDIBLE JOB.   
 
The AL kit claims to be the original 1794 design and everyone claims it to be fantasy.  It might very well be but the part that confuses me about the whole discussion is that there are no original plans available to verify what anyone is saying.  I did come across a book called "Modeling the USF Constellation" by Gilbert Ardle.  He did quite a bit of research and raises many interesting points and makes a good reference and read. Together with Mastini's "Ship Modeling Simplified", I have quite of bit of information from which to draw from, fact or fiction.  Of course they don't match the wealth of knowledge shared on the MSW forums.
 
After reviewing the kit, I did plan on "enhancing" it a bit even though it is my first wooden ship model.  What I think is going to make this build fun is I am only in it make an interesting a good looking ship model for my living room, not a an actual replica for a museum.  I am not that much of a purist at this point; it's all about fun for me.
 
Thanks again,
Tom

Hello MSW.  I am starting my AL Constellation kit I purchased from a fellow MSW member.  As a newbie, I followed many of the build logs for a while and found them to be full of great ideas and advice.  Hopefully, someone will benefit in the same way from mine.  Cutting to the chase, I opened the box and did a parts list inventory... which took way longer than I anticipated. The way AL set up the parts list was "interesting" with regards to all the strips of wood.  Instead of having a list of what should be in the box, i.e. 30 strips of this and 40 strips of that, you need to go through all 446 parts.  Each part that was made from the various wood strips was listed with its approximate finished size.  So if you needed 10 pieces of a part that were 30mm long you would have to measure off 300mm from one of the supplied strips.  Unless you want to spend days checking everything it is a virtually impossible task.  I would imagine someone at AL has already done this so why not supply a general what's in the box list along with the detailed list already given?  I didn't bother checking the wooden strips, just the individual pieces.  There were a few items that came up slightly short in the count like some deadeyes, blocks, belaying pins and some other minor things that can be picked up on-line or at a local hobby shop.  What did surprise me is that there were no chains at all for the anchor and stern decor.  No biggie, picked that up at a dept. store.  Here is what was inside.


 
Reviewing the instructions, it is a good thing I have an engineering background.  They are somewhat vague but there are a lot of pics to go by.
 
Then probably the most important part of the kit...

the bubble wrap.  I plan on taping it to the wall behind my chair so when I bang my forehead into the wall for doing something stupid it won't hurt so much!!
 
My next step will be to set up my work area and create a fixture to squarely secure the keel while I start the framing (bulkheads).  As with any project, if the frame is not right, the rest will follow as such.

Jetwrench,
Thanks for all the insight.  I am currently planking the decks so I have a long way to go but it is a great help to know what is coming up and what to watch for.
 
I am short about 10 belaying pins from what the parts list says. I am not sure I will need them all as I have not checked out that part of the instructions yet.   I will probably order the 8mm one from Model Expo along with some deadeyes, blocks (other pieces that came up just short in the count) and such.  I also have to make 8 brass cannon wheels.  Luckily I am an engineer in a manufacturing plant that has many toolmakers... calling in some favors  . 
 
The info on the pedestals is good to have.  As for the cast metal aft cabins, I was thinking about making them out of thin plywood and maybe using somthing like the deck planking to cover it along with some 1/16 square walnut for trim.  The other thought is to make templates of the hull curves out of a piece of manilla folder and transfer the lines to the castings and put the dremel to use.  It is not easy but maybe you can match the curves.
 
I did want to put sails on... after all, what is a sailing ship without sails?  I was thinking of partially furling up some of the main sails so as not to hide all the rigging. Maybe all of them, the jury is still out.
 
I have heard on other posts about the rigging line amounts being short.  This is very scary.  With the cost of thread why not just add an extra spool to the kit. Trying to match it after you rigged most of it is probably impossible.  I planned on buying my own supply but I am not sure how much to buy.  The diameter is marked on the spools but not the length.  Do you know how much you bought of each and where did you get it?  I plan on practicing seizing before I actually start the rigging.  I have a strong woodworking background but I need to work on knots... I was never in the Boy Scouts.  
 
Tom

Hello MSW.  I am starting my AL Constellation kit I purchased from a fellow MSW member.  As a newbie, I followed many of the build logs for a while and found them to be full of great ideas and advice.  Hopefully, someone will benefit in the same way from mine.  Cutting to the chase, I opened the box and did a parts list inventory... which took way longer than I anticipated. The way AL set up the parts list was "interesting" with regards to all the strips of wood.  Instead of having a list of what should be in the box, i.e. 30 strips of this and 40 strips of that, you need to go through all 446 parts.  Each part that was made from the various wood strips was listed with its approximate finished size.  So if you needed 10 pieces of a part that were 30mm long you would have to measure off 300mm from one of the supplied strips.  Unless you want to spend days checking everything it is a virtually impossible task.  I would imagine someone at AL has already done this so why not supply a general what's in the box list along with the detailed list already given?  I didn't bother checking the wooden strips, just the individual pieces.  There were a few items that came up slightly short in the count like some deadeyes, blocks, belaying pins and some other minor things that can be picked up on-line or at a local hobby shop.  What did surprise me is that there were no chains at all for the anchor and stern decor.  No biggie, picked that up at a dept. store.  Here is what was inside.


 
Reviewing the instructions, it is a good thing I have an engineering background.  They are somewhat vague but there are a lot of pics to go by.
 
Then probably the most important part of the kit...

the bubble wrap.  I plan on taping it to the wall behind my chair so when I bang my forehead into the wall for doing something stupid it won't hurt so much!!
 
My next step will be to set up my work area and create a fixture to squarely secure the keel while I start the framing (bulkheads).  As with any project, if the frame is not right, the rest will follow as such.

Hello MSW.  I am starting my AL Constellation kit I purchased from a fellow MSW member.  As a newbie, I followed many of the build logs for a while and found them to be full of great ideas and advice.  Hopefully, someone will benefit in the same way from mine.  Cutting to the chase, I opened the box and did a parts list inventory... which took way longer than I anticipated. The way AL set up the parts list was "interesting" with regards to all the strips of wood.  Instead of having a list of what should be in the box, i.e. 30 strips of this and 40 strips of that, you need to go through all 446 parts.  Each part that was made from the various wood strips was listed with its approximate finished size.  So if you needed 10 pieces of a part that were 30mm long you would have to measure off 300mm from one of the supplied strips.  Unless you want to spend days checking everything it is a virtually impossible task.  I would imagine someone at AL has already done this so why not supply a general what's in the box list along with the detailed list already given?  I didn't bother checking the wooden strips, just the individual pieces.  There were a few items that came up slightly short in the count like some deadeyes, blocks, belaying pins and some other minor things that can be picked up on-line or at a local hobby shop.  What did surprise me is that there were no chains at all for the anchor and stern decor.  No biggie, picked that up at a dept. store.  Here is what was inside.


 
Reviewing the instructions, it is a good thing I have an engineering background.  They are somewhat vague but there are a lot of pics to go by.
 
Then probably the most important part of the kit...

the bubble wrap.  I plan on taping it to the wall behind my chair so when I bang my forehead into the wall for doing something stupid it won't hurt so much!!
 
My next step will be to set up my work area and create a fixture to squarely secure the keel while I start the framing (bulkheads).  As with any project, if the frame is not right, the rest will follow as such.