NMBROOK

After spending some time away with family, I've returned and completed the deck framing. This consisted of two tasks: framing the midship portion of the deck, and filling in the spaces between all of the deck beams with inner hull planking. While I wondered if there would have been knees between the beams, neither the drawings nor the book photos show any, and I went with the planking. In any event, the perimeter of the decks will be covered by deck planking, which will conceal this detail.
 
As with the other deck segments, I used the laser cut pieces for the beams and ledges and boxwood strip for the carlings. Boxwood strip was used for the planking, which had to be cut and fitted for each individual space.
 
Next will be the planking of the inner bulwarks above the decks.
 
 
Bob

The bow area is now done. This involved a variety of items:
 
Planking of the forward part of the interior hull, including deck clamps. This was done with various sizes of boxwood strips, as with the earlier similar work. I must admit that it was difficult work to fit the curves  and i'm not very happy with some of it. Fortunately, it will be barely visible.
 
Two breasthooks. There is no detail of these in the drawings and dimensions were estimated from book photos and limited info in the drawings.They were made from boxwood sheet, using card templates. I also had to drill the hawse holes in the hull to establish the position of the upper breasthook.
 
Upper deck framing was done in the same manner as previously, using laser cut beams and a couple of miscellaneous laser cut pieces.
 
The fore bitts. These extend down through the upper deck to the lower deck. They also provide the rear support point for the bowsprit, between the decks, so I had to fit a dummy bowsprit at this point, since it will be impossible to do this at any later time. The bitts are boxwood strip.The above deck cross piece will be added later.
 
The stove and a ladder. For the stove, the drawings show only a generic looking box without much detail. The book photos give no further help. Since the stove is very small, and will be virtually invisible, I decided to go with the generic box. It was made from styrene sheet and painted black. The ladder down to the hold from the lower deck was made from boxwood strip.
 
I will now complete framing of the main deck in the mid-ship area.
 
Bob
 
 

Work on the aft interior hull planking and framing for that portion of the upper deck is now complete. I also added the main deck clamp, the first main deck beam, and further interior hull planking in the hold.
 
The planking all follows the same methods and materials previously used. The deck framing again uses laser cut beams and also a laser cut partner for the main mast and the pumps. I added the first main deck beam at this point because the forward most beam for the aft portion of the upper decks rests upon it. I also drilled a hole in the keelson for mounting the main mast, after test fitting a dummy main mast through the partner.
 
Work will now shift to the bow before finishing the main deck.
 
Bob

Moving forward on the aft lower deck, I've added the last transverse partition, the inner hull planking in that section, the ladder to the hold from the lower deck and the beginning of the upper deck beams. 
 
The partition and the hull planking were done exactly like the previous ones and need no further description.
 
The ladder was made from boxwood strip and fitted to the curvature of the hold planking. It looks a little strange, but I'm not aware of any alternative.
 
The deck beams are laser cut boxwood pieces that I cut to fit each location. It was certainly a timesaver to have all of the roundup precut and consistent through the beams.
 
I'm also attaching a photo of the doors mounted at the rear cabin, which I had neglected to attach with my previous update.
 
Bob 

Moving forward on the aft lower deck, I've now completed the next set of partitions. These are the the second of the three transverse portions (and it's attached upper deck beam) and two fore and aft partitions which create what the plans refer to as the captain's bed place and the mate's cabin. I also did the interior hull planking in this area.
 
All of the partitions were made up from boxwood strip, as was the hull planking. The doors were made from boxwood strip, with cut off  round head brass pins for handles and blackened brass hinges from a PE set in my stash. As always, everything was finished with Wipe-on Poly.
 
My next work will be to finish the work on the aft lower deck and to add the remaining deck beams for the upper deck above the lower deck area.
 
Bob

Work on the interior of the stern cabin is now essentially complete. All of the work was done with boxwood strip and sheet and was finished with Wipe-on Poly. In order, the work done was as follows:
 
1) Planking of the interior of the stern frames;
 
2) Fitting and mounting of the facing of the bench;
 
3) Making up and mounting the cabinetry described in the plans as "lockers with bed places";
 
4) Making and mounting the bench top;
 
5) Making and mounting the forward partition for the cabin, and the upper deck beam to which it is attached (the doors are made, but not yet mounted);
 
6) fitting and mounting the interior wall planking to the level of the upper deck beams.
 
The work entailed a great deal of fitting and adjusting to get a proper fit of the various interconnected pieces, but was really an enjoyable and fun part of the build -- probably my favorite part to date.
 
Bob 
 
 

I've done two areas in the past week: the interior planking of the hold and the forward platform.
 
The platform framing was done with boxwood strip, in the same manner as the aft lower deck. The fitting of the beams was tricky, but there are only three of them. The holly deck planking was done in the same way as the aft deck planking. Again, I wasn't as careful as I might have been with the forward most part of the deck, since it will be covered by a breasthook. The framed opening is for the foremast.
 
The hold planking was done with boxwood strip. I chose to plank the entire port side (up as far as the fore platform level so far), but to only do a few planks on the starboard side. I intend to leave an open space in that planking on that side and to not resume it until the level of the exterior hull planking.The planking extends just beyond the start of the decks, fore and aft. I finished with a coat of Wipe-on Poly.
 
I'm now working on the interior stern planking and the work in the stern cabin.
 
Bob

Glad to be back into progress mode again. I've completed the first part of the interior work that I will do. This consists of the framing and planking of the aft lower deck.
 
The framing was done with boxwood strip and includes framing for what appears to be a scuttle, and also some supports for the beams. The beam supports, like much of the other interior work, will never be seen. The planking was done with holly strip, as will all of the other deck planking. The caulking is done with a carpenters pencil and the drill and fill treenails are done with golden oak filler. The holes in the forward part of the deck are for the pumps. The deck planking that looks ragged at the edges will all be covered by cabinetry.
 
My current intention is to do all of the aft lower  deck partitions and cabinetry, the fore lower deck framing and planking, full interior hull planking in the hold on the port side and partial on the starboard side, and full interior planking above the lower decks, including the stern. I'm not entirely sure in what order I'll proceed.
 
Bob

Rain, rain, and then more rain. That was the weather in sunny Florida for a week. Bad for golf, but good for modeling.
 
With all that indoor time, I was able to get by a couple of tedious tasks. First, was cutting the hull loose from the framing jig. This proved more time consuming and difficult than I had imagined it would be. I first tried to do it with keyhole saw blades in an X-acto handle, but this seemed like it would be an endless job, and I have no patience for those. I rummaged through my tool box and found a Stanley handle with a hacksaw like blade and this ended up doing the trick, although still slowly and carefully. It is pictured below.
 
After freeing the hull, I then turned to the task of fairing the interior. This turned out to be quite a chore, because the frames needed to be thinned considerably to reach their proper final proportions. Beginning with a Dremel with a sanding drum, and then using various grades of sandpaper with different sticks and blocks, and some freehand sanding as well, I worked my way through it. This took me days of tedious work. It's likely that I may still need some more work at the bow and stern as I proceed with interior work.
 
My next job was to add the keelson. Although this is a laser cut part , it still required considerable fiddling and adjustment to get it to fit tightly and properly. Lastly, I added the first strakes of interior planking along the keelson in the hold area, just to get a feel for that process. I'm now deciding just what interior work to do and how to go about it. I would like to show as much of it as I can, but we'll have to see how that works out.
 
Bob
 
 

I have now completed the upper hull planking. Before beginning, I had to cut away three of the frames to allow for the small gunport openings. As with the previous belt, this was done with boxwood strips without taper, first edge bent and then bent again horizontally to fit the severe bow curve. This planking was done with a combination of 1/16" x5/32 ", 1/16" x 3/16" and 1/16" x 1/8" strips to fit the dimensions shown on the drawings. BTW, the Lumberyard provided pear strips to do this planking, but I didn't like the material supplied and chose to use boxwood that I had on hand. The treenailing was done as before. After treenailing, the area was final sanded and finished with a coat of Wipe-on Poly. No further work will be done on the outer hull at this point
 
The next task is to cut the hull away from the jig.
 
Bob

Before beginning the upper hull planking, I had one more task: framing the quarter window opening. I first cut down one of the aft frames and then added strip pieces to create the framing.
 
After that, it was on to the planking. The main belt consisted of five strakes of 1/8" x !/16" boxwood strip.I also added a 1/16" square strip as a base for the molding that will go above this planking belt. The good news was that the planks are of even width throughout their length and did not require tapering. The bad news was that the bow is extremely blunt and required compound curves to obtain a good fit. My method to do this was to first soak the planks in boiling water, then edge bend them and then use my old heated plank bending tool (an Aeropiccola product that I've had for decades) to make horizontal bends. Some beveling was employed where necessary to ensure tight fit. I used a carpenters pencil to simulate caulking on one side and one end of each plank and glued each in place using carpenters glue on each frame and the mating edges of each plank. I'm sure that some will laugh at my "clamping" method. I've always found it more difficult than useful to fit fancy clamps to planking, and rely on low tech "five finger clamps" (my hands) to hold the planks in place with pressure until the glue grabs sufficiently. After rough sanding, I drilled and filled for the "treenails", using a #75 drill and walnut filler. After final sanding, I applied a coat of Wipe-on Poly and touched up the black paint on the wales.
 
Now, it's on to the remaining planking.
 
Bob

A number of things have been accomplished. First, I added the single strake of holly planking that I intend to have below the wales. Then, I made the fashion pieces that border the counter at the stern. These were cut from boxwood sheet and sanded to shape to fit. They were painted black and mounted. Next, I added black painted moldings to the lower and upper counter. Lastly, I applied a coat of Wipe-on Poly to the counter and the lower hull from the wales down.
 
Next up will be the planking above the wales.
 
Bob

With completion of the framing, it was time to make some decisions. First, I decided that I would leave the hull below the wales unplanked, except for a single strake of holly directly below the wale. Second, the hull above the wales would be fully planked on both sides. Third, I would leave fairing of the interior hull until I have completed the hull planking and have cut the hull from the framing jig.
 
Having made these decisions, it was time to begin the planking process. The first item was the wales. Since they were to be painted black, I chose to use holly which is easier to bend than boxwood, and made them in two layers, again for ease of bending and fitting. When they were in place, I painted them using multiple coats of ModelMaster engine black (the former Pollyscale). 
 
Next, I planked the stern counter and the lower portion of the transom. This was done with boxwood and was treenailed using the drill and fill method (which I intend to use for all of the treenailing). I trimmed back the wales to meet the counter planking. I still need to add moldings, finish the counter planking with Wipe-on poly and paint the wale ends black. This will be done later, as will the remaining stern transom work.
 
Bob

I have now completed framing of the hull with the stern framing and fairing. First, the stern frames were glued into place between the slots cut into the wing transom and the template cut from the plans and glued to the framing jig. Then, I cut pieces of boxwood strip to fit between the stern frames in curves set out in the plans. Next, I added the framing pieces between last hull frame and the outer stern frames. Lastly, I faired the entire stern assembly.
 
I am now moving on to start the wales and then the planking.
 
Bob

I spent the first part of my time since my last update completing the fairing of the hull. This involved first adding boxwood strip shim pieces to the frames that were low as a result of the the jig slot misalignments. This was tedious work, but straightforward and uneventful. I've attached photos of the faired hull which don't look all that different from the prior photos, but there really is a big improvement.
 
After completing the fairing, I turned to the stern framing. This presented some challenges. I quickly realized that the laser cut wing transom and stern frames were simply not right. After wasting some time trying to figure to ways to "improve" them, I decided that the easiest solution was simply to cut entirely new parts from scratch. I started with the wing transom, which required multiple efforts to get any thing that was any good at all. The plans don't really show it in any way, other than it's position, and the book photos are are also somewhat vague. I cut the part from boxwood sheet, rough shaped it to fit and cut notches in the top side with small chisels for the stern frames. I then cut and shaped the other two transoms from boxwood sheet and mounted all three. I did some rough fairing of the lower two transoms, but left the wing transom until the stern frames are in place.
 
The laser cut frames were simply too small and didn't match either the plans or my construction. I cut them from boxwood sheet, but have not mounted them yet. I have attached a photo of the rough wing transom and the stern frames before mounting. The photo also shows a laser cut frame, for comparison. The final photo shows the three transoms mounted. 
 
Next up will be the mounting of the stern frames and the remainder of the stern framing.
 
Bob

I've now completed making and mounting the bow cant frames and hawse timbers. As at the stern, some discrepancies between the parts, jig and drawings required some tweaks and adjustments to be made. As with the previous work on the framing, I've done the rough fairing of the outside of the hull. For the most part, it seems to fair up well. The exception is at the upper portion of the frames ( at the bottom of the photos because of the upside down construction), where it seems that a few of the notches in the jig are misaligned, causing some low areas. This will be corrected by adding boxwood strip to the outside of the affected frames and then sanding them fair. There should be no visible evidence of this because those areas are to be planked over anyway.
 
Next up is the framing of the stern, starting with the transoms and stern timbers.
 
Bob

I've now completed the stern cant frames. These presented two problems. The first was the expected difficulty of cutting and sanding the required angles to get a proper fit. That went reasonably well. The second, however, was more troublesome. The aft most frame did not match the plan and had to be tweaked to get it to fit. it remains to be seen after final fairing and assembly of the stern framing  whether this will turn out correctly, or whether I will need to remove it and make a new pair of frames. As I have been doing, I did some rough fairing to get a feel for the fit of the frames.
 
I'm now working on the bow cant frames.
 
Bob 

Home again and back to work, so time for an update. I've made up and mounted the three square half frames at the stern. Same procedures as for the full frames. I also did some fairing while waiting for glue to dry. This was primarily in the midship area and consisted of using various sticks and blocks with 60, 100 and 120 grit sandpaper. Final fairing will be done when the frames are complete.
 
I'm now working on the stern cant frames.
 
Bob

All of the full frames have now been made up and mounted. The next step was to permanently mount the the keel-stem-stern assembly to the the full frames. Before doing this, I did some work on the stem that could more easily be done before mounting. This involved drilling, cutting and filing the gammoning slot, and cutting and tapering the upper forward portion to accommodate the fitting of the figurehead. The figurehead is a 3D printed resin piece supplied by the Lumberyard. I am attaching a photo showing it in place temporarily. It will be painted to match the wood before permanent mounting at a much later time.
 
I will be away from the shipyard for about a week, and will then begin on the stern half frames.
 
Bob

A small update. I'm making and mounting the full frames at the rate of about one per day, following the procedures previously set out. At this point, twelve full frames have been set, and ten more remain. After that, I will move to the half frames at bow and stern.
 
Bob

Time to get started on the frames. I've settled on the following procedure for doing them: 
1) Remove the 9 parts for a frame from the laser sheet
2) Remove the laser char from the joints between futtocks
3) Using double sided clear tape, attach one layer of parts to the plan sheet for that frame, with the joints glued
4) Glue the second layer of futtocks on top of the first
5) Sand the faces of the frame until there is a fit to both the keel and the jig
6) Fill any joints, as necessary, with filler made of sanding sawdust and glue
7) Use strip wood to make any adjustment necessary to the keel notch on the frame
8) do some preliminary fairing to both the outside and inside edges of the frame
9) Treenail the futtock joints using the "drill and fill" method
10) Apply Wipe-on poly to the faces of the frame
11) Glue the frame into the appropriate jig notch using clamps to hold it in place and a straight edge to keep it square
12) Use the keel to insure proper fit and spacing after each pair is set at opposite ends
 
I've completed two pairs of frames now and so far, so good. The good news has been that using the laser cut pieces is a whole lot easier than cutting them all out by hand. The parts also fit the drawings fairly well. The not so good news is the amount of work necessary to get a snug fit  to the keel. Also, as I feared, the frame drawings and parts don't match up to the jig exactly, causing some need for further tweaks. All in all, I'm pretty satisfied with how it's going to this point.
 
Bob
 
 

Once again, welcome aboard to all. your interest is always appreciated.
 
A few words about what I received from the Lumberyard, and about the direction that I intend to take. To begin with, this is a build using Hahn plans (included in the package), and the Hahn upside down construction method (a laser cut framing jig is included). The package contains laser cut framing pieces, including the keel, stem, stern post, rudder, keelson and frame futtocks. I ordered all of that in boxwood. There are various other laser cut pieces such as deck beams. I also got a sheet with laser cut pieces for the stern transom windows and carvings and the quarter badges and windows. The package also contains a good deal of sheet and strip wood in boxwood, pear and some other woods for planking and other purposes. In general, the laser cutting appears to be very good and the strip and sheet looks good, but not as smoothly finished as that from Crown. One potential problem looms. The jig and the keel assembly ( which I have put together) don't match the drawings in length. They do, however, exactly match up to one another. Hopefully, this means that the construction will proceed without difficulty, although yielding a model slightly longer than that shown in the drawings.
 
I have obtained a copy of Hahn's book "The Colonial Schooner 1763- 1775" to assist in construction. It is my present intention to plank both sides from the wales up and to leave the lower hull unplanned, although I may decide to fully plank one side of the lower hull. I intend to detail the interior of the hull, with lower decking, partitions, etc. Upper decking will be left partially open to allow a view of the lower interior.
 
I am attaching a photo of the jig, a rather poor photo of the package contents and a photo of the assembled keel. It's now time to get to work on the frames.
 
Bob
 
 
 


 
 





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

As I mentioned near the end of my Granado build, I have chosen to do the the colonial schooner Halifax as my next project. There are several reasons for this choice. To begin with, my age (77) and the diminishing capabilities of my hands and eyes are a major factor. I don't wish to start any project that I have doubts that I could complete. While the journey may be very important, I still like to see a finished product. This ruled out anything that is likely to take multiple years to build. I also have concluded that It will be better to do small vessels in a larger scale, rather than a larger ship in a smaller scale. I was very intrigued by the new Marisstella kit for the barque Stefano, but decided against it because it is a large ,complex ship in a smaller scale and would likely take at least two years to do.
 
In considering what to do, there were any number of possible choices, but the Lumberyard Halifax seemed to fit the criteria best. It is a true plank on frame model of a small vessel in 1:48 scale, which I really liked. Unlike the usual Lumberyard timbering set, the Halifax is offered in a version where the framing is laser cut. This was appealing to me because I have no power tools, other than a Dremel, and have no desire to hand cut all of the framing for a fully framed model. It also offers the opportunity for considerable scratch building and choice of presentation style, both of which are important to me.
 
I have chosen to post this build as a kit, rather than a scratch build because of the laser cut framing, and have labeled it as "semi-scratch", whatever that may mean. I have received the package from the Lumberyard in the past few days and am clearing away my work area and getting ready to start. Progress and photos will begin soon. I'm looking forward to the interaction and exchange that always accompanies a build on MSW.
 
Bob
 
 

Looking forward to following on Mark
 
Kind Regards
Nigel

Hi everyone - I have had this kit in the closet for quite awhile from Model Expo,so now is a good time to start it. After doing a little searching on the internet,this appears to be an actual ship - a Manila galleon of 50 guns that sank in 1750. The kit came in 6 boxes & upon opening the boxes there a number of laser cut wood sheets(mostly plywood) along with several plastic containers containing fittings & other small pieces. There are also the usual bundles of strip wood & dowels. Some of the wood will likely be replaced since much of it is a coarse grained reddish brown wood. One nice feature is it comes with pre-sewn sails ready to mount(no excuse for not putting sails on this one). It builds into a ship just over 1100mm long,so it shouldn`t be too hard to add some detail.it comes with written & pictorial instructions,but the only plan sheets provided are for the masting & rigging - none for the actual ship structures(not really needed because of the many pictures.
 

 

 

 
 
 
Mark