NMBROOK

As I am waiting both for glue to dry and a timber delivery to arrive,I thought now may be a good time to make some linings up for the ports of the main gun deck.I had come up with a simple design that through its shape would ensure consistency of size.This profile was machined on the MF70 out of 3mm Pearwood.The thickness will be hidden under the planking so I could afford to make something substantial.The idea being to machine the profiles,glue together and slice the box up into lengths sufficient to allow for the tumblehome.These will be glued in place and the inside and outside face shaped flush with the hull structure.the sequence of pics explain it better than anything.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Work is slowly progressing on the port side.As I have proved everything on the starboard side,this acts as a template for the port side.This has enabled me to fit the gunport frames earlier in the process to make it easier to shape the internal profile.The handy thing with the gunport design is that tweaks are easy.Some of the holes for the linings have been adjusted and boxwood veneer shims used to ensure perfect alignment when sighting down the side of the hull.I have also been able to fit the lower counter side timber earlier than before.The rather random looking pear blocks at the bow are for shaping to match the other side.The are placed to ensure adequate material to carve the shape out of.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Just a small but nevertheless important update.I am currently working on the other side but doing a little multitasking   In my last timber delivery,I had ordered some 6x4mm pear strip to see how successful it would be to bend the deck beams as apposed to cutting them.As a mentioned before these will penetrate the sides of the inner hull 'shell' and in effect be solidly anchored at the ends.I made a simple jig up to clamp the thoroughly soaked Pear strip in(tip here,soak until the pear no longer wants to float).I deliberately made the jig for double the camber to allow for some springback.Not only this but it is better to overbend and straighten rather than underbend.The radius was calculated using the formula shown in the pic.I thought i would include this as to my knowledge it hasn't been posted before.I clamped two strips in the jig at the same time on top of one another,Any more and it would start to make too big a difference to the radius.The question of whether these beams would be scarphed in the middle is in abeyance and I have posted another thread regarding this.Even if these will be scarphed,I thought it necessary to put the radius in before tapering as the bending properties would not be consistent with a tampered section. 
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time for an update as the last one was several months ago   .
 
I have fitted the waterway and quickwork to the other internal hull face and completed the planking of the deck.I am currently completing  the exposed frame finishing pieces and working on the deck finish.I anticipate many coats of poly rubbed down every three coats.This gives a glass like surface as whilst I wish to see joints in the woodwork,I don't want to be able to feel them.
I feel these pictures may be a little on the red side.The pear is definitely brown with no hint of red,trouble is outdoor daylight pics are hard to come by as its dark when at home during the week and we have had some awful weather on the weekends
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time for an update as the last one was several months ago   .
 
I have fitted the waterway and quickwork to the other internal hull face and completed the planking of the deck.I am currently completing  the exposed frame finishing pieces and working on the deck finish.I anticipate many coats of poly rubbed down every three coats.This gives a glass like surface as whilst I wish to see joints in the woodwork,I don't want to be able to feel them.
I feel these pictures may be a little on the red side.The pear is definitely brown with no hint of red,trouble is outdoor daylight pics are hard to come by as its dark when at home during the week and we have had some awful weather on the weekends
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time for an update as the last one was several months ago   .
 
I have fitted the waterway and quickwork to the other internal hull face and completed the planking of the deck.I am currently completing  the exposed frame finishing pieces and working on the deck finish.I anticipate many coats of poly rubbed down every three coats.This gives a glass like surface as whilst I wish to see joints in the woodwork,I don't want to be able to feel them.
I feel these pictures may be a little on the red side.The pear is definitely brown with no hint of red,trouble is outdoor daylight pics are hard to come by as its dark when at home during the week and we have had some awful weather on the weekends
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Thanks Brian,I did take a chance on the variation of tones.On Caroline,I batched the Pear into two shades,one for above and one for below the wales.Doing this resulted in an enormous amount of waste,so I decided to let the 'quirks' of the pear show and I am pleased with the result.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Thanks mate! The photos don't really do the colours justice I just wanted some pics of this stage as the next update will be too far along otherwise.
 
Favourite,mmm,probably not because each are different in their own way.The one that has drawn me in the most is probably Royal William,but I am deliberately holding back as I want the others to move along at a faster pace
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time for an update as the last one was several months ago   .
 
I have fitted the waterway and quickwork to the other internal hull face and completed the planking of the deck.I am currently completing  the exposed frame finishing pieces and working on the deck finish.I anticipate many coats of poly rubbed down every three coats.This gives a glass like surface as whilst I wish to see joints in the woodwork,I don't want to be able to feel them.
I feel these pictures may be a little on the red side.The pear is definitely brown with no hint of red,trouble is outdoor daylight pics are hard to come by as its dark when at home during the week and we have had some awful weather on the weekends
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time for an update as the last one was several months ago   .
 
I have fitted the waterway and quickwork to the other internal hull face and completed the planking of the deck.I am currently completing  the exposed frame finishing pieces and working on the deck finish.I anticipate many coats of poly rubbed down every three coats.This gives a glass like surface as whilst I wish to see joints in the woodwork,I don't want to be able to feel them.
I feel these pictures may be a little on the red side.The pear is definitely brown with no hint of red,trouble is outdoor daylight pics are hard to come by as its dark when at home during the week and we have had some awful weather on the weekends
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

After a little absence,I have something of an update.Aside from very little time,my broadband connection is giving me grief   Either lightning fast or more commonly working at a snails past.I shall contact my provider and give them what for when in the right frame of mind.
Anyway,half the deck planked,given a scrape and light sand and then a couple of coats of poly to prevent glue marks whilst working on the other side.I have moved away from shellac as firstly,I like the variation of tones and secondly it means I can use my acrylic ageing techniques should I choose.I am ,due to the pleasing appearance,considering NOT treenailing and risk spoiling the effect.
The other side of the hull is now built and shaped so my next job is to sort the upper gunport frames on this side.
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time I blew the dust off this log  
Work has been 'hopping' about a little on the hull.I have been concentrating on sorting the exposed areas of framing.Because of the line of the main deck,various knees,beams and a black ebony waterway would appear in this window between the frames.Although this would be historically correct,I decided it would add a 'ramshackle' appearance to the build and looked for an answer.I decided that an intermediate layer of thin Pear planking from the deck clamp upwards would alleviate the untidy appearance.The basis of this layer has been added on the portside but will be completed when the deck clamp has been installed.On the starboard side are temporary ABS plastic strips tack glued with CA.These guide the fitting of the pear cappings between the open frames.These ensure a nice flow along the top and bottom of the cutout to match the edges of the upper wales.When overlong caps have been fitted and the aliphatic glue has dried,these strips are removed and the cappings sanded flush inside and out.The Aliphatic wood glue does not stick to the plastic.
The three rectangular holes in the hull are to receive the deck beams.There are many more to cut,I have just done these as they were so close to the cappings and also provide a reference point as these three beams delineate the hatchway opening and capstan.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I have decided to give myself a short break from the small fiddly stuff on my Caroline build and take up where I left off with this.I am continuing on with infilling the hull with limewood.The sections are cut from 20mm sheet.Not much to show,but work shall be continuing on over the next week or two.As I mentioned earlier the bulkheads have been altered to use 1.5mm single planking.The wales will be 3mm ebony,but I am considering splicing the planks at the waterline,ebony above and box below.I do not want to use holly or maple for the 'whitestuff' because I will already have pear,box and ebony and I personally feel that is enough colour variation,any more and it will be too much.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Hi Sjors
I have changed the bulkheads to make it easier for me later to produce the feature I want.I have taken a picture of a Navy Board model to show you what I mean.If you look where my 'Arrow' is pointing you will see that the hull frames are left open between the upper wales.This is the feature I want to replicate.I would have had to chop pieces of the plywood away later using the full kit bulkhead but replacing them now is easier.If it wasn't for this 'detail' I could have kept the bulkheads as they were.This is also the reason I have changed to single planking,I had worked out how to do it with double planking but it was just making the job complicated.Please feel free to ask all the questions you like.
Kind Regards Nigel
 
P.s.I have a large supply of the clamps,I could do you a special deal      

Ok then,I thought I would take the opportunity of waiting for glue to dry and upload some more pics.
I was not happy with my original strategy for the topsides as I thought in the long run it would be more work.The tops of the bulkheads have been replaced with solid Pear to a more authentic profile.These can be integrated in the topside framing detail,whereas the ply would have needed replacing later.The ply deck beams were inconsequential,I only left them in place as temporary braces.An authentic deck construction will be used gun deck upwards when I get to that stage.These pear extensions have been fitted with brass dowels epoxied in.The extensions have also been tweeked to allow for single planking.The remaining section of the bulkheads have been 'banded' with 1.5mm lime strip to compensate for single planking.I have incorporated a small section of orlop deck in front of the mizzen step as a ladder runs down here.There is also one right at the bow which will result in a significant amount of work in this area.I am leaving this until the 'donkey' work is complete on the rest of the hull as it will involve removing considerable amounts of material from the false keel.As you may have noticed the lower hull is filled with limewood.This is to provide substantial support to the single planking and is a good aid as this is one of the most complex shaped hulls I have worked on.The area where the pear frames meet the deck is a crucial point.The sheer on the outer edge has to be perfect as everything will be measured from here.This is the reason for setting 6mm lime sections in around the perimeter.It ensures the ply subdeck will conform to exactly the right profile.One section is clamped in place while the glue dries.I have clamps ranging from 20p up to £95 but sometimes the easiest solutions are the best    
Kind Regards Nigel

I am going to try and get technical now and provide text with each picture  
The first step is to copy the drawings regarding the bulkheads.This is due to the between deck areas not be cut out from the factory.These were pasted to the relevant bulkheads to allow cutting out with the scrollsaw.Some areas were not shown,mainly the first and last bulkhead which will require some drafting to get the cutouts.

The design of the kit intends for a 3mm by 7mm stringer to be fitted each side of the hull.This stringer does not coincide with anything and to a certain extent will be in my way,so the bulkhead notches were filled with scrap timber.

These are pictures of the skeleton so far.You will notice I have cut my own notches out on the lower deck.These are for 5mm square stringers supplied by me.These provide support for the lower gundeck,which is the only deck that will have a plywood subdeck.The plywood additions to the structure are to incorporate dimensional stability and resistance to twisting.The triangle design makes the skeleton rigid,it is impossible to twist it for and aft.The lower hull will be infilled with lime wood.This triangular structure reduces the wood required and also prevents any distortion that can occur due to the moisture from the glue when fitting the infill.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
That brings things up to date for the time being.
Kind Regards Nigel

As I am organised for a change,I can provide pics of the box contents including one of the rather substantial exemplary drawings.The only thing not pictured is the false keel,one sheet of laser cut ply,a few assorted laser cut items and some blocks of wood.There is not massive amounts of laser cut plywood parts like other manufacturers,it is down to the builder to fashion parts from solid wood
Kind Regards Nigel

Hi Matti
Yes she will be natural wood.I am hoping the only paint used will be to make her look old.The task is made easier by the fact the only colour is black as I don't think I will be going for the Red on the internal planking.However if I did,this would only be on the upper deck,as according to my research,Deptford where she was built had a habit of using unseasoned timber to speed up production.They didn't paint the inside walls of the hull in an attempt to let the timber breath.This didn't work and they soon had lot's of ships with rotten hulls!!!.
Yes I have plenty on and starting another log next week as well          That is for me though .That will bring my log count up to four,probably some sort of record    Caroline has moved on a lot this week but I will update probably at the weekend.I am working on five different things at once to combat drying times So I will take some pics when it comes together.
Kind Regards Nigel

As work is moving well on the construction of my Caroline build,preliminary work is now starting on my next'bill paying' project.This is based on the Euromodel kit,but it is my intention to push the boundaries of what can be achieved with a kit.I shall be using construction techniques for the hull that have been developed by myself,specifically for this build.The completed model shall include the following details;
1/hull planking in boxwood and ebony
2/hull planking omitted between the upper wales with false boxwood frames,this is a feature on quite a few Navy board models which I am quite fond of and an alternative from a fully framed build.
3/Full hull interior,lower gun deck upwards,with planking sections omitted on the upper decks for viewing the interior.
4/Remodelling of the stern to replicate the drawing by Van de Velde the Elder.
This project will be a 'slow burn' until Caroline is finished,but I am starting this log now to avoid missing anything as work progresses.I am trying to avoid starting another log with a planked hull  
Some photos to wet your appetite

The box,rather heavy,given it's size

Mordaunt by Van de Velde the elder
 
Kind Regards Nigel

Very very nice job on the deck Nigel.
 
Nick

I thought it was about time for an update as the last one was several months ago   .
 
I have fitted the waterway and quickwork to the other internal hull face and completed the planking of the deck.I am currently completing  the exposed frame finishing pieces and working on the deck finish.I anticipate many coats of poly rubbed down every three coats.This gives a glass like surface as whilst I wish to see joints in the woodwork,I don't want to be able to feel them.
I feel these pictures may be a little on the red side.The pear is definitely brown with no hint of red,trouble is outdoor daylight pics are hard to come by as its dark when at home during the week and we have had some awful weather on the weekends
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

No worries about the colors, I know how weird the tones can get with lighting.
 
/Matti

Thanks mate! The photos don't really do the colours justice I just wanted some pics of this stage as the next update will be too far along otherwise.
 
Favourite,mmm,probably not because each are different in their own way.The one that has drawn me in the most is probably Royal William,but I am deliberately holding back as I want the others to move along at a faster pace
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I thought it was about time for an update as the last one was several months ago   .
 
I have fitted the waterway and quickwork to the other internal hull face and completed the planking of the deck.I am currently completing  the exposed frame finishing pieces and working on the deck finish.I anticipate many coats of poly rubbed down every three coats.This gives a glass like surface as whilst I wish to see joints in the woodwork,I don't want to be able to feel them.
I feel these pictures may be a little on the red side.The pear is definitely brown with no hint of red,trouble is outdoor daylight pics are hard to come by as its dark when at home during the week and we have had some awful weather on the weekends
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Fantastic result mate, this will be a superb modelt!
 
Of your ongoing builds, do you have any favourite?
 
/Matti