NMBROOK

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

Thanks Sjors
Yes you will see the end result   Truth is,I took a new job four months ago.Whilst the job is fantastic,the 80 mile a day commute and 74 hours a week out of the house through work isn't   .The house is going up for sale with a view to relocation closer.This means I have to be prepared to be without the large workshop and may be restricted to a kitchen table or spare room for some time.This is the reason for flitting between builds as I want to get the biggest mess making jobs out the way.I will then have a few years of fitting out,masting and rigging without concerns over space
 
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

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

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 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

Ok something in a way of an update.The infill has been faired although the final touches will be applied after fitting the false deck and bow/stern blocks.The deck stringers have been fitted.The two scrap pieces screwed down provide temporary clamping due to the sheer on these stringers.Next job is finishing the deck edge supports from amidships to bow and the bow/stern filler pieces.Not much more to add that the pics don't explain.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Things are getting interesting now    I have tack glued some temporary stringers to keep all the frames plumb and true and placed a couple of key braces to keep things following the centreline.I had come up with a fancy jig design but sacked that as to be honest it was unnecessary and would only restrict access.The hull was then infilled from the gun deck upwards partway using Obechi simply because it is easy to sand and shape and the local modelshop happened to have some 1/4 inch sheets..These followed the shear,but the tops were then trimmed down so that they a parallel to the waterline below the top of the first upperwale.I won't call this a chainwale as the channels sit above this according to photos of the builders model.Some extensive draughting was required to sort theTransom side timbers as there is no frame here in Euromodels design,simply fresh air.The transom is still a flat block as this permits easy measuring and marking out.There is a 10mm arc in the transom face which will be added later,but is why there doesn't appear to any overhang of the stern counter at the moment.I want to fill the gaps between the frames to coincide with the top edge of the upper wale.The futtocks would have in reality finished lower down,but I am doing this for asthetics and then there won't be unsightly holes.The visible section of the upperframes and gunport linings will be in Pear to provide an interesting contrast to the boxwood.The 'combs' that provide an anchor for the upperframe sections and fill the gaps I chose to make from European boxwood to further highlight this detail.Rectangles that are horizontal and follow the centreline were cut form box making sure there was enough material to allow contouring to the hull lines later.These were then milled on the MF70 with 5mm wide slots to accomodate the upper frames.The slots are deep enough to ensure the base of the frames lie below the top of the wale and the top of the blocks are high enough to go above it.The idea being that once they are all in place,temporary wales will be attached and the shear marked and trimmed on the top of the combs.The rectangular blocks had the bulk stock removed after milling prior to gluing in place.Final shaping will be done when they are all inplace.I am concentrating on the aft section of one side as there is a temporary upright holding things true at the stern.When this section is complete,I can fit another upright the otherside of the centreline then remove the existing one.This will give me the access to work on the inside of the hull at the inside.I am trying to avoid fitting the transom framing until later as it will make sanding the inside much more awkward.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Ok update time After sorting the remaining deck supports I preceeded to mark the subdeck out on a piece of 1/16th ply.After cutting out,I began to establish the deck beam positions in order to mark where plank butts treenails etc would be.Refering to 'Restoration Warship',Richard Ensor states that common practice was to have one deck beam central to each gunport and one inbetween.I drew out the gunport positions of the gundeck and marked the beams then marked the other beams halfway inbetween.This design is completely different to that portrayed on the plans,sorry Euromodels but the internal structure just doesn't ring true.Yes I am still working to the plans for the internal layout,just not the beam placement.Another issue came to light in the fact that the long grating and main mast resulted in 5 consecutive beams being split.There is no way this would happen,so I have shortened the gratings to allow two beams to run right through,hence the deck infill at each end.After one or two trial runs and a little trimming,making sure nothing was tight on the pear frames,the deck was glued in place.I did remove the temporary ties across the frame tops to allow this and the deck had to be bent ALOT to get it to 'spring' in.There is still lots of shaping to do to the lower hull especially the stern which is simply a block at the moment.Thorough checks on symmetry will be carried out as the work progresses. 
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I have started to fit the upper hull starting from the stern forwards.By notching back the temporary stringers,I am able to use plain pear strip overwidth,rather than trying to develop individual shapes for each of the frame sections.There is a not very clear photo showing this.Each piece was fitted with an obechi infill individually.By using the digital vernier to check running dimensions as I went along,this avoided any accumulative build up of error.The obechi was thickness sanded(using a sanding block   )to suit each location.There is variation in frame spacing due to working with the constraints of bulkhead positions,but it is so small,it unnoticable to the eye.I have set the obechi 2mm above the base of the upper trim(bottom of the ebony planking).This is to allow fine adjustment of the ends and then capping with 3mm boxwood.Doing it this way means no tool marks will be visible on the frames from shaping the ends of the obechi.This complete section has been trimmed 3mm below the cap rail so I can fit a square pear 'binding' stringer to tie everything together.I got this idea from Dr Mike and makes alot of sense to tie all these laminations together.It also provides a sanding guide for upper frame thickness.This will be pinned later into the top of some of the frames for additional strength.The length of this upper edge is overlong at present and steps down to a lower level,which will be cut back when the next section is complete.My technique just leaves a section to sand back when the temporary stringers are removed.I am considering replacing these afterwards,but bolting to the hull with M2 bolts as this area will be planked over.I am also considering using threaded rods as well to keep the upper hull the right distance apart as work progresses.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Not a very exciting update today,however my experiment has been a success.I have been debating about caulking techniques and despite using a pencil for longer than I care to mention,it never looks as good as the black paper route.However after watching Dr Mike's dvd explaining that black paper prevents proper glue bond strength,himself using cheap white paper and dying it black,I wanted to find an alternative with a bit less faff Having to visit town today for other reasons  I did stumble upon black tissue paper.I thought this would still allow proper penetration of the glue,but would it be easy to work with?I adopted worse case scenario for the test and cut some planks roughly(not even changing to a fine blade )on the table saw.Smearing one edge of these with alaphatic and placing them on the tissue edge on.Having left to dry for a hour(would really leave overnight in practice) and then cutting the tissue with a new scalpel blade close on the underside and a little above the face side,separated the planks.These were then glued to a sheet of ply.Two hours later this was scraped and sanded back.Again I would leave overnight but I was being deliberately rough for the trial.Anyway complete success.No issue with the tissue paper wanting to drag out of the joints as it was fully impregnated with glue and razor sharp black(not greyish you get with the pencil) lines.The only imperfections are from the rough edges of the planks.In reality these would be smooth .I wanted to crack this dilemma as this technique will be used on the whole build which includes the scarph joints in the keel and the hull planking so strength is important.A couple of pics but the difference between this and pencil isn't truly conveyed with my iphone camera.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Work continues moving forward with the framing.When it came to sanding back the inside,unfortunately the 'binding' stringer that will be fitted at the top falls below the level of the temporary stringer on the outside.I measured the overall thickness including the outside temporary stringer on the thinned section on the stern using the verniers and used this dimension as my point of reference to sand down and profile the central section.Work now concentrates on completing the obechi infill.I have already started at the bow,this will need increasing in height at the sides as the hull edge flows down in an arc to meet the stem.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

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

Thank you very much indeed Patrick,Geoff and Matti for your kind words   On to the next,smaller update.I decided to carry on with this side as I still hadn't got my timber.I moved on to the gunports on the next deck.These are different in that many fall in the unplanked,exposed frame area.There is no option but to do them properly.An interesting point is that I am following the information in John Franklin's book as to the gunport sizes taken from the builders model,the main gun deck ones work out at 13mm W x 12mm H,the upper ones are 8mm square!!.I made a simple strip to slot between each side to ensure the cills ran true to the waterline athwartships and cut the rebates out with a burr and scalpel.I also made some simple sanding sticks up to ease the process,notably one wide enough to span between both frames to keep each side level.The excess will be sanded off after the top and bottom cills have been glued in place.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I have completed the basic 'inner' hull structure to the starboard side.As I am waiting for a timber delivery I thought I may as weel sort out the lower gunport linings.After studying Euromodels drawings and also pics of the builders model,it became apparent there were differences not just in the position of gunports but also the height  and shape of the top of the hull sides.Because I want to reflect the design of the NMM model I would have to address these areas.The most notable fact is there is a gunport right forward on the museum model that is missing on Euromodels representation.Looking at the design you would probably only get a musket in there,but it is there nevertheless.Also the stern galleries are very different and you will notice the gunports are close up to this.This basically meant starting from scratch and the bulk of the ports were moved aft slightly.An additional port would then fit in at the beakhead,but also the first and last port on the main gun deck are spaced differently.My revised design reflects this. 
There is a three page article in John Franklin's book covering the builder's model which gives the exact gunport sizes and wale scantlings and spacings.The Euromodel kit design shows upper wales that are too small in comparison.In order to get things to work the top edge of the hull has been increased in height to compensate for this.You will notice the additional pear laminations on the top edge,the bulkheads are too short to run to the top.The lower of the pear strips has been 'dowelled' with 0.7mm copper wire into every pear upright.This has resulted in an incredibly strong hull wall even before planking.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I have now fitted all the upper gunport cills.These have been faired off flush inside and out.The counter side timber has also been fitted,but the lower hull is still to shape at a later date.There is quite a bit of difference between kit and builders model in this area.Franklin states in his book that the stern balcony actually has a grated deck.The carvings below the balcony act as knees to support this deck and to a lesser extent the stern structure.This is not easily visible in pictures but after enlarging the NMM pics as much as possible it became clear how this construction worked.
This is a far as I am taking this side for now,work will commence on the port side.There a still some small round gunports to create for the poopdeck,but I am not confident to the actual finished level of this deck at the moment so they will be added a little later.
 
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

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

I have started a job on the side that will run in conjunction with the main construction work.This is that of the figurehead.There are differences between museum model and the kit.The main one being there are two 'characters' behind the lion.I say characters because I am still uncertain as to what they are They remind me very much of the 'purple' thingy on Matti's Vasa build .However these affect the shape of the prow considerably and I will need to produce this trio of carvings to be able to determine the prow shape.
Some good news is that the museum model's Lion is tailless unlike the one on the kit plans and it is not clutching an emblem also shown on the plans.It is a nice change that research actually simplifies a design .Anyway I chose to take a copy of the Lion shown on the plans and use this,just omit tail and emblem,as it will be far more convincing than my freehand drawing attempts.The copy was glued onto a piece of European box of suitable thickness.
I first milled the slot for the prow,but leaving a small section at the feet.This will be removed later when the bulk of the shaping is done,it simply serves to keep a little strength for now while the rough work is done.The profile was cut using a combination of the miller,large scalpel and burrs.The result in the pics is from about 8 hours work!!.
The very thin wafer at the mouth will hopefully be the tongue when finished
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Just a couple more pics to illustrate the 'tissue technique'.There is still a fair amount of scraping to be done,the dark spots are low spots.Just gave what I had done a light scrape to tidy things up as work progresses.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

A bit of an update.Taking a fulltime job that was really too good to miss has slowed everything down to a painfully sedate rate .The rear section of the port side of the hull is now complete.Before continuing further and completing this I have got a little sidetracked .I wanted to 'prove' all my methods and theories regarding the interior.Having given my timber choices a great deal of thought over the past couple of weeks I have changed things a little.Basically everything will be pear and ebony apart from the ornaments.The hull below the waterline is in abeyance as to whether to go with box or pear,but pear is the current favourite.I realise my stairwell has been done in box,but I have the option to airbrush a thin brown wash on this to darken it.However when the stairs are fitted this will become almost invisible anyway.
First job was the waterway,this was milled using a 6mm dia ball cutter in the mill.The waterway is in sections joined together using single scarph joints.The 3mm thick spirketing is hook scarphed together,probably done too good a job on these because they are almost invisible    .The quickwork is simply 1.5mm planks.This takes me up to deck clamp level.There is a small gradual taper to add to the top of the quickwork to suit deck levels as it approaches the stern.This is easier to do on the model to ensure everything works out to the upper gunports.
Now the decking The central planks are parallel but from then on there is a for and aft taper to follow the waterway.Decking of this period has many similarities with the French method.I measured the width from the last parallel plank to the waterway at each deck beam position and divided by the number of remaining planks.This gives the required taper when transferred to the pear.The deck planking is sawn edge on from 6mm Pear sheet.This gave me the option to make it well overthick to allow for scraping and blending to the concave waterway.After each plank is cut and tapered,black tissue paper is glued to one edge and one end and trimmed flush when the alaphatic is in a 'green' stage.The top face is not so critical as scraping will remove any excess.The black tissue has been used on all joints,deck and waterway,up to the top edge of the waterway.The spirketing upwards features no caulking.
The pics are rather 'warts and all'.any funny discoloration is due to the copious amounts of water brushed on during the gluing process to remove glue seepage.This will disappear when everything is scraped and sanded.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel
 
P.S.Yes it just started to rain when I took the last two pics

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 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