KeithAug

Hmmm! good idea.

Keith - Interesting technique for the rat lines - must remember. I'm impressed - my head is rarely in the game for long periods these days!!!!!

Very impressive detail at this scale. Good job!

The deck structures somehow jar with the sleekness of the overall ship design. The designer must have gone into utilitarian mode when he drew them.😀

Interesting looking little craft. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Tom - as you rotate them they move closer to the hull - hence they clamp against the hull. If they were concentric they wouldn't do this. In effect they are acting like a cam.

Nice work on skinning the hull. Well done.

Lovely work on the deck beams. Like the jig. I hope you got the drum sander in your birthday present pile - if not perhaps next year! Like you I don't have a drum sander but I can't decide if I really need one. I have a sanding drum which I mount on the mill which sort of works. The issue I have with drum sanders is that I am sure that I would constantly want to change between coarse and fine grades of sand paper and most drum sanders don't seem to make this a quick and easy operation (unless someone knows better).

Ras - well done but as per Eberhard it would be good to see something to show the size.

Despite the continuing cold weather and many hours discretely studying my next build I did brave the worksop to finish the display cradle. I wanted the model to be lightly clamped by the cradle at deck level so I turned some eccentric rings to act as clamps. I also machined an "o"ring groove in the rings to provide a soft bearing surface. I also machined a spigot at the lower end of the supports to fit into a cross brace. The cross brace is necessary to prevent the supports splaying under the weight of the model. The cross braces were machined from 1" x 1/4" aluminium bar and polished to finish. The base was given 5 coats of wipe on poly and wire wooled between each coat. The supports were then attached to the base using 6mm screws. Then it was time for germania to say bye bye to the building frame that she had occupied for the best part of 3 years. The critical element of the move was the tolerance between the model and the keel slot. Fortunately I got the cradle dimensions right. The position of the clamping rings was also a bit tricky but this also turned out well. And finally the most critical check------------ That was a bit too close for comfort - about 3/8" Now just a few finishing touches required - a good clean, make the pig stick and burgee and the ships flag. Then it will be time for a major photography session. I must think about starting my next build log. P.S. Damn - I just remembered that I installed the for top fore mast back stay as a single fixed back stay when it should have been a pair of running back stays. Im sure no one will notice but that's not the point!!!!!!!!! 5 more blocks required and some rigging rework.

Thank you all for your comments and likes.

But that would destroy the fun of working out how to correct the problem!!!!!!

Brian, Ouch! Somehow I missed this. It’s good how you guys can plan your health issues around the annual insurance cycle. Get well soon and remember to thank your driver! 🙂

A man after my own heart. I’m all for open ended commitments and flexible targets. At our age it’s good to have a bit of wriggle room. Lovely neat work on the rigging. May the sun shine brightly on your next task.

Today my wife caught me on the computer studying images for my next build. She commented "there are plenty of other jobs to do before you get into that".

I think I will name it the "Dodo Style".

Nicely done. How do you avoid the artists wrath when you create your dust?

Roger, Tom, Andy, Keith, Brian, Druxey, Veszett and Gary thank you all for sticking with my lamentably slow progress. Also thanks to everyone else for their visits and likes. The workshop is rather cold at the moment as I am trying to do my bit for the energy crisis (as well as monetary prudence). The lack of heating is persuading me to sit in the lounge while drinking tea and researching my next build - quite pleasant but not conducive to completing Germania. Anyway here is a bit more progress:- Having glued the keel slot insert in place I moved on to covering the edges with mahogany strips circa 1/2" x 3/4" section. For years I have been thinking that I need to buy some sash clamps - but I never do - so improvising with rubber bands is my default option. The masking tape is to stop the PVA glue spreading on to the prepared board surface. With the edges attached four holes were drilled to take the pedestals of the cradle. As with my previous builds the door handles from a previous household kitchen were pressed into service. I had just enough left for Germania so this is the last time that they will feature. The next model will need a different solution. The bearing service for supporting the hull was made from nylon rod. This was machined to the correct cone angle to bear against the hull. The support ends were drilled and tapped to take the base mounting bolts at the lower end and clamping cams at the upper end. More next time - if the temperature improves.

Hakan I use my Byrnes circular saw all the time. The scroll saw is used almost entirely for cutting frames - once every 3 to 4 years - not a very worthwhile investment.

I keep wondering if I need a bandsaw. I have so many different types of power and hand saws that I can’t bring myself to invest in yet another - but sometimes I just wonder!!!!!!!!!! nice work on the deck beams Hakan.

Good to see you back but 20 hours must have been shattering.

My mental picture to explain why the sails are not full is as follows - After a good days sailing the wind is failing. The force 5 of the early afternoon has progressively moderated and has it has done so more and more canvas has been hoisted. The lengthening shadows and calming seas has encouraged a degree laxity and the crew broke out the gin a couple of hours ago. Germania is only a couple of miles from the anchorage and the Captain is reluctant to hoist the brass sail and so ruin a perfect days sailing. The wind has now all but failed and progress towards port is pitifully slow. Cats paws of wind occasionally disturb the mirror like surface of the ocean and ghost Germania on the odd few yards at a time. Part of the crew are are starting to agitate for a more rapid, engine assisted, transit to the delights of the local bars but the majority, in their gin induced stupor, are reluctant to expend the energy necessary to stow the sails. In this state of limbo the crew sit and watch the setting sun slowly sink into a golden sea only challenged by the piles of beer cans inhibiting their frequent transit to the heads. In consequence all the sails are hoisted but flapping gently and the boat has no heel. P.S. the scenario described isn’t entirely fictional.

Roger - The authorities were more in favour of cutting an inch off the mast.😱

Great joinery work Hakan - it looks pretty flawless to me.

Thank you for the new year messages. Although I have a few boat bits to finish off I have decided to move on to the display cradle. The move of the boat into the family room prompted my wife to critically comment on the building cradle so this was moved up the priority list. I started by going back to the hull frame line drawings produced at the start of the build. It took a bit of time sorting out the most appropriate frames position for the supports. I have an unreasonable aversion to drilling holes in the hull and for consistency I decided to reproduce the sort of cradle design I had used previously. I had a significant challenge in that we already had a mahogany serving table on which the model was to be displayed. The height of the model plus the height of the table meant that the cradle height had to be constrained to avoid the need for raising the ceiling height. I did suggest cutting an inch off the table legs but this didn't go down well with the authorities. The dimensional constraints turned out to be so severe that the only way of making the cradle work was to include a recess for the keel. The next photo show the sketch designs for the base. I am using a mahogany veneer on chipboard table for the base board. The table dates from the second year of my first marriage (I am now in the 47th year of my first marriage)😬. It took a lot of scraping to get rid of 45 years of polish. The base was somewhat too big for my mill but with a bit of ingenuity I managed to cut a slot for the keel insert. Note the dodgy clamping arrangement. This necessary by the bed "T" slots being unavailable. The plan was to insert a mahogany strip into the slot so this was cut and shaped to size. This strip was then glued in position and then a further slot was milled to take the keel.