Cathead

Those look great!

On my Bertrand I build each of the five assemblages on a separate template, and seem to have managed ok. It helped that Bertrand's wheel only had 13 spokes. For Arabia's wheels, I laid things out similarly but used pins to help hold pieces in place: I then built subsequent wheels right on top the first to try and minimize variation: Even so I still had trouble getting things to line up, but it's hard to notice in the finished model with so much else going on visually. As I said above, I marked the end of one spoke on each assemblage to remember how things aligned. Here's a link to where my wheel-building discussion starts in the Arabia log if you want to consult more details.

Exact same problem I had. No matter how careful I was, it was nigh-on impossible to get every spoke lined up, even when I tried marking a single line of spokes so I could keep them all aligned. Tiny variations ripple through and are maddening!

Most people have a dark side, it's just gotten easier (and more acceptable) to dig it up and flourish it.

You're a proper ship surgeon, you are. That's incredible.

I've made no further progress. My first try at making gratings failed, but before I got much further on a next attempt, several things intervened. First, I had an especially busy stretch where I often ended up especially tired in the evening and not up for focusing on the project. Honestly, one thing I wasn't expecting (or hadn't thought through) was that this project is very power-tool based, without much hand work. Basically each step is laying out and cutting a complicated piece on the table saw, before a brief bit of final sanding and assembly. The amount of precision needed takes it out of the hand-tool realm, at least for me. To be honest, one of the things I've liked most about getting into wooden modeling IS the hand-craft nature of it; I don't particularly enjoy using power tools, with their noise, dust, dedicated isolated workshop space, and increased danger. I'm happiest puttering away at my modeling table in the main part of the house where I can talk to my wife and be part of household life. So I've already noticed that I'm spending most of my time in this project in the cold garage workshop focusing on safe table saw use, which isn't a core enjoyment for me. I think that pattern is cutting into my dedication, and making it easier to put off working on it any given night if I'm at all tired or unmotivated (from a safety perspective, if nothing else). Second, in the past week I've become increasingly convinced that I have omicron, from a collective feeling of fatigue, lack of concentration, dry cough, runny nose, sore throat, etc. None of which are bad on their own and might even be dismissed normally, but given the sheer wave of infections hitting the US right now, and the perfect overlap of these feeling with the most commonly reported symptoms, it seems likely (not getting tested as that would mean a 45-minute round trip to a site that, according to media, has outdoor lines wrapping around the building in mid-winter, no thanks). I don't want to go anywhere near power tools while feeling fatigued or diminished, so that puts off the project for a while. In fact, one of the earliest (in retrospect) signs that I might have been getting sick was a series of minor accidents/mistakes made while doing outdoor chainsaw work and wood-chipping early in the week; my wife noticed that I was being unusually clumsy or gaffe-prone and we eventually stopped when the pattern became clear. So I don't know when I'll get back to this. I'm not giving up on it, it's just not serving my needs and situation right now. I'm not personally worried about the disease, I'm a very active and healthy young 40s with none of the comorbidities linked to severe covid (though not boosted since I had a severe cardiac reaction to mRNA the first two doses and no other options are available in the US), so expect to recover in another week or so. Thanks for your patience, and good health to you all.

It's also worth noting that the series has also been released several times in audiobook format, and I've listened through each. In my opinion, the version with Simon Vance narrating is absolutely fantastic; he captures the characters, dialogue, dialects, and tone of the series perfectly. The version with Patrick Tull as narrator is serviceable, but I don't feel that his narrative choices seem as right; Aubrey comes across as too upper-class patrician, and Maturin is almost an Irish caricature. I feel like Tull is simply reading yet another story, while Vance actually understands and appreciates what he's reading. Others' opinions may vary, of course. Listening to the series really lets you immerse yourself in the world, letting it go by at a reader's pace. If you're fortunate, your local library has them in physical or digital form; I've been able to download both versions that way.

Awesome! A result to aspire to.

I did my painting freehand, for better or for worse.

Another good companion to the Aubrey-Maturin series is Patrick O'Brian's Navy, a more recent illustrated coffee-table-style book that's laced with detail about the period in an engaging visual format.

I used several sanding drums, once that was cylindrical, and one that was somewhat conical. The latter made it easier to get the tool into awkward spaces.

Nice start! Have you already glued the sides on or are you still test-fitting? If they're still loose, you might consider fully fairing the bulkheads near the bow, so that the entire edge is at an angle (i.e., when all the laser char is removed). This will give you more contact surface for gluing. Otherwise disregard. Have fun building what is, as you say, a popular model.

Herzliche Willkommen! Sind Sie niederländisch, oder vielleicht südafrikanisch (dein Name scheint zu sein)? Your English seems plenty good enough to communicate here. I look forward to your next model.

Nice progress! If you use a Dremel to sand those frames down, make sure both the model and your hand are well-braced and steady. I kept my wrist anchored on something and only moved the tool with small motions of my fingers. Even at the slowest Dremel speed it's awfully easy for a quick jerk or slip to gouge something you don't want, or to go too far. It'll definitely make the job much easier and faster, but with a corresponding risk factor. You might even consider practicing on some scrap first (like the wood sheets from which the frames were cut) to get a feel for the pressure and steadiness needed. Can't speak to the other tool you mentioned.

Welcome back! That's a nice fix to an awkward problem.

I love seeing the structure take shape. I've always found building paddle wheels maddening, good luck to you!

This will be fun to compare with Steven's build.

Pirate, as I suggested in another thread, it's really helpful if you're more specific when asking questions. There are a variety of kits out there and we can't know which one(s) you're referring to without details, links, or other assistance.

Welcome to MSW! That's an ambitious first project. I also like to use off-model items to get proper curves in wood, it's often much easier.

Best thing you can do is keep this log updated with what you're doing and what questions you may have, that way people can give you direct advice. That, and browse the help sections here. There are some particularly good planking tutorials, and that's someone many beginners struggle with as it's not always intuitive. Good luck and stay active here!

Parts look great so far. Will be fun to watch a master at work on such a high-end kit.

Thank you, Mark. Grant, I should have credited you, I saw that in your log and decided it gave me cover to do likewise.

Nice work so far! If I may make a respectful suggestion, perhaps you'd consider editing the title of your build log to spell the ship's name correctly (Beagle rather than Beagel) as well as that of the manufacturer (OcCre rather than ocre)? Normally I wouldn't worry about misspellings, but in this case getting them right would help more people find your build if they're searching for such terms.

Today I managed to complete the capstan step (the platform on which the capstan actually sits). In the Intermediate version, this is made by gluing three pieces edge-to-edge to make the platform, and gluing another thinner piece to the bottom to help it sit tightly between the beams. But in the Advanced version, this is made in a more prototypical way using half-lap joints between the upper pieces, and the central upper/lower pieces being a more complex single piece. I didn't think the joinery for the Advanced version would be that hard (no harder than the beam/carling assembly), and thought the proper joinery would look a lot nicer, so went that direction, especially as it didn't require any equipment other than the table saw already needed for Intermediate. Given how complex later pieces will need to be, even in Intermediate, I think anyone able to complete this project could do this part in the Advanced version. If anything, it's more good practice on nice square cuts before things get all angular and difficult. Here are the three components. The left- and right-hand ones have a simple half-lap joint cut along one edge, which I did easily by setting the table saw blade height and fence to the appropriate measurements. The central piece is a bit more complicated, but not much. It also gets lap joints along the edge, but then also gets a broader lap along its width so that it can nestle down in the beams. The photo below shows these upside-down; the "upper" (lower) part of the central piece would just be glued on in the Intermediate version, but it wasn't hard to just cut the piece thicker in the first place. I measured all of these very carefully, and multiple times, before cutting, and was rewarded with the right outcome the first time. Be sure to note that the two side pieces are NOT symmetrical. Here's a test fit: Here's the more complex central piece resting in position, showing how the different joints work: And here's the assembly after gluing and sanding (sitting loosely on the beams and carlings): The instructions now call for drilling a large central hole in this platform, into which the capstan spindle is inserted (the "axle" on which it rotates), but I'm going to hold off on this. The given diameter of this hole (11") doesn't correspond to any standard drill bit size that I have; at 1:24, 11" comes out to 0.458, awkwardly between 1/2" (0.500) and 3/8" (0.375). Based on my understanding of the plans, I think I could shrink the foot spindle to 3/8" with no loss of integrity, also allowing the easy use of a 3/8 dowel rather than trying to make a nice circular piece from scratch, but I want to assemble more of the capstan first before deciding how to proceed. It seems like I can add this feature much later in the build, making life easier. As this will never be seen, it shouldn't matter if it's smaller than "accurate". This means the next step is to make the grating, which seems quite daunting, but I expect I'll muddle through. Thanks for all the advice, comments, and likes so far. I'm trying to be thorough here so this log will be helpful to others, sorry if it's too dry for more experienced readers.

Cool! Looking forward to some final photos.