UpstateNY

Decided not to have the fake sheaves as the kit instructs. I don't have a lot to work with so I made mine by layering pieces of wood. Glued & shaped them. I didn't have an easy way to make pulleys this small so I just put a toothpick through without the pulley. I figure it's so small once the rope is pulled through you wont see the difference anyway. Cut out the spaces for them in the planks & glued them in place. They still look rough- need sanding down & the openings shaped up more even. Will work on this as the planking is done.
 

In my last model photo posted, you can catch a glimpse of the stand that is included with the Woody Joe kit. This is a nice feature that is included in all the Woody Joe kits I've owned. The stands are all made of Japanese Magnolia, called "Ho" in Japanese. It's kind of a light grayish brown color with very little grain. It's a somewhat plain looking wood. But maybe that keeps your eye focussed on the model and not the stand.
 
On other models, I've drilled the stand out to add a brass rod that runs into the bottom of the model, helping to keep it from sliding around. I haven't gotten to it yet, but I think I will use a piece of brass tubing in one of the stand pedestals to allow wiring to pass on into the bottom of the model.
 
This step really requires not translation or explanation. I think every ship modeler understands that the top ends of the supports need to be tapered to fit the hull of the model, and the base of the supports need to be trimmed to sit flush with the bottom of the stand.
 
Translated text:
 
12 Stand Assembly
• Stand is assembled to fit the hull.
• Trim the hull supports, parts 33, to fit the shape of the bottom of the hull. Then, trim to bottom of the supports to fit flush with the bottom of the stand.
 
Note: See full sized drawings for mounting location of hull on stand.
 
Cut to fit the lower hull planking.
Bottom of hull rests on the stand.
Cut the bottom of the supports.
 

 
On the name plate, I decided to try to fill in the text. The plate is a piece of wood and the text is laser-etched into it. The etching is darker than the rest of the wood, but it doesn't stand out all that much. So, I tried to seal the wood with Danish Wood oil. I didn't know if this would actually seal the wood, but it seemed like it should give a couple good coats. After giving it time to dry, I used some black acrylic paint and filled in the etched areas as cleanly as I could. Some paint did get out of the flat surface of the name plate and I had a difficult time cleaning the excess paint off completely.
 
After a couple applications of black paint had dried thoroughly, I lightly sanded the surface of the name plate to take off any smudged paint. This worked well enough, though not as cleanly as I would have liked. People who can read Japanese can probably make out the characters. People who can't read Japanese can't tell what's readable and what's not, so all is probably well!
 

 
No photos of the nameplate yet. Also, I haven't added the wiring tube or brass rods to the stand yet. I figured I'd wait and give myself time to think the wiring process through. 
 
Clare

The Yakatabune kit is designed with internal lighting. Kind of separates this model from some of Woody Joe's other models. The lighting is simple and consists of a pair of small incandescent bulbs powered by a pair of AA batteries.
 

 
I considered a few possibilities with this. One possibility is just to leave the lighting out of it, since the real idea behind building this model is to accompany a couple other models for a bank window display. The lighting wouldn't be noticeable and certainly wouldn't last long on a pair of double-A's. Also, the battery switch is made to stick up out of the deck and I don't like that idea.
 
Another possibility is to use LEDs, light up the interior and make new hanging lanterns outside the deck house with LEDs in them. Problem with that is all the wiring and the fact that I don't necessarily want to light it up like a Christmas tree.
 
The last option I considered is to just replace the bulbs in the model with LEDs, which should give longer life, and not require too much wiring.
 
In all cases where there is lighting, I wouldn't want to go with a battery pack. So, I'll have to do some planning out of the wiring to use an external power source.
 
 
 
Steps 10 and 11 mostly deal with the battery pack, so I skipped most of this in my model construction. However, the kit text is roughly as follows:
 
10 Installing the Battery Box
• Referring to full scale drawings, install Part 14 stands for battery box.
• Wire leads pass through hole in bottom of frame
 
There are a couple parts labeled
• Miscellaneous Part 2, Battery Box
• Metal Part 3, Screws  
This step requires gluing a pair of support blocks to the floor of the boat, running the wire leads forward through the hole in the bulkhead, and screwing the battery box into the support blocks.
 
 
11 Installing the Battery Box Lid
• Do not glue battery cover in place. This needs to be free to open and close.
• Deck/Battery Cover should be long enough to cover the edge of the frame (frame 6).
• Cut a slot in the deck 3mm wide and 27mm long to allow movement of the battery switch.
 
You'll need to refer to the position of the switch to make sure the slot in the cover lines up with it properly.
 
 

 
You can see here that Woody Joe now puts a nice big icon with a glue bottle crossed by a red "X" to indicate to not glue a part. This was one weak point on their Higaki Kaisen instructions that I wrote to them about. I don't know if I was any influence, but this is a big improvement for those who don't read Japanese AND for those who just don't read instructions very closely!
 

Here's the deck piece that would have served as the battery cover. I'm leaving it removable so I can work on wiring.
 

And here is the battery cover deck in place. It's a bit of a pain trying to slide it out as it's hard to get a grip on the deck without marring it. I'm probably going to glue something to the edge of the cover so that I can get a better grip without causing any damage to the wood.
 
And, now that I think about it, with that battery switch, I'm not sure how that would work. If it's sticking up through the slot, you can't slide the cover out. If you push it into the slot so that you can slide the cover off, how do you reach the switch to pull it back up into place once the cover is back on?
 
Maybe I'm not seeing something here. But, since I'm not installing the battery pack and switch anyway, that's a question I'll leave to another builder.
 
 
My latest thought is based on a suggestion someone made when I discussed the adding of details to the model. The idea is instead of putting in two ceiling lights, which would not have existed in an Edo period boat, putting in a couple large floor lanterns. These would be box-like structures that would probably sit in the corner of the room to provide light.
 
This avoids having to run wires into the ceiling. This also should make the deck house more easily removable if needed. I can try to make the lanterns and mount LEDs in them quite easily. The resistors for the LEDs can then easily be mounted just underneath the floor.
 
Here's a look ahead in the instructions, so you can see how it's intended to work.

 
The lanterns should be similar to these modern made floor lamps that I found on the Internet.

 
Not sure yet what level of detail I want to go to yet, but I'm developing some ideas.
 
 
Clare
 

Hi All,
 
Janet's mention in her post above that she is rigging her tiller reminded me I also needed to assemble the rudder and tiller as I am getting pretty close to no longer being able to easily invert my Dragon.
 
I had previously made up the rudder assembly by planking and tree nailing the laser cut former and making up the post using 5mm walnut strips. The tiller was a laser cut part so after cleaning off the char, I drilled out a recess using my Dremel so I could attach the rudder assembly. I added a small walnut piece to the top of the tiller to simulate a through tenon for the rudder post. Brass was used to form the tiller posts for the rigging as well as the larger rod that supports the rudder on the deck.  Just for fun, I also added a brass rod to "pin" the tenon.  Test assembly showed everything seems to fit OK so I just need to blacken the brass and give the wood a coat of poly before gluing everything in place.
 
Thumbnails below...thanks for reading.
Cheers,
 
Nigel.
 

 

 

 

Thanks Dan for the wishes.
 
Status at this point:
While sanding down the tuck and bending wood, I got to thinking... Dangerous, I know.  And what with Druxey getting me thinking outside the box a bit.. a lot actually and re-shape things, I re-looked overall the plans in detail even the obscure things... Hahn's build article and pictures... Druxey's input.. other builds.. and it dawned on me that one thing I missed was Hahn's severe beveling of the last cant frame.  See attached.  Once it soaked in what I needed to do, I realized it's only possible way to get that outside edge and the rest of the tuck to work right. 
 
 While digging around in the hard copy files... I found part of the problem in a post-it note I stuck to the frame drawings .  I hadn't pre-beveled it as radical as needed as the frame was flimsy and taking off halt the material on the trailing edge didn't seem like a good idea at the time.   Well, actually, I did try it during construction and broke both sides twice and told myself "not now". Thus, the post-it note.   I should have hung a big sign on the wall:  "Bevel last aft frame, dummy!!"  I'm beveling even more than what's been suggested and things are coming more into line.  I sometimes really need a slap upside the head.
 
I'm currently cleaning things up such that the fashion piece, existing planking (well.. the bits I haven't ripped off anyway) and framing and transoms. I'm also cleaning up the aft end of the existing wide planking.  As soon as I can get one side put together, I'll post a photo 
 
Giampiero, Dan and Druxey, I owe you your favorite adult beverages for your help in spotting problems and your input.  And I owe everyone for their support.   
 
Frame 53.pdf

It's all doable and it's all good...     And to be very blunt, if it weren't for MSW, I would never, ever tried scratchbuilding.  The help and encouragement is priceless. So a big thank you to everyone.

I also want to express my thanks and sympathies to all you folks who have furry friends that react to noise.   Gibbs doesn't have a problem with thunder...I'm surprised....I've felt the noise percussion from some of the louder ones.   let one firecracker go off though,  and he's diving for the nearest hiding place.  we hate it....there's nothing we can do.  tried to play the TV a bit louder that usual,  but someone just up the street,  decided to touch off one of those mortar displays....and off he went.........under our bed.   man.........was it loud too!    I took a nap today......Gibbs got me up at 3AM to go out.......he won't go out after dusk.   once the noise starts,  all bets are off that he will go out.   there was a little earlier this evening,  but it's been quiet since......he is still unsure.  it will get better when things quiet down 
 
Anyway........there were two other lines to add on {port and starboard},  and one to add to the lower fore stay {very slight tension on it}.   these were tied on,  weighted and cemented.
 

 

 
hee.......hee.........thought I'd put that one in there       there's nothing wrong with your computers.......do not adjust the horizontal...........do not adjust the vertical........I am in complete control of your screens.......I will do it.
 

 
that's better. 
 

 
there is one more back stay that originates from the foremost boat deck roof,  that will terminate at the upper mast.  the decks sit pretty good.........but there is a problem.   I had this all set up,  but with the may-lay in gluing the mid section together,  it fell short a tiny bit..you might see it here.   there is a better view here.
 

 
the locator pins do not sit in their holes correctly......too late to try and fix it now.  I will have to deal with it.....but I'm seeing some form of a silver lining here.   it lies in that part I showed earlier.......don't know what the thinking was with it.  as for the alignment problem here......my first thought was to cut off the locator pins.......not a good idea.   if there is a warpage issue, as with the aft section of the hull,  this would make it worse.  the correct thing here is to drill the holes a bit larger,  which I did.
 

 
this area of the bow section would be considered a well deck....this part would be the fascia for the bridge deck.  here it is in place.........you can see how 'out of sorts' it looks.
 

 
an over view shows how much aft,  the bridge deck is.
 

 
along the bulwarks there are gaps..........perhaps I can add a little material to fill them in.
 

 
what I plan to do here,  is trim down the part,  even with the deck line.   as I had mentioned,  there are the two 'D' sprues, meaning that I will have quite a few extra railing parts.  I will eliminate the over bite and replace it with railing.  there is a stairway that is to go here as well......it should mate quite well.  the instruction diagram shows the stairway cemented in a cut out in this fascia part........non existent on the part I see here.   you can see it......it looks like a sort of grating in the wall.  this needs to be cut out.......but since I'm trimming it,  I 'll do it a bit differently.   I still needed to cement the boat deck fascia to the upper deck sides {bulwarks}.  I did it at this time.
 

 
as mentioned,  I may not be so lucky with the stern section.......I may have to cement these two sections together.  I will have to see 
 
 
 

that would be funny Greg......the interior of the hull would look like a telephone switchboard       I did the Star trek Enterprise when I was younger,  with the lighting.......wasn't impressed either.
*just heard a few booms.........Gibbs is under my desk now*
wood is so much better with lighting.......light doesn't filter through the walls,  as well as the windows.  it's sad that a lot of the upper parts is done in white plastic........and painted flat white to boot......   I'm beginning to hear that discouraging word,  I've heard tell about.   I'll try and do a night time picture - dry fit.
 
thanks for the good words my friends.......I'm still enjoying the holiday {and my vacation},  in spite of the small inconveniences.  I'm convinced that they really goofed legalizing fireworks........there are so many folks out there that don't know how to properly use explosives
 
case in point........the Darwin award goes to the young man in Maine.........whose drunk'in stupidity,  made him believe it was a good idea to light a mortar shell on the top of his head.   as Daffy duck said............"I can only do it once!"
 
I can't take full credit for the section assembly.....I'm just doing it differently,  than the kit says to.   the main reason is the rigging.........if I did it the way the kit say to,  there would be huge thread balls on the masts,  where I've tied them all       the bow was easy,  once I figured that more than one group of lines could be added by tying a single knot.  the best way to describe this.......2 for the port,  2 for the starboard.......run them {of equal proportions} through a fore mast thread loop,  knot and cement in place,  capturing the two sets of lines with one thread.  if your using Ca though........get the tension on them before gluing them.   lines that don't run true from an attachment point,  just doesn't look good     these masts are so thin........I wish I could have drilled holes to run the thread through.....wood has made this so much easier.
    the stern isn't going to be as easy........the mizzen mast is located at the aft section of the A deck........the mast runs through an aft roof and cements in the A deck floor.   there are lines that initiate from the stern section,  terminating at the mast.  I fear that the stern section will need to be cemented to the mid section,  prior to rigging.  this could possibly set the stage for an alignment nightmare,  since in the turmoil of cementing the mid section together,  it ended up being about 1 mm off,  aftwards....{could be just a 64ths.......I might be melodramatic here}      I have another point of concern,  that I will show you....I have to import the pictures to my computer.........a few moments and I will return 
 
I use Testor's ,  Model Master,  and Billing's,  Mr. Coleman .........gloss....but primarily flat enamels

Time to make a start, nothing too taxing to begin with, so I’ve decided to plank some of the lower decks.

 

I think it’s a case of what looks right for the model and decided that a length of 100mm is a good size to work with, laid out in a four butt shift pattern (I think that’s what you call it).

 

 

First job is to mark where the planks will butt together, and just for interest I do this by lining up two strips of graph paper along the deck and marking every 20mm across. Keeps everything nicely at 90 degrees to the centre line. 

 



 



 

 

With regard to the caulking, I like to keep decks fairly subtle, so I simply run a medium pencil along the edges.  The full length planks I cut in small batches, and with my Unimat and a jig I made to square the ends, sanding them to length checking with my ‘high tech’ measuring device. The sanding jig also has a 45 degree fence for mitre joints, I’ve included a photo so you can get the idea if interested.

 



 



 



 

I lay the planks starting at the centreline and work outwards, the joints being a mirror pattern. Not sure if that’s how the Elizabethan shipwrights did it but it looks alright (to me anyway) when finished.

 

 

Once the planks are laid I scrape them flat with an old Stanley blade and then seal with several coats of Shellac Sanding Sealer.  I apply this with a cloth, much the way as in French Polishing, the idea being to squeeze the sealer between any small gaps and uneven surfaces. I allow 30 minutes between coats and sand lightly using progressively finer grades of wet and dry, every second coat, until I get an nice smooth, even finish.  I then finish off with 2 to 3 coats of thinned matt varnish.

 



 

 

 

Now we come to the first of my own personal criticisms, and it is my own personal preference and in no way a criticism of the kit.  The etched brass gratings provided….. I really don’t like them. I think I know why they went for brass rather than the traditional wooden ones (scale thickness when displayed open) but the holes aren’t square, and they don’t look right (to me anyway, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and all that). The design certainly simplifies the deck hatches, the frames being one piece laser cut so as to fit above the deck openings leaving a lip for the gratings to sit in, but call me old fashioned, I like to see the hatches properly lined when open.  It’s not a big deal, it just means there will need to be a little doctoring when I come to the upper decks. (Sorry Chris)

 



 



 

So now I’ve broken the ice its time to turn my attention to the keel and frames.

 

 

After the catheads, I decided to make a timberhead, which came out pretty decent for my first try.  Only made the one for now, need to make 5 more.  I made this using a barret file for shaping.

 
Next up was the stairs.  I made an angle in my little planking jig to make the ends parallel based on the bottom angle on the ladders, and then used the mill to cut groves for the treads.  I'm not very happy with how they came out, but they do look much better just staring at the boat than they look in the pictures.  I'll ponder whether to make some new ones to replace these.

 
I then made and placed the boom crutches, which can be seen in the above photo, and then assembled the binnacle.  Fairly happy with how it came out, but I mis-placed it just slightly, but since it's pinned, I think it will stay here!
 
Shots of the overall ship as it sits now, and close-ups of the binnacle.

 
Still to go - 5 more timberheads, the pedestals for the swivel guns, and the channels and chain-plates.  After that we start looking at masts and rigging!

A feature that seems very common to all the traditional Japanese boats I've worked on so far (4 of them) is something called a Kajidaiza (kah-jee-die-zah). This is a heavy beam at the stern which is notched for a rudder. I've seen other Japanese boats that has the beam with no rudder hole, but I don't know if it has the same name. The name apparently translates to "rudder pedestal."
 
There are no gudgeons and pintles on traditional Japanese boats. There is no fixed mounting of the rudder at all. Rather, the rudder is held up in place by ropes. The ropes are also used to raise and lower the rudder as needed. They can be raised when operating in shallow water or when beached, and they can be lowered and even fixed in place to act as a keel.
 
On the Yakatabune, I'm not really sure what purpose the rudder serves. These boats were usually propelled by a single oar or a combination of the oar (sculling oar) and long bamboo poles to push along the shore or shallow bottom. Many images of Yakatabune show no rudder. Well, this one has a rudder.
 
Steps 8 and 9 are all about the Kajidaiza and the aft section of deck planking.
 

 
Translated Text:
Step 8 Assembly and Mounting of Rudder Pedestal
• Glue rudder pedestal parts 6 A and B together so that the rudder holes line up.
• The scribe lines on 6A should be on the bottom.
• The top rear edge of the pedestal should be rounded slightly.
• Taper the bottom of the pedestal according to the diagram.
• Cut posts 15mm long (inserts 5mm into hole).
• Attach the rudder pedestal to the hull
 
Step 9 Installing the Aft Deck
• Rough cut strips 16 and glue together, then trim to fit deck.
• Cut and install 1.5mm x 10mm strips
 
Not much to say about the aft deck except that it needs to stop right at the aft edge of bulkhead number 7. This is because the deck panel just forward of this one needs to be removable, and the bulkhead will give it better support when in place.
 
One thing I'll mention is that the posts on the ends of the rudder pedestal often are shaped with a taper and a kind of a faceted ball shape on the end. I haven't been able to replicate this detail on my models, though I eventually hope to. If you look around the Internet, you can probably find photos of what I'm talking about. They appear on the full-size replica of the Higaki Kaisen.
 

 
In my photo here, I actually had progressed ahead a few steps and you can see deck beams fit into place, and the cap rail glued on top of this.
 
Clare

A quick update... It's time to start deck planking.
 
Translated text:
Step 7 Installing the Forward Deck - Pt 2
 
The only full line of text in this section is repeated and simply says: Trim the outside edges to fit against the hull planking.
 
 
Deck planking on these Japanese boats varies with some planks running fore-and-aft and others running athwartship. Unlike the Hacchoro, thin strips that divide the panels of planks are installed first. Planks are glued together to form panels according to the plans. These are then trimmed so that their edges fit the shape of the hull.
 
Because I shortened that pre-cut deck piece in the last posting, I had to compensate by making the next section of planking just a tad longer. I first glued the dividing strip into place, then marked a piece of planking stock to the proper length. I used that to set up my Chopper III and cut the necessary planks to size.
 

 
The rear set of planks appear to extend beyond the edge of bulkhead 3. I'm not sure why that is, but I expect I'll find out soon enough.
 
Clare

Hi All
 
Just a little update re stairs.
 
Decided not to stain the wood so I just gave it one coat of satin varnish.
 
Denis.

Hi all
 
I have just started to put the stairs together for the main deck.
 
I still have to clean it all up.
 
Not sure yet if I will stain it or just varnish it yet.
 
Denis.

Many thanks Peter,
 
appreciate your good advice, I´ll see if my local Obi-market has the product on stock.
 
I used to apply two-component polyester filler before, but that has too short working time and cures out very hard, so that the sanding afterwards is creating finest "powder" all over the room.
 
Today I completed the stand-plate (for three brass pedestals not finished yet), and stained it cherry wood color, same fashion as for the other ships and their glass cases baseplates. Still need to put some dull silk surface varnish on it
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

Back at it after a travel break. I've done the stern frames and the framing of the stern ports. Fitting and placing those sills and lintels was a fussy business, even using the stern drawing as a template, as suggested by Chuck.
 
Now the fun begins. Time to start the planking.
 
Bob

We had a great holiday weekend with our kids,grand kids and friends whale watching and cookouts. I did manage to get some building in and completed all the yards, spanker gaff and boom. The wife thinks I should have a "Yard Sale" 
All are still in need of some fine tuning especially on stop chocks now that they are painted and glue set. The thumb chocks were much easier to fabricate than I thought they would be; I started by drilling the right size hole and then splitting through the center of the hole and shaping. I did not think to take pictures of this process.
Here are a few pictures; had to see details when painted flat black.



 
Next I will finish up details on them while waiting for my rope order to be delivered.
 
 

Nigel I'll be up at Lake George next week!

Final update of the week,back to work tonight
I have cut the lower windows out and removed the obechi strip and cleaned the slot out.I have then fitted a boxwood moulding I machined on the mill using a guide fence.The builders model depicts a central doorway but I am having doors at each end of the balcony.Artistic license has kicked in here.A central door would have spoiled the symmetry and when all said and done,I don't find the stern overly attractive on the builders model.
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

I came back to the deadeyes and chainplates on my latest. I fashioned a better anchor for the boat out of the brass strip I purchased and it works quite well. The brass plating is a little bit thicker than what came in the kit, and I can alter the width of the anchor easily. I'm making the anchors 3mm, the kit supplied brass strips were only 2mm across. Looked a little small with the wire I'm using for the chain links.
 
I've been going back and forth on whether I create a "manufacturing line" of the chain links, because they vary in length ever so slightly and may require individual sizing. One way around this is to change the angle of the anchor attachment to adjust for the differing lengths. I am, however, going to try to manufacture all the anchors as those will look better if they are about the same size and it's harder to duplicate when all the others are already on the ship (I found that out when I put on #2).
 
Process is pretty easy once the chain and anchors are created. I drill two holes into the ancho that just fit the pins that come with the kit, then measure where the holes need to be drilled into the ship by placing the deadeye into the slot and pulling the anchor down with my needle punch tool in one of the drilled holes. I poke the boat with another needle in the second drilled hole, and drill away. It has worked pretty good.
 
I may have to fix the second chain (the one to the left) the anchor hole on the anchor was not centered and now that the chain is on the boat, it's pretty evident. I will see how it looks when the third one is on....
 

Much, much improved, certainly, Mark. Perhaps even a tad more, if there is enough wood remaining to do so. You'll be glad you did this, and you'll find reinstalling the planking will be much easier.

Thanks Druxey.   Will do some more.  Getting a bit thin but I pack from the other side if need be.   And it's looking a whole lot better in the testing.

Being the conservative builder that I am especially when it comes to major changes, I've done some serious reshaping of the transoms.  I think I'm close but I'd like some other opinions.  I've blue taped down some thin battens.  If it looks good, I'll start bending the real wood and planking.  The ends of the existing planking are not a problem.  I have some fashtion pieces that cover the counter timber ends and the hull planking timber ends.
 



 

Thank you Bob!
Last night I have put the boat in the bottle:
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Now I need only to come up the interesting stopper.
 
Best Regards!
Igor.

Hi Mark,
 
Great tip and just what i needed as I've not managed to make a precise turning template yet that really lasts. I even have an old blade to hand I was about to toss so prefect timing! Thank you!
 
Hi Nils,
 
Thank you for stopping by. Very much appreciate your kind words.
 
Hi Janet,
 
Great to hear you are building again and I look forward to seeing your progress. I am sure your Dragon is looking fantastic.
 
Cheers,
 
Nigel.