Chuck

I have been swamped with emails and requests to offer boxwood sheets again at Syren. I have to be honest...I really have reservations about this. But I will consider it. Keep in mind that this was never a profitable or "time-worthy" venture for me. If I do decide to start selling it again I will only offer milled sheets and I will warn everyone that the price per sheet will be extremely expensive. The good quality bandsaw blades I would need cost $150 each....and they dont last long on this hard wood. This is do to the cost of milling them and acquiring good quality stock while culling out the bad stuff I get which can not be sold. The cost for the culled pieces must be absorbed somehow....otherwise this venture will just be a complete drain on my resources....I will also have to limit the sale of boxwood sheets to the USA and Canada as shipping them to Europe and elsewhere is just too expensive. Usually double what anyone was willing to pay for it. But before I make the decision....I must hear from you guys if you would seriously consider buying it from me at the prices I would need to charge. If not....then I wont bother. I have crunched the numbers and the prices per sheet are listed below. If you seriously would not buy it then please let me know.....or if you would!!! Unless I have more than just a few folks that would use me as their supplier it just wont be worth the effort....Absolutely no strips though. I have received at least 3 dozen emails lately so if only two or three respond here then I know its just not worth it now based on the $$$ I would need to charge. This is a serious commitment for me and I need to know what the potential for sales is before I move any further. Your responses are crucial because I need to buy new 10/4 stock right now. If I am only buying it for myself it will cost me about $800 but if I need to buy enough to mill sheets for resale then I need to buy about $3800 worth of lumber. Its a big difference and a huge nut for a small business like mine. Thanks in advance...my proposed pricing is shown below. .025" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $14.50 1/16" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $15.25 1/32" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $15.00 1/4" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $20.00 1/8" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $17.00 3/16" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $18.50 3/32" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $16.00 3/64" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $15.00 5/16" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4 1/4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $22.00 5/32" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $17.75 7/32" Thick Milled Boxwood Sheets (4" - 4 1/2" wide x 14" long) $19.50

Its a favorite of mine and so far you are doing great. I love the pilot boat as a subject and i just wish it was a bigger scale. But it certainly finishes into a beautiful model.

That looks very good. Its really coming together....one thing that sticks out for me however are those gratings. Its not a criticism of your work because you did a masterful job putting them together and gluing them on deck. Its just that for whatever reason most kit supplied gratings are so oversized and out of scale. The holes are just too big.... Its something to keep in mind for your next model since you are a terrific model builder, just replacing the gratings with properly scaled versions can elevate your model without much hassle. But I am enjoying your progress and it is looking excellent. Chuck

That is a really good start and very neatly done. I look forward to your next update. I can see what you mean with those metal ports. They look weird. If not too late maybe try and frame the ports with wood instead. The metal was a poor kit design choice by the mfg. But Im sure it will look fine either way. So far so good.

That is a really nice start. I would like to follow along. I have always admired the Granado and often thought of building her myself. Maybe I still will some day. Chuck

That looks excellent!!! Well done You did a very nice job painting.

Remember that the gallery is for photos of completed models only. You can only upload pictures of the finished model there. If you want to show your model as it was being built you should create a build log in the kit build forum....here is a link that explains how.

In that instance no. There are no model builder plans in those books. They are reference books. Any plans or parts produced from them are not 100% traced. However if someone were to copy and trace the plans in say an Ancre book from the model plans already produced by them.....100% ....and used them to develop parts for a kit that would be bad unless they had permission to do so. Part for part....every futtock and floor timber laid out by Ancre is traced where you can lay it on top of the original and its a perfect match. you cant do this with an AOS ship book because they arent model builder plans. AOS books have no model parts drawn out. They have no bulkheads to trace. They are used for reference so folks can design their own parts templates from the info provided. Its very different than tracing those parts from a set of model plans that someone else has already used similar research to develop every individual part. chuck

It looks very good actually. But as you say...you will see more when you start planking. Chuck

That is a smart way to do those. Well done.

Yes there is a curve. Its actually really noticeable in reality. You will see that after adding the stern frames.

Really nice Rich. Its coming along.

Yupp....if you put them in now and dint line up the notches for the stern frames correctly it will force the stern frames left or right. i found that it was best to add them after or during the stern frames are installed. But that was just my impression after having done it once before.

I added the stern post today. I must say that it felt really good. That closes out this second chapter and really finishes off the hull to the point where I feel I actually accomplished something. Its a good feeling. I am sure you guys will feel the same. I also forgot to post a comparison picture before I added the stern post. But here it goes anyway. I always think its interesting to see the progress on this new larger version against my smaller 3/16" scale version. Here are two pictures. My camera is much better now. The old picture is dated 2011. 8 years ago or almost 9 years. It doesnt feel that long. I like the yellow cedar version better than the boxwood version.

Yes indeed. Each plank is cut to length based on the shifting bulkheads. Usually 4 planks per strake (or row of planks). Sometimes you get lucky and there are only three. But usually four planks cut to length. They will all be different and you must custom cut the lengths (and widths with a taper) for each plank as you proceed. Chuck

Good start.....but yes you have a long way to go with that fairing. It takes a while but will make or break whether or not the product is successful. Just take it slow and steady. Chuck

Yes they must be curved to match the hull shape or they wouldnt close. Its the only way to make them. Doesnt everyone? That is a very extreme case you show and I suspect that is more warped than bent to match the hull curvature. On our model it is much more subtle but should be there none the less. I plan to show that port closed as well so it is even more important that is matches the curved hull shape. Chuck

Not sure what you mean, but if you are referring to painted friezes and red bulwarks/fittings, then yes. I am pretty much following the contemporary model for colors and appearance with the addition of a few other details. In addition, because we are building her to the 1780ish configuration there will be some differences. For example, the counter at the stern will have the friezes but also the ships name as this was mandated by the admiralty at this time. Chuck

Ed, You are very welcome.... This group is certainly more active and you might be able to apply what you see on this project to the Triton full hull as that is a more independent and fully scratch endeavor. Its up to you but we would love to see another build log and group member. The more the merrier. Chuck

Lately I have been preferring the more classical approach. I like the cleaner end result achieved by the contemporary builders of models. I think we can get carried away with all the details which make some models appear too busy and overly clinical rather than an aesthetic work of the craft. Literally "less is more". I am finding the need to show every joint less and less. For example....certainly you have seen some builders make a rudder showing the tabled joints so every part/segment of it shows on the model. I find this particularly distracting. It would be so easy for me to laser cut those pieces and have them fit perfectly.... But I now prefer the more elegant and classical approach which I find more eye appealing and less "Look I made all the parts and made sure you can see them all" See how clean this looks with a rudder in one piece? I will still try and add a few extra details but I will no longer go crazy with them. I just dont think it looks good. I am still leaning toward not even adding treenails to the hull planking. The model below looks just as good without them. I think concentrating on my craftsmanship and neatness is more important.....rather than sloppy joints but I showed all of them. Just to give you guys my current philosophy so you know where I am going with this model. It also leaves more for you guys who might want to bash it and add all of that stuff. More power to you!!!

Have a look at those lids in that photo of the contemporary model. I will use brass strip and shape them just like that. But no soldering will be needed. There arent that many of them so it shouldnt be too bad but it will take some time to make them all. They will be working hinges made with wire...the hinge strap at the back end is thinned down and bent into a loop to accept the wire hinge pin. The wire hinge pin is bent into an "L" and one end is glued into a hole in the hull planking.....this is done while the "L" wire pins are inserted into the hinges. It will be easier to show it done than explain......in a little bit. No need for micro tubes as this will be a simplified approach....which being good enough for the contemporary builders will work just as good for us. But Dirks method is fine also....just more involved. In the end they will look almost identical. I wont be adding the many bolts as Dirk did either. Not only is that much extra work but if its not done perfectly and they are misaligned it looks sloppy. I also think it looks way too busy and over-done that way.....a kitchen sink approach. For my own aesthetics I will follow contemporary practices and keep them clean and free from bolts. "Less is more" Chuck

Bulkhead 29 placement......go here. Should be positioned after or while adding the stern frames so the notches for the frames line up properly. Otherwise they may throw off the angles of the stern frames left to right if they are shifted one way or the other. It basically doubles up bulkhead 28. They are glued on either side of the bulkhead former and there is no slot for them.

Thank you guys!!! I hope to have chapter two ready for you guys to download real soon.

Joe....read ahead and examine the plans....they are added later when adding the stern frames. It is best not to add them until you are ready to insert the stern frames. You can see them below.

Planking is now finished on the starboard side....I did celebrate a little and I am glad it is all done. Next up I will add the stern post. I already sanded the planking flush with the stern rabbet and now all I have to do is tweak the laser cut stern post and glue it in position. You will also notice those black bands across the hull. You guys know how I like to check and double and triple check stuff using tape and other stuff. What you see is black masking tape cut to 3/32" wide for the top band and 1/8" wide for the band that runs through the center of the gun ports. I had been looking at my test molding strips and thought that the molding I had used for the lower band was too wimpy at 3/32" wide. I had originally matched the width of the one above above it. You can see it in the photo below. I have also been examining the contemporary model and original draft a lot more with regard to the moldings. They show a heavier lower molding running through the gun ports. So I used the tape to check out what a wider molding would look like. I really recommend that you guys go through this exercise. It will help you establish the proper run for them. You can tweak them to you hearts content. Then mark the top edge with a pencil so you have a guide when actually adding the molding. Even though you might be able to use the planking seams as a guide, that isnt always perfect and may have gone waavy or too high in spots. Mine did in some areas so I was able to correct it with the tape and mark it for later. You cant notice it when just looking at the planks but it would have been noticeable after the molding went on. Especially at the bow. It also helps me get consistent on both sides which your planking may not be perfectly aligned. I am going to go with a wider molding. Here is the contemporary model... Once the stern post is on it will complete chapter two....I am working on the written chapter right now. Shouldnt be long until I post it. Chapter three will consist of stern transom and quarter gallery construction.....fun times!!!