Chuck

Thank you so much for saying. Today I decided to just have a little fun. I designed and laser cut the parts to make a simple table and chairs for the great cabin. I also made some cushions which are also laser cut. Made some for the bench lockers too. The great cabin is not so large. Even though this looks like a huge model the cabin is actually very small. A tiny space with not too much room. I pondered making a table to show the scale and how little room there would actually be in there. The table is just 2' x 4' in size. Also consider that I havent made the closets and cupboards yet which go on the forward side of the cabin. I will begin work on those now and see how it all looks when completed. I decided not to even paint the cushions...why not!! It was a really fun project at any rate. If I decide to use them I may include the parts in the kit. I also have some 1:32 figures on the way from Chris at Vanguard.

Really nice progress Mike. The framing looks fantastic inboard and outboard.

I cant believe I forgot to add the last piece. I completely forgot about it and then just saw it sitting inside the hull. I originally tried to make this from boxwood but it was way too fragile. It broke every time. So I cut one out of the tan plastic stuff I used for the windows and just forgot to add it. You can see a spare sitting in the hull. You can see how fragile it looks. A beaded molding trim that goes all around the inside of the doorway. I have now added this last piece and that completes chapter 5. I think it finishes the bulkhead and I am glad I spotted it. Its all about the small details. I also finally cleaned up the hull and added some wipe on poly. So all the wood should be less white and toned down now. This is the final color with the finish added. I dont know If there is much difference but in real life there certainly is. Next I will start building the storage closets inside the great cabin.

Door handles are now in stock as well

Thanks...The hinges are now in stock.. I will have a lot of bulkhead doors to make. Another feature I absolutely hate is making the door knobs. No matter how hard I try they never look good to me. So my preference is to make handles. These are not easy to make from scratch. But the laser cutter makes it pretty easy. My Speedwell bulkhead door mock up is pictured. So I will be using old fashioned 18th century door handles instead of knobs. I think they look much more interesting. I have made 3 sizes again for my own personal use. They are made from the black plastic I have been using. If there is any interest in these I can also make them available. Just let me know. Once they are glued onto the doors, I like to use a sharp #11 blade and thin down the bottom of the handle itself to make it curved. This is more in keeping with the 18th century style I have seen used. They take forever to laser cut and are so crazy tiny. But its just a matter of popping them out of the sheet and gluing them on. That is if I dont drop them on the floor and they are lost forever. Let me know if you guys would like these made available. And some real ones I used but I cant get them this delicate looking...but it will do.

Coming Soon!!! I really dont know why I havent offered these already...Oh well I will be making a ton of bulkheads with doors for Speedwell really soon. They will require many hinges. The usual "H" and "L" type hinges we use on models. So I have designed three sizes which should fit most scales. They are 9/32" and 7/32" and 3/16" tall hinges. You get 21 hinges "L type" You get 45 hinges "H" type" These should be available in a few days. They are all black laser board and will come in very handy. I dont have a picture with these in use yet but soon. The closest I have is the Bulkhead door but it uses a unique version for the top curved hinge. But you get the idea. The bottom hinge is one of the "L type hinges". It is the larger size in height for this scale but its all relative. Some used on Mike's Winnie...although these are adjusted slightly but you get the idea.

No gaps to worry about Mike...you will see when you get to this point. Here is the step by step to finish the bulkhead. These are my notes so I dont forget how I did it. Once the bulkhead is glued into position we need to add another layer on the aft side. This will make the aft side nice and smooth and even and neaten it all up. I am referring to the two strakes below the windows and the uprights between the windows. All are laser cut. Now we can finally cut away the beam within the doorway and the other straps as well. Do this carefully with a fine toothed saw. I use a fine toothed scroll saw blade in an Xacto blade handle. The bulkhead layers make it all sturdy but you still need a light touch. No hurry with this. Below you can see the open space for the doorway after I cut them away and then sanded the sides of the opening flush with a sanding stick. You can also see the door laying there. I finished the other side which gets another layer of .025 cedar with another panel...unpainted. The small strip you see there becomes the saddle in the doorway that the door will rest on top of. It is a 5/32" x 3/64" strip. The same thickness as the planking wee will use on the gun deck. Testing the door in position...which is wider than you will need. Sand it to fit the opening...and tweak the opening as well. A little sanding with a sanding stick on both will insure a nice fit. Note how the door is sitting on top of that saddle strip. The door is not glued in position yet. It is just a test for the next step...the rounded top frame. The first .025 layer can be seen in the same photo ready to go. See it laying on the deck? This first layer (of four) is .025 thick. It is a little taller than you will need. So while the door is resting in the opening, set it in position. You will see a gap along the top of the door. Sand the bottom of this arch a little at a time until that gap closes up. Then glue it to the front side of the two tabs sticking up. Sand the seams flat and paint the front face red. Then one by one there are three more layers of this arch. Next the 3/64" thick piece. Then another .025 and lastly another 3/64" thick arch. This will make the top arch above the door nice and sturdy. Now you are ready to finish it up... Note…dont bother cleaning the char from the edges of these pieces. You will distort the curves and it wont match the top of the door. This wont be seen at all. You can lightly sand the top of the arch once all the layers are glued in position. But just a little. That will be covered up also. You can now place the margin plank along the front of the whole bulkhead. It will hang over the front slightly. It will also leave a nice rabbet on the aft side for the qdeck planking. It is a 1/4" x 3/64 strip. Just round off the forward edge and cut it to length on both sides of the arched door frame. The last piece will now cover up all those layers of the arched top. It is laser cut for you. There is a handle on the part so you can sand the char from the outside of this piece without breaking it. It is a bit fragile ( I will provide a few extra). Once the char is removed then cut it free from the handle. Dont bother sanding the underside of this piece. Once again it wont be seen. The forward edge is rounded off. The aft side remains flat. You can see it glued on top of the arch in the photo below. It is 7/32" wide and all the pieces are flush on the aft side of the platform. It is basically an extension of the margin plank around the top of the arch to clean it all up. We havent glued the door in yet so we can remove it and add the laser cut hinges. You can also add the door knobs. That is your choice...a simple knob or maybe a pull handle. I prefer bending some brass strip and making a pull handle. Then you can glue the door in position and the bulkhead is complete.

Nope… its in for good. Lots of layers and parts. Its all glued in secure.

I would be so lucky to have it come out like that Greg. Yes I did add more columns...I figured why not!! I would only regret it later. I will also embellish the railing along the quarter deck a bit more. I am taking bits of detail from another original draft used for "FLY".

Here you go but the details are ver hatd to see..

I just used a sanding stick for the bevels with a fine grit. Slow and steady. I have graciously laser cut a spare set of the center panels for folks just in case. These are too tiny to use a disc sander so its all about hand control. No silver bullet for these as far as I know. The only trick I know is to not make the top layer too thick. Most folks use pieces way too thick and it looks chunky and out of scale. Even with this .025 layer I still sanded them even thinner once they were glued in position.

Yes for the most part. This project is almost entirely made of laser cut parts. Almost every part. So far aside from the hull planking and deck planking everything is is a laser cut part. There may be a few odd strips of wood here and there. I thought the Winnie had a lot of parts but this certainly has it beat. It is by no means an assembly project though. This isnt a Lego set. Each piece needs to be cleaned of char and shaped in some way, shape or form. For example with this bulkhead, It starts as two layers like the bench lockers. The top layer has etched reference lines to help you with other parts later. The lower layer is 3/64" thick. Dont sand anting off the thicker lower layer. There is no need to sand the char off any edge. In fact that would be bad. But the top layer is just .025 thick. The edges inside the windows and panel openings must be filed clean of char with a light touch. I used a flat needle file and a very light touch. It will be painted but it is best cleaned up somewhat. The right side has its top layer glued in position after cleaning the char from the edges of the two openings. Dont worry about the extreme outside edges of the top layer. Dont sand that char away as you want it exactly the same size and shape as the bottom layer when you glue them together. Once the two top layers are cleaned and glued in position, hopefully you havent thrown away the center squares for the paneling. These are then sanded and beveled on all four sides to make the raised center panels. A very gradual long bevel is needed to make it look good. This makes the beveled area wider. Try and keep it a consistent width all the way around. Remember this layer is just .025 thick. I used a sanding stick with 320 grit for this. Two of the panels are done in this photo and two more to go. The straps in what will become the doorway are very important in this design. This keeps both sides at the perfect distance apart. This will allow us to put the curved top pieces on later without worrying that your door opening is too wide or too narrow. If that were the case, those top pieces would never fit. We will be cutting those away later after the bulkhead is securely glued in position. At this stage, you should take it to the model for a test fit. Depending on where your beam is in relation to the aft platform under it, everyone's model will be slightly different even with the most careful measuring throughout the project. It also depends on how much you faired the frames inboard!! So the bulkhead at this point is slightly longer and higher than you will hopefully need. So at this stage, you must slowly sand each end so it fits snug against the inboard bulwarks. Holding it at an angle so you can test fit the side against the bulwarks. Once you get a good fit on one side you can repeat this on the other side. Keep doing this until it fits snug against the top beam and against the lip on the bottom beam. Slow and steady is the name of the game here. Only sand off the slightest amount working both sides until this bulkhead fits in position. You can see how nice it fits on the starboard side below. Then direct your attention to the top and bottom of the bulkhead. The top edge should be flush with the top of the beam. So rather than just sand the top down flush...its better to take a bit from the bottom and a bit off the top. Depending on your model this might be a lot or maybe none at all. There are so many variables. But hopefully I have accounted for them all in my design. The door is also shown in this photo. It has two layers and a panel also. But we wont be adding it until much later. But you can glue the outside layer and panel in position. Now that you have a great fit...its time to paint the forward side red. Not the aft side!! Then we can start adding the column parts. They all need to be sanded and filed clean. Gentle here folks. Dont over sand. Use a very fine grit. A sanding stick works great here. The base of the columns are all added first. NOTE: These are glued on with 3/64" of space below them. That is for the gun deck planking much later on. Dont place these against the bottom edge of the patform. There is a laser etched line for reference so you dont forget. That is followed by the column itself after removing the char from the sides. The top of the column goes in next. Below you can see each column at a various stage. The base and tops are also filed to clean up the laser cut grooves a bit. Especially the sides of these pieces. Its exactly like we did for the transom columns. Once all the columns are done, there is a laser cut molding on the top of the bulkhead between the columns. Each length needs to be rounded off on top and bottom. Just on the forward side. Then if you want to, you can bevel the entire length of each molding so the bottom comes almost to a point. Do this on the back side. Making it a pie shape in profile… It will look nicer and add dimension. But this is optional because its a pain in the A.. Any bit of the columns that stick up along the top can be sanded flush with the top of the bulkhead. I made the column tops extra long just in case. Use the laser reference lines for placement as a guide only. Yours maybe different depending on how tall your bulkhead actually is. But it should be pretty close. Then lastly...laser cut window frames are inserted into the reverse side. You will see a nice lip formed by the two layers and these will fit really nice inside each opening. That is followed up with a laser cut sheet of acetate for the window glass. And so far that is as far as I got. But this is a main focal point of the model so take your time and be as neat as possible. We will glue it into position now...the beam is glued in first and then the bulkhead. Nice and secure top and bottom. You can see where we will cut away the deck beam in the doorway as well as the strips that kept the bulkhead properly distanced for the door opening. But we have a couple more things to do on the aft side of this bulkhead before we can cut away those pieces.

Design prototype for the fancy bulkhead....version 4b and counting. I really dont want to build version 5. But its getting close. This one is so close..... Chuck

Thank you guys for the kind words.

Working steady now on the model which is good. I doing this while laser cutting parts for those first two chapters. The lower bulkhead against the aft platform was next. This is pretty easy and straight forward. But before I can get to work on that I have to add the gun deck clamps for the beams. There are many ways to find the height for the deck clamp. But I chose to create another template. Its just easier for me. And I hope for you as well. Place it on the model with some tape. The top edge of the template under that inboard shear plank. Then trace along the bottom edge of the template to mark the TOP of the deck clamp. The deck clamp is made using two lengths of 1/4 x 1/16 cedar strips. Just follow the line you made. The top of the strips against your line. This chapter will come supplied with a few gun deck beams. You can see I cleaned the char off one in that same photo. I cut it to length and test fit it in position. It should slide right up against the great cabin planking. Hopefully you have the height of your deck clamps equal on both sides so you dont have a sloped deck beam... I have that beam sitting on the side while I take the two pieces that are laser cut for the lower bulkhead. Its all etched and ready to go. You just have to clean any char and tweak its shape a bit. You want to get a pretty good tight fit against the bulwarks on each side. But remember you will have a gap where the inboard planking would have been. Thats fine. So you have some leeway here. The inboard edge of each bulkhead should be flush with the opening for the stairs. You can see this in the photo below while giving it a test fit. I applied some finish to each piece before gluing it in position. One note however. Continue to test fit both sides of the bulkhead....with the beam in position. You will see that after tweaking its shape that it sticks up beyond the deck beam. That is by design...so leave that as is. You may have to adjust as needed on your model depending on how far apart your platforms are. But this small lip will be important later when we add the next bulkhead on top of that beam. That next fancy bulkhead is my next project. The plan fits really good so now I just have to spend the next couple of weeks turning this bulkhead into parts that look convincing. Its a major focal point for the model so I will spend a lot of time getting the details and design just right. Hopefully. That first quarter deck beam is not glued in position yet. Its just there to help me plan out my next moves for this bulkhead. The windows and door will be a challenge for sure. But I am eager to get started.

Oh and I almost forgot...I am sooo close to completing the first dozen chapter sets of parts. I am guessing a couple of weeks at best. The printed plans for those chapters have arrived and I only have a few more sets of parts to laser cut. Chuck

I have completed the bench lockers and rudder trunk. This finishes up the inboard side of the transom nicely I think. I have taken many step by step photos but rather than go through the whole process here are some pictures. Its pretty self explanatory actually. The panels are made in two layers of .025 Yellow Cedar for the benches and rudder trunk. Then its just a matter of shaping them to fit snug and neat in position. You want a tight fir against the planked sides of the cabin. Small lengths of 24 gauge black wire was use for the benchtop lids. Some laser etching showed where they go. To finish it all up I added that aft-most beam permanently and also the framed for the rudder. Everything s laser cut for you...even the planking for the inside portion of the counter. The sides of the rudder trunk panels were beveled so they could be fit together with a tight mitered seam between them. I have not added wipe on poly yet. I want to do a bit of clean up and repainting where thing got scuffed up a bit. But I expect it will clean up OK. And I have already cleaned the inside of the windows as well. It will get harder to do that now that this detail was completed.

I will follow with interest....looking forward to your updates. Enjoy the project.

An excellent start...I eagerly await your progress updates.

I bought a case of metal cans with a screw top. It cost me $15. They are the size of a can of peanuts give or take. Folks use them to make candles or to store candy and other stuff. Got them on Etsy. I thought I would need many and I would wreck them after a while but this is still the first one after about 6 years. Chuck

Yes…i dont want to go too bright this time. Its the same red but then toned down with a thin wash on top. Of Burnt umber actually. It gives it a bit of character. I want to try something new…a bright shiny perfect model is starting to look a bit sterile to my eyes lately. So I am working the surface a bit. We shall see if it succeeds or fails miserably. Once the hull is almost complete I will do the same all over to establish the look I am shooting for. I am somewhat inspired by the crustiness and grime on the contemporary model.

Thanks Mike. I am working on it a lot lately. Mostly because I lack the wood to make many parts that are now out of stock. So as I get more I will be busy with inventory. So while I wait... I managed to get the transom beam in position. Much like the Winchelsea, it was made in layers to simplify it. These are all laser cut. But slightly longer than needed just in case. They were pre-bent in a jig set up. This is crucial. I used some scrap 3/16 x 3/16 wood under the center to bend it. I just clamped the end and then blasted it with the hair dryer on super hot. Note the wood scraps on the ends too. This protects the ends from denting and other damage. All of the layers are done like this. Using the 3/16" x 3/16 strip makes the perfect bend we need.. Testing it in place. Layer one. Not glued in yet. but pretty tight. Then repeat with layer two on top. No need to bevel the back edge. Just slide it against the stern frames. Then glue the top layer onto the bottom one while on the model. I found that helpful. You will be able to remove the whole thing because the bottom layer isnt glued in. This way you can sand it a bit if needed and clean it up. Testing the transom beam with the other six. They should be the same height and a test with a strip of wood confirms this. The deck planking will lay nicely on top. To finish off the transom beam, you can glue the final 3/64" thick layer on the top. This one will show so take your time cleaning it up. The back side was beveled to sit flash against the stern frames. The same was done on each end against the bulwarks so I got a tight fit. One of the red arrows shows this top layer. Note that it is narrower and leaves a nice rabbet on the forward side to accept the qdeck planking. The other red arrow shows a laser cut filler on the 3/64" thick. This is glued to the bulwarks and will be important in the next step. And finally...the iron straps are added. These are laser cut on black laser board. Each iron strap is in two pieces. One on the beam and the other curved section on the deck clamp. These will hardly be seen. In fact I think they are mostly covered later...what a pity. Next up was the planked inboard side of the transom. This is laser cut in one piece with etched lines to show the planking. Just bevel the sides for a tight fit. Also bevel the bottom edge as well. This was actually pre-bent in that same jig set up to establish the curve. It worked great. Use the 3/16" x 3/16" strip in the center like before. Once I got a tight fit I removed it and painted it red before gluing it in permanently. This helps me keep a crisp edge on the bottom with no sloppy paintwork. Then glue it in... The top of this area was prepared next. It is laser cut in a way that the grain makes it super easy to bend. So no jigs are needed. In fact be careful as it is delicate. The top is done in two halves. I have given folks and extra set just in case. There are notched for the stern frames. They are laser cut smaller than needed so you will need to enlarge them to fit tightly around the stern frames. The back edge was also beveled so it fit nice and tight. Then repeat with the other side. Note how the top is flush or nearly flush with the cap rail. Then a front mold piece finished it all up. Sanded to fit tightly and all prepared for painting. It is also 3/64" thick. Then its all painted and cleaned up...once the paint work is tidied up, this really finishes off the inboard side of the transom well. Next up I remove those six qdeck beams once again and start work on the locker benches and rudder trunk.

Probably too coarse(I use 320 grit)....but more than anything you are not gluing up those layers securely with enough glue...and or not waiting long enough for the layers to completely dry. Dont be afraid to use enough glue. In my case usually CA. A drop on each area needed to be secured. And I tumble at the highest speed in my tumbler...3000 RPM. Note how my tumbler is home made and very simple. No wood flapper and instead just a few sheets of 320 grit which are very flexible yet stiff enough to do the job. the center shaft is also simple…a wooden stick (cherry) with a slit in it to accept the sandpaper. Like a tuning fork of sorts with some cross strips in the center to prevent splitting. This thing gets a ton of use and does the trick beautifully without any broken bits afterwards.

Looking good so far!! Have fun with the project.