Chuck

I forgot to show the image of the Rogers model which was "zero" help. The companionway is basically shown as a giant solid red cube with smooth sides. You can see the lower and flattter skylight though. This is at odds with the original draft. But I wonder why so little detail on that cube.... Chuck

Some notes about the companionway that I will be building next. It is a typical companionway. They are all similar. Some have a more sloped top. But I drafted the profile shown on the original draft which was pretty square. I am sure you could alter it to suit and it would be reasonable and OK. But one thing I noticed that was different from contemporary models and not consistent. Some Companionways did in fact have a coaming while other did not. Some had wide coamings that stuck out as i built for the skylight. But I decided to model a coaming that way for the skylight on the assumption that some were portable and could be lifted out and replaced with a simple grating for air circulation. But the Companionway is different. My plan shows it with a thick coaming but I may model it without as in the example provided (Second drawing and photo). This way anyone building her can have more visual info and can decide which they want to choose. I guess you can say the image below still shows a coaming but it is just not wider than the companionway which I have seen in other examples. There are such a wide array of different configurations it can get confusing. I welcome any discussions about it. Chuck

There is none. Its actually a small scuttle. The grating is flush with the deck planks and just sits on top of the beams. That is going to be glued down right where it is and planked around it. Chuck

Yes it will be....Probably not for a week or so however.

Thank You very much, Today I decided to build the skylight. There are many shapes and sizes shown on cutters. This matches the original draft but I imaging any similar would do. I decided to make this a mini-kit. All of the parts are laser cut from boxwood, laserboard and acetate. First I doubled up two parts to form the "lip" I will need to build this thing. There are some funky angles on the skylight because after its built the fore and aft sides must be vertical. So it was a challenge to say the least. This was done for the sides and the window frames. Then the window frames of the roof were beveled on the top and bottom edges. This was very important so they would fit together tightly in the next step. I used an emery board. Rather than complete the frame and then add these on top, I decided to build the roof first. I tried a first prototype the other way and it was hard to get all of the angles correct and doing it in this order solved the issues. The two halves of the roof were glued to one of the sides as shown. It helped to keep the whole thing squared up and interestingly this made it easier to build.. Then the other side was added and finally the two port and starboard side pieces beneath the window frames. This finished the initial framing. I know I am going to paint this red so I filled even the smallest cracks and sanded it afterwards. Finally a coaming was added around the skylight frame. This coaming was not as thick or as high as the coaming for the main hatch. Because it was going to be painted I didnt bother with lap joints. Note how the skylight doesnt sit flush on the ground. It is lifted off the coaming by half of the width of the timbers. This helps keep the decorative etched molding nice and neat with equal distance all around it. The fore and aft sides were done first. Then port and starboard. The corners were rounded with the right angle jig like the coamings for the main hatch to finish it up. Then it was painted red. Finally the laser cut acetate windows were dropped in position along with the skylight window frames. The later was cut from very thin laserboard and painted to look like boxwood. None if these items are glued to the deck yet. I am waiting to finish up the companionway next and then I should be ready to start planking the deck around these elements.

Thanks, Today I started making the coamings for the hatch gratings. There are three, but only two need coamings. The main hatch is shown here. The second smaller grating will be just aft of the windlass. The gratings were made using the Syren grating kits with camber already built in them. Then the coamings were built up around the finished gratings. Too often I see folks build the coaming following the plans and then when it comes time to add the grating it wont fit. Sometimes you end up with holes along the coaming or have to shave down the grating too much to fit it into the coaming. By building the coaming around a finished grating I wont have this issue. Now my grating may end up being a hair larger or smaller than the plans but that is less important than having it look correct. We are talking about maybe .025" larger or smaller...thats acceptable. The coamings were made with the usual lap joints. Note the fore and aft sides have a roundup. These coamings are 1/4" high. Others will be less and not as thick...they are all different but for the two gratings the coamings are 1/4" high x 3/32" thick. But dont forget that the planking will go around them so only 3/16' will be above the planked deck. Then a right angle jig was used to round off the corners except for what will be the bottom 1/16". The jig is 1/16" thick which will be the same thickness as the planking. I added a strip inside the coaming on the port and starboard sides to create a lip to support the grating as well. To finish it off I softened the hard corners all around the top edge of the coaming. I may or may not paint the coaming red and leave the grating bright. But I dont know yet. I have seen Cutter models done both ways. There will be a lot of other deck fittings painted red so I dont want to go overboard... . Tomorrow I will make the coaming for the smaller grating behind the windlass. Chuck

Thanks guys for the kind words.

Thank You... In preparation for planking the deck, I added the waterway/margin planks. For my purposes here I talk about them as two separate pieces. First the wider margin plank was created with scarf joints next to the bulwarks. I used card stock to make templates first. There are three lengths as shown below. This required a lot of tweaking until I got it right. Then the templates were traced onto a 1/16" thick sheet of boxwood and cut out. The deck planking will be 1/16" thick. I spent a lot of time carefully shaping the scarf joints with a #11 blade and some needle files until they were a nice clean and tight fit. Then they were glued onto the deck area. The back edge needed to be beveled so I could get a tight fit against the bulwarks in many areas. Particularly at the bow. A pencil darkened the seam of scarf joint just like the hull planking. Eventually the deck planking will be nibbed into these margin planks. When finished, I added the waterway on top of the margin plank. It was a 1/32" strip that was slowly sanded to become a 1/4 round. I basically sanded off one corner edge and rounded it off. It was glued on top and the seams between the pieces were carefully lined up with the scarf joints. So again three lengths were used. This way they look like they were done as one piece. These thin strips also needed to be beveled to fit tight against the bulwarks. The bulwarks are unfortunately not at a nice 90 degree angle to the deck so the bevel was an absolute necessity. Now its time to start building the hatches, coamings and gratings and skylight. Then I can plank the deck around them. I cant wait until thats done,. After this step its just about the small details...and that is a lot of fun. Chuck

Thank you guys. Just a real quick update. Not to much except I did drill the hawse holes and the hole for the bowsprit. As simple as this procedure may sound it is actually rather tricky. I had to be really careful to drill these parallel to the keel and straight back. There is always a tendency to just drill through straight in. But instead, the bit must be held so it enters the bulwarks parallel to the keel. I started with a small hole so if the angle was wrong it could be corrected. Then I switched to needle files and then an even bigger round file to finish it off. The angle is super important because the hole for the bowsprit must be drilled the same way. Straigh back and parallel to the centerline. If the hawse holes were drilled at an "off" angle then there wouldnt be room to properly create the hole for the bowsprit. I used a graphite pencil to darken the hawse holes but I may go back and use a dull flat dark gray instead, No rush to decide. Now I can move on and start creating the waterway in preparation for the deck planking. Chuck

Really nice work. You are doing an outstanding job.

I will ship anywhere in the world.... You will need 1 pack of 3/32" singles 1 pack of 1/8 singles 1 pack of .008 tan 1 pack of .012 tan 1 pack of .018 black 1 pack of .012 black 1 pack of .008 black Chuck

I would like to think so...by leaps and bounds. But you should get an impartial opinion from the many customers who use my blocks and rope.

Of course you can...Just take the parts list and see how many you will need. I cant break down a package for so few blocks...so you will have to buy a complete package of each size. Otherwise I would only be selling 15 blocks of various sizes. I am sure you will find use for the extras on future models. Chuck

That looks very good. You will be moving ahead to the fun stuff very soon. Almost done with the planking.

Dont overthink it......it looks perfect. I think the planking will go just fine. Its about what I had too more or less. That little bit wont matter and it could be so many factors. Press on with the planking. Chuck

Thanks guys...its nice to be back working on her. The deck planking is the last major project on the model. I have to start with making the coamings and gratings first. Chuck

After planking the bulwarks I painted it red. The finished bulwarks were 5/32" thick. Maybe slightly thinner. Then it was time to add the caprail. It will be added in two pieces. First the main rail which is 1/16" thick. This was sanded flush both inboard and outboard. Another strip will eventually be placed outboard as a fancy molding. It is scraped like the others and is 1/6" x 1/32". But it wasnt added yet. First I had to create the hawse hole plates....which are essentially 1/32" thick pieces with the holes ut for the hawse holes and the bowsprit. This sits flush with the top of the caprail so I had to add it first before I could add the fancy molding strip along the caprail outboard. I didnt drill the hawse holes yet. This will be done next. But the hawse plates in position makes it easy to find their locations. So that will be done in a day or two. Lastly I added that fancy molding strip outboard for the cap rail which stands proud of the hull planking and finishes it off. This is where I am to date and after drilling the hawse holes and hole for the bowsprit I will make preparations to start planking the deck. Its getting there... I am contemplating painting the hawse plates and the stem above the ear molding black.....along with the fashion pieces at the stern. But I have time to decide that. So I will live with it as it is shown for a while before I commit to it. Maybe after I drill and file the holes for the bowsprit and such...we shall see.

Model Shipways didnt have the fractional size strip available and so it was decided to go with the 1/8" wide strips. I mentioned this a few times in other logs. BUT yes the plans are correct in every respect...always follow the plans... When I designed the kit I actually used 5/32" wide strips for thwarts. It matched the plans. But just as MS swapped out the hull planking for a different size recently they did the same with the the thwart material because they dont have 5/32" wide strips anymore. This was done a while ago but they actually had the thought to change my dimensions in the instructions. Something they forgot to do with the recent change for the hull planking. My guess is that as time goes by more changes will be made on the MFG side without addressing the model ramifications.....yes it can get confusing..but always follow the plans. It is something that they cant change too easily. Chuck

Remember this is an advanced kit... The shape and size of this thwart is clearly shown on the plans. It can be made in several ways...whether you use a one piece strip and shape it or build it up with two doesnt matter. I am not sure how this detail could paralyze your progress. Not a great deal of aptitude and reasoning is needed.....I did in fact make it from two pieces...I used a 5/32" wide strip for the main thwart and then glued another 3/32" strip to it along the center for the area thats even wider. Then it was shaped to match the plans by sanding and filing the circular shape to accept the mast. If you can see the final shape on the plans and were given the thickness of the part along with photos....it really shouldnt be that hard to figure out how to cut it out....whether in one piece or with two. But for folks who need a little hand-holding...consider the text in bold an addendum to the page of instructions...always follow the plans. Model Shipways didnt have the fractional size strip available and so it was decided to go with the 1/8" wide strips at some point. I mentioned this a few times in other logs. BUT yes the plans are correct in every respect...always follow the plans... When I designed the kit I actually used 5/32" wide strips for thwarts. It matched the plans. But just as MS swapped out the hull planking for a different size recently they did the same with the the thwart material because they dont have 5/32" wide strips anymore. This was done a while ago but they actually had the thought to change my dimensions in the instructions wherever I mentioned 5/32" wide strips. Something they forgot to do with the recent change for the hull planking material. My guess is that as time goes by more changes will be made on the MFG side without addressing the model ramifications.....yes it can get confusing..but always follow the plans. It is something that they cant change too easily. If this step is what tripped you up then then I am certain there will be more that do. Its not real difficult. ....yes maybe the dimensions were reversed...but will someone tell me how someone could get paralysis analysis..because they couldnt figure out that 1/32" x 1/8" is the same as 1/8" x 1/32". If thats all you found to be stuck on so far I think things are going pretty good. I think too many people want every last detail and step written about which is a far cry from other instructions. I am not trying to be a smart *** but really am having trouble with the level of detail needed for some folks. For any model with so many complexities and parts, the designer and writer needs to assume that advanced model builders would know how to do some aspects without writing 300 pages of instructions. This is why this kit was labeled as an advanced kit. Also...the reason for this group build area is so that if anyone gets stuck, they can just pose the question in their log...or send me a PM and I would explain as it is sometimes difficult for me to check and read every post on this site. I could miss the question.. I am sure you would have received many way to achieve the same results. Please remember that for the future. When in doubt...send me a PM. If anyone finds additional weirdness, please let me know so I can set the record straight.........SEND ME A PM PLEASE. Chuck

You just did

For whatever reason, Model Expo decided to change it. It was not something I designed for. That would be the appropriate final thickness however. But because the kit has really soft basswood it isnt a good idea to use it. I recommend going with 1/32" thick basswood wood having a bit of meat to then sand down to the proper .025 thickness. OR if you decide to upgrade to a harder wood like boxwood then it would be ok to start with a thinner wood. But as designed for basswood I recommend the 1/32" thick stuff. Cleaner edges and more room to sand out rough planking jobs if needed. Chuck

Nils, Cheerful was NOT clinker planked. I know that its a simple thing to just think that all cutters were planked that way (like Alert). But its simply not true. This class of cutters was carvel planked. Just as the contemporary model of Surly shows. I suppose that folks could clinker plank the cutter but it would be historically incorrect. Chuck

That looks very good.. Well done!!!

Really nice work on this tough little model. Its a tricky build and you are doing great.

Just a quick note from admin... What Mr Frisoli did was grounds for being banned from this site. You cant pretend to be someone else and play games like that on this forum. So a quick warning to Tom....dont get cute. He knew what he was doing. I personally think the laser cutter is well overpriced for what it is. You can alter it and work for days adding new parts like Mark did on any Chinese machine bought on Ebay for $750. When you spend $2000 for one that performs the same way and needs just as much attention there is definitely an issue. But I will give you the benefit of the doubt so you can try and help these good folks who read on your site that they just needed to "plug it in and start cutting". That is clearly not the case....and it still says this on your site. I find that very misleading since you just admitted as much and so did old Mama bear "But, as with using any delicate instrument, and as Mr. Taylor pointed out, a bit of technical savvy goes a long way toward achieving early success. Now . . . I'll kid you not. To develop use of the machine to its full potential, you're going to have to spend some time with it, and learn the various techniques and tips and tricks" Tom, if you are serious about being fair and straight with your customers, I would expect you state the same on your website and in your catalog. But I am not holding my breath. So please be respectful to our members unlike Mr Frisoli. I own a much better machine which actually did work straight out of the box with no replacement parts and in one hour I was cutting parts.....and I will recommend to all folks that they should consider another machine. It might cost you more but they are proven machines....also wait for more reviews of this MicroMark Laser knife machine and tales of success or hardship before you dive in. The research is key here. Chuck MSW Papa bear