Chuck

I am going to use 1/4” wide planks. But for those who prefer a slightly narrower look you can go with 7/32”. They will be 3/64” thick. You will need a few 5/16” wide plans also for cutting the scarph joints and tabbed deck planks every now and again.

I have completed all of the partners and coamings......I can almost start planking the deck now. I forgot one last detail which I will show you guys soon. But here are some pics. The foremast partners are made from laser cut parts and then I added the bolts. I used 15 pound filament for those. Use a #75 drill bit for the holes. You can also see the base plate for the stove. You have a few options with this. I have laser cut a nice base for you. At this time the base was most likely just a large iron plate....but in some cases they used flagstone or slate. If you want to depict the iron plate....just flip it over and paint it matte black. But if you want to show some slate or flagstones, I have laser etched the other side with a stone tile pattern. Simply paint it matte black first but keep the coaming natural. Then use some weathering powders on the tiles to make them only slightly lighter. Leave the etched grout lines (which are deeper) dark black. But use some grays and rust colors to make a subtle stone base. Dont over do it!!! The main mast partners were done the same as the fore mast partners. None of these are glued in position yet but I will be doing so soon!!! Any comments or questions!!!!!!!

Back to the Winnie.... To make the gratings for the gun deck you will need 3 packages of my cambered grating mini kits. I will not be including these in the package for chapter 4 because I sell them in either cedar (less expensive) or boxwood. Both would work and you guys can choose. You will also need the grating jig. One jig should last you the entire project. To start, figure out how many cambered laser cut grating strips you will need to fit the space in your coaming. Only build what you need. For example this grating below on left side needed just seven grating strips in the jig. My coaming were designed so each grating will fit perfectly when finished. So dont use more than the space needs. Then use the supplied strips and press them into the notches carefully. You will notice they will probably be too tight at first. This is by design. You need to run some sandpaper down the strip until it becomes a nice press-fit into the notches. Once again only use the number of strips you need. In this case 13 strips pressed firmly in position... At this stage you should look it over to make sure no grating strips went crooked while you were fitting the batten strips. If they did your holes wont be equal in shape and size. Fix those now using a toothpick if they lean over. Its easy to do. Then paint on some watered down tite-bond. Get it in all the nooks and crannies. Not too thick. If the holes start clogging....add more water. Wait about 2 minutes but not so long that the glue will dry. You want to carefully pry the grating free of the jig before it dries and is glued to the jig!!! Then clean up the jig for the next grating. But you are not done yet. Brush more glue on the bottom underside of the grating. Set it aside to dry fully. Now you are probably saying.... how in world will these ugly dirty gratings look good. Right now they look awful. Snip off the excess from the perimeter and file the sides smooth. Check the fit in the coaming. Then start sanding the top surface. In the center photo below you can see I have sanding that grating only on one side. The finished grating can be seen coming to light. The one on the right is completed. These are cedar gratings by the way. Now should you sand the bottom too? You dont have to.....BUT, I am sure you have seen those contemporary models and have seen how thin they are. I wouldnt recommend going too thin. But it does change the way the grating looks in the coaming. And here are the finished coamings with the gratings in position. ANY QUESTIONS????

Thanks.....I have all that plus much much more. The research is well under way.

Im just really bored with seeing so many Syren kits getting built. Since there is a huge lack of American ships on the market that are any good I figured I would rectify that situation. All you ever see are Syren and Constitution kits being built for the most part.....and the occasional Hahn colonial schooner. Time to diversify as there are so many to choose from.

ship rigged Hornet...built to the lines of Wasp as she appeared in 1812. I believe 10 ports per side.

Thats the only reason why I personally want to do this POF cross section. Its fun for me to solve those design issues. In fact....since those pics were taken I have simplified and changes the frame design slightly. The improved versions are even easier to build and assemble. Chuck

A little bit of both......these I believe I found right here on MSW from some older topics and our gallery. You would be surprised what you can find right here.

The pinnace or barge for the winnie will be a project unto itself. A true mini kit. It will be fairly large with plenty of detail. It will be stored on spare topmasts in the waist like this contemporary model. Only one boat as I dont want them to completely take attention away from the other parts of the model. With more boats your eye tends to focus and stay right there..... Having one super detailed barge will really add to the model. It will be around 8" long give or take. The plan and draft for this complex mini-kit is already underway!!!!

Because of the frieze it wont matter all that much.

No that is not correct. Over the counter planking.

Its way way out!!!! Not until I finish this one.

Leopard!!!! No thats not gonna be a choice. Its going to be a long while before I tackle a project as large and complex as the Winnie again. I am going to do a few smaller subjects after this one guys. The number of laser cut parts and designed elements is about four times more than you will find in most or all kits of this size. Thats a lot of parts!!! I want to simplify after this one is done. And I still have to produce a POF cross section for Winnie!!!! I just want to see if I can tackle the design challenge to give you something new with the cross section. I think it could be a nice extension of the group project as well. Chuck

No silver bullet. Just take your time and go slow.

Rusty, that does look fantastic. Its looking great. Cant wait to see it in person one of these days.

Lovely!!!!! Brings back memories. This is when it really starts coming together.

Thanks...I have actually been throwing two ideas around in my head. I am seriously considering the Hornet of 1812. Or a Colonial Schooner. But leaning really hard in the direction of Hornet.

Thank You fellas Today I added the waterway on top of the margin planks. Originally I was going to use a 1/16" x 1/16" strip. But after some thought I switched and used a 3/64" x 3/64" strip of cedar. I carefully sanded away one corner so the strip was like a quarter round molding. Then I glued it along the bulwarks. Then it was time for the checker pattern floor in the great cabin. This is 3/64" thick. It is laser etched with the pattern as you can see. It is cut over-sized so with a little tweaking it should fit everyone's model. So it is crucial that you make a paper pattern first that fits in the space tight. Then trace it on the sheet and cut it to fit your model. Try for a nice tight fit!!! I prefer a subtle pattern that isnt too dark. So many models end up with a black and white pattern which I find so distracting. Remember where the forward bulkhead will be so you position the forward edge correctly. My floor ends right under where the deck beam will be so I know the bulkhead will sit on top of the edge of the checker pattern. From this point, I will slowly make my way forward building the various coamings and partners. This needs to be done so we can plank the deck properly around these items. You can see that the one coaming and grating was completed. I wont add the ladder until later. But I did manage to build the capstan partners. The capstan partner sits against the coaming. It is also laser cut in three pieces and glues together quickly. I simulated the seams between each section. I also softened the top edge because it shouldnt be a hard edge. One interesting feature about the partners is that it should NOT be glued directly to the false deck. The deck is sloped which is to be expected. But the partners need to be level otherwise the capstan will not work properly. This means the forward edge of the partners need to be lifted a bit to raise it up and level it off. I did this with a little cheat. I added a small length of a 1/32" strip under the forward edge which will be covered up after we plank the deck. You will notice how it looks lifted up on the forward side and level. If you need to sand the bottom of the aft edge a bit to make it level then that is OK also. I simulated the bolts using 20 pound black monfilament. You guys should pick some up in various sizes as we will be using it a lot throught the model. Chuck

I have already sprayed them so you are good to go. BUT you may want to lightly spray again if want. Use a matte spray fixative is best. Hairspray is a last resort.

That is turning out terrific. Nice job with the painting. You are gettin close now.

Its all a learning process. If you can get through planking this hull I am sure your next project will be even better.

You mean the etched lines and letters. That is done by running the laser at very low power and a higher speed. The laser doesnt cut all the way through. It just lightly scores the surface and it shows up because it burns a Light line in the wood

Its really coming together Glenn. Looks really good so far.

Yes...very nice. Its looking vey good

Today I planked the inboard stern. There are five strakes. They are all laser cut with the proper curve. Note that I started with the top plank so it would be flush with the bottoms of the windows. We will be adding a thin sill and some molding later on top of this to finish it off. Excuse the dust!!! But each new addition does clean every up a bit and make it look nicer covering up all of the frames and bulkheads. I also decided NOT to high light the seams between these planks as I think they would look too busy. It will look cleaner this way with the paneled rudder trunk and benches in front of it. Also not how the bottom three planks dont span the entire width of the stern. The center will be left open for the rudder and this whole area will be covered with the paneled rudder trunk. In fact we will be adding the rudder real soon. But first I want to get the deck planked. So next up was adding the margin planks. These are also laser cut with scarfs. But be aware that it is unlikely that these will fit your model perfectly. There will be so many differences in the way each of you fair inboard and create the inboard shape of the hull. So some of you will no doubt have to use them as a starting point to trace them and cut new ones to fit your model. Its not very hard to do. They are 3/64" thick. The aft section against the transom was positioned first. The aft edge was beveled to fit snug against the transom. Then I started adding each of the four sections along each side. Starting at the bow and working my way aft. Next up I will add the waterway which will be a 1/16" x 1/16" strip that is angled on the inboard side. You know the drill. Its the same way as done with all of my projects. Once that is done I will start building the platforms and coaming down the center of the deck so I can plank around them. Here is how she looks now. Testing the deck beams too!!!