Chuck

Some progress was made today.  I wanted to get this crappy part of the project over with.  The bulwarks inboard were faired and thinned down.  I use the sanding drum on my dremel.   What a mess. Then I touched it up with some sandpaper after chiseling some areas away where the bulkhead extensions met the deck.   The bulkhead extensions were thinned down to about 1/16" thick.  I may take them down thinner still.  Maybe 3/64" thick.  You can see them in the close up image below.
 

 
Then I took the template for the false deck from the plans.  I cut it down the middle so I had two halves port and starboard.  You could also make four pieces but I made two and it was fine.  The important thing is to use the center line on the template to line it up with the center of the bulkhead former.  I wanted to try something new with this project.  I intentionally made the template drawing about 1/8" smaller than need on the sides of the hull.  Trying to get a perfect match for folks is tough.  It all depends on how much someone thins down the bulwarks etc....how they fair the hull inboard and its tough to get a perfect match for everyone's model.   
 

 
So basically I took each half one at a time...lined it up with the center line and the mast hole.  I taped it along the bulkhead former.  Then I used thin strips of blue painters tape to find the perfect size and shape for my false deck template.  I just rand lengths of tape along the bulwarks as shown in the photos.   When I peel it up I will have a template that is the perfect match for making my false deck.  It will be cut from 1/16" basswood.   I will get that done tomorrow and post some new pics.   Once the false deck is in position I can plank the inboard bulwarks.
 
Chuck

Working on the port lid hinges.
 
Same material for the straps.  The hinge part is made using a micro brass tube that is .7 mm O.D. and .5 mm I.D.  To cut these you must take care.  You just cant use a nippers because it will crush the tubing.
So as shown below,  you insert a piece of 28 gauge wire in the tube.  Then take a sharp #11 blade and just roll it over the tube and it cuts a nice crisp piece perfectly.  Be sure to bend the wire on the end and it will actually catch these little suckers.  They are cut as long as the hinge straps are wide.  Thats microscopic.
 

 
Then you use CA to glue these tube sections onto the ends of the laser cut laserboard hinge straps.  Its easiest to do this with the straps hanging over the edge of a block of wood.   You can hold the strap with your finger while just the end hangs over the block.
 

 
Dont be shy with the CA.  Use a light drop on the end to secure it.  Then add two more drops as successive coats after each dries.
 
Turn it upside down with just the tube hanging over the block and you can sand the hinge strap into the tube so it wont be seen after painting.  Holding the strap under your finger prevents the strap from bending.  Its not as strong as brass.  Once its glued to the port lid it wont matter.  It will be plenty strong as only the tiniest portion will stick out above the top edge of the port lid.  To small to bend.
 
To paint them.  place them on the wire so you can paint without having to hold them.
 

 
Then ....small "L" brackets are made from 28 gauge wire which will create the hinge pin and secure the lid into the hull.   Thats it!!!
 

 
These will be used for the stern port lids.
 

 
 
 
Chuck
 
 

You are referring to the rudder port?.......No special technique really.  I will just drill a pilot hole as large as my preferred needle file.  Then I will slowly enlarge it to shape.   Its interseting to note that the stern post should have extended through the counter as well.  I designed it so another small piece will be glued inboard to fake it.   No one will ever know.  In fact it will look like you have the tightest planking joints around the stern post to allow it to pass through so nicely.
 
Chuck
 

The port side is done and treenailed. I also made the horse shoe plates for the stem and keel plate at the stern.  These were laser cut from laserboard.  I painted and glued them on.  They have little holes cut through them as you can see.  The beauty of that is after gluing them with yellow glue and placing them on the model....a little bit of glue seeps through the holes and forms a nail head.  But if you dont want to do that,  you can drill through the holes with a #78 bit and insert some 28 gauge wire as bolt heads.  ....Or   just leave it as is.  I will be drilling and inserting the wire as bolt heads later on.  Also all of the fancy molding is in position that I want to add at this point.   Now its time to thin down the bulwarks inboard.  FUN ....FUN!!! 
 
Chuck
 

 

 

 

 

 

Correct!!!  Bottom of ports follow the run of the deck.  Sides are vertical and straight with teh frames.  Port lids will be the same.  Typical mistake seen on kits.  Not all ports are completely square at all.  Take a look at this original draft.  The red dashed square is at right angles.  Note how the port is not.   It follows the deck.
 

Ian,  is this what you were looking for?  Let me know.
 

And to show how the port lids fit when installed.
 

 
The blank lids without hinges were positioned first and while they were in....I glued the hinges in without there little pins.   It was easier to line up the hinges visually that way.  At least for me.
 
They are actually working hinges as you can see.  I am pleased with how well the laser board worked for this application.  That is one less element I need to rely on photoetch for in the future.
 

 
Chuck

3d cheerful
 

 

Thank you Alistair
 
Red is a very transparent color to paint with.   If you use thin coats it will be somewhat transparent.  I have many more coats and more sanding to get it where I want but it will most likely have some transparency.
 
I found some workshop time....so I finished planking the starboard side.  Its a big milestone but then I look at the port side and have to repeat the entire process, including the square tuck   But it all worked out very well.   Once the other side is finished I can start treenailing.  
 

 

 

 

 

 
 

The Square tuck....Thank goodness this isnt a real POF project.  Here is the simplified version.
 
The photo below shows the first beam added which to create teh base for the stern post.  It runs down the center of the square tuck so I can glue the stern post on later.  It is 1/8" thick and 7/32" wide.  The same width as the stern post
 
The same photo below shows the second timber....how I took a wider piece that was 1/8" thick.  I shaped it so the seam between the lower counter and this timber was very tight.   Then I measured and marked it so it would be 1/8" wide as well.  This will of course be repeated on the other side once it is planked.
 

 
The finished timber below.
 

 
Then it was time to create the side piece which will finish the square tuck frame....this was the hardest piece but not that difficult at all.   I just took a larger 1/8" thick piece of boxwood and shaped it to fit tightly against the two timbers I just just completed.  I tried to get real tight seams. At the same time,  it hangs off the side of the hull.  Then I traced the shape of the hull against the back of this piece.
 

 
Heres what the tracing looks like.  The piece was cut to shape on the scroll saw.
 

 
Then,  this piece was temporarily glued back in position with just a small dot of CA.   This was done because it will need to be removed after it is faired with the hull planking.  See below.  And as done before,  I drew another line to establish a 1/8" wide finished timber.  This was cut out and glued into position finishing the frame for the square tuck on this side of the hull.
 

 
Here is what it looks like.
 

 

 
Finally....it was planked inside with vertical planks the same width as the hull planking.  Tarred seams were simulated.   I was very careful to get very tight seams.   In actual practice these planks would be normal thickness and the ends resting in a rabbet along the edges of the square tuck frame.
 
In my case though,  I just faked it using planking that was actually 1/8" thick which is the same thickness as the frame.   It all worked out in the end.  I am quite pleased with the results as this is normally a really tough detail to model convincingly.   Now to touch up the red paint on the counter or maybe its just best to wait till the planking is all done.
 

 

 

 
I can now start planking the last belt  on the starboard side.

And one last image of the contemporary planking expansion detail.   It shows the square tuck pretty well.  For those that might have one on there model although its unlikely.  I have never seen a kit that shows one.  They are usually left off because they can be rather complex.  You can also see the number of planks....twenty which matches my model exactly.   Ten down to the bottom of the square tuck and ten more below that.  Hence the two planking belts I used.
 
Chuck
 

Thanks
 
Its all Boxwood and from Hobbymill.   Jeff was kind enough to cut me all the wood for the lower planking and the remainder of the project from a really nice piece.  Its the best boxwood I have ever seen.  
 
Heres a picture...I should have waited so I could use this better stuff above teh wales...but most of that will be covered up anyway.  So it should be OK.
 

 
Chuck
 
OH and another not so flattering image of the square tuck on that contemporary model.  Lots of cracks and damage.  It looks pretty beat up.  Also the last photo shows teh cheerful drawing I made.....you can see the differences
 
I dont think its the original blue paint on that model.   My reason is that you can see bits of it within the splits and cracks which means it was painted after the cracks developed.
 

 

Not Really Kurt
 
There are a few magazine articles,  the Peterson book on Rigging,  A few other books may have a nugget or two, but thats it.  Its pretty much spread all over the place.  You really cant count on the AOTS book for Alert.  Its much earlier than Cheerful.  The cutter didnt change all that much but there are still vast differences in some areas.   Its also has a few errors in it which have been discussed to death.  The windlass is one of them.
 
Luckily there are quite a few contemporary models of cutters out there.  There are also tons of plans for cutters on the NMM site.  AND the Cheerful plans are excellent in every respect. Very detailed which is why I chose it.
 
I pent the day planking.  Got the first belt done ob the starboard side.  It went quickly.  Only eight planks.   The starboard side is now half planked.  I must complete the square tuck on the starboard side next before I can plank the lower belt.  Luckily because its a POB design and NOT a fully framed model,  I dont have to follow actual practice for building the square tuck.   So based on my design I can do one half of the tuck at a time.  I am eager to get it done to see how it will work out.
 
Once the square tuck is done then I will plank the remaining 10 strakes in the lower belt....then I must repeat the process on the other side.  
 
Chuck
 

 

 

 

 

I have started to line out the hull for planking.   There are 20 strakes under the wales.   The first two are already done....those were the ones with the drop plank.  So I measured midship for the remaining 18 strakes.  They will be 3/16" wide.   Interestingly,  the strakes fit perfectly as they did on the contemporary draft.   There will be just two belts of strakes.   The first will have the remaining 8 under the wales.  The bottom belt will have ten.  Basically the hull was split in half down to the bottom of the square tuck as shown in that contemporary planking expansion.
 

 
I used black line tape to split the hull into the two belts.  I am spending a great deal of time examining it from all angles until I am pleased with it.   Then I marked along the tape and removed it.  All there is left to do is to take the space remaining in belt one on each bulkhead and transfer it to a tick strip.
 

 
The tick strip is divided into eight with the help of the planking fan.   Then the tick marks are transferred back to that bulkhead.  Once again I am amazed at how the cutter is so well designed by the naval architects.  Almost every bulkhead except for the four forward bulkheads have strakes exactly 3/16" wide.  Its a straight run to the square tuck with 3/16" planks.  No tapering/widening required in this first belt . Only those at the extreme bow need to be tapered which is a huge time saver.
 

 
This will not be the case in the lower belt.  The strakes will get wider at the stern as they run off the hull and also require tapering at the bow.  But it should be a very very close match to that original planking expansion for 1806.  Yippee for me.  It all worked out.
 
I also started fixing the wales at the bow which you can see in the photos.  They are now the proper thickness entering the rabbet or nearly so....almost there!!

Thanks...I am fixing up the wales as we speak.  I will post another picture soon after its done.  I noticed after I posted the photos that that I didnt take the wales down at the bow enough before painting them.  Basically, in actual practice,  the wales would fit into the same rabbet.  Therefore they would not be thicker than the surrounding planking at the bow where it enters the stem rabbet.  They gradually reduce in thickness until they are the same as the surrounding planks.
 
This is a nice little detail that no one would probably ever notice but after its done it will make the model even more historically accurate.  I am reducing the thickness right now and will repaint.
 
See this contemporary model from the rogers collection...notice how the wales dont stand proud of the planking along the stem rabbet.   They are flush....and all fit into the rabbet nicely as compared to my model which will soon be all fixed up.  This is true for most ships during this period including frigates like the Winchelsea.  But because its one of those little details often overlooked...I always forget.... and have to go back and fix it later.  Its a carry-over habit from my kit building days where this is never mentioned.
 
I also included a picture of a mermaid class frigate 1780ish.   Look at the stem where the wales enter the rabbet.
 
 
 

 
Chuck

Thanks....
 
Fam...Yes its standard English practice.  To have one drop plank under the wales.  If you look at most contemporary models you will see this.  This particular drop plank was shown on a "planking expansion" draft for the Cheerful.  I am following it pretty darn closely.  This will be exactly as shown on that contemporary draft.
 
Richard,  the drop planks were cut by hand.  I found its shape just like I did in the tutorial I posted.   I used wide packaging tape.  Once traced,  I removed the tape and transferred it to some stiff card stock.   I cut it out as a test piece.  Once I was satisfied I simply transferred it to the boxwood sheet.  You cant use the plans because of the foreshortening at the bow.  You must make take the space from your model directly.
 
See the tutorial here...Even though the Winchelsea doesnt have any drop planks or steelers its the same method used.
 
http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/Lining%20Off%20your%20hull%20for%20planking.pdf

I added the first two strakes below the wales.  This was to get the drop plank out of the way.  The drop plank was shaped from a piece of card stock first just to get the hang of it.  After I was satisfied that it fit OK I  cut the real ones from wide stock the same thickness as the planking.  They were pre shaped as you can see.  You can also see my pencil on the edge to simulate the tarred seams. Now I will line off the remainder of the hull into two belts and finish the planking.  I also painted the first of many layers of red paint on the counter at the stern.
 
Chuck
 

 

 

 

 

Thank you 
 
I do have more images though.......and a couple of contemporary drafts.   But yes it was done both ways.
 

 

I was able to shape the fashion pieces today.  They are will be in one piece with the boom crutch added separately later.  The boom crutches wont be added until the cap rail is added way down the road.   For now I just left them extra long so I can file them back to where I want them. You can see in the photo how the bottom fashion piece was bent using heat.....no water or soaking.  The top one is the flat 1/16" thick piece which has not been bent yet.
 
Once these were glued on the model,   the second layer of the wales (two strakes) were added and painted.  I still have to paint them on the other side.  After thats done I will treenail above the wales.  That will be easier to do before I add the fancy molding along the sides of the hull per the plan.
 
Notice how the fashion piece covers the end grain of the planks on the stern transom.  When the stern is all done there shouldnt be any end-grain exposed for any of the planking.  The fashion piece and square tuck protect them from the elements.
 

 

 

 

Almost forgot.....looking for some second opinions.   I am thinking about painting the lower counter and leaving the transom natural.  Like the Surly contemporary model.  What do you think?   Maybe blue....but not this bright.   Is it too much?  Maybe leave it all natural back there?
 
You will also note how the Surly had the bulwarks cut down which is why the transom is a funky shape.  This was done during a refit long after the Cheerful was already gone.  Cheerful didnt last too long.   Maybe I will switch and call her the Surly....I am not feeling too cheerful today..
 
Chuck
 

 

Got the counter and the transom planked.  You may notice that I thinned down the outside stern frames considerably before planking the stern.  The first photo shows how thick they were before it was planked.  After the sides of the hull were planked the outside stern frames were strong enough to handle the thinning down.  It makes the model more historically correct.  The inboard side of the stern and counter will not be planked so I wanted to make sure it looked as authentic as possible.  That of course means that I must really clean up the inboard side between the stern frames carefully to prepare it for painting.   I will fill any cracks and sand it smooth and do lots of surface prep.
 
Now I can have some fun.  Its time to put the fashion pieces on and the wales and fancy trim.  This is the step that will make it really come together.
 
Chuck
 

 

 

 

 

The planking above the wales is basically completed.  Just a few more planks to add on the port side as you can see.  I didnt bother simulating the caulking between the seams where it wont show.  So it looks a bit weird now.  But once the molding and second layer of the wales is added it will look fine.
 
You can only see a few places with a crisp line for the seams.  This was done by running a number two pencil down one plank edge.  If I did this on both plank edges it would have been too pronounced for my tastes.
 
I will plank the transom and counter next at the stern.  Its an interesting detail that in case of a cutter like this you dont plank the stern counter first.   The transom and counter are planked after the sides of the hull.   The exposed end-grain of the counter planking and transom planking will be protected from the elements and rot by the fashion pieces.   You can see them in the profile drawing.  So you will not see any of the end grain from the planking.  The frame for the square tuck also does this for the end grain of the planks.  Its an interesting feature and I almost forgot NOT to plank the counter first.  It is something I am so accustomed to doing.
 
Before I plank the stern transom and counter I have some shaping of the outer stern frames to do.  I will post pictures of this as well because its an important feature to keeping the finished model looking accurate.  So far its coming together quite well without any real issues.  Its a fun build so far.  You can start to see the final shape of the cutter come to life as the planking progresses.  I know the bulwarks look thick at this point but they will actually be thinned down quite a bit soon.  The outboard and inboard planking at the sheer was actually just 1 1/2" thick....once its planked inboard and out the final width will be just 1/8 - 5/32" thick at the most.   Closer to 1/8" thick I hope.
 

 

 

Thanks guys
 
Rusty it will be basically the same.  Except in this case the original planking expansion did show one drop plank at the bow.  I am basically replicating that draft exactly.  So I will include that drop plank and then divide the bottom of the hull into belts.   But only two this time.   Then I will line off the hull before moving forward with the planking.
 
Heres what the hull looks like after those two planks were added between the molding and the wales.  I only darkened the seams where it will eventually be noticed.  This helps if I need to tweak the placement of the second layer for the wales and molding.   Without the seams darker its easier to move the second layer without folks noticing.
 
You will notice the darker wales.  This was just a sheet of boxwood I had that was noticeable darker.  I figured what the heck,  I might as well use it for the wales.  Its going to be painted anyway.  It also helps me visualize the run of the wales as I plank above them.
 

I started the planking today.  This always begins with placing battens on the hull.  The top of the batten represents the bottom edge of the wales.  I really spent a lot of time on these because it will establish the run of all of the planks on the hull.
 

 
It was added to both sides so I can check it from every conceivable angle.  Once I was satisfied I planked the wales with two strips.  This will be the first layer.  After I plank the hull from here up to the sheer,  I will come back and add the final layer.  Its a hold over from my time building kits.  I like the idea of being able to make small adjustments with the run of the wales on the final layer.  Since it will be painted black and this isnt the final layer it laid down in one long strip rather than in 25 foot long pieces.
 
Now on most ships you can just start planking from the wales up...the run of the wales determines the run of the planking above it to the sheer.  Mostly anyway.
 
In this case however it isnt true.  It is again one of the reasons I chose the Cheerful.  Its not difficult work at all but requires careful planning.  If you examine the plan for the cheerful you will see the run of two moldings just under and through the gunports.   I was fortunate to have the original draft for teh planking expansion and my model will follow it exactly.  The same number of strakes and their run are precisely copied from it.  The space between this molding and the wales is not consistent.   So I decided to add the 1/16" strip first which for the most part runs right under the ports, leaving a 1/64" rabbet along the bottom of each port.
 

 
Then I divided up that space between the molding strip and the wales equally so I can taper these two strakes that will fit between them.  You may be able to see my tick marks defining the space and strakes on each bulkhead.
 

 
The molding strip is just the first layer also....Once its all done I will come back and add the final layer after scraping the fancy profile into it.    Once again, having a little wiggle room to adjust teh run of the molding later is a huge plus.
 
Then its just a matter of finishing the planking and other molding strip as I work my way up to the sheer.
 
Chuck

I managed to finish the skeleton for Cheerful today.  So its now ready for planking.  The stern framing was pretty standard although the design concept was modified for the square tuck.  This is a feature that is rarely shown correctly on these cutters.  There are some pretty complex angles.  Its hard to tell in the images but the square tuck is not flat and completely perpendicular to the keel.  It has a slight convex curve as it works its way from the center outward.   
 
It isnt complete yet.  The actual framed square tuck will be added after the sides of the hull are planked.  Its probably the trickiest part on the model but I simplified it quite bit as far as the construction is concerned.  But when its done it should look exactly like the real thing.  Thats my hope anyway.  The first image shows the Rogers collection model with its square tuck.   The frame around the vertical planking will be added after the hull is completely planked.  Then I will fill it in with the vertical planks.
 
Chuck