gjdale

After a brief side project making some bandsawn Reindeer Christmas decorations, 
 

 
it was time to proceed with the Capstan Body. 
 
The Capstan Body is assembly P/N 300 and is comprised of the Barrel (P/N 301), the Whelps (P/N 029), the Chocks (P/N 030 and 031), and the retaining pin assembly (P/N 303).
Barrel (P/N 301)
The barrel, while made from a single piece of timber, has a varying cross section. At the top it is square, the mid-portion is ten-sided, and the lower part is circular, with a stepped section for the gasket. The retaining pin assembly is also cut from the same piece of stock. All of these cross-sections are achieved using a combination of the lathe and the mill.
 
It all starts with a square blank. The length of the blank needs to be long enough for a little extra length for work holding, but short enough that it will fit in the mill mounting arrangement (seen later).
 
Rather than mounting the (not-quite) square blank in a four-jaw chuck and leaving the extra length square-ish in section, I opted to mount it between centres and turn the entire length, which would subsequently allow me to mount it in a three-jaw chuck. Here is the start of the process.
 

 
Once the entire length was turned down to the maximum diameter of the barrel, the narrower sections for the gasket and the part that will go through the Capstan Step were turned down.
 

 
The part was then removed from the lathe and inserted in a three-jaw chuck, which was mounted on the mill rotary table, which was attached to a right-angle mount. The “tail” end was supported using an adjustable tailstock holder. Here is the overall set-up, which facilitated milling of the ten-sided section and the square top section. In this photo all of the milling has been completed.
 

 
All of that sounds easy, and it is if you pay attention to correct set-up of your mill – which I failed to do on the first attempt. It had been quite a while since I had used the mill and I simply forgot some of the basics. After a failed first attempt, I started over and this time spent the necessary time to align the rotary table in both the Y and Z axes, and to align the tail-stock holder properly with the chuck. A little bit of fiddling to be sure, but really the only way to ensure that your final product will be what you intended, within the tolerances you intended.
 
The part was left in the chuck and the chuck removed from the rotary table and returned to the lathe for the next operation. After using a 1/8” centre drill to start the hole, a regular 1/8” drill bit was used to drill through the excess material, through what would become the retaining pin assembly, and into the base of the capstan body. This departs slightly from Toni’s drawing and is a little bit of a “cheat”, but was the easiest way to ensure that the holes for the retaining pin aligned perfectly.
 

 
The main body was then separated from the retaining pin assembly and cut roughly to length at the top (square) end. The main body was then reversed in the chuck and the square end cut down to final length by a series of facing cuts on the lathe. Similarly, the retaining piece was cut to rough length with a hand saw and then re-inserted in the chuck and trimmed to final length with another series of facing cuts. After test-fitting the assembly, I found that the retaining piece needed to be significantly shorter than shown in the drawings in order that it not extend below the deck beams. This was a simple fix – the piece was marked to a new final length directly from the deck beams and re-inserted in the lathe for another series of facing cuts.
 
A piece of 1/8” diameter brass rod was cut to length for the retaining pin (P/N 028) and epoxied into the retaining piece (P/N 027). Here is a picture of all three pieces prior to gluing the retaining pin in place.
 

 
The Whelps are next….

After a brief side project making some bandsawn Reindeer Christmas decorations, 
 

 
it was time to proceed with the Capstan Body. 
 
The Capstan Body is assembly P/N 300 and is comprised of the Barrel (P/N 301), the Whelps (P/N 029), the Chocks (P/N 030 and 031), and the retaining pin assembly (P/N 303).
Barrel (P/N 301)
The barrel, while made from a single piece of timber, has a varying cross section. At the top it is square, the mid-portion is ten-sided, and the lower part is circular, with a stepped section for the gasket. The retaining pin assembly is also cut from the same piece of stock. All of these cross-sections are achieved using a combination of the lathe and the mill.
 
It all starts with a square blank. The length of the blank needs to be long enough for a little extra length for work holding, but short enough that it will fit in the mill mounting arrangement (seen later).
 
Rather than mounting the (not-quite) square blank in a four-jaw chuck and leaving the extra length square-ish in section, I opted to mount it between centres and turn the entire length, which would subsequently allow me to mount it in a three-jaw chuck. Here is the start of the process.
 

 
Once the entire length was turned down to the maximum diameter of the barrel, the narrower sections for the gasket and the part that will go through the Capstan Step were turned down.
 

 
The part was then removed from the lathe and inserted in a three-jaw chuck, which was mounted on the mill rotary table, which was attached to a right-angle mount. The “tail” end was supported using an adjustable tailstock holder. Here is the overall set-up, which facilitated milling of the ten-sided section and the square top section. In this photo all of the milling has been completed.
 

 
All of that sounds easy, and it is if you pay attention to correct set-up of your mill – which I failed to do on the first attempt. It had been quite a while since I had used the mill and I simply forgot some of the basics. After a failed first attempt, I started over and this time spent the necessary time to align the rotary table in both the Y and Z axes, and to align the tail-stock holder properly with the chuck. A little bit of fiddling to be sure, but really the only way to ensure that your final product will be what you intended, within the tolerances you intended.
 
The part was left in the chuck and the chuck removed from the rotary table and returned to the lathe for the next operation. After using a 1/8” centre drill to start the hole, a regular 1/8” drill bit was used to drill through the excess material, through what would become the retaining pin assembly, and into the base of the capstan body. This departs slightly from Toni’s drawing and is a little bit of a “cheat”, but was the easiest way to ensure that the holes for the retaining pin aligned perfectly.
 

 
The main body was then separated from the retaining pin assembly and cut roughly to length at the top (square) end. The main body was then reversed in the chuck and the square end cut down to final length by a series of facing cuts on the lathe. Similarly, the retaining piece was cut to rough length with a hand saw and then re-inserted in the chuck and trimmed to final length with another series of facing cuts. After test-fitting the assembly, I found that the retaining piece needed to be significantly shorter than shown in the drawings in order that it not extend below the deck beams. This was a simple fix – the piece was marked to a new final length directly from the deck beams and re-inserted in the lathe for another series of facing cuts.
 
A piece of 1/8” diameter brass rod was cut to length for the retaining pin (P/N 028) and epoxied into the retaining piece (P/N 027). Here is a picture of all three pieces prior to gluing the retaining pin in place.
 

 
The Whelps are next….

After a brief side project making some bandsawn Reindeer Christmas decorations, 
 

 
it was time to proceed with the Capstan Body. 
 
The Capstan Body is assembly P/N 300 and is comprised of the Barrel (P/N 301), the Whelps (P/N 029), the Chocks (P/N 030 and 031), and the retaining pin assembly (P/N 303).
Barrel (P/N 301)
The barrel, while made from a single piece of timber, has a varying cross section. At the top it is square, the mid-portion is ten-sided, and the lower part is circular, with a stepped section for the gasket. The retaining pin assembly is also cut from the same piece of stock. All of these cross-sections are achieved using a combination of the lathe and the mill.
 
It all starts with a square blank. The length of the blank needs to be long enough for a little extra length for work holding, but short enough that it will fit in the mill mounting arrangement (seen later).
 
Rather than mounting the (not-quite) square blank in a four-jaw chuck and leaving the extra length square-ish in section, I opted to mount it between centres and turn the entire length, which would subsequently allow me to mount it in a three-jaw chuck. Here is the start of the process.
 

 
Once the entire length was turned down to the maximum diameter of the barrel, the narrower sections for the gasket and the part that will go through the Capstan Step were turned down.
 

 
The part was then removed from the lathe and inserted in a three-jaw chuck, which was mounted on the mill rotary table, which was attached to a right-angle mount. The “tail” end was supported using an adjustable tailstock holder. Here is the overall set-up, which facilitated milling of the ten-sided section and the square top section. In this photo all of the milling has been completed.
 

 
All of that sounds easy, and it is if you pay attention to correct set-up of your mill – which I failed to do on the first attempt. It had been quite a while since I had used the mill and I simply forgot some of the basics. After a failed first attempt, I started over and this time spent the necessary time to align the rotary table in both the Y and Z axes, and to align the tail-stock holder properly with the chuck. A little bit of fiddling to be sure, but really the only way to ensure that your final product will be what you intended, within the tolerances you intended.
 
The part was left in the chuck and the chuck removed from the rotary table and returned to the lathe for the next operation. After using a 1/8” centre drill to start the hole, a regular 1/8” drill bit was used to drill through the excess material, through what would become the retaining pin assembly, and into the base of the capstan body. This departs slightly from Toni’s drawing and is a little bit of a “cheat”, but was the easiest way to ensure that the holes for the retaining pin aligned perfectly.
 

 
The main body was then separated from the retaining pin assembly and cut roughly to length at the top (square) end. The main body was then reversed in the chuck and the square end cut down to final length by a series of facing cuts on the lathe. Similarly, the retaining piece was cut to rough length with a hand saw and then re-inserted in the chuck and trimmed to final length with another series of facing cuts. After test-fitting the assembly, I found that the retaining piece needed to be significantly shorter than shown in the drawings in order that it not extend below the deck beams. This was a simple fix – the piece was marked to a new final length directly from the deck beams and re-inserted in the lathe for another series of facing cuts.
 
A piece of 1/8” diameter brass rod was cut to length for the retaining pin (P/N 028) and epoxied into the retaining piece (P/N 027). Here is a picture of all three pieces prior to gluing the retaining pin in place.
 

 
The Whelps are next….

It seems that time has gotten away from me again! Thanks Bob and Tom for your kind comments and for all of the "likes". On with the show!
 
Hatch (P/N 102)
This is the trickiest part of the build to date. It is made so by the joinery for the hatch, with the Coamings and Head Ledges being joined by “tailed half-lap joints”. This means that the joints are angled in two planes. It took some time to get my head around these joints, and after a few failed attempts I had to walk away for a few days before trying again. Then I got distracted with other tasks around the house and suddenly it was a few weeks before I got back to it.
 
The key to success here is accurate marking out. To make the first half of the joint, measurements were taken from the drawings. I found my set of set-up blocks most useful for this task, along with a marking knife. The pencil was only used to go over the knife lines to improve their visibility. 
 

 

 
The second half of the joint must be marked directly from the first half, and this is the most difficult part. The method I finally succeeded with was to mark a pin prick with the marking knife to correspond with all four extremities of the first half of the joint. Then it was a case of using a ruler and the knife to “join the dots”. Cutting the joints was achieved with a razor saw and a full size, very sharp chisel. By keeping away from the marked lines initially, I was then able to pare to the line with the chisel and make any minor adjustments for a good fit.
 
I got so engrossed in this process that I forgot to take any progress shots. Here is an example though of the joints cut, showing the angles in two planes. This picture is actaully of some “rejects”.
 

 
Once I had satisfactory joints in all four corners, they were glued up and the rabbet pieces cut to size and fitted.
 
The sides of the hatch are vertical for the bottom half, and then taper inwards by one-half inch (actual size). Rather than using a sanding block to achieve this, I used a marking gauge to define the extremities of the taper and then used a block plane to remove the excess material. I used my home-made mini Moxxon vise to hold the piece while I planed the sides, coming in from both ends to avoid breakout on the cross-grain joint.
 

 
Here is the finished Hatch, ready for installation of the grating.
 

 
The grating was then carefully adjusted for a snug fit. I found I needed to sand just the slightest amount off each side of the grating. It was then glued in place and the top surface sanded level with the hatch sides.
 

 
  
I was contemplating how to mark out the positions for the fasteners, when it hit me that the answer was staring me in the face. I simply cut out the scale drawing of the grating and taped it over my grating. I then used my home-made needle point scribing tool to mark the positions.
 

 
Once the pattern was removed, a pencil lead was twirled in the holes and the surface sanded lightly.
 

 
And finally, here is an overview of progress to date:
 

 
That completes all the “easy” part of this build. Next up we commence some lathe work with building of the Capstan body.
 

After a brief side project making some bandsawn Reindeer Christmas decorations, 
 

 
it was time to proceed with the Capstan Body. 
 
The Capstan Body is assembly P/N 300 and is comprised of the Barrel (P/N 301), the Whelps (P/N 029), the Chocks (P/N 030 and 031), and the retaining pin assembly (P/N 303).
Barrel (P/N 301)
The barrel, while made from a single piece of timber, has a varying cross section. At the top it is square, the mid-portion is ten-sided, and the lower part is circular, with a stepped section for the gasket. The retaining pin assembly is also cut from the same piece of stock. All of these cross-sections are achieved using a combination of the lathe and the mill.
 
It all starts with a square blank. The length of the blank needs to be long enough for a little extra length for work holding, but short enough that it will fit in the mill mounting arrangement (seen later).
 
Rather than mounting the (not-quite) square blank in a four-jaw chuck and leaving the extra length square-ish in section, I opted to mount it between centres and turn the entire length, which would subsequently allow me to mount it in a three-jaw chuck. Here is the start of the process.
 

 
Once the entire length was turned down to the maximum diameter of the barrel, the narrower sections for the gasket and the part that will go through the Capstan Step were turned down.
 

 
The part was then removed from the lathe and inserted in a three-jaw chuck, which was mounted on the mill rotary table, which was attached to a right-angle mount. The “tail” end was supported using an adjustable tailstock holder. Here is the overall set-up, which facilitated milling of the ten-sided section and the square top section. In this photo all of the milling has been completed.
 

 
All of that sounds easy, and it is if you pay attention to correct set-up of your mill – which I failed to do on the first attempt. It had been quite a while since I had used the mill and I simply forgot some of the basics. After a failed first attempt, I started over and this time spent the necessary time to align the rotary table in both the Y and Z axes, and to align the tail-stock holder properly with the chuck. A little bit of fiddling to be sure, but really the only way to ensure that your final product will be what you intended, within the tolerances you intended.
 
The part was left in the chuck and the chuck removed from the rotary table and returned to the lathe for the next operation. After using a 1/8” centre drill to start the hole, a regular 1/8” drill bit was used to drill through the excess material, through what would become the retaining pin assembly, and into the base of the capstan body. This departs slightly from Toni’s drawing and is a little bit of a “cheat”, but was the easiest way to ensure that the holes for the retaining pin aligned perfectly.
 

 
The main body was then separated from the retaining pin assembly and cut roughly to length at the top (square) end. The main body was then reversed in the chuck and the square end cut down to final length by a series of facing cuts on the lathe. Similarly, the retaining piece was cut to rough length with a hand saw and then re-inserted in the chuck and trimmed to final length with another series of facing cuts. After test-fitting the assembly, I found that the retaining piece needed to be significantly shorter than shown in the drawings in order that it not extend below the deck beams. This was a simple fix – the piece was marked to a new final length directly from the deck beams and re-inserted in the lathe for another series of facing cuts.
 
A piece of 1/8” diameter brass rod was cut to length for the retaining pin (P/N 028) and epoxied into the retaining piece (P/N 027). Here is a picture of all three pieces prior to gluing the retaining pin in place.
 

 
The Whelps are next….

After a brief side project making some bandsawn Reindeer Christmas decorations, 
 

 
it was time to proceed with the Capstan Body. 
 
The Capstan Body is assembly P/N 300 and is comprised of the Barrel (P/N 301), the Whelps (P/N 029), the Chocks (P/N 030 and 031), and the retaining pin assembly (P/N 303).
Barrel (P/N 301)
The barrel, while made from a single piece of timber, has a varying cross section. At the top it is square, the mid-portion is ten-sided, and the lower part is circular, with a stepped section for the gasket. The retaining pin assembly is also cut from the same piece of stock. All of these cross-sections are achieved using a combination of the lathe and the mill.
 
It all starts with a square blank. The length of the blank needs to be long enough for a little extra length for work holding, but short enough that it will fit in the mill mounting arrangement (seen later).
 
Rather than mounting the (not-quite) square blank in a four-jaw chuck and leaving the extra length square-ish in section, I opted to mount it between centres and turn the entire length, which would subsequently allow me to mount it in a three-jaw chuck. Here is the start of the process.
 

 
Once the entire length was turned down to the maximum diameter of the barrel, the narrower sections for the gasket and the part that will go through the Capstan Step were turned down.
 

 
The part was then removed from the lathe and inserted in a three-jaw chuck, which was mounted on the mill rotary table, which was attached to a right-angle mount. The “tail” end was supported using an adjustable tailstock holder. Here is the overall set-up, which facilitated milling of the ten-sided section and the square top section. In this photo all of the milling has been completed.
 

 
All of that sounds easy, and it is if you pay attention to correct set-up of your mill – which I failed to do on the first attempt. It had been quite a while since I had used the mill and I simply forgot some of the basics. After a failed first attempt, I started over and this time spent the necessary time to align the rotary table in both the Y and Z axes, and to align the tail-stock holder properly with the chuck. A little bit of fiddling to be sure, but really the only way to ensure that your final product will be what you intended, within the tolerances you intended.
 
The part was left in the chuck and the chuck removed from the rotary table and returned to the lathe for the next operation. After using a 1/8” centre drill to start the hole, a regular 1/8” drill bit was used to drill through the excess material, through what would become the retaining pin assembly, and into the base of the capstan body. This departs slightly from Toni’s drawing and is a little bit of a “cheat”, but was the easiest way to ensure that the holes for the retaining pin aligned perfectly.
 

 
The main body was then separated from the retaining pin assembly and cut roughly to length at the top (square) end. The main body was then reversed in the chuck and the square end cut down to final length by a series of facing cuts on the lathe. Similarly, the retaining piece was cut to rough length with a hand saw and then re-inserted in the chuck and trimmed to final length with another series of facing cuts. After test-fitting the assembly, I found that the retaining piece needed to be significantly shorter than shown in the drawings in order that it not extend below the deck beams. This was a simple fix – the piece was marked to a new final length directly from the deck beams and re-inserted in the lathe for another series of facing cuts.
 
A piece of 1/8” diameter brass rod was cut to length for the retaining pin (P/N 028) and epoxied into the retaining piece (P/N 027). Here is a picture of all three pieces prior to gluing the retaining pin in place.
 

 
The Whelps are next….

The knee of the head:

 

 
a touch of color:

 

 

 

 

After a brief side project making some bandsawn Reindeer Christmas decorations, 
 

 
it was time to proceed with the Capstan Body. 
 
The Capstan Body is assembly P/N 300 and is comprised of the Barrel (P/N 301), the Whelps (P/N 029), the Chocks (P/N 030 and 031), and the retaining pin assembly (P/N 303).
Barrel (P/N 301)
The barrel, while made from a single piece of timber, has a varying cross section. At the top it is square, the mid-portion is ten-sided, and the lower part is circular, with a stepped section for the gasket. The retaining pin assembly is also cut from the same piece of stock. All of these cross-sections are achieved using a combination of the lathe and the mill.
 
It all starts with a square blank. The length of the blank needs to be long enough for a little extra length for work holding, but short enough that it will fit in the mill mounting arrangement (seen later).
 
Rather than mounting the (not-quite) square blank in a four-jaw chuck and leaving the extra length square-ish in section, I opted to mount it between centres and turn the entire length, which would subsequently allow me to mount it in a three-jaw chuck. Here is the start of the process.
 

 
Once the entire length was turned down to the maximum diameter of the barrel, the narrower sections for the gasket and the part that will go through the Capstan Step were turned down.
 

 
The part was then removed from the lathe and inserted in a three-jaw chuck, which was mounted on the mill rotary table, which was attached to a right-angle mount. The “tail” end was supported using an adjustable tailstock holder. Here is the overall set-up, which facilitated milling of the ten-sided section and the square top section. In this photo all of the milling has been completed.
 

 
All of that sounds easy, and it is if you pay attention to correct set-up of your mill – which I failed to do on the first attempt. It had been quite a while since I had used the mill and I simply forgot some of the basics. After a failed first attempt, I started over and this time spent the necessary time to align the rotary table in both the Y and Z axes, and to align the tail-stock holder properly with the chuck. A little bit of fiddling to be sure, but really the only way to ensure that your final product will be what you intended, within the tolerances you intended.
 
The part was left in the chuck and the chuck removed from the rotary table and returned to the lathe for the next operation. After using a 1/8” centre drill to start the hole, a regular 1/8” drill bit was used to drill through the excess material, through what would become the retaining pin assembly, and into the base of the capstan body. This departs slightly from Toni’s drawing and is a little bit of a “cheat”, but was the easiest way to ensure that the holes for the retaining pin aligned perfectly.
 

 
The main body was then separated from the retaining pin assembly and cut roughly to length at the top (square) end. The main body was then reversed in the chuck and the square end cut down to final length by a series of facing cuts on the lathe. Similarly, the retaining piece was cut to rough length with a hand saw and then re-inserted in the chuck and trimmed to final length with another series of facing cuts. After test-fitting the assembly, I found that the retaining piece needed to be significantly shorter than shown in the drawings in order that it not extend below the deck beams. This was a simple fix – the piece was marked to a new final length directly from the deck beams and re-inserted in the lathe for another series of facing cuts.
 
A piece of 1/8” diameter brass rod was cut to length for the retaining pin (P/N 028) and epoxied into the retaining piece (P/N 027). Here is a picture of all three pieces prior to gluing the retaining pin in place.
 

 
The Whelps are next….

Hi All,
Final update for today....
 
Port side Sea Chest and other inlet PE attached.
I had to very carefully clean out the locations small chisels and the odd second hand dentist tool.... 🙂 
 
I think I'll stop for the day and carry on with the Starboard side tomorrow.
 
Cheers....HOF.
 
Photos:
 
 

After a brief side project making some bandsawn Reindeer Christmas decorations, 
 

 
it was time to proceed with the Capstan Body. 
 
The Capstan Body is assembly P/N 300 and is comprised of the Barrel (P/N 301), the Whelps (P/N 029), the Chocks (P/N 030 and 031), and the retaining pin assembly (P/N 303).
Barrel (P/N 301)
The barrel, while made from a single piece of timber, has a varying cross section. At the top it is square, the mid-portion is ten-sided, and the lower part is circular, with a stepped section for the gasket. The retaining pin assembly is also cut from the same piece of stock. All of these cross-sections are achieved using a combination of the lathe and the mill.
 
It all starts with a square blank. The length of the blank needs to be long enough for a little extra length for work holding, but short enough that it will fit in the mill mounting arrangement (seen later).
 
Rather than mounting the (not-quite) square blank in a four-jaw chuck and leaving the extra length square-ish in section, I opted to mount it between centres and turn the entire length, which would subsequently allow me to mount it in a three-jaw chuck. Here is the start of the process.
 

 
Once the entire length was turned down to the maximum diameter of the barrel, the narrower sections for the gasket and the part that will go through the Capstan Step were turned down.
 

 
The part was then removed from the lathe and inserted in a three-jaw chuck, which was mounted on the mill rotary table, which was attached to a right-angle mount. The “tail” end was supported using an adjustable tailstock holder. Here is the overall set-up, which facilitated milling of the ten-sided section and the square top section. In this photo all of the milling has been completed.
 

 
All of that sounds easy, and it is if you pay attention to correct set-up of your mill – which I failed to do on the first attempt. It had been quite a while since I had used the mill and I simply forgot some of the basics. After a failed first attempt, I started over and this time spent the necessary time to align the rotary table in both the Y and Z axes, and to align the tail-stock holder properly with the chuck. A little bit of fiddling to be sure, but really the only way to ensure that your final product will be what you intended, within the tolerances you intended.
 
The part was left in the chuck and the chuck removed from the rotary table and returned to the lathe for the next operation. After using a 1/8” centre drill to start the hole, a regular 1/8” drill bit was used to drill through the excess material, through what would become the retaining pin assembly, and into the base of the capstan body. This departs slightly from Toni’s drawing and is a little bit of a “cheat”, but was the easiest way to ensure that the holes for the retaining pin aligned perfectly.
 

 
The main body was then separated from the retaining pin assembly and cut roughly to length at the top (square) end. The main body was then reversed in the chuck and the square end cut down to final length by a series of facing cuts on the lathe. Similarly, the retaining piece was cut to rough length with a hand saw and then re-inserted in the chuck and trimmed to final length with another series of facing cuts. After test-fitting the assembly, I found that the retaining piece needed to be significantly shorter than shown in the drawings in order that it not extend below the deck beams. This was a simple fix – the piece was marked to a new final length directly from the deck beams and re-inserted in the lathe for another series of facing cuts.
 
A piece of 1/8” diameter brass rod was cut to length for the retaining pin (P/N 028) and epoxied into the retaining piece (P/N 027). Here is a picture of all three pieces prior to gluing the retaining pin in place.
 

 
The Whelps are next….

After a brief side project making some bandsawn Reindeer Christmas decorations, 
 

 
it was time to proceed with the Capstan Body. 
 
The Capstan Body is assembly P/N 300 and is comprised of the Barrel (P/N 301), the Whelps (P/N 029), the Chocks (P/N 030 and 031), and the retaining pin assembly (P/N 303).
Barrel (P/N 301)
The barrel, while made from a single piece of timber, has a varying cross section. At the top it is square, the mid-portion is ten-sided, and the lower part is circular, with a stepped section for the gasket. The retaining pin assembly is also cut from the same piece of stock. All of these cross-sections are achieved using a combination of the lathe and the mill.
 
It all starts with a square blank. The length of the blank needs to be long enough for a little extra length for work holding, but short enough that it will fit in the mill mounting arrangement (seen later).
 
Rather than mounting the (not-quite) square blank in a four-jaw chuck and leaving the extra length square-ish in section, I opted to mount it between centres and turn the entire length, which would subsequently allow me to mount it in a three-jaw chuck. Here is the start of the process.
 

 
Once the entire length was turned down to the maximum diameter of the barrel, the narrower sections for the gasket and the part that will go through the Capstan Step were turned down.
 

 
The part was then removed from the lathe and inserted in a three-jaw chuck, which was mounted on the mill rotary table, which was attached to a right-angle mount. The “tail” end was supported using an adjustable tailstock holder. Here is the overall set-up, which facilitated milling of the ten-sided section and the square top section. In this photo all of the milling has been completed.
 

 
All of that sounds easy, and it is if you pay attention to correct set-up of your mill – which I failed to do on the first attempt. It had been quite a while since I had used the mill and I simply forgot some of the basics. After a failed first attempt, I started over and this time spent the necessary time to align the rotary table in both the Y and Z axes, and to align the tail-stock holder properly with the chuck. A little bit of fiddling to be sure, but really the only way to ensure that your final product will be what you intended, within the tolerances you intended.
 
The part was left in the chuck and the chuck removed from the rotary table and returned to the lathe for the next operation. After using a 1/8” centre drill to start the hole, a regular 1/8” drill bit was used to drill through the excess material, through what would become the retaining pin assembly, and into the base of the capstan body. This departs slightly from Toni’s drawing and is a little bit of a “cheat”, but was the easiest way to ensure that the holes for the retaining pin aligned perfectly.
 

 
The main body was then separated from the retaining pin assembly and cut roughly to length at the top (square) end. The main body was then reversed in the chuck and the square end cut down to final length by a series of facing cuts on the lathe. Similarly, the retaining piece was cut to rough length with a hand saw and then re-inserted in the chuck and trimmed to final length with another series of facing cuts. After test-fitting the assembly, I found that the retaining piece needed to be significantly shorter than shown in the drawings in order that it not extend below the deck beams. This was a simple fix – the piece was marked to a new final length directly from the deck beams and re-inserted in the lathe for another series of facing cuts.
 
A piece of 1/8” diameter brass rod was cut to length for the retaining pin (P/N 028) and epoxied into the retaining piece (P/N 027). Here is a picture of all three pieces prior to gluing the retaining pin in place.
 

 
The Whelps are next….

Today I worked on the quarter galleries. I still have a few other things to do before they get mounted, but I've been a little excited to get to them. Mostly because I was really impressed with the way @realworkingsailor crafted a more three dimensional version for his Pegasus Build and I couldn't wait to try it - with a bit of my own flair of course.
     I started by adding some additional dimension to the frieze and carvings. The Amati kit uses a couple different layers of photo etch to try to create carvings, but I felt I could add a little more - so I coated the photo etched pieces with yellow ochre, then I went through and carefully dabbed some areas with bits of yellow ochre acrylic and then let it dry.  Then I went through and air brushed a VERY light coat of white, then back over it with Vallejo's yellow ochre "air".  
 
 
 
 
 
  On to the quarter galleries themselves.  First step, mark out where they're going to be, then make room with the trim and drill out the space creating a cabin inside and paint it black. Next up, I cut out and shaped some balsa (just as Realworkingsailor did) to give dimension.  One of the most difficult and delicate parts of this operation was separating the window frames which are laser cut as one piece. I used a jeweler's saw with my thinnest blade and very gentle cutting.  Any little gaps are filled with "wonderfill" filler and then the whole thing is painted black and the photo etching is added.  I didn't take photos of that bit, but extra care is needed to bend the pieces to fit the now three dimensional gallery.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    Now, my favorite part!  I finally figured out that the best way to shape my little microscope slide covers is to carefully hold them against the belt sander!  I marked the shape I needed with a sharpie, and the belt sander worked great.  It was fast enough not to shatter the piece and also half melted half sanded the glass into shape.  It was then glued in place using white glue that dries clear. I actually prefer fabric stitch glue here because it's tackier.  The galleries are just sitting in place for the moment and will be permanently mounted later.
 
 
 
 
 

 
  The glass is a bit of a pain obviously, but it looks really good.  I purposely took pictures with an angle where the light reflected so you can see it, but the photos don't really do it justice. Really clear straight on, then catches the light.  As I said, I picked up the tip from a guy on a train model forum and he was right: nothing looks quite like glass, like glass looks like glass.
   Next up - Starboard side.

Do you need to be “fiddling” with all five or six sections at once, or can you focus on one section at a time?
 
I’d be leaning towards the white PVA myself but you can get this in different set times. If you go for one of the slower setting ones, you should be okay.

Year end update?
My build progress to date:

Only a few frames to go.
If you've been following you know I've also worked on the figurehead, bowsprit, jib boom and associated yards, the rudder and the main mast and tree.
 
But I am again distracted.
I volunteered my time to make a donor wall display for our local library.
 
They wanted something like this.

 
But I proposed this.

 
And I am presently sanding the leaves (yuk).  The edges have been bevelled (45°).  They will be stained (3 different stains for variety) and sealed.
I made card stock templates to locate the hangers so they each dangle at their proper angle.
2" synthetic manila rope for the main branch, 1" for the off shoots to be spliced in.
2 ounce waxed whipping will be used for the sailmaker's whipping to finish the one base end and common whipping for everything else to keep things tiddly!
 

 

Hi All,
Thanks for the likes and comments, appreciated.
 
Small update:
 
Filled filling/snding and re-primed the Hull.
 
Decided to skip to issue to #126, Hull Porthole Rivet thingies.
Commenced to instal using Mig Ammo Ultra Glue so that I could easily remove and re-seat if necessary. the portholes need a really good "Push" to grt them seated properly. (Flush)
The installation went very well until my 2.0mm drill bit snapped inside the Stern resin piece. One hole on the Port Stern holes was way out  of line. I could not retrieve the drill bit nor did I re-drill the one Port Hole but filled then.... (A bit lazy but no one will know apart from me and anyone that reads this.... 🙂
(I really don't want to re-prime the Hull again!!)
 
Completed the wooden structures for Port and Starboard Hangers.
I won't prime these unyil some of the etch goes on but may do a bit of sanding sealer as the slots for the PE I feel would be too easily "Lost."
 
Almost forgot the Sea Chest PE!! 🙂
There are, I think 13 or 14 components per side.
I guess I'll work on these next and I'll have to ensure the locations for these fit the PE after the spray putty/primer went on.
 
Cheers....HOF.
 
Photos:
 

 

It seems that time has gotten away from me again! Thanks Bob and Tom for your kind comments and for all of the "likes". On with the show!
 
Hatch (P/N 102)
This is the trickiest part of the build to date. It is made so by the joinery for the hatch, with the Coamings and Head Ledges being joined by “tailed half-lap joints”. This means that the joints are angled in two planes. It took some time to get my head around these joints, and after a few failed attempts I had to walk away for a few days before trying again. Then I got distracted with other tasks around the house and suddenly it was a few weeks before I got back to it.
 
The key to success here is accurate marking out. To make the first half of the joint, measurements were taken from the drawings. I found my set of set-up blocks most useful for this task, along with a marking knife. The pencil was only used to go over the knife lines to improve their visibility. 
 

 

 
The second half of the joint must be marked directly from the first half, and this is the most difficult part. The method I finally succeeded with was to mark a pin prick with the marking knife to correspond with all four extremities of the first half of the joint. Then it was a case of using a ruler and the knife to “join the dots”. Cutting the joints was achieved with a razor saw and a full size, very sharp chisel. By keeping away from the marked lines initially, I was then able to pare to the line with the chisel and make any minor adjustments for a good fit.
 
I got so engrossed in this process that I forgot to take any progress shots. Here is an example though of the joints cut, showing the angles in two planes. This picture is actaully of some “rejects”.
 

 
Once I had satisfactory joints in all four corners, they were glued up and the rabbet pieces cut to size and fitted.
 
The sides of the hatch are vertical for the bottom half, and then taper inwards by one-half inch (actual size). Rather than using a sanding block to achieve this, I used a marking gauge to define the extremities of the taper and then used a block plane to remove the excess material. I used my home-made mini Moxxon vise to hold the piece while I planed the sides, coming in from both ends to avoid breakout on the cross-grain joint.
 

 
Here is the finished Hatch, ready for installation of the grating.
 

 
The grating was then carefully adjusted for a snug fit. I found I needed to sand just the slightest amount off each side of the grating. It was then glued in place and the top surface sanded level with the hatch sides.
 

 
  
I was contemplating how to mark out the positions for the fasteners, when it hit me that the answer was staring me in the face. I simply cut out the scale drawing of the grating and taped it over my grating. I then used my home-made needle point scribing tool to mark the positions.
 

 
Once the pattern was removed, a pencil lead was twirled in the holes and the surface sanded lightly.
 

 
And finally, here is an overview of progress to date:
 

 
That completes all the “easy” part of this build. Next up we commence some lathe work with building of the Capstan body.
 

Thank you for your comments.
 
 You need to take many photos to get one good one that you will like. Sometimes it is very difficult, sometimes it is much easier. Practice, again, is the key word. 
I like to experience different "tools" for photography. As we know Lighting is the base to get good results. Expensive equipment is not mandatory. I had some surprisingly good results with a flashlight and a $10  LED lamp from IKEA.
 
This week, I started the railings:

Yves, Grant, Mustafa, and Pete thanks so much for the kind words, very much appreciated.   Pete - @SpyGlass nailed it - and that Vulture is my reference for elements of the Peg as well.  It always felt like Danny spent just as much time answering questions and responding to others as he did on his awesome builds. Along with what Spyglass said  (and this is just my opinion) What I still love most about Dan's building is that I honestly don't think he had some sort of huge cache of raw artistic talent - but what he did have was a brilliant mind when it came to how to build something - whether it be jigs he came up with or little tools he crafted himself. His innovation was just as valuable as his perseverance - and that combination always made me feel as though maybe I could do some of those things too.
       I mean ... turns out I can't, but he always made me FEEL that way.  😆

Best wishes for your upcoming Op, Mark.
 
I agree with the others re the yellow ochre paint, but don’t rush it - just check under your signature again….the wood is patient…….

Coppering looks great Bug. As for protecting it, I think you only need to seal it to prevent it from oxidising, so a couple of coats of WOP as you suggest should do the trick.

Best wishes for your upcoming Op, Mark.
 
I agree with the others re the yellow ochre paint, but don’t rush it - just check under your signature again….the wood is patient…….

Best wishes for your upcoming Op, Mark.
 
I agree with the others re the yellow ochre paint, but don’t rush it - just check under your signature again….the wood is patient…….

The blue looks good Andy. I think your choice of colour scheme will make a nice point of difference to other Confederacy builds out there.

Nice to see you back with a build log Andy. Looks great so far - had a chuckle over the doggy incident!