FriedClams

good to see your still modeling.......haven't seen any progress in a while.  you've always had a sweet tooth for this vessel too    pulling up a seat as well

Thanks again for the likes...   Welcome aboard gentlemen.   
 
Carl,
What else do I have to do besides read MSW and play with the pup?  
 
Druxey,
I this better?  I think I got it.
 

Looking forward to your progress on this model, Mark. Have fun!

Thanks to all for the hitting the like button - I appreciate it.
 
Keel Correction
Whether it’s a scale model or a bathroom re-model, I expect to encounter problems in just about everything I do.  For me, finding solutions to the unexpected is part of the fun of model building.  But it’s not fun when I cause the problem.  
 

There should be a minimum of 6 inches of keel showing below the hull planking – there is only 2.  So I added on 5 scale inches to the keel.  I also added one scale inch to the stem.  This brought the keel back to the proper exposure.
 

Some sanding and some paint will cover the patched-on wood.
 

Here is a before and after: 



In the next photo, notice how the lowest hull plank swings upward away from the keel as it approaches the sternpost.  It should remain parallel with the keel.  Sometimes my desire to push ahead causes me to lose focus on the task at hand.  I should have either tapered those lowest planks wider as they ran toward the stern or added steelers. 

Rather than pull the lower 5 planks off each side for a re-do, I opted instead to mitigate the error with a cosmetic alteration.  Also, I sanded down the planks that are lying flat against the sternpost to a thinner profile so that they appear rabbeted in with a slight reveal.

 



Thanks,  Gary 

Thanks to all for the hitting the like button - I appreciate it.
 
Keel Correction
Whether it’s a scale model or a bathroom re-model, I expect to encounter problems in just about everything I do.  For me, finding solutions to the unexpected is part of the fun of model building.  But it’s not fun when I cause the problem.  
 

There should be a minimum of 6 inches of keel showing below the hull planking – there is only 2.  So I added on 5 scale inches to the keel.  I also added one scale inch to the stem.  This brought the keel back to the proper exposure.
 

Some sanding and some paint will cover the patched-on wood.
 

Here is a before and after: 



In the next photo, notice how the lowest hull plank swings upward away from the keel as it approaches the sternpost.  It should remain parallel with the keel.  Sometimes my desire to push ahead causes me to lose focus on the task at hand.  I should have either tapered those lowest planks wider as they ran toward the stern or added steelers. 

Rather than pull the lower 5 planks off each side for a re-do, I opted instead to mitigate the error with a cosmetic alteration.  Also, I sanded down the planks that are lying flat against the sternpost to a thinner profile so that they appear rabbeted in with a slight reveal.

 



Thanks,  Gary 

Transom
Here are a couple of photos of the transom backing taken after the hull was cut away from the base and before the top three courses of hull planking were put on.  The tab that secured it to the building base hasn’t been removed yet.  You can see the temporary jig holding the transom backing to the required curvature.  Now with the hull planking on but still running past the transom, I am able to remove the temporary jig and apply the three transom boards that will make up the outer surface of the transom.
 
 

First I cut the boards from the basswood sheet leaving extra material to sand and fit each board.  Unlike the transom backing where the wood grain is vertical, these boards are cut so the grain is horizontal.
 
 Test fitting these outer boards was rather tedious and fiddly because I couldn’t cut the hull planking flush until the outer transom boards were on.  They also had to be pre-bent against the grain to fit the curvature of the transom backing.  One at a time they were fitted, held in position with clamps and glued with very thin CA.  A few drops of the CA applied to the upper edge of each board were all that was needed to secure them.  The watery CA raced down between the two wood surfaces, effectively creating a two-layer plywood.
 

At this point the base tab was removed and the hull planking trimmed and sanded flush.
 
 

Marking the water line was simple by placing the model back onto the base.  The irregularity of the cuts when the boat was separated from the base allowed it to key back into place exactly and perfectly level.
 


  

 

There are several problems with the keel, stem and area around the sternpost that need to be corrected.  They will be addressed on the next post.
 
Thanks for looking in.
 
Gary

Thanks Keith
 
Lining OFF
Beginning the sawdust phase, I cut the bulkheads out with my scroll saw leaving the piece large (cutting to the outside of the template line.)  I do this because I have no skill with the saw and cannot keep to a line.  I then use a bench top disc sander and work back to the template outline.  This works great with the convex edge and I use a Dremel sanding drum for the inside curves.
 
I glue these forms to the platform base and attach the keel/stem.  Before the keel went on, I cut a rabbet on the stem.
 

 
Using a batten to see how the bulkheads faired, I found a problem.  Station #8 was too small and #7 was ridiculously too large.  Looking back at the body plan it’s hard to see how I missed it.  But, that’s the point of going through the fairing up process.  So, I built up #8 and went after #7 with a file.
 

 
Based on photos and drawings, the planking widths for this vessel seem to vary in the 5” to 7” range.  I have a stash of stripwood that scales to approximately 6.5” wide x 1.75” thick so decided to use those.  Because station #7 has the longest edge length of any bulkhead, it will be the location where the planks are at there full width.  From here they taper to the stem and taper back to the stern.  It will require 23 courses of planks per side.
 
There will be 4 belts per side of 6 planks each.  Belt #1 beginning at the keel will have only 5.  From station #7 back to the stern, 4 planks are lost in belt #1.
 
I measure the length of each station edge and check it against what my CAD drawing says it should be.  Knowing how many planks will be required, I generate the following plank width tick mark strips for each bulkhead edge.
 
  
 
The width of the planks at the bow is just under 5.25” which satisfies the “not less than half” plank width guideline.  No steelers or drops are needed.
 
The strip marks are temporarily taped on the bulkheads and a batten strip is used to get a general sense of the curve following the tick marks.
 

 
Happy with the way it looked, I transferred the tick marks to the stations with pencil and temporarily attached thread at each belt as a final check to see how the plank courses run.  After a few minor modifications, I was ready to start planking. 
 

 
Planking
The coloring and weathering the model will receive will not only reveal but also accentuate the planking on the hull, so I won’t be using any filler or putty.  On a previous model, I planked the hull somewhat haphazardly, knowing that I was going to slather Bondo on it and sand it smooth.  I’m happy with the way the model came out, but it would have been more realistic with the planks showing through the paint.
 

 
I set up a little jig to hold the stripwood firmly in place as I slice the taper into it - then sand to fit

I begin planking at the keel with the garboard and lay on two belts of planks on one side.  Each course is tapered on the upper edge of the planks so that each successive course starts with a straight edge.
 
Each course of planks is made from a single strip of wood.  After it is tapered and test fit, it is then cut to simulate the butt ends of two individual boards.  The joints are reinforced on the reverse side. 
 
Two more belts are added to the other side.

 

 
Then the last 4 belts are added minus the top three courses.
 


 
At this point, I cut the hull from the platform.
 

 

 
The next course of planking requires the scuppers.
 

 
Finally, I sand the hull and finish it off with a soft brass wire brush.  The wire brush removes the sanding shine and any cross grain scratches and in general sort of unifies the look.  It will also help with the weathering later on.
 
These final photos were taken in full direct sunlight in hopes that the effect of the wire brush can be seen.  A few final licks with 800 grit paper will take the remaining wood fuzz off. 
 

 

 
This post brings me up to date in real time on this model.  
 
Thanks for taking a look.
 
Gary
 
 

Thanks to all for the hitting the like button - I appreciate it.
 
Keel Correction
Whether it’s a scale model or a bathroom re-model, I expect to encounter problems in just about everything I do.  For me, finding solutions to the unexpected is part of the fun of model building.  But it’s not fun when I cause the problem.  
 

There should be a minimum of 6 inches of keel showing below the hull planking – there is only 2.  So I added on 5 scale inches to the keel.  I also added one scale inch to the stem.  This brought the keel back to the proper exposure.
 

Some sanding and some paint will cover the patched-on wood.
 

Here is a before and after: 



In the next photo, notice how the lowest hull plank swings upward away from the keel as it approaches the sternpost.  It should remain parallel with the keel.  Sometimes my desire to push ahead causes me to lose focus on the task at hand.  I should have either tapered those lowest planks wider as they ran toward the stern or added steelers. 

Rather than pull the lower 5 planks off each side for a re-do, I opted instead to mitigate the error with a cosmetic alteration.  Also, I sanded down the planks that are lying flat against the sternpost to a thinner profile so that they appear rabbeted in with a slight reveal.

 



Thanks,  Gary 

Transom
Here are a couple of photos of the transom backing taken after the hull was cut away from the base and before the top three courses of hull planking were put on.  The tab that secured it to the building base hasn’t been removed yet.  You can see the temporary jig holding the transom backing to the required curvature.  Now with the hull planking on but still running past the transom, I am able to remove the temporary jig and apply the three transom boards that will make up the outer surface of the transom.
 
 

First I cut the boards from the basswood sheet leaving extra material to sand and fit each board.  Unlike the transom backing where the wood grain is vertical, these boards are cut so the grain is horizontal.
 
 Test fitting these outer boards was rather tedious and fiddly because I couldn’t cut the hull planking flush until the outer transom boards were on.  They also had to be pre-bent against the grain to fit the curvature of the transom backing.  One at a time they were fitted, held in position with clamps and glued with very thin CA.  A few drops of the CA applied to the upper edge of each board were all that was needed to secure them.  The watery CA raced down between the two wood surfaces, effectively creating a two-layer plywood.
 

At this point the base tab was removed and the hull planking trimmed and sanded flush.
 
 

Marking the water line was simple by placing the model back onto the base.  The irregularity of the cuts when the boat was separated from the base allowed it to key back into place exactly and perfectly level.
 


  

 

There are several problems with the keel, stem and area around the sternpost that need to be corrected.  They will be addressed on the next post.
 
Thanks for looking in.
 
Gary

Thanks to all for the hitting the like button - I appreciate it.
 
Keel Correction
Whether it’s a scale model or a bathroom re-model, I expect to encounter problems in just about everything I do.  For me, finding solutions to the unexpected is part of the fun of model building.  But it’s not fun when I cause the problem.  
 

There should be a minimum of 6 inches of keel showing below the hull planking – there is only 2.  So I added on 5 scale inches to the keel.  I also added one scale inch to the stem.  This brought the keel back to the proper exposure.
 

Some sanding and some paint will cover the patched-on wood.
 

Here is a before and after: 



In the next photo, notice how the lowest hull plank swings upward away from the keel as it approaches the sternpost.  It should remain parallel with the keel.  Sometimes my desire to push ahead causes me to lose focus on the task at hand.  I should have either tapered those lowest planks wider as they ran toward the stern or added steelers. 

Rather than pull the lower 5 planks off each side for a re-do, I opted instead to mitigate the error with a cosmetic alteration.  Also, I sanded down the planks that are lying flat against the sternpost to a thinner profile so that they appear rabbeted in with a slight reveal.

 



Thanks,  Gary 

Thanks Keith
 
Lining OFF
Beginning the sawdust phase, I cut the bulkheads out with my scroll saw leaving the piece large (cutting to the outside of the template line.)  I do this because I have no skill with the saw and cannot keep to a line.  I then use a bench top disc sander and work back to the template outline.  This works great with the convex edge and I use a Dremel sanding drum for the inside curves.
 
I glue these forms to the platform base and attach the keel/stem.  Before the keel went on, I cut a rabbet on the stem.
 

 
Using a batten to see how the bulkheads faired, I found a problem.  Station #8 was too small and #7 was ridiculously too large.  Looking back at the body plan it’s hard to see how I missed it.  But, that’s the point of going through the fairing up process.  So, I built up #8 and went after #7 with a file.
 

 
Based on photos and drawings, the planking widths for this vessel seem to vary in the 5” to 7” range.  I have a stash of stripwood that scales to approximately 6.5” wide x 1.75” thick so decided to use those.  Because station #7 has the longest edge length of any bulkhead, it will be the location where the planks are at there full width.  From here they taper to the stem and taper back to the stern.  It will require 23 courses of planks per side.
 
There will be 4 belts per side of 6 planks each.  Belt #1 beginning at the keel will have only 5.  From station #7 back to the stern, 4 planks are lost in belt #1.
 
I measure the length of each station edge and check it against what my CAD drawing says it should be.  Knowing how many planks will be required, I generate the following plank width tick mark strips for each bulkhead edge.
 
  
 
The width of the planks at the bow is just under 5.25” which satisfies the “not less than half” plank width guideline.  No steelers or drops are needed.
 
The strip marks are temporarily taped on the bulkheads and a batten strip is used to get a general sense of the curve following the tick marks.
 

 
Happy with the way it looked, I transferred the tick marks to the stations with pencil and temporarily attached thread at each belt as a final check to see how the plank courses run.  After a few minor modifications, I was ready to start planking. 
 

 
Planking
The coloring and weathering the model will receive will not only reveal but also accentuate the planking on the hull, so I won’t be using any filler or putty.  On a previous model, I planked the hull somewhat haphazardly, knowing that I was going to slather Bondo on it and sand it smooth.  I’m happy with the way the model came out, but it would have been more realistic with the planks showing through the paint.
 

 
I set up a little jig to hold the stripwood firmly in place as I slice the taper into it - then sand to fit

I begin planking at the keel with the garboard and lay on two belts of planks on one side.  Each course is tapered on the upper edge of the planks so that each successive course starts with a straight edge.
 
Each course of planks is made from a single strip of wood.  After it is tapered and test fit, it is then cut to simulate the butt ends of two individual boards.  The joints are reinforced on the reverse side. 
 
Two more belts are added to the other side.

 

 
Then the last 4 belts are added minus the top three courses.
 


 
At this point, I cut the hull from the platform.
 

 

 
The next course of planking requires the scuppers.
 

 
Finally, I sand the hull and finish it off with a soft brass wire brush.  The wire brush removes the sanding shine and any cross grain scratches and in general sort of unifies the look.  It will also help with the weathering later on.
 
These final photos were taken in full direct sunlight in hopes that the effect of the wire brush can be seen.  A few final licks with 800 grit paper will take the remaining wood fuzz off. 
 

 

 
This post brings me up to date in real time on this model.  
 
Thanks for taking a look.
 
Gary
 
 

Thanks to all for the hitting the like button - I appreciate it.
 
Keel Correction
Whether it’s a scale model or a bathroom re-model, I expect to encounter problems in just about everything I do.  For me, finding solutions to the unexpected is part of the fun of model building.  But it’s not fun when I cause the problem.  
 

There should be a minimum of 6 inches of keel showing below the hull planking – there is only 2.  So I added on 5 scale inches to the keel.  I also added one scale inch to the stem.  This brought the keel back to the proper exposure.
 

Some sanding and some paint will cover the patched-on wood.
 

Here is a before and after: 



In the next photo, notice how the lowest hull plank swings upward away from the keel as it approaches the sternpost.  It should remain parallel with the keel.  Sometimes my desire to push ahead causes me to lose focus on the task at hand.  I should have either tapered those lowest planks wider as they ran toward the stern or added steelers. 

Rather than pull the lower 5 planks off each side for a re-do, I opted instead to mitigate the error with a cosmetic alteration.  Also, I sanded down the planks that are lying flat against the sternpost to a thinner profile so that they appear rabbeted in with a slight reveal.

 



Thanks,  Gary 

Interesting subject Mark - I will be following.
 
Gary

Congratulations Steve on the completion of your John Cudahy.  It came out great and is just dripping with atmosphere and realism. Very nice!
 
Gary

Congratulations Steve on the completion of your John Cudahy.  It came out great and is just dripping with atmosphere and realism. Very nice!
 
Gary

First hurdle leaped and landed.... I think.  The knee of the head. See pics below. Note that they have been distorted a bit for "security" reasons.   I won't be detailing every drawing, but just to give an idea and see if anyone thinks I'm on the wrong track. The first drawings show what I had as source and what I drew.  The exploded view is food for the DeathStar.  I'll move the bits and pieces around for the most efficient (and to take the grain into consideration) use of the wood.
 
Next up will be the keel, false keel for mounting the bulkheads, and the stern post.   Should be fun....
 

 

Gidday Mark.
I will be following your progress and if possible offer support along the way.
On the contrary I found your intro interesting and informative.
I can certainly empathise re understanding languages.
I will be awaiting your problem solving in what promises to be a challenging build, at least in the beginning.
I wish you all the best in your endeavours.
Mark.

Thanks for the like and comments.   
 
 
The plans have already given me a headache.... no plans on the knee of the head.   I've had to research the French, German, and Russian sites which is entertaining as I don't speak or read those languages but Google came to the rescue.  I now have a drawing in work for that.   After that will be the false keel along with the keel itself and sternpost.  Might as well jump in with both feet.    The side view seems to be correct when compared against the NMM plans so I'll work with those and sort everything else out as I go.   
 
So far, so good.  It's been frustrating researching but rewarding.  
 

Ok not done yet but getting close. The cabin is mounted for good and the stack is in place with the stays installed. Got those steering cables put in their place.  Fenders are all tried off, anchors stowed Still have a number of things to do yet but I'm near the finish point.

Looking very sharp Steve.
 
Michael

Hey Steve
 
What a top job you’ve done on the John Cudahy.  It was unfortunate about snipping the wrong wire, but, you got over that pretty easily by the looks of it.
 
You’re on the home stretch now.  Not long to go.
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Boy! I guess I should get busy and post some progress. Not much to show for 6 months, but I did get my mast shrouds finished this time without cutting the wrong wire. I have also installed both life ring holders and  have mounted both boats. Added a step on both sides of pilot house just to round things out.

Hi Frank,
 
I've been away from this forum for almost two years. but I remember you starting this model and I remember well your wonderful Dunbrody build.  This Kathryn build is also exceptionally well done and a pleasure to read through.  You take such extraordinary care in your research, modeling and your log presentation.  Thanks for sharing that with us.
 
I wish you a peaceful 2019.
 
Gary

Hi Steve
 
There's nothing like perseverance and patience.  
 
Having said that, they all looked good to me.  
 
Which set did you eventually settle for?  Was it the three on the right hand side?
 
Cheers  
 
Patrick

Patrick, I have been at the bench just not alot to show for it. I did manage to get these little buggers made. Two on left the line was to heavy and they came out a little big for scale. I liked the color though. Middle ones are cotton string which was the right size scale wise but the color needed help. I colored one on the left. The three on the right is also cotton string that I found in my line stash. It had a reasonable color and the scale size worked out. Still need some triming and maybe a little coloring/weathering. Now it's on to the bow fender..... oh boy!!