FriedClams

Haha! I had three knee operations in 5 months (on the same knee). On each occasion, I was asked to do the same thing. Gees, you'd think he'd know which knee to operate on after the first surgery!!!
 
In all seriousness, Ken and Frank, I'm one of those dullards who feels the need to mark everything...still get things wrong, though!
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Thank goodness, Frank. You are human after all.  I have been discovering glued and pinned errors that can't be fixed since I started building model boats. It's good to have an esteemed builder in your class as a member of our can't-fix-it club. Your work is magnificent!

Thanks everyone for the encouragement, ideas, and 'forgiveness'.  I'm going to try to disguise the scarf under the mast step.
 
This has been another valuable lesson about planning and double-checking.  I'm learning something new every day that I work on Dunbrody, whether it's about ship construction, processes, or techniques.  Overall, a very enjoyable and challenging experience, even with the boo-boos!

Very nice work, Frank - very precise, very clean.  Don't beat yourself up over the mistake.  We all make plenty of them - and some even see the light of day.  I would consider Druxeys solution or ignore it.
 
Ed

I agree with Druxey. But let's have a hypothetical to see if that helps any further.
 
Suppose you were to dismantle everything, start all over again, correctly place the scarf, etc.
 
Then, a few weeks down the line, oh no! You find yet another mistake of the same order that only you have noticed. AAAARGH!
 
Would you then yet again dismantle the whole thing and start again?
 
I don't think I have ever seen any build without a booboo somewhere. But indeed, yes, some people do go and start again -- but generally once lots of others comment on the difficulty, or when it makes future progress impossible.
 
Then you have to think about how accurate it all is. Was that treenail 0.01mm out? Are the frames exactly spaced as the original? (Well, no, they're the wrong size to start with since they're at scale, and you then worry you can't get the grain to scale, and you haven't seen how the original plans were interpreted fully).
 
Of course, only you can decide on your level of acceptance, and, as others have said, along with the great unlikelihood of anyone else ever noticing whilst standing in awe at the beauty of your craftmanship.
 
Tony

I'm sure that this is a disappointment to you. However, none of us reach perfection. Somewhere in every model, lurks an 'oops'. 
 
One possible (non-destructive) solution might be this: the actual scarph will be hidden under the mast step. As the bolting pattern is regular, could you scribe a scarph in the correct position and slightly darken this with a fine pencil point?

Thank you for teaching me a valuable lesson.  

Frank,
 
I agree with Brian.   However, if this is something that's going to haunt you, maybe drill out the bolts from the keelson, de-bond the glue might leave the frames salvagable.  I'd hate to see you starting over.

Frank,
 
I think you should just continue, as when it's done, the only person in the entire world that would know (if you hadn't posted this) would be you.  I doubt if even expert judges at a wooden ship show would pick up on that mistake (I could certainly be wrong, but I'd be willing to put money on it if you didn't point the error out to them).
 
It is still looking great.

Part 17 – The Keelsons
 
Dunbrody has a single Keelson, and numerous Sister Keelsons.  The central Keelson measures 14” x 14”.  I rounded all scale measurements to the nearest 64th for accurate milling, so the Keelson scale size is 9/32 x 9/32.
 
The sister Keelsons are arranged as two Inner Sister Keelsons, installed on each side adjacent to the Keelson, with two additional Outer Sister Keelsons on each side.  On the hull cross-section in the plans, the Inner Sister Keelsons measure 6” square.  This seemed too small, so I increased it to 8” square (11/64 square on the model).  Next to the Inner Sister Keelsons are two smaller Sister Keelsons on each side, called the Outer Sister Keelsons (Crothers would call these the ‘Cousin Keelsons’, but what’s in a name?).  These Outer Sister Keelsons are 6” x 8”, or 3/32 x1/8 on the model.  The following is the cross-section from the plans.
 
                        
 
Since the length of the all of the Keelsons on the sectional model would be 48 feet, and since available timbers generally were less than 40 feet, each member of the keelsons would require a scarf joint.  The scarf for the main Keelson is a horizontal hooked scarf.
 
                        
 
This scarf joint would be bolted for extra strength, using 1.5” bolts, so a series of bolt holes was drilled.
 
                        
 
I used 22 gauge copper wire, unhardened but pulled straight.  After these bolts were installed in the scarf joint they were filed flush using a riffler, and then were blackened using Liver of Sulphur.
 
                        
 
In addition to glueing to attach the Keelson to the frame floors, I decided to use functional bolts for additional strength.  Since these bolts would be visible on the model they needed to be properly arranged.  I used a compass to draw lines parallel to the sides of the Keelson.
 
                        
 
The small metal piece was reversed so that the flat side, rather than the tapered end, rode on the side of the Keelson.
 
                        
 
The Keelson was then temporarily pinned to the model so that the bolt holes could be marked.
 
                        
 
I marked the bolt holes, alternating them between the fore and aft sister frames.
 
                        
 
The holes were then drilled while the Keelson was still off model. 
 
                        
 
The Keelson was then glued to the frame floors, using pins with spacers to secure the Keelson while the glue set.
 
                        
 
                        
 
When the glue set, the bolt holes were extended into the frame floors by drilling.
 
                        
 
The bolts were then inserted through the keelson and into the floors, then nipped off.
 
                        
 
The bolts were filed flush using a riffler, and then blackened.
 
                        
 
                        
 
Moving on to the Sister Keelsons, the same process was followed, except for the use of functional bolts.  All bolts in the Sister Keelsons are simulated and do not penetrate the frame floors.  The bolts in the Inner Sister Keelsons are all 1” bolts (22 gauge copper wire that was work-hardened).  The bolts in the Outer Sister Keelsons are .75” bolts (26 gauge copper wire, unhardened but pulled straight).
 
Since each Sister Keelson required a scarf joint, I made nibbed scarfs in each, using the setup shown in the following photo for glueing the joints.
 
                        
 
Of the three central clamps, the two outer clamps ensure that the joint is tight, while the central clamp ensures that the joint pieces are properly lined up.
 
The bolts were inserted into the Sister Keelsons before the timbers were installed.  The copper wire was inserted into a drilled hole from the side which would show, and was extended a short way.
 
                        
 
The protruding end was then dipped into a small puddle of medium viscosity CA glue, and the bolt was then pulled back into the timber and the bolt was nipped off.  This avoided any CA stains on the visible side of the timber.
 
                        
 
The bolts were then filed flush and blackened – all before the Keelson was installed.
 
Installation of the Sister Keelsons was accomplished by using screw clamps where they fit.
 
                        
 
                        
 
                        
 
Where the distance was too great to use these small clamps I needed to use pins with spacers.  The pins were inserted into bolt holes that were left open until installation was completed.
 
                      
 
So all Keelsons are now installed.
 
                        
 
                      
 
The keelsons have added strength to the lower level of the model, and will allow me to continue fairing the interior of the hull to the approximate level of the Accommodation Deck.
 
 
 
Unfortunately, I discovered a MAJOR error after the Keelson had been fully installed:  I had positioned the hooked scarf to be located in the forward third of the model’s hull, since the Mast Step would be located between Frames 30 and 31.  This would give me sufficient clearance for the scarf joint.  Unfortunately, I lost track of the fore and aft ends of the Keelson, and installed it the wrong way.  This positions the scarf joint at almost the same point as the Mast Step.
 
Since the Keelson is now held in place by glue and by functional bolts, any attempt to remove and reposition the Keelson would likely tear the model apart.  So, it appears that I have two options –
 
Try to reposition the Mast Step further back in the model to separate it from the scarf joint.  This would cause a redesign of the deck structure for both the Accommodation Deck and the Main Deck, resulting in a model that is not true to the Dunbrody plans.
 
Continue on with the build in its current state.
 
Needless to say, I’m very disappointed with this turn of events.  My goal, in addition to the primary goal of showing the living conditions of the emigrants, was to build a faithful replica of the Dunbrody while following traditional construction practices.  I think my best alternative is to continue according to the plans, and hopefully extend the length of the mast step base to cover the scarf joint.
 
Oh, well.   
 
I’ll be out of the shop for the next couple of days on personal business (maybe that’s a good thing!).  My next work is to continue fairing the hold area in preparation for the installation of the remaining hold timbers.
 
Thanks for following!    
 
 

Part 16 – Prepping the Hull
 
Once the frames were installed, a lot of odds and ends had to be addressed.
 
First, I wanted to install a temporary Batten at the planksheer on each side.  I didn’t want to make any holes in the frames at this point, so I decided to use copper wire to hold the batten securely.
 
I measured and marked for the planksheer using  a height gauge, then clamped the batten in place.
 
                        
 
                        
 
I then drilled a hole in the batten on each side of every frame.
 
                        
 
I inserted copper wire into the hole on one side of a frame, wrapped the wire around and brought it out the hole on the other side of the frame.  I then carefully twisted the wires until they were tight, keeping a close watch that the frame remained perpendicular.  I cut away the glue on one side of each filler block as I was working, so that the frames could move in or out as required.
 
                        
 
The hull begins to taper on the fore and aft ends of the sectional model, and this shows up in the size of the 4 frames on each end of the model, which begin to gradually reduce in width.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to match the required taper on the batten, so I decided to pull the ends of the battens towards the center of the hull by using copper wire.  This brought the battens into proper contact with the narrowed frames and gave me a good taper fore and aft.  I made sure to measure the taper on each side of the centerline to keep the hull properly shaped, then reinstalled the cross spalls.
 
                        
 
I wanted to fair the inside of the hull to the approximate height of the accommodation deck.  I didn’t want to proceed above this point, since the frames were only held in place by the glue on the keel and by the battens at the planksheer.  I had drilled holes for mounting bolts in each frame, but before I could insert the bolts I need to make sure the cutting down line was flat and level to take the keelson and sister keelsons.
 
When I drafted the frames I used the sizes of the keelson and sister keelsons from the hull cross-section provided in the plans to determine the width of the cutting down line.  After reviewing the topic on keelsons in the Crothers book, I decided that the sister keelsons were very undersized and that I would make them somewhat bigger.  This necessitated widening the cutting down line and then tapering the frames to that flat area.
 
Using a small square I marked the centerline on the keel.
 
           
 
I marked the boundaries of the cutting down line using a piece of stock cut to the proper dimension, and then used that piece to check the level of the line I had sanded.
 
           
 
Once the cutting down line was ready, I was able to proceed with installing the mounting bolts.  The bolt holes were already drilled in the frames but were not yet in the keel, so I carefully drilled through the frame mounting holes and into the keel.
 
                        
 
I used 3/64 brass rods as the mounting bolts, since these are functional fasteners.  These were glued into the mounting holes using epoxy, and then were snipped close to the frames.  After the epoxy set I used a riffler file to smooth the bolts flush with the top of the frames.
 
                        
 
With the frames now secured to the keel I could begin fairing the frames.  Even though the drafting and frame building provided fairly consistent frames I found that a few needed fairing – mainly because of some errors I made in the construction.  I used my rotary tool with a Dremel sanding drum to reduce any significant high areas.  The motor of the rotary tool has a removable forward piece for changing some accessories.  One very useful accessory is the ‘Slender Head’, which allows the rotary tool to be used in tight areas.  This allowed me to reach into the hull while keeping the sanding drum fairly level.
 
                        
 
I also used a variety of sanding sticks for the fairing.  The sanding stick with the curved edge (bottom of the following photo) proved very useful in the forward and aft areas where the frames begin to slope upward.
 
                        
 
It was also useful for carefully sanding the upper areas of the frames.
 
                        
 
Sanding the tight curves in the bilge area required another type of sanding stick.
 
                        
 
                        
 
With all of this sanding going on, I made sure to position my dust collector near the hull to try to capture any stray dust.  It’s getting warmer in Arizona and I need to keep the windows closed and run the A/C, so the atmosphere in the shop will get pretty dusty if it’s not filtered.
 
                        
 
The next part will deal with the installation of the keelsons.
 
​Thanks everyone of following!

Part 15 – Installing the Frames – completed
 
Since my last post about a week ago, I’ve been focusing on getting the installation of the frames completed.  The aftmost frames have a slight bevel, primarily in the bilge area.  I beveled the frames using a rotary tool I’ve had for quite a while.
 
The tool is a Marathon Power Hand from Gesswein that I used for bird carving.  Bird carving is an exercise in power carving, using a couple of different types of rotary tools.  These tools work on the same principle as a Dremel rotary tool, but run much smoother and at much higher speeds.  The Power Hand is capable of speeds up to 55,000 RPM.
 
                        
 
The Power hand has a variable speed foot switch, which gives me a lot of control over the grinding.
 
                        
 
The frames were sanded to the line for the forward frame sister on the outside of the frame, and then sanded to the line for the aft frame sister on the inside of the frame.  Sanding on the outside was accomplished using a combination of the disk sander and the spindle sander.  Sanding on the inside was accomplished using the spindle sander only. 
 
This left an area on the aft frame sister on the outside of the frame that still needed to be sanded.  Similarly, the forward frame sister had an area on the inside edge that needed to be sanded.  After the initial sanding mentioned above was completed, the rotary tool was then used to complete the sanding in these areas.  Only the edge of the frame was sanded to the line, and then the frame surface was flattened to these lines, resulting in the bevel.
 
                        
 
The orange funnel in the photo is a port for a portable dust collector, shown in the following photo.  This is also a carryover from my days as a bird carver, and is very useful for setting up temporary dust collection for tools that don’t have a dust port, like the scroll saw, milling machine, or lathe.
 
                        
 
So, after a long process, today I installed frame 19 - the aftmost and last frame in the sectional model.  The following photo shows the frame clamped in place and being glued.
 
                        
 
All told, the 26 frames in the model are made up of 594 individual pieces, including the chocks.  They also contain over 700 monofilament ‘bolts’. 
 
                        
 
I have to admit, though, that the last week was spent redoing work on three frames that didn’t come out right (due to a senior moment I had at the end of last week).  My scrap box is getting full – all told I needed to replace 5 full frames and numerous individual timbers.  This has been a great learning experience.
 
                        
 
I’m pleased to have reached this milestone (while retaining my sanity, I think).  Some of the next work will consist of fairing the inside of the frames, installing mounting bolts to secure the frames to the keel, preparing for the keelsons, and replacing the filler blocks with battens.  I’ll post some progress reports as I proceed.
 
Thanks everyone for following!

Enjoy your new toy - I mean, tool! Nice progress on your frames as well, Frank.

I needed to mill a few more timbers for making chocks, so i thought I'd show the setup I use.
 
I have a Rotary Column Attachment on my Sherline Mill.  This allows me to tilt the column right or left to as much as a 90 degree angle.
 
          
 
After establishing the correct angle I mount a piece of the appropriate sized stock in the vise and mill along one side of the stock.  I then reverse the stock in the vise and mill it again.  
 
          
 
After milling the stock I slice off an appropriate sized piece on my table saw.  Each piece is long enough to get about a dozen chocks out of it.  After tilting the column I use a dial indicator to make sure it's back at the true vertical position.
 
I also thought I'd show a new tool I found - a Starrett 816A Prick Punch.  The point is longer than a center punch and very sharp.  It allows me to use one tool for marking the pinning holes for drilling, rather than the two tools I showed in an earlier post.
 
         
 
         
 
My friends all know I love to find new tools!

Very beautiful work.

Hi Frank
 
I, too would have a smiley face if I'd done what you've done. Beautiful work and congrats on reaching the milestone!
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Happy milestone, Frank.   Looking great.

Part 14 – Installing the Frames – cont’d
 
Construction and installation of the frames has been continuing.  I also decided to start making the adjustments that will be needed while it’s still easy to get to the mid-most frames.
 
The first adjustment is leveling the Cutting Down Line so that the keelson and sister keelsons will properly sit on top of the frame floors.  This was already done in the early part of the construction of each frame, but I’ve found that the amount of wetting that has to be done to remove the glued-on plans causes the wood to swell somewhat, so that this area is no longer level.
 
In order to accurately mark the boundaries of the Cutting Down Line, I made a template by printing the bottom of a frame on a piece of card stock.  After marking the centerline on the forward-most frame I used this template to mark the boundaries of the Cutting Down Line.  This was repeated on the aftmost frame, then lines were drawn to mark the boundary along all of the frames. 
 
                        
 
Then it was a simple matter of sanding between these lines.
 
                        
 
Another adjustment is to start fairing the inside of the frames that have already been installed.  At the moment I’m only fairing the frames up to about the end of the second futtock, which is in the area of the turn of the bilge.  Because the frame-holding fixture shown in the following photo is used to secure the frames, this lower area is stable enough to sand.
 
                        
 
I use a fairly long (about 8 inches) sanding stick that allows me to cross 6 or 8 frames at once.  I made some light pencil marks on all of the frames, and will sand until all of the pencil marks are gone.  This is a process that will take some time, so I’m only doing it intermittently.
 
                        
 
Because of the flexing of the keel and shoe combination, I’ve decided that I need to leave some cross-spalls in place to ensure that I can level the hull during construction.  The installation of some of the early cross-spalls was inconsistent – although the centerline was properly marked, some of the spalls were lower than they should be.  So I decided to make some changes to the way I install spalls.
 
The first change is to include a horizontal line across the frame plan to indicate the bottom of the spall.  The following photo of a pinning template shows this line.
 
                        
 
I then made a jig with a horizontal bar that will be used to position the bottom of the spall, and a vertical bar that will be used to set the centerline position on the spall.
 
                        
 
The left edge of the vertical bar is aligned with the centerline on the pinning template, and the top of the horizontal bar is aligned with the line for the bottom of the spall.
 
                        
 
A drop of glue is then placed where each end of the spall will mate with the frame. 
 
                        
 
The spall is then put in place and the spall’s centerline is aligned with the left edge of the vertical bar (I’m re-using spalls, so they are already marked for a centerline).  Large nuts are used as weights to secure the spall while the glue is setting (now I just need to add something to make it a Smiley-Face).
 
                        
 
And now the reason for my Smiley-Face: I reached one of my milestones today – I completed the installation of frame 44 – the forward-most frame of the model. 
 
                        
 
                        
  
18 frames are now installed – 8 more to go.          
 
Thanks everyone!
 

Thanks, Frank. I agree totally. My comment was just to point out that this has nothing to do either with being 'sissy' or with being 'a solid tough breed' -- whatever those might mean.
 
Tony

Hi Tony
 
While what you say is absolutely true, the Irish emigrants on these ships started out in very bad shape from malnutrition and typhus.  Here's an excerpt from an article on the History Place on the Irish Famine and the 'coffin ships' ( http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/famine/index.html )
 
During the trans-Atlantic voyage, British ships were only required to supply 7 lbs. of food per week per passenger. Most passengers, it was assumed, would bring along their own food for the journey. But most of the poor Irish boarded ships with no food, depending entirely on the pound-a-day handout which amounted to starvation rations. Food on board was also haphazardly cooked in makeshift brick fireplaces and was often undercooked, causing upset stomachs and diarrhea.
 
Many of the passengers were already ill with typhus as they boarded the ships. Before boarding, they had been given the once-over by doctors on shore who usually rejected no one for the trip, even those seemingly on the verge of death. British ships were not required to carry doctors. Anyone that died during the sea voyage was simply dumped overboard, without any religious rites.
 
Belowdecks, hundreds of men, women and children huddled together in the dark on bare wooden floors with no ventilation, breathing a stench of vomit and the effects of diarrhea amid no sanitary facilities. On ships that actually had sleeping berths, there were no mattresses and the berths were never cleaned. Many sick persons remained in bare wooden bunks lying in their own filth for the entire voyage, too ill to get up.
 
Another big problem was the lack of good drinking water. Sometimes the water was stored in leaky old wooden casks, or in casks that previously stored wine, vinegar or chemicals which contaminated the water and caused dysentery. Many ships ran out of water long before reaching North America, making life especially miserable for fevered passengers suffering from burning thirsts. Some unscrupulous captains profited by selling large amounts of alcohol to the passengers, resulting in "totally depraved and corrupted" behavior among them.

Most of the various immigrant groups had their own set of assimilation problems. The Italians, The Jews, etc. It all added up to making Americans a tough breed. Let's hope we can still remain as tough as these past immigrants were. Thanks for building this model, Frank. It is a great model. but it also teaches us a good history lesson.

Bob,
 
It was a different time for the Irish.  At one time there were many restrictions to their lives that made survival an unbelievable hardship.  From outlawing the language, family (sur)names, changing given names, restricting ownership of property, restrictions on participation in government.... they couldn't even own a horse.  They came to America to find the Irish were not welcome here.  There were signs in the windows - No Irish Allowed.  Boys who signed on as fishermen in Ireland were left behind in Newfoundland to fend for themselves over the harsh winter so there would be more room for the cargo. (I think that may be how my family arrived).
 
And we speak of the good old days!
 
Alan Uà Niàll

I wonder if they knew what the conditions would be like before they sailed.
 
Bob

Mighty look. When finis it, I'll use my magic wrand to enlarge her

Yes, "the beauty is starting to show through"  and a lovely boat she is.
 
Bob