tlevine

Thanks, Toni. I saw in your signature block you had also built the longboat. I'm studying your build log now 🙂 Very nice build, and i'm already getting good tips on the planking!!

The first post is the hardest.  Welcome to MSW!

The first post is the hardest.  Welcome to MSW!

The first post is the hardest.  Welcome to MSW!

Hi All
 
I know that a few builders on here use a Sherline mill as do I.  I have found that my eyesight needs more light as I get older so I have wanted for a while to make a decent ring light for my mill.  I found some cheap 60mm ring lights that run on 12/24v that seemed to be about the right size.  Unfortunately it couldn't be directly attached to the mill head as it would remove any access to the Tommy bar spindle hole.  So a carrier was required and I bashed this up out of 10mm aluminium.
 
The slot allows the wiring to travel up through the mill head which is already there.  It keeps the look of it wiring free


I milled a small slot each side to allow for the Tommy bar to reach the spindle


Its held in place with double sided tape

And the wiring is encased in polyester braiding to try and make it look as though it has always been there

The results are really good




I hope this helps someone or gives a bit of inspiration to make the lighting on your mill a bit better - Anyway I can now get back to ship building instead of filling my workshop with aluminium swarf!!
 
Mark
 
 
 

This is how to make a ratline template and use it.
 
1. Measure the distance between the top of the deadeyes and the bottom of the trestletrees or crosstrees.
 
2. Cut a piece of paper to be this long on one side.
 
3. Put the paper behind your shrouds, with the bottom edge resting on the deadeyes.
 
4. Use a pencil to place a mark on the paper beside each of the shrouds at the top of the deadeyes.
 
5. Mark the top of the paper beside the forward and aft shroud lines.
 
6. Draw lines on the paper for the forward and aft shrouds. You really don't need lines for the other shrouds.
 
7. Now you have to think. Ratlines were typically spaced 12 to 16 inches (305 to 406 mm) apart. Now scale this distance to whatever scale your model is. For example, I am building at 1:48 scale, so I divide the real world distance by 48 to get 0.25 to 0.33 inches (6.35 to 8.5 mm) spacing for the ratlines on my model.
 
Note: unless you are modelling a modern vessel there probably will be no record of the actual ratline spacing on the ship you are modelling, so pick a convenient spacing within the range you calculated. I will space them 5/16 inch (0.3125 inch) (7.9 mm) using a ruler marked in 1/16 inch increments..
 
8. On your paper template draw horizontal lines parallel to the tops of the deadeyes at your chosen spacing. These mark where the ratlines will go.
 
9. Trim excess paper around your ratline template, leaving a narrow space outside the lines representing the fore and aft shrouds.
 
10. Tape the top of the template to the shrouds below the trestletrees/crosstrees. Clamp the bottom of the paper to the deadeyes. You could use tape, but you probably will want to release the bottom of the paper to get it out of your way while tying all the ratline knots.
 
11. Put on some soothing music, take a deep breath and don't even think about how many knots you will have to tie for just one set of shrouds!
 
12. Now tie ratlines at every level marked by horizontal lines on the template.
 
Note: Some people clamp a small stick to the shrouds at the level of the ratline to be installed, using the template to set the position. Then they fold the template back out of the way and tie the knots above the stick.
 
IMPORTANT! After all the knots are tied check the line against the template and move the knots as necessary to get the line in the correct position. Sloppy work here will make the model look BAD!
 
It is a good idea to use a small brush to place a drop of diluted white glue (1:1 with water) on each knot as insurance to be sure the knot doesn't open or move on the ratline.
 
The ratlines are tied with clove hitches (look it up). This brings the two ends out from the knot at the same level. Leave a slight "sag" in the line between shrouds - this takes some practice. You can make this sag permanent by wetting the line with diluted white glue or shellac (dries faster).
 
On real ships the ends pf the ratline ropes had eyes spliced in them. The eyes were tied to the outer shrouds with small line. For all but the largest scale models this is unnecessary detail, and a LOT of extra work. I just use a simple overhand knot to tie the ratlines to the fore and aft shroud lines.

I fixed the anchors and fish davit
 

Thanks Druxey and Alan! Sometimes a little nudge is all we need  
 
Toni, it feels similar to pear or box when it comes to hardness, definitely not soft. Holds an edge pretty well, but despite a clean geometrical shape the edge blurs visually due to the grain of the wood.
But definitely an interesting wood to have in your palette. Will report in a couple of months on the way it ages!

I have no experience with this wood.  How hard is it?  I would probably use it for things like hatch covers rather than pillars.

Thanks everyone.  When starting this project I wavered between a dummy hull and a simple POB cross section.  One of the advantages to this approach is that it results in a nice desktop model.  The compromise is that certain lines, like the stays, are omitted.  
 
It is time to plank the hull.  The kit contains enough 1/32” basswood sheet to plank the hull and deck.  I began the planking at the top of the bulwark extensions.  This made them less susceptible to breakage.  There are five rows of planking, followed by two rows of double-thick planks for the wale.  Below the wale, the rest of the planking is the same thickness as the upper part of the hull.  All the planks are the same ten-inch width.  The thin basswood can easily be cut with a #11 blade and straight edge.  No spiling necessary!  I put a slight bevel on the long edge of one side of each plank to get a tight fit between the planks and rubbed a pencil along the other edge to simulate caulking.  The picture shows the hull planked to the top of the wale.

The wale is made from two rows of double-layer planking and will be painted black later.  I painted the edges of both layers with an archival ink marker before installing them.  After the first layer was installed, the hull was sanded fair.

For the second layer of the wale, the exposed outer edges were slightly rounded over before painting the edges.  The second layer of the wale was glued to the first layer and the surface  was sanded smooth.  I prefer not to paint the wale until the rest of the hull is completed to prevent damage.   

The rest of the planking below the wale was installed.  Because some of the plank ends did not land on a bulkhead, it was necessary to glue a scrap of wood on the inner side of the plank to secure it to the plank above.  In this picture, the first two rows lower planks have been installed. 

After the last row of planking had been installed, I removed most of the wood below the bulkheads by shaving it down with a razor blade.  When most of the wood was removed, the model was put on top of a sheet of sandpaper and the bottom was sanded flat by moving the whole model back and forth.  In this picture, the wale has been dyed with a coat of archival ink so you can see the difference in thickness between the regular planks and the wale. 

The NRG is an educational organization, dedicated to providing our members with the knowledge to improve the quality of their model ship building.  One of the most common problems model builders have is rigging their model.  Kit instructions are poor.  Often, the materials provided in the kit are improperly sized or the cheapest that the manufacturer could obtain.  We all know that blocks are not square!  I wanted to develop a project whose purpose would be to teach ship modelers how to mast and rig a ship without having to build a complete hull.  This model is a 1:48 scale cross-section at the level of the main mast of a late 18th century British sloop of war, Swallow 1779.  To keep the size of the model manageable and eliminate the need for a building board, the hull is cut off just above the waterline.  For the same reason, only the center portion of the lower yard and the lower part of the topmast are constructed.  Also, because this is a cross-section, certain lines, such as the stays and backstays, are not included.  My emphasis will be on demonstrating techniques to improve your rigging skills.  Skills that can be used on your next project.
 
As this was developed as a teaching aid, certain shortcuts and compromises to historical accuracy were taken.  Wherever possible, I have used measurements provided by the plans and such authorities as Steel and Lees.  I apologize in advance to the master modelers who might criticize my shortcuts.  I have kept the use of power tools to a minimum.  The only thing that is outside the normal collection of hand tools is a serving machine.  The Guild hopes to begin selling this kit in the next few months.
 
The kit contains all the materials required to complete the model.  But I always keep my scrap box nearby for those times when a piece of a contrasting color wood is desirable.  I will mention those times as the build log progresses.  Also, the build log is made up from the best photographs taken from three builds of this model.  A sharp eye will notice some differences in the wood color because of that.
 
The hull is constructed in typical plank on bulkhead style.  There is a notched spine and notched bulkheads.  The laser cut sheet of one-eighth inch basswood ply also contains a template for the top and four types of spacers, A through D. 

The spine and the frames are assembled as seen below.  Frame 1 is installed with the printing facing aft.  This gave me the option of painting the exposed bulkhead after construction was completed.


 
The mast fits in the slanted slot between Frames 3 and 4.  To keep the mast vertical, support spacers are glued on both sides of the spine.  They will be sanded flush to the spine when the hull is faired. 


To prevent the hull from twisting and to strengthen it, spacers are placed between each frame.  The three aft spacers are “B”, the next one is “C” and the two foremost ones are “D”.  They are placed close to the edge of the frame for maximum stability.  The laser char only needs to be removed from the fore and aft sides so that their surfaces are flat.  If too much wood is sanded off, I glue strips of paper onto the edge as a filler to prevent distorting the hull.
 
The hull and deck were faired so there are smooth curves fore to aft.  I used a sanding block for this.  I did not fair the bulwark extensions (the thin strips of wood above the deck) to prevent them from breaking off.  This model has a significant camber to the deck.  Sanding sticks help getting into the corners.  You can see that the mast supports have been sanded down to match the height of the deck.

Next up is planking the hull.
 
 

Thanks for the kind words Todd, and thanks for the likes from other folks.  In a cloud of sawdust I shaped the last two spars this week.  Here are a few photos of the topsail yard and the lower yard.  They still need the additional wood pieces fabricated and added before painting, but the shaping stage is complete.  For some reason the taper on the topsail yard looks off in the photos, but when I measured again, it's accurate to .005" diameter when compared to the plans.  Chalk it up to foreground lens distortion then.
 
Erik

Experimenting with different woods for the Pillars in the Hold. 

Thought it might be a good opportunity to use Pink Ivory that I had in the stash for some reason. 
It is a very beautiful wood with pink shavings, indeed! 

 
A simple jig really helps to hold these tiny pieces when shaping. Scraping is a great way to get a smooth surface with a clean edge!

Completed test pieces. The one with a tenon was finished with Osmo Polyx and the one on the left (with no tenon) has no finish.
For colour comparison I made a photo on top of some pear parts (one finished and one - a rough sheet cutoff)

Pink Ivory has a clearly pronounced grain resembling walnut, clearly out of scale. Though pillars in the hold definitely have a rough life   I might still go with it, it might add an interesting accent deep in inside the hull when viewed from the side:

As most of such woods it would likely loose its beautiful colour when exposed to UV, and would likely become brown-ish. I left these test pieces exposed on the table and will check them in a couple of months. Does anyone have any experience with this wood?
 
What do think on the colour? I don't want my model to look like a clown car, but a bit of variety might not hurt  

Tools update time!
A friend printed some vacuum adapters for me
The one for the planer works like a charm! Using the model from Oliver (see https://modelshipworld.com/topic/36705-suction-adapter-for-the-proxxon-dh40-for-download)

Table saw received an update as well, the factory design is squeezing all the air through a narrow opening, generating a whistling noise louder than the actual saw. Now the opening is opened up, so the air can flow freely with a nice wind noise
Link to the model: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4742157
Since I was short on space - decided to make the adapter removable, on magnets. To improve the connection a groove should be machined.
It was impossible to clamp that soft plastic part on the lathe, it was just sliding out of the chuck

So I milled it on the rotary table. A single flute mill makes a dramatic difference - the dual flute quickly jams with a blob of melted plastic, while a single flute cuts clear separated chips (that are light, fly all over the place and get stuck to everything, argh).

The resulting performance is not as great as on the planer, some dust still escapes, but it is still a great improvement comparing to the default adapter. 

Can absolutely recommend both upgrades, especially the planer!

after some time I resumed work on the model by finishing the laying of the deadeyes and chains:
 

Have you considered photoetching thin sheet brass?

It will be very difficult to fret out a curved piece unless you do it concave side up. The other problem to overcome is the compound curves on the quarter galleries.... Need to think this over. My Polyphemus had a solid 'backing' that I laminated up. The pierced parts were fretted in individual sections and fitted together on the backing. Perhaps a variant using a temporary backing might work?

HI everyone,
 
I have hit one of the most challenging parts of my Bellona build, the fretwork on the quarter galleries and balcony rail. Here is photo I took of the first Bellona model a number of years ago, showing the serpentine curve of the balcony I am intending to reproduce:
 

 
And here is a photo I took a few years ago of the second model, showing how the balcony railing is actually pierced, not solid. and this shows the fretwork on the quarter galleries, which is not shown in the first model.
 
 

I had been planning to have these laser cut from plastic, based on my drawings of the correct shape and proportions of each frame (thanks to Chuck!).
 
But when I mocked up the double curved surface on the quarter gallery, I discovered that these fretwork panels will have to conform to some very warped surfaces. I am not sure plastic with very little gluing surface can be reliably fastened down by glue alone.
 
I toyed with capturing them in rabbets behind the horizontal mouldings, then I realized that this would not exert enough pressure at the extreme edges to press them against the warped surface.
 
 
This led me to thinking about maybe pierce sawing them out of a more pliable material, or maybe pierce sawing them out of blanks that are already curved to the correct shape. Or, maybe having them laser cut out of a more pliable material.
 
I tried an experiment of pierce cutting these out of thin boxwood, but the grain was too course for these thin filaments, and the piece broke when I tried to curve it. 
 
It looks to me like the second model pierce cut these out of probably ivory, which would solve the problem of a fine enough grain. Maybe Tagua nuts since ivory is not an option?
 
I even thought about pierce sawing them out of thin metal that could bend to the warped surface, then painting them a tan color.
 
Any thoughts about any of this?
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark
 

Ok, the modelling block is over, decided to ignore that dip and make a normal straight lower deck like on all the other ships:

Remaining beams are cut out of boxwood. Cutting curved blanks really makes a big difference, I extracted 10 planks from the same width of a sheet instead of the previous 6.
 
They are rough from the bandsaw, but milling setup takes care of it, and the result are nice and smooth beams  


Marking beam locations was a bit nerve-wracking. Pencil was not precise enough when working on such angle, but a marking knife is perfect for that job. Taking a lot of care to not scratch anything around...

Finally! I can go back to building instead of overthinking  
 

Thank you both.
Druxey, I tried imagining it in 3d (also using Swan and Pandora 3d drawings to help imagining it), and still can't imagine the dip being in place there. I'm likely reading too much into the plans.
According to Hahn's book (Ships of American Revolution) the proposed alterations were implemented in reality, and the ship went into British service with all of them in place. Would not doubt his research, definitely not the can of archived worms that I want to open  
His book does not mention anything on the lower deck details, they were omitted entirely from his model. 

Officer quarters are on the "second floor", right above the dotted line. So this modification actually makes their cabins smaller while increasing the headroom below, in the hold. 
The "step" is around the area with ladders that get down to the hold.
 
Of course I can just remove that extra beam and continue the deck in straight and fair line, like so.
But it feels wrong to just "fix" any weird quirk you find on your ship. Strong feeling that I am just misreading the plans and it has a purpose, but I can't find any similarities with similar vessels of that period...

After a long (way too long) interruption my Kingfisher is back on the bench. I have still been busy modelling but with other (plastic related) topics not fit to portray here, still it was al lot of fun. But it was time to return and make some wood dust again. So over the past few week I managed to get back into the build, did a lot of head scratching trying to remember where I left of and more important how things were done. Some of the procedures got lost in time and I have to figure out again. 
After taking the model out of storage ( it was stored in a dark place) I noticed a few things, the boxwood turned darker, the holy I used for the lower deck planking turned dark almost to the color of the boxwood. The wale that was stained with Fiebing ink turned much lighter. Overall a few cracks have appeared between the outside planing, but nothing too serious. Not bad after 5 years in storage and moving 3 times to different locations. 
 
So the upper deck spriketting and quick work was finally finished. I did not dare to drill holes for the scuppers as I'm afraid the inside and outside planking is not completely aligned the way it should be and the suppers might hit the wale. 


 
Upper deck planking installed and treenailed. I used thin black paper for caulking.
 
The fixed blocks were remade as the previous ones had fitting issues. I decided to make them from one piece and carve the sheaves in situ.  Unfortunately I discovered too late that the wood I used for the double block was much lighter. Now it looks like it was an off site repair job. 


 
Whilst working with plastic and specifically with Gundam models I picked up there plastic scribers. They also function as great mini chisels for wood. They come in many sizes and are super sharp. Due to the high angle of the blade they cut very aggressive in wood so care must be taken but a great addition to my woodworking toolset.

 
 
 
 
Remco
 

At the top of the deck plan there is the comment "the ticked lines and those in green are proposed alterations, the others are as she is now".  Also, look where the magazine lantern is in location to the faint word "magazine".

At the top of the deck plan there is the comment "the ticked lines and those in green are proposed alterations, the others are as she is now".  Also, look where the magazine lantern is in location to the faint word "magazine".

Ladders are usually shown in the companionways. If you can look at draughts of similar vessels, usually the layout of these is similar. 
 
The two rectangles are scuttles (proposed - see Toni Levine's observation). They would have had solid covers flush with the deck, with lifting ring bolts.