tlevine

The next  stage of construction was fitting out the mast partners, inner bulwarks, and deck.  On a real ship, the mast partners were made up from several pieces of wood.  For simplicity, I made the mast partners from single piece of cherry from my scrap box.  In the kit, it is made from two pieces of 1/32” basswood, with the two pieces oriented 90 degrees to each other for strength.  It measures 5’6” x 4’ x 3”.  The center of the mast is located 6” forward of the center point of the partners, to allow enough room for four eyebolts aft for securing the truss pendants and lifts.  It is not 100% historically accurate but compromises had to be made during kit design.
 
The mast is 17.5” in diameter at the partners and is raked aft so the opening will be oval, not round, with the long axis fore and aft.  I began by drilling a hole smaller than the final dimension.  It will be finessed later.  Remember, you can always remove more wood...you can't put it back.  Then the edges and corners were rounded over.


The waterway was made from two pieces of wood laminated together.  Because of the amount of hull curvature, I prefer to make a template and cut the outline of the bulwark onto a sheet of wood rather than edge-bend.  The template is very simple: a piece of paper which is gradually trimmed to the correct shape.  You only need one template since the two sides are mirror images of each other. The outboard edge of the waterway was traced onto the 1/32” basswood sheet and cut.

Using a compass, a line was the drawn 10” inboard and the waterway was cut out.  I prefer to make all my marks on the undersurface of the wood, where they will not be seen.  All four surfaces were sanded smooth, keeping the edges sharp.

Using the same template, I drew the outboard line on a second piece of basswood and cut it out.  A second line was drawn 4” inboard.  This was cut out and sanded but the upper-inner edge was rounded over.  The pictures show both pieces of the waterway.


The first layer of the waterway was installed and because a template was used, it fits perfectly and without tension.  After the first piece was dry, the second narrow piece was added next to the bulwark, rounded over edge inboard. 

The next  stage of construction was fitting out the mast partners, inner bulwarks, and deck.  On a real ship, the mast partners were made up from several pieces of wood.  For simplicity, I made the mast partners from single piece of cherry from my scrap box.  In the kit, it is made from two pieces of 1/32” basswood, with the two pieces oriented 90 degrees to each other for strength.  It measures 5’6” x 4’ x 3”.  The center of the mast is located 6” forward of the center point of the partners, to allow enough room for four eyebolts aft for securing the truss pendants and lifts.  It is not 100% historically accurate but compromises had to be made during kit design.
 
The mast is 17.5” in diameter at the partners and is raked aft so the opening will be oval, not round, with the long axis fore and aft.  I began by drilling a hole smaller than the final dimension.  It will be finessed later.  Remember, you can always remove more wood...you can't put it back.  Then the edges and corners were rounded over.


The waterway was made from two pieces of wood laminated together.  Because of the amount of hull curvature, I prefer to make a template and cut the outline of the bulwark onto a sheet of wood rather than edge-bend.  The template is very simple: a piece of paper which is gradually trimmed to the correct shape.  You only need one template since the two sides are mirror images of each other. The outboard edge of the waterway was traced onto the 1/32” basswood sheet and cut.

Using a compass, a line was the drawn 10” inboard and the waterway was cut out.  I prefer to make all my marks on the undersurface of the wood, where they will not be seen.  All four surfaces were sanded smooth, keeping the edges sharp.

Using the same template, I drew the outboard line on a second piece of basswood and cut it out.  A second line was drawn 4” inboard.  This was cut out and sanded but the upper-inner edge was rounded over.  The pictures show both pieces of the waterway.


The first layer of the waterway was installed and because a template was used, it fits perfectly and without tension.  After the first piece was dry, the second narrow piece was added next to the bulwark, rounded over edge inboard. 

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.
 
 

So I am so close to listing the first two chapters folks.   Maybe Sunday or Monday.  I have one test shipment going out to get an idea of shipping across the country.  Once I know that I will list the remaining sets I have made for sale on the site.
 
I have one favor to ask....Please read below.
 
I am NOT limiting production so no need to jump on this.  In fact if you are not ready to start a build log and start building immediately I would ask that you wait for the next batch of chapter sets.  Seriously asking here.  If you are currently working on a model and are several months or even a year away from starting Speedwell,  It would suck for these to sit on a shelf.  Especially when I know of at least ten guys who are waiting patiently to begin building Speedwell right now.  I know some of you are more than a year away from starting so please dont buy from this batch.  I will be making more consistently for the next few months before I start even thinking about making chapter 3 parts.  There will be plenty of opportunity.  Let the guys ready to start building get first crack at these please.
 
Also if I havent mentioned it....this will be a big model.   If you plan on rigging her it will be 52" long or thereabouts.....and about 40" tall.   The hull unrigged is 32" long.   So keep this in mind.  Remember its a 3/8" scale model.  A big girl.....
 
The chapter sets will come with printed plans.   Sheets one and two with the first chapter of parts.   The remaining will come with the chapter sets when needed.  Here are a few just to give you an idea.
 



 

Greg convinced me!!!  I also spent a great deal of time looking at the contemporary model.   I also decided to coper the top of the doorway.  It just made sense to do that.   I painted a plain piece of paper with the copper paint and cut a narrow strip.  This allowed me to leave a nice neat edge on the front of the bulkhead.  I left just a 1/64" of the top showing so it looks like molding around the doorway.  I am sure I will get used it over time.
 


 
 

Here are two photos of the second version which I made.  This one is finished with copper paint and sprayed with dull coat.   The copper paint was just from one of those copper leafing pens.  It worked really well actually.   This was my best result with the copper attempts.   I havent glued the cupola on yet so I can keep trying both and pick the one I like best.   
 

So the move is completed, I'm working on getting my new workshop together - BOTH Pegasus and Winnie survived the move with no apparent damage ( better result than my last move ).

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 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. 

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. 

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. 

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.
 
 

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 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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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. 

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.