tlevine

Work progresses slowly on the upper deck framing.  No pics this week.  The next significant structure to construct is the capstan step.  In TFFM this is shown as a roughly rectangular block of wood inserted between the beams and its supporting carlings.  On the Atalanta plans there is a ovate structure instead.  This would seem to have much less strength than the one suggested by David.  I am looking for some help on this one.  Is the structure shown on the plan correct?  Or is this seated on top of a rectangular step?
 

Druxey, I need all the cheering I can get.  Greg, I don't have any grandkids taking up my time.  Just work, the house, the dog, the horses and keeping the husband in line!   Elia, hopefully you'll get more time soon. 

Thanks for the tip Mark, but it would have to be a VERY small chess set - the Crown is only 4mm high .
 
Pilasters
 
The final pieces of this jigsaw puzzle - the Pilasters. The first pieces I made were the Bases and Capitals. These were cut from a length of molded English Box :
 

 
The Columns were done in similar fashion, from long lengths of molded stock :
 

 
Some pics of the finished assembly ready for a coat of Minwax :
 

 

 

 
  Danny

Hello dear friends and thank you warmly for your kind words and recognition, I am extremely honored!!

Well, I must say that I was so much nervous during filming the reportage. My students helped me a lot, I like them very much. We are friends.
 I'm glad that was paid attention on TV to this beautiful hobby that connects us all together.
 
On Royal Caroline I have improved and added another details. Please, enjoy the pics and have a great time.

Best regards,
Doris
 








 
 

  

Actual pics:

 
Please enjoy the pics, soon I am going to bring new ones.
Best regards,
Doris

After the drawing works it was time to make sawdust.
 
First part is the keel, which is a little bit tricky. The keel has a light curvature and the joints are perpendicular to the base line.
I cut some small stripes with my cirular saw, make the joints and glue the parts together. Next I added the parts for the stem.
The picture shows the step on the building board. I use Tamiya Tape to avoid that the keel glues on the paper during the build.

 
The next pictures show the complete assembled backbone for the small vessel,

 
the stem with with the changed layout of the parts,

 
the keel and the rising wood,

 
and the stern post with the after deadwood.

 
The next steps are cutting the rabbet, the keelson and the building board. Then I can start with the frames.
 

Hello friends.
Fitted deck beams provisionally loose
from the Upper Deck  /  Quarter Deck.
 
Karl
 
 
 
 
T e i l   4 0

John and Elia, thank you for your kind comments.  Thanks for all the Likes as well.  A little more has been accomplished this weekend.  I have applied the finish to the pantry.  Beam set 14 has been installed and beam set 15 is in progess.  The middle carlings are larger to support the capstain partner.  Unlike the carlings for the mast partners, this piece is installed like a regular carling (ie from on top) rather than under the beam.
 
 

 
 

John and Elia, thank you for your kind comments.  Thanks for all the Likes as well.  A little more has been accomplished this weekend.  I have applied the finish to the pantry.  Beam set 14 has been installed and beam set 15 is in progess.  The middle carlings are larger to support the capstain partner.  Unlike the carlings for the mast partners, this piece is installed like a regular carling (ie from on top) rather than under the beam.
 
 

 
 

The pantry is located on the lower deck in front of the ladderway.  It is constructed with partially louvered walls like the sail room.  In contrast to the sail room, there is a standard swinging door rather than a slider.  I finally tried to cut the slat mortises on the table saw.  I had to free-hand their locations as I could not quickly develop a jig.  A piece of 1 x 1 mm brass clamped down to the saw table would have done the trick but I did not have any and when I tried to cut wood this dimension it disintigrated.  I think they came out reasonably well.  Next time I would run out to the model railroad store a few towns away and buy the brass square as the mortises look better even though once the slats are inserted there is really no difference in appearance. 
 
The plan shows the door underneath the beam (not installed on these pictures).  I found this odd because this would limit the door height and also because a support stanchion could be incorporated into the door frame if the door was located between frames.  I built the door in the location shown on the plan.  I also decided not to put a pillar under beam 13 as this would end up in the middle of the pantry and restrict the storage possibilities.  A stanchion on the starboard wall will be the substitute for the pillar.
 

 

 

 

John and Elia, thank you for your kind comments.  Thanks for all the Likes as well.  A little more has been accomplished this weekend.  I have applied the finish to the pantry.  Beam set 14 has been installed and beam set 15 is in progess.  The middle carlings are larger to support the capstain partner.  Unlike the carlings for the mast partners, this piece is installed like a regular carling (ie from on top) rather than under the beam.
 
 

 
 

Thank you everybody.  JD, I spend 8-10 hours a week in the workshop (aka kitchen counter).  Please remember that the first sawdust was made in July, 2011.  I figure that I am on the 5 year plan...  and that is without masting her!

Thanks guys.
Ed, I will make a brick base underneath. My NMM plans don't show additional carlings or pillars so I'll leave the layout as it is.
 
Yes Sir Druxey, soot coming up, I had to make a little fire in the hearth to create this
 

 

 
All it needs now is a chimney to the upper deck and then I'll ask permission to call this challenge completed
 
Remco

Christian, based on what I know probably a brick hearth or a Brody style stove, but not a real Brody stove.
Sure Gary, I'll start taking orders
 
The pots are tubes turned on the lathe to give it a small rim, bottom and handles silver soldered. I made a smaller fish pot for the stove. Work began on the doors fitted to the sides of the stove, hinges and locking mechanism works, I think they look a bit heavy for a simple door, looks more like a safe door. Have to think about this .....
 

 
 
 

 
Grant, remember the wicker basket...
 

 
Remco

Hello,
 
here are some pictures for mounting the gun port lids:
 

 

 

 
 

Hello Friends,
many thanks for your nice comments. This is the motivation for the next work.
 
Here is the continuation of the construction of the gun ports lids.
Based on the following pictures the next steps are clear.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello,
the twentieth carronade is now mounted.
To this end, a few photos for assembly.

 

 

 

 

 

here a small update
 
the Blocks are now finished to takle on the Canons
 

 
 
The side takel had to be made once again because the hook and grummet were too long.
Everything carefully re-open (2 hooks broken) and a new strops. But this time in the correct length
 

Thanks Michael, Pat and Alex. Well good sirs other then pot's and pan's the stove it complete, accept for the  stack. I finally added the pully's and chain, for the pit, which was just a little touche. Most of the new parts are made out of metal accept for the pulley's which are wood. Couldn't find any brass round stock big enough. Well back to the pump's. Gary

Well guys, I got to finally do some cooking and if any one has a pig, bring it on over and we can have a roast. Only kidding but finally have Alfred stove just about finished. Been working on it for a couple of days and has been a lot of fun. Its built of copper and brass, and a few pieces of plastic and wood thrown in to the mix. Still have to put the  bar around it and finish the stack. A couple of the items, probably will get replace, such as the pot holder's and in the mean time will have to make some pot's and pans. Don't be to hard guys and still need a lot of work on it.   Also have to figure out how am going to get that cast iron look so if any of you have any ideal's on how to do this, let me know, would you please. Just to let you know there was a few items that came from Chuck's photo etch set which came in real handy, so thank you Chuck. Enjoy the photo's guy's.
 
Gary 

Hi Alistair. Your very welcome sir. At the moment am still probably go with the frapping and some gun's in different placement like being tied up  but that is hopfully in the near future.
 
Have a small update guys. The planking of the gun deck is finish  and should not be adding any more at the moment. The Captain did come around and talked about overhauling the pumps and bearings and a few other things. The old bushing set was wooden,  and figure I would try to make some metal ones. Figure that if I don't work more with metal, won't ever get any better at it. Do believe I finally figure out and got myself some good drill bits, for drilling very tiny holes in metal. With the sensitive drilling attachment  it helps me big time, from breaking a ton of the small bits. Any way I milled out the shape of the roding's, believe thats what they are called and drilled the holes for the bolts to keep them in place.
 
  The pump housing tubes and main mast partner was taken out and given a new look and then reinstalled , the partner and pump tubes that is. Also added the aft scuttle hatches with the cover some what just sitting on the bottom half. Now I did come across a item and thought it would be nice to add. On Montagu and other 74 gun ships they had this half circle cover, which I believe was made of wood, had one small door in front, just big enough to hand out cartridges,  and covered the scuttle hatch that was used to hand up the cartridges from the orlop deck. This hatch was between the aft riding bitt's.  It probably was stored when they were working the anchors and cables. Another up date in the works folk's.
 
Just something to think about  folks,the next time you have to glue something in place. If you can just peg the item to the hull or deck with maybe a bit of glue on the peg, it just might save you from having a headack on your hands. Just to give you a ideal of this, all of Montagu gun deck planks are only held in place with a tiny bit of glue on the pegs. If I had to tear out or remove some planking all one has to do is pry up the plank sand down the peg's and your ready to go. When I first installed the main partner and pump's very little glue was used and things were more or less just pegged in place. Made removing them a whole lot easier and clean up was a snap. Just something to keep in mind folks. 
Gary 



 

The pantry is located on the lower deck in front of the ladderway.  It is constructed with partially louvered walls like the sail room.  In contrast to the sail room, there is a standard swinging door rather than a slider.  I finally tried to cut the slat mortises on the table saw.  I had to free-hand their locations as I could not quickly develop a jig.  A piece of 1 x 1 mm brass clamped down to the saw table would have done the trick but I did not have any and when I tried to cut wood this dimension it disintigrated.  I think they came out reasonably well.  Next time I would run out to the model railroad store a few towns away and buy the brass square as the mortises look better even though once the slats are inserted there is really no difference in appearance. 
 
The plan shows the door underneath the beam (not installed on these pictures).  I found this odd because this would limit the door height and also because a support stanchion could be incorporated into the door frame if the door was located between frames.  I built the door in the location shown on the plan.  I also decided not to put a pillar under beam 13 as this would end up in the middle of the pantry and restrict the storage possibilities.  A stanchion on the starboard wall will be the substitute for the pillar.
 

 

 

 

John and Elia, thank you for your kind comments.  Thanks for all the Likes as well.  A little more has been accomplished this weekend.  I have applied the finish to the pantry.  Beam set 14 has been installed and beam set 15 is in progess.  The middle carlings are larger to support the capstain partner.  Unlike the carlings for the mast partners, this piece is installed like a regular carling (ie from on top) rather than under the beam.
 
 

 
 

Hi all, and thanks for the comments and likes.
 
The next set of independent pieces to be made were the three hatches with gratings.  One two-part one goes on the quarterdeck, while the other two go on the gun deck under the boat in the waist.  My method for making gratings is a bit unusual in that it there is little or no measuring done with a ruler or calipers.  Everything is done relative to the thickness of the saw blade that is used.  I developed this method because I only have a Preac saw.  A milling machine might make the whole process easier, but I work with what I have.
 
The first thing is to set up the saw to make square section sticks of wood whose dimension will be about 2  inches in the scale being used.  This then has to  match the thickness of a saw blade that you have.  For the small grating I used a slitting saw blade that was 0.032” thick. 
 
To set the saw I sandwiched that blade between a second blade and the rip fence.  The fence is snugged up and locked down.  The cutting blade does not have to be the same thickness, although in this case it was since I have two blades of that same thickness.
 
[These first nine photos are in black and white because they are taken from another presentation on making much smaller gratings].
 

 
Several sticks 0.032” square were cut from a sheet of hardwood.  Only a few are needed.  Then the blade that matches the sticks is mounted in the saw, if it is not already there.   Two of the sticks are sandwiched between the blade and the fence which is snugged tight and locked down.
 

 
One stick is removed and a short section of the other is held firmly against the fence and tacked in place with extra thin cyano.  Care is taken to see that the fence is not glued to the table.
 

 
The fence is removed, leaving a guide strip parallel to the blade and one blade thickness to the right. 
 

 
A rectangular piece of hardwood sheet is selected and held against the guide strip and the miter guage.  The blade height is set up to cut just a tiny bit deeper than halfway through the sheet.
 

 
The wood is run over the blade, cutting a channel one blade thickness from the end.
 

 
The wood is flipped over and the slot that was just cut is placed on top of the guide strip. 
 

 
The wood is run through again, cutting a second channel two thicknesses to the left of the first channel.
 

 
The balance of the sheet is cut in the same way, making a series of channels parallel to each other and spaced two blade widths apart.
 

 
Here is the grating sheet for the QAR. At my scale I needed sticks and channels that were about 0.055”.  I took one of the 0.032” blades and stacked it together with a 0.023” blade, making a 0.055” dado blade.
 

 
Actually, for the small grating I used Portia Takakjian’s technique.  This involves cutting lots of square sticks as well as cutting cross channels across the first ones.  The cross channels are filled with the sticks and everything is glued together.  When dry the solid back of the sheet is ground off with a sanding drum.  This works well for a small grating, but the wider blade did not cut as cleanly so I kept getting tearout.  Also, I needed more than 25 square inches of grating and did not look forward to grinding off so much wood.
 
Instead, I removed the guide strip and set the saw to cut 0.55” using the blades as spacers again.  Strips were parted off the sheet until the material was used up.  I call them toothed strips for obvious reasons.
 

 
Three quarters of the toothed strips were cut into thirds and interlocked with the remaining long strips.
 

 
This created a grating sheet about 2 ½ by 7 ½ inches.  This was only enough to make the gratings for one of the models, so a second grating sheet was made in the same way.
 

 
From the sheets I cut out sections for the grating sizes that I needed, sanded the edges flush and gave them a coat of slightly darkened matte finish to protect them from glue stains when the coamings get built around them.
 

 
Overall, this method worked well for me, and I will try it in smaller scales in the future.  A tip of the hat to Charlie Files, inventor of the Preac, wherever you are.
 
I will have the log of making the coamings in a few days.  Until then, be well.
 
Dan
 
 

I graduated from the stern decoration. However, the Eagles did not put because had already broken. Sculptures of eagles really stick out beyond the outline of the stern ...