garyshipwright

Hi Mark. You bring up a very good point on wood movement. You and Greg wrote about the cracks coming and going in your models but this can also cause one a very big headache when building them, which am sure you know all about that. Seems that Alfred has moved around a lot and when I measure from point A to point B her parts have either increase or decrease making it just a little harder to build on to her. Either that or I have forgotten how to read a ruler. :o) Am sure the builders in the 17th and 18th century, understood this when they let a ship season and dry out, causing their measurment to be spot on or off. Ok back to work on Alfred. Gary

Hi Mark. Looking good sir and I like seeing the hi res photos and hope that I never post one. At the moment am working on the quarter deck gun ports and once they are finished I will be having a party and maybe a update, thank goodness. I also have been installing battens on Alfred for the waist and sheer rails. One good thing about adding them, makes it easy to adjust them if the curve doesn't look right. Good work sir and looking forward to some more hi res photos. Gary

Hi Mark. Shes looking good sir. Was wondering how you was going to clamp the planks in place when you mounted them. Looking good. Gary

Looks real good Mark, great job. Keep it up and you will have the main wale installed in no time flat. Gary

Hi Paul. As a great leader once said this sucks, much like the weather sir. Figure as long as we have paddles we will be okay. As far as the eyebolts like your self I have to remove them from the port side, done the stbd side already, because of the same reason, hanging knees, but also remove the cannon's from the deck but that's due to detail that I forgot to put on them. Gary

Hi druxey. Sorry about that sir, I didn't mean the channels that hold the dead eyes but the channel wales them self. Seems that I didn't do a very good job of measuring were they fit along the side. It did help me make up my mind about a couple of planks that wasn't kind to the eyes. Gary

Thanks Hakan. Mark you hit the nail on the head, To many years with out some body to help us become even better ship builders. We do have some good teachers to help us these days. One just has to grab on to their shirt tail and just hang on. Gary

Thanks Mark. I didn't like it anyway and even if it had not been off, I would probably tore it off, and redid it, for a couple of other things. Things in Model ship building allways seem to come out better when you do it 2 or three times. Of course when you look at some of the other outstanding models on site, they do set a high bench to live up to. Speaking of one how is yours coming. ;o). Gary

Hi HJX. There seems to be a whole lot less on building 1st and 2nd rates compared to building 74s, but other then size I would think that they were put together much the same way. I do have a couple of books, some center on the Victory, one writtern by a French spy and another one that coveres French 74 to 120 guns French warship's. One is done by Boudriot and the other by David Roberts produce by Boudriot. On a different not to the rest of the crew here, I messed up on Montagu channel making it higher then it was post to be so had to rip all of the installed planking down to the main wale off and start over again. I was crying some big tears but one must do what one must do, so the delay may be just a little late in coming but am working on it. Gary.

Nice job Ed, very nice. Since we are on spelling how about Rudder vs Rother. :o) Gary

Thanks Harvey. Does seem to have been awhile since I first started her and thank you for followering her build. Still have a lot of work to do on her and who knows maybe I finish her gun deck this year. ;o) Gary

Thanks Albert, Mark, Pat and for those who gave it a like. Mark as far as the cannon's go they are only being placed on the stbd side, the port side will remain as you see it. Gary

Hi Guys. Here is another update, small one but one I have been working on. Some thing I did along with at least half of the channel wale done on the port side was to remove some of the planking above the main wale on the other strbd side along with taken her main guns off to add some more detail to them. Another thing is the eyebolts will be removed from the sides till the upper deck hanging knees are fitted. They have to be in place first then the eye bolts. Kind of late but Merry Christmas and a happy new year. gary

Sounds about right Mark. Another thing, you could do like your doing, then clamp it on the hull, take a very small paint brush lightly wet it down and take your little plank bender heater and heat it. Not sure you have the little heater I have but looks like a little soldering iron with a couple of different tips made for planking. Just a couple of ideals to help get your planks to fit. I take a photo of it which may help. Gary

EdT, Am sure you have heard every word in the book about you build and all I can think to add to it, she is a very very fine looking lady. Your build is outstanding and am so glad that you are posting the build of her. When do you figure your next book will be out, have a open space on the book case for it. :o) Gary

Thanks Nils and EdT. It did take me a couple of months to build the hobby bench and really enjoyed building it. Gary

Hi Gaetan. I have to total agree with you. One thing I have learned and do believe some one said it, the plan is just a guide to building her, and making a boo boo is just part of it, nothing says that you can't just cut it out and replace it, Am really sure that is what the did back then. Its also how we learn to fit two pieces of wood together. Wood is very forgiving, if it doesn't fit or is cut wrong, just toss it and cut another one. Gary

Hi Mark as far as running planks against the batten I wouldn't do it any other way. Of course once you get the planks next to it installed you don't need it any more, and can just remove it. I also found out that taken the second row of planiks and clamping them like I have in the photo helps to close the gap and does a really fine job. Gary

Mark when I did mine at the bow I fitted the first top one pinned in place with out any glue. As you said I made up a piece of wood the had the curve of the bow and after soaking the piece, it was clamp up in the form and left over night and fitted the next day. You might also want to put just a little bit more of a curve in the form making sure you have enough curve in the piece. After that make up a file template of the next one using the shape of the first one on the ship it self. Cut out the template, lay on the wood you making the pieces out of, cut to shape, soak, steam and after a little be of dry fitting pin it to the hull, replace the pins with trunnels/treenails and your done. As far as putting glue on the plank, I just put glue on the trunnel and after you have 75% of the tunnels in place that plank isn't going any where. I don't like gluing the plank to the frames because if you make a boo boo then its a lot harder to get the plank off. With just the trunnel glued its just a matter of prying up the plank fix the mistake and keep going. Had to replace a few planks on account of mistake, which am sure most of us have a box full. Then you do the next set and then the next set untill you have you wale the length of the hull. I did enjoy putting Alfred's on and was like putting a jig saw puzzle together. Of course am not worth a hoot when it comes to putting them together. Gary

Hi hjx. All of those books are good and contain certain information that helps in your shipbuilding. To me the library I have built up over the years has more then paid for it self and to me is really really important to researching and building them. I have added photos of those books which should help. You do what to figure out which era you want to build from so your cost on books won't go through the roof. Happy reading Gary

Thanks Grant, Ed and Gaetan, its good to be back. Have missed you guys and seems a lot has gone on since I have been gone. Ed the ship that was in the back ground is the Bonhomme Richard, 1779. Built her in the nintys and was the one I built before starting on Montagu. Believe I finished her right around the time the misses had our daughter, which would make Richard about 19teen years old. My how time fly's when your having fun. Gaetan you are so right and building it got me back out in to the workshop and close to Montagu. Seems she kept calling my name, Gary build me and they will come. Thats my story and am sticking to it. Have added a photo of Richard here for you Ed. gary

Hi Alan. I must say you have been very busy the last few years from the research to drafting plans to building her. I went through you build log and don't believe that I would do the plans on the computer, to much of a learning curve. Do believe I stick to pen and paper. Keep up the great job and will be watching your build as you travel the road that many have taken on. Gary

Thanks druxey. I did enjoy building the work bench and always wanted one. Seems the drawers took the longest to build which probably had some thing to do with them being dove tailed together. That was interesting for sure. Didn't come out to bad. if I didn't have the leigh dove tail jig probably would have just made box joints. If any one is interested in building one I added the cover of the magazine showing the bench. Hi Michael. For me it just right. To hard on the eyes if it was any smaller. Hi Mark. Every thing is ok at the moment and seems am very happy to be back to work on her. Who knows maybe I just might get the upper deck built, that is if I get the outside planking done. ;o) Gary

Thanks every one and am hoping the updates will be a whole lot sooner then what they been. Mike she is 1/48th scale, can't remember for sure, about 45 inches long with out her mast, and about 13 inches wide. Gary

Thanks Mark and Ben, good to be back. Gary