garyshipwright

We have missed you Albert and very happy to see you back. Gary

A little update, the chesstree:
 

 
and overall view:
 

 
Alex

Hello and many thank you for warm words and likes!
 
the fenders are completted:
 

 

 
Regards
 
Alex

Hello and thank you for likes and warm words!
 
The work go on, the seats in the corners are done. actually worked on fenders and panels on head frames.
 

 

 

 

 

 
Alex

Hello and thank you for warm words and likes!
 
The "head pieces" (is it right term?) are usually represented on the contemporary models as one piece of wood. On the plans that show this area in detail, you can see a small rail attached:
 

 
So I have tried to implement this:
 

 

 

 

 
They are first fixed with a few drops of glue, because I still have to adjust the seats of ease in the corners
 
Alex
 

thank you druxey, and you are so right! On model is third attempt, and here the waste
 

 
Alex

Hello and thank you for your likes! Not much to show today...
 

 
Alex

Hello,
 
not much progress here, the work go slowly...
 

 
Alex

Good morning,
 
only small update here. I have diassembled the head and began to glue the pieces permanent in to place. Before I mount the upper rails I have a question: mostly contemporary models show the timber heads of upper rail black and I'm not sure if I shal do so. Here an image I have manipulated in photoshop
 

 
what do you mean?
 
Alex
 
 

Hello and thank you all for warm words!
 
now I have reached a little but important for me milestone, all rails are done! And I'm satisfied with them...
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
The next task are the head timbers...
 
Regards
 
Alex

Hello and thanks you for likes!
 
The second supporter knee in place and middle rail in work
 

 

 

 
Regards
 
Alex

Hello,
the gratings are finished and the boomkins build. 

Hi All
 
Work on Le Rochefort has slowed somewhat because I have returned to work after having a few weeks off so I only get to work on it at weekends again.
 
Anyway I've now planked the hold deck which has turned out very nicely.  The Castello that I'm using is just lovely to work with.  I've not put the nails in yet as I've run out of carbon rod but I'll have some for next weekend.  The first 2 planks are not nailed as they are removable to get to the limber boards.


 
I'm putting 6 powder barrels into the hull - I did start another thread regarding this and I opted to buy 6 barrels from the Syren model ship company @Chuck 
They are 1" tall and are pretty much the perfect size and being made of yellow cedar they match in quite nicely.
 
So I started a little production line and made the frames for the barrels and they fit together very easily.  I didn't remove any of the laser char as the wood has very little burning anyway.

Then each stave is bevelled which literally takes seconds to do and is glued on using CA.  I had to go and buy this glue as I just don't use it for anything else and yep I did stick my fingers together 🤣
 
The result is a very nice authentic looking barrel in my opinion  - The kit comes with black hoops but as these are powder barrels I needed either withy or copper hoops.  I opted for copper and just masked it up and gave it a quick spray.  They do take a bit of patience so I'm going to make them as I go along rather than try and do them all in one go.  I think they are going to look very nice in the finished ship.  Having said that I don't think I'm going to make a cooper anytime soon 



So that is pretty much the hold completed so I can now move onto constructing the main deck.
 
Cheers Mark

Hi Dave  Am just a little late to the party but have one other book that will make a good addition to you small library. Peter Goodwin has a very wonderful book and I use it and Brain Lavery  all the time and would be a good asset for you. It's called  the Construction and fitting of the English Man of War.  Do believe you will be very happy with this one and really has lot's of good infor that one need's for building them.  Have fun. Gary

Hi Dave  Am just a little late to the party but have one other book that will make a good addition to you small library. Peter Goodwin has a very wonderful book and I use it and Brain Lavery  all the time and would be a good asset for you. It's called  the Construction and fitting of the English Man of War.  Do believe you will be very happy with this one and really has lot's of good infor that one need's for building them.  Have fun. Gary

Hi Dave  Am just a little late to the party but have one other book that will make a good addition to you small library. Peter Goodwin has a very wonderful book and I use it and Brain Lavery  all the time and would be a good asset for you. It's called  the Construction and fitting of the English Man of War.  Do believe you will be very happy with this one and really has lot's of good infor that one need's for building them.  Have fun. Gary

A photo would help us understand your problem, Alan. Of course the round up varies - why make it simple? Actually, that aesthetically makes the structure more elegant.

Continuing on with another small update. The aft seats have been added to the ship. This was tricky stuff and there were a few attempts needed. So, yeah, Nothing new. I used a tapered a dowel inserted into the hole as a helping hand when test fitting and gluing them in. Only a small amount of PVA at the notch surrounding the moulding and along the edge that sits against the false rail.

Mike

I must say I have enjoyed our conversations and indeed find Waldemars contribution important and interesting. He has stimulated us all into forming our own opinions. When I write about the London I think it best not to mention the drafting process that may have created the lines. Just mention they look genuine but have irregularities that are difficult to interpret. This thread continues as some of us think they didn't use body plans in the seventeenth century. As this point in time I think they did, but I won't be putting a tin hat on and jumping in a bunker to defend the position to the last.
Unfortunately, actual plans from the period are as rare as hens teeth. However, there is plenty of evidence to show they did use body plans. The Keltridge plans, Wilton House plan and London plan, among others, all show body plans that must have been developed from rising and narrowing lines somewhere. When the Admiralty wanted the shape of the new ships recorded in 1678 they took the body plans off the ships. Not only that but Deane and the 1620 period treatise (PRO ADM7/827) both describe drawing on paper the rising and narrowing lines and the body plans. They are instructional indeed, to be used and follow actual practice, brilliantly simplified in Deane's case. Why would they have described body plans if they were not used? You could argue that no plan was necessary at all as the results of the calculated rising and narrowing lines are all you need together with a list of overall dimensions. This is all John Shish's paper(Bodleian Library, Oxford, Rawlinson MSS,A185,f325) has describing a fourth rate. But you have no idea what the ship looked like from that until its developed and drawn out on paper. Even if the side and top view were drawn then it's almost impossible to judge what the ships form looked like. It's very difficult without water lines, which are not mentioned in the treatise. Just about impossible without a body plan. The plans were approved by Kings, and King Charles was a know authority who studied the  ships draughts. Not only that but the body plans are necessary to know where the heads and heels of the frame timbers would go. You could argue body plans were only drawn in the mould loft, in spite of the treatise saying they are drawn plots, but by then it's a bit late to study the hull form.  In any case it would be the same as studying a 1/48 plan with your eye only 1 1/2 inches from it. Almost impossible. 
There we are Chaps, opinions welcome.

Dear Waldemar, You are a tease who can cheerfully ignore admitting the floor sweeps of Bellona 1754 on image 2 in Brian Lavery's book are all the same radii. They clearly are the same radius and follow seventeenth century practice. What you are describing is mentioned by Brian Lavery, Ship of the Line II, Page 21, first column "Around 1765 a new line, known as the centres of the floor sweep, begins to appear on draughts". That's over a 100 years after the London was built. She surely would have been built according to the fixed radius floor sweep method, as Brian further records on page 19 "It is usual for all the floors sweeps to be of one radius, (ref25 Mungo Murray 1754)". Come on Waldermar, put a smile on your face, be friends and please agree the London must have had a fixed floor sweep radius. I am happy to admit my ignorance in that I never knew about this 1765 practice as I stick firmly in the seventeenth century and never stray out of period or country as its so very, very easy to be misled, as you have here. As for the differences between English and foreign practices, take a look at 18th Century Shipbuilding by Blaise Ollivier ed David Roberts. A bookful of differences between English, Dutch and French practice. I am also sorry for appearing to indicate the London drawings are not authentic. What I meant to say, they definitely date from the seventeenth century but as the late, great Frank Fox said, they may not be be an accurate copy of the original ships plans. I really appreciate our dialogue as I have learnt something today, even if its out of my period. Stay happy, and remember we study ship building for pleasure.

Hi Marsalv.   You are really doing a outstanding job and enjoying your build. Thank you for sharing.  Gary

Looks good Mike and ever thing looks ship shape, a very pleasant view of her and easy on the eye's. You should be proud of your self with a big pat on the back. A build that we strive for in our own build's.  Gary

Looking good Dusan and perfect just like the rest of the ship. Gary

Small Saturday update, one more row to go on both sides before the first band of planking is finished. I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.
Frank.

A little  more  progress, lower counter planked,limber strakes installed and orlop deck clamps,I made up the riders and they really  helped with getting things lined up and the deck clamps at the right height.