Ondras71

Hello!
 
The Emma C. Berry is my second attempt at a model ship, my first being the Model Shipways Armed Virginia Sloop. The AVS was completed to the rigging stage, then put aside as life got in the way. 
 
My daughter recently had her first child, and to provide help to her (my wife and I are both retired school teachers) we were able to "house sit" a beautiful home on a lake near her, up in the Adirondack mountains of New York. No TV, just a big fireplace and a beautiful view of a lake. I had the Emma C. Berry in the stash so I figured getting her planked up would be a great way to spend time when we're not babysitting.
 
So, I packed up a small set of tools and began. She's coming along nicely although I've made plenty of rookie mistakes. I didn't originally plan on creating a building log at NRG but I have taken some pictures and kept a journal, so I thought I'd give it a try! Currently I'm home and the boat and building journal are up at the lake. Attached are a couple photos of her current state.
 
If there's any interest here, I'll dig in!
 
Steve
 
 

All of the full frames have now been made up and mounted. The next step was to permanently mount the the keel-stem-stern assembly to the the full frames. Before doing this, I did some work on the stem that could more easily be done before mounting. This involved drilling, cutting and filing the gammoning slot, and cutting and tapering the upper forward portion to accommodate the fitting of the figurehead. The figurehead is a 3D printed resin piece supplied by the Lumberyard. I am attaching a photo showing it in place temporarily. It will be painted to match the wood before permanent mounting at a much later time.
 
I will be away from the shipyard for about a week, and will then begin on the stern half frames.
 
Bob

With the clamps off it's starting to look like a ship

Hi!
I experienced something else... the hinges for gunports! The solutions from the doors didn't satisfy me and I tried to find another solution.

Continuation.
 
 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
The beginning of the relation is available at this address:
http://5500.forumact...ndre-1-24#66516
 
Regards, Pawel
 

Thank you for nice comments.
I installed some quarter deck beams,  fore deck beams and the doors. As a next comes the making of galley stove.

Today, I started the running rigging with the jib halliard and related components. The traveler ring, was made by Chuck and is available on his website. I decided that stabilizing the traveler ring was key to making it all go smoothly. The photos below show the steps taken to achieve this. Note that the jib halliard #2 is temporarily wrapped around one of the bowsprit bitts instead of being fully rigged through the block at the mast head. That will come later after the jib inhaul is completed. The jib outhaul #1 is routed correctly.


With the traveler ring stabilized I made the jib inhaul.
Lastly the inhaul was seized to the traveler ring and the jib halliard was routed correctly.



Hope this all makes sense. .
 
Mike
 
 
 
 
 
 

Civil War Ironclad, USS St. Louis -  !:24
Sequence of Assembly for USS St. Louis Model Rev C
 
Notes:
Rev A: This revision modifies Steps 5 thru 13 to permit direct use of the NPS plans to locate the structural elements yet allows installation of tempered hardboard sheets to add longitudinal stiffness to the lower hull structure.
Rev B: This revision adds Steps 14 thru 18 with details for constructing and installing the hurricane deck as a removable sub-assembly.
Rev 😄 This revision adds refinements to the sequence of assembly which were developed during model construction thus far.
1. Make a copy of sheets 3 & 4 of the "USS Cairo" National Park's Service plans at 1:24 scale and secure them to a sheet of 1/8 inch thick tempered hardboard.
 
2. Fabricate the three keels with scarf joints necessary to achieve about 4" longer than plan apparent length. Secure them directly on sheets 3 & 4 of the NPS hull floor plans with several 1/8" wood screws. (The keels will be trimmed to their final lengths in Steps 6 thru 9.
 
3. Fabricate all full and half frames up to the gun deck level chines using the three assembly jigs, locate them to the plans using small try-squares, and secure them to the keels with "Titebond III" wood glue and .052" diameter treenails in .055" holes. Place temporary wood support strips, which are the same thickness as the keels, under the lower frame floors at their outboard edges. (Do not glue or treenail the frames to these strips) Make a dozen or more wooden combs about 9" long by 1" wide by .25" thick which are dadoed to the "room and space" dimensions of the lower hull framing. Use these combs to temporarily locate and support the outboard ends of the frames as they are being secured to the keels. This is especially important for the aft half frames at the paddle wheel opening since they are only attached to one keel at this juncture. (By overlapping these 9" combs most of the hull structure can be made very rigid in preparation for installing the keelsons, deck clamps and other longitudinal structural members.)
 
4. Make the five keelsons & port and starboard gun deck clamps and secure them to all frames.
 
5. Attach about 6 temporary spreader beams, especially at the stern where the hull is split into two booms between the port & starboard gun deck clamps to maintain the lower hull shape.
 
6. Invert the partially completed hull structure and support it on jig locators to the inside of the hull floor timbers.
 
7. Make two longitudinal strips of 1/8-inch tempered hardboard approximately 4.5 inches wide which will fit snugly between the 3 keels and secure them to the lower surface of the frames with glue and treenails.
 
8. Add the cant frames, bevel the frames of the bow and stern to achieve a faired surface on the lower chine and install one or two rows of planking along the lower edge of the chine.
 
9. Make two additional strips of 1/8-inch tempered hardboard which abut the outer edges of the port and starboard keels and trim them to the outer surface of the lower chine planking. Secure them to the frames with glue and treenails.
 
10. Return the model to its upright position and install portions of ceiling, floor planking and longitudinal stanchions.
 
11. Frame and plank the waterway leading to the paddlewheel.
 
12. Add hull mounting provisions for the engines, paddlewheel and other machinery.
 
13. Add selected portions of the gun deck beams and planking which provide support for the armament while maintaining desired visibility to lower portions of the hull.
 
14. Based on further research of contemporary Civil War photographs we are convinced that unlike the flat decks shown on the NPS "USS Cairo" plans, the hurricane deck actually has a significant round-up (camber) of about 6.5-inches or .27-inches & a 15-foot arc at the 1:24 scale of our model. For accuracy this deck will be fabricated as a sub-assembly directly upon sheets 7 & 8 of the NPS plans and subsequently located over the lower hull structure and attached via the upper casement frames with removable pins thereby providing good internal hull access throughout the remaining model construction. The lower surfaces of the deck beams will remain flat since the distance between the gun deck planking and hurricane deck beams is over 7-feet and therefore an additional 6.5-inches on centerline would have been an unnecessary expense.
 
15. Make the 43 hurricane deck beams (carlines) from hard maple stock with identical the round-up (camber) formed into their upper surfaces using a special sanding fixture for the 15-foot radius mounted on a 4-inch table equipped vertical belt sander.
 
16. Construct the hurricane deck consisting of the port and starboard carline clamps (deck clamps), deck beams, and additional longitudinal framing members for the stacks, skylight, and wheelhouse. The present plan is to apply deck planking to at least one side (port or starboard) and additional selected planking to be determined later.
 
17. Locate the hurricane deck sub-assembly above the lower hull assembly on temporary supports or internal hull bulkheads while installing upper casement frames which are permanently fixed to the chine knuckles and pinned to the hurricane deck beams.
 
18. Frame in the gun ports and apply selected exterior planking to the upper casements. Temporarily un-pin and remove the hurricane deck to provide access for installing selected upper casement ceiling.
 
19. With the hurricane deck removed, continue with installation of the bulkheads and partitions around the wheelhouse, cabins and boilers and any other features on the gun deck.











Method used to Construct the Lower Hull Frames (Rev A).doc
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Jig #3 Set-Up and Procedure for Use 26 Mar 2015.doc
Method used to Construct the Lower Hull Frames (Rev A).doc
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14 by Model Fishingships, on Flickr
 
14a by Model Fishingships, on Flickr
 
14b by Model Fishingships, on Flickr
 
15 by Model Fishingships, on Flickr
 
17 by Model Fishingships, on Flickr
 
18 by Model Fishingships, on Flickr
 
19 by Model Fishingships, on Flickr
 
19a by Model Fishingships, on Flickr
 
20 by Model Fishingships, on Flickr
 
22 by Model Fishingships, on Flickr

I finished planking the hull.  Woohoo!  Feels kind of weird to not be adding a plank or two after work every day.    I also added the stern post, and did a more thorough sanding of the planking on both sides of the lower hull, paying close attention to getting rid of any high and low spots.  I still need to do more work where the planking meets the keel and the stem.  Also, the black paint on the wale has taken quite a beating.  I'll fix that later.  I was hesitant to include the bow shot, since the planks on either side don't line up at the stem too well.  Figured it was still an interesting angle for a photo though.
 
Erik
 

The main hatch openings and the bowsprit step are installed. It looks like I need to add a few more things before planking the deck like the windlass, main jeer bits, azimuth compass, capstan and steering wheel. Installing the bowsprit step involved a little more work than I expected. This is a few photos showing how it was installed.
 
 

Infill completed and sanded back. Looks rough in the photos but is not that bad in reality. 

 
 
 

You'll notice a fine "bulkhead " just left of centre which is in fact a saw cut. I ended up with a slight bend in the keel (not noticed until after all the work had been done). To correct it I identified the section causing the problem then made a cut both sides centred on the kink, drove a small wedge into the body until the keel straightened then filled - problem fixed.
 
 


You'll notice a couple of gunwale supports missing (broke during deck sanding) - I'll make a temporary block to keep the correct shape/lines when I start on the gunwales.Next step is a visit to "Float-a-boat" in Ringwood for all the timbers for decking planking etc. meanwhile the false keel will be cut to shape.

I'll be more than happy if I get this bit right the first time!
Someone wil spot that there are no rabets - the frame is 3 mm mdf and the plans indicate a 5 mm false keel giving me a 1 mm tolerance either side when fitted so by my calculations I won't need a rabet which makes my life a little easier.
This scratch building is definitely scary but I'm happy with what I've got happening so far and I will not be giving up!
 

Today.airduck  paint....Davit and  pupa pruva  part
 

Update :
 
starting with the bridge front, with card templates for making the brass pannels, all the braces and supports are on and the bridge-plattform is in place
 
Nils
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

Thanks Joe. Yes there is always so much to do and way too little time.
 
Thanks Pat, always appreciated.
 
I've completed the breeching ropes and installed the rest of the guns.
 
Also you can see the chimney has been added too.
 

 
 
 

 
Now I have to do the gun tackles. 
 
You will also notice that there are numerous touch ups needed!
 
Thanks for stopping by.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gluing the garboard strake and whales…
 
Drazen

Hello Everyone,    Have you ever felt keen to start a new build but apprehensive of actually making that first cut, it's the moment of no turning back, you are committed. Well I find myself in that position now so here goes, wish me luck.
I started by cleaning up the bulkheads and the very substantial keel, 10mm thick ply, which was quite true. The ply parts on my kits to date have already been numbered so here is the first difference, I had to identify the parts from the excellent plans, I quite liked that simple difference as I now even at this early stage feel more engaged with the build.
I dry fitted the bulkheads and found that as has been said by others they were a very loose fit, the keel slots were about 1.5mm too large and needed packing, the bulkhead slots were a good fit, just a little tight needing a light sand to allow for glue in the joint but I could find no issues at this stage. I tapered the rear of the keel by about 5mm but there is still plenty of wood left.
I decided to go about gluing and aligning the bulkheads in a sequence that was slightly different from what others seem to do, it worked out extremely well and is the method that I will use in the future, I'll add pictures but what I did was to take Peters advice from his "Interpretive Build" and carefully mark the centre of each bulkhead at the top, I then glued bulkhead 1 which is the central one into place, I made particular effort to get this first one perfectly square and true then let it cure overnight. This morning I did the same with the front and the rear bulkheads using the centre marks to line them up and making sure that the lower gun deck fitted. After the glue had grabbed but not cured I then did the in-between bulkheads, other than quickly checking that they were square it proved very easy just looking down the centre line to align them perfectly, the eye quickly picked up even a 1mm difference. When the glue had grabbed I slotted the lower gun deck into place and found that it went in perfectly with  only a little encouragement, much easier that I had been expecting.
 
I took the pictures quite soon after and on looking at them I noticed that one of the bulkheads was slightly out of true and needed adjusting and that the second one from the front was sitting too high, this seemed strange as it was fully home in the keel, I have adjusted this lower now and hope that there wasn't a reason that I haven't spotted for it being higher. Well the first cut has well and truly been made, no going back now. 
 
 
 

4 ships Boats Lashed down
 
What does one do when stuck inside during the tropical cyclone "Debbie" makes its way past.
Lashed all the reserve spars onto the gallows and 2 smaller boats on top .
 


 
A little rest to work out what to do next.
 
Dave R

Prepared blocks and auxiliary cables for the bowsprit.
 




 
 
The main, fore and mizzen stay.
 


 

Created lower ratlines..

Created tops, including the blocks under tops

Finished breastrail ..  

and nails ...

Created boomkin..
 


 
The belaying pins and cleats installed on the front shrouds...
 

 
Futtock shrouds..
 


 
Also placed crowsfeet..
 

 

 

 

Thank you very much, I try to make the most of the kit..
 
Created topmasts and topgallant masts..
 






 
Masts are complete..
 

Installed blocks to the top area of the top mast.
 


I continue with top masts, shrouds and ratlines. 
 

 



 
I installed top mast stays and backstays.
 




 

created Bow sprit..
 


 
 
I finished installing Burton pendants and shrouds.

Some rope wrapped according to the instructions ..
 

I made the gun restraining ropes ..
 

 

 
Cannons placed firmly on to the deck ..
 

 

 

 
Next in line were tackles. These are made of blocks of 1x2 and 2x2 mm. (Radekshipmodels..)
Blocks half the size would be better, but those aren't sold ..