hamilton

A bit more progress to report on Echo. At this point, I will be making a lot of items and not installing them yet - I've reached the stage where I need to start thinking about how the structural elements (mast step, deck framing, mast partners) align to support the interior fixtures (well, pump shafts, bitt pins). So what you see below is all dry fit for now - in some instances a bit sloppily - till such a time as sets of elements (e.g., well, mast step, deck beams and pillar in the hold) can be installed together.
 
Today I cut the square mortice into the mast step, finished it with wipe-on poly and finished cutting and shaping the limber boards - because of a slight asymmetry in the milling of the groove in the limber boards, I had to make one set of limber boards 15" wide and the other about 15.5" - not a huge discrepancy but a little noticeable on close inspection. I also started on the well, making the aftmost panel, which tenons into the deck beam above and into the limber boards below. To make this, I took an athwartships measurement of the well from the plans and marked two lines on a piece of card paper that represented the outboard edges of the port and starboard stanchions of the well. I had a small strip of basswood glued to a slab of 3/4" ply and placed the card template against this - I could then take the 4" x 4" boxwood strips I milled put them against this stopper and aligned with the markings on the template. I clamped the boxwood stanchions and then milled some 2" x 10" planks to use as cladding. 
 
Cutting away the bottom plank to fit around the keelson and limber boards, etc. was pretty tricky. Once again, I made a template by laying a piece of card along the aft adge of the cross section and tracing the outline of the keelson, limber boards and limber strakes and cutting the card to this tracing. Quite a lot of little adjustments were needed until it fit reasonably well and I could transfer it to the wood strip (an extra wide one of about 12") at the bottom of the well panel. I rough cut the wood on the scroll saw and then finished with a flat needle file. It does not fit perfectly, but I think the results are ok for a first effort.....
 
I'll be finishing up the well over the weekend hopefully and if there's time I'll make the pillar that supports the forwardmost deck beam - I'll then be able to get started on the deck framing I guess....that's what's up in the practicum anyway - I'll have to try to puzzle out how to get the vertical alignments for the mast step/partners, pump shatfs, etc. - for this it seems necessary to get into the framing of both lower and upper decks at the same time....
 
In the meantime, enjoy the photos and happy modelling.
hamiltin

Work is back on pretty fully so these days if I can carve out 30 mins or so before dinner I feel lucky....I've made a bit of progress since the last post, as follows:
 
1. Foot waling - installed on port side only to show frames to starboard - very straightforward to custom make these 2" thick planks using billets made for the thick stuff, deck clamps and limber boards - the mini table saw and thickness sander are really crucial to this process. 
 
2. Lower deck beams - I mentioned that I had rough cut these the other day, but today I notched them to let down by 1" onto the deck clamps - also not difficult. These are not installed until the well and support post are completed.
 
3. Limber boards - cut several to run along the starboard side of the keel and will complete another set for port - one question I had was whether these continue under the well - the cut away on the drawings of the well in the practicum suggests that the the athwartships panels of the well sit atop the limber boards, but the mast step template suggests that the step interrupts the limber boards inside the well - can anyone clarify this?
 
4. Main mast step - I cut a 1' 8" thick slab off one of the large lengths of boxwood and then shaved off a portion of this for the step. To get the length and the height of the blank correct, I drew a rectangle around the drawing of the step supplied in the practicum and then used this to determine both the length and overall height (before shaping). I then used a combination of the disc sander, scroll saw and needle files to get the shape. The photos below show that there's still some refining to do on the step so that it sits properly, but it looks to me like the central slot will need to be widened slightly and deepened to sit properly over the keel - I'll get to this tomorrow if there's a bit of time after work - I'll also need to cut the mortice, which is a bit mystifying to me....I thought about sinking a hole using the drill press and then carving it square, but the smallest chisel I have is 1/4" which is way too wide for this purpose - if there's another method anyone can explain to me I'd appreciate it! Otherwise I guss I'll have to invest in some micro chisels.....
 
Alright - that's all for now - enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton
 
 

A bit more progress to report on Echo. At this point, I will be making a lot of items and not installing them yet - I've reached the stage where I need to start thinking about how the structural elements (mast step, deck framing, mast partners) align to support the interior fixtures (well, pump shafts, bitt pins). So what you see below is all dry fit for now - in some instances a bit sloppily - till such a time as sets of elements (e.g., well, mast step, deck beams and pillar in the hold) can be installed together.
 
Today I cut the square mortice into the mast step, finished it with wipe-on poly and finished cutting and shaping the limber boards - because of a slight asymmetry in the milling of the groove in the limber boards, I had to make one set of limber boards 15" wide and the other about 15.5" - not a huge discrepancy but a little noticeable on close inspection. I also started on the well, making the aftmost panel, which tenons into the deck beam above and into the limber boards below. To make this, I took an athwartships measurement of the well from the plans and marked two lines on a piece of card paper that represented the outboard edges of the port and starboard stanchions of the well. I had a small strip of basswood glued to a slab of 3/4" ply and placed the card template against this - I could then take the 4" x 4" boxwood strips I milled put them against this stopper and aligned with the markings on the template. I clamped the boxwood stanchions and then milled some 2" x 10" planks to use as cladding. 
 
Cutting away the bottom plank to fit around the keelson and limber boards, etc. was pretty tricky. Once again, I made a template by laying a piece of card along the aft adge of the cross section and tracing the outline of the keelson, limber boards and limber strakes and cutting the card to this tracing. Quite a lot of little adjustments were needed until it fit reasonably well and I could transfer it to the wood strip (an extra wide one of about 12") at the bottom of the well panel. I rough cut the wood on the scroll saw and then finished with a flat needle file. It does not fit perfectly, but I think the results are ok for a first effort.....
 
I'll be finishing up the well over the weekend hopefully and if there's time I'll make the pillar that supports the forwardmost deck beam - I'll then be able to get started on the deck framing I guess....that's what's up in the practicum anyway - I'll have to try to puzzle out how to get the vertical alignments for the mast step/partners, pump shatfs, etc. - for this it seems necessary to get into the framing of both lower and upper decks at the same time....
 
In the meantime, enjoy the photos and happy modelling.
hamiltin

A bit more progress to report on Echo. At this point, I will be making a lot of items and not installing them yet - I've reached the stage where I need to start thinking about how the structural elements (mast step, deck framing, mast partners) align to support the interior fixtures (well, pump shafts, bitt pins). So what you see below is all dry fit for now - in some instances a bit sloppily - till such a time as sets of elements (e.g., well, mast step, deck beams and pillar in the hold) can be installed together.
 
Today I cut the square mortice into the mast step, finished it with wipe-on poly and finished cutting and shaping the limber boards - because of a slight asymmetry in the milling of the groove in the limber boards, I had to make one set of limber boards 15" wide and the other about 15.5" - not a huge discrepancy but a little noticeable on close inspection. I also started on the well, making the aftmost panel, which tenons into the deck beam above and into the limber boards below. To make this, I took an athwartships measurement of the well from the plans and marked two lines on a piece of card paper that represented the outboard edges of the port and starboard stanchions of the well. I had a small strip of basswood glued to a slab of 3/4" ply and placed the card template against this - I could then take the 4" x 4" boxwood strips I milled put them against this stopper and aligned with the markings on the template. I clamped the boxwood stanchions and then milled some 2" x 10" planks to use as cladding. 
 
Cutting away the bottom plank to fit around the keelson and limber boards, etc. was pretty tricky. Once again, I made a template by laying a piece of card along the aft adge of the cross section and tracing the outline of the keelson, limber boards and limber strakes and cutting the card to this tracing. Quite a lot of little adjustments were needed until it fit reasonably well and I could transfer it to the wood strip (an extra wide one of about 12") at the bottom of the well panel. I rough cut the wood on the scroll saw and then finished with a flat needle file. It does not fit perfectly, but I think the results are ok for a first effort.....
 
I'll be finishing up the well over the weekend hopefully and if there's time I'll make the pillar that supports the forwardmost deck beam - I'll then be able to get started on the deck framing I guess....that's what's up in the practicum anyway - I'll have to try to puzzle out how to get the vertical alignments for the mast step/partners, pump shatfs, etc. - for this it seems necessary to get into the framing of both lower and upper decks at the same time....
 
In the meantime, enjoy the photos and happy modelling.
hamiltin

A bit more progress to report on Echo. At this point, I will be making a lot of items and not installing them yet - I've reached the stage where I need to start thinking about how the structural elements (mast step, deck framing, mast partners) align to support the interior fixtures (well, pump shafts, bitt pins). So what you see below is all dry fit for now - in some instances a bit sloppily - till such a time as sets of elements (e.g., well, mast step, deck beams and pillar in the hold) can be installed together.
 
Today I cut the square mortice into the mast step, finished it with wipe-on poly and finished cutting and shaping the limber boards - because of a slight asymmetry in the milling of the groove in the limber boards, I had to make one set of limber boards 15" wide and the other about 15.5" - not a huge discrepancy but a little noticeable on close inspection. I also started on the well, making the aftmost panel, which tenons into the deck beam above and into the limber boards below. To make this, I took an athwartships measurement of the well from the plans and marked two lines on a piece of card paper that represented the outboard edges of the port and starboard stanchions of the well. I had a small strip of basswood glued to a slab of 3/4" ply and placed the card template against this - I could then take the 4" x 4" boxwood strips I milled put them against this stopper and aligned with the markings on the template. I clamped the boxwood stanchions and then milled some 2" x 10" planks to use as cladding. 
 
Cutting away the bottom plank to fit around the keelson and limber boards, etc. was pretty tricky. Once again, I made a template by laying a piece of card along the aft adge of the cross section and tracing the outline of the keelson, limber boards and limber strakes and cutting the card to this tracing. Quite a lot of little adjustments were needed until it fit reasonably well and I could transfer it to the wood strip (an extra wide one of about 12") at the bottom of the well panel. I rough cut the wood on the scroll saw and then finished with a flat needle file. It does not fit perfectly, but I think the results are ok for a first effort.....
 
I'll be finishing up the well over the weekend hopefully and if there's time I'll make the pillar that supports the forwardmost deck beam - I'll then be able to get started on the deck framing I guess....that's what's up in the practicum anyway - I'll have to try to puzzle out how to get the vertical alignments for the mast step/partners, pump shatfs, etc. - for this it seems necessary to get into the framing of both lower and upper decks at the same time....
 
In the meantime, enjoy the photos and happy modelling.
hamiltin

A bit more progress to report on Echo. At this point, I will be making a lot of items and not installing them yet - I've reached the stage where I need to start thinking about how the structural elements (mast step, deck framing, mast partners) align to support the interior fixtures (well, pump shafts, bitt pins). So what you see below is all dry fit for now - in some instances a bit sloppily - till such a time as sets of elements (e.g., well, mast step, deck beams and pillar in the hold) can be installed together.
 
Today I cut the square mortice into the mast step, finished it with wipe-on poly and finished cutting and shaping the limber boards - because of a slight asymmetry in the milling of the groove in the limber boards, I had to make one set of limber boards 15" wide and the other about 15.5" - not a huge discrepancy but a little noticeable on close inspection. I also started on the well, making the aftmost panel, which tenons into the deck beam above and into the limber boards below. To make this, I took an athwartships measurement of the well from the plans and marked two lines on a piece of card paper that represented the outboard edges of the port and starboard stanchions of the well. I had a small strip of basswood glued to a slab of 3/4" ply and placed the card template against this - I could then take the 4" x 4" boxwood strips I milled put them against this stopper and aligned with the markings on the template. I clamped the boxwood stanchions and then milled some 2" x 10" planks to use as cladding. 
 
Cutting away the bottom plank to fit around the keelson and limber boards, etc. was pretty tricky. Once again, I made a template by laying a piece of card along the aft adge of the cross section and tracing the outline of the keelson, limber boards and limber strakes and cutting the card to this tracing. Quite a lot of little adjustments were needed until it fit reasonably well and I could transfer it to the wood strip (an extra wide one of about 12") at the bottom of the well panel. I rough cut the wood on the scroll saw and then finished with a flat needle file. It does not fit perfectly, but I think the results are ok for a first effort.....
 
I'll be finishing up the well over the weekend hopefully and if there's time I'll make the pillar that supports the forwardmost deck beam - I'll then be able to get started on the deck framing I guess....that's what's up in the practicum anyway - I'll have to try to puzzle out how to get the vertical alignments for the mast step/partners, pump shatfs, etc. - for this it seems necessary to get into the framing of both lower and upper decks at the same time....
 
In the meantime, enjoy the photos and happy modelling.
hamiltin

Beautiful work and .... beautiful wood !!! A feast for the eyes.
 
Yves

Work is back on pretty fully so these days if I can carve out 30 mins or so before dinner I feel lucky....I've made a bit of progress since the last post, as follows:
 
1. Foot waling - installed on port side only to show frames to starboard - very straightforward to custom make these 2" thick planks using billets made for the thick stuff, deck clamps and limber boards - the mini table saw and thickness sander are really crucial to this process. 
 
2. Lower deck beams - I mentioned that I had rough cut these the other day, but today I notched them to let down by 1" onto the deck clamps - also not difficult. These are not installed until the well and support post are completed.
 
3. Limber boards - cut several to run along the starboard side of the keel and will complete another set for port - one question I had was whether these continue under the well - the cut away on the drawings of the well in the practicum suggests that the the athwartships panels of the well sit atop the limber boards, but the mast step template suggests that the step interrupts the limber boards inside the well - can anyone clarify this?
 
4. Main mast step - I cut a 1' 8" thick slab off one of the large lengths of boxwood and then shaved off a portion of this for the step. To get the length and the height of the blank correct, I drew a rectangle around the drawing of the step supplied in the practicum and then used this to determine both the length and overall height (before shaping). I then used a combination of the disc sander, scroll saw and needle files to get the shape. The photos below show that there's still some refining to do on the step so that it sits properly, but it looks to me like the central slot will need to be widened slightly and deepened to sit properly over the keel - I'll get to this tomorrow if there's a bit of time after work - I'll also need to cut the mortice, which is a bit mystifying to me....I thought about sinking a hole using the drill press and then carving it square, but the smallest chisel I have is 1/4" which is way too wide for this purpose - if there's another method anyone can explain to me I'd appreciate it! Otherwise I guss I'll have to invest in some micro chisels.....
 
Alright - that's all for now - enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton
 
 

Work is back on pretty fully so these days if I can carve out 30 mins or so before dinner I feel lucky....I've made a bit of progress since the last post, as follows:
 
1. Foot waling - installed on port side only to show frames to starboard - very straightforward to custom make these 2" thick planks using billets made for the thick stuff, deck clamps and limber boards - the mini table saw and thickness sander are really crucial to this process. 
 
2. Lower deck beams - I mentioned that I had rough cut these the other day, but today I notched them to let down by 1" onto the deck clamps - also not difficult. These are not installed until the well and support post are completed.
 
3. Limber boards - cut several to run along the starboard side of the keel and will complete another set for port - one question I had was whether these continue under the well - the cut away on the drawings of the well in the practicum suggests that the the athwartships panels of the well sit atop the limber boards, but the mast step template suggests that the step interrupts the limber boards inside the well - can anyone clarify this?
 
4. Main mast step - I cut a 1' 8" thick slab off one of the large lengths of boxwood and then shaved off a portion of this for the step. To get the length and the height of the blank correct, I drew a rectangle around the drawing of the step supplied in the practicum and then used this to determine both the length and overall height (before shaping). I then used a combination of the disc sander, scroll saw and needle files to get the shape. The photos below show that there's still some refining to do on the step so that it sits properly, but it looks to me like the central slot will need to be widened slightly and deepened to sit properly over the keel - I'll get to this tomorrow if there's a bit of time after work - I'll also need to cut the mortice, which is a bit mystifying to me....I thought about sinking a hole using the drill press and then carving it square, but the smallest chisel I have is 1/4" which is way too wide for this purpose - if there's another method anyone can explain to me I'd appreciate it! Otherwise I guss I'll have to invest in some micro chisels.....
 
Alright - that's all for now - enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton
 
 

Work is back on pretty fully so these days if I can carve out 30 mins or so before dinner I feel lucky....I've made a bit of progress since the last post, as follows:
 
1. Foot waling - installed on port side only to show frames to starboard - very straightforward to custom make these 2" thick planks using billets made for the thick stuff, deck clamps and limber boards - the mini table saw and thickness sander are really crucial to this process. 
 
2. Lower deck beams - I mentioned that I had rough cut these the other day, but today I notched them to let down by 1" onto the deck clamps - also not difficult. These are not installed until the well and support post are completed.
 
3. Limber boards - cut several to run along the starboard side of the keel and will complete another set for port - one question I had was whether these continue under the well - the cut away on the drawings of the well in the practicum suggests that the the athwartships panels of the well sit atop the limber boards, but the mast step template suggests that the step interrupts the limber boards inside the well - can anyone clarify this?
 
4. Main mast step - I cut a 1' 8" thick slab off one of the large lengths of boxwood and then shaved off a portion of this for the step. To get the length and the height of the blank correct, I drew a rectangle around the drawing of the step supplied in the practicum and then used this to determine both the length and overall height (before shaping). I then used a combination of the disc sander, scroll saw and needle files to get the shape. The photos below show that there's still some refining to do on the step so that it sits properly, but it looks to me like the central slot will need to be widened slightly and deepened to sit properly over the keel - I'll get to this tomorrow if there's a bit of time after work - I'll also need to cut the mortice, which is a bit mystifying to me....I thought about sinking a hole using the drill press and then carving it square, but the smallest chisel I have is 1/4" which is way too wide for this purpose - if there's another method anyone can explain to me I'd appreciate it! Otherwise I guss I'll have to invest in some micro chisels.....
 
Alright - that's all for now - enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton
 
 

Work is back on pretty fully so these days if I can carve out 30 mins or so before dinner I feel lucky....I've made a bit of progress since the last post, as follows:
 
1. Foot waling - installed on port side only to show frames to starboard - very straightforward to custom make these 2" thick planks using billets made for the thick stuff, deck clamps and limber boards - the mini table saw and thickness sander are really crucial to this process. 
 
2. Lower deck beams - I mentioned that I had rough cut these the other day, but today I notched them to let down by 1" onto the deck clamps - also not difficult. These are not installed until the well and support post are completed.
 
3. Limber boards - cut several to run along the starboard side of the keel and will complete another set for port - one question I had was whether these continue under the well - the cut away on the drawings of the well in the practicum suggests that the the athwartships panels of the well sit atop the limber boards, but the mast step template suggests that the step interrupts the limber boards inside the well - can anyone clarify this?
 
4. Main mast step - I cut a 1' 8" thick slab off one of the large lengths of boxwood and then shaved off a portion of this for the step. To get the length and the height of the blank correct, I drew a rectangle around the drawing of the step supplied in the practicum and then used this to determine both the length and overall height (before shaping). I then used a combination of the disc sander, scroll saw and needle files to get the shape. The photos below show that there's still some refining to do on the step so that it sits properly, but it looks to me like the central slot will need to be widened slightly and deepened to sit properly over the keel - I'll get to this tomorrow if there's a bit of time after work - I'll also need to cut the mortice, which is a bit mystifying to me....I thought about sinking a hole using the drill press and then carving it square, but the smallest chisel I have is 1/4" which is way too wide for this purpose - if there's another method anyone can explain to me I'd appreciate it! Otherwise I guss I'll have to invest in some micro chisels.....
 
Alright - that's all for now - enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton
 
 

Work is back on pretty fully so these days if I can carve out 30 mins or so before dinner I feel lucky....I've made a bit of progress since the last post, as follows:
 
1. Foot waling - installed on port side only to show frames to starboard - very straightforward to custom make these 2" thick planks using billets made for the thick stuff, deck clamps and limber boards - the mini table saw and thickness sander are really crucial to this process. 
 
2. Lower deck beams - I mentioned that I had rough cut these the other day, but today I notched them to let down by 1" onto the deck clamps - also not difficult. These are not installed until the well and support post are completed.
 
3. Limber boards - cut several to run along the starboard side of the keel and will complete another set for port - one question I had was whether these continue under the well - the cut away on the drawings of the well in the practicum suggests that the the athwartships panels of the well sit atop the limber boards, but the mast step template suggests that the step interrupts the limber boards inside the well - can anyone clarify this?
 
4. Main mast step - I cut a 1' 8" thick slab off one of the large lengths of boxwood and then shaved off a portion of this for the step. To get the length and the height of the blank correct, I drew a rectangle around the drawing of the step supplied in the practicum and then used this to determine both the length and overall height (before shaping). I then used a combination of the disc sander, scroll saw and needle files to get the shape. The photos below show that there's still some refining to do on the step so that it sits properly, but it looks to me like the central slot will need to be widened slightly and deepened to sit properly over the keel - I'll get to this tomorrow if there's a bit of time after work - I'll also need to cut the mortice, which is a bit mystifying to me....I thought about sinking a hole using the drill press and then carving it square, but the smallest chisel I have is 1/4" which is way too wide for this purpose - if there's another method anyone can explain to me I'd appreciate it! Otherwise I guss I'll have to invest in some micro chisels.....
 
Alright - that's all for now - enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton
 
 

Work is back on pretty fully so these days if I can carve out 30 mins or so before dinner I feel lucky....I've made a bit of progress since the last post, as follows:
 
1. Foot waling - installed on port side only to show frames to starboard - very straightforward to custom make these 2" thick planks using billets made for the thick stuff, deck clamps and limber boards - the mini table saw and thickness sander are really crucial to this process. 
 
2. Lower deck beams - I mentioned that I had rough cut these the other day, but today I notched them to let down by 1" onto the deck clamps - also not difficult. These are not installed until the well and support post are completed.
 
3. Limber boards - cut several to run along the starboard side of the keel and will complete another set for port - one question I had was whether these continue under the well - the cut away on the drawings of the well in the practicum suggests that the the athwartships panels of the well sit atop the limber boards, but the mast step template suggests that the step interrupts the limber boards inside the well - can anyone clarify this?
 
4. Main mast step - I cut a 1' 8" thick slab off one of the large lengths of boxwood and then shaved off a portion of this for the step. To get the length and the height of the blank correct, I drew a rectangle around the drawing of the step supplied in the practicum and then used this to determine both the length and overall height (before shaping). I then used a combination of the disc sander, scroll saw and needle files to get the shape. The photos below show that there's still some refining to do on the step so that it sits properly, but it looks to me like the central slot will need to be widened slightly and deepened to sit properly over the keel - I'll get to this tomorrow if there's a bit of time after work - I'll also need to cut the mortice, which is a bit mystifying to me....I thought about sinking a hole using the drill press and then carving it square, but the smallest chisel I have is 1/4" which is way too wide for this purpose - if there's another method anyone can explain to me I'd appreciate it! Otherwise I guss I'll have to invest in some micro chisels.....
 
Alright - that's all for now - enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton
 
 

Work is back on pretty fully so these days if I can carve out 30 mins or so before dinner I feel lucky....I've made a bit of progress since the last post, as follows:
 
1. Foot waling - installed on port side only to show frames to starboard - very straightforward to custom make these 2" thick planks using billets made for the thick stuff, deck clamps and limber boards - the mini table saw and thickness sander are really crucial to this process. 
 
2. Lower deck beams - I mentioned that I had rough cut these the other day, but today I notched them to let down by 1" onto the deck clamps - also not difficult. These are not installed until the well and support post are completed.
 
3. Limber boards - cut several to run along the starboard side of the keel and will complete another set for port - one question I had was whether these continue under the well - the cut away on the drawings of the well in the practicum suggests that the the athwartships panels of the well sit atop the limber boards, but the mast step template suggests that the step interrupts the limber boards inside the well - can anyone clarify this?
 
4. Main mast step - I cut a 1' 8" thick slab off one of the large lengths of boxwood and then shaved off a portion of this for the step. To get the length and the height of the blank correct, I drew a rectangle around the drawing of the step supplied in the practicum and then used this to determine both the length and overall height (before shaping). I then used a combination of the disc sander, scroll saw and needle files to get the shape. The photos below show that there's still some refining to do on the step so that it sits properly, but it looks to me like the central slot will need to be widened slightly and deepened to sit properly over the keel - I'll get to this tomorrow if there's a bit of time after work - I'll also need to cut the mortice, which is a bit mystifying to me....I thought about sinking a hole using the drill press and then carving it square, but the smallest chisel I have is 1/4" which is way too wide for this purpose - if there's another method anyone can explain to me I'd appreciate it! Otherwise I guss I'll have to invest in some micro chisels.....
 
Alright - that's all for now - enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton
 
 

Work is back on pretty fully so these days if I can carve out 30 mins or so before dinner I feel lucky....I've made a bit of progress since the last post, as follows:
 
1. Foot waling - installed on port side only to show frames to starboard - very straightforward to custom make these 2" thick planks using billets made for the thick stuff, deck clamps and limber boards - the mini table saw and thickness sander are really crucial to this process. 
 
2. Lower deck beams - I mentioned that I had rough cut these the other day, but today I notched them to let down by 1" onto the deck clamps - also not difficult. These are not installed until the well and support post are completed.
 
3. Limber boards - cut several to run along the starboard side of the keel and will complete another set for port - one question I had was whether these continue under the well - the cut away on the drawings of the well in the practicum suggests that the the athwartships panels of the well sit atop the limber boards, but the mast step template suggests that the step interrupts the limber boards inside the well - can anyone clarify this?
 
4. Main mast step - I cut a 1' 8" thick slab off one of the large lengths of boxwood and then shaved off a portion of this for the step. To get the length and the height of the blank correct, I drew a rectangle around the drawing of the step supplied in the practicum and then used this to determine both the length and overall height (before shaping). I then used a combination of the disc sander, scroll saw and needle files to get the shape. The photos below show that there's still some refining to do on the step so that it sits properly, but it looks to me like the central slot will need to be widened slightly and deepened to sit properly over the keel - I'll get to this tomorrow if there's a bit of time after work - I'll also need to cut the mortice, which is a bit mystifying to me....I thought about sinking a hole using the drill press and then carving it square, but the smallest chisel I have is 1/4" which is way too wide for this purpose - if there's another method anyone can explain to me I'd appreciate it! Otherwise I guss I'll have to invest in some micro chisels.....
 
Alright - that's all for now - enjoy the photos and happy modelling
hamilton
 
 

Thick stuff, limber strakes and lower deck clams have now all been installed. While this is more or less straightforward as a process, it is finicky - particularly getting the heigh of the deck clamps correct and symmetrical, which took a lot of triple and quadruple checking and marking and re-marking and adjusting and correcting....you get the idea....while the practicum covers the installation of the thick stuff at the first futtock heads prior to the lower deck clamp, it seemed wise to me to fit the clamp first since the thick stuff over the futtock heads is directly below it - this would allow me to outline those areas of the hull where the foot waling is to be applied - in three strakes between the limber strakes and the first strakes of thick stuff and between the latter and the second strakes of thick stuff.
 
I've also cut and fit two of the three lower deck beams - not for installation, but as reference for the positioning/height of the well and the pillar in the hold. Looking forward to the challenge of the deck framing, but there's still quite a bit to do before getting there....
 
It's unclear from the plans where the middle of the three deck beams sits....from a drawing supplied in the practicum it looks like it sits athrwartships so that its forward edge is in line with the forward edge of frame 3-forward, but it could also be aligned with the aft edge of frame 2-aft.....I may lift measurements of the hatch openings on the lower deck, since the forward and aft edges of that opening are defined by the deck beams....this should give me a more or less accurate result I think....
 
Here are the photos - slight progress on the last few, but......
hamilton
 

So a real milestone reached today - the basic framework is complete - almost a week of tweaking and fairing the frames with a combination of Dremel rotary tool, sanding sticks, hand sanding and occasional file work...as I mentioned before I found it both easier and more difficult to fair with the full frames as opposed to the occasional bulkheads used on most kits. On the one hand, its much easier to see what "fair" actually is since the frames are so close up against one another (the fact that it's a mid-ship cross-section also helps), on the other hand, there's a lot more finesse and detail work that needs doing, one much be quite gentle initially and try to find how to apply maximum elbow grease without damaging the frames (I speak from several experiences!) and some spots are a little trickier than others. But I'm glad that I knuckled down and fought against the dreary repetitiveness of the process - I think the results are pretty decent.
 
Main issues I can spot are with the gunport and sweep port sills, which are not as finely joined as they could be - but since these joints (except around the inside edges of the gunports) will be covered I'm not sweating it too much and I'll see if I can fill the gaps later on in the build as necessary.
 
I also made and installed the keelson - a pretty straightforward part to make. Cut it a little long and sawed off the ends once it was situated properly. I won't be installing the ribands shown on some pics of the completed cross-section framing, as I will be fitting out the model and I would have to remove these later anyway.
 
The workshop's getting a little hot in the afternoon sun, but I might try to mill some strips for the limber strakes and thick stuff this afternoon and continue on....Initially I thought I would go back to Bellona once I had reached this stage with Echo, but I may just press on with the cross-section - I promise I will return to Bellona eventually - but I really don't enjoy hull planking too much so.....delay delay delay I guess!!
 
Enjoy the photos and by for now
hamilton

Finished the lower main and fore masts.
The mast bands are .05 brass, approximately .055 inches in width.  The futtock band and the lower yard truss band are .02 inches thick copper, approximately 1/16 inch wide.  These were made with the hounds clamped in place, then when the hounds were glued and shaped, the bands were  pushed the into place.  The jackstay eyebolts are28 gauge copper, formed around the .02 inch diameter brass rod used for the jackstay.  
All eyebolts and block straps will be made with 26 gauge copper wire from now on.  I’ve had a devil of a time with the 28 gauge copper wire breaking when blocks are put in place.  I know this is out of scale, but it’s not that noticeable and the 26 gauge copper wire seems to be significantly stronger.
The lizard and the bullseye for the mizzen stay are 2.5 mm ( approximately 3/32 or 9 scale inches).  These are the smallest ones I could find that are commercially available 
.  The upper bullseyes are smaller and I will try to make them.
now, onto the tops and top masts.

Q-deck beams in place.
 
I painted the sides and bottom of the beams forward of the enclosed spaces red to match the bulwarks - not that it is all that obvious in the picture or that they are likely to be visible but...
 
Carlings are next.

Hello and thanks for all the comments and likes. I have almost gotten to the end of Chapter two. I have the stern framing left not to mention a final fairing on the outside. I didn’t do any of the interior so that will be a hunk of work when I get around to it.
 
Everything fit together beautifully and when there were problems it was always my fault. Most of my errors were corrected but not all but I think/hope I’ll be okay down the road. Following shows where I am right now with pictures of my most used tools. 
 
Cheers,
Ian 
 







 


 


 
 
 
 

Sorry it took so long, but I had to cut the grass. The joys of having yards.

The blue went well, some spilled,  Pile says he see Godzilla  lol but it wiped up well.

So I figured out were the water line should go, using my thrid hand  I made the mark.
 Then taped it off and primed  it.


Well it was still all taped up I put a couple of coats of the finish white. I know this brand of paint , I like it but this will now take 3 or 4 days before I can handle it with out leaving  finger prints . Oh well lots of other things to get done now. The first Mate says I was in a rush to paint the best planking I have done so far, I told her no one will see , but I will know it was planks right, then I stood up and screamed Nailed It. Lol. She said it was nice but don't let it go to your head.
  


 So I get to go play with my serving machine   well the paint cures. Drying time is now full of fun  things to do .  I must go get some gold paint  tomorrow.   
Thanks for looking      
  Bob M.
PFCGP

Thick stuff, limber strakes and lower deck clams have now all been installed. While this is more or less straightforward as a process, it is finicky - particularly getting the heigh of the deck clamps correct and symmetrical, which took a lot of triple and quadruple checking and marking and re-marking and adjusting and correcting....you get the idea....while the practicum covers the installation of the thick stuff at the first futtock heads prior to the lower deck clamp, it seemed wise to me to fit the clamp first since the thick stuff over the futtock heads is directly below it - this would allow me to outline those areas of the hull where the foot waling is to be applied - in three strakes between the limber strakes and the first strakes of thick stuff and between the latter and the second strakes of thick stuff.
 
I've also cut and fit two of the three lower deck beams - not for installation, but as reference for the positioning/height of the well and the pillar in the hold. Looking forward to the challenge of the deck framing, but there's still quite a bit to do before getting there....
 
It's unclear from the plans where the middle of the three deck beams sits....from a drawing supplied in the practicum it looks like it sits athrwartships so that its forward edge is in line with the forward edge of frame 3-forward, but it could also be aligned with the aft edge of frame 2-aft.....I may lift measurements of the hatch openings on the lower deck, since the forward and aft edges of that opening are defined by the deck beams....this should give me a more or less accurate result I think....
 
Here are the photos - slight progress on the last few, but......
hamilton
 

One last update before bed - I've installed the limber boards and one strake of the thick stuff at the floor heads - tomorrow this work will continue - hope to be able to finish the thick stuff and lower deck clamps then, and then the foot waling if there's time. I'm considering how to finish the model - I think I will fully plank one side inboard and outboard but leave the other side unplanked, except for the thick stuff inboard and below the wales outboard.
 
Bye for now
hamilton
 
 

So a real milestone reached today - the basic framework is complete - almost a week of tweaking and fairing the frames with a combination of Dremel rotary tool, sanding sticks, hand sanding and occasional file work...as I mentioned before I found it both easier and more difficult to fair with the full frames as opposed to the occasional bulkheads used on most kits. On the one hand, its much easier to see what "fair" actually is since the frames are so close up against one another (the fact that it's a mid-ship cross-section also helps), on the other hand, there's a lot more finesse and detail work that needs doing, one much be quite gentle initially and try to find how to apply maximum elbow grease without damaging the frames (I speak from several experiences!) and some spots are a little trickier than others. But I'm glad that I knuckled down and fought against the dreary repetitiveness of the process - I think the results are pretty decent.
 
Main issues I can spot are with the gunport and sweep port sills, which are not as finely joined as they could be - but since these joints (except around the inside edges of the gunports) will be covered I'm not sweating it too much and I'll see if I can fill the gaps later on in the build as necessary.
 
I also made and installed the keelson - a pretty straightforward part to make. Cut it a little long and sawed off the ends once it was situated properly. I won't be installing the ribands shown on some pics of the completed cross-section framing, as I will be fitting out the model and I would have to remove these later anyway.
 
The workshop's getting a little hot in the afternoon sun, but I might try to mill some strips for the limber strakes and thick stuff this afternoon and continue on....Initially I thought I would go back to Bellona once I had reached this stage with Echo, but I may just press on with the cross-section - I promise I will return to Bellona eventually - but I really don't enjoy hull planking too much so.....delay delay delay I guess!!
 
Enjoy the photos and by for now
hamilton

Thick stuff, limber strakes and lower deck clams have now all been installed. While this is more or less straightforward as a process, it is finicky - particularly getting the heigh of the deck clamps correct and symmetrical, which took a lot of triple and quadruple checking and marking and re-marking and adjusting and correcting....you get the idea....while the practicum covers the installation of the thick stuff at the first futtock heads prior to the lower deck clamp, it seemed wise to me to fit the clamp first since the thick stuff over the futtock heads is directly below it - this would allow me to outline those areas of the hull where the foot waling is to be applied - in three strakes between the limber strakes and the first strakes of thick stuff and between the latter and the second strakes of thick stuff.
 
I've also cut and fit two of the three lower deck beams - not for installation, but as reference for the positioning/height of the well and the pillar in the hold. Looking forward to the challenge of the deck framing, but there's still quite a bit to do before getting there....
 
It's unclear from the plans where the middle of the three deck beams sits....from a drawing supplied in the practicum it looks like it sits athrwartships so that its forward edge is in line with the forward edge of frame 3-forward, but it could also be aligned with the aft edge of frame 2-aft.....I may lift measurements of the hatch openings on the lower deck, since the forward and aft edges of that opening are defined by the deck beams....this should give me a more or less accurate result I think....
 
Here are the photos - slight progress on the last few, but......
hamilton