AndyMech

I completed the center planks.  There are two wider center planks that go right down the keel, and the section near the bow are painted red.
 

 

 
I then started the regular deck planking.  I had to thin these first two planks a bit to maintain symmetry, but I think these are only ones on the whole deck that will need it.  I'll see when I get to other sections, but since I put the coamings in already, I'm planking around them.
 
My plan is to use a 3-butt shift for the planks, but since I'm going around the coamings, some of the butt ends are not possible as they lay inside the coamings.  I think I can maintain the rest of them with some careful planning.  The first butt ends are on the 4th bulwark down, so the first few planks are simpler.  I'm simulating caulking by using a pencil marking on one of the planks, as it's laid.  I do not plan on doing trenails.
 
I'm also nibbing the ends of the planks as they join the nibbling plank.  The first attempt here is poor - I don't have good files, so getting a clean angle in there is difficult.  I'll be looking on-line for a good set of needle files.  Any recommendations would be welcome. 
 
This particular one will be partially hidden by the bowsprit later, and I filled it with sawdust and glue, which should be ok once the glue dries.  But, I like to show places I'm not super happy with, to contrast with areas I think look better.  Still learning!
 

 

Next, I added the lower transom.  This was one piece of 1/32" thick wood, cut along a curve to match the counter, then sanded flush.  I will hold off on the upper transom until after I do the railings and plank up to it.
 

 

 
Next, I plan on planking the deck.  I started with the nibbling plank, all in one piece (per side):
 

 
The center planks will be next, but that's a future update (as I've not done it yet).
 
Andy.

Next, I added the lower transom.  This was one piece of 1/32" thick wood, cut along a curve to match the counter, then sanded flush.  I will hold off on the upper transom until after I do the railings and plank up to it.
 

 

 
Next, I plan on planking the deck.  I started with the nibbling plank, all in one piece (per side):
 

 
The center planks will be next, but that's a future update (as I've not done it yet).
 
Andy.

Progress has been made, time for an update.  Since the last update, I've:
 
- Planked the Counter
- Added the supports for the transom
- Added coamings (prior to planking the deck)
- Painted the coaming, waterways and transom supports.
 
Here's the planked counter:
 

 
and the transom supports:
 

 
These are of the coamings and the painted waterways:
 

 

 

 
I spent a lot of time getting the coamings straight and at the proper height.  I also added scrap supports under the waterways so the deck railing stanchions will have something to stand on - a lot of the holes for the stanchions didn't have anything underneath them.
 
I've also been very careful to have the transom supports be planar with the end of the counter, especially the bit of waterways that goes between the transom supports - those were all sanded at a severe angle to be flush with the eventual transom planking..
 
But the transom will wait for another update.  The place where the transom meets the counter is tricky, but the plans call for a bit of molding there to cover it up.
 
Andy.

Next, I added the lower transom.  This was one piece of 1/32" thick wood, cut along a curve to match the counter, then sanded flush.  I will hold off on the upper transom until after I do the railings and plank up to it.
 

 

 
Next, I plan on planking the deck.  I started with the nibbling plank, all in one piece (per side):
 

 
The center planks will be next, but that's a future update (as I've not done it yet).
 
Andy.

Next, I added the lower transom.  This was one piece of 1/32" thick wood, cut along a curve to match the counter, then sanded flush.  I will hold off on the upper transom until after I do the railings and plank up to it.
 

 

 
Next, I plan on planking the deck.  I started with the nibbling plank, all in one piece (per side):
 

 
The center planks will be next, but that's a future update (as I've not done it yet).
 
Andy.

Progress has been made, time for an update.  Since the last update, I've:
 
- Planked the Counter
- Added the supports for the transom
- Added coamings (prior to planking the deck)
- Painted the coaming, waterways and transom supports.
 
Here's the planked counter:
 

 
and the transom supports:
 

 
These are of the coamings and the painted waterways:
 

 

 

 
I spent a lot of time getting the coamings straight and at the proper height.  I also added scrap supports under the waterways so the deck railing stanchions will have something to stand on - a lot of the holes for the stanchions didn't have anything underneath them.
 
I've also been very careful to have the transom supports be planar with the end of the counter, especially the bit of waterways that goes between the transom supports - those were all sanded at a severe angle to be flush with the eventual transom planking..
 
But the transom will wait for another update.  The place where the transom meets the counter is tricky, but the plans call for a bit of molding there to cover it up.
 
Andy.

Progress has been made, time for an update.  Since the last update, I've:
 
- Planked the Counter
- Added the supports for the transom
- Added coamings (prior to planking the deck)
- Painted the coaming, waterways and transom supports.
 
Here's the planked counter:
 

 
and the transom supports:
 

 
These are of the coamings and the painted waterways:
 

 

 

 
I spent a lot of time getting the coamings straight and at the proper height.  I also added scrap supports under the waterways so the deck railing stanchions will have something to stand on - a lot of the holes for the stanchions didn't have anything underneath them.
 
I've also been very careful to have the transom supports be planar with the end of the counter, especially the bit of waterways that goes between the transom supports - those were all sanded at a severe angle to be flush with the eventual transom planking..
 
But the transom will wait for another update.  The place where the transom meets the counter is tricky, but the plans call for a bit of molding there to cover it up.
 
Andy.

Progress has been made, time for an update.  Since the last update, I've:
 
- Planked the Counter
- Added the supports for the transom
- Added coamings (prior to planking the deck)
- Painted the coaming, waterways and transom supports.
 
Here's the planked counter:
 

 
and the transom supports:
 

 
These are of the coamings and the painted waterways:
 

 

 

 
I spent a lot of time getting the coamings straight and at the proper height.  I also added scrap supports under the waterways so the deck railing stanchions will have something to stand on - a lot of the holes for the stanchions didn't have anything underneath them.
 
I've also been very careful to have the transom supports be planar with the end of the counter, especially the bit of waterways that goes between the transom supports - those were all sanded at a severe angle to be flush with the eventual transom planking..
 
But the transom will wait for another update.  The place where the transom meets the counter is tricky, but the plans call for a bit of molding there to cover it up.
 
Andy.

These pictures I took today.  I've added three planks from the wales toward the keel - section A, and then 3 more planks from the previous one towards the wales as well.  I'm closing in on gap from both sides, with 6 more strakes to go.
 
The last picture is a close up of the stern as the planks meet the counter.  They extend a little more than they have too, but I will sand that down after they're all in place.  Also bear in mind that I've not little to no sanding after the planks have been glued (each plank was sanded to taper and bevel), so it's a little rough, but I think (hope) it will smooth out once I finish planking and sand the entire surface.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 
Andy

Well, I'm posting this on December 24 - the holiday break has allowed me the time to complete the hull planking on my Pride of Baltimore.  A Christmas gift to myself.
 
This is my first planking job for a complete hull.  I had done the hull of the Constitution cross-section, but there was no bending involved, no stern, no bow to plank.  I'm slow, the planking took me about 4 months of work (not counting the few months not working at all).  I think I sped up near the end, and improved my technique as well.
 
No sanding of any consequence has been done yet.
 
Photos:
 

 

 

 

 
Next up, I think, will be to sand the hull, then plank the counter and stern.  Honestly, I've not looked at the instructions much beyond this planking task.
 
Thanks to everyone who commented, offered advice and "liked" my work thus far.  Much appreciated.
 
Andy.

Brian,
 
Thanks for that explanation.  I spent some time today trying to see how I would apply that to my situation, and it's really not too different than what I am currently doing:
 
- Each plank I'm putting on spans 4 bulkheads, so a reasonable length
- I mark the width of the plank to be fitted at each bulkhead, based on the tick marks, not just the two ends.
- Using a sharp #11 (as you indicated), score line in the plank, connecting the dots - each width at the bulkhead locations
- Sand, as necessary to fit
- I often soak each plank in water after initial sanding, and then clamp in place to get the bend in the plank - let it dry, then shape/sand it more before gluing.
 
There are some planks which are indicated to be wider in the middle than at the ends - planks in the center bulkheads for example.  Using just the "end mark" technique, wouldn't I end up cutting too much off the middle of the plank?
 
Maybe in that case I should mark the widest part of the plank and taper to each end?  Then, it's not much different than my current technique.
 
Andy.

Well.  It's been quite a long time since I've updated my log.  Summer activities and feeling like needing a break in the shipyard, combined with my modelling room being used for other purposes were the main causes.
 
I re-started the planking in September, deciding to do the keel-most section first, then I plan on doing the section next to that, followed by the top-most section (near the deck), finishing with the middle one.
 
Here are the results of the keel section:
 
Starboard:
 

 

 

 
And Port:
 

 

 

 
I forced myself to make a mental re-adjustment.  Instead of stressing so much to make everything perfect the first time (and this is my very first planking job), I decided to try the techniques from the planking documents found on the forum and treat all mistakes as just learning experiences instead of something to beat myself up about.
 
I learned that I'm pretty bad at shaping individual planks and had a difficult time sticking to the tick marks.  A lot of the planks' width was terribly wrong.  I also learned that using the threads to mark off the different sections was super useful.  As I finished up the first section (seen in the photos), I used that thread to get a good line of planks.  If I didn't have that, errors would have compounded more and more as I move up toward the wales.
 
I've been using transparent tape to transfer some of the contours of the previous strake to the plank-in-progress, but it's not clear on the best way to transfer the tape pencil marks to the wood plank.
 
If anyone has advice for a non-powertool user on how to best "thin" the planks moving forward, I'm all ears.  Each plank in this next section will need to be tapered at the ends, or flare depending on the position.  My current technique is to mark the width at each bulkhead (using the tick marks) and then "connect the dots" to get the overall plank tapering.  I tried to use a french curve to connect those dots, but the curve is very small and subtle and the french curve doesn't fit it very well.
 
Andy.

Next up was to mark the planking bands on the bulkheads.  The instructions and plans both called for 4 planking bands and the planks had them marked for each bulkhead.
 
First, I cut strips of stiff paper to the curved length between the wales and keel, labeling each one with the bulkhead letter and a Port or Starboard mark:
 

 
Then, curving the paper to the plans, I marked each plank, with a thicker mark for the bands separation.
 

 
Next, I placed the marked paper on the appropriate bulkhead and marked the bulkheads with the plank and band markings.  Lastly, I glued (with diluted white glue) black thread to the marking on the bands.
 

 

 

 

 
So, a couple of observations.  One, I certainly need to now adjust the thread for a clean run.  I will probably also use a strip of wood to help with this - in order to ensure a nice curve without sudden changes.  You can see some obvious abrupt shifts in the thread that need to fixed.  Without using the thread or some other batten, I don't think it would have been so obvious.
 
Another observation is that such obvious errors in the thread layout is surprising to me.  I double-checked the plans, and all the measurements are fine and correct, yet the thread lays poorly.  I guess I had hoped the plans would be better than that, or my previous shaping of the bulkheads and wale planks caused some errors.  I will post again with the fixed thread layouts.
 
Finally, I think  I should NOT have included the internal plank markings - since I have to move the threads a bit, I think I should erase them and re-draw them using the actual distance between the battens and just divide by 6 or 7 depending on which band it is.  That should give me a better, more even distribution of the plank widths on each bulkhead.
 
Any thoughts or comments or "stop! you're doing it wrong!" are appreciated at this point.  Thanks for reading.
 
Andy.

Thanks, Sjors. I believe the plans call for the hull to be painted, but I will hold off on that until I finish sanding, planking the counter and re-read the instructions.
 
Andy

These pictures I took today.  I've added three planks from the wales toward the keel - section A, and then 3 more planks from the previous one towards the wales as well.  I'm closing in on gap from both sides, with 6 more strakes to go.
 
The last picture is a close up of the stern as the planks meet the counter.  They extend a little more than they have too, but I will sand that down after they're all in place.  Also bear in mind that I've not little to no sanding after the planks have been glued (each plank was sanded to taper and bevel), so it's a little rough, but I think (hope) it will smooth out once I finish planking and sand the entire surface.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 
Andy

Well, it's been almost 2 months since the last update, and I've made slow but steady progress.
 
I'll post twice here - these pictures were taken about a month ago at the completion the 2nd zone - zone C I think - working at the keel towards the wales.
 
My opinion is that I'm slowly getting better at placing the planks, but not getting much faster at it.  I'm soaking, bending, letting dry each one before gluing.
 

 

 

 

 

Well, I'm posting this on December 24 - the holiday break has allowed me the time to complete the hull planking on my Pride of Baltimore.  A Christmas gift to myself.
 
This is my first planking job for a complete hull.  I had done the hull of the Constitution cross-section, but there was no bending involved, no stern, no bow to plank.  I'm slow, the planking took me about 4 months of work (not counting the few months not working at all).  I think I sped up near the end, and improved my technique as well.
 
No sanding of any consequence has been done yet.
 
Photos:
 

 

 

 

 
Next up, I think, will be to sand the hull, then plank the counter and stern.  Honestly, I've not looked at the instructions much beyond this planking task.
 
Thanks to everyone who commented, offered advice and "liked" my work thus far.  Much appreciated.
 
Andy.

Well, it's been almost 2 months since the last update, and I've made slow but steady progress.
 
I'll post twice here - these pictures were taken about a month ago at the completion the 2nd zone - zone C I think - working at the keel towards the wales.
 
My opinion is that I'm slowly getting better at placing the planks, but not getting much faster at it.  I'm soaking, bending, letting dry each one before gluing.
 

 

 

 

 

Well.  It's been quite a long time since I've updated my log.  Summer activities and feeling like needing a break in the shipyard, combined with my modelling room being used for other purposes were the main causes.
 
I re-started the planking in September, deciding to do the keel-most section first, then I plan on doing the section next to that, followed by the top-most section (near the deck), finishing with the middle one.
 
Here are the results of the keel section:
 
Starboard:
 

 

 

 
And Port:
 

 

 

 
I forced myself to make a mental re-adjustment.  Instead of stressing so much to make everything perfect the first time (and this is my very first planking job), I decided to try the techniques from the planking documents found on the forum and treat all mistakes as just learning experiences instead of something to beat myself up about.
 
I learned that I'm pretty bad at shaping individual planks and had a difficult time sticking to the tick marks.  A lot of the planks' width was terribly wrong.  I also learned that using the threads to mark off the different sections was super useful.  As I finished up the first section (seen in the photos), I used that thread to get a good line of planks.  If I didn't have that, errors would have compounded more and more as I move up toward the wales.
 
I've been using transparent tape to transfer some of the contours of the previous strake to the plank-in-progress, but it's not clear on the best way to transfer the tape pencil marks to the wood plank.
 
If anyone has advice for a non-powertool user on how to best "thin" the planks moving forward, I'm all ears.  Each plank in this next section will need to be tapered at the ends, or flare depending on the position.  My current technique is to mark the width at each bulkhead (using the tick marks) and then "connect the dots" to get the overall plank tapering.  I tried to use a french curve to connect those dots, but the curve is very small and subtle and the french curve doesn't fit it very well.
 
Andy.

Well, I'm posting this on December 24 - the holiday break has allowed me the time to complete the hull planking on my Pride of Baltimore.  A Christmas gift to myself.
 
This is my first planking job for a complete hull.  I had done the hull of the Constitution cross-section, but there was no bending involved, no stern, no bow to plank.  I'm slow, the planking took me about 4 months of work (not counting the few months not working at all).  I think I sped up near the end, and improved my technique as well.
 
No sanding of any consequence has been done yet.
 
Photos:
 

 

 

 

 
Next up, I think, will be to sand the hull, then plank the counter and stern.  Honestly, I've not looked at the instructions much beyond this planking task.
 
Thanks to everyone who commented, offered advice and "liked" my work thus far.  Much appreciated.
 
Andy.

Well, it's been almost 2 months since the last update, and I've made slow but steady progress.
 
I'll post twice here - these pictures were taken about a month ago at the completion the 2nd zone - zone C I think - working at the keel towards the wales.
 
My opinion is that I'm slowly getting better at placing the planks, but not getting much faster at it.  I'm soaking, bending, letting dry each one before gluing.
 

 

 

 

 

The plastic deck pieces have some subtle wood and plank raised features, which makes it possible to see the "individual" planks if you look closely.  I used these plastic ridges and a #11 knife to score along these lines so I could see them better and then hand-painted the individual planks the different shades of wood color to make them a little more obvious.
 
It was really an experiment for me, but I think overall it turned out pretty good.
 
Andy.

These pictures I took today.  I've added three planks from the wales toward the keel - section A, and then 3 more planks from the previous one towards the wales as well.  I'm closing in on gap from both sides, with 6 more strakes to go.
 
The last picture is a close up of the stern as the planks meet the counter.  They extend a little more than they have too, but I will sand that down after they're all in place.  Also bear in mind that I've not little to no sanding after the planks have been glued (each plank was sanded to taper and bevel), so it's a little rough, but I think (hope) it will smooth out once I finish planking and sand the entire surface.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 
Andy

Hello again.  I started this log back on November 1, 2011, and I think I've managed to salvage most of it.  I have all the photos, and will re-build the log as best I can.
 
Having been through catastrophic data losses before (professionally), I know the feeling the moderators must have and completely sympathize.  Re-boots and recovery are always difficult, but the "can-do" attitude of everyone here and the overwhelming friendly atmosphere obviously hasn't been lost.  For that, I am thankful.
 
Here's the last photo I took (some progress made since then, but not photographed).  I will start the log from the beginning when I have more time.
 
Andy.