shipmodel

Hi all –
 
Here is the latest installment of the build log.  No pirate talk, just building - - -
 
Some work has been done on the hulls since the last build log, but not enough to show. Instead, the next of the independent subassemblies was completed.  These are the anchors.
 
Queen Anne’s Revenge carried four anchors of different sizes, all of which have been discovered.  They range from the largest, with a shank length of 13 foot 7 inch and a weight of 3,141 pounds to the smallest at only 8 feet and 642 pounds.  The others had shank lengths of 13 foot and 11 foot 4 inches. Here is the archeological drawing of one of them.
 
Image 1
 
Budriot has drawings of several sizes of anchor for Le Mercure, but the drawings are all identical other than size, and none quite fit the ones discovered.  I took his drawing and sized it up or down in Photoshop to make drawings that fit the sizes needed.
 
Image 2
 
An anchor is a fairly simple construct, with only a few parts:  the shank with its arms and the flukes pinned to the arms; the wooden crosspiece called the stock, and a metal ring through the shank above the crosspiece.  Here they all are for a pair of 11 foot anchors.
 
Image 3
 
You can see that they are in various stages of completion.  The wood used here is pear, throughout.  I did not cast the shank/arms because there were 4 pair of different sizes rather than 8 of the same size.  It would have taken longer to make 4 masters and then cast them.
 
The first piece to be shaped is the shank.  A piece of pear was cut on the Preac saw to a square cross section of the appropriate size and then cut to length.  The drawings show that it had a square head where it went through the crosspiece, then became round below the head, which widened and returned to square with rounded corners where it mated with the arm for the flukes at the throat.  A round tenon at the foot was secured through a hole in the arm piece.
I first milled the tenons on either end.  This is easily done while the wood is still square.  Here you can see the setup on the Preac.  The miter guage is used to keep the wood square to the blade and the fence is used as a depth stop. 
 
Image 4
 
The height of the blade is set by using an adjustable fitting that sits under the hinged blade holder.  It is a screw in a wider sleeve with a red plastic cap on the end of the screw.  The hole in the bottom of the sleeve conveniently fits around one of the bolt heads on the blade unit.  It is a cumbersome and fiddly arrangement, but I am used to it after 20 years.
 
Image 5
 
To cut the tenon I set the blade to the desired height, testing by making passes on a piece of scrap basswood.  I first cut the shoulders of the tenon, then nibbled away the rest of the wood using a wide blade.  The final pass is always sideways across the top of the blade to smooth the side of the tenon.
 
Image 6
 
The final result is a perfectly centered and square tenon on each end of the shank blank.  The tenon that will go through the fluke arm piece is narrower than the head tenon and will later be rounded by trimming the corners then twisting it through progressively smaller holes in a drill plate.
 
Image 6a
 
With the head tenon cut the square hole in the wooden crosspiece has to be cut to match.  This is possible because the stock is built up from two pieces.  Again using the Preac the blade was adjusted till the cut was exactly half the depth of the tenon.  I tested this by cutting grooves in two pieces of scrap that when mated allowed the tenon to fit smoothly but not too tightly.  You can see this in the upper part of the photo.  Below it is the first side of the stock with the tenon fit into the channel that was milled out.
 
Image 7
 
And here you can see how the two stock pieces fit together around the tenon.
 
Image 8
 
With the channels cut the side of one of the stock pieces is colored with black ink and the pieces are glued together and clamped using one of the shank pieces to locate and match the pieces.
 
Image 9
 
After the glued dried the drawing of the stock was cut from a printout of the sized drawing.  I used Scotch Spray Mount to temporarily attach it to the stock blank.  With the blank still having a square face the holes were drilled for the treenails and bolts that were used to hold the two halves of the stock together. (You may notice that this piece does not have a square hole for the shank.  I forgot to take a photo during construction, so this is a scrap piece made up later for the log).
 
Image 10
 
The stock was cut close to its profile on the band saw and then smoothed using a sanding drum in the drill press since I do not have a spindle sander.
 
Image 11
 
The rest of the construction is pretty straightforward.  Going back to the photo of the pieces, you can see that the sides of the stock were tapered as shown on the drawings and the treenails inserted and sanded smooth.  The shank was fitted to the arm piece and both were smoothed to shape and to fit together at the throat.  This was done with the tenon just friction fit in the arm piece. 
 
image 3 repeat
 
Once the throat joint was smooth the arm was removed and a step was cut into it for the heel of the fluke.  The flukes were cut from 0.025” thick brass sheet, ground to final shape, and then peened to a shallow dish form.  They were fitted to the arms and pinned through using iron wire which was clipped short and peened on both ends to rivet the fluke to the arm.
 
Image 12
 
The stock was given its four iron strapping bands and a coat of stain.  The final wood selected for the stock was beech, which looks remarkably like oak in this scale.  The shank was painted matte black and was fitted to the stock.  The six bolts at the center of the stock were made from iron wire cut a little proud of the surface and filed smooth but not flat.  The cut ends will age over time to a generic metallic look that will contrast with the look of the treenails.  The ring is made from brass rod that was wound round a dowel, clipped and flattened, then chemically blackened.  Here is the completed 13 foot pair.
 
Image 13
 
Until I built these anchors I had little idea how large they really were.  Compared to my scale figure the 13 ½ foot anchor is massive, and even the 8 foot one would have been a handful.  The entire set of four anchors weighed over 8,000 pounds.
 
Image 14
Image 15
 
I’m off to the NRG conference next week, so it may be a bit until my next posting.  Until then, let me know if you have any questions about my methods and/or my madness . . .
 
Dan

Hi all, and thanks for the comments and likes.
 
The next set of independent pieces to be made were the three hatches with gratings.  One two-part one goes on the quarterdeck, while the other two go on the gun deck under the boat in the waist.  My method for making gratings is a bit unusual in that it there is little or no measuring done with a ruler or calipers.  Everything is done relative to the thickness of the saw blade that is used.  I developed this method because I only have a Preac saw.  A milling machine might make the whole process easier, but I work with what I have.
 
The first thing is to set up the saw to make square section sticks of wood whose dimension will be about 2  inches in the scale being used.  This then has to  match the thickness of a saw blade that you have.  For the small grating I used a slitting saw blade that was 0.032” thick. 
 
To set the saw I sandwiched that blade between a second blade and the rip fence.  The fence is snugged up and locked down.  The cutting blade does not have to be the same thickness, although in this case it was since I have two blades of that same thickness.
 
[These first nine photos are in black and white because they are taken from another presentation on making much smaller gratings].
 

 
Several sticks 0.032” square were cut from a sheet of hardwood.  Only a few are needed.  Then the blade that matches the sticks is mounted in the saw, if it is not already there.   Two of the sticks are sandwiched between the blade and the fence which is snugged tight and locked down.
 

 
One stick is removed and a short section of the other is held firmly against the fence and tacked in place with extra thin cyano.  Care is taken to see that the fence is not glued to the table.
 

 
The fence is removed, leaving a guide strip parallel to the blade and one blade thickness to the right. 
 

 
A rectangular piece of hardwood sheet is selected and held against the guide strip and the miter guage.  The blade height is set up to cut just a tiny bit deeper than halfway through the sheet.
 

 
The wood is run over the blade, cutting a channel one blade thickness from the end.
 

 
The wood is flipped over and the slot that was just cut is placed on top of the guide strip. 
 

 
The wood is run through again, cutting a second channel two thicknesses to the left of the first channel.
 

 
The balance of the sheet is cut in the same way, making a series of channels parallel to each other and spaced two blade widths apart.
 

 
Here is the grating sheet for the QAR. At my scale I needed sticks and channels that were about 0.055”.  I took one of the 0.032” blades and stacked it together with a 0.023” blade, making a 0.055” dado blade.
 

 
Actually, for the small grating I used Portia Takakjian’s technique.  This involves cutting lots of square sticks as well as cutting cross channels across the first ones.  The cross channels are filled with the sticks and everything is glued together.  When dry the solid back of the sheet is ground off with a sanding drum.  This works well for a small grating, but the wider blade did not cut as cleanly so I kept getting tearout.  Also, I needed more than 25 square inches of grating and did not look forward to grinding off so much wood.
 
Instead, I removed the guide strip and set the saw to cut 0.55” using the blades as spacers again.  Strips were parted off the sheet until the material was used up.  I call them toothed strips for obvious reasons.
 

 
Three quarters of the toothed strips were cut into thirds and interlocked with the remaining long strips.
 

 
This created a grating sheet about 2 ½ by 7 ½ inches.  This was only enough to make the gratings for one of the models, so a second grating sheet was made in the same way.
 

 
From the sheets I cut out sections for the grating sizes that I needed, sanded the edges flush and gave them a coat of slightly darkened matte finish to protect them from glue stains when the coamings get built around them.
 

 
Overall, this method worked well for me, and I will try it in smaller scales in the future.  A tip of the hat to Charlie Files, inventor of the Preac, wherever you are.
 
I will have the log of making the coamings in a few days.  Until then, be well.
 
Dan
 
 

Hello dear friends and thank you warmly for your kind words and recognition, I am extremely honored!!

Well, I must say that I was so much nervous during filming the reportage. My students helped me a lot, I like them very much. We are friends.
 I'm glad that was paid attention on TV to this beautiful hobby that connects us all together.
 
On Royal Caroline I have improved and added another details. Please, enjoy the pics and have a great time.

Best regards,
Doris
 








 
 

  

Beautiful as always, Doris.  Just beautiful work.
 
Could you tell me what adhesive you use to attach the clay pieces to each other and to the model, and how you finish them after installation.  There is never a trace of glue around the tiny parts.   Thanks.
 
The helmsman is looking good too.  The hat will be a nice touch.  Since this is a royal yacht, and there are high-ranking people aboard, I think that he would be dressed in his best uniform most of the time.
 
Dan

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hi all –
 
Here is the latest installment of the build log.  No pirate talk, just building - - -
 
Some work has been done on the hulls since the last build log, but not enough to show. Instead, the next of the independent subassemblies was completed.  These are the anchors.
 
Queen Anne’s Revenge carried four anchors of different sizes, all of which have been discovered.  They range from the largest, with a shank length of 13 foot 7 inch and a weight of 3,141 pounds to the smallest at only 8 feet and 642 pounds.  The others had shank lengths of 13 foot and 11 foot 4 inches. Here is the archeological drawing of one of them.
 
Image 1
 
Budriot has drawings of several sizes of anchor for Le Mercure, but the drawings are all identical other than size, and none quite fit the ones discovered.  I took his drawing and sized it up or down in Photoshop to make drawings that fit the sizes needed.
 
Image 2
 
An anchor is a fairly simple construct, with only a few parts:  the shank with its arms and the flukes pinned to the arms; the wooden crosspiece called the stock, and a metal ring through the shank above the crosspiece.  Here they all are for a pair of 11 foot anchors.
 
Image 3
 
You can see that they are in various stages of completion.  The wood used here is pear, throughout.  I did not cast the shank/arms because there were 4 pair of different sizes rather than 8 of the same size.  It would have taken longer to make 4 masters and then cast them.
 
The first piece to be shaped is the shank.  A piece of pear was cut on the Preac saw to a square cross section of the appropriate size and then cut to length.  The drawings show that it had a square head where it went through the crosspiece, then became round below the head, which widened and returned to square with rounded corners where it mated with the arm for the flukes at the throat.  A round tenon at the foot was secured through a hole in the arm piece.
I first milled the tenons on either end.  This is easily done while the wood is still square.  Here you can see the setup on the Preac.  The miter guage is used to keep the wood square to the blade and the fence is used as a depth stop. 
 
Image 4
 
The height of the blade is set by using an adjustable fitting that sits under the hinged blade holder.  It is a screw in a wider sleeve with a red plastic cap on the end of the screw.  The hole in the bottom of the sleeve conveniently fits around one of the bolt heads on the blade unit.  It is a cumbersome and fiddly arrangement, but I am used to it after 20 years.
 
Image 5
 
To cut the tenon I set the blade to the desired height, testing by making passes on a piece of scrap basswood.  I first cut the shoulders of the tenon, then nibbled away the rest of the wood using a wide blade.  The final pass is always sideways across the top of the blade to smooth the side of the tenon.
 
Image 6
 
The final result is a perfectly centered and square tenon on each end of the shank blank.  The tenon that will go through the fluke arm piece is narrower than the head tenon and will later be rounded by trimming the corners then twisting it through progressively smaller holes in a drill plate.
 
Image 6a
 
With the head tenon cut the square hole in the wooden crosspiece has to be cut to match.  This is possible because the stock is built up from two pieces.  Again using the Preac the blade was adjusted till the cut was exactly half the depth of the tenon.  I tested this by cutting grooves in two pieces of scrap that when mated allowed the tenon to fit smoothly but not too tightly.  You can see this in the upper part of the photo.  Below it is the first side of the stock with the tenon fit into the channel that was milled out.
 
Image 7
 
And here you can see how the two stock pieces fit together around the tenon.
 
Image 8
 
With the channels cut the side of one of the stock pieces is colored with black ink and the pieces are glued together and clamped using one of the shank pieces to locate and match the pieces.
 
Image 9
 
After the glued dried the drawing of the stock was cut from a printout of the sized drawing.  I used Scotch Spray Mount to temporarily attach it to the stock blank.  With the blank still having a square face the holes were drilled for the treenails and bolts that were used to hold the two halves of the stock together. (You may notice that this piece does not have a square hole for the shank.  I forgot to take a photo during construction, so this is a scrap piece made up later for the log).
 
Image 10
 
The stock was cut close to its profile on the band saw and then smoothed using a sanding drum in the drill press since I do not have a spindle sander.
 
Image 11
 
The rest of the construction is pretty straightforward.  Going back to the photo of the pieces, you can see that the sides of the stock were tapered as shown on the drawings and the treenails inserted and sanded smooth.  The shank was fitted to the arm piece and both were smoothed to shape and to fit together at the throat.  This was done with the tenon just friction fit in the arm piece. 
 
image 3 repeat
 
Once the throat joint was smooth the arm was removed and a step was cut into it for the heel of the fluke.  The flukes were cut from 0.025” thick brass sheet, ground to final shape, and then peened to a shallow dish form.  They were fitted to the arms and pinned through using iron wire which was clipped short and peened on both ends to rivet the fluke to the arm.
 
Image 12
 
The stock was given its four iron strapping bands and a coat of stain.  The final wood selected for the stock was beech, which looks remarkably like oak in this scale.  The shank was painted matte black and was fitted to the stock.  The six bolts at the center of the stock were made from iron wire cut a little proud of the surface and filed smooth but not flat.  The cut ends will age over time to a generic metallic look that will contrast with the look of the treenails.  The ring is made from brass rod that was wound round a dowel, clipped and flattened, then chemically blackened.  Here is the completed 13 foot pair.
 
Image 13
 
Until I built these anchors I had little idea how large they really were.  Compared to my scale figure the 13 ½ foot anchor is massive, and even the 8 foot one would have been a handful.  The entire set of four anchors weighed over 8,000 pounds.
 
Image 14
Image 15
 
I’m off to the NRG conference next week, so it may be a bit until my next posting.  Until then, let me know if you have any questions about my methods and/or my madness . . .
 
Dan

Hi all, and thanks for the comments and likes.
 
The next set of independent pieces to be made were the three hatches with gratings.  One two-part one goes on the quarterdeck, while the other two go on the gun deck under the boat in the waist.  My method for making gratings is a bit unusual in that it there is little or no measuring done with a ruler or calipers.  Everything is done relative to the thickness of the saw blade that is used.  I developed this method because I only have a Preac saw.  A milling machine might make the whole process easier, but I work with what I have.
 
The first thing is to set up the saw to make square section sticks of wood whose dimension will be about 2  inches in the scale being used.  This then has to  match the thickness of a saw blade that you have.  For the small grating I used a slitting saw blade that was 0.032” thick. 
 
To set the saw I sandwiched that blade between a second blade and the rip fence.  The fence is snugged up and locked down.  The cutting blade does not have to be the same thickness, although in this case it was since I have two blades of that same thickness.
 
[These first nine photos are in black and white because they are taken from another presentation on making much smaller gratings].
 

 
Several sticks 0.032” square were cut from a sheet of hardwood.  Only a few are needed.  Then the blade that matches the sticks is mounted in the saw, if it is not already there.   Two of the sticks are sandwiched between the blade and the fence which is snugged tight and locked down.
 

 
One stick is removed and a short section of the other is held firmly against the fence and tacked in place with extra thin cyano.  Care is taken to see that the fence is not glued to the table.
 

 
The fence is removed, leaving a guide strip parallel to the blade and one blade thickness to the right. 
 

 
A rectangular piece of hardwood sheet is selected and held against the guide strip and the miter guage.  The blade height is set up to cut just a tiny bit deeper than halfway through the sheet.
 

 
The wood is run over the blade, cutting a channel one blade thickness from the end.
 

 
The wood is flipped over and the slot that was just cut is placed on top of the guide strip. 
 

 
The wood is run through again, cutting a second channel two thicknesses to the left of the first channel.
 

 
The balance of the sheet is cut in the same way, making a series of channels parallel to each other and spaced two blade widths apart.
 

 
Here is the grating sheet for the QAR. At my scale I needed sticks and channels that were about 0.055”.  I took one of the 0.032” blades and stacked it together with a 0.023” blade, making a 0.055” dado blade.
 

 
Actually, for the small grating I used Portia Takakjian’s technique.  This involves cutting lots of square sticks as well as cutting cross channels across the first ones.  The cross channels are filled with the sticks and everything is glued together.  When dry the solid back of the sheet is ground off with a sanding drum.  This works well for a small grating, but the wider blade did not cut as cleanly so I kept getting tearout.  Also, I needed more than 25 square inches of grating and did not look forward to grinding off so much wood.
 
Instead, I removed the guide strip and set the saw to cut 0.55” using the blades as spacers again.  Strips were parted off the sheet until the material was used up.  I call them toothed strips for obvious reasons.
 

 
Three quarters of the toothed strips were cut into thirds and interlocked with the remaining long strips.
 

 
This created a grating sheet about 2 ½ by 7 ½ inches.  This was only enough to make the gratings for one of the models, so a second grating sheet was made in the same way.
 

 
From the sheets I cut out sections for the grating sizes that I needed, sanded the edges flush and gave them a coat of slightly darkened matte finish to protect them from glue stains when the coamings get built around them.
 

 
Overall, this method worked well for me, and I will try it in smaller scales in the future.  A tip of the hat to Charlie Files, inventor of the Preac, wherever you are.
 
I will have the log of making the coamings in a few days.  Until then, be well.
 
Dan
 
 

Hi Daniel - and Happy New Year -
 
Coming along nicely at such a small scale.
 
Budriot's plans show a very tall stern with two banks of high windows.  That does not fit with the Advice Prize draught, so I lowered the transom in Photoshop and got this.  Perhaps it will be of some help to you.
 

 
Be well
 
Dan

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hi all, and thanks for the comments and likes.
 
The next set of independent pieces to be made were the three hatches with gratings.  One two-part one goes on the quarterdeck, while the other two go on the gun deck under the boat in the waist.  My method for making gratings is a bit unusual in that it there is little or no measuring done with a ruler or calipers.  Everything is done relative to the thickness of the saw blade that is used.  I developed this method because I only have a Preac saw.  A milling machine might make the whole process easier, but I work with what I have.
 
The first thing is to set up the saw to make square section sticks of wood whose dimension will be about 2  inches in the scale being used.  This then has to  match the thickness of a saw blade that you have.  For the small grating I used a slitting saw blade that was 0.032” thick. 
 
To set the saw I sandwiched that blade between a second blade and the rip fence.  The fence is snugged up and locked down.  The cutting blade does not have to be the same thickness, although in this case it was since I have two blades of that same thickness.
 
[These first nine photos are in black and white because they are taken from another presentation on making much smaller gratings].
 

 
Several sticks 0.032” square were cut from a sheet of hardwood.  Only a few are needed.  Then the blade that matches the sticks is mounted in the saw, if it is not already there.   Two of the sticks are sandwiched between the blade and the fence which is snugged tight and locked down.
 

 
One stick is removed and a short section of the other is held firmly against the fence and tacked in place with extra thin cyano.  Care is taken to see that the fence is not glued to the table.
 

 
The fence is removed, leaving a guide strip parallel to the blade and one blade thickness to the right. 
 

 
A rectangular piece of hardwood sheet is selected and held against the guide strip and the miter guage.  The blade height is set up to cut just a tiny bit deeper than halfway through the sheet.
 

 
The wood is run over the blade, cutting a channel one blade thickness from the end.
 

 
The wood is flipped over and the slot that was just cut is placed on top of the guide strip. 
 

 
The wood is run through again, cutting a second channel two thicknesses to the left of the first channel.
 

 
The balance of the sheet is cut in the same way, making a series of channels parallel to each other and spaced two blade widths apart.
 

 
Here is the grating sheet for the QAR. At my scale I needed sticks and channels that were about 0.055”.  I took one of the 0.032” blades and stacked it together with a 0.023” blade, making a 0.055” dado blade.
 

 
Actually, for the small grating I used Portia Takakjian’s technique.  This involves cutting lots of square sticks as well as cutting cross channels across the first ones.  The cross channels are filled with the sticks and everything is glued together.  When dry the solid back of the sheet is ground off with a sanding drum.  This works well for a small grating, but the wider blade did not cut as cleanly so I kept getting tearout.  Also, I needed more than 25 square inches of grating and did not look forward to grinding off so much wood.
 
Instead, I removed the guide strip and set the saw to cut 0.55” using the blades as spacers again.  Strips were parted off the sheet until the material was used up.  I call them toothed strips for obvious reasons.
 

 
Three quarters of the toothed strips were cut into thirds and interlocked with the remaining long strips.
 

 
This created a grating sheet about 2 ½ by 7 ½ inches.  This was only enough to make the gratings for one of the models, so a second grating sheet was made in the same way.
 

 
From the sheets I cut out sections for the grating sizes that I needed, sanded the edges flush and gave them a coat of slightly darkened matte finish to protect them from glue stains when the coamings get built around them.
 

 
Overall, this method worked well for me, and I will try it in smaller scales in the future.  A tip of the hat to Charlie Files, inventor of the Preac, wherever you are.
 
I will have the log of making the coamings in a few days.  Until then, be well.
 
Dan
 
 

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hi all, and thanks for the comments and likes.
 
The next set of independent pieces to be made were the three hatches with gratings.  One two-part one goes on the quarterdeck, while the other two go on the gun deck under the boat in the waist.  My method for making gratings is a bit unusual in that it there is little or no measuring done with a ruler or calipers.  Everything is done relative to the thickness of the saw blade that is used.  I developed this method because I only have a Preac saw.  A milling machine might make the whole process easier, but I work with what I have.
 
The first thing is to set up the saw to make square section sticks of wood whose dimension will be about 2  inches in the scale being used.  This then has to  match the thickness of a saw blade that you have.  For the small grating I used a slitting saw blade that was 0.032” thick. 
 
To set the saw I sandwiched that blade between a second blade and the rip fence.  The fence is snugged up and locked down.  The cutting blade does not have to be the same thickness, although in this case it was since I have two blades of that same thickness.
 
[These first nine photos are in black and white because they are taken from another presentation on making much smaller gratings].
 

 
Several sticks 0.032” square were cut from a sheet of hardwood.  Only a few are needed.  Then the blade that matches the sticks is mounted in the saw, if it is not already there.   Two of the sticks are sandwiched between the blade and the fence which is snugged tight and locked down.
 

 
One stick is removed and a short section of the other is held firmly against the fence and tacked in place with extra thin cyano.  Care is taken to see that the fence is not glued to the table.
 

 
The fence is removed, leaving a guide strip parallel to the blade and one blade thickness to the right. 
 

 
A rectangular piece of hardwood sheet is selected and held against the guide strip and the miter guage.  The blade height is set up to cut just a tiny bit deeper than halfway through the sheet.
 

 
The wood is run over the blade, cutting a channel one blade thickness from the end.
 

 
The wood is flipped over and the slot that was just cut is placed on top of the guide strip. 
 

 
The wood is run through again, cutting a second channel two thicknesses to the left of the first channel.
 

 
The balance of the sheet is cut in the same way, making a series of channels parallel to each other and spaced two blade widths apart.
 

 
Here is the grating sheet for the QAR. At my scale I needed sticks and channels that were about 0.055”.  I took one of the 0.032” blades and stacked it together with a 0.023” blade, making a 0.055” dado blade.
 

 
Actually, for the small grating I used Portia Takakjian’s technique.  This involves cutting lots of square sticks as well as cutting cross channels across the first ones.  The cross channels are filled with the sticks and everything is glued together.  When dry the solid back of the sheet is ground off with a sanding drum.  This works well for a small grating, but the wider blade did not cut as cleanly so I kept getting tearout.  Also, I needed more than 25 square inches of grating and did not look forward to grinding off so much wood.
 
Instead, I removed the guide strip and set the saw to cut 0.55” using the blades as spacers again.  Strips were parted off the sheet until the material was used up.  I call them toothed strips for obvious reasons.
 

 
Three quarters of the toothed strips were cut into thirds and interlocked with the remaining long strips.
 

 
This created a grating sheet about 2 ½ by 7 ½ inches.  This was only enough to make the gratings for one of the models, so a second grating sheet was made in the same way.
 

 
From the sheets I cut out sections for the grating sizes that I needed, sanded the edges flush and gave them a coat of slightly darkened matte finish to protect them from glue stains when the coamings get built around them.
 

 
Overall, this method worked well for me, and I will try it in smaller scales in the future.  A tip of the hat to Charlie Files, inventor of the Preac, wherever you are.
 
I will have the log of making the coamings in a few days.  Until then, be well.
 
Dan
 
 

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hello again –
 
I got some time during the football games to write up the next installment.  I hope you enjoy it.
 
With the grating sheets made, I made the coamings.  My method here also relies on the table saw and uses no measuring with a ruler.  This time it is based on the specific grating to be framed.  I make the coaming to fit the grating rather than the other way around.  I get a much tighter fit that way.  
 
Here is a piece of grating that has been cut from a sheet.  The edges have been sanded flush and it has received a first finish coat to protect it from any glue stains.  It looks square, but it is slightly longer than it is wide.
 

 
As mentioned, the grating material is poplar.  For contrast I selected cherry for the coaming and cut stock 1/8” x ¼”.  Four pieces of coaming stock were cut longer than each side of the grating piece.  They will be joined with half lap joints at the corners.
 

 
The table saw blade height is set so cuts made from the top and bottom of the coaming stock just meet in the middle.
 

 
One end of each piece has a half lap cut into it.  The length does not matter as long as it is longer than the thickness of the coaming stock.  First, the shoulder was cut using the rip fence as a depth stop.
 

 
Then the lap was made by making multiple passes moving away from the fence to nibble away the unwanted wood.
 

 
A spacer strip was located that was wider but shallower than the lap that was cut.
 

 
Using the spacer and the grating piece the fence was set for the shorter sides.
 

 
A sacrificial stick supports the coaming piece as the shoulder for the second half lap is cut.
 

 
The coaming piece was turned around and the unwanted wood from the second lap was nibbled away.
 

 
The matching short piece was done, then the saw was reset and the longer pieces were done in the same manner.
 

 
Using the grating piece itself to hold the pieces square, they were test fit, adjusted as needed, assembled and glued.  When the glue was dry, support pieces were glued to the inside edges.  Doing only two sides is enough.  If you want the grating to be removable just make sure that the supports are glued only to the coaming.  Here I have glued the grating in place permanently. 
 

 
The corners were trimmed, the piece was turned over and sanded smooth, and all edges and corners were eased.  The bottom edges are left raw and will be sanded to the curve of the deck when installed.   The piece was finished with matte varnish.  
 

 
And here is the set of three for one of the QAR models.  In the insert the lap joint is clearly visible.  The joints were also treenailed for strength.   Two diagonal corners of each coaming were drilled but not filled.  During assembly longer treenails will go through them and into the deck for security.  A length of treenail stock is packed with the set ready for final assembly.
 

 
As you can tell from the brevity of the text, this all goes quite quickly with a some practice.  All of the work making the six hatches and gratings took only a little more than a day.  Doing the photographing and writing these build log entries took longer.
 
I hope that this was instructive and provides another technique to add to your tool box.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Hi all, and thanks for the comments and likes.
 
The next set of independent pieces to be made were the three hatches with gratings.  One two-part one goes on the quarterdeck, while the other two go on the gun deck under the boat in the waist.  My method for making gratings is a bit unusual in that it there is little or no measuring done with a ruler or calipers.  Everything is done relative to the thickness of the saw blade that is used.  I developed this method because I only have a Preac saw.  A milling machine might make the whole process easier, but I work with what I have.
 
The first thing is to set up the saw to make square section sticks of wood whose dimension will be about 2  inches in the scale being used.  This then has to  match the thickness of a saw blade that you have.  For the small grating I used a slitting saw blade that was 0.032” thick. 
 
To set the saw I sandwiched that blade between a second blade and the rip fence.  The fence is snugged up and locked down.  The cutting blade does not have to be the same thickness, although in this case it was since I have two blades of that same thickness.
 
[These first nine photos are in black and white because they are taken from another presentation on making much smaller gratings].
 

 
Several sticks 0.032” square were cut from a sheet of hardwood.  Only a few are needed.  Then the blade that matches the sticks is mounted in the saw, if it is not already there.   Two of the sticks are sandwiched between the blade and the fence which is snugged tight and locked down.
 

 
One stick is removed and a short section of the other is held firmly against the fence and tacked in place with extra thin cyano.  Care is taken to see that the fence is not glued to the table.
 

 
The fence is removed, leaving a guide strip parallel to the blade and one blade thickness to the right. 
 

 
A rectangular piece of hardwood sheet is selected and held against the guide strip and the miter guage.  The blade height is set up to cut just a tiny bit deeper than halfway through the sheet.
 

 
The wood is run over the blade, cutting a channel one blade thickness from the end.
 

 
The wood is flipped over and the slot that was just cut is placed on top of the guide strip. 
 

 
The wood is run through again, cutting a second channel two thicknesses to the left of the first channel.
 

 
The balance of the sheet is cut in the same way, making a series of channels parallel to each other and spaced two blade widths apart.
 

 
Here is the grating sheet for the QAR. At my scale I needed sticks and channels that were about 0.055”.  I took one of the 0.032” blades and stacked it together with a 0.023” blade, making a 0.055” dado blade.
 

 
Actually, for the small grating I used Portia Takakjian’s technique.  This involves cutting lots of square sticks as well as cutting cross channels across the first ones.  The cross channels are filled with the sticks and everything is glued together.  When dry the solid back of the sheet is ground off with a sanding drum.  This works well for a small grating, but the wider blade did not cut as cleanly so I kept getting tearout.  Also, I needed more than 25 square inches of grating and did not look forward to grinding off so much wood.
 
Instead, I removed the guide strip and set the saw to cut 0.55” using the blades as spacers again.  Strips were parted off the sheet until the material was used up.  I call them toothed strips for obvious reasons.
 

 
Three quarters of the toothed strips were cut into thirds and interlocked with the remaining long strips.
 

 
This created a grating sheet about 2 ½ by 7 ½ inches.  This was only enough to make the gratings for one of the models, so a second grating sheet was made in the same way.
 

 
From the sheets I cut out sections for the grating sizes that I needed, sanded the edges flush and gave them a coat of slightly darkened matte finish to protect them from glue stains when the coamings get built around them.
 

 
Overall, this method worked well for me, and I will try it in smaller scales in the future.  A tip of the hat to Charlie Files, inventor of the Preac, wherever you are.
 
I will have the log of making the coamings in a few days.  Until then, be well.
 
Dan
 
 

Hi all, and thanks for the comments and likes.
 
The next set of independent pieces to be made were the three hatches with gratings.  One two-part one goes on the quarterdeck, while the other two go on the gun deck under the boat in the waist.  My method for making gratings is a bit unusual in that it there is little or no measuring done with a ruler or calipers.  Everything is done relative to the thickness of the saw blade that is used.  I developed this method because I only have a Preac saw.  A milling machine might make the whole process easier, but I work with what I have.
 
The first thing is to set up the saw to make square section sticks of wood whose dimension will be about 2  inches in the scale being used.  This then has to  match the thickness of a saw blade that you have.  For the small grating I used a slitting saw blade that was 0.032” thick. 
 
To set the saw I sandwiched that blade between a second blade and the rip fence.  The fence is snugged up and locked down.  The cutting blade does not have to be the same thickness, although in this case it was since I have two blades of that same thickness.
 
[These first nine photos are in black and white because they are taken from another presentation on making much smaller gratings].
 

 
Several sticks 0.032” square were cut from a sheet of hardwood.  Only a few are needed.  Then the blade that matches the sticks is mounted in the saw, if it is not already there.   Two of the sticks are sandwiched between the blade and the fence which is snugged tight and locked down.
 

 
One stick is removed and a short section of the other is held firmly against the fence and tacked in place with extra thin cyano.  Care is taken to see that the fence is not glued to the table.
 

 
The fence is removed, leaving a guide strip parallel to the blade and one blade thickness to the right. 
 

 
A rectangular piece of hardwood sheet is selected and held against the guide strip and the miter guage.  The blade height is set up to cut just a tiny bit deeper than halfway through the sheet.
 

 
The wood is run over the blade, cutting a channel one blade thickness from the end.
 

 
The wood is flipped over and the slot that was just cut is placed on top of the guide strip. 
 

 
The wood is run through again, cutting a second channel two thicknesses to the left of the first channel.
 

 
The balance of the sheet is cut in the same way, making a series of channels parallel to each other and spaced two blade widths apart.
 

 
Here is the grating sheet for the QAR. At my scale I needed sticks and channels that were about 0.055”.  I took one of the 0.032” blades and stacked it together with a 0.023” blade, making a 0.055” dado blade.
 

 
Actually, for the small grating I used Portia Takakjian’s technique.  This involves cutting lots of square sticks as well as cutting cross channels across the first ones.  The cross channels are filled with the sticks and everything is glued together.  When dry the solid back of the sheet is ground off with a sanding drum.  This works well for a small grating, but the wider blade did not cut as cleanly so I kept getting tearout.  Also, I needed more than 25 square inches of grating and did not look forward to grinding off so much wood.
 
Instead, I removed the guide strip and set the saw to cut 0.55” using the blades as spacers again.  Strips were parted off the sheet until the material was used up.  I call them toothed strips for obvious reasons.
 

 
Three quarters of the toothed strips were cut into thirds and interlocked with the remaining long strips.
 

 
This created a grating sheet about 2 ½ by 7 ½ inches.  This was only enough to make the gratings for one of the models, so a second grating sheet was made in the same way.
 

 
From the sheets I cut out sections for the grating sizes that I needed, sanded the edges flush and gave them a coat of slightly darkened matte finish to protect them from glue stains when the coamings get built around them.
 

 
Overall, this method worked well for me, and I will try it in smaller scales in the future.  A tip of the hat to Charlie Files, inventor of the Preac, wherever you are.
 
I will have the log of making the coamings in a few days.  Until then, be well.
 
Dan
 
 

Hi all, and thanks for the comments and likes.
 
The next set of independent pieces to be made were the three hatches with gratings.  One two-part one goes on the quarterdeck, while the other two go on the gun deck under the boat in the waist.  My method for making gratings is a bit unusual in that it there is little or no measuring done with a ruler or calipers.  Everything is done relative to the thickness of the saw blade that is used.  I developed this method because I only have a Preac saw.  A milling machine might make the whole process easier, but I work with what I have.
 
The first thing is to set up the saw to make square section sticks of wood whose dimension will be about 2  inches in the scale being used.  This then has to  match the thickness of a saw blade that you have.  For the small grating I used a slitting saw blade that was 0.032” thick. 
 
To set the saw I sandwiched that blade between a second blade and the rip fence.  The fence is snugged up and locked down.  The cutting blade does not have to be the same thickness, although in this case it was since I have two blades of that same thickness.
 
[These first nine photos are in black and white because they are taken from another presentation on making much smaller gratings].
 

 
Several sticks 0.032” square were cut from a sheet of hardwood.  Only a few are needed.  Then the blade that matches the sticks is mounted in the saw, if it is not already there.   Two of the sticks are sandwiched between the blade and the fence which is snugged tight and locked down.
 

 
One stick is removed and a short section of the other is held firmly against the fence and tacked in place with extra thin cyano.  Care is taken to see that the fence is not glued to the table.
 

 
The fence is removed, leaving a guide strip parallel to the blade and one blade thickness to the right. 
 

 
A rectangular piece of hardwood sheet is selected and held against the guide strip and the miter guage.  The blade height is set up to cut just a tiny bit deeper than halfway through the sheet.
 

 
The wood is run over the blade, cutting a channel one blade thickness from the end.
 

 
The wood is flipped over and the slot that was just cut is placed on top of the guide strip. 
 

 
The wood is run through again, cutting a second channel two thicknesses to the left of the first channel.
 

 
The balance of the sheet is cut in the same way, making a series of channels parallel to each other and spaced two blade widths apart.
 

 
Here is the grating sheet for the QAR. At my scale I needed sticks and channels that were about 0.055”.  I took one of the 0.032” blades and stacked it together with a 0.023” blade, making a 0.055” dado blade.
 

 
Actually, for the small grating I used Portia Takakjian’s technique.  This involves cutting lots of square sticks as well as cutting cross channels across the first ones.  The cross channels are filled with the sticks and everything is glued together.  When dry the solid back of the sheet is ground off with a sanding drum.  This works well for a small grating, but the wider blade did not cut as cleanly so I kept getting tearout.  Also, I needed more than 25 square inches of grating and did not look forward to grinding off so much wood.
 
Instead, I removed the guide strip and set the saw to cut 0.55” using the blades as spacers again.  Strips were parted off the sheet until the material was used up.  I call them toothed strips for obvious reasons.
 

 
Three quarters of the toothed strips were cut into thirds and interlocked with the remaining long strips.
 

 
This created a grating sheet about 2 ½ by 7 ½ inches.  This was only enough to make the gratings for one of the models, so a second grating sheet was made in the same way.
 

 
From the sheets I cut out sections for the grating sizes that I needed, sanded the edges flush and gave them a coat of slightly darkened matte finish to protect them from glue stains when the coamings get built around them.
 

 
Overall, this method worked well for me, and I will try it in smaller scales in the future.  A tip of the hat to Charlie Files, inventor of the Preac, wherever you are.
 
I will have the log of making the coamings in a few days.  Until then, be well.
 
Dan
 
 

Hello and Happy New Year to all -
 
This past month has been full of grandkids and holidays that got in the way of what is the most important thing in life - ship modeling
 
I did manage to complete both sets of the masts, which are packed away until rigging time.  The fore
 

 
The mizzen
 

 
And the Bowsprit and jib boom
 

 
Meanwhile, I have been studying the rigging diagrams and reading Anderson and others.  The first question came when I realized that some of the lines, including the halyards, run from the mastheads to belaying points on deck at the base of the mast.  To do this they have to pass through the platform of the top.  Budriot's plans and the tops that I made from them have no openings aft of the masthead. 
 

 
I figured that I could solve this in one of two ways - I could simply drill some holes for the lead of the lines, or I could take apart the tops and remove some of the planking to make a larger opening, a much more complicated procedure.  I consulted with some knowledgable modelers including Rob Napier, and Bob Giles sent me some photographs of the tops of the St. George (1701) model at Annapolis. 
 

 
I also looked at the photographs of the model of Le Sans-Pareil (1757) in the Musee de la Marine.  All of them agreed that removing the planking was the only way to go.  So, with some anxiety, I pried off the trestletrees and crosstrees from under each of the tops.  Fortunately they came away with only one slight greenstick fracture that was easily repaired.  The cleats were shortened, then I used a razor saw to cut through the plank aft of the lubber hole.  The enlarged opening was cleaned up with a blade and sandpaper before the trestletrees and crosstrees were cleaned up and re-attached.  Here they are.  
 

 
Next, the gratings and coamings.  I have worked out a new way to do them which gives me better results in this larger scale.
 
Be well
 
Dan