stewblack

At what points should the bevel begin and end on the false keel please? Should the bottom edge of each bulkhead touch the bearding line? I notice on your build that bulkheads E, F, and G do not. I believe this is the main mistake I have made, interpreting that the tops of the bulkheads should be evenly aligned for the deck planks. 

On 5/6/2018 at 8:25 AM, roach101761 said:

SOME BASIC GUIDELINES AS YOU BEGIN TO WORK THE MODEL.

 

1.     All of the bulkheads should have their letter or number burned into them.  In my kit, bulkhead "E" was not labeled.   If any of your bulkheads are not labeled, you should label them BEFORE you remove them from the sheet.   See the photo above where I have penciled bulkhead E with its letter.

 

2.     As you work the bulkheads and false keel you should ALWAYS maintain the same orientation of each bulkhead to the false keel.  ALL THE LETTERS AND NUMBERS SHOULD ALWAYS FACE THE BOW/STEM/FORWARD/FRONT/FORE/THE POINTY END of the boat. This will result in each bulkhead having a fixed port and starboard side.  If you do not, you will undo your adjustment to the bulkhead and false keel on one side, causing you to take off more material than needed and then compensating for that error on the other side of the boat.  It compounds the initial error and will require lots more work to fix it.

 

EDIT   Jim Rogers has suggested a qualification of the above stated ALWAYS rule.   Some kits (Model Shipways Syren) require that you switch the orientation of the bulkheads so that in the fore part of the ship the etched letters face forward and the etched numbered bulkheads face aft.   This is because in this kit, and some others, the laser cutting of the bulkhead also cuts or etches a bevel line in the bulkhead that is necessary for fairing the hull, reducing the amount of guess work in fairing the hull.  It is a line that you will fair the bulkhead or produce the bevel to that etched line. As he says below, and I say above, read the instructions.  5/11/18

 

The slots in the false keel and the bulkheads ARE NOT UNIVERSAL.  One size does not fit all.  Just look at the plans and the false keel and you will see that the slots on the false keel are not universally deep.   The kit is well designed with Laser precision.  Each bulkhead has it's own slot.  I realize that this may seem an obvious statement, but for beginner's it may not be.  DO NOT DECIDE TO REMOVE ALL of the char from the false keel slots and each of the bulkheads independently and then try and fit the bulkheads into the false keel. Prepare one bulkhead and it's corresponding slot in the false keel simultaneously, and then move on to the next bulkhead and slot. 

 

4.     You should label with a pencil the slots in the false keel with some of the corresponding bulkhead letters and numbers.   I have marked three on mine.  They are 0 (zero), A,and slot number 1.    And yes, before you ask.   I broke it also.  I blinked, and when I looked down, it was broken.  It fixed very easily however.  More on that later.   You all should accept as a personal challenge getting through the keel prep and setting up the bulkheads without breaking it.

5.     Initially you are just looking for a nice snug dry fit.  Do not force the bulkheads into the slots.  You may split the wood on the keel and bulkhead if you do. You will make the final adjustments when you actually glue them up.

 

6.     The bulkheads will not magically locate themselves properly orientated to the keel or each other.  Just set them all on the false keel and you will see it.  Some will sit at angles to port and starboard, and others will sit at angles that cause one side to be high and the other side low and others will lean either forward or aft.

 

Here are photo's of my boat that demonstrates the fine tuning that will be necessary when its time to glue them up.   I did not take the photo before I completed the keel assembly.  I did not skip a step. Preparing the rabbet, bearding line, and keel assembly will be explained in detail later.

 

 

7.     You should work the boat from the center forward and from the center aft when it is time to glue in the bulkheads.  This will help orientating each successive bulkhead with the one next to it and provide more precision.

 

At what point should the bevel begin and end on the false keel please?