AnobiumPunctatum

I put the cowl away somewhere so I wouldn’t lose it, and of course, I couldn’t find it…..so, made a second one.
They’re soldered brass made over a dowel template which I left within. 

Further progress .

After guns and lids done. Preliminary quarter deck beam fitting.

Hawes pipe liners, rudder and interior camp painting complete. 

Further progress on the focs’l

Breast work, wheel tackle. Pausing before tackling the belfry capital.

I finished up the aft platforms...
 
They were both planked with the scuttle lids being finished as described earlier.   But then two upright timbers were cut to length (3/16 x 3/16) and placed on both sides of the open hatchway.  This gives it more support so you can Carefully cut away the beam between them.  It will look like the pic below when done.

Then you can make the short ladder that goes in that opening between platforms.   This is typical and laser cut for you.  The only difference is that this ladder is tilted or skewed sideways.   Its an interesting detail.   The reason for this will become clear when we start building out all of the cabins.  There is a small square with the angle you will need for this ladder on the plans.  See below.

This is what it looks like in position. Brutal close-ups...
 

Then I figured it would be fun to build and install the shot lockers.
 
All pieces are laser cut. The sides were glued on top of the back piece first.  They were placed at right angles neatly.  
 

Then the front is added...which is shorter and has laser etched plank details.
 

Next comes the top piece.  This was laser cut a bit wider than needed for wiggle room.   It was glued on top and then the back side was sanded flush where the top hung over the edge.  The lids were also prepared.  It is one piece with some laser etched details.  Basically you have to bevel the top and bottom edges.  Quite a bit as you can see.
 

Here the lid piece was added. It has etched reference marks for the hinges.  The hinges are laser board and added the same way we did them for the fire hearth. The top and bottom halves of the hinge are separate pieces.   They are glued on first.  Then to finish them up a small length of 24 gauge black wire was used to simulate the hinge pins between them.
 
 
And finally added to the model...you may have to adjust the height of the shot locker AS you are building it.  It all depends on whether or not you placed the height of the aft platform differently.   Maybe you placed the platform lower and thus your shot locker may have to be shorter.   Measure twice and cut once sort of thing...its so important to get the platform heights correct.  But if you didnt, thats OK...just do some problem solving and with some adjustments you will be just fine.  I would even go as far to suggest that you test the back piece in position before you assemble the shot locker.  Then you will know if its too tall or short and you can adjust accordingly.
 

 
 
 

Planking the stern and wow, the macro lens is a harsh mistress!
I'm loving the pear wood though, so will start second planking today 😊
 

Really nice progress at your prototype model. I love your different jigs.

Really nice progress at your prototype model. I love your different jigs.

Really nice progress at your prototype model. I love your different jigs.

I decided that I needed something to support the frames, some of these things stick up over 5” from the gun deck!

I covered some of the jigs earlier, this final one attaches to them all and is what spans the whole model length and beam to support all the frames until it’s planked and solid. You can see half of it installed below.

These two final pieces are intended to keep the jig at the proper height, they should both fit tight between both ends of the middle support jig

They are marked fwd and aft with the marked end facing all the way forward and the aft mark facing all the way aft. I just very lightly glued them in so they will be easily removed later

Just carefully work them into position and make sure they are on the outside of the longitudinal bulkhead stiffener

once both sides are complete you can begin to add the top frame jig

if you lift it up slightly and slowly work each frame into the slots it will easily set right down. it has slots that should allow it to fit down snug, you can see on each of the three jig bases below 

there is one more small piece to support the forward Timbers, it has to slide in going forward, there was just no other way to get it in or out 

once in, it will support the two forward frames as well as the  forward cant frames 

once in place, I screwed down all the jig pieces to the lower jig structure. These will need to be removed later so I wouldn’t recommend gluing them down. 

i bought a ton of rubber bands from Home Depot and started going to town on pulling all the frames together into their slots, 

Most of them are pretty close and just need a little pull to stay in place. 
Now it’s time to move onto the gunport framing, I promise this will start to look like a model ship soon!
 
 
JJ

Today I installed the QG door frames,

these are simple, but require a little work, there’s a lot of business going on in the back so some parts need to be trimmed but your saw will make quick work of this.
I started at the upper gun deck and worked my way down.

the outboard stern frame has a ledge cut in it for all the door frames to rest on, they also slot into frame 25, no modification should be required on the upper most and lowest frames.
Make sure that the notches face each other as seen below

The frame marked “GD upper” requires a little trim in order to clear the stern frame jig, I just
marked it and ran it through the saw and cut off about 1/16”

the same applies to the frame marked “lower” as It has a slight interference with the upper frame support jig

I did the same here as well, I just trimmed off about 1/16” on the table saw and glued it in place

with all four pieces in I just ran some scrap AYC through the saw to 1/4 x 3/16”. Take a measurement and adjust your saw to cut them at the right angle, then cut to the right length. I cut all 4 the same and they fit right in the slots.


Next I will cover the main frame support that will hold all those pesky frames in place while I build all the gun ports and plank the upper parts of the model.
 
Thanks for looking in.
 
JJ
 

I finished assembling the stern jig yesterday and began installing the stern frames, you can see below the two pieces that fit in the main jig to align all the frames
First you install the lower piece, it should fit pretty snug, so very little glue necessary,
just make sure it’s pushed all the way in and even on both sides.

the same goes for the top piece as well, snug and pushed in all the way, just a little glue necessary.

Once you have the jig fully assembled you can begin to install the stern frames. I began with the inboard frames and worked my way out. Be sure to test fit the frames into their slots before you try and push them in otherwise they will break, I sanded them gently to reduce the thickness just slightly so I had a good fit but not too tight. Do not modify the jig, its
designed to hold the frame exactly where it needs to be, so just keep it snug.
.
 

once you are happy with the fit in the jig and frames 25/24, go ahead and glue the frame down. Do not glue it to the jig! There are other pieces that will hold these all together permanently. You will have to use a small piece of scrap wood to gently push the middle two frames in from above.

Finally the most outboard frame can be fit and installed. You can see below that it just drops right in next to the MDF frame and it’s the last open slot on frames 24-25. It should sit about 1/32” below the outboard edge of the last MDF frame.

The frame should fit nicely into its jig, check to make sure both sides look even. Once everything looks good glue both outboard frames in position on frames 24 and 25 only. 
The frames can be secured with rubber bands while drying, there will also be some transverse structure going in to permanently tie them all together which I will cover next.
Below you can see the frames installed and rubber bands everywhere! 

This is a very delicate operation so take your time, it will pay dividends. It’s actually very simple, the jig does all the hard work. The jig will press down tight between frames 23-25, make sure it’s sitting down correctly and you shouldn’t have any problems. I just lightly glued it down as it will be removed after planking is complete.
 
JJ

Small update on the stern carvings for Portland. 
The carvings are all based on the Marshall painting of the contemporary model, from 1774. 

these are all Greek mythological characters, most of which can be found on other contemporary models, sculptures and paintings all over the web. This has been useful in bridging some of the gaps on the painting. 

I should have a complete set of boxwood carvings and printed quarter galleries before I complete the planking. More updates to come soon.
 
JJ

Lol! I was up until 12:30 last night just finishing the knee, I’m tying to get  little more substantial progress before I make an update.
Here’s a teaser and it’s not the same one from  earlier this year, this is the AYC production version.
JJ
 

To finish up chapter 4 and the forward platforms,  the breasthooks were made.  There are two of them.   These are laser cut for you in two halves.  Its just easier to work with them this way.  I usually shape one half and lightly tack it in position.  Then I shape the other half and fit it in next to it.   At this point they can both be removed and joined together.  Do a quick sanding to refine everything and add the bolts.  The bolts are 30 lb. black line.  
 
The lower breast hook has etched bevel lines because the side that fits against the frames needs to be beveled.  Its just a start because everyone's model will be slightly different.
 

Lastly..to finish off this chapter I made the riding bitts.  Like the fire hearth, this wont be glued in position yet.  But its good to have at the ready.   We will need it before framing out the rest of the forecastle deck later.  So the cross beam is laser cut for you.  Just clean it up and shape to suit.  I just used some needle files, etc.   The uprights are basically made from 5/16" x 5/16" strips.   Measure against the plans and shape the tops to suit.  Use the plans as a guide.  Nothing earth shattering with these.  
 

 
 
I will paint the riding bitts red above the gun deck.  I used the plans to determine where that break would be.   Here is what it looks like after being painted and test fit.  Note the string...this is good to get in place now too.  Its glued lightly to the center of the stem and then taped to the top of the stern post.  It will help guide you when setting fittings along the center line.  It helps a lot!!!
 

The fire hearth and riding bitts have been set aside for safe keeping.
 
Next up chapter 5 which will take care of the aft lower platforms and a few other odds and ends.
 

It's time to put the dust away. Ten years ago I started with great enthusiasm the build of the small cutter. But to be honest I was not able to reconstruct the framing of the cutter. So I stopped after some time and paused the project. In October of 2022 I started a new try.
I lerned a lot and made a complete rework of my reconstruction. The first two pictures are showing a 3D-model which I used to check my lines.


 
As written in the old posts I was not happy with the frame design in Goodwins AotS Book. In my opinion, it does not fit into the time in which the cutter was built. There are several DoF plans of small ships of this era in the NMM. What almost all of them have in common is that the double frames were dissolved. A space was also left between the first futtock and the floortimber. However, the "double frames" were still connected by chocks.
 
The picture shows my reconstruction. I have it a little bit simplified, because I w like to plank the hull, so the shifted top timbers will not be visible. Many many thanks to @Chuck who gave me the inspiration for the simplification.
 

Since February last year I am working on the model. All parallel frames have been built in the meantime. I am now busy with a second version of the backbone.
The build is more or less a test to learn working with my CNC. In November I have started working on my sloop Fly again. The plan is to build and test the building methods on Alert and use this than for my ship sloop.

Continuing with the lower platforms...there are two aft platforms.  They are framed exactly like the two forward ones.   Mark out the heights for the frames etc.  I wont go through the step by step and instead just mention the a couple of noteworthy things.  
 
There is another jig that helps with finding the height and position of the first beam on the upper platform.   Dont throw it away after using it.  It will come in handy later.  Note that the mizzen mast partner is laser cut for you.   Its a little longer on the forward and aft sides so you can adjust its position over the mast step to match the plans.  
 

Just as with the forward platforms...use the plans as templates to help fins the proper positions of those ledges for the scuttle openings as well.   Using them as templates helps so much and really help you see the final product.
 

Now that the framing is done,  the next stage is to plank the lowest platform.   Once again the templates of these really helps.   Everything is laid out on them.  Note how the deck planking hangs over the forward beam.  The planks also run over the aft beam as well.   Use the string to keep everything lined up down the center.
 

It was hard to keep everything focused in this last picture because the camera wanted to only focus on the string....but here I have attempted to show the templates positioned down the center line.  They fit perfectly.   I will be back with more pics after the planking is done and I start to cut some beams on that after-most platform for the stairs...
 
Its just busy work for a while getting the planking done.  You should keep these templates because it will make life very easy when it comes to laying out all those cabins later in the project.
 

Congratulation for building this wonderful small model.

There is nothing I hate more then searching forever for information.
So to alleviate others from that predicament here is the info from Goodwin's "Sailing Man of War" on the Orlop deck construction with grating fitting along the outboard sides of the bulkhead and the planking being flush and removable.
 
First up is Page 59

Second Pg 64 showing hMS Victory. Funny thing is that I watched the walking tour videos of HMS Victory on YouTube and they do not agree with continuous grating along the sides. I can only suppose this changed over time and refits.

The grating battens run fore and aft so there must be a support under the grating ledgers on the sides as depicted in the NRG Capstan Kit.
In this case a ledge block on the carling beam (or the carling beam is notched?) and the vertical lodging knee on the outboard side (likely notched).
 
Update: on closer inspection of the above it seems the carling is notched out to create a supporting ledge.
 

Thanks for sharing this picture @druxey. It's interesting to see how complex the construction of the fireship is.

It's time to put the dust away. Ten years ago I started with great enthusiasm the build of the small cutter. But to be honest I was not able to reconstruct the framing of the cutter. So I stopped after some time and paused the project. In October of 2022 I started a new try.
I lerned a lot and made a complete rework of my reconstruction. The first two pictures are showing a 3D-model which I used to check my lines.


 
As written in the old posts I was not happy with the frame design in Goodwins AotS Book. In my opinion, it does not fit into the time in which the cutter was built. There are several DoF plans of small ships of this era in the NMM. What almost all of them have in common is that the double frames were dissolved. A space was also left between the first futtock and the floortimber. However, the "double frames" were still connected by chocks.
 
The picture shows my reconstruction. I have it a little bit simplified, because I w like to plank the hull, so the shifted top timbers will not be visible. Many many thanks to @Chuck who gave me the inspiration for the simplification.
 

Since February last year I am working on the model. All parallel frames have been built in the meantime. I am now busy with a second version of the backbone.
The build is more or less a test to learn working with my CNC. In November I have started working on my sloop Fly again. The plan is to build and test the building methods on Alert and use this than for my ship sloop.

Thanks for sharing this picture @druxey. It's interesting to see how complex the construction of the fireship is.

It's time to put the dust away. Ten years ago I started with great enthusiasm the build of the small cutter. But to be honest I was not able to reconstruct the framing of the cutter. So I stopped after some time and paused the project. In October of 2022 I started a new try.
I lerned a lot and made a complete rework of my reconstruction. The first two pictures are showing a 3D-model which I used to check my lines.


 
As written in the old posts I was not happy with the frame design in Goodwins AotS Book. In my opinion, it does not fit into the time in which the cutter was built. There are several DoF plans of small ships of this era in the NMM. What almost all of them have in common is that the double frames were dissolved. A space was also left between the first futtock and the floortimber. However, the "double frames" were still connected by chocks.
 
The picture shows my reconstruction. I have it a little bit simplified, because I w like to plank the hull, so the shifted top timbers will not be visible. Many many thanks to @Chuck who gave me the inspiration for the simplification.
 

Since February last year I am working on the model. All parallel frames have been built in the meantime. I am now busy with a second version of the backbone.
The build is more or less a test to learn working with my CNC. In November I have started working on my sloop Fly again. The plan is to build and test the building methods on Alert and use this than for my ship sloop.