AnobiumPunctatum

So onto the actual work. After a lot of test cuts I secured my keel as follows
with a piece underneath and two on either side (to allow the drill close access otherwise
the vice jaws would interfere).
 

 
The drilling pattern was as follows
 
Centralise on left joint and upper false keel.
 
Move up 1.42 mm
Move right 6.41mm
Drill the first hole
Reset the mill to Zero.
Move right 6.41mm
Drill
Move right to 9.22mm
Drill
Move left to 0 and keep going slightly so I move over
the first hole and then back onto it (to sort out the mill backtrack)
Test hole location
Move up 1.42mm
Drill
Move right 4.61mm
Drill
Move right to 9.22mm
Drill
 
Rinse and repeat for all the holes.
 

 
I am happy with the results which I feel can be improved on for more visible joints
later on. One fortunate fact of the early keel work is that most of it (and the frames) will
be hidden so practice can be perfected before hitting stuff that can be seen.
 
Anyhow. Once I was happy with the joints it was time to add the copper wire.
 

 
These were inserted in one way with glue, removed, glue removed from the wood and then inserted
in the other. I may have to find a better way as glue still managed to escape so a better
process will be needed later. 
 
Once glues the copper was then snipped low (note the glue that still got out)
 
 

 
before one side was carefully filed to close to flat.
 

 
I then used a quick jig to tidy up. I chiseled a small square out of a flat piece of wood (the size
of the joint and bolts) and the placed the joint I was working on over this hole. Two pieces of the
same size as the keel then surrounded my keel and were secured. If my filing then became to aggressive or
off center then the surrounding pieces would get damaged and the keel should be okay.
 
Results were 'shiny'.
 

 
Next up I have to decide whether to 
 
A - Add the deadwood where I can
B - Add the lower stem (and equivelant rear) then taper the keel and stem and rear
C - Add the lower and upper stem (and so on) and THEN taper the keel.
 
All I am certain is that I dont want to cut the rabbett until the deadwood is on but the deadwood needs
the lower stem at least which would argue for B.  But lots of people seem to do the entire stem and then
taper....Not at all certain so any advice would be welcome.
 
Thanks for reading.
 

This looks really interesting. I've the same kit in my stock and like to change the timber.
I'll follow with great interest.

Really nice old boat. Well done

This looks really interesting. I've the same kit in my stock and like to change the timber.
I'll follow with great interest.

The second strake is in on the port side. One can see the gain at the bow and stern, as well as how the boat keeps its shape when taken off the plug. From here on it is simply a matter of spiling and shaping each plank as I work up (down!) to the sheer strake. All one need do is make sure to conform to the mark-out on the plug.

This looks really interesting. I've the same kit in my stock and like to change the timber.
I'll follow with great interest.

Really nice old boat. Well done

Really nice old boat. Well done

lanterns for the boat :-)
 
mehmet

manually operated air pump and diving helmet is ready :-)

Using one of Chucks tips, I purchased some 1/16" striping tape (had to order it) and ran it down the center of the false keel.  This left 1/32" on each side giving me a nice clean rabbet.  From there I glued the keel and stem to the false keel.  I can now dry fit the frames. 
 
      Bob R.

Mark: if you have detail photos of the interior of the forward part of that vessel and near the tiller, posting those would be very helpful. Thanks for the kind offer.
 
Yes, these crafts were very lightly built but surprisingly strong. Think of them as predecessors of today's 'eights' rowing shells.
 
These two photos show how the lap disappears into the rabbet at the bow. The second strake also has a rolling bevel that fits the one on the edge of the first strake. You can also see that there is no gap along the lap, as the bevel that was sanded in takes care if this. PVA glue was applied with a very small brush and any excess cleaned up immediately.

Greetings Druxey;
 
A clear explanation and a very useful tip.  Many thanks for showing us.  The photographs are a great help also.  This will be a very interesting model to follow.  It always seemed a miracle to me that these unseaworthy-looking vessels managed to stay afloat even in the relative calm of a river. They are lovely to look at,  though. 
 
Following on from Siggi's post above,  I have some close up shots of the carving on Prince Frederick's barge in the NMM,  which I have been intending to post on the contemporary models gallery.  Some of these show the interior,  although I had to take them through the glass,  so they are somewhat obscured. 
 
I can post them here as well,  if you wish,  or send them by PM or other method.
 
All the best,
 
Mark P

Here are a couple of photographs of the land - the bevel - being sanded on the edge of the garboard and of the gain at the end of the rabbet (arrowed). The gain is basically a rolling bevel. It ends at 45 degrees so that the next plank will come in flush at the rabbet. Essentially clinker becomes carvel over the last 9" or 12" of the strake.

Wonderful pictures and descriptions. I need also a clnker build boat for my sloop. So there is a lot to learn.

Wonderful pictures and descriptions. I need also a clnker build boat for my sloop. So there is a lot to learn.

Hello,
 
many thanks for your nice words and comments about my work.
 
Now day two after the ship is ready, I did't know really what to do. I sorted a little my shop, stored the machines, cleaned here and there the workbenches, but I missed the work! I have nothing to do   
That where four years of searching, working and so on. Sleepless nights, when my brain started the day at two a clock with thinking over this or that, now I miss it. But I hope, after some times it will go away and life went on normal. May be next winter I start with the captains bark.
 
Regards,
Siggi

A little more time was spent on completing the starboard garboard strake. The next step is to shape the lands for the second strake of planking. If one were to omit this step, the second strake would not have any gluing surface and there would be a gap under the strake, A. Obviously, a bevel is required. It varies in angle along the strake according to hull curvature, B. To cut this accurately, I took some scrap wood the width of a strake and rubber cemented some 220 grit sandpaper along one edge, C. Keeping the 'safe' corner of this along the mark-out of the second strake's far edge, it is easy to shape the correct bevel along the installed strake. The next instalment will show this completed.
 
A note: I found the short pins under the keel not very effective in holding the keel straight, as the keel kept popping off. On a another long narrow hull I would drill the pins all the way through the keel.
 
A digression: One side effect of modelling an open boat at this small scale is the amount of wood required to build it. Very little is needed, making this a very economic exercise in materials, but not in time.

Thanks for the "likes" and comments.. 
 
An update..  the stern.    I'm going to paraphrase a line from a speech by John Kennedy about the Apollo program.  I think it fits with model ships...   "We do things not because they are easy but because they are hard".   I had the full quote sitting on my desk at work for many years.  I finally dug it out of the box and now have it again in place to remind me.
 
Anyway, so much for philosophy today but you'll understand it down this post a bit...      Here's the step by step...
 
I glued the previously cut light frames over the ebony filled opening for the 3 deadlights.   I made a scraper and scraped the lower molding strip to the profile on the plans.  The boxwood molding was mildly edge bent with heat and glued and secured into position with clamps.


 
I then turned to the next step, the glazed lights.  I checked locally for mica from gem/mineral shops locally.  All the locals were are the kind that sell "new age" crystals and cut stones for the chanting brigade.  So.. Google is my friend... I find bags of mica sheets but... no guarantee that any of the sheets in the bags would be clear.  Scratch that.  Back to Google..  started calling all the shops within a 200 mile radius.  No clear except one place... and it was a 10 pound chunk.  Yikes!!!
 
Time to fall back to Plan "B"... liquid glazing.  I used it and glazed the 4 lights following directions... and they warped badly.  Cut 4 more using the Deathstar (I guess scratchbuilding is called the "darkside" for a reason    ) and modified the method.  I applied the glazed, put it between two 1/4" plates of glass over night.  The next morning, I took off the top glass and let it sit until the glazing was clear and then the lights started to warp.  Put the glass plate back on and let it sit for 24 hours.  Success!!!!
 
I glued on the lights and added the ebony strips between them as there aren't faux columns between them, just plain wood.
 

 
The next steps will be to make and install the mold strip above the lights, and add the ebony planking for the rest of the transom. The lower mold strip needs to be trimmed back and the inside of the transom needs to be planked.  Then I can add the taffrail.  They do look better in real life than in macro.
 
To be continued.....

Congrats for a really beautyful model. And thank you very much for your build log. I -and I am sure a lot of other MSW users also- got a lot of information which is very helpful for my own projects.
 
I hope that your will start another project in the near future.

Congrats for a really beautyful model. And thank you very much for your build log. I -and I am sure a lot of other MSW users also- got a lot of information which is very helpful for my own projects.
 
I hope that your will start another project in the near future.

Congrats for a really beautyful model. And thank you very much for your build log. I -and I am sure a lot of other MSW users also- got a lot of information which is very helpful for my own projects.
 
I hope that your will start another project in the near future.

Work on the Hawse pieces progresses, albeit at a slow pace.  Please note that there is a lot of finishing work to be done.  At this stage, its all chisel, rasp, 60-grit sandpaper... But I thought I would show the worts and all...   Shown here is the Bollard Timber fayed to the stem with the roughed in detail of the knighthead.  Also shown are hawse pieces 1-3.  Note the air gaps.  These should be 2” wide and still need to be worked.  The template is for the first full cant frame (ZA).  Once that is installed, I can go back and fit hawse pieces 4 and 5.
 

 
I had great difficulty getting the hawse pieces right.  I found that field fitting them was the best approach for me, paying close attention to the templates as well as the base drawing. I have now found myself obsessing over a couple of hundredths of an inch when it comes to the drawings.
 

 
Here is the inside view of the hawse pieces.  Note the second full under timber (really a short cant frame).  This needs to be perpendicular to the base of the keel.  Again, this is all roughed in, using a rasp and chisels.  Polishing work will come once the full shape of the bow has been established.
 

 
THERE IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY HERE TO RUIN THE SHAPE OF THE HULL AND MAKE THE ENTRY TOO FINE BY UNDERCUT THE ENTIRE BOW STRUCTURE IF YOU GO TOO FAR…. DON’T BE TEMPTED TO FINISH IT TOO MUCH.  (This is a temptation for us perfectionists – which by definition is exactly who we are as scale ship builders…)
 

 
Here is the framing jig that Ed Tosti wrote of in the book.  I just love this jig! I made mine a double jig and have tapped all the holes in the cross bars.  They are set one inch appart.  I have blank bars in the storage tray above that I will tap as I move along.  I plan to use this for future builds as well.  Now that I have started this style of ship build, I dont think I will build another ship any other way.  
 
Its not enough to simply cut out the frame pieces and place chocks between them.  The jig allows you to clamp each piece down and then orient them so they match the template.  I think you can get into trouble here if you don’t use a jig like this.  The cumulative misalignment of a few frames can spell disaster.
 
Above the jig in the photo is a small binder that I made for the cant frames.  I have a similar binder for the square frames, scantlings, etc.  Keeping things organized is a must for a build like this.  There are literally hundreds, of frame pieces to make and each one is an opportunity for misalignment…
 

 
A close up of the jig in action.  The cross bars hold the piece down, while the small clamps hold the chock to the frame at the proper angle.  The other side of the chock was glued to its frame in a previous step.  Did I mention that I just love this jig?  The time it took to build is paying off handsomely. 
 
Down below are the first two full cant frames for the bow.  Detailing work still needs to be done here.  The foot of each needs to be fine tuned.  I have found that using a chisel works better for me than the grinder in establishing the foot angle.  I have a far too heavy hand at the grinder and this step requires delicacy.  I also attach the pattern to both sides of at the footing.  This helps me visualize the angle better.  The chocks are made from Boxwood, while the frames are pear.
 
Next is to attach the first full cant frame, then to place hawse timbers 4 and 5.  I will then place a few more cant frames before doing a semi-final shaping and clean up of the structure.
 
Best, Gary 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Further progress. The garboard is in on the port side and the forward plank on the starboard. The interesting thing is that, at any point in planking, provided one has spiled and shaped the plank to lie without stress, one can remove the model from the plug and it will retain its shape.

Thank you Robin.
 
Here now some pictures with the ship at his final place and with lights on 
In reality the light is not so bright, that comes at the pictures because I had the shutter of the camera open from 1-4 sec. But it's bright enough that you could see most parts inside (also the rest of the dust )
 
Regards,
Siggi