AnobiumPunctatum

Hi Gregory,
 
I read through your log this morning. I am little bit curious about your scale conversion.
1/48 is 133.33% bigger than 1/64. So you are not building the model in scale 1/48, if my calculation is right. It is not a big issue but you have to think on it, if you use information from the NMM drawing. You have to shrink the measurements.
 
I will follow your log.

Hi Gregory,
 
I read through your log this morning. I am little bit curious about your scale conversion.
1/48 is 133.33% bigger than 1/64. So you are not building the model in scale 1/48, if my calculation is right. It is not a big issue but you have to think on it, if you use information from the NMM drawing. You have to shrink the measurements.
 
I will follow your log.

Hi Gregory,
 
I read through your log this morning. I am little bit curious about your scale conversion.
1/48 is 133.33% bigger than 1/64. So you are not building the model in scale 1/48, if my calculation is right. It is not a big issue but you have to think on it, if you use information from the NMM drawing. You have to shrink the measurements.
 
I will follow your log.

Hi Gregory,
 
I read through your log this morning. I am little bit curious about your scale conversion.
1/48 is 133.33% bigger than 1/64. So you are not building the model in scale 1/48, if my calculation is right. It is not a big issue but you have to think on it, if you use information from the NMM drawing. You have to shrink the measurements.
 
I will follow your log.

Welcome back, I will follow your log with interest.

Hello
The work moves very well, congratulations.
 
You can make square bolts of the right thickness with ebony wood, then put a piece at each end of the hole, and it will look like a square bolt.
 

 
Adrián

I have been a member for years always viewing  other members builds to get an idea how something was built or how it was made to help me on my own builds,I have been kicking around the idea of a doing a build log for some time now, but my  last few ships were already done are not documented  with pictures , so when I finally received  the Mahonesa  from Ancre  I figured I would start a log for all to follow my progress. 

Hi Pat!  Not really necessary to seal the balsa.
 
The next task was to thin the bulkhead extensions.  They were left thick to allow fairing of the outside of the hull.  The inside surfaces then need thinning.  I use X-Acto blades and a Proxxon detail sander with 60 grit adhesive backed sandpaper.  Worked well.  No broken extensions because of the two thicknesses of basswood ninety degrees to each other.   
 
 
 

I fitted the bow and stern filler blocks.  They are balsa wood so they shaped easily.     The filler blocks and the frames were then faired.  No problem with any of the bulkhead extensions breaking due to the double thickness of cross-grained basswood making up the bulkhead blanks. 
 
 
 

As mentioned, the sub deck is made in two pieces.  I used 1/32” plywood because it bends easily and you can cut it with a pair of scissors!  Since there is a second final layer of decking, I wasn’t too concerned about how tight the tolerances were for the notches that accommodate the bulwark extensions.  I framed in the mast step on the profile former, drew a centerline on both pieces of subdeck, drilled the mast hole and then glued down the sub deck using 30 minute epoxy and those little yellow nails that come with every model ship kit!  When the glue dried I removed the nails.  The next task is bow and stern filler blocks.  There is a bluff bow and the stern is pretty rounded also.  
 
 

Thanks, Pat.
 
After drawing in a bearding line and the rabbet, I tapered the lower edge of the false keel to proper size and glued the frame together.   
 
 
 

The subdeck is difficult to fit because of the bulwark tumblehome at the bow and the stern.  I’ll make it in two pieces.  I blocked in the space between bulkheads #6 and  #7 to provide a gluing surface for the edges of the two pieces.  I then made the stringers and glued them in the rabbets.  When dry, I trimmed them and sanded the whole framework top.  Next is to install the subdeck.   
 
You can see the bearding line drawn in on the middle photo.
 
 
 

Chapman Hoy Scratch Build 1:48 scale


This will be my log for a 1:48 scale (actually 1:50 scale as all the plans are metric) scratch build of a Chapman Water Hoy. A hoy is a small vessel, designed to move cargo and supplies to and from ships and the shore. These included provisions, munitions, fresh water etc. Hoys were sloop-rigged, with a mainsail on a gaff, but loose-footed (no boom). Fifty tons burthen was typical for size. This hoy had a large beam and draft for her length to maximize carrying capacity. The Chapman Water Hoy was designed by Fredrik Henrik af Chapman, a Swedish ship designer in 1768. This is an odd little ship but very interesting and with a simple rig. She was built for a life of hard work. The photos show three drawings of the vessel and a model photo i found on the internet.

Another reason I chose her to build is to spare the world another "Victory" or "Syren" build log! LOL!!
 
 
 

I happened to have a copy of the March, 1993 issue of Model Boats magazine which had an article by Peter Danks about building this small coasting vessel. It included a full set of plans, which I had digitized so I could copy selected parts of the plans as needed. The model is about 13” long without the sprit, so enlarging the plans to 1:32 results in a model that is still reasonable for the average house! I abandoned my usual preference for larger scales and decided to build at 1:48 for a change of pace!

The construction technique in the original plans was weird. It employed a strange jig that was INSIDE the model, and the model was built upside down, with extensions glued to the jig like a Hahn style POF. The model was then cut from the jig after planking the exterior. I decided to go a different way. I converted the skeleton to a typical POB model, with a central false keel and bulkheads. This was challenging because the plans don’t include a water line or bearding line and the station lines, which form the basis of the bulkhead, are poorly drawn.

I made up foam board mockups of the bulkheads and false keel before I made the final versions in basswood. The first photo (on page 2 of Danks’ article) shows the odd construction plans and the weird up-side-down inside out jig. There is even (un-necessary) deadwood! The second photo shows the profile and the station lines which I used to draw the false keel and plan the bulkhead locations. The third photo shows the sheer line of the deck drawn in, which defines the top of the false keel as well as the slots for locating the bulkheads.
 
 
 

Greetings Group,
 
I restarted this build in earnest beginning of August and have completed 20 frames (roughly 1/3rd of the total frames).  The frames have not been sanded or bias added, simply assembled (each frame is 12 parts and stacked) with some extra "fat along the bold line of the frame patterns.  
 
I carve out early a couple hours early 430 AM - 630AM before the kids go to school and my day starts - has been working really well so far !

Greetings MSW.    I am back after completing Chuck's Confederacy scratch after a 7 year build finished in 2016.  (he did give me some cheats on the figurehead and some sculptures....)  She is an incredibly designed kit - I learned a ton - and ironically it was built in several apartments while single with nothing but a crappy Delta scroll saw and an old Preac table saw, along with Xacto knifes.  Jeff Hayes perfectly milled wood helped a ton !  And then I got married and my twins were born which slowed down everything in 2013. 
 
I have always wanted to build a fully framed French ship and collected a full library of Ancre subjects (the 74 Gun Series, Monographs of the 74 timbers, Commerce de Marseille, and La Renommee).    So  after buying a house in the suburbs - I built out a workshop.  I gathered the necessary tools over the past few years -  Byrnes Table Saw, Thickness Sander, Disc Sander,  Proxxon Mill, Proxxon Planer, Wood River spindle sander and a Dewalt full size table saw to reduce my flitch of pear wood to usable size.  I have also collected Lie Nielsen chisels and its Lee Valley Sharpening system.  
 
So it seems I can't fail right ?  
 
I did...
 
Call it being a Dad of young twins or just sheer intimidation.  I could not complete the stem for La Renommee to my standard so I quit.  I then decided - maybe a simpler subject would work - so I began construction on La Jacinthe in 1/32 scale.  Not only did I have issues with consistency of enlarging the plans (thanks FedEx/UPS store) - I grew bored with its construction - I have already successfully completed several plank on bulkhead models. 
 
So I returned to the enlarged plans that Delacroix sent me for Le Gros Ventre in 1/36 scale - a noble subject - with nice lines, simpler sculptures and yet a serious challenge.  I have heard from several members on this forum that building fully framed in larger scale is easier...
 
So here is the start of my build log - it will be messy showing all of the mistakes in order to build a fully framed model.  Here are my results after 2 months of work - the last photo showing my useable parts.

Quarter Deck Beams.
These have already been made so as to enable fitting of upper deck bulkheads.
The Beams are 2.9mm deep.
I posted a question on how to reconcile this depth, without Letting Down if the Lodging knees are only 2.39mm, as these usually sit on the deck clamp. In order that the upper surface is flush with the Beam, this must mean that either the Beam is let down by 0.51mm, the Knee is thickened to match the beam,2.9mm or the knee doesn’t sit on the clamp.
I went with the thickened Lodging Knee.
The “arms” of the L.K. are 19.1m
The Hanging Knee is 2.65mm thick, arm 17.49mm and leg over the spirketting.
I REMEMBERED to mill mortises for Carlings before fitting Beams. 
The Carlings are all 2.65mm deep but varying widths.
For the: Scuttle, 2.39mm width
             Ladder Way 4.5 mm
Between Beams #5 to #9 the Carlings are 4.1mm wide. The form a line which tapers, so that the distance between the carlings at Beam #5, are 24.5mm and at #9 =22.5mm.
I had some difficulty fitting the Lodging Knees after the Hanging Knee and its aft partner were fitted, because the “tongue” of the L.K. would break off if fitted to closely into the notch of the H.K.
In the end, dry fitting the assembly and then gluing the knees before finally fixing the Beam.  
The fore/aft bulkhead can be fitted after #8 Beam in place.
The Mizzen mast partner is fitted between #9and#10, and the beams are scored to 0.53mm for the mortise.
Beam #15 scored  for the Rudderhead framing mortise and fitting to the angle of the Rudderhead itself.
Only when the Beams and Knees were already fixed in place, I noticed that aft of Beam #10, the Beams were not aligned with the Transom on the Port side, the deck didn’t angle upwards sufficiently.
Ungluing everything, I saw the cause was the height of the upper port framing and the neighbouring spirketting.
To correct this, I added a long wedge of inner planking, from 0 to 2mm at the Transom.
The Beams and Knees refixed (some being remade) and this problem solved
There is no room for a Hanging Knee at #14 Beam, so it was omitted. 

Planking the Forecastle.
The planks are 1.33mm thick.
The Centreplank is of similar thickness, but a bit wider.
As all the planks are less than 22ft no butt joints are necessary.
The planks taper, approx 4mm foreward, to 4.77mm aft. This gives a curved effect. 
The 7th plank passes over the Cathead, whose upper surface is notched to allow this plank to lie flush with its neighbours.
The tips of the next 3 planks are “barbed” otherwise the end width would be too narrow. 
I’ve penciled the edges and left gaps between the planks to represent caulking,but I do not plan to nail as the effect, to me at least, often seems exaggerated. ( I understand that they probably couldn’t be seen-hypocrite that I am, I like them on the hull and elsewhere,as decorative features.) 

Return to the Bowsprit Step:
I decided to make the uprights separately- the lower part already made and fixed before the upper deck.
These Uprights,are 4.24mm square and height 22mm above the Beam (plans)
They are scored onto the beam so to sit on the top of the Step frame.
The top of the Pins are shaped using a rounded milling piece to form a slight concavity, and the top corners are chamfered.
These uprights are also scored to  depth 0.66m  to accept a crosspiece-at 13mm above the deck
 
The Crosspiece
3.45x2.39mm with length 37mm. Chamfered at the edges and slightly scalloped near the ends.
 
Slits for the Sheaves
Below the crosspiece, a slit is made for a 3.7x1mm sheave 
This will be the same be at the level of a sheave 3.71x0.53mm, within a Cheek attached to the side of the Upright.
 
The Cheek sits on the deck planks, is 1.6mm wide and 8mm high. Rather than make these separately I decided to take a strip, form the pattern along its length, and then cut to the required width (slightly narrower than the uprights).
It is mortised to a depth of  0.6 mm x 4.2mm to take the sheave.(milled)
The top forms a molding (I made with a 1mm milling bit “stepped” across and down.
 
BRILLIANT  !!!  except that I made the mortise on the wrong side. The molding should slope outwards !!! Start again.(But the method was good).
 
I made the sheaves from wood and temporarily  glued the assembly in place, I must learn to cut slices from copper rods I recently bought.

The Cathead.
This requires cutting through the hull-I hate “destroying” what I’ve built. Mistakes not always amenable to invisible repair and I haven’t found a way to turn the clock back.
The inboard section is angled upwards and curves outwards relative to the straight outboard section. This ”Tail” section is slightly tapered.
It passes beneath the 2# Beam and 3# Beam,where it rests against the Foretopsail Bitt Pin.
Where it passes beneath the beams, the beam and cathead are notched.
( something else I forgot to prepare before fixing the beams. This was remedied but again, better to do “off” model.)
The outboard part seems rectangular rather than square in section according to the pattern given in TFFM, but the decorative cap is square.
When fitted, the upper surface of the sub-deck section should be horizontal, which gives the angle of the outer section - this appears about 15 deg.
I took a blank of 95x15x10 mm, stuck the cutout patterns, and shaped the piece.
The notching or scoring of the Cathead and beams marked by laying the former on top of the beams. The direction of cut for a window through the hull can be made and the lower level and adjoining Lodging Knee, filed down to allow for the angle of the Cathead at this point. 
Having milled the scoring in the Cathead, and underscored the beams with chisel and a thin sandpaper strip, I tried to insert the cathead through the hole in the hull. 
This was impossible.
***As my wife was in another room, I had no one to blame but myself***
The simplest solution seemed to remove the small section above the opening .
I later checked out Dan Vardas blog/ He had the same problem. His solution was to remove and remake #2 beam. (I don’t check out this blog every time because the quality of the work and ingenuity of his solutions, make me feel most inadequate)
Also I wonder if there should not be a space above the Cathead, to allow for its various ropes.
The pair of Sheave holes toward the outer end of the Cathead.
The Sheave diameter is 4.77mm, 0.73 wide (My holes became oversize during finishing)
The end of the Catshead is finished with a decorative cap- mine didn’t work out as planned. More of that next time 
 

Bowsprit and Foremast Partners.
Planks, 1.06mm thick, sit flush on rabbets of respective Beams.(these rabbets would have been made on the mill before fixing the beams, but to unglue everything was a bit too much)
Holes for mast, both less than the 9.4mm suggested- final sizing and position I think better left until after planking.
The Bowsprit hole, angled   according to plan.
 
Half Hook
Basis for planking and waterways, between the Bowsprit Partner and 1st Beam.
2.12mm thick and rabbeted on adjoining structures.
 

I have reached a late stage of filling and sanding. One more shift, I think. I see now why some have devised methods that avoid the use of filler. However, after the second or third shift it gets more and more satisfying to see those imperfections slowly disappear. 
I challenge the notion that it takes less than an hour all together, though. Perhaps with a better filler it could be possible.. mine seems awfully hard and coarse-grained. 
 
Photos after round one:

 

 
Photos after round three:

 

 

 

 
Meriadoc
 
 
 

Finished stern enough to start puttying the hull. 
Then puttied the hull, round 1. Sanding next. 
Working on preparing decks and gunwale inserts, but wanted to putty the grooves where the frame tops had been.  

 

 
Meriadoc

More progress on the hull. Skinning has been completed, except for the tricky pink stern.

 

 

 
I elected that the bulwarks pieces ought to be in place to serve as a guide for the shape of the last piece, which must open around the rudder and show two stern ports. I improvised some pieces for this inner transom on something of a guess. I think I have to finish the transom with color before I  can proceed. 

 

 
Thoughts, suggestions, criticism, and other comments always welcome!
 
-Meriadoc

A bit of progress. 
The kid keeps getting sick. Moreover, he keeps getting me sick. Thus progress is slow, while the mind races. 
But, progress is progress. 
 
Finished port side, save for stern section which will wait for last.  I pared away some of the more offensive bulges of the card edges on the frames. Will still need plenty of putty though. 

 
Faired starboard frames:

 

 
If I can find a day off, maybe I can get her ready to plank. 
 
-Meriadoc