AnobiumPunctatum

It looks perfect.

It looks perfect.

It looks perfect.

The outboard edge of the caprail was thinned down...it was easier to do this while holding the hull upside down.  You want to leave 1/32" overhang with the cap rail.  But that is a bit excessive but for now it is good to leave it a bit more.  The top of the cap rail will be painted red.  I will inevitably get paint on the outside edge which should remain bright, so once the cap rail is painted I will sand it nice and clean and make it less of an overhang.
 
Then it was time to fair inboard which always makes a mess.  The goal here is to careful fair the frames so they get gradually thinner as they work their way to the sheer.  In our case, the goal is to reduce the cap rail to a minimum width of 5/32".  Any wider would look way out of scale.  If you can manage a bit narrower that is even better.  You can see in the photos what mine looks like and its 5/32" wide.  There will be one strake inboard that is 1/32" thick.  So that would make the overall width 3/16".  So after I install this I will sand it a bit thinner then paint.  Then I will sand outboard edge again and the results should leave a cap rail that is just under 3/16" wide.
 
Then the interior was cleaned up a bit and I applied a coat of wipe on poly.  You can see the difference in the before and after photo and see how the cap rail was shaped etc....especially at the bow.  I used 220 grit sand paper to fair the inside because anything coarser would grab the frames and possibly break them if they werent glued to the planking securely.  Slow and steady is the way!!! 😊
 

 

 
Note that the inside edge of the cap rail at the bow is flush with the aft edge of the stem.  This is what you are shooting for.
 

 
The aft edge is sanded flush with the sides of the transom and then the shape of the transom on each side was tweaked to clean everything up.  I still have some minor tweaking to do but its just about done and ready for the next step.
 

 
 

Another fantastic planking job finished. Congrats for reaching this milestone

Thanks James and all the likes.
James, building this barge is a great happiness. I'm sure you'll appreciate
I begin to study the phase of laying the interior boards. Not being sure of my work on the fairing of the interior frames, I build a little jig to see if my fairing is ok.
I first traced the positioning of the bench tops on each bulkhead after having reported all the measurements taken from the plan (always using the little tool).


I then photocopied the plan and glued it on a scrap of wood. After having cut the piece with a cutter, I obtained a measuring instrument that allows me to visualize if the bench tops can be positioned correctly.

And the result only confirmed what I doubted: the interior fairing on the bulkheads 9 and 10 is not enough.

I know what I have to do ...
 

The floorboards are done. I have begin with the center platform which did not pose any particular problems. Little bending and twisting are necessary on some of the laterals boards.

I then built the small tool that will position the other two platforms. I took out the 'legos' of my children to help me get a perfect angle...


The only difficulty encountered was the positioning of the forward platform. Once the measurements were made using the tool, I had trouble positioning correctly the part to stick against the bulkhead 10. Finally, I found a solution using a small stick temporarily glued to the correct height using some protective tape.

I repeated the exercise for the front part of the platform.



I still have to apply some teak oil before to work on the treenails.

Thanks Dirk,
 
Moving right along, the cap rail was added.  It is made of 4 laser cut pieces. They are made over sized and we will thin them down considerably later.
A few things worth noting are the cut-away for the roller at the bow.  This is on the port side only.  So I had to remember to put it on the right side. A 50-50 shot of screwing that up.
 

Anyway, you will notice that I penciled in some reference lines to show everyone what this will eventually be shaped like.  But this will happen gradually as we need to take this in steps.  There are many details to be added which are easier with an over sized cap rail.

At the stern you will notice how the cap rail goes UNDER the wings of the transom.  This is important to note as you are planking.  There will be a gap between the plank and the transom and that is normal and as designed so the cap rail will fit.  It is 1/16" thick. 

The reason why we cant just start thinning down the cap rail as usual is because this longboat has an interesting feature at the bow we must complete first.  Normally we would sand the cap rail flush with the outboard planking.  But before we can do that, we have to fabricate the bolsters at the bow.  There are two bolsters on each side of the stem.  This "beefs" up the stem and helps support the area with the roller.  In addition, it strengthens everything up there to help support the bowsprit iron and bowsprit.
 
You can kind of see the bolsters in this photo of the contemporary model.
 

Here is what ours will look like.
 

On every model that I make there are at least one or two parts that are quite a challenge to make.  On this model,  it will be these bolsters.  There are many compound angles to consider.  But if you plan it out ahead of time it will go smoothly.  You will start with a laser cut blank. Because these parts have the potential for many attempts to end up in the trash....I will provide everyone with eight blanks so you will have plenty of fun.
 

But I will explain step by step how I shaped these bolsters and hopefully it will become clear.
 
First, I recommend starting with the starboard side which has no roller.  The blanks are all the same so it doesnt matter which ones you choose.  Below you can see that if you hold the blanks against the stem tightly that the aft edge will need to be beveled quite a bit so it sits flush against the hull planking.  This is the first thing that you should do and dont worry about any gaps at the top too where the bolster sits under the cap rail.  Just concentrate on the getting a snug tight fit against the planking first.
 

I have guestimated the amount of bevel required below by marking it in pencil for you guys.  Note how there is more of a bevel towards the bottom of the bolster.

I used sand paper and files to create the bevel.  I stopped and tested its fit dozens of times as I tweaked it.   The photo below shows that its almost there. There is plenty of meat on these blanks so you can sand and reshape quite a bit.  So just keep going until it fits good against the planking.
 

Once you are satisfied,  You can do the same thing with the top edge and how it fits under the cap rail.  It should also be a tight fit here.  In the previous photo you can see it fits pretty good without any tweaking.  But I will give it a few passes anyway.
 
Next you want to draw in the line that represents the concave shape of the bolster on its outside face.  It will taper down to just 1/32" thick at the bottom.  This line should follow the run of the sheer and planks.  You should place the line even with the bottom of the first plank.  I placed mine a bit low in the photo below...so adjust yours to be even with the plank line.

Once completed the two bolsters will look like this. And after you create the concave shape you can trim the bottom so it lines up with the bottom of the third plank.  Its over-sized and will need to be trimmed.  In addition,  the front edge will eventually be sanded flush with the stem.  But right now it hangs over quite a bit.  That is OK.  Just deal with shaping them and trimming the bottom edge right now.
 
Note how you will need to make a matching pair of these. The only difference is that a small notch needs to be carved out of the top of the one for the roller.  You can see that below.  It adds more room for the roller itself.  Its shown on the left.

Glue them into position and then sand the front face of both flush with the stem.   Thats all there is to it......easy-peasy right???
 
Dont worry its not too bad.  JUst go slow and take your time.  You will be able to adjust the shape a bit after its glued into position as well.  This will make it easier to get a matching pair port and starboard.   Dont sand the side of the cap rail yet!!!!  Other than the front edge, leave it as is near the bolsters.  We will be sanding other parts of the cap rail first.
 


 
 
 
 
 
 

Another fantastic planking job finished. Congrats for reaching this milestone

Thank you so much guys.   It was time for the fun part.....to remove the buildboard and break away the frame centers.
 
The first step was to remove the braces for the stem and stern post.  At the stern post I just pushed them free from the bottom.  Then I shook them out.
 

After I removed the tape holding both halves of the buildboard together, I carefully and gently coaxed one half of the buildboard free.  Dont rush this and slowly pry it off a little at a time working one side then the other.  It will be tricky to get it started especially on a humid day.  But once it starts wiggling free it will come off readily.
 

Then using your special tool of choice (everyone has their favorite) you can carefully and slowly cut through the tabs on each side of the frame centers.  Then bend them back and forth to snap them out.  Do this one at a time.  Dont worry about breaking any frames because that will not happen if you have glued the top of your frames securely to the sheer plank.  If when you start cutting the tab you see that the entire frame is loose and not secured to the sheer plank, stop and apply some CA.  Let it "wick" down to glue the frame to the plank.  Then resume cutting that tab.
 
I used the thin saw on the left this time but often use a simple file as well.  Whatever you are comfortable with.
 

Here is a shot of a frame center on the barge being removed as I didnt take any of the longboat.  Same principle.  So I didnt want to duplicate in order save some time.
 


 
And finally some pictures of the model after removing all of the frame centers.
 

The next step will be fine tuning the sheer.  I will sand the tops of the frames flat to the sheer and also sand the sheer so it has a good smooth run.  I dont want any dips or high spots.  These can be seen by viewing the hull head-on and stern -on at various angles.  Once satisfied I will add the caprail which is laser cut.  Hopefully over the next day or so. 😊
 
 

Another small update: surgeon's bunker, writer's bunker and pumps case.

Chuck's comments on planking (post #131) are right on. We have so many older books that have brainwashed us into wrestling straight planks into shapes they can't assume, using so many clamps, pins and hold-downs of every variety. Most of this received wisdom needs to be challenged. 
 
If you planks are properly spiled and shaped, of a suitable specie of wood to the correct thickness, bent using moisture, heat or a combination thereof, you should never need to clamp them!

Another fantastic planking job finished. Congrats for reaching this milestone

Another fantastic planking job finished. Congrats for reaching this milestone

Today was a lazy, hot summer day.  I am pretty caught up making rope and blocks so I decided to spend the day finishing the external planking.
 
The last two strakes along the sheer were completed.  As mentioned earlier, these are thicker planks than those below them.  The second strake being the wales.  I contemplated doing these two last strakes several ways.  One I thought about was to just use thicker planks.  This is a good solution but I kept thinking about some of the guys I know who have trouble bending and twisting heavier planks.  The hull is pretty sturdy at this point but being forceful with a heavy plank could be problematic for some, especially if they dont take the time to properly pre-bend and twist it to shape.
 
So in the end I opted for a modelers convention of simplification.  Just as I add the wales on my other builds, I decided to use two layers.  The 1/32" thick planks bend and twist very easily.  This is especially true with the yellow cedar.  A second layer of 1/32" planking will be laid right on top of the last two strakes and nobody will be the wiser.
 
Here is the hull with the first layer of planking completed. I was quite happy with the results.  Once both sides were done I could see that the port side was less than 1/64" lower at mid ship than the starboard.  Nothing that cant be adjusted with the second layer.  This is one of the benefits of using a second layer.  You can make small adjustments to correct any issues with the ring of your planking at the shear.

The second layer is also 1/32" thick.  But this is actually slightly thicker than I would like.  It is better to sand them down slightly afterwards so they are a bit thinner and not standing so proud of the planks below it.
 
On addition note.  At the bow and stern, the planks are actually not thicker.  They should gradually reduce in thickness so they are the flush with the planking below them.  This is easy enough to do after both strakes are completed.  At the stern, I just sanded the last 1/2" of planking so it gradually reduced in thickness and matched the other strakes when viewing the transom head on.  You can see this feature on the contemporary model attached.  You can also see where I shifted one layer to correct the run.  This wont be seen under the painted frieze.
 

The same thing was done at the bow, but I find it easier to use a sharp chisel to slice away the thicker plans along the stem to reduce their thickness.  Then I feather that back with some sandpaper so its gradual as it should be.  This is all very similar to clinker planking on the barge but we are cheating perhaps and using two layers to simulate the same look.
 

Heres the contemporary model...which is simalar because it was carved and hollowed out from a solid piece of boxwood.  The wales and sheer strake were then added as a layer on top of the solid carved hull.  Can you imagine basically hollowing out a block until it was thin as an eggshell!!!
 

 
And one last photo of my hull.  All the exterior planking is now complete.  I could leave it on the baseboard.....so I could nail the planks (not treenail because they were actual nails).   BUT I think it will be easier to do after the cap rail is in position.  I also find it hard to see the frames down by the keel now and I dont know where to place my nails.  Removing the frame centers and the hull from the baseboard will allow me to hold it up to the light and see the frames clearly.  The planks are so thin it is quite easy to do.  I will hopefully mark the locations of the frames this way so I dont miss when I drill the holes for the little nails.  Hope that makes sense.  So tomorrow I will remove it from the baseboard and break-out the frame centers.   I have already removed the braces at the bow and the stern that helped hold them stationary.  They weren't glued into the slots, so I just popped them out.  Even the two center ones at the stern.  It will make removing the baseboard easier.
 
 
 
 

Really nice start. I wish you the same fun to build the small model that I have

Day 2 of the build and I have completed 6 frames and mostly have the keel done (more on that later).  As I have a tendency to go off the beaten path, I appreciate Chuck's warnings "DON'T DO THIS!!!!!!!" in bold red letters.  I will pay close attention to those. 

 
   Nothing exciting to report so far, but I did want to make a couple points about the keel:
 
1.  I really liked JpR62's (Jean-Paul) idea about using a 1/32 piece of scrap to offset the inner keel piece.  I used some scrap wood from one of the plank sheets.  After testing, I found I had to sand it a wee bit thinner, but it worked great.  Thanks Jean-Paul.
                                        From JpR62's  buildlog
 


2.  I have issues with both the stem area and stern area.  To accommodate these, I modified my build order so that I essentially built the keel in two pieces.  The scarf joint is so precisely made that the two pieces should join together very easily (we shall see).   Chuck's instructions regarding adding the inner keel to the outer keel makes this do-able.
 
   The instructions say to taper the stem and keel pieces before assembling.  My concern is that if I do that, the pieces will not lay flat and I will not get a good joint.  On the other hand, if I glue all four pieces together and attempt to taper, this is a recipe for snapping the keel.  Assembling the forward part of the keel and the aft part of the keel separately solves this problem (I hope).
 
    I am not wild about sternpost/aft keel joint.  To my view it affords too little support for the joint.  I am too lazy to do alternative.  I glued the sternpost to the aft keel using inner keel piece as a guide.  All was clamped in place to ensure adequate alignment.  Once dried, I used scrap piece to offset inner keel (the center it in the keel assembly).  Glue in place.  This results in a strong assembly.   I can now taper.  
 




 
   Bow and stern keel assemblies
 

 
Here both halves of the keel structure have been glued together and the center piece of the inner keel (with slots) has been added.
 
 
 

The process of treenailing is finished. I decided to put two nails between the frames.
I ordered some 10lb black line so that the result is light enough.

I built a jig by gluing two strip of woods leaving a gap of 1mm between the two pieces.

On the opposite side, I then traced, with a well-sharpened pencil, small marks at a distance of 6mm.

Then just put the jig at the bottom of the plank and mark the location to drill using the needle holder. You will have the mark at one millimeter of the bottom edge and spaced 6 mm. To put the treenails I followed the instructions provided by the manual. The size of the drill bit is 0.3mm. Just be sure to use a sharp blade to cut the line.

It took a while because there were a little over 300 treenails to glue... but I am quite satisfied with the result.

Now it's time to work on the moldings and to take out my brushes...
 

Great planking tutorial, Chuck. Of course, you could transfer those faired tick marks from your hull to the edge of the laser cut frames for the production run. One might introduce slight variations while raising the frames but overall it would be easy to adjust the spiled planks to these reference marks. But then you are providing the fish instead of teaching how to fish.

Really nice progress on the master for the group build. Do you also build the scond version without the full planking first?

Really nice progress on the master for the group build. Do you also build the scond version without the full planking first?

Really nice progress on the master for the group build. Do you also build the scond version without the full planking first?

I could......but nope.....  this is really something everyone should learn to do.  Its not very difficult and if you are a serious builder and want to learn how to plank properly,  this is the perfect project to try lining off.   There are only 9 strakes per side in one belt.  It cant get any easier.  I do try and make these projects as easy to build as possible.  But I draw the line at these fundamentals....I am a person who believes this is the one thing folks need to try and learn to do themselves.   Its the reason why I stress its importance on every build.   And as part of the group it is something that should be considered one of the "educational" aspects of the project.   I even contemplated NOT including the laser spiled planks for a moment.  Some say I am slowly approaching an "assembly" project like a plastic kit rather than something that is actually created.  So I have started choosing more deliberately how far to take the engineering.   
 
Hopefully that doesnt seem too harsh....but it does take the fun out of it for some.  I would even suggest that you discard the pre-spiled planking and instead plank it all without the aid of the laser cut materials.  I may even offer them only as an extra but its something that I have thought about quite a bit.  Any thoughts???
 
 
 
 

Seven strakes are now completed.  This is important because these first seven are 1/32" thick.  The last two at the sheer will actually be thicker at 3/64".  This is because the wales (like on a larger ship) are thicker then the planking below it.  You can see this in the photos of the contemporary model.  See below.
 



 
One thing I would like to point out that concerns me....
 
Even though I am providing laser cut , pre-spiled planking, there is still a chance that your planking will not go as well as you might like it to.  As you can see in the photo above, I have the luxury and safety of having my tick marks on each frame.  This is a very welcome thing to have as a reference.  As you plank the hull and work your way towards the sheer, you will still need to bevel and tweak the edges of each plank so they fit tightly against the previous strake.  This needs to be done only in various areas of each strake as the hull curves. 
 
You need to match the angle on the edge of the plank already on the model.  Should you over-bevel.....or under-bevel,  you will be slowly changing the runs of your planks so they arent the same as mine.  Therefore, as you get to the seventh strake there may be compounding very slight differences which create gaps (probably minor) which will require more beveling or more sanding for a tight fit.
 
Having those tick marks present as a guide will help you keep on track,  You can make minor tweaks as needed to keep each strake running along your tick marks.  So having pre-spiled planks creates a disadvantage because you wont have this road-map.  So I recommend that you do in fact line off your hull as I described so you will have some sort of plan to follow.  You may in the end not create an identical lined off hull and your tick marks may not match exactly the way I have them on my model.  BUT even so,  having these tick marks as a guide are in my opinion .... invaluable.  You guys should take the time to do so.  
 
Let me know if you have any questions. 😊
 
 

Is it possible to have a look at your model, if I am in the hood.
I live for a longer period in Amsterdam.