Freebird

Nice job on the frames! Lots of work indeed! I was thinking about the same thing, adding treenails to the frames before or after they are glued to the keel. My first thought is to (if you're adding them) is to do so before the frames are glued to the keel as they are easier to handle while in a free state. But then, if they are glued to the keel, you could make adjustments to their alignment to make sure you have consistency for the overall effect. I'm also thinking that a jig of some sort would give the consistency needed for a neat effort. Best Regards .... Rick

Mike, I’ve read your Winnie log several times, and it’s truly an amazing model. Thanks for reminding me that your model was built without treenails, it’s a very nice look. Best Regards …. Rick

Mike, It's really nice to see the treenail contrast between yours and Chuck's Speedwell. At the moment, I'm hesitant to add treenails to my Speedwell as if not done correctly it'll really ruin the look of the model. I got the opportunity to really scope out Chuck's Speedwell at the conference back in April and in my mind I was trying to visualize the non-treenail look and your Speedwell shows me exactly what I was looking for. Best Regards .... Rick

Just fabulous, Mike! Are you going to add treenails to the frames and planking? Best Regards .... Rick

Totally awesome Glenn! Best Regards .... Rick

Frame Sanding: I’ve been working on sanding/building the frames. Assembling the frames for the most part goes easily, not much trimming is needed for good fit of the parts. Sanding on the other hand is a long process for each frame, especially the tall frames with their many parts. I don’t mind the sanding as it’s relaxing, but there’s so much of it. I was thinking there had to be a more efficient way to sand the parts especially those that are the same size/shape. Thinking back to my r/c plane building days, which I still enjoy, I remember when making multiple parts that were the same shape/size, I’d stack them together and sand them to size. Why couldn’t I do the same here? All I needed was a way to hold the parts together without leaving any marks on the wood. Clamping them together was out as the clamps would need to be moved around as sanding progressed. Rummaging around my tape supply I came across some Scotch brand double-sided tape. Hmmmm….would the adhesive have enough hold to keep the parts together? Only one way to find out. Starting small, I used the futtock’s from short frame Cf. I applied a short length to each end with some overhang on each end. Matching the parts together is easy (thanks Chuck!), just press them together making sure they look like a single part. Using a sharp blade I trimmed the tape from the concave/convex sides. Now it was a simple task with a spindle sander (a sanding drum on a drill press) for the concave side and a disc sander for the convex side. A couple of swipes removes the majority of the char. Gentle pressure is needed so you don’t over sand the part. I finish up using 320 sand paper and then separate the parts. To do so, you’ll need a new razor blade to pry the parts apart, the tape holds them extremely tight together. Once separated, use the overhang to remove the tape. You now have 2 parts that are identical and the rest of sanding goes very quickly. It takes me about 10-15 minutes to sand a pair of parts instead of 20-30 minutes per piece. Sorry for being so long winded, but I hope someone can use this technique. One other thing, I use the billet from the rising wood as a gage to check the width of the notch and adjust it so the frame will fit on the keel easily. Some pictures. Best Regards …. Rick

It took me over 2 hours to bag the frames, it’s the only way to keep them organized. Nice idea about applying WOP while in the billet, I’ve been applying poly when I finish building a frame. Best Regards …. Rick

Given the length of the keel, especially since it's assembled in a free state (not constrained), chances are good that the keel might have a twist or slight bend in it. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler, so checking with a laser seemed like a good idea. Also, with the stern needing to be exactly vertical, the laser makes that an easy task to accomplish. But mostly, with the keel coming out as straight as it did, is a testament to the quality of Chuck's laser cutting skills, design and quality materials. Best Regards .... Rick

Jeff, is the lower apron a tight fit between the upper apron and the riser? If so, that'll compress the wood a little and not allow the apron to seat properly. I too had some gap on the lower apron, I gently sanded ends of the apron until the gap was smaller and used a clamp to seat fully on the rabbet strip. It didn't take too much effort to get the apron in place. Best Regards .... Rick

First, thank you ALL for likes, I very much appreciate it! Shaped the deadwood and added the wedges. Sanding down to shape was an all day affair, lots of patient sanding. Not 100% happy with the results, it’s a little too thin at the base of the wedges. Hope that won’t be a problem down the road. This morning I glued the deadwood to the keel. It needs to be perfectly vertical and since the keel is so long naked eyeballs won’t cut it. In anticipation of this build I had bought a cheap laser level a while back. I built the jigs to hold the keel assembly and laid everything out on my building board. I first aligned the plan to the laser line and then the jigs, which I had drawn center lines on. Nothing is secured yet, just some weights for now and I know when I secure the plans and jigs, I’ll have to go through this exercise again, but it this gives me a feel for where I’m at alignment wise. All I can say is Wow! Once everything was in place the laser line lined up almost perfectly with my center lines. Never would have thought something this long would be straight. I took some photos but it was very difficult. Best Regards …. Rick

Very nice Ian! I was wondering about the wood, now I know. It’ll look nice on the model. Best Regards …. Rick

Ah yes, thank you for the reminder. I read that but totally forgot about that. Another lesson learned, if you’re tired, no modeling. Best Regards …. Rick

Another problem. I started cleaning frame assembly Af and there’s 2 sets of uprights and they’re not the same length or shape. Which parts are the correct parts for frame Af and to which frame set do the other parts belong? Best Regards …. Rick

Chuck had me second guessing myself if I used the correct floor for frame OX. Because I never break up or throw away the billets, I was able to put floors 1a and Af back into the billet and confirmed I used the correct floor. Best Regards …. Rick

The parts are the correct parts, must be camera angle. I did like Jean-Marie and placed each of the frames into its own separate baggie so there wouldn’t be any mixup of the parts. That was a great idea. I’ll add a few more frames and see how they seat before making a decision. If I do trim, it’ll be from the floor. Thanks for chiming in, Chuck. Best Regards …. Rick

Question: I had a little time this morning to mess around and decide to assemble the frame with the O and X thru it. Assembly was easy and gave me an idea of how much sanding is in front of me. But me being me, I had to fit the frame on the keel. Small adjustments were needed as it was a very tight fit. Once fitted, I noticed the bottom of the frame didn’t quite seat to the top of the rabbet, in other words, flush with the rabbet. Is this an issue? The plans clearly no space from the bottom of the frame to the top of the rabbet. So, question is, if the frame is to be flush with the top of the rabbet, do yo adjust the notch in the frame, or the notch in the rising wood? Best Regards …. Rick

Jeff, that’s what I did. I just cleaned up both ends to remove char and squared them up. Once you have glued them to the lower apron, you’ll want to reduce their height. It’s all in the practicum. Best Regards …. Rick

Rusty, Your work looks awesome! I'm at the stage of sanding the deadwood down and adding the wedges. I hope whatever was keeping you down is in the rearview mirror. Getting old isn't for the faint of heart. Two days before the Conference, I had some minor surgery and certainly wasn't going to miss that day! Keep up the good work! Best Regards .... Rick

Very, very nice Mike! Best Regards .... Rick

Yesterday, I tackled the upper/lower apron. I had glued the wedge halves together a few days ago and had them lined up in the proper order on my workbench. However, I noticed that 8/9 wedge was missing! What the heck! Over an hour of searching produced negative results, swear jar was very happy. Only thing I could think of was the family cat took it as she likes to spend time with me. So, do I get a hold of Chuck and wait for replacement, or forge ahead. I really didn’t want to contact Chuck as he’s headed out for some R&R. I decided to make a replacement. I first tried the make the wedge by hand, I mean it’s all straight lines, right? Well I forgot that I can’t draw a straight line using a ruler. The results were very pathetic and not worthy. Well I forgot that I have a Proxxon mill, perfect! After about 1/2 hour of milling I dropped the part into the appropriate hole in the billet and it was a perfect fit. Yea! Sorry, but in my haste to move on, I forgot to take pictures. As you can see, the replacement really stands out on the apron. Best Regards …. Rick

Wasn't planning on drilling through the keel, mostly wondering if the bolt pattern was the same on both sides. On Medway, I did shallow for the bolts and will be doing the same on Speedwell. Thanks for the reply. Enjoy your time off! Best Regards .... Rick

Chuck, quick question before you head out. The bolts for the box joints, are they in the same position on port/starboard of the keel? In other words, would drilling the holes completely through the keel and inserting the bolts be accurate? Or should the bolt pattern be shifted to match the joints on each side? TIA! Best Regards .... Rick

Chuck, have a great time, lord only knows that you need the time off! Best Regards .... Rick

Awesome! it's nice to have a few others building at the same stage. Best Regards .... Rick

Thank you everyone for the likes, much appreciated and it keeps me motivated! Here’s the completed keel, being on the long side, it’s hard to get decent pictures. I’ve also started on the forward apron, the wedges are glued together and ready to start fitting them. Best Regards …. Rick