DocBlake

Thanks, Grant!  Toni PM'd me about the changes.  I'm saving the hatch and grating for last.
 
Last step in deck prep:  Using right angle tools to square up the assembly and the final result!  

Thanks, Grant!
 
The three deck beams and four carlings are joined to form the deck,  and support the hatch and grating, as well as the capstan step.  The practicum suggests two ways of doing this.  The first is like the actual historical joinery used.  The carlings fit into stopped dadoes or “blind mortises" in each beam, the upper surface of the carling being visible and flush with the deck beams.  The second method is easier, if historically inaccurate.  It involves making “diagonal” mortise and tenon joints as noted in the first two photos below from the practicum.  Once glued together, both decks look the same.
 
I chose a different method.  After marking the mortise locations on the beams, I cut them through the full thickness of the beam, rather than leaving them stopped or “half blind".  I then "filled in " the bottom of each mortise up to the bottom border of the carlings with wood to simulate a half blind joint.  It the filler pieces come from the same billet of wood as the beams and carling, the “cheat" is barely visible!  I've used this technique on several decks in the past.
 
 
 

Thanks, Grant!
 
The three deck beams and four carlings are joined to form the deck,  and support the hatch and grating, as well as the capstan step.  The practicum suggests two ways of doing this.  The first is like the actual historical joinery used.  The carlings fit into stopped dadoes or “blind mortises" in each beam, the upper surface of the carling being visible and flush with the deck beams.  The second method is easier, if historically inaccurate.  It involves making “diagonal” mortise and tenon joints as noted in the first two photos below from the practicum.  Once glued together, both decks look the same.
 
I chose a different method.  After marking the mortise locations on the beams, I cut them through the full thickness of the beam, rather than leaving them stopped or “half blind".  I then "filled in " the bottom of each mortise up to the bottom border of the carlings with wood to simulate a half blind joint.  It the filler pieces come from the same billet of wood as the beams and carling, the “cheat" is barely visible!  I've used this technique on several decks in the past.
 
 
 

Thanks, Grant!
 
The three deck beams and four carlings are joined to form the deck,  and support the hatch and grating, as well as the capstan step.  The practicum suggests two ways of doing this.  The first is like the actual historical joinery used.  The carlings fit into stopped dadoes or “blind mortises" in each beam, the upper surface of the carling being visible and flush with the deck beams.  The second method is easier, if historically inaccurate.  It involves making “diagonal” mortise and tenon joints as noted in the first two photos below from the practicum.  Once glued together, both decks look the same.
 
I chose a different method.  After marking the mortise locations on the beams, I cut them through the full thickness of the beam, rather than leaving them stopped or “half blind".  I then "filled in " the bottom of each mortise up to the bottom border of the carlings with wood to simulate a half blind joint.  It the filler pieces come from the same billet of wood as the beams and carling, the “cheat" is barely visible!  I've used this technique on several decks in the past.
 
 
 

Thanks, Grant!
 
The three deck beams and four carlings are joined to form the deck,  and support the hatch and grating, as well as the capstan step.  The practicum suggests two ways of doing this.  The first is like the actual historical joinery used.  The carlings fit into stopped dadoes or “blind mortises" in each beam, the upper surface of the carling being visible and flush with the deck beams.  The second method is easier, if historically inaccurate.  It involves making “diagonal” mortise and tenon joints as noted in the first two photos below from the practicum.  Once glued together, both decks look the same.
 
I chose a different method.  After marking the mortise locations on the beams, I cut them through the full thickness of the beam, rather than leaving them stopped or “half blind".  I then "filled in " the bottom of each mortise up to the bottom border of the carlings with wood to simulate a half blind joint.  It the filler pieces come from the same billet of wood as the beams and carling, the “cheat" is barely visible!  I've used this technique on several decks in the past.
 
 
 

Thanks, Grant!
 
The three deck beams and four carlings are joined to form the deck,  and support the hatch and grating, as well as the capstan step.  The practicum suggests two ways of doing this.  The first is like the actual historical joinery used.  The carlings fit into stopped dadoes or “blind mortises" in each beam, the upper surface of the carling being visible and flush with the deck beams.  The second method is easier, if historically inaccurate.  It involves making “diagonal” mortise and tenon joints as noted in the first two photos below from the practicum.  Once glued together, both decks look the same.
 
I chose a different method.  After marking the mortise locations on the beams, I cut them through the full thickness of the beam, rather than leaving them stopped or “half blind".  I then "filled in " the bottom of each mortise up to the bottom border of the carlings with wood to simulate a half blind joint.  It the filler pieces come from the same billet of wood as the beams and carling, the “cheat" is barely visible!  I've used this technique on several decks in the past.
 
 
 

I have been spending some time building the removable pit housing for the mortar pit.  This was a removable structure that protected the mortar from the weather when not in use and also provided protected storage space.  As I worked, I realized that the housing would obscure too much detail on the mortar and bed, so I decided to stop construction and move on to something else.
The boarding steps in Jeff Staudt's plans are cut from a single piece of wood, and I didn't really care much for the design, so I used my own design!
The treads are 3/64" thick boxwood and the risers are 7/64" boxwood.  The ends of the risers are cut at a 60 degree angle and the tread overhangs the riser on three sides.  Rather than try to glue the treads to the risers and get the overhangs perfect, I left the treads oversized when I glued up each step.  I then marked them to the proper length and "cut" them to size using the disk sander.  Rounding the tread corners finished the job.  There are 5 steps per side.

Welcome, Bruce!
 
Let’s get started.  The project is composed of several    substructures.  These include the deck framing (beams and carlings), the capstan step, the hatch and grating and the capstan itself.  These can be built in any order, but it makes sense to start with the deck framing.
 
I chose beech for the deck beams and carlings.  It looks very much like the oak that would have been used, but the grain/pore structure is much finer than oak.  At 1:16 scale it looks about perfect.  I milled up the blanks for the beams (1/2" thick X 5/8" wide) and the carlings (3/8" square).

Since the model involves only a narrow portion on the centerline of the deck, no camber was designed into the beams.  This makes construction much easier.   The photos show the grain and the cut out blanks.
 
 
 

Welcome, Bruce!
 
Let’s get started.  The project is composed of several    substructures.  These include the deck framing (beams and carlings), the capstan step, the hatch and grating and the capstan itself.  These can be built in any order, but it makes sense to start with the deck framing.
 
I chose beech for the deck beams and carlings.  It looks very much like the oak that would have been used, but the grain/pore structure is much finer than oak.  At 1:16 scale it looks about perfect.  I milled up the blanks for the beams (1/2" thick X 5/8" wide) and the carlings (3/8" square).

Since the model involves only a narrow portion on the centerline of the deck, no camber was designed into the beams.  This makes construction much easier.   The photos show the grain and the cut out blanks.
 
 
 

Welcome, Bruce!
 
Let’s get started.  The project is composed of several    substructures.  These include the deck framing (beams and carlings), the capstan step, the hatch and grating and the capstan itself.  These can be built in any order, but it makes sense to start with the deck framing.
 
I chose beech for the deck beams and carlings.  It looks very much like the oak that would have been used, but the grain/pore structure is much finer than oak.  At 1:16 scale it looks about perfect.  I milled up the blanks for the beams (1/2" thick X 5/8" wide) and the carlings (3/8" square).

Since the model involves only a narrow portion on the centerline of the deck, no camber was designed into the beams.  This makes construction much easier.   The photos show the grain and the cut out blanks.
 
 
 

I have been spending some time building the removable pit housing for the mortar pit.  This was a removable structure that protected the mortar from the weather when not in use and also provided protected storage space.  As I worked, I realized that the housing would obscure too much detail on the mortar and bed, so I decided to stop construction and move on to something else.
The boarding steps in Jeff Staudt's plans are cut from a single piece of wood, and I didn't really care much for the design, so I used my own design!
The treads are 3/64" thick boxwood and the risers are 7/64" boxwood.  The ends of the risers are cut at a 60 degree angle and the tread overhangs the riser on three sides.  Rather than try to glue the treads to the risers and get the overhangs perfect, I left the treads oversized when I glued up each step.  I then marked them to the proper length and "cut" them to size using the disk sander.  Rounding the tread corners finished the job.  There are 5 steps per side.

Thanks, guys!
 
 It's been a busy couple of months! We're redoing the flooring in two bedrooms in the house so I had to remove carpeting and underlayment to prep for hardwood floor installations. Lots of work. Also painted the entire downstairs of the house as well as those two bedrooms. To reward ourselves, Liz and I took the family to St. Martin FWI for a well needed vacation. Our first trip back in nearly 2 years. It felt great. Now my consulting work is ramping up, keeping me busy, but I'm committed to getting back to the workbench!

I began work on the mortar bed. To look at a finished bed, it doesn't lookappear too challenging. I'm coming to discover that it is the most difficult part of this build by far! There are 19 parts comprising the bed as shown on the plans, not including the iron support and the mortar itself. The first problem is dimensions. Almost of these parts are different thicknesses, but must result in a bed that is uniform in height and width. The second problem is the scale. At 1:32 the lines comprising the plan drawings have a fair amount of thickness to them. So depending on where you measure, you possibly have variation of up to 1/32" to 3/64". The layout and cutting parts is slow, tedious, precise work that took a good number of hours.

The first step was to cut out the component parts. The rear part of the bed is made of three stacked parts, all curved. The top one has a 45 degree bevel cut into it. The photos show the plans, the component parts and the three slice stacked piece with the curved, beveled surface facing the rear.  The wood is swiss pear.
 
 

Thanks, Pat and everyone for the "likes!
 
I finished up the mortar bed.  It was a complex little build that took several days, but was a fun project on it's own. The varying thicknesses of wood that needed to be milled and when stacked on each other so the top of the bed was flat called for a lot of precision and caused lots of heartburn!  But..it's done!
Mortar beds were originally stationary on deck, so to aim, the ship needed to move such that the mortar lined up with it's target.  Not very practical.  The solution was to put the bed on a revolving "lazy susan" that sits in the recess in the mortar pit.  The rotation was around an iron spindle, shown in the photos as a 5/32" brass rod. This allowed greater ease of aiming, but made it necessary to pay attention so one didn't shoot the masts, yards and rigging of one's own ship!  
When not in use, the mortar was lowered into the horizontal position resting on the transom of the bed, and the entire bed was rotated so the mortar was aligned with the long axis of the ship.  Because of the wear and tear the mortar barrel would cause resting on the top of the transom, I added a sacrificial transom board to the top that could be replaced if needed.  Sort of like billboards for the anchors.  The red arrow points this out.
The mortar is 3D printed.  I'll be using a cast mortar for the model.
Next up is the mortar housing.

Welcome, Bruce!
 
Let’s get started.  The project is composed of several    substructures.  These include the deck framing (beams and carlings), the capstan step, the hatch and grating and the capstan itself.  These can be built in any order, but it makes sense to start with the deck framing.
 
I chose beech for the deck beams and carlings.  It looks very much like the oak that would have been used, but the grain/pore structure is much finer than oak.  At 1:16 scale it looks about perfect.  I milled up the blanks for the beams (1/2" thick X 5/8" wide) and the carlings (3/8" square).

Since the model involves only a narrow portion on the centerline of the deck, no camber was designed into the beams.  This makes construction much easier.   The photos show the grain and the cut out blanks.
 
 
 

This will be my build log for a scratch built English Naval Capstan circa 1777, The scale is 1:16 (3/4” = 1’). Toni Levine, a name familiar to many of you, produced the plans and accompanying practicum. Toni was assisted by Mike Lonnecker, Bob Andreotti and Alan O'Neill. The result was 29 individual sheets in the planset. The model is only 6” X 6” in size without the capstan bars, so you get the idea as to the level of detail in those plans. In addition, although drawn in 1:16 scale for the most part, all measurements are given in real-life size, so scaling up or down is relatively easy to do. There are actually two versions of the practicum in the package. The first is for intermediate modelers who may own a Dremel tool and a miniature table saw. The second requires owning and knowing how to use a lathe and a mill. I don’t have a mill so I opted for the intermediate version . As is my preference, I’ll try to avoid paint or stain in the build. The bulk of the timbers will be beech, boxwood, pear , bloodwood and holly. Below is the frontspiece from Toni’s practicum showing the finished capstan.
 
 

 

This will be my build log for a scratch built English Naval Capstan circa 1777, The scale is 1:16 (3/4” = 1’). Toni Levine, a name familiar to many of you, produced the plans and accompanying practicum. Toni was assisted by Mike Lonnecker, Bob Andreotti and Alan O'Neill. The result was 29 individual sheets in the planset. The model is only 6” X 6” in size without the capstan bars, so you get the idea as to the level of detail in those plans. In addition, although drawn in 1:16 scale for the most part, all measurements are given in real-life size, so scaling up or down is relatively easy to do. There are actually two versions of the practicum in the package. The first is for intermediate modelers who may own a Dremel tool and a miniature table saw. The second requires owning and knowing how to use a lathe and a mill. I don’t have a mill so I opted for the intermediate version . As is my preference, I’ll try to avoid paint or stain in the build. The bulk of the timbers will be beech, boxwood, pear , bloodwood and holly. Below is the frontspiece from Toni’s practicum showing the finished capstan.
 
 

 

This will be my build log for a scratch built English Naval Capstan circa 1777, The scale is 1:16 (3/4” = 1’). Toni Levine, a name familiar to many of you, produced the plans and accompanying practicum. Toni was assisted by Mike Lonnecker, Bob Andreotti and Alan O'Neill. The result was 29 individual sheets in the planset. The model is only 6” X 6” in size without the capstan bars, so you get the idea as to the level of detail in those plans. In addition, although drawn in 1:16 scale for the most part, all measurements are given in real-life size, so scaling up or down is relatively easy to do. There are actually two versions of the practicum in the package. The first is for intermediate modelers who may own a Dremel tool and a miniature table saw. The second requires owning and knowing how to use a lathe and a mill. I don’t have a mill so I opted for the intermediate version . As is my preference, I’ll try to avoid paint or stain in the build. The bulk of the timbers will be beech, boxwood, pear , bloodwood and holly. Below is the frontspiece from Toni’s practicum showing the finished capstan.
 
 

 

This will be my build log for a scratch built English Naval Capstan circa 1777, The scale is 1:16 (3/4” = 1’). Toni Levine, a name familiar to many of you, produced the plans and accompanying practicum. Toni was assisted by Mike Lonnecker, Bob Andreotti and Alan O'Neill. The result was 29 individual sheets in the planset. The model is only 6” X 6” in size without the capstan bars, so you get the idea as to the level of detail in those plans. In addition, although drawn in 1:16 scale for the most part, all measurements are given in real-life size, so scaling up or down is relatively easy to do. There are actually two versions of the practicum in the package. The first is for intermediate modelers who may own a Dremel tool and a miniature table saw. The second requires owning and knowing how to use a lathe and a mill. I don’t have a mill so I opted for the intermediate version . As is my preference, I’ll try to avoid paint or stain in the build. The bulk of the timbers will be beech, boxwood, pear , bloodwood and holly. Below is the frontspiece from Toni’s practicum showing the finished capstan.
 
 

 

This will be my build log for a scratch built English Naval Capstan circa 1777, The scale is 1:16 (3/4” = 1’). Toni Levine, a name familiar to many of you, produced the plans and accompanying practicum. Toni was assisted by Mike Lonnecker, Bob Andreotti and Alan O'Neill. The result was 29 individual sheets in the planset. The model is only 6” X 6” in size without the capstan bars, so you get the idea as to the level of detail in those plans. In addition, although drawn in 1:16 scale for the most part, all measurements are given in real-life size, so scaling up or down is relatively easy to do. There are actually two versions of the practicum in the package. The first is for intermediate modelers who may own a Dremel tool and a miniature table saw. The second requires owning and knowing how to use a lathe and a mill. I don’t have a mill so I opted for the intermediate version . As is my preference, I’ll try to avoid paint or stain in the build. The bulk of the timbers will be beech, boxwood, pear , bloodwood and holly. Below is the frontspiece from Toni’s practicum showing the finished capstan.
 
 

 

This will be my build log for a scratch built English Naval Capstan circa 1777, The scale is 1:16 (3/4” = 1’). Toni Levine, a name familiar to many of you, produced the plans and accompanying practicum. Toni was assisted by Mike Lonnecker, Bob Andreotti and Alan O'Neill. The result was 29 individual sheets in the planset. The model is only 6” X 6” in size without the capstan bars, so you get the idea as to the level of detail in those plans. In addition, although drawn in 1:16 scale for the most part, all measurements are given in real-life size, so scaling up or down is relatively easy to do. There are actually two versions of the practicum in the package. The first is for intermediate modelers who may own a Dremel tool and a miniature table saw. The second requires owning and knowing how to use a lathe and a mill. I don’t have a mill so I opted for the intermediate version . As is my preference, I’ll try to avoid paint or stain in the build. The bulk of the timbers will be beech, boxwood, pear , bloodwood and holly. Below is the frontspiece from Toni’s practicum showing the finished capstan.
 
 

 

This will be my build log for a scratch built English Naval Capstan circa 1777, The scale is 1:16 (3/4” = 1’). Toni Levine, a name familiar to many of you, produced the plans and accompanying practicum. Toni was assisted by Mike Lonnecker, Bob Andreotti and Alan O'Neill. The result was 29 individual sheets in the planset. The model is only 6” X 6” in size without the capstan bars, so you get the idea as to the level of detail in those plans. In addition, although drawn in 1:16 scale for the most part, all measurements are given in real-life size, so scaling up or down is relatively easy to do. There are actually two versions of the practicum in the package. The first is for intermediate modelers who may own a Dremel tool and a miniature table saw. The second requires owning and knowing how to use a lathe and a mill. I don’t have a mill so I opted for the intermediate version . As is my preference, I’ll try to avoid paint or stain in the build. The bulk of the timbers will be beech, boxwood, pear , bloodwood and holly. Below is the frontspiece from Toni’s practicum showing the finished capstan.
 
 

 

This will be my build log for a scratch built English Naval Capstan circa 1777, The scale is 1:16 (3/4” = 1’). Toni Levine, a name familiar to many of you, produced the plans and accompanying practicum. Toni was assisted by Mike Lonnecker, Bob Andreotti and Alan O'Neill. The result was 29 individual sheets in the planset. The model is only 6” X 6” in size without the capstan bars, so you get the idea as to the level of detail in those plans. In addition, although drawn in 1:16 scale for the most part, all measurements are given in real-life size, so scaling up or down is relatively easy to do. There are actually two versions of the practicum in the package. The first is for intermediate modelers who may own a Dremel tool and a miniature table saw. The second requires owning and knowing how to use a lathe and a mill. I don’t have a mill so I opted for the intermediate version . As is my preference, I’ll try to avoid paint or stain in the build. The bulk of the timbers will be beech, boxwood, pear , bloodwood and holly. Below is the frontspiece from Toni’s practicum showing the finished capstan.
 
 

 

I have been spending some time building the removable pit housing for the mortar pit.  This was a removable structure that protected the mortar from the weather when not in use and also provided protected storage space.  As I worked, I realized that the housing would obscure too much detail on the mortar and bed, so I decided to stop construction and move on to something else.
The boarding steps in Jeff Staudt's plans are cut from a single piece of wood, and I didn't really care much for the design, so I used my own design!
The treads are 3/64" thick boxwood and the risers are 7/64" boxwood.  The ends of the risers are cut at a 60 degree angle and the tread overhangs the riser on three sides.  Rather than try to glue the treads to the risers and get the overhangs perfect, I left the treads oversized when I glued up each step.  I then marked them to the proper length and "cut" them to size using the disk sander.  Rounding the tread corners finished the job.  There are 5 steps per side.

I have been spending some time building the removable pit housing for the mortar pit.  This was a removable structure that protected the mortar from the weather when not in use and also provided protected storage space.  As I worked, I realized that the housing would obscure too much detail on the mortar and bed, so I decided to stop construction and move on to something else.
The boarding steps in Jeff Staudt's plans are cut from a single piece of wood, and I didn't really care much for the design, so I used my own design!
The treads are 3/64" thick boxwood and the risers are 7/64" boxwood.  The ends of the risers are cut at a 60 degree angle and the tread overhangs the riser on three sides.  Rather than try to glue the treads to the risers and get the overhangs perfect, I left the treads oversized when I glued up each step.  I then marked them to the proper length and "cut" them to size using the disk sander.  Rounding the tread corners finished the job.  There are 5 steps per side.

I have been spending some time building the removable pit housing for the mortar pit.  This was a removable structure that protected the mortar from the weather when not in use and also provided protected storage space.  As I worked, I realized that the housing would obscure too much detail on the mortar and bed, so I decided to stop construction and move on to something else.
The boarding steps in Jeff Staudt's plans are cut from a single piece of wood, and I didn't really care much for the design, so I used my own design!
The treads are 3/64" thick boxwood and the risers are 7/64" boxwood.  The ends of the risers are cut at a 60 degree angle and the tread overhangs the riser on three sides.  Rather than try to glue the treads to the risers and get the overhangs perfect, I left the treads oversized when I glued up each step.  I then marked them to the proper length and "cut" them to size using the disk sander.  Rounding the tread corners finished the job.  There are 5 steps per side.