Paul Le Wol

Hi Chuck, thanks for looking in and thanks for the hours of enjoyment Cheerful has brought me

Happy New Year everyone. Thank you for the likes. They are very appreciated. This week I concentrated on the mast. Just followed the way others have done it in the past. Sorry for the poor quality of some of the pics. My lighting is questionable and the depth of field suffers. Decided to use a jig to build the trestle trees. The supports were made from 1/16 x 1/8 cedar strip. It sort of looks like a lot more work than is necessary but I found it easier to do this way. Remembered to get the mast hoops on. They look dark but the char was removed and they were rounded the way Chuck shows in Chapter 12 of the monograph. Then the cleats and the boom rest were installed. Made the boom rest like that because those tiny support wedges were not cooperating with my fingers. The mast coat was made by gluing two @ 1 inch square pieces of 1/16 inch cedar sheet together with the grain running perpendicular. Then filing and sanding for an hour. Would like to do the top mast next, then put the mast aside until the catheads and carronades are completed. See you next week.... Paul

Hi Hakan, I remember working in a fab shop a long time ago and this guy was using the floor mounted grinder. The foreman went over and reamed him for wearing gloves while using a turning piece of machinery . That always stuck with me. Glad you are okay. Sometimes being left handed is a good thing😀

Hello Everyone. I hope everyone had a great Christmas and will have a Happy New Year. Thanks to all of you for your likes. This week I finished installing the bowsprit. I found it easier to have the hole in the bowsprit drilled all the way through so that the steps could be slid onto the bar before the bowsprit was put into place. The steps were glued and pinned to the deck and then the upper bar was glued into place. It is very solid. The windlass was made a few months ago. Chuck's mini kit is so beautiful that I could not bring myself to paint the drum. It was positioned and then pinned to the deck without using glue. The pin rail was reinstalled. It still needed thinning down even though the pin rail was the same height as the cap rail. I think that I may have been lax when fairing the deck. Installed the rings in the deck but did not use eyebolts. Just used a hook shaped piece of wire to give it a lower profile. Don't want any tripping hazards on the deck during the heat of battle. And finally mounted the cleats on the bulwarks. See you in 22 Paul

Hi everyone, I also had this problem last night. I tried multiple times to upload ten jpegs. Four of them induced an error. During one attempt, a file would get an error and on another attempt the same file wouldn’t get an error. Tried uploading one file at a time. Tried edited files and unedited files. All of this was tried on two different updated Windows 10 PCs. Finally ended up just using the photos that were accepted. My guess would be sunspots. 🙂

Hey Everyone, hope that you are all well today. Thank you very much for all of your likes. This week I decided to do what I think is the last rough job before doing all of the detail work. The pin rail at the stem had to be removed to give the bowsprit the proper clearance. Just kept running a wet toothpick along the joint while attacking it with a #11 blade. It put up a little fight but nothing was destroyed. Made the bowsprit using a mini block plane and lots of sand paper. The next few hours were spent measuring and filing and sanding the hole. Finally the bowsprit was able to be positioned correctly and I could lay out the position of the bowsprit step. Now just waiting for paint to dry on the bowsprit and step before finishing. Last week I forgot to say that the waterways and scuppers were completed along with one of the pinrails. I picked up some brass belaying pins from The Crafty Sailor. These Technell parts are more nicely proportioned than most. If I don't see you before next week have a great Christmas. Paul

Hey Patrick, you are are doing beautiful work on the galleon. Back in the 70’s I built two Billings kits. I can tell you that planking and detailing as much of the printed surfaces as possible will make a big difference to your completed ship. So I vote go for it. 👍 Hope you don’t mind me following Paul

Hi everyone, thank you all for your generous comments and likes. Took care of a few items this week. Started off by making two lockers. They almost hide the fact that I cheated when I didn't thin down the outer stern frames. Made the washers for the horse using the technique that Chuck described in Chapter 10. In a million years I wouldn't have thought of flattening wire to make a washer. Next was prepping the rudder before mounting the pintles to it. When I test fitted the rudder with the pintles and gudgeons mounted there was a small gap between the gudgeon and the stern post. It's difficult to see here. Perhaps a thousandth or two. Probably too much sanding. So in order not to have a struggle mounting the rudder I added a shim to the gudgeons and sanded them down to maybe a 1/64 of an inch. Attached the lower gudgeon to the stern post, mounted the rudder, and laid out the other two gudgeons. It was time to make the ladders. I didn't feel that I would be able to cut slots in the stringers with any amount of accuracy so it was done "cut & paste". Just needs more sanding and thinning down the outside of the stringers a bit more. One more ladder to go. See you next time.......Paul

Hey Dave, congratulations on your retirement. I cannot disagree with anything anyone has said. But one thing I will add is that even if you outgrow the kit that you choose, your new found skills will just turn it into a better model. How many times have you seen builds on this forum and others where a kit that may be considered a beginner kit is turned into a masterpiece. That might entail stocking up on upgraded scale rope, lumber, and fittings when you decide which scale and ship is for you. Whatever you choose it will be the right choice

Thanks Glenn, I can see why you started your Winnie adventure. This is fun and rewarding. Paul

Thank you Chuck. Your opinion means a lot to me. You know it’s funny after I finished planking the deck I was thinking that if I could just plank for the rest of my life I’d be happy.

Hello everyone and thank you for all of your Likes. It's been a busy week for Cheerful. Drilled two holes through the keel and into the former just over an inch long. Tapped it to 4-40. Still have to decide how it will be mounted but it will be ready for mounting one way or another. Next came the gratings. These where made using Chuck's mini kit. In order to profile the coamings to match the curve of the deck, I used masking tape to protect the center while sanding the outer edges then removed the tape and finished rounding the entire top. Found that it was easier for me to keep track of how evenly each side was being sanded. Didn't want to remove anymore material on the under side of the coamings in order to match the curve of the deck so 1/32 inch strips of wood were glued to the two sides that run parallel to the keel. I had a hankering to plank the deck. Probably suffering withdrawal from planking the hull. I am going to plank it as shown in the plans. Stared at the bow and added furniture as I went. The companionway and the skylight were made back in the summer while waiting for the wood package. They just needed a bit of finishing up. Used a piece of wire bent into a U and pushed it into a hole drilled on each side of the hinge to simulate the pin. Then used straight pins to hold down the straps. Nothing is glued. Only the main grating needed a wider plank fabbed up. This was my first nibbed plank. It was a bit of an exciting moment. After that they seemed to get easier. Used a brass strip as a guide The scarf joints just aft of the catheads had to be faked because I couldn't really confirm where the first nibbed plank would land Gave it a pretty good sanding and scraping and then it's first coat of w-o-p. The nibbing is far from symmetrical. So many variables on my deck. If you close one eye when you walk by it looks pretty good. The last plank on starboard was 5/32 inch and the last two planks on port were 5/32 inch. See you next time....Paul Just realized that if you don't insert all of the photos that you upload they automatically insert themselves at the end of the post.

In my haste to post this I forgot to thank everyone for their likes. They are appreciated very much. Paul

Hey everyone, hope you are all doing good. I have been doing a fair bit of jumping around with Cheerful. Was going to finish the exterior of the hull but decided to do the cap rails first. the reason being that I am scraping the fancy profile directly into the outboard edge of the rail instead of attaching a separate molding. Cut the cap rail from 1/16 inch cedar sheet, scraped the profile, and sanded down the inboard edge to the bulwark. Didn't want to install the molding between the cap rail and the wales in case the cap rail needed sanding and rescraping of the profile. While in the vicinity I decided to do the margin planks. I had made the knees a while ago so now seemed as good a time as any to install them. The inside of the counter planks look a bit rough because I applied a few layers of diluted PVA in case the red paint seeped through the joints and became visible on the exterior. I'm calling it environmental wear and tear. Gave the hull another sanding. Mostly the planks that tuck into the rabbet at the bow. Glued on the molding above the the wales but forgot to snap some pics. They'll be in the next post but this is my molding profile station.

Thank you Glenn for the comment and for clearing up the tapering question I had. There is a bit more progress to share. I finished planking the bulwarks and as they were being painted I thought geez, that doesn't look bad with just the planks between the gun ports painted red. I have seen this done on other builds where the spirketing is left natural. So I finished painting the planking between the ports before installing the spirketing. Then I had another thought. Instead of having to cut the cap rail and shape the cathead to fit around things, I would leave a slot for it. I haven't had much success going back later and cutting into things. The bow of Cheerful ended up being a little wider than the plans. About the thickness of the planks. The portion of the cap rail between the catheads ended up being split during the install. Figured no problem, just fill the crack later. There have been clearance issues with the pin rail in other builds. See how it goes when the time comes to install the bowsprit. Laid out where the catheads would sit and started working around those areas. A fancy bit was glued to the cap rail to cover the split just in case just in case it won't be painted. Going to live with this look for a while. Then came some exterior work. After working with the cedar, that boxwood is some tough stuff. Next will be finishing up the exterior trim and a little more sanding. This photo just kind of jumped in here. I also cut the hole for the rudder

Hey Will, I too found that planking the bulwarks was a bit more of a challenge than planking the hull. While planking the hull of my Cheerful, after every 3 or 4 strakes I would glue and clamp pieces of basswood cut from a 1/16 inch sheet to the back of the planks with the grain running the same direction as the planks. Found that this really beefed everything up and that it also brought some wayward planks back into the fold so to speak. ( Which I had quite a few of.) Not that it matters now of course. Just throwing it out there. Really enjoying watching your craftsmanship Paul

Hey NiwotWill, I was glad to see your post. I have enjoyed watching your progress with this build. Even the “ messy “ work like thinning the bulwarks is beautiful . Looking forward to more. Paul

Hi Paul, your Cheerful and it’s build log ( along with those of other members ) have allowed me to think that a successful project is possible. Without them I’m not sure if I would have even started it. Thank you. Paul

Many thanks to everyone for the likes and Glenn, thank you for spurring me on. Paul

Thanks very much Chuck. I really appreciate your saying that. The concept of treating everything as a mini project is finally starting to sink in. Paul

Hey everyone, I have been getting in a few hours a day on Cheerful. The bulwarks were thinned down mostly with a Dremel and a 60 grit sanding drum. Picked up a #4 riffler from Lee Valley. They're just down the road from me so that's pretty handy. I found that it worked well for getting into the tight spaces. Then there was much sanding. After all was said and done the gun ports had to be relined. Next I took another run at the square tuck. Used 3/16 x 3/64 offcuts for the planks. Would have been a better idea to use pieces all from the same plank. There is quite a bit a variation in the color of the planks. ( In real life ) Character? I want to plank the the inside of the bulwarks to beef them up a bit before finishing the fancy stuff on the exterior so next I'll spend some time inside

Hey Antony, I am really enjoying your build log and watching you figure out the challenges you face. I am not experienced in any of this but I keep thinking that instead of copper tape you could make the roves out of brass with a hole drilled through it that is smaller than the diameter of the nail and push it on with pliers that have a hole in one of the jaws. Kind of like the system they use for holding insulation to ductwork. I have some duck-bill pliers from Lee Valley that have holes in the jaws although they probably wouldn’t work in your situation. But that’s the sort of thing I am talking about . c Paul

Hi Glenn, thank you for the like and the encouragement. I am going to revisit the square tuck. If I can get it looking anywhere near as beautiful as yours, I will call it mission accomplished. Paul

Thank you to everyone for the likes. They are really appreciated. And Chuck, thank you for the comment. I have found that starting a build log makes you strive to do a better job than you might do if you thought that you were the only one that will see your efforts. I have let some things slide, but recently have become one with my Cheerful.

Hello all, I have been working on my Cheerful for about a month now. In the last couple of weeks I have been flip flopping on whether or not to start a build log. Decided to wait until it was planked to see if it was worthy of showing the world. So here I am thinking that it just made the cut. While I was waiting for my Alaskan Yellow Cedar Package from Modeler's Sawmill ( Joe did a beautiful job cutting the wood ) I assembled the former and bulkheads. . I used a piece of basswood for the rabbet strip which I don't think was a particularly good plan. It seems kind of spongey and and not up to the task. The blocks of wood between the bulkheads were added for strength when fairing and to take care of a tiny wow. They were cut from a piece of pine shoe molding picked up from Home Depot. The frames for the gun ports are also basswood. They didn't hold up so nice during fairing. Lots of shredding and feathering on the vertical pieces. My wood package arrived and I was off to the races. I followed the lead of other builders by running the planks right across the gun ports but unlike others, my cutting out the port skills were somewhat lacking. This is where I stray off the path of historical accuracy. The blocks were added to the tops of the stern frames for support when fairing. I decided at this time that I was not going have seats of ease. maybe just plank over the stern frames or have taller lockers. So the blocks were left installed and I never thinned down the outer stern frames. The thinning of the outer stern frames just seemed like something that I would mess up. Using Chuck's planking tutorials made everything so much easier and the planking was completed down to the bottom of the square tuck. One of the things I'm not sure about is which side of the plank is tapered. I laid the tapered side of the plank against the straight side of the previous strake. Or would it be better to lay the straight side of the plank against the tapered side of the previous strake? Or does it even matter? A small block of left over 1/4 inch plywood was glued behind the square tuck and a hole was drilled and tapped for a 4-40 machine screw. A small piece of plywood was used to hold the outer piece of the square tuck while fairing it to the hull after it was cut to width. The garboard and another strake were added and then I went back up to the bottom of the last belt and started planking back down five strakes. Then started at the bottom and planked back up. The last strake wasn't really all that hard to do. Just a lot of test fitting. Oops, just noticed something. I went back to the square tuck to finish the infill planks. Used a piece of 1/16 inch basswood to make a template but by the time it was shaped it didn't fit too badly. I thought about scoring it to simulate planking but it looked too fragile to survive. Painted it black to see what it would look like and pressed it into place without gluing, Going to live with it for a while. I didn't want to paint the counter. So that's where I'm at now. Lots of sanding to do and I think that I would like to thin down the bulwarks before completing the fancy stuff outside.......Paul