allanyed

The hull planking is on and first sanding complete.  Hand sanding to a fine finish will be next.  I left a section of planking off to expose the framing, but I have decided against installing most of the below deck items inside the hull.  I left a little DNA on the keelson after a little slip of a chisel, so there is no denying who built this thing.
 
I put in a few inside planks for strength and the two mast steps are in place.  The deck frames are started.  There are a few carlings where there are deck structures and to set up the masts' partners.  Once the deck is framed the stanchions and bulwarks will follow.
 
Allan

The hull planking is on and first sanding complete.  Hand sanding to a fine finish will be next.  I left a section of planking off to expose the framing, but I have decided against installing most of the below deck items inside the hull.  I left a little DNA on the keelson after a little slip of a chisel, so there is no denying who built this thing.
 
I put in a few inside planks for strength and the two mast steps are in place.  The deck frames are started.  There are a few carlings where there are deck structures and to set up the masts' partners.  Once the deck is framed the stanchions and bulwarks will follow.
 
Allan

The hull planking is on and first sanding complete.  Hand sanding to a fine finish will be next.  I left a section of planking off to expose the framing, but I have decided against installing most of the below deck items inside the hull.  I left a little DNA on the keelson after a little slip of a chisel, so there is no denying who built this thing.
 
I put in a few inside planks for strength and the two mast steps are in place.  The deck frames are started.  There are a few carlings where there are deck structures and to set up the masts' partners.  Once the deck is framed the stanchions and bulwarks will follow.
 
Allan

The hull planking is on and first sanding complete.  Hand sanding to a fine finish will be next.  I left a section of planking off to expose the framing, but I have decided against installing most of the below deck items inside the hull.  I left a little DNA on the keelson after a little slip of a chisel, so there is no denying who built this thing.
 
I put in a few inside planks for strength and the two mast steps are in place.  The deck frames are started.  There are a few carlings where there are deck structures and to set up the masts' partners.  Once the deck is framed the stanchions and bulwarks will follow.
 
Allan

A bit of progress has taken place.  Frames are made and partially faired.  Couple strakes have gone on which has beefed up the rigidity of the framing a lot.  I did not do much fairing inboard down low as the lower hold is filled with cement for a good portion of the hull.   Still debating about putting in the lower deck and cabin details.  If I decide to cut out sections of the framing to expose areas inboard, at least the area where the frames are removed will get some finishing work.   With Effie having gone through several transitions, her inboard layout also change a lot.  I am probably staying with how she orginally came off the ways, so her layout inboard was simpler and certainly more austere than in later modifications.  Keel, stem, deadwood, keelson are Castello box, the frames are poplar.  Poplar is normally a bit soft for my own taste, but as all the frames are doubled, and the grain is running opposite on each pair, I had no breakage and the fairing has shown them to be pretty nice to work with, so far. 
Allan
 
 

I have not personally built nor have I seen a fully framed model of a Grand Banks fishing schooner so I thought it would a fun project to try.   There is a lot of information available on the Effie M. Morrissey, including a reasonable set of plans that are available from the Library of Congress, she is available to visit in her modern configuration, and there are folks in Massachusetts that have been more than willing to answer questions,  so she seemed to me to be a good choice.   
 The following is a compilation of her history from the internet, “so it must be true!” 
She was designed by George McClain and was the last fishing schooner built for the Wonson Fish Company.  She was built with white oak and yellow pine and took four months to complete.  She was launched February 1, 1894.  Her hull was painted black and her first skipper was William Edward Morrissey, who named her after his daughter Effie Maude Morrissey.  She fished out of Gloucester for eleven years then began fishing out of Nova Scotia.
 In  1914, ownership moved to Brigus, Newfoundland where Harold Bartlett used her as a fishing and coasting vessel along the Newfoundland and Labrador coasts.
In 1925 Harold Bartlett sold her to his cousin, Captain Bob Bartlett, an Arctic explorer.  Bob Bartlett had an auxiliary engine installed and reinforced the hull for use in the Arctic. In 1926 with  financial help from publisher George Putnam , Bartlett began 20 years of exploration using the Effie.
When Captain Bartlett passed away in 1946, Effie was sold to the Jackson brothers to carry mail and passengers in an inter-island trade in the South Pacific.   On their voyage to the Pacific she developed problems at sea, forcing the crew to return to New York.  On  December 2, 1947, the boat caught fire  while docked at the boat basin in Flushing, New York.
The schooner was repaired and sold to Louisa Mendes in Massachusetts at which time she entered the packet trade  in a trans-Atlantic crossing to Cape Verde. Upon reaching the islands, Captain  Mendes  re-registered the schooner under the name Ernestina, after his own daughter, and used her in inter-island trade. Ernestina made a number of transatlantic voyages and fell into disrepair at Cape Verde, where she remained until the late sixties when there was interest  in the U.S. to save her. In 1977 the people of Cape Verde made a gift of Ernestina to the U. S.
In August 1982 her hull was completely rebuilt and she sailed to the United States. 
In August 1988 the schooner made a return trip to Brigus, Newfoundland, on the 113th anniversary of  Capt. Bob Bartlett’s  birth.
Ernestina was designated as a National Historic Landmark i with restoration being completed in 1994, and in 1996 became a part of the  New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.  She is currently owned   by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
 Effie  is the oldest surviving  Banks fishing schooner; the only surviving 19th century Gloucester-built fishing schooner; one of two remaining examples of the Fredonia-style schooners (the other being the Lettie G. Howard,) the only offshore example of that type; and one of two sailing Arctic exploration vessels left afloat in the United States.
 
This is the fourth model going onto the building board in the attached photos.  The model will be based on how she looked in 1894.  In the photos you can see that the  keel has a piece temporarily attached so it will sit at about a 2 degree angle to match the "drag" and make it easier to check that the frames are 90 degrees to the water lines (building board plane.)  I am using Castello box for the keel and  deadwood.  The plans do not show a shelf along the bearding line of the fore or aft frames.  Looking at photos of a rebuild of the schooner Virginia, there are no steps nor shelf.  I have no idea if there was one on the original build.  More to come, I hope.
 
Allan
 
 
 

The hull planking is on and first sanding complete.  Hand sanding to a fine finish will be next.  I left a section of planking off to expose the framing, but I have decided against installing most of the below deck items inside the hull.  I left a little DNA on the keelson after a little slip of a chisel, so there is no denying who built this thing.
 
I put in a few inside planks for strength and the two mast steps are in place.  The deck frames are started.  There are a few carlings where there are deck structures and to set up the masts' partners.  Once the deck is framed the stanchions and bulwarks will follow.
 
Allan

The hull planking is on and first sanding complete.  Hand sanding to a fine finish will be next.  I left a section of planking off to expose the framing, but I have decided against installing most of the below deck items inside the hull.  I left a little DNA on the keelson after a little slip of a chisel, so there is no denying who built this thing.
 
I put in a few inside planks for strength and the two mast steps are in place.  The deck frames are started.  There are a few carlings where there are deck structures and to set up the masts' partners.  Once the deck is framed the stanchions and bulwarks will follow.
 
Allan

Druxey hit the nail on the head. Scratch or kit.  If kits, far fewer tools are needed.  They are all desirable but less of a necessity.
 
If scratch, have you considered your library as well as your tool cabinet?   Steel, Lavery,  Lees and recent publications from Sea Watch books by members of this site that will help you in your endeavors.
 
Allan

Sad, of course it is.  But think about it.  In 100 years people will look at these phones and shake their heads in amazement at how people had to use a hard device to communicate rather than telepathy or whatever they will be using by then.  It will be as interesting to them as ship models are to us.   That said, ship models are by far more beautiful and the intricate details that we see were made lovingly by hand, not robotic arms.
Allan

Richard,
 
Russ has given good advice.  The cant frames indeed lie at an angle, and each cant frame lies at a different angle.  They are beveled inboard and outboard to allow the planking to fay completely against the frames as it bends around.  These are the most challenging frames to make and to set in place. 
 
I usually make a set of card stock templates, one for each angle, then use these to set the table of my sander before sanding the part of the frame that is secured to the deadwood.  This  assures that the angle on the frame is correct.  To chisel or sand the angle  by hand is not easy to be as accurate.  In the photo it is marked 28 forward and aft which are the two frames at station 28 which was at the aft deadwood.
 
Allan
 

Bluto,
You have asked for a whole lot of information that by rights takes pages to explain.  There are thorough explanations in Ed Tosti's book on Naiad  as well as Volume II of Euryalus (36) 1803.  These are available from Seawatch Books.  You can also get some insight from Ed's really fine build log on the Naiad here at MSWorld.
Allan

Bluto,
You have asked for a whole lot of information that by rights takes pages to explain.  There are thorough explanations in Ed Tosti's book on Naiad  as well as Volume II of Euryalus (36) 1803.  These are available from Seawatch Books.  You can also get some insight from Ed's really fine build log on the Naiad here at MSWorld.
Allan

If you are painting, oak is probably OK.  If it is to be left natural, it is quite grainy and does not look quite right.  I am not a fan of walnut for anything except that I have used it for wales on occasion and that was American black walnut.  My preference is boxwood, European or Castello, the latter being less expensive and easier to find.  Box is strong, holds an edge, and with imperceptible grain in most cases.
Allan

A bit of progress has taken place.  Frames are made and partially faired.  Couple strakes have gone on which has beefed up the rigidity of the framing a lot.  I did not do much fairing inboard down low as the lower hold is filled with cement for a good portion of the hull.   Still debating about putting in the lower deck and cabin details.  If I decide to cut out sections of the framing to expose areas inboard, at least the area where the frames are removed will get some finishing work.   With Effie having gone through several transitions, her inboard layout also change a lot.  I am probably staying with how she orginally came off the ways, so her layout inboard was simpler and certainly more austere than in later modifications.  Keel, stem, deadwood, keelson are Castello box, the frames are poplar.  Poplar is normally a bit soft for my own taste, but as all the frames are doubled, and the grain is running opposite on each pair, I had no breakage and the fairing has shown them to be pretty nice to work with, so far. 
Allan
 
 

A bit of progress has taken place.  Frames are made and partially faired.  Couple strakes have gone on which has beefed up the rigidity of the framing a lot.  I did not do much fairing inboard down low as the lower hold is filled with cement for a good portion of the hull.   Still debating about putting in the lower deck and cabin details.  If I decide to cut out sections of the framing to expose areas inboard, at least the area where the frames are removed will get some finishing work.   With Effie having gone through several transitions, her inboard layout also change a lot.  I am probably staying with how she orginally came off the ways, so her layout inboard was simpler and certainly more austere than in later modifications.  Keel, stem, deadwood, keelson are Castello box, the frames are poplar.  Poplar is normally a bit soft for my own taste, but as all the frames are doubled, and the grain is running opposite on each pair, I had no breakage and the fairing has shown them to be pretty nice to work with, so far. 
Allan
 
 

A bit of progress has taken place.  Frames are made and partially faired.  Couple strakes have gone on which has beefed up the rigidity of the framing a lot.  I did not do much fairing inboard down low as the lower hold is filled with cement for a good portion of the hull.   Still debating about putting in the lower deck and cabin details.  If I decide to cut out sections of the framing to expose areas inboard, at least the area where the frames are removed will get some finishing work.   With Effie having gone through several transitions, her inboard layout also change a lot.  I am probably staying with how she orginally came off the ways, so her layout inboard was simpler and certainly more austere than in later modifications.  Keel, stem, deadwood, keelson are Castello box, the frames are poplar.  Poplar is normally a bit soft for my own taste, but as all the frames are doubled, and the grain is running opposite on each pair, I had no breakage and the fairing has shown them to be pretty nice to work with, so far. 
Allan
 
 

I drew the individual frames based on the body plans.  First  I aligned the profile drawing that shows the station lines with the framing drawing.  I could then identify the frame numbers with the station line numbers which otherwise had no correlation.  I had saved the L ofC drawings in TIF so they had decent resolution and could be inserted into a drawing using TurboCad. Once inserted they were checked and adjusted to be sure they were at the proper scale on the drawing.    I used the body plan to draw the frames at the station lines which I assumed are correctly shaped on the drawing.  I then divided the space between station line frames for the appropriate number of frames between stations (usually four or two).  I realize they would probably not  be spaced evenly on the body plan in real life, but at this scale and cutting them a tad heavy, they will fair nicely, using the frames on the station lines as the guides.  Besides,  it was much easier than drafting each frame using the more traditional, and accurate, methods used by many of our friends here.
 
The frames are doubled, each being 6 inches wide (12" total width) and moulded 7 ½  inches.  Other than at the floors, the moulded dimension does not appear to change, just remains 7 ½” for most of its height.   I used   7 ½” circles along the outboard edge of the frame as guide for placing the circles, then drew the inboard edge of the frames "connecting the dots" and maintaining the line parallel to the outboard line.   The frames lie on 24-inch centers, thus there is always 12 inches space between the frames.
 
Rather than building the frames floor and futtock, I used  poplar sheets that I planed to 1/8 inch thick.   These are  glued together with the grain running 90 degrees to each other.  Lots of glue, clamps and weights are used to be sure there were no air pockets.  Total cost for the wood for the frames was about $35.  Had I used Castello boxwood, my favorite, it would have been a much higher cost even if I built the frames futtock by futtock to conserve wood and costs.  The doubled frames are still quite strong, even using the softer wood.  With the grains running opposite to each other, it easy to see that they are doubled as on the actual vessel.   I set the belt sander table to 92 degrees to give the bottom of each frame the angle needed to have them at 90 degrees to the table and account for the 2 degree drag of the keel.
 
I marked the location of each full frame on the keel while laying  the keel on the framing drawing. The drawings give no indication of the use of spacers between the frames at the keel or elsewhere, but I will use them regardless to give support at the keel and a rigid frame work.  These are all 1/4X 1/4X 1/8.  The drawings show that there is a keelson which will add a lot of support as well.   A square is used to be sure the frames are perpendicular to the building board as each is raised.  
 
Hope some of this makes sense.
 
Allan

A bit of progress has taken place.  Frames are made and partially faired.  Couple strakes have gone on which has beefed up the rigidity of the framing a lot.  I did not do much fairing inboard down low as the lower hold is filled with cement for a good portion of the hull.   Still debating about putting in the lower deck and cabin details.  If I decide to cut out sections of the framing to expose areas inboard, at least the area where the frames are removed will get some finishing work.   With Effie having gone through several transitions, her inboard layout also change a lot.  I am probably staying with how she orginally came off the ways, so her layout inboard was simpler and certainly more austere than in later modifications.  Keel, stem, deadwood, keelson are Castello box, the frames are poplar.  Poplar is normally a bit soft for my own taste, but as all the frames are doubled, and the grain is running opposite on each pair, I had no breakage and the fairing has shown them to be pretty nice to work with, so far. 
Allan
 
 

A bit of progress has taken place.  Frames are made and partially faired.  Couple strakes have gone on which has beefed up the rigidity of the framing a lot.  I did not do much fairing inboard down low as the lower hold is filled with cement for a good portion of the hull.   Still debating about putting in the lower deck and cabin details.  If I decide to cut out sections of the framing to expose areas inboard, at least the area where the frames are removed will get some finishing work.   With Effie having gone through several transitions, her inboard layout also change a lot.  I am probably staying with how she orginally came off the ways, so her layout inboard was simpler and certainly more austere than in later modifications.  Keel, stem, deadwood, keelson are Castello box, the frames are poplar.  Poplar is normally a bit soft for my own taste, but as all the frames are doubled, and the grain is running opposite on each pair, I had no breakage and the fairing has shown them to be pretty nice to work with, so far. 
Allan
 
 

A bit of progress has taken place.  Frames are made and partially faired.  Couple strakes have gone on which has beefed up the rigidity of the framing a lot.  I did not do much fairing inboard down low as the lower hold is filled with cement for a good portion of the hull.   Still debating about putting in the lower deck and cabin details.  If I decide to cut out sections of the framing to expose areas inboard, at least the area where the frames are removed will get some finishing work.   With Effie having gone through several transitions, her inboard layout also change a lot.  I am probably staying with how she orginally came off the ways, so her layout inboard was simpler and certainly more austere than in later modifications.  Keel, stem, deadwood, keelson are Castello box, the frames are poplar.  Poplar is normally a bit soft for my own taste, but as all the frames are doubled, and the grain is running opposite on each pair, I had no breakage and the fairing has shown them to be pretty nice to work with, so far. 
Allan
 
 

A bit of progress has taken place.  Frames are made and partially faired.  Couple strakes have gone on which has beefed up the rigidity of the framing a lot.  I did not do much fairing inboard down low as the lower hold is filled with cement for a good portion of the hull.   Still debating about putting in the lower deck and cabin details.  If I decide to cut out sections of the framing to expose areas inboard, at least the area where the frames are removed will get some finishing work.   With Effie having gone through several transitions, her inboard layout also change a lot.  I am probably staying with how she orginally came off the ways, so her layout inboard was simpler and certainly more austere than in later modifications.  Keel, stem, deadwood, keelson are Castello box, the frames are poplar.  Poplar is normally a bit soft for my own taste, but as all the frames are doubled, and the grain is running opposite on each pair, I had no breakage and the fairing has shown them to be pretty nice to work with, so far. 
Allan
 
 

The story I heard about the HL hinges was that it stood for Holy Lord and would keep witches out of the house.   They must work because I have not seen any (more) witches in my house, since making these hinges for several models.
 
Allan

The story I heard about the HL hinges was that it stood for Holy Lord and would keep witches out of the house.   They must work because I have not seen any (more) witches in my house, since making these hinges for several models.
 
Allan

I realized that the body plan did not account for the step and deck elevation difference from frame 24 and aft so I modified the body plan and frame drawings.  I also found that the clamp for the weather deck beams on the cross section plans at stations 5 and 9  give dimensions of 3"X9" but the individual cross section drawings show two different sizes.  I do not know if the given dimensions are correct or the drawn dimensions.  To further complicate matters, an expanded view in the cross section plans shows a  strake labeled as a sheer strake fayed to the inside of the frames and a clamp fayed to this sheer strake.  Neither of these is dimensioned individually and the cross sections do not show this lamination.  A drawing of the framing in the forward half the hull does appear to show this lamination.  
 
Several more frames have been raised, so she is starting to take shape.  I printed the frame drawings on pressure sensitive label paper, then cut each frame out and place it on the wood.  It is then a matter of cutting them out and sanding them close to the lines before peeling off the paper.  Brand name  label material is a bit expensive, but store brand is much less costly and works the same. 
 
Allan