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HIPEXEC

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  1. HIPEXEC
    I'm spending a lot of time preparing the frames, bow and stern for planking. I don't want to make the same planking mistakes I did framing my Swift. That was my first boat and I had no idea what I was doing. I salvaged the Swift with a lot of filler and sanding. If you look at the Swift closley you see all kinds of of waves and ripples in the planks. I don't want that on this USS Constitution. Rich
  2. HIPEXEC
    Finished the port side false cannon ports. Today I am attempting to bend my first eight planks. I used a steam iron and a frame I constructed to hold the shape needed. I'll see how that turns out. Thanks for everyone's imput. Rich
  3. HIPEXEC
    Yes to both your inquiries. These are for the false cannons and I will definitely try out my deck finish. Thanks for your imput. It helps. Rich
  4. HIPEXEC
    I just finished boxing the starboard side's lower gun ports. This is not in the plans, but I think I'll get neater, more square ports. Time will tell. Rich
  5. HIPEXEC
    Thanks....it'll be varnished. Rich
  6. HIPEXEC
    Finally finished the deck planks. Next step will be to fine sand the deck. I'll now continue to "box" the below deck canons. As I said, this is not called for in the plans, but I think it will make a better build.
  7. HIPEXEC
    I had a few hours to kill before I had to head to the airport last week, so I added a deck (see photo) to my gun deck in order to add some additional vertical ribs so I can make proper and square boxes around each gun port. The plans don't call for this, but I think I can make it work. I'll use the cutouts from the bulkhead sheet that came with the kit to shape each new rib. I'll "blend" the shape of the new rib depending on which rib is closest to it. I also just bought on E-Bay a new digital caliper. Using my old metal ruler won't do anymore if I want to be accurate and repeat piece after piece. Building my Swift didn't give me that kind of challenge. After looking at all your builds, I must shape up or ship out. Rich
  8. HIPEXEC
    I love your build. I only hope mine will come out half as good. Congratulations, Rich hipexec USS Constitution
  9. HIPEXEC
    It's good to be back. Augie, the first fish is a Lingcod. Very tender white meat. The others are Pink Salmon. Now to do laundry and dry cleaning. ....And pay the Visa bill. Rich
  10. HIPEXEC
    Just got back from Canada. Fishing was great! Bear watching and whale watching fair to poor. Attached are some photos. My wife and I caught a lot of fish. My wife more than me. We had to release a few since they were protected. We also gave a bunch away. The last pic is the birthday feast a local chef created with the big pink salmon my wife caught. My family is throwing a birthday party for me tomorrow, so I won't get back to my USS Constitution until next week. I had plenty of time to plan my next moves, though. Boat building is really like playing chess. Thanks for the birthday greetings. 75 seems so old! The good news is, I don't feel that old. Rich
  11. HIPEXEC
    Sjors, The way you did your gun ports is how I want to make my lower gun ports. Just like your LeMirage, mine are exactly two planks high, so If I build a box around each port, I need only to make veritical cuts in each plank with a saw. They should all be very neat like yours. Rich USS Constitution Hipexec
  12. HIPEXEC
    The picture of the gun ports above is from the instruction book. I haven't gotten there yet. Just trying to stay a step ahead. Drilling all those small holes then filing it smooth works, but I was just wondering if there is a better way. I just added 5mm to the lower deck gun port back walls since my measurements show that when I drill the hole to mount the cannon, it will be very close to the edge of the wall bottom. I didn't like that, so I added 5mm. I fly to Canada tomorrow night. Rich
  13. HIPEXEC
    Is there a better way to build gun ports than the way Constructo instructs? I'd like them to be straight, square and even. Their method doesn't look very precise. Rich
  14. HIPEXEC
    Augie, I'm going to copy your plank bending jig. I think it's simple and effective looking. How do you bend a plank on two axis? Horizontally as well as vertically to take into account the curvature of the hull and also its rake? Rich Hipexc USS Constitution.
  15. HIPEXEC
    If I catch a big salmon and bring it home, the way I figure it , it will cost me $1,000 a pound! I finished shaping the stern blocks. There was a lot of material to remove, so I used a fine saw, a knife, my Dremel and some sanding blocks. I measured real carefully so as not to take off too much. It seems to have turned out real good. I had made a real muck of the stern blocks on my Swift and didn't want to repeat that mess. I'll work on the bow while I add deck planks before heading to Canada. Rich
  16. HIPEXEC
    Hi Sjors & Augie, I'm going to use whole planks since the finished deck is so busy, it would take an expert to see the subtle difference. To me, it's not worth the extra work. I might break it in a few places, though if it looks too plain. Now, the work slows down. One piece at a time. Also, I'm taking a week off to go the Canada for some Salmon fishing and Grizzly bear watching. I'll leave Sunday. In the meantime I'll keep adding deck planks and carve the filler blocks. I never heard from Constructo about the over-hanging frame, so I'll just blend it so the hull planks run smoothly. Rich
  17. HIPEXEC
    Here's a pic of the first deck plank! Rich
  18. HIPEXEC
    Sjor, roger about the below deck varnish. I discovered some very small over-hang of the deck over four frames? Don't know why, but something got crooked in the last few days. So, I shimmed them and will sand them to conform with the frames. They have to be exact since I must go several plank layers above the deck and it all has to be flush and smooth. Rich
  19. HIPEXEC
    Deck's on! Because it was pre-curved and pre-bowed, it went on real easy. I didn't do that when I built my Swift, and had a real wrestling match. I'll start planking when the glue dries and I pull out some of the small nails. Rich P.S. I varnished all those planked below decks. I still don't think anybody will see much of those when it's done.
  20. HIPEXEC
    Thanks for the info, Sjors. The last two days were spent shaping the deck and transom using soaking, damp cloths and rubber bands. It worked! Both pieces now conform with the hull. I'll fine tune the bulkheads today and mount the deck, then start planking it. Rich
  21. HIPEXEC
    Below deck guns back-wall glued in place.
  22. HIPEXEC
    Roger on the Dremel! Thanks for the miter box report. I discovered the slot in the fwd bulhead is milled at the wrong angle for the lower gun back-wall. I'll have to file in the right angle. Rich
  23. HIPEXEC
    Sjors, I do need any help and advise you care to give. You too Augie. I just put the transom on after using my Dremel to sand the correct angle. One of the balsa fillers they sent me with the kit was missing a critical section. I had to re-build it. Now I'll have to use filler and sanding to finish it. The plastic mitre box is great. It gives me perfect cuts (if it can last). Rich
  24. HIPEXEC
    Stil no reply from Constructo? I discovered I have to file a raked angle at the transom that is not mentioned in the instructions but shows a raked angle transom in the pictures. I also planked the below deck areas as per the instructions. I guess these areas are visible when the ship is complete? I also ran into a problem with my new plastic mitre box. It looks like it would have "sawed" through only after fifty or so cuts. I glued reinforcment wood underneath. I hope it get me through to completion. Hipexec
  25. HIPEXEC
    I hope they answer, too. You're right, unless told by Constructo otherwise, I will "play" with it to make the planks run true. Rich

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