oakheart

Thanks for the compliment @archjofo, you have perfect timing thanks for the link, just what I needed. Tim

Still a bit lumpy but better, as they say practice makes perfect.... we shall see. Tim

looking closer at the Science Museum Cutter model, the rope does not appear to be seized around the block and the length that is seized is much longer than what I have been trying to do, it looks very much like your example @Thukydides I think I will try and emulate this style on Speedy, I still have to go and find out how to do the fake splice. Tim

Thanks @Thukydides I need all the help I can get. Your example helps a lot. Thanks for the compliment too. I will go and take a look at your alert log. tim

Here is yet more practice at stropping the blocks. This is a 5 and 4mm block with 0.5mm rope. My seizing is getting a little better, still a long way to go. Hope I am using all the correct terms here? Tim

Hi Paul I made it over here and caught up on reading through the log. Thanks for a brilliant build and log, it's an inspiration for me to finish my cutter speedy. Although "Speedy" is a different cutter they share a lot of similarities. I shall certainly be using a few of the techniques you used on this build. Tim

Mixed a better colour for the blocks, very happy now. Tim

Thanks Paul, I will go and take a look at what he listed. The compliment is most welcome , thank you. Tim

Hi Tony I had to file a shallow groove top and bottom on my 5mm single blocks to make it work well after much searching I am going to use these on my "Speedy" Tim

I would have to second that, I too have just received some Seahorse 5mm single blocks from Modelnet and they are really very good. I have painted mine to look more like boxwood. Thanks for the recommendation George. Don't you just love this place, where else could you find all of the information we have access to. Tim

Hi Paul, Love your Cheerful build, many ideas there that will help me with speedy. What sizes of blocks did you use? On these blocks no shaping was required at all. I did add a slight groove with a triangle file across the top and bottom for the seized rope that runs across the face, then just gave them a lick of paint. Now I need to practice my seizing, that in the photo above makes me think I have a lot to learn. I have been lent a "whip finishing tool" by a fly tying mate, so off to YouTube to find out how to use it. Tim

I got some Seahorse 3D printed blocks from ModelNet on eBay in the post today . see https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/165760407676 I am really pleased, they are very good. Did not like the dark brown they are printed, so painted it to be more like boxwood, not quite the right colour yet, but not bad. They could maybe do with a quick sand down as well. But from a normal viewing distance you may not see the print lines it looks worse from some angles here are a couple very close up, warts and all. I have to remember that nobody would ever see this kind of detail when viewing the model. Tim

This is like one those spot the difference games, the brass items on the lid of the companion way have also moved.......... The photos have got to be from different sessions / times Tim

Over my coffee this morning I went though all of the pages and counted up the blocks etc. that are required for the cutter rigging. This will help when ordering parts. From Fore and Aft book by Lennarth Pettersson ( note I have the Kindle version of the book so page numbering may be different from the print version ) page name single single double triple Fiddle sheave deadeyes 4mm 5mm 16 Channels 16 5mm 17 Shrouds 4 18 Toprope 4 2 19 Topmast shrouds 4 20 Forestay 1 21 Forestay 1 9.5mm 22 Backstay 1 3 1 1 23 bowsprit guys 24 Jib in/out 1 1 25 jib halliard 3 26 Lower yard sling 2 4 27 TS yard Halliard 2 1 28 Lifts 2 2 29 Clueline & sheets 4 30 lower yard braces 2 31 ts yard braces 2 32 throat halliard 2 33 Peak Halliard 6 1 34 topping lift 2 2 35 mainsheet 2 36 Jib 37 foresail 2 38 Hoists 1 1 totals 20 19 11 2 3 11 17 Tim

On page 11 of his book he say's his drawings are based on the fully rigged model in the London Science Museum, which is the one featured on their website. So I guess we can use the photos of the Science Museum model in conjunction with the drawings in the book to get a better understanding of the overall rigging. Tim

Hi Gregory @Gregory, thanks for sharing the link I just took another look at those images and they do show a lot of details that are hard to find elsewhere. I just noticed the model has 5 shrouds and deadeyes, my Speedy and chucks Cheerful only have 4 ? tim

wow @Gregory, that is going to be really helpful, thanks so much. Not clutter just good research and explanation. I will keep plodding away until I get to that point, then I'm sure there will be a few questions. @vossiewulf I am happy to host the discussion here if you like, but it might be better over in the other discussion as it would save that from becoming fragmented. Having printed out Bill's rigging diagram full scale ( I did 12 A4 sheets and taped them together ), one thing is very apparent already, I will have to extend my rope walk, I can only do about a 950mm, which for some of the 'lines' is too short. Tim

Thanks @vossiewulf I will look out for those errors and take a look at Chucks Cheerful log, I have seen the Science Museum photos online of the Model that Petersson used for his book, I did not know we had other photos in the gallery. Tim

No, It was your model and log that inspired me in the first place, thank you. Tim

Hi Adrian Thanks for the compliment, I am please with the way it's going. You may be in for a bit of a wait for completion, I really should finish the deck fittings before moving on to the rigging but as usual I get side-tracked.... Tim

Bowsprit shaped from square and placed on model, shown in front of Bill Shoulders rigging plan with main mast and bowsprit It all begins to take shape. I have now got a copy of Lennarth Petersson's book rigging period fore and aft craft, which has all the details for rigging a cutter of this period so I will follow his drawings to do the rigging instead of Bills instructions / drawings. Tim

Thanks for all of the likes, it really helps to keep a body motivated. Tim

and here it is cleaned up. I would like to thank all those builders whose logs helped me along the way, of course Thunder @Thunder who without his help, I would not have even started this build. There are too many others to mention them all. The Cutter cheerful, which is pretty close to this cutter 'Speedy' was one of the designs that helped me a lot, so I must give a special thanks to Chuck and his very clean design and his prototype build log. Thanks @Chuck your design and build log have been an inspiration to me, and will continue to be so for the rest of my build. Then of course there is Crazy Craig @iMustBeCrazy who is a constant help with his wisdom and know-how. This forum / website is such a brilliant resource to have found. Tim

I found some close grained timber in the workshop, the wood carver who gave it to me said it was Lime. So some hours later this is what I got. I did a quick test yard from cedar as well. It was not quite long enough so I had to add a bit to the top. The join will be hidden under the metal strap here is a close up now I can see the detail, there still a few marks to get rid of Tim

OK Craig @iMustBeCrazy you set me off now. I found another cutter painting from 1810 with a boat dangling, this time off the stern. https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-12595 The boat looks very small compared to the crew on deck, which suggests we should probably not take these paintings as accurate, the overall image may be correct in that the artist saw a boat hanging off the stern but did not draw it in proportion. Tim