reilly

I'm building a 1/72 Schnellboot right now.  I stumbled across the 2 uploaded photos in my search for reference material.  Answers our question about what the disk was used for.
 
By the way, CDW, this build of yours is great.  I used your ship as a reference for the liferafts.  I scratchbuilt the black one from miliput and am going to paint the square one the same color as yours.  I like your color because it has a more used look and that is what I am trying to capture.  Good job!
 
 

See my post above.....cheaper and premium quality.  You just cant beat the quality for the money.  If you are building Syren I recommend you get  3/64" thick strips. Although I dont remember what actual thickness I used when I designed that prototype.  It was such a long time ago.   That was my first kit design which I sold to Model Shipways.   I believe I recieved a $500 gift certificate for Model Expo products for that design.  I think they got a good deal on it, LOL.  So best to check out the materials list in your kit and just replace with whatever you prefer from Joe.  Cedar or Boxwood.
 
And fun fact...this is why I started my own company and it is named for this very first ship I ever designed a kit for.  

Thanks. I had not heard of the Model Shipyard kit.
 
I do hope Ancre comes out with a Corvette L'Unite/La Tourterelle (later HMS Surprise) monograph. It would sell rather well.

I can not explain how devastated I am to be announcing this.  My dear and close friend Jim Byrnes has passed away way too soon.   Many have you know and have met Jim.  He was a fantastic guy and true original.   Many of you own his tools which are second to none in the hobby.    I have been speaking with his wife Donna who many of you also know.  Jim was diagnosed with ALS in February.  ALS is a nasty disease and there is no cure.  Jim had a particularly aggressive type of ALS and he passed away last month in October.  He was just 64 years old.
 
This news will be devastating to many...but Donna has asked if everyone would have patience and give here and their family time to grieve.  As you might expect,  the business will continue to be shut down,  but will reopen at some time in the near future.  Donna will continue supporting the hobby and their customers when the time is right.   But please have patience and allow the family to grieve at this sad time.  Donna will let me know when the shop will reopen.  I will make an announcement at that time.  
 
I am so devastated by this...I just spoke to him not too long ago and it breaks my heart.  His obituary is below.
 
Jim is survived by his wife, Donna; son, James William (Krystal) and grandchildren Julian and Sloane; brother, Peter (Cindy) Byrnes and sisters, Mary (James) Hayman, Catherine Byrnes, Veronica Byrnes and Elaine Byrnes (Robert Campbell); brother-in-law, Eddie (Marcia) Grissom; brother-in-law, Frank Marzovilla, and many cherished nieces and nephews. Not to be forgotten is his beloved English Springer Spaniel, Becky, who is waiting every day for him to come home to her!

He was preceded in death by his parents, James and Lorraine Byrnes; brother, Robert Byrnes; nephew, Michael Byrnes; brother-in-law, Pete Stuffer; and mother-in-law, Opal Grissom.

Along with restoring vintage cars, from a very young age Jim had a true passion for model ship-building. For many years he had done extensive research on the U.S.S. Constitution and was in the final phase of completing his scratch build of the Constitution as it was originally launched in 1797. Following a career of working with Defense contract companies, Jim worked many years with and became a partner with Conceptual Engineering in Sanford FL. In 2002 Jim and Donna formed Model Machines LLC. Jim designed and developed small modeler’s machines that are now purchased worldwide and used in many high school and college machine shops and in museums for their restorations. There have been numerous reviews and articles written about Jim which were published in various modelers’ magazines. Modelers using Jim’s machines range from ship, railroad, doll houses, doll house furniture, pen turners, segmented bowls and architects. In recent years guitar, harp and violin makers were added to this list. Jim was a remarkable craftsman and had many more machines in development stage for modelers. He was always ready to help and mentor others, many of whom soon became his very close friends.

 Jim was also a member of the Nautical Research Guild and attended conferences throughout the U.S. for 20 years, developing many close friendships within this organization.

Jim was a humble, quiet man who was deeply loved and will be missed by so many. Our hearts, as a family, are broken. Thru this profound loss, if we can ask one thing from this place of despair, it would be to embrace your loved ones every chance you get.
 
 

I would like to see AL produce a kit of the Confederate Sloop of War. CSS Alabama, the CSS Florida or CSS Shenandoah.

Ulises
Having the gunport stops (linings) set in before the second layer of planking looks like it assures the outboard edges are even and a great idea for double planked models.   For the future, keep in mind there was no lining piece on the top of the port attached to the upper sill, only the side stops and the bottom one resting on the lower sill.   I looked at a good number of photos of contemporary models and could not find any with stops on the upper sills.  There is a very detailed explanation on these in volume II of David Antscherl's The Fully Framed Model. 
Allan

Hi Chuck...I've been checking your website daily for news of this project. A cutter at 1/48 scale...perfect...can't wait.
 
Bob

Its been a while since I worked on Speedwell.  But I managed to steal some time to get some minor progress done.
 
The next step was to permanently add the stern lights.  I glued the laser cut stern lights together as shown.  There is a little top portion that is glued on top of the larger laser cut stern lights.
In addition, there are three laser cut cedar inboard pieces shown on the top of this image.   The aft side is painted black/Gray where the stern lights are false.  Meaning they wont be windows you can see through.
 

It may be difficult to tell but the stern lights are placed in the appropriate openings from the inboard side first.
Then some laser cut acetate used to simulate the window glass is placed in the same openings from the inboard side.
Lastly the painted laser cut pieces are placed on top as the final layer with the painted gray portion facing outboard.

With these glued into position I will be able to plank the inboard side of the hull next but only the two strakes along the sheer.  
 
Instead of doing that however I decided to add the sweep port hinges and horse shoe plates to the outboard side of the hull.  This can be done whenever you like really but I figured why not do it now that I am in the mood to see the hull with some details.
 
The sweep port hinges are available as a laser cut min kit.   I have several sizes but these are the "large" hinges I have developed.  One package is enough for Speedwell.
 

Crazy thing...I rarely shop for rigging blocks for obvious reasons.   But I was searching online for info on rigging blocks so I can start making CNC fiddle blocks and Hearts...
 

 
LOL...I came across the typical square blocks which are abominations that come in most commercial kits.   I couldnt believe the price.  They are selling these things for $5.50 per package of 30.
 
It just hit me that my bargain blocks are the same price....I think my bargain blocks are a steal for the price.  I cant believe how out of touch I am when it comes to how much money folks are charging for this stuff.  I thought they were maybe charging $3 for a package.   Crazy stuff.  Anyway....enjoy them while I can offer them.  I should have another size in stock tomorrow some time.
 

 
 
 
 

Getting close now....
 
Check my site regularly as I start to package these up later in the week.  They have a bit of sawdust on them but I get them in bulk....so some dusting off before packaging them up is in order.  
 
A huge thank you goes out to Jack for his hard work these last six or seven months helping to make these a reality.  He is a super knowledgeable guy when it comes to cnc. 
 

Hudson River Sloop 
 
I am working on plans for a model of the HRS Amelia.... I have several projects going at the moment.  Models from the Mystic Museum of various HR sloops for research and design purposes.  The last photo is Portias Victorine.  
 

 

The hulls are quite different between the two.  I developed 1/96 scale kits for both using Bocock's reconstruction drawings (based on yard drawings) for ALABAMA and copies of the yard plans for KEARSARGE from NARA.  During the ACW, KEARSARGE had only a short forecastle deck and a flush quarter deck.  The raised quarter deck and extended forecastle deck were not added until her 1870s refit.  I'll see if I can find the lines drawings for each and upload them.
 

I wonder if there are any quarter inch triple blocks for the Syren project in that batch of blocks?

I wonder if there are any quarter inch triple blocks for the Syren project in that batch of blocks?

I wonder if there are any quarter inch triple blocks for the Syren project in that batch of blocks?

I wonder if there are any quarter inch triple blocks for the Syren project in that batch of blocks?

I wonder if there are any quarter inch triple blocks for the Syren project in that batch of blocks?

I took some time off from working on my model of the Flying Fish and built this model of a 12 pound cannon.  This was something that I have been wanting to build for a long time.  I used cherry for the frames and beams, dogwood for the planking and deck, ebony for the wales, and pink ivory wood for the molding. I made the blocks and gun tools out of ipe.  The gun was turned on my wood lathe starting with 1" brass bar stock.
The Venus class of 36-gun frigates were designed by Thomas Slade, in 1756, the Surveyor of the Navy and former Master Shipwright at Deptford Dockyard. Alongside their smaller cousin, the 32-gun Southampton class, the Venus-class represented an experiment in ship design; fast, medium-sized vessels capable of overhauling smaller craft and singlehandedly engaging enemy cruisers or privateers.[1] As a further innovation, Slade borrowed from contemporary French ship design by removing the lower deck gun ports and locating the ship's cannons solely on the upper deck. This permitted the carrying of heavier ordinance without the substantial increase in hull size which would otherwise have been required in order to keep the lower gun ports consistently above the waterline.[2] The lower deck was instead used for additional stores, enabling Venus-class frigates to remain at sea for longer periods without resupply.[3]
Armament
Pallas' principal armament was 26 iron-cast twelve-pound cannons, located along her upper deck. The guns were constructed with shorter barrels as traditional twelve-pound cannons were too long to fit within the frigate's narrow beam.[4] Each cannon weighed 28.5 long cwt (3,200 lb or 1,400 kg)[5] with a gun barrel length of 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) compared with their 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m) equivalent in larger Royal Navy vessels.[4]
The twelve-pound cannons were supported by ten six-pounder guns, eight on the quarterdeck and two on the forecastle, each weighing 16.5 long cwt (1,800 lb or 800 kg) with a barrel length of 6 feet (1.8 m).[2] Taken together, the twelve-pound and six-pound cannons provided a broadside weight of 189 pounds (86 kg).[6] She was also equipped with twelve 1⁄2-pound swivel guns for anti-personnel use.[5] These swivel guns were mounted in fixed positions on the quarterdeck and forecastle.[4]

hi...  there is no building at this time, .....
but am waiting fore my new famly dog and crew member ...
he wil be here on des. 27 with the plane from Trondheim to stavanger .
8 weeks puppy 😲 , and its a silky terrier and has gene from usa.
in the photo he is 6 week.
 
svein erik

Again a truly wonderful beauty and masterpiece with such cleaver design features Chuck!
Again!
Frank.

My god.... such a nice model.  Are you serious about potentially releasing it as POF kit.  If yes, I'm 100% in.  On the same line of the semi-scratch build Winchelsea but POF (than would be so nice)?  A rigged version would great...  I'm a fan of rigged model. Still have no room for a bunch of power tools even mini ones (the reason I'm looking for semi-scratch build).
 
I was looking around for such a kit... but almost all are Chinese manufacturer.  CAF model seen ok...  but would 300% prefer a model from Chuck and Co.  Let us know if you have a timeline.
 
cheers, 
--loracs

I don't have a lot of experience building ships yet but am on my second build which is the Lady Nelson.
 
I have been looking at all the different kits and manufacturers and sometimes I see a kit which makes me glad I am sitting down.
 
Case in point: Why is the Maris Stella HMS Ontario Great Lakes Snow of 1780 1:48 Scale https://modelexpo-online.com/Maris-Stella-HMS-Ontario-Great-Lakes-Snow-of-1780-148-Scale_p_4621.html $969.99??
 
Is it because it is a new kit? Have something special I don't see?
 
Then you look at a ship of the same era such as the Model Shipways Niagara and it is $369.99? I know it is a smaller scale but there is a huge price difference.
 
I could get Chuck's Cheerful starter kit and wood kit for $200.00 and it looks to be of great quality and yes I know I will need to add to that by another hundred or two by the time I am done but these are long projects and I don't mind spending the money if it is worth it over the long time it takes to build.
 
The Amati kit is very nice for the Lady Nelson (a lot better than my previous build) but I would hate to spend a thousand bucks on a kit that is a dog.
 
Yes this sounds like a newbie question but I am a newbie
 

Hi Guys, 
So I’ve been developing HMS Portland for about two years now and I plan to offer it as a kit, it will be sold in parts or sections so you can build at whatever speed you wish or only purchase what you want and scratch build the rest. The project will
be in 1:48 scale and will be offered mainly in Alaskan yellow cedar and other various woods including boxwood for select parts and I’m leaning towards MDF structure but I will have to see how the initial prototype builds.
As a Winnie builder, I was inspired and blown away by Chucks incredible design work and flawless representation of the Winchelsea, so much that I purchased a laser machine and started designing. My aim is to offer a model as detailed and accurate as possible.
The model is designed to represent the dockyard style model of Portland as depicted in the Joseph Marshal paintings of 1774, as seen below. 
There are enough early drawings of Portland available to accurately represent her as initially designed, these drawings also match up well with the paintings of the contemporary model, she does differ from her closest sister, Bristol but the model could be modified to represent Bristol if desired. 

It will have all decks built and exposed down to the main gun deck showing all frames, guns and fittings.



currently the model is in its final stages of design/development, I will begin assembling the hull and proving the design as I go, I don’t plan to offer parts of the kit until I’m very very far into the build. Currently the sculptures are being finalized with the figurehead of Artemis, the Greek goddess of hunting already being produced, I should be able to post updates on the stern carvings in a couple months.


I am going to try and offer both resin and boxwood sculptures for this project, I haven’t been able to determine the cost of the full set yet but it shouldn’t be outrageous.
 
At 1:48 the model comes in just under 43” long and about 10.5” in beam. So it’s not unmanageable,
unless of course you decide to rig it.



The design prototype shows half the model with exposed frames, as the contemporary model was built, I may offer a version like this but it will be very expensive and tricky to build, it will be a hybrid POF/POB if released. I will likely start a test portion of this alongside the prototype build.
 
Currently I have set up my new laser machine and I’m cutting some parts just for testing purposes, I took some photos next to my Winnie to give an idea of scale. I think the two will look great sitting next to eachother.
 
 

Fenders and port cap rail fitted. I need to finish the interior before fitting the starboard.
 

 

 

 

 
 

I am getting closer .....mass production of CNC blocks...I apologize for my lack of inventory for so long but we are perfecting the process.  I havent had blocks in stock for months.  It shouldnt be long now.  I want to be able to bring you the best CNC blocks possible at a ridiculously low price.   A lot lower than you might even imagine.   My rope is the cheapest available for the quality and lengths available.   I am hoping to do the same with some superior blocks in Boxwood and Swiss pear.  Automated so I can concentrate on my ship model projects like Speedwell.  I cant tell you how long and hard this R&D process has been.  So many experiments and so many failures.   Successes are few but we learn from every failed batch made.   I wish I could explain what goes into figuring this stuff out.  Lots of time and lots of money.
 
Hot out of the oven before polishing and tumbling.  Sorry for the lack of inventory but it will be so worth the wait it I promise.