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SJSoane

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Everything posted by SJSoane

  1. Gaetan, Spectacular! This certainly shows the dramatic difference between French and English design sensibilities. Mark
  2. I am working away on the stern construction, and realized that I did not yet understand how the helm port transom and the upper deck transoms fit. Here is a sketch of a possible reconstruction. The helm port drops down to clear the helm, but it also means it runs into the side of the stern post. I had assumed that it would run clear entirely across the stern, but it clearly gets cut in half at the stern post. And the upper deck transom has to accommodate both the hole for the rudder coming through, and also give a landing for the decking. It gets very broad... I'll reflect on this and see if it still makes sense in the cold light of morning. Mark
  3. You might look into the classic book, Seamanship in the Age of Sail, by John Harland. It gives a comprehensive account of how the sailing ships worked, all of their maneuvers, different sail settings. It is a fascinating read.
  4. Thanks, druxey and Gary, This construction is all the more amazing when you see how big these pieces are in relation to my captain. For those looking very closely, you will see that the center timber is temporarily coming down onto the top of the sternpost. It will be cut away for the rudder hole, but I wanted to anchor its lower end while shaping everything. Mark
  5. Gaetan, Oh my, the close-up and the drawing show that it is even more complex than I first realized! What a masterful job. I am glad to hear that you sometimes make a part four or five times. My reject parts box is overflowing... Mark
  6. Hi Gaetan and Robert, Thank you for your kind comments. I debate back and forth about whether to take the time to build a jig, because I am trying to increase my hand tool skills and I have tended to rely too much on jigs rather than on hand-eye coordination. But in this case, there were definitely too many moving parts at the stern to keep everything in place without one. Best wishes, Mark
  7. Hi everyone, I have started construction on the stern. The first images show constructing the transom at the quarterdeck into which the vertical timbers will dovetail. When I taped it in place in the third image, I realized that there were too many parts in motion, and I would need a jig to keep it all aligned. So the next images show a jig at the location of the stern lights. The most important thing to keep straight in this construction is the equal spacing of the stern lights. The jig represents the windows themselves, with the correct round up and round aft, and the locations of the vertical timbers. I then cut slots for the timbers into which I could locate them while shaping them. I did not have to work very hard to create the right bevel; I just filed the aft faces flush to the jig. You will also see that I initially mounted the jig on a right angle fixture over a slab of granite. This allowed me to use a flat, parallel surface from which I could construct the radiating lines for the vertical timbers with a drafting triangle. Once I found the correct angle on one side, I could flip the triangle and draw exactly the same angle on the opposite side. That kept everything perfectly symmetrical from the center. I initially tried to do this while the jig was located on this ship itself, and there were too many things in the way. Still lots to do... Mark
  8. Gaetan, You are a master of the craft. There are so many curving, flowing lines in the stern, and all fair together beautifully, Can you imagine how the shipwrights originally conceived of those forms? There must have been some trial and error when building the ship itself. Best wishes, Mark
  9. Hi Ed, I grew up a thousand miles from an ocean, and knew of ships only through models and photos. I was astounded when I first visited the real sailing ships in the San Francisco maritime museum when I was a teenager, and I could not believe how big they really were. I am still amazed when I put my little captain figure next to pieces of wood or parts of construction in my Bellona model, to see how massively large these ships were. All the more amazing when you think how much was done with hand tools. Your photo and drawing show the same thing. That is a solid wall of wood one story high at the stern, and the stem construction laid flat would be as big as a small sized room in a house. Sobering to think how they did it. Mark
  10. Karl, I just noticed the crucible in which you are melting the pewter. Can you tell us where you found it? I have not seen anything as useful as that. It looks like it has its own heating element. Also, is that a colored spray paint, or just a transparent finish, that you show with the cannon standing vertically? Mark
  11. If this is indeed an early example of something that evolved into another, more practical, form (higher up to avoid bending over), it is a fascinating glimpse into how a tradition evolves over time in a continual quest for greater efficiency and/or beauty.
  12. Doris, I'll add my congratulations. This is an artistic accomplishment beyond description. Mark
  13. Hi Michael, Wouldn't it be great if we could arrange some day a world tour of workshops? It is almost more fun to build and organize the shop than it is to build anything in it.... Mark
  14. Hi Alexandru, Beautiful craftsmanship. A joy to look at. I just noticed the red inboard planking, coming right down to the deck. Did you paint/stain each piece before installing, or did you install, mask and then paint? Best wishes, Mark
  15. Hi Gary, Looks great. It does make you think about how a relatively few cooks with only a relatively few cooking surfaces and pots could cook for 650 men even if it was in shifts. Think about a kitchen today for a typical banquet hall, in comparison. Best wishes, Mark
  16. Hi Remco, Perfection. It is really interesting to see this earlier brick style stove. With my architecture background, it seems so incongruous to build bricks on top of a wooden frame, rather than a solid foundation in the ground. Would any engineers out there be able to calculate the weight of this relative to an iron stove? Best wishes, Mark
  17. Hi Mark, I would agree with Gaetan about considering building version 2 in the Antscherl method, rather than the Hahn method. I used a modified Hahn method on my Bellona before I even knew about Antscherl's method, and if I had it to do over again I would without hesitation build it right side up. Much easier to see what is really going on and adjust, and it is more fun to work on a ship as it would really look, right from the beginning. I spent years looking at an upside down hull, wondering what it would look like when I could finally turn it over. Why delay the gratification? But whatever you are most comfortable with. Best wishes, Mark
  18. Hi Michael, I was just able to catch up on your log. It is a joy to reach how you approach each problem, and then come up with close to perfect tooling and workmanship. Lessons for us all. Best wishes, Mark
  19. Hi Ed, I only rarely get a chance to look in lately, and your project is coming along nicely! Best wishes, Mark
  20. Gaetan, A perfect setting for a museum quality project. Mark
  21. HI everyone, This is indeed a fascinating issue; the more you look at it, the more interesting it becomes. Thank you Gaetan, for showing us the French method. I know very little about the French traditions--except that my Bellona was apparently copied from a captured successful French ship--and it is very interesting to see the constructional differences. As I begin building the stern, I am astounded at the constructional complexity and subtle visual effects they worked so hard to achieve. Beauty still counted for a lot back then! Best wishes, Mark
  22. Hi Gary, The photo I was thinking of is on page 27 of the AOS for the Bellona, HMS Ajax of 1767. You can see the two kick in place pawls on the fore side of the capstan partners. I have seen your cross section photo in a book, but I can't remember where. I'll look around. Le me know what else you find out! Best wishes, Mark
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