Jasennord

I suppose it’s time I introduce myself. Like many newcomers, I’ve spent countless hours combing through build logs, tool reviews, and beginner tips—trying to absorb everything I can. For a bit of background: I grew up building plastic models and always found the process therapeutic. Over the years, I’ve also dabbled in woodworking—simple projects like cabinets, dollhouses, and shelves. I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I’ve always enjoyed working with my hands and, admittedly, collecting tools. Last month, while wandering through Hobby Lobby, my daughter stumbled into the aisle filled with Mayberry Street miniature dollhouses. She asked if we could build one together. Without much thought, I agreed—expecting a quick 20-minute assembly. I couldn’t have been more wrong. What I thought would be a simple task turned into an all-day project. I found myself digging through the back of the garage for my old modeling toolbox, pulling out tweezers and magnifying glasses. But something clicked. That little project reignited my love for modeling. This time, though, I wanted to take it further. Rather than returning to plastic kits, I decided to finally tackle something that had long been on my bucket list: wooden ship building. I headed to the local model shop. Living in a small town, the selection was limited—but tucked away on the back wall was the Model Shipways USS Constitution. It practically called my name. Fueled by blind confidence, I bought it as my first project and headed home. Like anyone starting something new, I turned to YouTube. I watched every video I could find and quickly realized I may have jumped into the deep end. The USS Constitution is no beginner’s kit, and I didn’t want to waste time or money learning the hard way. So, I decided to slow down and build up my skills first. I ordered the Model Shipways 3-ship combo series and started with the Dory. I’ve just finished that build and am now working on the Norwegian Pram. My plan is to complete these smaller kits—and a few others—before diving into the Constitution. I want to build confidence, make my mistakes on simpler projects, and learn as much as I can along the way. I’ve already seen how supportive and knowledgeable this community is, and I’m excited to start sharing my progress, my missteps, and hopefully get some guidance from those of you who’ve been down this road before. Thanks for reading—and here’s to the journey ahead.

Thanks for sharing this! I was totally in the same boat with my oars, but after reading your post, I ran out, grabbed a small plane—and wow, game changer. Your blog has helped me so much!

I have read your build log top to bottom and it looks like it’s going great. I am sitting in your same position as you did at the start. I have never done wood ship building before..although I have done a few of the Mayberry street miniatures with my girls. I also recently started the Model shipways build serious and I am currently on ship #2 the Norwegian sailing Parm and plan to complete step 3 next. With that all being said, I have a question for you. Now that you are this far into the USS Constitution, would you recommend that a novice start it with as little experience as you had, and if so what would you say has been essential to your success so far? I started this journey with one goal in mind, and that’s to build my own Connie and I am feeling a little unsure. So I was looking for some insight from someone who seems to be starting in the same place as myself.