dvm27

I wouldn't sweat it. Nobody's going to notice 1/16" after the model is completed. As for raising them all at once or after completed there's really no right or wrong. On a full hull I usually install them in sections to get a feel if they are aligned more or less. Any minor inconsistencies can sometimes be cheated by adjusting the next frame. But on this cross section there is so little change in the half-breadth that it's probably not a factor.

Well, practice does indeed make perfect. It's super important to make sure the ends of the futtocks are the same width and flat over their mating surface with no gaps between them. If you have a Byrnes disk sander this is easy. If not you'll need to get good with a super sharp chisel. I wouldn't use the printed pattern to make the chock as the joint may vary slightly from the pattern. My process is to glue the two futtocks together on top of the pattern and allow to dry. Then place an index card under the joint and trace out the actual chock shape using a mechanical clutch pencil sharpened to a super fine point. Don't worry about the inboard shape for now. Now transfer the card pattern to the properly oriented wood and cut out. The chock should now fit snugly into the joint. Then you can glue it in place. Finally, after dry, trim the inboard face.
 
If you are planning to build several wooden models in the future I can't stress enough how much the Byrnes disk sander (or Proxxon) will improve your work. It's an investment that pays off in accuracy and time saved over the years.
 
Staetler Mars Technical pencil 2mm (780) and Sharpener (502)

I've now constructed the first two frames - deadflat and deadflat 1. There is still a fair amount of cleaning up and refining to do, but for now I'm pretty happy with the results. The joints on deadflat 1 between the futtocks was pretty weak and I had to redo the chock to try to refine them, which was successful enough for the moment, but I really need to get a decent technique down for these joints so they are more secure....apart from "practice makes perfect" are there other things I should be doing to ensure better joints at the chocks?
 
In any case, there is still work to be done on both frames - I need to refine their profiles along the molded dimension, thin them on the molded dimension towards the toptimbers, file out notches for the sweep port sills and lintels on the aft face of deadflat 1 and add trunnels at the joints. Given the need to align the notches for the sweep ports, I will wait to raise deadflat 1 until frame 1-forward is complete, so I can mark these features out at the same time on both.
 
I also fixed the issue with the keel assembly noted above - I sliced off a short length of 1/16" boxwood from a thicker strip, fixed this to the end of the keel assembly and then shaped it with sanding blocks and files. Unfortunately I only have shots of the un-shaped extension attached to the assembly and not the finished piece - I'll see if I can show it more clearly in a future post.
 
In the meantime, here are some photos. Enjoy and bye for now
hamilton
 

I wouldn't sweat it. Nobody's going to notice 1/16" after the model is completed. As for raising them all at once or after completed there's really no right or wrong. On a full hull I usually install them in sections to get a feel if they are aligned more or less. Any minor inconsistencies can sometimes be cheated by adjusting the next frame. But on this cross section there is so little change in the half-breadth that it's probably not a factor.

The shrouds were installed next.  The starboard shroud is always placed first and are they are installed from fore to aft.  Because this ship has an odd number of shrouds, the first shroud is single; the rest are double.  The first shroud is served its entire length, protecting it from the lower sail.  The starboard and port first shrouds are secured to each other with a cut splice, just as was done with the pendant tackle. 


The remaining paired shrouds are served where they could be chafed: the center 20-25%, based on the ship being rigged.  I cut a two foot piece of line and marked the midpoint and 10% the length of the shroud on either side of the midpoint, in this case 1.2”.  This is the area that was served.  The doubled shrouds were secured with a throat seizing tight to the mast head.  The lower ends of the served portion of the shrouds should be level when they are installed.  This means that the throat seizing is not exactly in the middle of the served section, but offset enough to allow this to occur.  You can see this in the next picture.  The aft shroud seizing is slightly longer than the fore.

The shrouds were installed, alternating starboard and port, taking care to stack them neatly.  The topmast is temporarily installed in the following pictures.
 
The next step was to attach the upper deadeyes to the shrouds.  The distance between the upper and lower deadeyes is a constant.  The easiest way to ensure this is to make a spacer jig.  You will actually need ten, five for each side.  The picture shows two jigs.  The one on the left is made by soldering the two wires together.  The other one uses twisted wire.  The prongs go through the two inner deadeye holes.
 

I started by inserting the prongs through the upper holes of the lower deadeye and bent the wire around the back of the deadeye to prevent it from coming out.  Next, I wrapped the shroud around the upper deadeye and adjusted the shroud length so that the upper deadeye could be threaded onto the jig.  These shrouds are cable laid (left twist), so the short end of the shroud went on the aft side of the shroud.  If the shrouds were rope (right twist), the short end would be on the fore side.  I secured the shrouds to the deadeyes with alligator clips.  I find it important to leave the model alone for several hours at this point.  This allows the rope to stretch and helps prevent sagging in the future.

The upper deadeyes are secured with three seizings.  A cross seizing was placed where the shroud crossed over itself next to the deadeye.  I  marked the location of the cross seizing on both sides of the shroud and removed the deadeye.  If left in, the loop is too big.  After making the cross seizing, the deadeye was reinserted and the middle and end round seizings were added.  The drawing shows a round seizing. 

And the picture illustrates the relative location of the seizings, using white thread to make it easier for you to see.

Brown paint was used to represent the leather cap at the end of the shroud.

The shroud lanyards were installed next.  They are considered running rigging and are not tarred.  A knot was tied at the end of the lanyard and it was inserted through the back of the upper deadeye in the foremost hole.  After reeving it through the deadeye, excess line was kept for tying off.  Once they were done, the lanyards were gradually tightened, making sure the mast was straight.  Just like with the shrouds, I gave it a few hours to allow the line to stretch.  To tie off the lanyard, the rope was passed between the shroud and the deadeye (below left) and looped under the last line of the lanyard (below right).  The lanyard was wrapped around the shroud a few times and finished by inserting it under the last loop.

Thank you all for the likes.
 
Stern Post
 
While most of the keel parts were glued on a flat surface, this proved problematic for the stern post.  With the rising wood protruding and the stem taper, the assembly is no longer flat and it is difficult to proceed the same way. To keep the stern post perfectly vertical, centered and aligned to the stem, I rather used squares to keep the whole assembly vertical and aligned. See photo.
 

 
I applied a couple thin coats of WOP on the completed assembly.  I show  close-ups of the stern and stem below (note the knee of the head finally glued on).  
 

 
After application of WOP the wood got a bit darker than expected.  Does WOP have a limited shelf time when opened? In the past I have used nitrocellulose sealer.  This is great stuff. It does not change the wood color, gives a nice satin finish and dries almost instantly (70% of the content is VOC!). It is however a pretty nasty chemical and it is hard to find (banned in North-America?). I got mine from the UK many years ago but nowadays suppliers will not ship this abroad.  I find WOP a good alternative.
 
Building Board
 
This has been covered by others and I essentially followed their foot steps.  The MDF boards I could find in hardware stores were not flat. I resorted to a melamine board and glued my plan with repositionable spray glue.   It is now time to work on the frames. Stay tuned. 
 
 
 

Fore Topsail Yard
 
The yard was pinned to the mast and the parrel beads added just like the topgallant yard.
 
Instead of a simple halyard, as on the topgallant, there are two lines - the Halyard and the Tye, the are identical, just mirror images of each other on opposite sides of the mast. One of them is shown in the photo by the pink lines as it comes down from the crosstrees, passes thru a double block, back up thru a single block hanging from the cross trees and then down to just below and aft of the top where it terminates in a double block that will form the upper part of a tackle that will go on down to the outer edge of the main deck.
 
The other item are the lifts, one per side, one of them is shown by the blue lines on the photo. They come down from the crosstrees, thru a single block at the yard end, up thru a single block     near the cross trees, down thru the lubber hole and down to a pinrail on the deck.
 
These lines look pretty sloppy because they are slack, they will look better when put under tension.  
 

I wouldn't sweat it. Nobody's going to notice 1/16" after the model is completed. As for raising them all at once or after completed there's really no right or wrong. On a full hull I usually install them in sections to get a feel if they are aligned more or less. Any minor inconsistencies can sometimes be cheated by adjusting the next frame. But on this cross section there is so little change in the half-breadth that it's probably not a factor.

It’s just a pre- announcement of a ‘copy’ being pieced together now by some Chinese hack. 😳
 
I just read it as well (as a guest, I was kicked out long ago). Interesting how some members are complimentary while the staff and admins work hard to disparage Chuck at every turn. This comment by a member “ I emailed Chuck with updates and progress pictures and found him to be very personable, interested and encouraging. A much more personal investment of his time and interest than one might otherwise expect from the head of a commercial venture.“ must have really hurt.
 

Tom, I like Chuck's method because it incorporates the round up. That might be possible on the mill but it's above my pay grade.

Lower/Upper Apron
 
The pre-cut curved rabbet is a nice feature which avoid the headache of bending and adjusting a straight strip and gluing it to the stem. I had to tweak the curvature at the stem to get a tight fit between the lower and upper apron.  I found it tricky to  optimize the seam on both sides at once. A lot of back and forth was required here.  The final result is shown below. 
 
The Rising Wood
 
Before gluing the rising wood sections, I realized that the strip supplied for the rabbet was a touch thicker than the curved section.  I fixed this easily using my Varitas mini-plane. The rising wood then went on with no particular issues. Care should be taken to insure that the position of the rising wood is not shifted with respect to the plan. For this I used a plan that I had printed at my local printer. 
 
The Deadwood
 
I followed the instructions with no particular issues here. Gluing the angled wedges is easier than at the bow.  The completed assembly is shown below. 
 
 

Great repair Jean-Mark! One of the things I learned on my first plank on frame model was that my skills would improve dramatically as the build progressed. It is important not to "settle" for anything less than perfect early in the build or you will surely regret it later on. I also found that using 3X magnification loupes while working (regrettably 5-7x now 🙁) greatly improved the finished result. If you are happy with the work at 3x magnification you will surely be happy with the naked eye.

Great repair Jean-Mark! One of the things I learned on my first plank on frame model was that my skills would improve dramatically as the build progressed. It is important not to "settle" for anything less than perfect early in the build or you will surely regret it later on. I also found that using 3X magnification loupes while working (regrettably 5-7x now 🙁) greatly improved the finished result. If you are happy with the work at 3x magnification you will surely be happy with the naked eye.

Great repair Jean-Mark! One of the things I learned on my first plank on frame model was that my skills would improve dramatically as the build progressed. It is important not to "settle" for anything less than perfect early in the build or you will surely regret it later on. I also found that using 3X magnification loupes while working (regrettably 5-7x now 🙁) greatly improved the finished result. If you are happy with the work at 3x magnification you will surely be happy with the naked eye.

Great repair Jean-Mark! One of the things I learned on my first plank on frame model was that my skills would improve dramatically as the build progressed. It is important not to "settle" for anything less than perfect early in the build or you will surely regret it later on. I also found that using 3X magnification loupes while working (regrettably 5-7x now 🙁) greatly improved the finished result. If you are happy with the work at 3x magnification you will surely be happy with the naked eye.

Great repair Jean-Mark! One of the things I learned on my first plank on frame model was that my skills would improve dramatically as the build progressed. It is important not to "settle" for anything less than perfect early in the build or you will surely regret it later on. I also found that using 3X magnification loupes while working (regrettably 5-7x now 🙁) greatly improved the finished result. If you are happy with the work at 3x magnification you will surely be happy with the naked eye.

Tom, I like Chuck's method because it incorporates the round up. That might be possible on the mill but it's above my pay grade.

Good morning everyone ☺️  
 
 

Great repair Jean-Mark! One of the things I learned on my first plank on frame model was that my skills would improve dramatically as the build progressed. It is important not to "settle" for anything less than perfect early in the build or you will surely regret it later on. I also found that using 3X magnification loupes while working (regrettably 5-7x now 🙁) greatly improved the finished result. If you are happy with the work at 3x magnification you will surely be happy with the naked eye.

Love your approach to the swivel hardware.
 
I hope your model ends up in one of the prestigious European competitions. It has Gold Medal written all over it.

steps.....
 






 

CHAPTER 1
 
Here we go.  I started ship modeling about 15 years ago.  I completed all Chuck's projects plus a few others (including Model Shipways Syren). I recently completed the Winchelsea and posted a few pictures on the gallery. Except for Chucks Medway, all my projects had been POBs.  I was therefore quite excited when the Speedwell kit was released. This offers me a great opportunity to work for the first time on a POF kit without having to scratch my own frames. Except for ripping planks on my Byrnes saw (yes I am among the lucky ones), I essentially work with hand tools.  In this blog I will report on my progress. All the Speedwell builders are well experienced, and I am hoping you guys can provide advices when I have questions or encounter difficulties.  Thanks in advance. (This will also free Chuck from answering my numerous emails). On occasion, I hope I can contribute some ideas and tips to those who will undertake this project. 
 
Parts for Chapter 1 are shown below.  Contrary to others, my kit survived posting very well.  Only one small part (5F) in the top center board seems to be missing.  It is easy to scratch build, so no big deal.
Assembling the stem is straightforward. Tweaking the edges as suggested improves the fit.  I had to tweak a few more edges than those indicated to get the tightest fit. 

Positioning the stem (long curved part to which the rabbet is glued) on the rest of the stem assembly can be tricky. It is important to follow the plan closely to avoid problems when making the boxing joint at the keel and to ensure a tight fit between the apron and the rabbet.  I think I glued mine a hair too low and had to make adjustments (to be discussed below).  Note that I postponed the gluing of the thinner knee of the head for the time being. To prevent knocking it off, it will be glued on only when the whole stem/keel/stern assembly is completed. 

The Keel Assembly
 
The main challenge here is to make a tight fit at the boxing joint between the keel and stem. I had to shorten the curved stem just a touch to get a good fit. The rest of the keel assembly is a matter of gluing the various sections in the right order and on the right side. Very little tweaking of the edges is needed.  While I was waiting for my kit, I built a set of simplified "Ed Tosti" clamps.  I find these work better than commercial clamps to apply even and adjustable pressure to the parts being glued. They are kind of fun to make too.

Lower Apron and Angled Wedges
 
Here I encountered my first difficulty.  The stepped lower apron is attached to a sacrificial piece of wood (handle). This makes it easier to glue the wedges one by one.  Without the handle, the lower apron would certainly break during this operation.  I found that even with the handle, the lower apron remains quite fragile. If you force the wedge in position, you can slightly modify the curvature of the apron or even break it loose from its handle. This happened to me and resulted in a poor fit of the lower apron to the keel assembly as shown below.

I was able to correct this by gluing a sliver of wood between the apron and the keel as shown here.
 

This gap may also have been the result of the stem being glued a hair too low (less than 1/32th). Anyway, I am glad that I took the time to correct this. 

Good point, Greg. I hope you are doing well, dear pal.
Tom

Tom, I like Chuck's method because it incorporates the round up. That might be possible on the mill but it's above my pay grade.