Mike Y

Finished 4 frame blanks and cut 4 frames in total. 
Last blanks were laminated using really strong clamps, that squeeze the glue under blanks like the previous clamps were not able to do.

 
Surprisingly, I cannot find any difference in lamination quality when I look on a cut frames. Thickness and consistency of lamination looks the same. Probably I was overthinking it
What turned out to be more important is an edge joint of a blank pieces - they should fit really tight, my table saw can't give such a clean cut, so on a last few blanks I used a belt sander to make sure that joints are perfectly tight. And that is visible on a frames.
 
However, I will need to trash one frame. It is all due to the ugly grey spots on a frame blank stock. When sanded, they look even uglier. On a right side of a photo - healthy swiss pear, on a left side - smoker's pear
 

 
Seriously, why are they included in the timbering package? What am I expected to do with such wood? It is not suitable for a modelling, I will just trash all the wood with that grey areas, and there are quite a lot of planks with that defect
Or I am being picky? Don't think so, the defects in the wood are striking. 

Yep, saw in the Swan or Echo build logs, that Jeff's pear is quite different indeed. Darker, more cherry-ish
Next frame, this time I am an idiot. Missed a tiny crack on a frame blank, after sanding it is becoming very clear: 


 
The colour variation of a brighter/darker pear might be actually good. Hard to say, need to make at least 10-15 frames and dry-fit them, to see how it really looks together.
 
Now the plan is simple - assemble the keel, install 4 "key" frames (I selected frames 4, 10, 16, 23), make sure that everything is measured correctly - and then start a frame mass-production!

I'm beginning a build of the battle station posted on the NRG's website.  I plan several modifications to the original, andI have increased the scale to 1/2" = 1".  I started by cutting out the base, as well as some walnut and bloodwood for the bulwark frames
 
I then dframed in the gunport with bloodwood.
 
Next came a mahogany waterway.  The photo shows it shaped, but not yet cut to size or installed.
 
I then planked the outside using rosewood for the wale, black strake and rail and boxwood for the planking.  The inner bulwark was planked in bloodwood.
 
 I'm now working on details.  The photo shows boarding stairs, deadeyes and cannon parts.
 
Dave

Update, at last.
 
As stated before the pipe work below deck is a pain but I have now completed all of it to the aft deck house.
That includes raising and lowering the sails, tops'ls and controlling the sails.
 
Next step is to raise, lower and control the stays'ls, this will be done from the fore deck house.
 
Here is a little clip.
 

Hello friends,
new photos of the construction progress the BHR.
Karl  
 
 
T e i l   51

All's well, that ends well sometimes doesn't work for me.
 
I noticed on lots of the logs involving Caldercraft builds, there is stages in which people are getting supplies and parts shipped out to them that were originally not supplied. Maybe if Jotika put more care in their packaging, they could drop the price on their kits. Instead we are paying the price in their original markup to ship , reship, and ship again, parts that are missing.
 
They need to perhaps hire extra help and focus on the simple details.
 
I am in business as well, if I had the same error and omission rates, I would be out of business.
 
PS still waiting for an email reply. My first email was sent in early August to Jotika.
I know it was read as I got the read receipt.
 
I can't figure this out. Either too busy or too busy to care. Either way absolutely terrible customer service.

Yep, saw in the Swan or Echo build logs, that Jeff's pear is quite different indeed. Darker, more cherry-ish
Next frame, this time I am an idiot. Missed a tiny crack on a frame blank, after sanding it is becoming very clear: 


 
The colour variation of a brighter/darker pear might be actually good. Hard to say, need to make at least 10-15 frames and dry-fit them, to see how it really looks together.
 
Now the plan is simple - assemble the keel, install 4 "key" frames (I selected frames 4, 10, 16, 23), make sure that everything is measured correctly - and then start a frame mass-production!

Finished 4 frame blanks and cut 4 frames in total. 
Last blanks were laminated using really strong clamps, that squeeze the glue under blanks like the previous clamps were not able to do.

 
Surprisingly, I cannot find any difference in lamination quality when I look on a cut frames. Thickness and consistency of lamination looks the same. Probably I was overthinking it
What turned out to be more important is an edge joint of a blank pieces - they should fit really tight, my table saw can't give such a clean cut, so on a last few blanks I used a belt sander to make sure that joints are perfectly tight. And that is visible on a frames.
 
However, I will need to trash one frame. It is all due to the ugly grey spots on a frame blank stock. When sanded, they look even uglier. On a right side of a photo - healthy swiss pear, on a left side - smoker's pear
 

 
Seriously, why are they included in the timbering package? What am I expected to do with such wood? It is not suitable for a modelling, I will just trash all the wood with that grey areas, and there are quite a lot of planks with that defect
Or I am being picky? Don't think so, the defects in the wood are striking. 

Yep, saw in the Swan or Echo build logs, that Jeff's pear is quite different indeed. Darker, more cherry-ish
Next frame, this time I am an idiot. Missed a tiny crack on a frame blank, after sanding it is becoming very clear: 


 
The colour variation of a brighter/darker pear might be actually good. Hard to say, need to make at least 10-15 frames and dry-fit them, to see how it really looks together.
 
Now the plan is simple - assemble the keel, install 4 "key" frames (I selected frames 4, 10, 16, 23), make sure that everything is measured correctly - and then start a frame mass-production!

Ben, actually just recently I was looking on a photos in your log, looking on your nice wood, thinking "yep, there is Pear and pear...."

Just wanted to chime in on the wood coloring, I got the Swiss pear from Jeff for my Pegasus and the entire order the color is very consistent, this is because Jeff tries to make your entire order from the same slab of big stock for this reason.
I have no idea how Dave at Lumberyard does his milling but you would hope he does it the same way.
 
Ben

If you decide to order pear from Jeff, please have him send you a sample first or else commit to using all of the wood from the Lumberyard for another purpose. I purchased the pear for my Hannah from the Lumberyard (in billets which were milled later).  I had no problems with the quality other than a few pin knots.  I ordered an extra board of pear from Jeff and it was a very different color.  Jeff's pear is "pinker."

The sternpost has been glued and pinned to the keel and aft deadwood now, I have to finish refining the shape back there and then I will start making the rising wood pieces.
 
Ben

This will mark the beginning of my project to build the prototype for the Cutter Cheerful.  The plans are completed and I am getting ready to release the plans in a few months.  I will be building her out of Boxwood or possibly even Pau marfin.  I havent decided.  This project is a POB build as you can see from the details in the plans posted below.  Its not a very cumbersome project with just a cutter rig to deal with.  She is carvel planked and not Clinker planked.  This is one of the reasons why I chose it as a subject.
 
Once I have the skeleton built and the hull planked,  the plans will be released. The remainder of the project is pretty straight forward and doesnt need much of an explanation.  I just need to prove out the design concepts for the hull skeleton.  It shouldnt take too long.  I will be writing a monograph as I build her and posting it on my website for free download as well as here on MSW should folks want to read it.  But as I stated,  I wont need to finish the entire project to release the plans as they are really straight forward.  At a 1/4" scale...the hull will be 28 inches long and 26" tall.  A nice size yet built at a larger scale to show some great details.  
 
I am finally at a point with the Syren store where my inventory is quite full and I will be able to enjoy working on both the Winnie and the Cheerful for several hours each day.  I just cant wait to get started.  Having a laser cutter doesnt hurt either.  It will save me much time.
 
Chuck
 

 

 

Ahoy Mates
 
I use "the Original Titebond" PVA for most of my shipbuilding needs. 
 
I also paint or dye my wood with a water soluble oil paint and then treat it with an oil based wipe on poly (WOP) 
 
I am concerned about the long term holding strength of using PVA on a 'treated" surface to bond small details. I lightly sand any areas to be bonded and follow up with another coat of WOP which may or may not aide in the bond. One surface is also always untreated wood. My fear is that after a few years will these parts  "pop" off as i have seen PE do (I no longer use CA on PE for this reason) causing a difficult repair? On larger pieces my plan is to include a treenail or two but some parts are just too small or thin. 
 
In the pic the ladders and trim were all attached over treated wood with the method described above. Currently the bond seems very good and neither can easily be removed. I did move all of them by scoring the seam and then soaking the area with water. The steps taken and required were no different then those needed to "de-bond" a wood to wood joint and the bond seemed very strong. 

Hi Matti!
Love the middle picture in the last series - it looks so 1:1!!!
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the Vasa museum asks you to display your ship at the museum when you finish. Your hard work at getting the paint shadings just right and getting the very subtle 'wonkiness' of the ship so perfect, have elevated your build to a level beyond what I would have thought possible at this scale. Truly masterful work! The rope work is looking flawless.
 
Best wishes

The sheer strake was installed next.  This is 3" thick and is let down to the top of the gun port where the width of the upper planking would have been less than 5".   There is a hook scarf amidships.  I have cut down some of the timbers to just above the sheer strake.  By leaving them a little long at this point I am preventing damage to the top edge of the sheer strake. 
 

 
I ran into two problems:  one correctable and the other not.  Although it is hard to tell from the pictures, my Dremel has developed a wobble in the shaft and consequently the holes are slightly oversized.  I solved this by dipping the treenails in dilute glue before installing.  Usually I install them with pressure fit and rely on the finish to seal them into place.  It appears a new Dremel in on my horizon.  You can see my general approach for treenailing in the following picture.  I draw a light pencil line to indicate the center of the frame.  Next, I pencil in the locations of the treenails.  I use a carbide stylus to prick the wood so the drill bit does not wander.  And finally I drill the hole.  I start at the bottom and work up to the top.  The sawdust drops down so by starting at the bottom I do not have to clean off the hull after each hole has been drilled.  I sanded the aft area so show how the treenails disappear until finish (or water) is applied.
 

 
Now for the relatively uncorrectable problem.   As I mentioned before, I had to correct the sill heights to get a smooth run.  This was accomplished by lowering the central gunports and raising the aft gun port and bridal port.  I have already stripped the planking twice and began to be concerned about the integrity of the frame glue joints with the repeated application of isopropanol.   Therefore, I decided not to strip the planking again even though the appearance is not perfect.  You can see my shim on the lower port opening and the height that had to be removed at the top.   I am not pleased with it but weirdly feel better for showing the problem to whomever reads this log.  I guess that means I need a life!  The wood was wet down to show off the treenails.
 

Hi Mike,
I like what you are doing. The practice frames are a great idea. A plank on frame model is on the horizon for me and I hope to learn with you. I have considered Lumberyard myself and your experience will help me decide.
 
Have you contacted Lumberyard about the substandard material? Maybe they will replace it. I purchased a small amount of sheet stock from them to see what the quality was like and it was very nice clean wood.
 
Good luck and keep up the good work.

Brian, it is 55cm (21.6in). Good size if you do not have a workshop.

 
Grant, yes, I believe that mutual respect to hobbies of each other is a mandatory condition to achieve a harmony at home

And here is what you get inside the timbering set from The Lumberyard.
 
Various planking and frame wood. Notice that wood color is pretty varying, so needs to be sorted.
Framing, keel, deck beams/knees would be in swiss pear, planking - boxwood, fittings - mixed. I also got beech, walnut and cherry for some parts, but not sure if I'll use them. Will see!

 
Laser cut parts. Planning to make my own deck beams with a cute scarfs, instead of using these. But they are a good backup, if my scarfs will turn into failure:

 
And plans, lots of them!

 
Don't mind the small size of the photos, it's 11.5 kg of wood!
Let's unpack the blueprints and make some sawdust!

Why scratch?
I always had a high requirements for a wood quality and fitting quality. Unfortunately, even expensive kits were never that close. After getting a first pack of boxwood, I would never go back to any inferior wood. Hence, only scratch. Not that scary though, I do most of the parts from scratch anyway.
It's a pity that kit producers do not offer a wood upgrade. For a serious build, cost is spreading over a number of years, so is it really so important?
Speed of the build is not important, I enjoy the process. As Remco says - "Treat each part as if it is a model on its own, you will finish more models in a day than others do in a lifetime".
 
Why Hahn?
For a weird reason, don't like the realistic framing style, like David Antscherl suggests. First - you don't see anything between frames, and second - uneven spacing and shape of frames make me feel dizzy when I look on them. Physically. I know it sounds weird, but I just can't. So - frames would be spaced evenly, even if it's unrealistic. So what, I'm not adding a rocket engines to my model
Also, Hahn's method for a frame construction looks easier. Yes, the wood usage is higher, but again - why that matters? I will build it for 5 years at least, so paying a bit extra for additional wood is not a problem. And I truly like the design of Hahn's jig!
 
Why Beavers Prize / Oliver Cromwell?
This ship has no honorable history. It was built in 1777 in Philadelphia, started a pretty good career - capturing 7 ships in 3 months after a start - but then was defeated by british HMS Beaver. Was downgraded from 24 cannons to 12, and served remaining time guarding british coast. Died in a hurricane after a number of years, slowly degrading and having a continuous problems with discipline onboard.
But there is something in the lines of that ship that touches me. Look on the model - hull proportions are pretty nice. It's not too high, and not too low, and I was looking for that photos a lot, admiring its beauty:
 

 

Ahoy Mike  
 
I am with you on this. While a big part of woods beauty is the diversity; there is a point where it goes to far.  In most other fields; products with less desirable traits are sold as seconds. Expecting this from our wood suppliers is not asking for the stars. 

Thanks AP, Rusty, Nils and for all the likes.
 
Rusty - it's good to see you back around.
 
So the rough fairing has been completed and frame pair K which is the first frame bend has now been installed with its spacers. I am making and installing the floor spacers from 4" Swiss pear as the square frames go in, and the frame bend spacers are 4" boxwood that I hope will give a little bit of contrast.
 
As of today, frame 14fore and frame pair J have been cut out and need assembly, hopefully over next few days.
 
Ben

Hey Mike,
 
I usually cut my frames and leave about 1/32" outside of the line. But if I'm cutting and I stray and hit or even go over the line, i throw the frame away and make another one.
 
Ben

Mark, you are right, the outside edge of a frame is more important. But on the outside it looks simply like a dirty grey stain.
I understand that wood have a colour variation, and it is good. But long grey spots are not ok
 
Alan, welcome! Happy to see you