Mike Y

I continued with the work on the bridge

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
I fixed also the electrical system for the feeding of small leds

 

 

 

Ivan I have just finished reading through this whole thread, and the side comments about why different people choose to use the woods they do. so to bring us back to your question.
 
You ask what are our suggestions.
 
As has been pointed out by a few, woods vary a great deal depending on where they grow.
You make the point that you use Swiss pear, boxwood, walnut which grow near you. we are not all so lucky to have dense fine hardwoods growing locally.
 
With respect to visiting the local carpenter to see the sorts of woods he uses. Where I live the local carpenters throw spruce and fir 2x4's together to build houses as fast as they can before the wood winds into a propeller. Fine cabinet work is of the plywood and moulding attached variety. There are a couple of hardwood stores that sells rough lumber in the city 50 miles away.
 
I just happen to like processing my own wood and have been doing so for 40 years, and also salvage old furniture when the wood is appropriate for a project. My local woods i.e. native ones are Aspen, Hawthorn, Pin Cherries, Saskatoon berry, Poplar, Birch, Willow, Spruce. Lodge-pole Pine. imported or non local varieties include Caragana, Lilacs, Apples, Mountain Ash, Elm, the non local varieties are generally not readily available unless you happen to be where some pruning is happening.
 
I particularly like the color and density of the wood from white lilac, I pruned a 4 inch tree 30 years ago and am still using small pieces from it.
sometimes I find a particularly dense piece of Spruce or Fir, these are generally from areas that are high altitude and very slow growing or starved for water.
 
Michael

I finished the windlass and handles.  I followed the prototype longboat model photos in the Greenwich Maritime Museum for inspiration.  The windlass has rounded ends and the holes in the windlass for the handles are offset.  Adds a bit of interest to that part of the boat.  As I've found on other parts of the boat, the soft, "fluffy" basswood is hard to shape crisp details from . . .
 

 

 

 

 
Erik

I've been sharing my photos of the build with my dad.  His reaction to the last set was that he couldn't see the detail of the windlass.  Point taken.  So here's a shot with the lighting at a low enough angle to show the shaped windlass to good effect.  It's a bit dark, but you get the point.  The holes for the handles are not centered because each side is offset, as seen in the photos of the longboat model at the NMM.  The ends are also rounded, rather than 8 sided.
 

 
David, I'm seriously considering Chuck's Cheerful as a second build, also the Echo cross section looks like a fun project.  Though different, both look like they'd be the same commitment level as far as build time.  My ultimate goal (3rd build?) is I'd like to build a fully rigged frigate (Chuck's Winchelsea maybe) or a ship-of-the-line (perhaps using Alex M's 64-Gun HMS Anson plans . . . or if Chuck does a 74-gun ship at some point . . . I see the background to this page is the HMS Cumberland.  A hint Chuck? ).  But I'm getting ahead of myself . . .
 
Erik
 
P.S. - I'm really looking forward to working with boxwood.

Danny,
 
I was committed to building this kit as-is when I started this project, knowing full well that upgrading the wood would produce better results.  So, I also am happy with the results I'm getting with this type of wood.    The main tests for me with this kit are the skill development aspects that are specific to ship modeling.  Also, I wanted to see how deeply the ship modeling bug has bitten before I spend more money on this hobby  That said, I'm happy to say this is a lot of fun and very fulfilling.  So, there will be a second build  . . . and it will most definitely involve using higher quality woods.
 
Erik

Can't wait to see what you can do with REAL wood then Erik, if you are turning out this excellent quality work with a softwood. Wait until you try using something like Castello or English Box - you'll think you're in heaven .
 
  Danny

I'm finally finished planking the outer hull. I don't know if all Cutters are difficult to plank, especially aft, but this one surely was.
 
Even though the bulkheads are spaced close together, the planks seemed to flatten slightly between some of them. I suppose that this is normal but it did require some additional sanding in order to get the right shape. I'm wondering if inserting spacers between the bulkheads before fairing the hull might have prevented this. Anyway, so much for my nitpicking! I'm still doing a bit of sanding here and there but I'm getting close to the end. I will apply some Wipe-on Poly to the hull after the Stern Post is attached.
 

 

 

 

Hello,
so it goes on with the construction report.
To stow the sloop on the deck, I have to build the poultry houses. These lie between the gratings.
For construction of the poultry houses, I show you the following pictures.
I hope you enjoy the pictures.

 

 

 

Hi there,
Mark, Ferit, Giampiero, Jesse, and all other
thanks for your kind words and likes.

Here's a little update ...
 

 

 
Note the feed troughs in the picture:

 

 

CAPTAIN PHILLIPS’ PATENT CAPSTAN
 
To this point, my build log has included detailed notes about my research into Franklin's ships, and is largely a mirror of my blog, Building HMS Terror. While I know some followers have enjoyed my research notes (thanks for all the kind words of encouragement), others find them tedious, and recreating them here every time I finish a part has become quite time consuming. 
 
 
For the remainder of my build log, I've decided to do something a little different, and keep this primarily as a photo essay of my build. I'll continue to post research notes, but those will only appear on my blog. This change will also allow me to post a few more photos here, for those who want to see more wood and metal. 
 
 
So, with that formality out of the way, here is my attempt to build plans and a model of an 1839 era improved capstan. For those interested in the historical research I conducted, please consult my blog!
 
 

An 1839 era Phillips, capstan, as I believe it may have been 
configured for use on HMS Erebus and Terror.
 

Cutting the capstan components on an Epilogue laser cutter. 
 

The completed pieces. 
 

Vellum was added to enhance the joints of the capstan.
 

The assembled capstan before sanding. 
 

Sanded to shape. 
 

Drilling the bolt locations. 
 

The completed drumhead. Some Phillips' capstan models 
show lined sockets, so I added boxwood liners. 
I admit that it was primarily an aesthetic choice. 
 

I cut the drumhead plate from an unused pipe fitting which I flared to the right size. 
 

I filed a lip into the plate by hand. 
 

I cut the pawl rim (ring) out of brass plate using a jeweler's coping saw.
 

I filed each stop by hand, after carefully scoring the brass
 

The pawl rims were each made from pipe fittings flared to the precise diameter. 
 

The pawl rim prior to soldering and sanding. 
 

The piece following soldering. I used  copper solder for the first
time on this piece - despite being very dirty, it worked well. 
 

To maintain the proper curvature, I cut the pawls from a copper fitting. 
 

The pawls cut roughly to length. 
 

Bolt holes were drilled before shaping. 
 

Each pawl was filed and shaped by hand. 
 

The completed pawl rim (ring) and pawls.
Two traits unique to Phillips' capstans can 
be seen here. First, the pawl rim was bolted through
each stop, rather than in the spaces.
Second, Phillips' capstans had between six and 
eight pawls, while earlier models typically had four. 
 

The pawlhead. 
 

The completed pawlhead with the top plate soldered in place.
Contemporary models show that the pawlheads on 
Phillips' capstans were made entirely of iron. 
 

Dry fitting the metal pieces. The pawls need some thinning here. 
 

Pieces prior to finishing and assembly. 
 

Blackening the metal parts. 
 

The metal pieces after blackening, buffing, and sealing 
(I use Krylon matte coat as a sealer). 
 

The completed capstan. The wooden pieces have been
treated with Minwax wipe-on poly. 
 
Detail of the pawl rim and pawls. 
 

The drumhead (the drop pins indicate it is in direct-drive mode).
 

Detail of the lower drop pins and drumhead plate (I couldn't find scale
chain small enough to model that feature). 
 

Mini-Crozier inspects his capstan, recalling his good times with  Parry. 

I have completed assembly and dry fit the keelson, a little fairing to be done. I am also looking into some different wood for the planking.
 
I do not see pillars in the cross section plans, but I see pillars of varying numbers on other builds?  I am curious where other builders got their ideas.  Any additional info on the pillars, spacing/design would be appreciated.  I would like to mill holes for them before installing the keelson.
 
Thanks,
Tony
 
 

Been working a little each day this week on the assembly. I have been taking my time and so far everything is going well.
 
Tony

Hello all, here is another update.
Regards 
Alexandru

That drum sanders for dremel do the same thing, very handy:

......
 
                            an affectionate greeting to all   rekon54

A quick shot of the oarlocks I added.  I used .019" brass wire I had instead of the .023" wire included with the kit.
 

 
Erik

The devious plot is getting deeper. Pray indulge me here....
 
Setting up a very brilliant man like Dr. P requires some effort, and a lot of assistance from his staff.
Here's the game plan....
 
His staff Nurse will tell him to allow extra time for me on that last appointment because Dave is going to be presenting his special gift to him.
But....She will also say "You are NOT supposed to know about this, it's a model ship, but you must act surprised."
 
So he comes in to my examination room, where the DECOY will be sitting over to one side in plain view.
The big ship is hidden in another examination room, to be brought into the room at the right time.
 
I will simply say something like "Because of your extraordinary efforts in my rare case, I decided to build you a special ship in appreciation for saving my life."
 
Obviously, his attention will shift to the decoy, which I will then reach over and pick up.
 
Now the hook....
"But FIRST....I also decided to build a little reminder of all the time spent in this chair enduring the most painful moments of my life while you used numerous tools to pick and scrape and vacuum my severely infected ear."
This little ship will serve as a reminder to ME of those visits....and as you can see, I have named it "The PAINFUL"
 
That will be the signal for the door to open and allow his staff to bring the real deal in.... SURPRISE!

Thanks to everyone for the compliments
 
more photos of Fleuron
 
                              follow other photos

Thank you all for your comments and likes and for your support for the now-published book.  I feel I have been neglecting the fully-framed version of Young America - and posting to this blog - for way to long.  
 
There has been little work on the model since April - a long hiatus.  May and June were taken up with getting the book ready for press.  Since then I have been consumed with the drafting and research for the next phases of construction - fitting out the weather decks and rigging.  I also decided to carry the POB version of the model to a more advanced state and post that work on MSW to supplement to POB Chapters in the book for those who might want to build that model these posts will provide more information than could be included in Volume I.  Volume II will apply to both versions equally - but it is some time off.
 
The picture below shows the current state of both models - mounted on temporary bases and ready for transport to the NRG Conference in Mystic next week.  Hope to see many of you there.
 
Ed
 

 
 

I attached all the knees, as well as the horse in front of the transom.  I'll do the oarlocks next.  After that . . . there's no more procrastinating doing the windlass. 
 

 

 

 
Erik

Another photos:
 
 

 

 

 

 

Mike,
 
I had lost track of this build for a while .  It's looking great!  You're making good progress.
 
Erik

As Toni has said, the 'generic' set of plans and CD from Admiralty Models has all the information for building a properly framed 'Swan' class hull.
 
If you wish to build a complete model of a specific ship, you will need additional plans. These are copies of the original draughts, often showing complete details of carved works, that are held by Royal Museums Greenwich, formerly called the National Maritime Museum. The plans you will need are
 
Sheer and profile
Forecastle, quarter deck and upper deck
If fully detailing below: Lower deck and platforms
(Optional is the Disposition of frame plan)

Don't confuse the Plans in the ordering section of Admiralty models with a complete set of plans for the ship one wishes to model.  The Plans include a Mylar sheet which represents a generic Swan class sloop as well as a CD of the lofted frames.  In order to model a specific ship, one needs to order the relevant plans from the Royal Museum.  There are minor differences among all of the ships.  

Toni, thanks for the heads up. Yes, the gunports are fine tuned with the file before installing the sills.