bhermann

Another very small update. 
 
Last time I was in the museum I temporarily abandoned the deck clamps in favour of starting to fit the bilge stringers, as one of the other model makers came in and wanted to photograph the process of inserting treenails for an article he was writing and the bilge was easier for his camera focus.
 
What with photos, yarning about model making and an extended lunch in the museum café, I didn't get much done!  
 
John
 

Hi all
 
Here are two videos of Ingomar's hull. I hope they work (this is the first time I've ever uploaded something to You Tube!) Pls excuse the amatuerish video quality....hopefully I'll get better at it.
 

 

 
Hope you enjoy.
 
All the best!

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 78 –Middle Deck Framing continued
 
It has been almost another two weeks since the last post.  Again, the work is pretty repetitive – a carbon copy of the lower deck – but with fancier pillars.  Work continues, however.  At the bow, as seen in the first picture, the installation of lodging knees has begun.
 

 
This has provided something of a break in the hanging knee/beam work going on aft.  In the next picture lodging knee installation has been followed by the ledges and also the bolts associated with each beam.
 

 
Meanwhile, in the next picture, 240 feet aft, the deck hook at the stern has been fitted, followed by the first few beams.
 

 
The deck hook was made in two pieces to save Swiss pear trees.  That center seam will be covered by central deck planks as was done on the lower deck. 
 
As middle deck beams were installed, the aft view ports could be cut, as shown in the next picture.
 

 
There is only one level in view in these aft openings because the rising line is quite high this far back, so there is nothing much to see below the lower deck.  The last picture shows the current state of the middle deck beam work aft.
 

 
The work goes fast when I stay with it, but this time of the year there is much else to do.
 
 Ed

I was able to spend almost a whole day in the workshop and got a lot done.  First I completed planking the bottom of the boat and begin work on the interior.  The plans provide the information to detail the entire inside of the hull.  However, all of this would then be covered.  I have looked over other builds of the Willie and I have decided that I will not detail the interior.  I will concentrate on those portions of the model that will be viewed.
 
My next step will be making the structure that will support the deck.

Hey, look! I've got a base board now! That's almost like launching a ship (to me). A milestone of sorts. I'm a proud papa.

I'm just back from a week long golf trip with my wife and three other couples, and after playing 6 times in 7 days, I was ready for a rest from golf and eager to get back to modeling. This combination resulted in a burst of activity.
 
I returned to work on the forecastle. First I realized that I had left off the knees on the belfry/barricade, so made and added them. Then I made and added the splash guards at the bow. These were cut from boxwood and bent to shape. Next, I made and mounted the 8 required timber heads. Theses were done from boxwood strip in the usual fashion of shaping each of them fully before cutting it from the strip. They were then painted and pinned and glued in place.
 
The last and most intricate work was making up the catheads. These were made from boxwood. notches were cut with a chisel to fit over the rail and the remainder of the shaping done with files. I did simulated sheaves, as I have done throughout this build. Next, I made and mounted the cleats and thumb cleats. Lastly, I added the necessary eyebolts. The catheads were then mounted in place.
 
I'm now moving on to the rough tree rail, which  will be the last of the forecastle work.
 
Bob

Wayne -
 
it may be time for a mutiny - I don't know if it's fair to give us this tease and then not start on the build.   I am looking forward to when you can get this build under way.
 
Bob

Bob: I guess MSW did some server changes or something and the photos were deleted.  I re-uploaded them, and I think the build log is complete again.  After the Monster Crash I have been very careful to back up everything!
 
Nils: I plan on doing a lift-off section to allow viewing the interior of the boat.  I think I will make the rear deckhouse just pop right off, but I haven’t figured out the specifics yet.  I do like the diorama style showing the boat mid-repair, but several others have done that way better than I could, so I want to try something novel.  That said, I do sort of like the idea of fully fitting out the interior then sealing it off forever.  I recall at least one of the models in the US Naval Academy collection was of a large-ish man of war.  They took a surgical flexible endoscope and found out the entire interior was fitted out, and there was absolutely no way to know that. 
 
And, thanks yet again to everyone following my build! Your words of encouragement are very much appreciated!
 
**----------------------**
 
With yet another life hurdle out of the way, and working a pretty light night shift, I have some day light work hours to put toward model ship work.
 
I continued with mounting ceilings, the third on each side below the topmost “clamp.” I also took the opportunity to try my hand at some practice hull-planking in the aftermost section, aft of the bunks. I figured I could warm up and practice tapering planks to fit in an area that will probably never be seen again once the decking is in place.
 

 
I carefully measured the distance to be covered, divided by the number of planks, and went about marking the width with a digital caliper and laboriously sanding the taper.  The run was pretty flat, and the planks sat in nicely without much (sometimes no) need for actually clamping in place as the glue dried.  Once in a while though, some creative clamping had to occur.  The silver disc is a neodymium magnet with a matching one on the other side.  These things are shocking strong! This was an AWESOME way to hold planks.  Better than my cute brass clamps even which makes me both happy and sad.
 

 
In fact, it worked so well I ordered 50 rectangular magnets from amazingmagnets.com (no financial interest in that company!) to use when I do the hull planking. 
 
Here is a close-up of the planking.  It looks pretty good, if I do say so myself.  It is funny, I worked from outboard to inboard, and the joints got better and better as I went.  They aren’t “bad” outboard, but definitely tighter and neater inboard. 
 

 
I also hung another ceiling on the larboard side. 
 


 
I trimmed the aft ends of the finished ceilings flush with a frame using a new, sharp #11 blade going slow. Very classy!  I’m pretty encouraged that hull planking will go well and I’m really glad I did this little test.  The next challenge will be to match the opposite side in both number of planks used and getting the spacing to match.  
 

 
Finally, I test-fitted another interior ceiling along the wet-well.  This is a dry-fit, and I fiddled with it quite a bit to get the compromise right between “looking good” and “avoiding as much edge-bending as possible.”  I plan on using the same “measure and divide, sand to taper” method to fill in the gap.  Yet more practice tapering planks before committing to the exterior hull planking.
 


 
Until next time, thanks for reading and happy building!
 
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 77 –Middle Deck Framing continued
 
It has been almost two weeks since the last post due mainly to the similarity of the lower and middle decks – not a lot of new stuff.  However, the middle deck framing is proceeding quickly – perhaps it’s the learning curve.  The first picture shows beam installation progressing from the bow aft.
 

 
The beams, hanging knees, pillars and carlings are all being installed progressively – leaving the lodging knees and ledges until later.  This has helped with the pace.  The next picture shows a carling being fitted.
 

 
The carling seats were cut out at the bench based on marks made on the model with the beams pinned – so the carling fitting goes very fast.  The next picture is a close up of the carlings for the above beam.
 

 
The wet spots are from washing off excess glue.  The pillars are set at the bottom on a piece of wire fit into a drilled hole – after adjusting the length to fit.  They are then glued top and bottom.  Wire “bolts” into the top will be added later.  The pillars were offset to permit long through bolts that were used to hold the beams tightly when side hull stresses would tend to separate them.  In the next picture wire “bolts” have been epoxied through the beams at the ends and into each pillar.
 

 
The bolts at the very end pin the beams in place.  The bolts just inside of those are inserted at an angle, down into the hanging knees to give their connection additional reinforcement.  
 
The last two pictures show the current status of the work on the middle deck.
 

 

 
The work will now continue from the stern forward.  It is easier to do the small end beams starting from the stern deck hook.
 
 
 Ed

"No, That's not true.. That's impossible!!"
 
"Come with me,  it's the only way..."
 
-Luke finds out about Dad...
 
Now that 8 months of the dark side is shed, the starboard side is finished...
 
(No close ups yet, gotta take a deep breath)

Thanks every one.  Mark I think the ammonia fuming works on cherry and oak but may not work on other woods.  Maybe worth trying though.  
 
Some more mathematical parts to this build.  As an accountant so I do a lot of percentage type stuff.  I actually use it a lot when it come to figuring out approximate size in small builds.  In order to figure out the length of the hull I have to start with what I know.  The length from the waterline to the top of the mast should not be more than 1/2 an inch.  I then went online and found several photos of the Bermuda sloop and measured the length of the waterline to the top of the mast and the length of the hull.  I found that the hull was generally 75% of the height water line to top of the mast.  So 75% of half and inch is three eighths.  
 
With that said I don't always measure things so particularly.  I think the longer lengths of height and length of the bigger pieces are important but I'm not going to try to find the ratios between the length of spars or height of the bulwarks.  I follow another rule for that.  If it looks right it probably is.  There is a bit of eye balling it at this scale.  Millimeters and 16th can only go so far.  I'll start carving now and get some pictures together for the next post.               

Pete - Thanks for these Pics. They help me with some of my decisions. The first picture reminds me of when I was racing. The Captain would yell "Meat to the rail!" and everyone would hang out as far as they could. One time when we had an accidental Jibe I went from being high side to my foulies being up to my thighs in icy cold saltwater.
 
Dave - On a race boat you don't want railing in the true sense. You do want something that you can tie off to if needed. On long races we would rig a line running from Bow to stern and winch it tight. If you were on deck with most of the crew asleep you would clip your safety harness to this line if you needed to go forward to the bow.
 
In AC racing there is a story of a bowman going over board and basically pulling himself back on the boat with the Jib sheet. The attitude in racing is that true railing would just slow the boat down, both because of added weight and wind resistance. On a cruising sailboat we called what you call railing Life lines. We also told any newcomers on the boat that if your life depended on it then forget it. they were not strong enough to hold the average person's weight. You were always aware of what were the strong and weak parts of the boat. I could hold on the forestay or the shrouds. If they were strong enough to hold the mast then they could hold me. Some station and life line bolted to the deck. Would keep sail bags from washing over board but not you.
 
Remember the rule - One had for the boat and one hand for you.

This is one of my favorite builds.  I've done two now and they are quick and easy.  I probably spend 4 to 6 hours on it.  If you want to impress some one with a neat gift this is a good one.  As far as ships in bottles go the ship is incredibly easy.  What is not easy about it is the scale.  This is on the small side even as ships in bottles go.  Any smaller and your putting them in flash light bulbs.  (Yes that's been done.)
 
 As far as the log goes I want to try and explain every thing I can so this will be as much a how to as it is a log.  If you have questions or even new ideas to try at this scale please ask and share.  I'd like their to be a good amount of information in this log so any one that wants to try this style build has everything they need to do so.  
 
Step one selecting a bottle or in this case vial.  
 
Here's one I got from Michael's in a package of vials.  It came with a couple of these and a bunch of others.  This size has been great.  It's about an inch long not counting the bottle neck.    
 
 
 
 
I measure the opening to see how much clearance I have.  This one about a quarter inch. 
 

 
The most important measurement is the inside of the bottle.  Typically tall ships are about as tall as they are long so with the bottle on it's side you have enough space forwards and back.  So what I need to know is height.  You can measure the outside and guess on the glass thickness or you can just measure the inside with a paint brush bristle.  The paint brush will be used for masts and spars as well.   
 

 
This is a regular old paint brush I don't even remember where I got it.  I have enough bristles though for a thousand ships so there's no worry about wasting any.  I cut one off and grip the middle with some tweezers and insert it into the bottle so that the ends touch what will be the top and bottom.  If it's too long it will bend.  I pull it out and slowly cut it down until each end just touches the top and bottom.  That will be the height.  
 

 
This bottle happens to be a little over a half inch tall inside.  
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I thought maybe there's some benefit in sharing how I'm preparing the deck planks and gluing them in place, so here goes... 
Keep in mind I'm very much a novice at this (2nd build) and I'm sure there are many other ways to accomplish this task. This may be a better "don't do it this way"      
Once I have a piece of wood selected, I (try) to do the following:
I inspect both sides of the wood to pick which side looks best. Some wood has blemishes that I like to place on the down side.
Lightly sand all four sides of the planks
Next, I make pencil hash marks on the down side and sometimes when I think it's needed also mark each end with an “F” for fwd and “A” for aft.
Now it's time to trim the plank to fit and shape. First I shape the end that is the most complex in shape and make sure it fits snug and tight (more on this below). I start with this end first in case I need to make it several times. Next, I trim the length to fit and then shape the remaining end.
Next, I bevel the inside lower edge that mates up to the already installed plank/edge. The bevel helps the plank fit up snug against the installed plank, especially if there is a little dried glue that seeped out and dried when the previous plank was installed.
I then insect the surface where the plank will be installed. I look for uneven surfaces, globs of dried glue etc. and correct any noted issues as best I can.
A trial fit is next, confirming the plank fits well or at least as well as I can get it.
Now it's time to apply the pre-stain followed by the stain.
Once the stain is dry, I use a pencil to color the fwd, aft ends and one side of the plank to simulate a caulk line. This has not turned out as well as I hoped for, but for the first time, I can live with it. It may clean up later if I decide to sand the deck.
Gluing the plank in place without a false deck is a bit of a challenge for me. I first had to decide where to lay the first plank, which will then determine how all remaining planks will mount, kinda like laying floor tile. I used the center keep as a starting place due to it being (supposedly) centered from left to right and due to two planks being the same width as the keel which was a great reference in keeping the first two planks very straight. I'll cut in the mast holes later. For the time being (always subject to change), I'm installing the deck features on top of the deck planks.
I used both Titebond and CA when mounting the planks. I used a dental probe to apply small amounts of white glue on the edge of the installed plank, other than at the bulkhead locations. Once the Titebond was in place I place CA glue on each bulkhead and the fwd/aft edges of the plank. The CA glue dries quickly and helps hold the plank in place white the Titbond dries. I use wedges when possible to hold the plank in place.
Time to move on to the next plank.
 
The planking became more difficult for me once the aft end shape went from being squared off to a more complex shape the the fwd end. The last four pictures show how I determine where to mark and cut the wood to get the correct edge angle and a reasonably decent fit. I just noticed the dirt and dust in the photos, next time a cleaning is in order before pictures.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 76 –Middle Deck Framing
 
Since the last post eight middle deck beams and one pair of half beams have been installed – along with their hanging knees and pillars.  Lodging knees will follow.  The first picture shows the first four beams and two pillars installed.
 

 
The beams are glued bolted to the clamps with copper wire - epoxied in.  There will also be copper wire bolts through the beams into the tops of each hanging knee for extra strength.  The pillars are reinforced with wire into the beams top and bottom.
 
The next picture shows the first of the carlings installed.
 

 
These are going in after the pillars to leave space for fitting those.  In the next picture, the next beam has been glued in and is awaiting its hanging knees. 
 

 
Once the beams are in place to support the clamp over the view openings, they can be cut out – as in the above picture.  The next picture shows the first two of three openings cut into the forward view area.
 

 
The next picture shows those openings from the inside.  This area is now ready for the headers around the fore mast and the half beams to those headers.
 

 
The areas below the middle deck are having wax finish applied progressively as the work above is finished. In the next picture the two headers and half beams have been installed astride the fore mast opening,
 

 
The beam, knee and pillar bolts mentioned above were also in when this picture was taken. The last picture shows the current extent of the work completed.
 

 
This work is going faster than the lower deck framing, mainly because there are no knees on the pillars.  Patterns for the middle deck knees were also lofted more carefully using a different process - meaning the initial fits are better.  Also, deferring the lodging knees is probably more efficient.
 
 
 Ed

It's funny once you start looking what you end up finding. My favorite bottles I've gotten from friends but I've found some good ones in thrift stores including a 1950's wine bottle.  I think I may put a 1950's yacht of some sort in that one.  I'm not sure yet.  I've also found bottles while out walking the dog.  I put a xebec in one that I found that way.  
 

Well it took some time and the jury is still out whether all the time I put into building the skylight was worth it, but I finally finished it.
 
I took Chuck’s advice making separate window frames mounted on a small block to make up the skylight.  I used 1/16” square stock for my frames, so I made the block 1/8” smaller than the dimensions of the skylight taken from the plans.
 
I’d like to mention here that in hind sight I should NOT have used the length dimension of the skylight from the plans.  As it turned out, the skylight, using the dimension from the plans, would not have fit between the stove pipe and fife rail of the aft mast whose hole I had already drilled in the deck.  Fortunately, I discovered this before I assembled all the pieces.  I ended up shortening the block and sanding down the end window jambs of the three pane frame to make it fit and it’s still pretty tight.
 
I then decided to try and put the bars on the windows.  First I drew guide lines on the frames above and below the windows.  I then marked off the location of each bar along the guide lines which, for my windows ended up being 1 mm apart.  I then drilled a hole at each mark and then erased the guide lines.  I had already picked the wire I was going to use so I knew what size hole to make.  For the bars I thought that the 28 gage wire that comes with the kit would be too thick.  Since the Admiral has tightened the purse strings on buying any additional material for this build ( I can’t imagine why) I looked for something I already had.  What I found, and used, was the copper wire from some 16/2 speaker wire I had used to wire the surround sound in the family room.  I striped a piece of the sheathing, blackened the wire and had the material for the bars.  I’m guessing the individual strands are around 30 gage.
 

 
My next problem was to find something that I could make the bars with so that they would be all same size.  After trying a few methods that didn’t work too well, what I stumbled upon was to use my needle nose pliers.  As can be seen in the photo below, I placed a pencil mark at the position along one of the jaws that equaled the length of bar I needed.  I then clamped the wire in the jaws and bent the wire down to form a square ‘U’ shape.  I then trimmed the wire as required and inserted the ends into the holes.  Trying to impress my daughter, I showed her what I was doing and unimpressed she told me that I have way too much time on my hands (next life, no kids  ).  I installed all the bars prior to gluing them in.  Before gluing them I threaded one of the unblackened wires between the window frame and bars so as to keep them slightly off the frame.
 


 
After all that, I assembled the skylight gluing the frames to the small block.  Before gluing the frames on however I placed a piece of transparent tape around the block as in the practicum.
 
For the roof I tried a different procedure than I used for the wheelhouse and cockpit companionway.  For those two items I installed the roof pieces directly on the block one at a time, for the skylight I tried making the roof independently and then installing it in one piece.  I pre-bent the edge pieces first by soaking them and taping them to an ice bucket with the appropriate radius.  I then installed the roof members in between them, gluing them in place as I went.  Once the entire roof was made I glued it on to the skylight.  To finish I installed the base board trim around the bottom.
 

 

Was it worth putting the bars on?  I think so.  It took a while but in the end I think it was worth the effort.  Maybe I should have made them a little smaller.  The fife rail is only in temporarily to make sure it all fit.
 

Been away from the shipyard the last few days. Helping some friends out. Stayed at their house with their 3 kids while they were at the hospital having their 4th one! Got to be one of the first few people to hold her. So precious!
 

Well, here's the finished product of paint. I probably do some more polishing once the clear coat finishes curing. The upper trim line looks more wavy in the picture than in person, maybe the pixels of the picture. But I like the contrast of the gloss body and the matt finish deck. Time to start reading ahead and moving on with this fun build.
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 75 – Lower Deck Finishing/ Middle Deck Beams
 
The finishing touches on the lower deck are finally complete.  The first four pictures show the last stages of the work.  The first picture shows the last section of binding strake being installed.
 

 
As usual the dark area are wet  from washing off excess glue.  The two central planks aft of the after hatch are also being glued.  The opening for the mizzenmast will be cut later.  The next picture shows final planking around the main masts. 
 

 
The planks astride the openings are need for the pillars.  There is not much planking on this deck – to maximize visibility of the hold.  After this final planking, all of the remaining treenails were installed and all of the copper bolts blackened in preparation for finish.
 
In the next picture the starboard side framing has received the first application of wax solution.  The side planking is left unfinished so the hanging knees can be glued.
 

 
The next picture shows a closer view above the forward hatch after the first coat of finish was applied.
 

 
The planks have been cut for the fore mast opening and left unfinished for later gluing of the pillars.
 
The next picture shows fitting of the middle deck beams in progress.
 

 
These have been cut to size, shaped at the ends to match the frames and pinned in place temporarily.  In the next picture all of the full width beams have been pinned in place.
 

 
Ed
 

I was hoping to get the last two sails done before I posted but with in laws in town I haven't found the time.  They went home and I found enough time to post.  Here's where she's at.  
 

 

 

 
I can't say she's the best ship I've ever done but I've learned a lot in the process so she's been worth it.  Just got two more sails and she's ready to bottle.  

Hi folks, I think I have finally settled on a method and technique that works for weaving the mouse for my HMB Endeavour (1:60).
 
The following sequence of photos shows the rigging station I use, the jig itself and the various stages of the weave process.  The finished product still has to have the furries removed and I still need some further practice to ensure the weave is uniformly formed on both sides of the cone.
 
I use a couple of electronics wire clamps for temporary holders and a couple of needles for the rigging and weaving.  I have found that using 13 strands of 0.25mm thread (horizontal threads) provides the best effect at this scale, while 19 (with larger thread) would be better at 1:48 etc. An odd number is required to keep the under/over sequence going.
 
I start by positioning the former (turned on the lathe) on the rope (Stay in this instance - therefore LH laid and 1.0mm at this scale) and holding it with the alligator clamps (shrink wrap on the teeth to protect the rope).  The alligator clamps/clips are fitted to  springs to create a 'bowser' to I don't over tension and damage the rope.
 
I hold the former in place with a dab of glue then I use the needle to pierce the rope as close as possible to the former (thin end of cone) and feed the weaving thread though the rope twice to anchor the weaving thread leaving a tail of sufficient length to serve the combined/bunched horizontal threads back a sufficient distance down the served rope -  the long end of this thread is used to weave between the horizontal threads.  I then tie a knot in the combined horizontal threads (13) at one end and then feed them individually through the holes in the jig in the sequence of 3 a space, 3 a space etc.  When complete I recombine the threads at the other end and put some CA on that to hold them together and the use a fishing sinker on a swivel as a weight to keep some tension - not too tight as you need to pull the threads together.
 
I then start to weave doing about three or four complete circuits of the weave each time using the needle.  I found that weaving with the needle coming towards me such that I work from the bottom up and behind the rope (stay) worked best for me as a right hander.  I kept losing track of the under/over sequence trying to work downwards behind the stay but experiment to see what works for you.  After each group of three or four turns, I tension the them individually using a pin in a dowel to push the threads back (similar to how a loom would push each row of knotting/weaving) and to pull the threads to tighten the turn. 
 
When I have completed the weaving turns I use the finer needle to again take two passed through the rope (stay as close to the wider end of the former that I can, ensuring to tension the thread (careful not to break the thread) after the first pass and using the second to lock it. I then start the reduction process thinning by a third, then a half etc) and serving with the long end of the weaving thread over the reduced threads and using the electronics wire grips/clamps to temporarily hold the thread as necessary.  I again finish passing the long thread through the rope/stay using the finer needle to finish the serve. 
 
I then finish thinning and serving the other end the same way.  The weave (very close) up will have some 'furries' which I get rid of later.  I now using my serving machine to finish serving the loop/strop (short end) of the rope finishing the serve at the appropriate place to form the eye and leave enough serving thread (having secured with the needle the same way) to use as the serving/whipping on the eye's end.  Trim and clean up the finished product.
 
I hope this explanation and the photos adequately show the technique but please fire away with any questions or suggestions/improvements to my jig or technique.
 
cheers
 
Pat

OK, so here is the scariest part of a build for me. Paint. I feel this is where you can screw up all the work done up to this point.
 
I first had to mark the waterline, and this was giving me some trouble since I was holding the boat in the supplied holder and it wasn't staying level...but I got a mark and taped off the bottom.
 

 
From there I had to tape off the deck I just finish but leaving the outer plank exposed as part of the hull cap.
 

 
I decide to handle the white lines (water line and upper trim line) by painting white, then back masking off the two lines. 1/8" for the waterline, and 1/16" for the upper trim.
 
But, When I painted the white primer it shown me all my imperfections, so there was filling and sanding again, and reapplying the white.
 

 
Masking off the lines, the water line look twice as wide, I applied a second layer over the bottom over the first layer so blue couldnt leak through below the white line.
 

 
and finally the upper hull blue. I was so nervous getting to this point already, but fortunately the blue covered smoothly and evenly .
 

 
I may have some touch up to make on the blue, which is what is preventing me from removing the tape and finding out how good my lines came out. If I have to spray any more blue, then these need to stay on.
 
I've been practicing with different poly clear coat and see how I will finish up the whole body. That part still scares me also since I'm not sure on which clear I'm going with and if I'll spray or foam brush apply it.
 
Stay Tuned.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 74 – Middle Deck Parts
 
Posts to the log have not been as frequent because much of the work has been repetitive.  In the next phase – the middle deck – the work will be a virtual carbon copy of the lower deck.
 
Very little work remains to finish the lower deck – mainly treenailing and some deck planking.  While that is being completed, parts for the middle deck are being made.  In the first picture some sample turned pillars have been made to help me decide on the choice of woods for these.  Six dozen are required for the next two decks.
 

 
Turned pillars above the lower and middle decks were probably black locust – a favorite wood for that application – and for treenails.  The four options pictured are, left to right, Castelo, Cherry, Mahogany and Black Walnut.  I loved the color of the Honduras Mahogany but the pores are a bit distracting –same with the Walnut.  They could be filled but not on these small pieces – maybe for the upper deck rails.  So I decided on the cherry.  It is slightly darker than the pear I am using for oak members.
 
For the final versions of these a new lathe bit for the beads was required.  After quite a lot of fiddling with the shape and the depth of the cut the tool in the following picture was used.
 

 
The next picture shows the beads on a pillar being turned.
 

 
The piece is held in a self-centering four jaw Sherline chuck, running on my ancient Unimat SL.  The homemade brass adapter for the chuck can be seen in the lower left corner.  The cherry square is kept on center inside a close fitting brass sleeve in the tailstock chuck.  Cutting depth is set by the brass half sleeve stop slipped over the cross-feed rods – visible just below the cutting tool.   The beads are cut first and the piece removed so others can use the same setup.  That set up is then changed and the area between the beads turned in about the same way.
 
The next picture shows the first two dozen pillars in progress.
 

 
Deck beams were also made.  The picture below shows the middle deck set before cutting to length.
 

 
 The clamp template in the picture is used on a router table to impart the top of the beam curve – a recycled tool from Naiad – but with a different round up.  Once the curve is put on the top of a blank, the beam is parted off and run upside down through the thickness sander.  I have described this process on a few earlier posts and it is described in detail in Naiad Vol II.
 
Knees, knees, knees – about ten dozen are needed for the middle deck.  Below the pattern sheet for the starter set of hanging knees has been pasted to a pear blank about an inch thick.
 

 
After cutting out on the scroll saw the 12” thick knees will be sliced off.  The next picture shows the pieces after cutting to shape with some ripped to size.
 

 
 
The shape of these knees will need to be refined to fit each location – from about eight basic shapes. 
 
Finally, the out-of-date drawing on the shipway board was replaced with a new one with latest revisions - and is it clean!.  The picture below was taken before setting up the end supports – to give a good view of the stern hull lines.
 

 
 Ed

Bob,
Back in the late 1950's I sailed on a 42 foot Alden schooner with double gaff rig. The masts probably we're not as tall as your project, but there was still a lot of line to deal with. Especially holding the coil in one hand while feeding the line to the coil with the other hand. Putting the coil on the pin is not really an issue, because the coil, itself, doesn't go on the pin. As you may know, when coiling the line you leave some line, say a couple of feet between the coil and the pin. When the line is fully coiled and held in your hand, with your other hand reach through the hole in the coil and grab the line running between the coil and the pin (those couple of feet); pull it through the hole and around the top of the coil, creating a loop. This loop goes over the pin, not the whole coil.
Tom