EdT

That is my interpretation as well, Druxey.  Here are two photos from the Naiad build log showing how I interpreted that.
 
First the score in the spirketing.

 
Then the installed transom knee with the s-curve into the spirketing score.  I did not plank this side under above the structural spirketing.

 
Hope this helps.
 
Ed

Nice idea for the small pieces, Mark.  As for the hand scroll saw, I'll take your word for it.
 
Ed

To be honest, Tom, I have a hard time visualizing it until actually doing it.  Thanks again for your comment.
 
Ed

Thanks, again, everyone for all the comments and likes.  I realize some of the posts are becoming repetitive - a prime descriptor for rigging work - but I hope to have some new work to show soon.
 
Tom, I am no expert on knots, so your comment propelled me back to the experts, starting with Darcy Lever and coming forward to S.B. Luce and Biddlecomb.  Everything after Lever seems to be a copy of his descriptions - in which he and his successors describe a clove hitch as two half hitches.  Since I am making these seizings with three (and sometimes more) half hitches, the term clove hitch is technically incorrect.  I should probably describe these as three (or more) half hitches.  In all cases the rope is taken around in the same direction.   In any case this method of making seizings is a modeling convenience at this scale  that simulates actual seizing methods where a number of turns are taken then secured with perpendicular frapping turns between the larger ropes.
 
Ed

That is my interpretation as well, Druxey.  Here are two photos from the Naiad build log showing how I interpreted that.
 
First the score in the spirketing.

 
Then the installed transom knee with the s-curve into the spirketing score.  I did not plank this side under above the structural spirketing.

 
Hope this helps.
 
Ed

Ed...I have neglected my own Glory of the Seas and Great Republic builds in lieu of some major home remodeling, but watching you work so methodically and accurately on the YA encourages me to no end and in some small way gives me the endorphin high I get from engaging my own builds.  Awesome and amazing work on the YA.
 
Just beautiful.
 
Rob(Thanks)

Some additional thoughts:
 
The standard-form frigate contract of the late 18th Century contains the following spec:  "To have a wing transom knee on each side 10 inches sided, the knee fore and aft arms 14 feet 0 inches long, the athwartship arms 7 feet 0 inches long, to hook with a long hook scarph to the spirketing and bolted with 13 bolts of 1 1/2" diameter, and 2 of 7/8" diameter in the lip of the scarph."  It is true that this is a frigate contract, so it may be different for a 74.  If you have contract for the larger ship I would be interested in the text.  If not, I suggest getting one from NMM.  The question is: what is the orientation of the hook scarph - horizontal or vertical?  With the number and size of the bolts I put it in the vertical plane, simulating it with a wide score into the spirketing, since such a hook scarph in that plane is invisible - and hard to cut in situ.
 
Whether the fore and aft arm of this knee is straight or curved would, I guess, depend on the relative heights of the transom vs. the spirketing.  In my case the spirketing was lower so the knee was curved to allow the knee leg to enter the spirketing scarph (score) on a parallel line.  On Naiad (see the photos) the knee if left straight could easily have been scarphed into the deck clamps above the spirketing, but that is not what the contract says, so I did not do that.  Actually from the glue residue on the frames, I may have first  bolted it directly to the frames then changed it after reading the spec.  Can't recall.
 
Edited-an after thought on the curve knee:  Curving the knee so that the top face of the short leg is parallel to the wing transom, permits bolts to be driven through.  Angling it down might preclude this.
 
I cannot recall if I had other reference(s) for this.  I think it was just the contract language cited asbove.
 
Ed
 
 

That is my interpretation as well, Druxey.  Here are two photos from the Naiad build log showing how I interpreted that.
 
First the score in the spirketing.

 
Then the installed transom knee with the s-curve into the spirketing score.  I did not plank this side under above the structural spirketing.

 
Hope this helps.
 
Ed

Nice idea for the small pieces, Mark.  As for the hand scroll saw, I'll take your word for it.
 
Ed

You are welcome, Toni.  I did use the profile cutter described in Naiad II to make those deadeyes - and the method produced a satisfactory set - with the finish polishing steps.   I have regretted (and apologize) that size and shipping weight issues, the number of drawings with that book, and the large amount of content, limited some descriptions could have been more complete - I think the deadeye description was a paragraph or two (compared to five pages in YA II).  I would have said more about turning speed and emphasized the relief angle under the cutter.  Getting the grinding of the backside of the cutter along the entire profile was not easy.  That, coupled with the larger number of sizes and smaller sizes on YA led me to the single pointed or rounded cutters that required more tool changes and settings, but were able to produce a wider range of sizes - some down to 1/16".  As you probably know from the book, the Naiad deadeyes were Swiss pear.
 
Ed
 
 

Very nice work, Toni.  I appreciate the issues with turning deadeyes.  I wish I could say that my turnings are exemplary, but they are not, but here are some personal thoughts about smoothly finished turned deadeyes and other small parts: 
 
I would strongly second Danny's recommendation on using genuine Euro Boxwood for its superior hardness.  It can be found online.  Since it will be stained and small pieces can be used, color imperfection common in current offerings is not an issue.  In comparison with other species, relative hardness properties according to an online Wood Database are proportionately as follows: Eurobox, 2840; Castello 1800, Swiss pear 1660, Hard Maple 1450, Cherry 950 and, for comparison only, Basswood 410.  So apart from color, cherry is not a good choice.  Pear is much better if color is paramount.
 
Some other things to consider that I have found helpful: 
 
Smooth turnings are best produced by tools that shave vs. tools that scrape.  Most contour cutters are scrapers because it is very difficult to sharpen a complex shape to take shavings.  For example, furniture turnings that are shaved require very little sanding compared to those made with the usual scraping tools - unless a burr is formed on the edge - not practical on small tools.  Also, a wide cutter will rip out more fibers that a narrow tool. Single pointed or rounded cutters with correct relief angles (about 20 deg for wood) have the best chance of shaving.  Use the calibration wheels to form the shapes.  
 
Use the very  highest turning speed and the very lightest feeds when using a machine lathe designed for metal cutting - like Unimat or Sherline - espeicially with wide contour cutters that put a lot of stress on turnings.
 
Round and polish with fine abrasive sticks - 320-400, then 1200 grit and up.
 
Use a non-fading stain, either pigmented (say Minwax) or natural water soluble dyes like walnut extract/VanDyke crystal solutions.  I am currently using the latter for these parts and more diluted solutions for hemp rigging.
 
Hope these ideas are helpful.
 
Ed
 
 
 
 
 

That is my interpretation as well, Druxey.  Here are two photos from the Naiad build log showing how I interpreted that.
 
First the score in the spirketing.

 
Then the installed transom knee with the s-curve into the spirketing score.  I did not plank this side under above the structural spirketing.

 
Hope this helps.
 
Ed

Ed,
 
I have such a lot to catch up on with this build. You continue to educate us all, with your endlessly refining techniques, and thoughtful historical reconstruction.
 
Mark

That is my interpretation as well, Druxey.  Here are two photos from the Naiad build log showing how I interpreted that.
 
First the score in the spirketing.

 
Then the installed transom knee with the s-curve into the spirketing score.  I did not plank this side under above the structural spirketing.

 
Hope this helps.
 
Ed

That is my interpretation as well, Druxey.  Here are two photos from the Naiad build log showing how I interpreted that.
 
First the score in the spirketing.

 
Then the installed transom knee with the s-curve into the spirketing score.  I did not plank this side under above the structural spirketing.

 
Hope this helps.
 
Ed

Using small off-cuts. Since this shipwright is now living in retirement, wood has to be used as frugally as possible. I have boxes of off-cuts from earlier work, because I previously tended to cut pieces out of freshly cut large sheets. I did this to keep fingers away from blades, and also to be long enough to go through the thickness sander. So as I ponder many small parts still coming, like knees, I considered how I could manage using more of my off-cuts.
 
To solve the thickness sander issue, I built a simple sled. I was able to attach a number of off-cuts to it with double sided tape. The tape adds .005" to the height of the top side of the wood to the top of the sled, so I use the depth indicator on my calipers to check the thickness after each pass, subtracting .005" from what I measure.
 
Because my power scroll saw sometimes grabs at small pieces, particularly when they are only caught by one side of the foot, it makes me nervous on little parts. So I have tried using the Knew Concepts hand scroll saw shown below. It is a little slower, but much less nerve-wracking.
 
Wing transom knee. I came across an interesting issue regarding the wing transom knees. Goodwin's book says the knee attaches to the frames, and the thickness of the knee at the fore end of the fore and aft arm is 6". But the spirketting is 7" thick at the waterway and 5 ½" at the top just under the ports. So the wing transom knee would be buried in the spirketting, which does not seem right. Rob Napier's book on the contemporary model Princess Royal shows the wing transom knee fayed against the spirketting. Was this a modeling convenience, and if not, would the wing transom knees have a thicker dimension on the fore and aft arm in order to accommodate the spirketting? and I thought this was going to be an easy piece!
 
Mark
 
 

Part 41 – The Cabin
 
Hi Everyone
 
It has been quite a while since my last post.  Most of the time was occupied by a long vacation trip that included Michigan, Ontario Province in Canada, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, down through Maryland and ending in Virginia – lots of driving!.  During the trip we got to see relatives, old friends, and some new friends.  A stop in Maryland allowed a visit to the real Skipjack Kathryn, where I was able to take some photos of the details that will be part of the model work yet to be done.
 
Since returning from the trip I’ve been working on Kathryn’s cabin.  Kathryn’s cabin interior includes windows in each side wall and in the forward wall.  It also includes openings in the side walls and the aft wall for access to the berths that were previously constructed under the deck beams. 
 
The following are two photos from the HAER files showing the cabin interior.
 
                        
 
                        
 
Kathryn’s cabin has a ‘doghouse’ – a small structure with larger windows – presumably to add light and a little more headroom in the cabin.  This doghouse was added to the cabin after the original build but before the HAER survey.
 
                        
 
After a bit of time attempting to develop a plan for framing out the cabin and constructing the cabin’s interior and exterior walls, benches, and cabinets, I decided that this approach would probably be more difficult than I wanted to attempt.  Instead, I developed an approach that would provide the realistic appearance and would be within my capabilities.
 
The model’s cabin walls consist of a basswood form with the openings for the windows and the berth openings.  This form is sandwiched by paneling on the interior and planking on the exterior, and is the thickness of the studs that would have been used in framing.
 
The following photo shows the form and the paneling for the starboard wall.  The paneling is a piece of scribed deck planking stained with Minwax Sedona Red.
 
                        
 
After the openings for the windows and berth access were cut, a piece of transparency film was glued over the window opening in the interior face of the cabin form.  This simulates the glass of the window.
 
The openings in the paneling were framed out.
 
                        
 
The panels were then glued to the form.  The window in the exterior face of the assembly was then framed out with framing pieces that had been pre-painted.
 
                        
 
The exterior face of the assembly was planked down to the level of the deck.
 
                        
 
When this work was completed for all cabin walls, the walls were then glued in place.
 
                        
 
 
Molding was installed around the base of the cabin.
 
                        
 
The following photo shows the interior of the cabin.  The cabin deck still needs to be painted, and the settees and cabinets need to be installed.  A short companionway ladder will lead from the main deck down to the cabin deck.
 

 
At this point I need to point out an error I had made in Kathryn’s construction: the cabin opening and the aft hatch are too close together.  There should be about 3/8” space between them.  This resulted from a drafting error that I hadn’t picked up until too late.  I thought about doing some surgery on the deck to move the hatch forward, but the stanchion under the deck beam that supports the forward hatch coaming prevented this.  So the model will remain as it is, with the cabin too close to the hatch.
 
The roof of the cabin has an opening for the doghouse mentioned above, and has a camber that is the same as the deck camber.
 
Since the roof of the model needs to be removable in order to view the cabin’s interior, a form was developed that would provide a snug fit to the cabin opening.  Another form in the outside dimensions of the cabin roof was glued to the first form, as shown in the following photo.
 
                        
 
The roof camber was then shaped using a sanding drum on a Foredom flex shaft tool.
 
                        
 
                        
 
Each wall of the doghouse would be of two-piece construction, with the sides overlapping as in the following photo of the plans for the doghouse.
 
                        
 
The dotted lines on each wall indicate tabs that would be left on the interior piece of the wall to allow accurate mounting.
 
Since the openings in the two pieces of each wall need to be identical, the pieces were first glued together so that they could be shaped together.
 
                        
 
In the above photo, the four pieces for both side walls are all glued together so that the side walls would be identical.
 
The drawing of each wall was glued to the appropriate set of wall pieces.
 
                        
 
The walls were cut out on the scroll saw and final shaping was performed using the sanding drum and small files.
 
                        
 
The wall pieces were separated in an acetone bath.
 
                        
 
In the above photo it can be seen that marks were made on the bottom of the pieces prior to separation – this allows the pieces to be properly aligned.
 
The inner piece of each wall had a piece of transparency film glued to it to simulate window glass.  The outer piece of each wall was trimmed to remove the tab from the drawing.  The ends of each wall were trimmed where appropriate to allow the overlapped construction mentioned above, and each wall was then assembled.  The following photo shows a side wall and the aft wall shaped and assembled.
 
                        
 
The front and side walls were glued together in a magnetic squaring jig before the doghouse was glued to the cabin roof. 
 
            
 
The roof of the doghouse and the cabin roof were planked and shaped, and then were painted.  The following photos show the cabin roof and doghouse.
                        
 

 
The cabin interior needs to be completed, and doors need to be added to the aft wall of the cabin.  The following photo shows the current state of the model.
 
                        
 
Thanks everyone!  It’s good to be back and making some progress on Kathryn.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 246 – Main Topmast Backstays
 
The main topmast backstays are exactly like their foremast counterparts – two pairs of 10 ½" lines looped over the topmast head and secured to the channels with deadeyes by 5" lanyards.  The alligator clamp holding one of the 16" backstay deadeyes in the first picture was very useful when tying the throat seizing and in setting the deadeye height.
 

 
The throat seizing is being tied in the next picture.
 

 
The two round seizings above the throat were made with a series of clove hitches.  The easiest way that I have found to tie each hitch on these and on the ratline knots is shown below.
 

 
After tying an overhand knot one one leg of the stay the tweezers are placed through the loop in the line that is passed behind the stay. The tweezers are then used to grip the end and pull it through to form the hitch.  This process goes very fast and yields a tight seizing from the first hitch.  I am using three hitches on these. 
 
The threading up of the aft deadeye lanyard on this side is being completed in the next picture.
 

 
The first tensioning is started in the next picture.
 

 
The linen lanyards are pretty stiff, so pliers are used to grip each leg in turn, pulling up on the inboard legs and down on the outboard until all four stays have about equal tension and the forward stay is taut as well.  In the next picture the upper aft deadeye is being adjusted to make its face parallel with the stay.
 

 
This can be done by gripping all three of the outer lanyard legs and raising or lowering them until the deadeye faces are aligned. 
 
The next picture shows the four fairleads for these stays ready to be lashed on.
 

 
The lashing thread was first glued to the perimeter groove on the inboard side to make these easier to lash up.  The last picture shows the two starboard fairleads installed
 

 
The loose lashing ends will be trimmed later.  The lanyards will be wound around the stay later after a final tension adjustment in a week or so.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 245 – Main Topmast Stay
 
First some backtracking.  The first picture shows a sheer stave being lashed to the fore topmast shrouds. 

I initially omitted these but reconsidered after being prompted by a comment (Thanks, Scott) and checking through some sources.  This is a 1½" diameter wood stave as opposed to the served 1" iron poles on the lower shrouds. The excess ends and the loose lashing ends will be removed later.  This picture shows the starboard topmast backstays.  The next picture shows the 10½" backstays on both sides placed over the masthead.

 Before securing these at the channels below, I decided to install the 9" main topmast stay - for two reasons.  First, it will be easier to use the backstays with their lanyards for final tensioning rather than the forward stay that loops through shackled bullseyes on the deck.  Second, I have been anticipating a difficult task in fixing this stay at the lower end and wanted to get on with it.  In the next picture, the stay is looped over the masthead and being marked at the limits of the upper serving where the two legs will be seized.

 The lower ends of both legs of this stay are also served from abaft of the foremast, down through the bullseyes, and back up to the ends of the seized legs – as will be seen below.  The next picture shows one of the long lower legs being served.

The needle through the rope marls the end of the served length and will allow the thread to be pulled through the rope at that point to fix the end.  The next picture shows the lower ends being fastened to the shackled bullseyes.

Making these ends fast in the tight space was even more difficult than I expected, mainly because I did not allow sufficient diameter in the bullseye holes to easily pass the served line.  I spent almost an hour getting the port leg through the bullseye, including refitting the bullseye into the shackle several times.  The picture shows that side seized and the stay being pulled through the starboard bullseye.  After enlarging this bullseye hole at the start, this side took about a minute.  There is a moral to this story.
 
The next picture shows the completed lower end.  There are four seizings on each lower leg and simulated leathering in the area of the rubbing battens on the mast.

 Another concern I had about this arrangement was clearance between the four large, doubled lines and their fixings in the deck, as well as clearance around the mast.  This all worked out as planned - fortunately.  The next picture shows the upper end of the stay.
 
The next picture shows the full completed stay.
 
With this stay in place, belaying on the fore fife rails may proceed without having to thread these large lines through later, meaning that work can now begin on the yards of the foremast and their many running rigging lines.
 
But first, completion of the main topmast backstays that are temporarily clamped in the picture.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 244 – Main Topmast Shrouds
 
The first picture shows the served and parceled forward topmast shroud pairs placed over the masthead to allow the parceling glue to set.
 

 
The parceling is white tissue glued with plain PVA white glue.  Although this dries quite rubbery, letting it dry around the mast makes the eventual shaping and seizing easier.  In the next picture all six shrouds have been "tarred" with acrylic artist's paint, seized and pressed down into position.
 

 
The aft shrouds have a single eye, it was probably spliced, but I used a simpler/stronger seizing since these will be totally covered by stays and backstays.  Some excess seizing thread has yet to be sliced off.  The next picture shows the two backstay pairs served, parceled and placed over the masthead.
 

 
The backstays will be permanently fitted after the shrouds are installed.  That process is shown in the next few pictures.  In the first picture the upper deadeyes have been wired to a sheet of wood as was done previously to help in seizing them at a uniform height.
 

 
The first steps in making the throat seizing on the served forward shrouds is shown above.  The seizing thread was tied off to the standing leg then passed through the opening above the deadeye with the curved needle as shown – from left to right.  In the next picture, the thread was taken behind the standing leg and back through itself to form a single hitch as shown below.
 

 
This was then pulled tight and two more hitches added to produce the throat seizing.  In the next picture a frapping turn is being threaded to tighten the seizing.
 
 
A little "photoshopping" was done on the seizing turns to highlight the way the turns are placed.  The frapping turn was ended with a hitch.  After this, the short leg was pulled up next to the shroud and clamped to allow the round seizings to be added.  In the next picture the forward shroud has had the two round seizings added and has been wetted with diluted dark glue to seal the knots and the serving on the short end.
 

 
The second shroud has been clamped for seizing.  The last picture shows the six shrouds with their lanyards threaded
 

 
Lots of loose ends to be sliced off in this picture – the last step after letting the glue completely dry.  Next the backstays, then the doubled topmast stay down to the shackled eyes in the deck forward of the fore mast.
 
Ed

I am starting to get back into the swing of things, working on the gundeck waterways. Starting my new retirement phase of construction, I resolved to begin cutting as many joints by hand as possible. I had earlier relied on building extensive jigs for machines to control quality, but I have been inspired by the books by David Antscherl and Ed Tosti regarding how to do this with chisels and files. I also took to heart Gaetan's good advice to me a few years ago that the more one repeats a task, the better one gets at it. I learned this when cutting the mortises for the carlings and ledges in the gundeck itself.
So here is the port waterway ready to be installed, with handcut scarph joints. The last photo shows a little trick I tried successfully to keep the chisel perfectly vertical to the cut. I drew a line on the cutting block, which is reflected in the back of the chisel. When the line is straight between the block and the reflection, the chisel is vertical.
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark

To be honest, Tom, I have a hard time visualizing it until actually doing it.  Thanks again for your comment.
 
Ed

To be honest, Tom, I have a hard time visualizing it until actually doing it.  Thanks again for your comment.
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 246 – Main Topmast Backstays
 
The main topmast backstays are exactly like their foremast counterparts – two pairs of 10 ½" lines looped over the topmast head and secured to the channels with deadeyes by 5" lanyards.  The alligator clamp holding one of the 16" backstay deadeyes in the first picture was very useful when tying the throat seizing and in setting the deadeye height.
 

 
The throat seizing is being tied in the next picture.
 

 
The two round seizings above the throat were made with a series of clove hitches.  The easiest way that I have found to tie each hitch on these and on the ratline knots is shown below.
 

 
After tying an overhand knot one one leg of the stay the tweezers are placed through the loop in the line that is passed behind the stay. The tweezers are then used to grip the end and pull it through to form the hitch.  This process goes very fast and yields a tight seizing from the first hitch.  I am using three hitches on these. 
 
The threading up of the aft deadeye lanyard on this side is being completed in the next picture.
 

 
The first tensioning is started in the next picture.
 

 
The linen lanyards are pretty stiff, so pliers are used to grip each leg in turn, pulling up on the inboard legs and down on the outboard until all four stays have about equal tension and the forward stay is taut as well.  In the next picture the upper aft deadeye is being adjusted to make its face parallel with the stay.
 

 
This can be done by gripping all three of the outer lanyard legs and raising or lowering them until the deadeye faces are aligned. 
 
The next picture shows the four fairleads for these stays ready to be lashed on.
 

 
The lashing thread was first glued to the perimeter groove on the inboard side to make these easier to lash up.  The last picture shows the two starboard fairleads installed
 

 
The loose lashing ends will be trimmed later.  The lanyards will be wound around the stay later after a final tension adjustment in a week or so.
 
Ed

Thank you, Johann.  I am beginning to appreciate how tall this ship was.  There are two more masts to be added on both the fore and main masts  (and 3 on the mizzen).
 
Ed