Wintergreen

Hi all,
 
John, I took your word for it so I turned a shaft instead. One side coned like all other lathe tools and the other with a small dent for the support.
Also managed to finish a dust cover with a tube to attach shop vac or similar. My long time plan is to extend the shop dust extraction system with a hose for smaller tools, like this one.
 
I attached 150 grit paper to the drum and the first tests were satisfactory. It will however take some time to learn about at what pace the material should go through.
Also, it seems that a speed of ca 1400 rpm is quite enough.
 

 

 
Well, with that taken care of, it is back to the boatyard to see if there will be some progress...

Then the boss said cushions, so now we have cushions

I've had a couple of weeks off from Sirius and the cutter over Christmas under orders from her who must be obeyed, she suggested I made something for her mother as she is more into the boats that I'm making than the wife, in fact she has my old cutty Sark on her mantelpiece, I found on eBay a constructo kit for a Thames steam barge, the model had already been started and all the frames etc were missing but for £10 I thought what the hell
As we live in Cookham which some of you may know (Druxey does) we are on the side of the Thames so I thought this wold be perfect for her, it arrived the day before Xmas eve, I cut my own bulkheads from the sheets still in the box and laid the first plank at 12.15 on Xmas eve
This is the finished job today and I'm giving it to her tomorrow as a belated Xmas present.

Hi all,
 
John, I took your word for it so I turned a shaft instead. One side coned like all other lathe tools and the other with a small dent for the support.
Also managed to finish a dust cover with a tube to attach shop vac or similar. My long time plan is to extend the shop dust extraction system with a hose for smaller tools, like this one.
 
I attached 150 grit paper to the drum and the first tests were satisfactory. It will however take some time to learn about at what pace the material should go through.
Also, it seems that a speed of ca 1400 rpm is quite enough.
 

 

 
Well, with that taken care of, it is back to the boatyard to see if there will be some progress...

Hi again folks.  It has been a while and I have been busy doing small parts in preparation to fit prior to starting to airbrush the model again.  I have still to make and fit the chainplates, and the common service lifebuoy before I can paint but I think I should be able to start in the next week or two.  
 
I have added the rails to the cheek pieces.  These are made from 0.5mm brass wire (stiffened); soldering these was not so difficult but drilling the holes in the top of the cheeks was a little daunting as they are only 1.2mm wide.  They still need a little cleaning up and blackening (or etching) so that paint will stick.  

I have also made the cable stoppers.  I forgot to add a scale, but these are only 11mm long but I was able to place a forelock pin and retaining chain on them; and the lever works.  The second is half complete.  Unfortunately, the old one, made by a club member, was too narrow so I had to redo them.  The anchors are being made at the moment, so much of the forecastle equipment can be added when the airbrushing has been done.  

The mast partners still need to be drilled out to the mast size, but I am hoping the net effect is that the remaining parts of the central triangular shapes will look like wedges.  Again I for the scale, but this is 12 mm x 13mm.  I took the dimensions from the Arrow Class Gun Despatch Vessel plans I have from the NMM, as they were roughly the same size vessel and contemporary.  I had several attempts at assembling the various parts but could not get a neat fit, so I cheated and resorted to inscribing them.

cheers
 
Pat

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 261 – Fore Topsail Yards
 
I have finally been able to break out of the ratline work to start on the next set of yards – specifically the fore lower and upper topsail yards.  These will likely be the next two to go up, but the main yard is also an option.  I want to get all the ratline work done on the lower and upper masts before staring on the yards.  I got ahead of myself with the fore yard and that made finishing the ratlines a tougher job.
 
I described the methods I am using to make spars in Parts 217-218 and Parts 247-248, so I will not go through it all again.  I will mostly stick to some things that may not have been covered earlier.
 
I generally like to drill all the holes in a spar at the first trim.  At this stage it is sized but still square and not tapered, so it is easier to hold and center the piece.  I forgot to do this on the lower topsail yard so it had to be done later as shown in the first picture.
 

 
In the picture the holes for the jackstay stanchions are being drilled.  The yard is clamped to the tooling plate at the octagonal center area and at the yardarm square section – not optimum but not too difficult.
 
In the next picture the upper topsail yard is set up for drilling while still at the first trim.
 

 
In the earlier description of this drilling I used the mill vise, but since I had the tooling plate set up I decided to use it instead.  To make the yard parallel with the plate, I used the small depth gauge described back during the deck framing.  The next picture shows the jackstay stanchion holes drilled into this yard.
 

 
The stanchion holes are the most important to do at this stage because they need to be centered on top of the yard and equally spaced.  Other holes will be drilled later.  In the picture the quarters are marked out.  In the next picture dividers are being used to mark the diameters on two opposite sides at each quarter.
 

 
These are taken directly from the drawing and serve as guides for the first roughing out only.  The final dimensions at each quarter will be measured and adjusted more accurately as shown below.  In the next picture the two marked faces are being tapered using a plane with the yard clamped in a vise.
 

 
The vise works well before the spar is tapered.  The fixture described earlier and shown below could also be used.  The taper is planed, scraped, rasped and sanded down to the divider marks.  In the next picture calipers are being used to check and refine the sizing to the dimensions specified on the drawing.
 

 
The drawings specify the diameter at each quarter in full size decimal inches, which are then divided by 72 to get the measurements to the three significant digits used in the final sizing as shown above.  The sandpaper board is used for the final sizing. 
 
With the spar tapered on two sides, the planning fixture shown below was then used to taper the remaining two faces.
 

 
For these smaller spars the top section of the stop was removed to clear the plane.  In the next picture one of the remaining two sides are being tapered.
 

 
The yard was then converted to an octagonal shape, except at the yard arms, as described in the earlier posts.  The center area on these "single-tree" spars were left octagonal, so the final rounding begins at the end of the octagonal section as shown below.
 

 
After filing off the corners of the octagon, the rounding was completed down to the square yardarm section using the sanding stick shown.
 

 
This has 220-grit paper on one side and 320-grit on the other.  The last picture shows the two topsail yards ready for their ironwork.
 
 
 
Ed

Hi EnT,
just took the time to read through the great planking of 2017 and realized what a recognition to have ones model on display at a national maritime museum, let alone The National Maritime Museum.
Hats off for that!
Excellent build so far.
 
About bending oak. One often think it is very hard to bend such a sturdy lumber. Quite the opposite, oak, if not squishy, it is at least very bend-able when coming out of the steam boiler. But then again, of course it will take a lot of manpower to squeeze an 8x10"x20'(?) in place...

I find it stimulating to follow a build of a leisure craft.
Keep it coming :-)

Hi EnT,
just took the time to read through the great planking of 2017 and realized what a recognition to have ones model on display at a national maritime museum, let alone The National Maritime Museum.
Hats off for that!
Excellent build so far.
 
About bending oak. One often think it is very hard to bend such a sturdy lumber. Quite the opposite, oak, if not squishy, it is at least very bend-able when coming out of the steam boiler. But then again, of course it will take a lot of manpower to squeeze an 8x10"x20'(?) in place...

Hi EnT,
just took the time to read through the great planking of 2017 and realized what a recognition to have ones model on display at a national maritime museum, let alone The National Maritime Museum.
Hats off for that!
Excellent build so far.
 
About bending oak. One often think it is very hard to bend such a sturdy lumber. Quite the opposite, oak, if not squishy, it is at least very bend-able when coming out of the steam boiler. But then again, of course it will take a lot of manpower to squeeze an 8x10"x20'(?) in place...

Ouch!
Practice makes perfect is not much of comfort. Just keep focused and it will turn out even better than before as Mark says.

I find it stimulating to follow a build of a leisure craft.
Keep it coming :-)

The Old New Year! The sailors got confused... the Captain in disbelief! Where the right capstan?

Dear Patrick, I never expected the hull would come out this nice. If I did, I would be more careful with the treenails, to align them better and use the same material throughout. Now the tree nailing is far from perfect. But I also have this desire to paint it green and red or something bright. Or maybe gold and fill the deck with pillows, you never know!
 
Hakan, there is little info on this matter on the net compared to other aspects of boatbuilding. This is surprising as this is a tricky job.
 
I had another look on the Whisstock website and I realised there is a forum area. I posted a question and George Whisstock very kindly replied. Apparently the plans call for a 7% camber (and 9% for the cabin roof) with translated to 17 mm crown, quite a lot more than the 10 mm I intended to use. This will result in a really curved deck but this should be fine as the actual deck areas are quite limited.
 
I realised that the marking of the positioning of the beams was very inaccurate. Also, It was impossible to accurately mark the position of the beam on the opposite sheer. It took a day to finally come up with a way to do this without a massive jig. The straight strip on the port side has the positions of the beams and the sliding jig across the central rail ensures everything is completely square.
 

 
 

 
 
I used tape to mark the positions as I need to also account for the variable thickness of the beams.
 

 
 
I also put some order in my wood stash today, which was all over the place. I realised I have accumulated quite a lot in the last few years. The timber is now well seasoned but all the maple sheets are horribly warped, as well as some very thick beech strips. I did though the mistake of storing my wood vertically.

After recalibrating my gantry for measuring off the sheer drawing, I decided it would be prudent to re-plot the wales, just in case things went astray during the move.
While I was at it, I re-thought how to attach the batten above the wale, for more accuracy. I had previously plotted points the thickness of the batten above the wale, so I could see the points from above while attaching the batten (too hard to look for points under the batten, in the shadow). But this proved to be inaccurate; the batten itself was not completely the same width along its length, and I had now plotted more points against other points, allowing errors to creep in.
 
So, instead, I drilled holes at the plotted points at the top of the wales, which I could see clearly without the battens in the way. And I then put small nails into the holes, using these as stops against which I could very accurately hold the batten while drilling and fastening it.
 
This was a reminder to me that--at least for me--registering one piece against another is going to be more reliable than free-handing.
 
Mark

Gary, sorry to hear about the channel mix-up. I look forward to the updates, when undoubtably the planking will be even better than the previous because you have now had a practice run!
 
Mark

Over the weekend I almost completed the launch.
 
The foredeck was planked - hard to tell though. I also made the foremost bench together with the 4 gussets that reinforce the attachment to the hull.

The trickiest bit was the splash rail. The corners were much too tight to bend so these were cut from solid. Once mounted on the deck  rail the were joined buy 3 bent planks.
.
It's probably worth explaining that I am using 2 sources of mahogany (one much lighter in colour) to add interest to the launch.
 
I then added the interior detail of the engine housing, prop shaft cover and instrument bulkhead. The engine housing has the gear lever mounted.

The rudder then went on with the bracket to support the lower end.

I made and mounted the brass fittings on the small foredeck. The brass protective strip for the stem was also made and mounted. By this stage I had given the inside a coat of poly - still a bit wet when the following photos were taken.

I have delayed mounting the wheel and throttle lever until the internal painting is complete. I now need to make the cradles for mounting the launch on the deck.
 

Hi all,
Re the book; it covers a replica build of the original boat from 1900. Since these boats always were build without plans, the book contains no blueprints. The original boat was measured and from this they made a couple of plans, which are part of the book. Will show you later.
 
Now for todays update. In my earlier post I headed out to my shop in order to create some kind of thickness sander. So far, so good.
I have yet to try it out with sanding paper, but I think it might work. In the future there will probably be room for updates on some of the details of it.
 
The aluminium drum is held in place by squeezing only. Might need another way, but the friction seems good enough.
As you can se the height of the table is adjusted by a knurled knob attached to a M6 threaded rod. One full turn raises the table 1mm at the aft end. The drum is approximately 2/3 up the table. One full turn would then approximately lessen the space drum-table with 2/3 of a mm. (I guess).
The table is hinged at the front end.
 


I also need to build some dust extraction for it. But that will be quite easy, just some cover to stand over the whole unit with an outlet to attach a hose to.
We will see.
 
To be continued...
 

Hi all,
Re the book; it covers a replica build of the original boat from 1900. Since these boats always were build without plans, the book contains no blueprints. The original boat was measured and from this they made a couple of plans, which are part of the book. Will show you later.
 
Now for todays update. In my earlier post I headed out to my shop in order to create some kind of thickness sander. So far, so good.
I have yet to try it out with sanding paper, but I think it might work. In the future there will probably be room for updates on some of the details of it.
 
The aluminium drum is held in place by squeezing only. Might need another way, but the friction seems good enough.
As you can se the height of the table is adjusted by a knurled knob attached to a M6 threaded rod. One full turn raises the table 1mm at the aft end. The drum is approximately 2/3 up the table. One full turn would then approximately lessen the space drum-table with 2/3 of a mm. (I guess).
The table is hinged at the front end.
 


I also need to build some dust extraction for it. But that will be quite easy, just some cover to stand over the whole unit with an outlet to attach a hose to.
We will see.
 
To be continued...
 

I think you have made some correct desicions.
Deck beames, if you go back to the ships of the line, deck beames were indeed a segment of a circle.
And also, in my opinion they should sit vertical.
 
Great job so far.

Hi all,
Re the book; it covers a replica build of the original boat from 1900. Since these boats always were build without plans, the book contains no blueprints. The original boat was measured and from this they made a couple of plans, which are part of the book. Will show you later.
 
Now for todays update. In my earlier post I headed out to my shop in order to create some kind of thickness sander. So far, so good.
I have yet to try it out with sanding paper, but I think it might work. In the future there will probably be room for updates on some of the details of it.
 
The aluminium drum is held in place by squeezing only. Might need another way, but the friction seems good enough.
As you can se the height of the table is adjusted by a knurled knob attached to a M6 threaded rod. One full turn raises the table 1mm at the aft end. The drum is approximately 2/3 up the table. One full turn would then approximately lessen the space drum-table with 2/3 of a mm. (I guess).
The table is hinged at the front end.
 


I also need to build some dust extraction for it. But that will be quite easy, just some cover to stand over the whole unit with an outlet to attach a hose to.
We will see.
 
To be continued...
 

It is not with little hesitation that I know start a build log. For me it is somewhat of a Pandora's box of feelings since I've been away from MSW for quite some time now. One thing caught my attention when I read the foreword in Ed's "Naiad" book, it seems that it is quite an accomplishment to build anything to scale between your graduation and retirement. Life tends to interfere all the time. Anyway, here we go...
 
The object for my build log will be a working vessel from the Swedish west coast dated at about 1900. I've learned  "Go small, go simple, go now" when it comes to long distance sailing. Applied to scale model shipbuilding that would translate to something of small real world dimensions and a rather simple type based on some source that you already have. In my case it panned out to be a "Kåg". For those not familiar with Swedish pronunciation of words (most are not, so don't worry) it originates from the Dutch kaeg or cog. 
 
Basically it is a fishing vessel. It was all about herring during 17th to early 20th on the west coast of Sweden. By the way, swedes are still a lot about herring marinated in more or less fantastic ways. You will find them on any decent "smörgåsbord".
 
Included in my source is a couple of plans and the first tasks include some CAD to create plans that can be used to build something. Real world dimensions for this particular vessel is some 22 feet between perpendiculars with a width of 10 feet. Length over all will be some 9,5 meters. Scaled down 1:30 the hull will be 225 mm stem to stern with a moulded width of 96 mm.
 
The clinker boards will be just shy of 1 mm thick, which I think is the smallest I could manage.
Real world materials were oak for basic structure, top strake and details. The lower strakes were of pine. Mast and spars of fir.
Materials for the scale model will be apple for basic structure, mast and spars and probably birch for the boards.
So far the introduction. Over to the build.
At this moment I have not produced any dust yet, only managed to create templates for the hull, keel, stem and stern. Starting up with CAD has a steep learning curve... 
 
The book:

A picture of the vessel sailing (maiden tryouts):

Keel, stem and stern.

I will happily try to answer any questions and will also of course gladly take on any help and suggestions to aid in the building process.

Druxey, Wintergreen and Mark, thank you all for your good words.
 
I have been deliberating the deck issue for the last few weeks. Today, I sat down to the computer and did a bit of 3D.
 
Initially, I decided that a deck crown (or camber) of 3/4 inch per foot, that is 7.5 mm in my boat, should look ok. Actually I thought that it would be too much. After adding the deck to the hull though, on 3D it is apparent that actually is not enough!
 

 
 

 
 
I did it again with a 10 mm crown and this time it was better. 
 
 

 
 
I then made all the beams and the longitudinal members and trimmed the beams, I could not make Rhino work with a parabola but an arc looks ok. I used the same arc (as it  came out at max beam) for all beams and indeed, the deck centreline worked it self out fine (I checked, it is very fair). 
 

 
 
and then added the whole thing to the boat
 
 

 
 

 
 
I will check but I do not think My boat matches accurately enough my plans so maybe I will not be able to use these templates. Still, the 3D has been very useful so far not only to decide the camber, but also for the following reasons:
 
Following the original plans, there is really a very narrow deck on the sides of the cabin, I think I will need to make it a bit wider.
 
I had the concern that the longitudinal beams would have some crazy twist but they appear reasonably straight as the next photo shows
 

 
 
Finally, as I decided to make the beams vertical and not perpendicular to the sheer, the 3D gives me more or less the bevel that will be needed
 
 

 
 
I have also done a bit of thinking for the cabin. I think the side walls should have a slight tilt inwards and that the top should follow the sheer to a degree and of course have a camber. But this is for much later on.
 
Regards
Vaddoc
 

Hi Vaddoc!
I've just scrolled through your log, impressive I must say, given the surrounding circumstances with family and all.
Congrats to the milestone of finishing the hull!
 
I think you will find all the detailing that now comes so much more fun. And laying the deck will be a breeze ;-)

Hi all,
Re the book; it covers a replica build of the original boat from 1900. Since these boats always were build without plans, the book contains no blueprints. The original boat was measured and from this they made a couple of plans, which are part of the book. Will show you later.
 
Now for todays update. In my earlier post I headed out to my shop in order to create some kind of thickness sander. So far, so good.
I have yet to try it out with sanding paper, but I think it might work. In the future there will probably be room for updates on some of the details of it.
 
The aluminium drum is held in place by squeezing only. Might need another way, but the friction seems good enough.
As you can se the height of the table is adjusted by a knurled knob attached to a M6 threaded rod. One full turn raises the table 1mm at the aft end. The drum is approximately 2/3 up the table. One full turn would then approximately lessen the space drum-table with 2/3 of a mm. (I guess).
The table is hinged at the front end.
 


I also need to build some dust extraction for it. But that will be quite easy, just some cover to stand over the whole unit with an outlet to attach a hose to.
We will see.
 
To be continued...