Wintergreen

Then of course Dan, you could build something for yourself in between and not always on commission...
then you could enjoy the journey as well as the final result.
 
Mij, I too know the feeling of putting a lot of hours in the scrap bin...just to remake and be happy. You have our support anyway!

Then of course Dan, you could build something for yourself in between and not always on commission...
then you could enjoy the journey as well as the final result.
 
Mij, I too know the feeling of putting a lot of hours in the scrap bin...just to remake and be happy. You have our support anyway!

Do you mean to tell me the boy at the museum was right in asking if you were doing it right?  John, if the Stag was not right I’ll accept not being right any day.
 
Bob

Found this 15 min documentary from 1936. Unfortunately it is in swedish, but the sail handling is general.
I must say, it adds another dimension, seeing the lads running up the rigging (rig-rats, perfectly appropriate term).
And also hoisting the anchor...team-work allover.
 
The ship in question is af Chapman which was static already then. (servers as a youth hostel since many years).
Najaden and Jarramas, both sail training vessels. 
Najaden is now also static in Halmstad, since many years, and Jarramas is undergoing re-rigging in Karlskrona.
 
Enjoy!
http://www.svtplay.se/klipp/164957/marinens-skolskepp-najaden-och-af-chapman-1936
 

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 15 – Setting Midship Frame Pair
 
 
American Clipper Note: In March 1849, the telegraph watcher at Sandy Hook, NJ, observed a large ship approaching from the southeast.  It could only be a tea clipper, but the first of these for that year was not due to arrive for at least two weeks.  It turned out to be Sea Witch, an early extreme clipper designed by John W. Griffiths, under Captain Robert Waterman, just 75 days out from Hong Kong, a west bound journey to New York of 14,500 miles - establishing the first permanent sailing record – never to be beaten by a sailing ship.  Her average speed: 193 miles/day.  Later in the year, Sea Witch set the standing record from Canton to New York, a slightly longer passage, in 77 days.  Hong Kong – New York – Canton – New York in one year – unheard of.
 
Back to work.  The first picture shows the setup for erecting the square frames.
 

 
In this picture the midship frame is held in position for attachment to the keel.  The two clamped squares hold the frame at the sides and will maintain pressure on the glue joint at the keel.
 
The squares are clamped at the breadth to the frame with the corners set at the joint line as shown below.
 

 
The joint line of the pair is aligned with the edge of the square – held by clamps.  At this stage the mark at the center of the cross-spale is centered using the Plexiglas rectangle.  This gauge was cut square and notched to clear the keel.
 

 
With the clamps tightened, the bolt hole through the floor into the keel is drilled. A brass “bolt” is then tapped in slightly.  The frame is raised slightly to apply glue, then lowered and the position rechecked.  The “bolt” is then driven in as shown below.
 

 
The next picture shows the installed frame later with the clamps cleared away.
 

 
This is a good time to recheck the center mark on the cross-spale – without the clamps.
 
The next picture shows the bolt hole center being marked on frame A.
 

 
The last picture shows the first three frame pairs erected. 
 

 
A cross-spale was added to pair A because it was slightly off-pattern at the top.  The frames need to be correct at the breadth to use this method.  B was OK.  Frame C is ready to be set in this picture.
 
Progress at this point:  Pairs 0 to C set, 0 to G fabricated, 0 to K lofted.
 
 
Ed

Hello all,
 
After many months, I have finally done some more work on my Oneida!  Hopefully this will be a more sustained period of work than the last one.
 
And it's not all that exciting to show--I've continued exactly where I left off--making deadeyes.
 
Here's a picture of the materials and tools I've used in making them: a 5mm dowel of Cherry, a small brass drilling jig, pin-vise and bit (#71 0.65mm), a sandpaper block and assorted files-- 
 

 
 
 
Here's a closer shot of 20 deadeyes (half the required amount of this size).  On the left are "blanks" with the holes drilled and a score line around the circumference.  On the right are the "finished" deadeyes, which will eventually be stained black.   It's very hard to see, but the finished one leaning upright toward the bottom is showing its backside, with the one hole that is not "eased" for the lanyard rope, as that is where the stopper knot will be, for the upper deadeye in each pair--
 

 
 
The pin was in the last shot for scale, but this picture gives a better idea of how small these are.  And these are the largest on the model.  Others will be 4mm and 3.5mm--
 

 
 
That's all for now,
Ron

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 13 –Frame Assembly 2
 
 
American Clipper Note: In 1848 there were 9 sailings recorded from New York to San Francisco and they averaged over 150 days.  The following year, 1849, after the gold discovery, there were 37 passages averaging 177 days – for those that made it.  From 1850 to 1853 - as the extreme clippers came off the slips - there were around 375 voyages averaging 128 days.  In her maiden voyage Young America did it in the excellent time of 110 days.  This was longer than the record of 89 days, 21 hours set by McKay’s Flying Cloud in 1851, but up to the end of 1853, times of under 110 days were achieved only 41 times in the 375 passages.
 
The first picture shows frame pair A with the pins removed after assembly. 
 

 
The was the first pair forward of the deaflat, so there is virtually no bevel.  The next picture shows the assembly being sanded back to the aft profile on the disk sander.  The inside was cleaned up using a spindle sander, but left rough.
 
 

 
At this stage the outer profiles are accurate enough to set the frame, so the patterns can be removed.  This will allow the sidings of the upper timbers to be reduced.
 
Reducing the sidings after assembly will allow the frames to be accurately beveled based on the patterns, which would be inaccurate for the timbers with reduced siding.  Also, it is much easier to assemble the timbers using pins if they are all the same thickness.  The drawback is that timbers have to be reduced on the finished assembly.
 
The safest way to do this – for you and the work - is filing by hand as shown in the next picture.
 

 
The sidings step down by an inch of so at each joint moving upward, so this can be done by filing then measuring.
 
With so many frames to do, I adopted two other methods to speed the process.  The first is shown in the next picture.
 

 
In this method a ¼-inch end mill is lowered down to touch the piece.  The piece is then removed and the cutter lowered to make the cut above the joint.  Do not even think of doing this without the guard and without being able to hold the piece on two sides as shown.    Although the amount to be removed at each level is small, I did this in stages of about .005”.
 
The next picture shows how the remaining ends were done after the above step using the disk sander.
 

 
Both these last methods require a lot of care.
 
After a few frames, I decided to install the top timbers – cut from thinner 10” stock - on the forward frames after all this work.  These will be visible inside the hull planking above the main deck, so this way they will all be the same size.  The next picture shows a top timber.
 

 
In this picture the iron bolts have been installed.  The next picture shows that work in progress.
 

 
As on Naiad, I used black monofilament for these iron bolts, held in with CA glue.
 
The last picture shows the final midship frame, ready to be erected.
 

 
 
 
Ed

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 4 - Webb’s Young America

Well, they say that every good plan eventually degenerates into hard work. The research and planning for the model has been fun, but now it is time to get down to business. That does not necessarily mean getting right into the workshop, although apart from the frame process tests discussed in Part 3, I do hope to start forming the keel in a week or two. Right now there is a ton of frame lofting to do and sometimes that can get tedious. With 80 frame pairs, totaling 160 frames, there are a lot of patterns to create. Please be patient.

In Part 3 I had intended to discuss Young America, and my choice of her as a subject, but I inserted the framing process work instead. So, I will discuss YA here while I take a break from lofting frames.

Webb
William H. Webb was widely regarded as the premier American shipbuilder of the mid-19th century period. His father Isaac Webb took over the New York shipyard of Henry Eckford in 1825 and operated it under the name of Webb and Allen until his death in 1840. During that time, 23 ships – from cutters to packets were built. In 1840 William Webb took over the yard. Over the next 30 years, 135 ships were built – packets, clippers, steamers, barks, ironclads, and of course, extreme clippers – 9 of them. Following Celestial and Gazelle, the third.of these was Challenge, launched in 1851. The purchasers single requirement was that Challenge should be the finest and fastest merchant ship in the world, regardless of cost. At 252’ feet she was the largest extreme clipper to be launched to that date. Comet at 241’ was launched two months later. There were four more before Young America in 1853 – the ship that Webb considered his masterpiece. He knew the extreme clipper era was ending and that YA was the last he would build. He went on to build many more ships through 1869. In later life Webb turned to philanthropy, starting a school of marine architecture for boys of limited means. To this day, tuition at Webb Institute is free to qualifying applicants.

Young America

Young America was named after a broad, popular cultural-political movement that flourished in pre Civil War America. The movement advocated democratic reform, free trade, expansion and similar themes. It was a largely urban, middle class movement that became associated with the Democratic party and Stephen Douglas. It paralleled similar movements in Europe.

Some design particulars:
~243’ long od, 43’2” extreme breadth, ~26’ depth of hold
1961 tons – old measure
20” floor deadrise (9 deg)
deadflat forward of midpoint 25’
swell of the sides (tumblehome) 20”
3 decks
circular stern
cost $140,000

Excuse the approximate numbers on her size. There seems to be a variety of measurements reported and due to lack of standardization, it is not always clear what they are. Fortunately the original offsets (see below) ensures that the model will be correct. Other features will be described and compared to other similar ships as they occur later in construction.

I include deadrise in this list because it was considered a key variable in improving speed. Of course as the angle of the floors increased, hold capacity decreased, so the pronounced deadrise of up to 20+ degrees that was employed on the early extreme clippers clearly emphasized speed over capacity in these ships. As the period advanced, bottom shapes became more flat, without an attendant loss of speed. At 9 degrees YA is a good example of the evolved design.

The key structural issue in these ships was the prevention of hogging – the downward deformation of the hull at the ends – sometimes to the point of failure. The problem occurred in wooden ships because of reduced buoyancy at the ends due to less hull volume at the bow and stern. The long length and the sharp entry and run aft in these ships severely aggravated the problem. The obvious solution was to increase hull strength by various means – huge keelsons, heavy inboard planking (called bilge keelsons), various forms of triangular bracing, anti-hogging chocks, diagonal iron lattice-work bolted to the frames, kneed pillars, and generally heavy construction - to the point of reducing hold capacity. Relative to the competition, Webb employed these features with a lighter touch, generally keeping scantlings smaller. He also employed some innovation in going to variable frame spacing with frames spaced further apart toward the ends of the hull where the smaller sections required less structure. This is said to have reduced the dead weight of the structure at each end by up to 25 tons – a substantial relief of the hogging strain effect. The long life of Young America (and others) is a testament to this good engineering.

Availability of data on Webb’s ships is limited to books of plans from his papers for some of his ships. Data for Challenge is fairly complete, since at her launch detailed descriptions were printed. For Young America, less original data is available.

Building a fully framed Young America would not be possible for me without the work of William L. Crothers, specifically his recently published (1997) The American Clipper Ship, Characteristics, Construction, Details. The book is a thoroughly researched tour de force on clipper ship construction. In it he has reproduced Webb’s original table of offsets for both Young America and Comet – essential for producing hull drawings. He has also included substantial basic scantling information for a variety of ships. Based on the assumption that Challenge, Comet and YA would all be similar in structural design, I believe an accurate framed model design can be made forYoung America. Having reached this conclusion, I made my choice to proceed. Crothers also published model plans for a number of ships under the name Sea Gull Plans. The plans for YA (1:96) do not include framing or structure, but will be useful for deck arrangements and rigging. I have also used his similar plans for Challenge and McKay’s Lightning for reference. I have acquired and studied a variety of other sources, but in the main, Crothers has nicely collected most of the useful data – and has usefully referenced his sources in detail.

Below is an image of the CAD body plan from Webb’s original table of offsets. This provides a good description of the hull shape. It is very different from my previous model of Naiad and ships of her type. The method of creating the body plan was also much different. Gone are the heights and breadths of rising, the circular sweeps and points plotted on diagonals. It is possible that a half hull model was made first and the waterline/butt line offsets taken from that to loft the ship. This was a common practice.



This body plan is a starting point for the frame lofting. It shows only profiles at primary station lines. To this drawing I have added all of the intermediate frame profiles as well as profiles between these to permit beveled frame patterns to be lofted. The intermediate profiles were plotted from points measured on a half breadth plan constructed from the original table. That body plan is shown below.



The cant frame profiles are not shown in this plan. The square frame lines are extremely close together, especially near midship. Fortunately, only the computer has to see them.  The diagonals on this plan were added only to set the height of the frame joints in fair lines. I do not believe the American builders paid too much attention to this, but it will make a neater model.

In addition, a table of scantlings is being progressively constructed from various sources.
 
As proof that there will really be a model starting soon, I have included the following photo of the old Naiad building board sporting the framing plan for YA. The shipway is just long enough.




Ed

Thanks for the support, folks!
 
Mark - it can sometimes be a bit intimidating working in front of an audience, especially when you're trying to figure out something you're not sure about - after all, we're supposed to be the experts!
 
My best exchange to date was with a small boy of about seven or eight.  It went something like:-
 
Small boy - I make models too you know.
Me - Oh, do you; that's good
Small boy - My models don't look like yours, though.
Me - Don't they?
Small boy - No; are you sure you're doing it right?
 
(Small boy's mum collapses laughing)
 
John

Daniel, isopropyl alcohol keeps us all out of trouble!  And if it is too late for that...then it's time for they ethyl alcolhol instead.
 
I have built the ladder from the lower deck to the aft platform.  This is the last structure to make before starting work on the lower deck furniture.  I have used the pattern from TFFM.  The slots in the stiles for the risers were made with the table saw.  I have a 0.16" kerf slitting blade which is just wide enough for the risers and used that to make the mortises in the stiles.  A coat of finish was applied before gluing it in place.
 

 

 

 
Although I am pleased with completing this part of the build, Mr. Excitement (aka Cocoa) is less than thrilled.
 

End of the Reposts!
 
Starting with the next post the material will be new - no more reruns - I hope.
 
Ed

Thank you all for your encouragement!  I have to say it wasn't a nice feeling to see that pair of deadeyes just dangling in the air!  The situation wasn't helped by one of the security blokes wandering past while I was trying to fix it and having a look.  "What's happening?"  "The pin somehow came out of this deadeye strap."  "Hmmm.  Obviously a totally incompetent model maker."  Grins and walks off while contemplate the penalties for 'securitycide'.
 
John

Oops!  First thing I did this morning when I got the Stag out at the museum was to start 'sweating up' the shrouds prior to finally securing them.  Blow me down if the lower deadeye strap pin on number two starboard didn't carry away when I put a bit of pressure on it!  
 

 
I've no real idea what happened as it was fine last time I touched it, and when I went to try and drill the old pin out of the upper end of the chainplate there didn't seem to be a pin in there.  Very strange!!
 
Oh, well!  A bit of fiddling with some copper wire for a strap and another piece for a pin and I was back in business.
 

 
A little black paint and all was well again - just don't tell the foreman rigger or there'll be hell to pay!
 

 
Once the shroud was back on and they were all tensioned correctly on both sides, I put in some time making a start on the ratlines.  Hopefully I can finish them off next time I'm in.
 


 
John
 
 

A BIG thanks for reposting your log. Excellent work all together.
 
Now, get that back of yours all sound again so you can treat us with more fine details
 
Take care mate!

Hi John!
If I may chime in here (great work buddy), about the running back stays. It is really in the name... "running".. The running back stay on the leeward side is eased off because
1. It don't support the mast when the wind is from the other side, but the more important
2. If it were to be hauled tight it would chafe not only the boom but more the sail. How do I know? Well, after reading Magz of classic boats for some years now, I've seen it enough times in pictures of old smacks and their alike to be sure. Also, in my own younger days I owned a skerry cruiser with running back stays...
 
Upright? Can it be in the nature of the craft, beamy as they were/are. And then of course, about good seamanship...not to carry more sail than the weather permits...
There might be several more answers, this was my 2 cents only!

John you are more than Welcome!
It bugs me still that I was in Holland that particular weekend you were here..
 
About the wood, I have equally much in my garage, dry and ready to use....(so what am I waiting for...I know, I know)
 
but on the other hand John, you might get problem with customs...need to de-bark it first..

Hey guys, know what? I have a display case worthy its name! It took a while to figure it out (how to get the most out of the old windows I had and so..)
 
And with this I can close this chapter that started ca 1991...and get on with my life as a shipwright
You can't image how relieved I feel right now, it feels soooooo good to sit in my favourite armchair and look at the two boats in their decent new home.
 

 
The case is how we say it "a heavily kit bashed", very old IKEA Ivar storage shelf. The doors are from a wardrobe that we ripped out some 4 yrs ago The wood is actually pine, but stained of course.
 
Now I'll just add handful of photos to the completed gallery and update my signature.
 
A big thank you for the company along the way

Michael,
 
I've heard of making "solid metal parts", but this is getting ridiculous!
 
John

Not on this list, Dan! But we will commiserate with you.

Touché! But it says "Upcoming" right?

Sorry... "Stairway to Heaven" was Led Zepplin.  I actually like the dinghy. 

Hi Kats and "Welcome back"...I too will sit back and follow as you go (slowly) for the completion.

October 25, 2009
 
 
I've spent a lot of time trying to get the top wale strake  on right. Following are some pictures of various clamping arrangements, of different parts of the first strake--
 

 

 
 
 
After this dried I was unhappy with some of the "lay" of the strake. I took the 1/8th" square "guide" piece off so I could see the run better, and I unglued and reglued the aft end--
 

 

 
 
 
I ended up ungluing and regluing the bow piece three times on the starboard side, and twice on the port side. I think the curve looks good now. In the middle-left of this photo you can also see a piece of a broken bow plank. I had actually over-bent it, and when it was dry I tried to bend it back a little too forcefully and it snapped--
 

 
 
Now, because I'm trying the top and butt arrangement for the bottom two strakes, I need wider wood than comes with the kit. So I'll have to order some and wait.  I'll have to work on some other areas before continuing with the lower wale strakes. Maybe the deck clamps since now I will have the reference point of the top of the wale to help locate them.
 
 
 
October 28, 2009
 
 
 
Instead of waiting, I have some sheets of 1/8th x 2 inch Pear to cut the wider wale planks from.

I could order some 1/8th x 3/8th inch strips to make them from, it would go much quicker. The Pear takes a long time to cut with a knife.

I think it took about an hour to cut these two pieces!

But even if it takes me another week or so to get through these, it's faster and cheaper than ordering more wood.

Supplies needed--my paper template, steel ruler, pencil, knife, sandpaper, sheet of wood.
 
 

 
 
I also found some info in rereading Goodwin that puts me a little more at ease about my interpretation of the wale--straight strake at the top and top and butt strake below. That's the way the lesser wales (channel wale and the one below that) on the big ships were often built.
 
 
 
November 1, 2009
 
 
I am continuing to cut out the wale planks with the knife. Here are twelve. I have only four more to cut. The second angle (as on the four planks to the left) is done with sandpaper--
 
 

 
 
 
November 7, 2009
 
 
I got a jeweller's saw, just in time to cut out the last wale plank!

Here are the 16 wale pieces--
 

 
 
 
I spent a little time piecing them together and realized that the angles I have made vary too much to allow the top and butt wale strake to come together well.  I cut and sanded the planks by eye, and most were cut from a "master" plank, but
the variation between pieces is too much. I decided that I needed to do something to "standardize" the pieces.

So I divided the pieces into two groups of eight, and glued them together--
 

 
 
This gives you an idea of the variation between planks--
 

 
 
After the wale pieces were glued together I sawed the extra length off--


 
 
Four planks in each of the two groups will only be partial length, so the short ones in these blocks are okay--
 

 
 
Then I sanded the angles to make them all more consistent--
 

 
 
Each end of the pieces should be equal and half of the total width. Gluing them together into blocks made this easy to correct--
 

 
 
Here are the "waleblocks" sanded. Some pieces are still a little "off" but I think the majority are much more uniform than before--
 

 
 
After the sanding I put the "waleblocks" in hot water and they easily fell apart--


 
 
Now I have my uniform wale planks--
 

 
 
Ron
 

Hi Sinan!
Looks like you're off to a good start there.
1:72 vs 1:48, you don't make it too easy on yourself with that scale on the other hand, some details can be left off. At 1:48 I guess one wants to put in as much details as possible but at 1:72, some things can be "forgotten".

Nice clothespegs, Håkan!
 
John