Wintergreen

If anyone asks, just say, in a tone that brooks no argument, that sailors were extremely small back then and didn't need large windows. And then send the ship shooting across the lake 🙂
 

Best wishes Håkan
 
The mast is lovely timber - what species is that?

Thank you Mark!
 
The mast is of ordinary pine, very straight and fine grained.

Thank you Mark!
 
The mast is of ordinary pine, very straight and fine grained.

Well, thank you Gary! Most appreciated.
At the moment the build is somewhat stalled due to an sudden, unexptected bout of organizational frenzy energy that I got. (plus the fact that I noticed that my rediculously expensive Osmo oil had started going off in its can, had to find something to use it on). So I made a mess of the workshop in order to organize it. Makes sense, yes?
You can see the shiny benchtops in the background where I used some of the precious Osmo oil. Hint, the six drawer cupboard and the table behind the bandsaw. Still over a liter left so I poured it into a more suitable jar instead of the original 2.5 liter one it came in.
What is hiding is my newly organized sanding workstation. Picture to come tomorrow. 
Also happy to answer any questions of peculiar, out-of-place items in my shop 😄 

Cheers to all!

Happy New Year to all!
 
I ve been busy these last few weeks so time for an update. Quite a few things going on.
I could have actually done more but the temperatures have been consistently subzero so my garage is a rather unhospitable place to be in.
 
So, I have finished laminating the pieces of ply I need but things took a funny turn. The laminated ply that was dead straight, warped. This is the first time this has happened to me. Still, with manual bending the opposite side and heat from a hair dryer, it went back to being almost straight. 
 
Now, I need a new bench for the garage. I already have two but my power tools are very cramped and it is difficult to work. For the new bench to fit I had to radically reorganize the layout of the garage - I am halfway into this.
 
The new bench will have the table saw built in to sit flush with the top. I tried to design it by hand but finally returned to the warm embrace of CAD!

These are the various groups of timber bits

A big advantage of CAD is that it is very easy to arrange how many lengths of timber are needed and which pieces will be cut from each one

When the weather allows, I ll get down on this. Now, back to the boat.
 
I glued the template on a flat surface and after lots of thought a sprayed it with a protective spray. Ya, right. That did not work.

I printed the pattern again and glued it on a different surface. I used custom settings and long lengths of paper cut from an A2 roll. However, the printer could not align the paper properly and the printout was distorted



So I printed the pattern in A3 sheets and aligned them carefully. This actually worked fine, I used a piece of string and all lines are straight.

I also did a lot of work to finalise the frames and other parts of the ship. We ll get to these later in the log.

I glued and roughly cut the templates for the frames. There are many dots and lines for alignment purposes. I ll sand them to the lines with the disc sander when the weather improves a bit so I can have the garage door open for the dust to vent away - however sanding of all the bevels will take a long time.

I finished cutting the keel template which again has many points and lines to allow alignment - each has been drilled through in the drill press with 0.55 mm drill to allow a 0.5 mm pin to go through. The mirror template has been glued on the other side - quite successfully.



I have also prepared some extra pieces to glue on the keel to allow some more area to support the planking. These will also help in the alignment and support of the frames. All the bevels are already marked.


I have ordered some different blades as I am not satisfied with the performance of the Proxxon scroll saw - but then again it comes with a very fine blade which struggles to cut the 6.5 mm epoxy laminated ply.
 
So next steps: To cut, sand their bevels and glue the extra pieces on the hull. To sand the frames including the bevels. I think I will cut the hull rabbet now before even the frames go on - I have marked all the rabbet and bearding lines.
 
One thing I could have done differently is the thickness of the hull. In my plans the hull is 3.8 mm thick - I did not want to make it thicker as in the plans, Hercules' steel hull is very slim. However, in the bow and stern, the rabbet will need to be up to 1.5 mm deep on each side so not much hull thickness left.
 
I still am undecided on the planking.
I think using large pieces of plywood will not allow a fair hull. I may need to plank the hull the usual way. 
I d like to cut the planks from plywood sheet but plywood does not cut very cleanly on the scroll saw- there are various other blades though.
I could however use wood for the planks or a hybrid approach - use ply at the bow and the stern and wood in between. We will see.
 
Till next time
Vaddoc

Well, thank you Gary! Most appreciated.
At the moment the build is somewhat stalled due to an sudden, unexptected bout of organizational frenzy energy that I got. (plus the fact that I noticed that my rediculously expensive Osmo oil had started going off in its can, had to find something to use it on). So I made a mess of the workshop in order to organize it. Makes sense, yes?
You can see the shiny benchtops in the background where I used some of the precious Osmo oil. Hint, the six drawer cupboard and the table behind the bandsaw. Still over a liter left so I poured it into a more suitable jar instead of the original 2.5 liter one it came in.
What is hiding is my newly organized sanding workstation. Picture to come tomorrow. 
Also happy to answer any questions of peculiar, out-of-place items in my shop 😄 

Cheers to all!

Thanks Keith and John 🙂 
Yes John, I have. I am very fortunate to have an entire workshop to mess around in. About the supply of timber... you should see my garage... what is in the picture is only a fraction of the supply available to me.
Quite a lot of birch, however lot of it is curly grown. Decent amount of apple (own harvest) and then the common pine. Some fine/slow grown, which can be used to spars, I have salvaged from old furniture and railings and stuff.
 
Here is my organized sanding station. Shopvac is connected to the aft end of the box. I might redo the contraption witht the white top. At present it can hold a Dremel, but I'm contemplating using a power drill instead, that can take larger cylinder/drum sanders. Future will tell.
The two drawers came from a scrapped desk. I still have one door and a larger drawer at my disposal from that desk to use somewhere in my shop. Haven't figured out where just yet.
And the power outlet from the shopvac is used so it starts simultaniously as the tools.

Now back to the build.
Cheers!

Oh, I've always thought tugboats looks nice. I'm sure this will too.
And even though the Occre is RC, the kit prop just looks awful. We are confident that you can do a better job Vaddoc 🙂
 
Keep it up!

Andy, I had to backtrack you build log because suddenly I was all confused of version numbers on the hull(s). Clever approach though.
And I also read through your (not so) inane mamble ramblings about planking, putting my own non-scientific way of planking to shame. I have no doubt that the end result will be very pleasing!
My problem with planning is that I have an almost pathological aversion to too much pre-planning. In my work profession I do big, complex datasystem updates which needs to be planned down to the very minute detail, and I do not bring that way into my shop. As an example, for a job that takes 1-3 hrs when executed (failing is not an option) we spend about 40-80 hrs planning. But that is only partially why I don't do much drawings and stuff. When I build something, be it a new kitchen table with benches, or a smart storage box for my 1:1 sailboat, the only drawing I have is usually a wrinkled paper with a rudimentary skiss and some measurements. The rest I make up as I go. 
Of course I know the con's of such an approach and I am glad not all are like me, so we actually can learn something from those (like you) that takes a fair bit of time to plan and explain.
 
Keep it up!

Quality before quantity - that is always appealing. We like that.
Must say that I continue to be amazed of your build and your addiction to details. Could be affection, but I think addiction comes close 😉 
Your Bellona is such an inspiration with its clean lines and flawless joinery.
Apart from praise I have nothing to add to the discussion.
But oh, is that a Tormek wet stone sharpener in the background? No wonder you can produce such fine joinery 😉 
 
Keep it up!
 

True @vaddoc, there is not so many peculiar items. The lamp is a kerosene lamp (I think it's called), the type you need to preheat before light it up. Bright as day when burning.
Above the lamp, the aft end of the rudder from my sailboat can be seen, hangs from the ceiling.
Then there is the mechanical tiller under the workbench that will get a couple of layers of rust proofing before going back into the boat.
 
But yes, it is a very nice workshop. And for every corner I tidy up it gets every so slightly even better. The plan is to stay here a loooong time. All the kids have suffered from been moved around too much during their early years, so our message to them is that grandpa and grandma stays here. They know where they will find us.
 

HNY Hakan, and all the very best for 2025. Looks to me as if you are a man with a purpose - love the workshop, and your 'organic' sanding station - just my sort of thing. If you carry on tidying you may well come across those parts that you lost many years ago.

True @vaddoc, there is not so many peculiar items. The lamp is a kerosene lamp (I think it's called), the type you need to preheat before light it up. Bright as day when burning.
Above the lamp, the aft end of the rudder from my sailboat can be seen, hangs from the ceiling.
Then there is the mechanical tiller under the workbench that will get a couple of layers of rust proofing before going back into the boat.
 
But yes, it is a very nice workshop. And for every corner I tidy up it gets every so slightly even better. The plan is to stay here a loooong time. All the kids have suffered from been moved around too much during their early years, so our message to them is that grandpa and grandma stays here. They know where they will find us.
 

Snow shovel?
Off course there is John! The equation is always like:
"the tools you need" = "the tools you have" + 1
Same with bikes for a cyclist 😄 (I have four, haha)
 
Jokes aside, I'm happy with how it turned out. Storage for sanding papers and belts in the drawers. Table saw discs on the side in the narrow compartment. Large shelf for Dremel or whatever I choose.
Lockable swivel wheels for easy moving around. In the background you can see the old stool with caster wheels, red cushion, that takes me to a perfect height for using the sanders.
 
Note though, I did take several years to reach this final state of the station. With a couple of repurposing done over time. 
 

Thanks Keith and John 🙂 
Yes John, I have. I am very fortunate to have an entire workshop to mess around in. About the supply of timber... you should see my garage... what is in the picture is only a fraction of the supply available to me.
Quite a lot of birch, however lot of it is curly grown. Decent amount of apple (own harvest) and then the common pine. Some fine/slow grown, which can be used to spars, I have salvaged from old furniture and railings and stuff.
 
Here is my organized sanding station. Shopvac is connected to the aft end of the box. I might redo the contraption witht the white top. At present it can hold a Dremel, but I'm contemplating using a power drill instead, that can take larger cylinder/drum sanders. Future will tell.
The two drawers came from a scrapped desk. I still have one door and a larger drawer at my disposal from that desk to use somewhere in my shop. Haven't figured out where just yet.
And the power outlet from the shopvac is used so it starts simultaniously as the tools.

Now back to the build.
Cheers!

Well, thank you Gary! Most appreciated.
At the moment the build is somewhat stalled due to an sudden, unexptected bout of organizational frenzy energy that I got. (plus the fact that I noticed that my rediculously expensive Osmo oil had started going off in its can, had to find something to use it on). So I made a mess of the workshop in order to organize it. Makes sense, yes?
You can see the shiny benchtops in the background where I used some of the precious Osmo oil. Hint, the six drawer cupboard and the table behind the bandsaw. Still over a liter left so I poured it into a more suitable jar instead of the original 2.5 liter one it came in.
What is hiding is my newly organized sanding workstation. Picture to come tomorrow. 
Also happy to answer any questions of peculiar, out-of-place items in my shop 😄 

Cheers to all!

Thanks Keith, yes, as part of this community it is easy to get addicted to the perfect fit or the exact representation...
Just a short update. Another couple of boards are filed and dry-fitted. Glue will have to wait a fair bit still.
When it is time for glue the inboard plank will be fastened first. Then I can do the final fine trim of the outboard plank against it.

"I worked all nitght, then it dawned on me" ... well not that it matter now, but I think I planked the hull with aspen instead of birch.
And how did you come to that conclusion. Well, I scrapped a veneered cupboard and used the bulk wood for planking. But when I thought of it now, it seemed pointless to use birch as bulk when the veneer was birch... so some searching the www gave me the plausible wood aspen instead. Similarly light coloured and the grain is not obvious. However, aspen is lighter and softer than birch. So, a quick comparison on the scale of similarly sized pieces gave that what I thought was birch (ie the aspen) was a fair bit lighter than actual birch.
But as I said, not that it matter now.
Will however be 100% consistent in using birch for the deck. Hence, the covering boards (or margin planks) are my 2nd attempt...
 
Thanks also for all the likes, fellows!
 

Thanks for likes and visits!
Progress is steady and slow.
Slow because the do and then the undo habit.. I thought to plan ahead and paint the bulwark stanchions white while they were unobstructed.
Turns out it was a bad idea. They are left unpainted on the real ship... so I had to scrape of the paint... instead I dug around my selection of stains and found a suitable colour to mimic weathered oak.
Then there is a lot of fiddling around with the plank sheer inside and out. Inside the stanchions it is quite straight forward bar the lapped joints, which will be handled later. Outside is a lot of templating and then careful sanding and filing to get a good fit.
Pictures in order of work.

I am particular happy that I did not go ahead and glue the king plank in on the entire deck because it will only be found in front of the bollards up front. For the remainder of the deck there will be regular deck planks all the way to the centerline. 
Although I will keep the plank in full length when I actually glue it down to have the short piece up front to be dead centered.


The overhang will be trimmed down to just about an inch (0.8mm in scale) later on.
And this picture I just let in here for I find it wholesome. 😉

More templating to come... Cheers!

You're doing a great job, Ian. I'm starting to learn to live with imperfections by embracing them and utilizing them in some fashion. Nothing we build is perfect. 

Decks bandsawn (bandsawed?) roughly to shape. Decks have a "shelf" projecting slightly beyond hull side for most of the length; this was used to store the brailed-up torpedo net. God knows how I am going to make the "brailing davits" which occur about every 2" along the rails.
 
I made a start at marking out superstructure locations in green masking tape. Foredeck and aft deck not glued down for reason given above.
 
 Some turret barbettes were made from some old pine I had lying around, by gluing up a rectangular blank, centre-drilling along the axis, then sitting the blank on a rod inserted into scrap plywood and rotating the blank into my tablesaw blade. They're good but not perfect; I had planned to 3D print them in PETG and will probably do so anyway.
 
Micro servo which rotates the forward turrets sticks up through the deck behind "B" turret; it will be hidden in the forward superstructure below the shelter deck. I'll need another big hole under there for the sound effects speaker to emit into air without being muffled by the hull. Luckily the fwd shelter deck is open along the aft edge.
 
I've realized that dad machined the front lower corners of the turrets a bit too low. Am considering adding shims tapering from 1/16" to zero at centre of each turret. Also need to 3D print some rangefinder and sighting hoods.
 
Thanks for following.
 
Ian
 

Too bad about the plywood flaw to starboard of the turrets. Oh well.....😞

Quality before quantity - that is always appealing. We like that.
Must say that I continue to be amazed of your build and your addiction to details. Could be affection, but I think addiction comes close 😉 
Your Bellona is such an inspiration with its clean lines and flawless joinery.
Apart from praise I have nothing to add to the discussion.
But oh, is that a Tormek wet stone sharpener in the background? No wonder you can produce such fine joinery 😉 
 
Keep it up!
 

True @vaddoc, there is not so many peculiar items. The lamp is a kerosene lamp (I think it's called), the type you need to preheat before light it up. Bright as day when burning.
Above the lamp, the aft end of the rudder from my sailboat can be seen, hangs from the ceiling.
Then there is the mechanical tiller under the workbench that will get a couple of layers of rust proofing before going back into the boat.
 
But yes, it is a very nice workshop. And for every corner I tidy up it gets every so slightly even better. The plan is to stay here a loooong time. All the kids have suffered from been moved around too much during their early years, so our message to them is that grandpa and grandma stays here. They know where they will find us.
 

Quality before quantity - that is always appealing. We like that.
Must say that I continue to be amazed of your build and your addiction to details. Could be affection, but I think addiction comes close 😉 
Your Bellona is such an inspiration with its clean lines and flawless joinery.
Apart from praise I have nothing to add to the discussion.
But oh, is that a Tormek wet stone sharpener in the background? No wonder you can produce such fine joinery 😉 
 
Keep it up!
 

True @vaddoc, there is not so many peculiar items. The lamp is a kerosene lamp (I think it's called), the type you need to preheat before light it up. Bright as day when burning.
Above the lamp, the aft end of the rudder from my sailboat can be seen, hangs from the ceiling.
Then there is the mechanical tiller under the workbench that will get a couple of layers of rust proofing before going back into the boat.
 
But yes, it is a very nice workshop. And for every corner I tidy up it gets every so slightly even better. The plan is to stay here a loooong time. All the kids have suffered from been moved around too much during their early years, so our message to them is that grandpa and grandma stays here. They know where they will find us.