kruginmi

If it helps I found the third kit I have (which includes sails). Next time in the area i will give it to you whole.

If it helps I found the third kit I have (which includes sails). Next time in the area i will give it to you whole.

I have worked my way through affixing all 50+ eyebolts.  About half of those were put in by the plugs described earlier.  Towards the stern two ring bolts each side were too close together for individual plugs so I cut a rectangular one that encompassed both bolts.
 

 
So the next step was to move on to the rudder.  I keep reminding myself that the point of this build was to provide a basis for learning rigging techniques, that the main hull was supposed to be out of the box.  So much for that plan.  The rudder provided by the kit was a large chunk of walnut cut to the shape of a rudder.  My first step was to look in Crother's book on clipper ship rudders and it was seen this was a pretty good form:
 

 
However, more than one chunk of wood was used.  It is interesting to note that some of the beams drawn out do taper to a sharp point, the first instance where I have seen this done on an external hull in actual practice.  Trying to keep this build going forward (and get to the rigging) I penciled in the beam lines into the kit rudder and scraped them to provide a resemblance of the separate pieces.
 

 
Another challenge that presented itself was the tiller arm.  Looking on deck with the rudder now in place, the attachment of the tiller is pretty far back towards the back rail.  I will have to think this through on how to work this.  I always have the option of making a rudder box obscuring the whole thing.
 

 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Nothing personal, Mark, but nice knees! Also, great job on that rudder. Having the visible seams works well. Thanks for sharing.
 
Steve

With my 9 year old son now having three models under his belt (two ships) with my help:
 

 
He asked what was next on the horizon.  I was actually given an Airfix 1:180 HMS Victory model recently and I realized I now had two in stock.  So.....we are going to do dual builds.  The models are packaged differently but contain exactly the same kit components.
 

 
We are laying things out and mapping out our plan.  I am planning to do this one out of the box with no 'improvements.'  His model will be all him.  It will be interesting to get back into painting.  The paint in both boxes is quite old so I will buy new acrylics locally (as close as possible in color).  He is the only kid so far (fifth of six) that has had any interest in models so I am doing whatever I can to fan the flames - how can you do wrong with the Victory?
 

 
Looking forward to spending the time together,
Mark

I have worked my way through affixing all 50+ eyebolts.  About half of those were put in by the plugs described earlier.  Towards the stern two ring bolts each side were too close together for individual plugs so I cut a rectangular one that encompassed both bolts.
 

 
So the next step was to move on to the rudder.  I keep reminding myself that the point of this build was to provide a basis for learning rigging techniques, that the main hull was supposed to be out of the box.  So much for that plan.  The rudder provided by the kit was a large chunk of walnut cut to the shape of a rudder.  My first step was to look in Crother's book on clipper ship rudders and it was seen this was a pretty good form:
 

 
However, more than one chunk of wood was used.  It is interesting to note that some of the beams drawn out do taper to a sharp point, the first instance where I have seen this done on an external hull in actual practice.  Trying to keep this build going forward (and get to the rigging) I penciled in the beam lines into the kit rudder and scraped them to provide a resemblance of the separate pieces.
 

 
Another challenge that presented itself was the tiller arm.  Looking on deck with the rudder now in place, the attachment of the tiller is pretty far back towards the back rail.  I will have to think this through on how to work this.  I always have the option of making a rudder box obscuring the whole thing.
 

 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

I have worked my way through affixing all 50+ eyebolts.  About half of those were put in by the plugs described earlier.  Towards the stern two ring bolts each side were too close together for individual plugs so I cut a rectangular one that encompassed both bolts.
 

 
So the next step was to move on to the rudder.  I keep reminding myself that the point of this build was to provide a basis for learning rigging techniques, that the main hull was supposed to be out of the box.  So much for that plan.  The rudder provided by the kit was a large chunk of walnut cut to the shape of a rudder.  My first step was to look in Crother's book on clipper ship rudders and it was seen this was a pretty good form:
 

 
However, more than one chunk of wood was used.  It is interesting to note that some of the beams drawn out do taper to a sharp point, the first instance where I have seen this done on an external hull in actual practice.  Trying to keep this build going forward (and get to the rigging) I penciled in the beam lines into the kit rudder and scraped them to provide a resemblance of the separate pieces.
 

 
Another challenge that presented itself was the tiller arm.  Looking on deck with the rudder now in place, the attachment of the tiller is pretty far back towards the back rail.  I will have to think this through on how to work this.  I always have the option of making a rudder box obscuring the whole thing.
 

 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

With my 9 year old son now having three models under his belt (two ships) with my help:
 

 
He asked what was next on the horizon.  I was actually given an Airfix 1:180 HMS Victory model recently and I realized I now had two in stock.  So.....we are going to do dual builds.  The models are packaged differently but contain exactly the same kit components.
 

 
We are laying things out and mapping out our plan.  I am planning to do this one out of the box with no 'improvements.'  His model will be all him.  It will be interesting to get back into painting.  The paint in both boxes is quite old so I will buy new acrylics locally (as close as possible in color).  He is the only kid so far (fifth of six) that has had any interest in models so I am doing whatever I can to fan the flames - how can you do wrong with the Victory?
 

 
Looking forward to spending the time together,
Mark

It has been some banner time in the workshop the last couple of days.  I was boresighted on getting past the frames so this afternoon I was back at it, this time for the internal fairing.  To borrow a phrase "Say hello to my little friends"
 

 
Cabinet scrapers are very effective in removing wood on the internal hull.  Supplement that with some final sanding and you can do a lot without a lot of sawdust flying about.  More evidence of my activity is the current state of my rough worktable:
 

 
Definitely needs some cleanup tomorrow, but a tidy workshop does not show progress!  At the end of the day I can stand back and look at my hull with keel and keelson on (but not yet attached).  Still need another hour or so of refinement but I am happy with the progress and I can see the finish for this part of the project:
 

 
Tomorrow probably switch to the Lady Anne for awhile.
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark

It has been some banner time in the workshop the last couple of days.  I was boresighted on getting past the frames so this afternoon I was back at it, this time for the internal fairing.  To borrow a phrase "Say hello to my little friends"
 

 
Cabinet scrapers are very effective in removing wood on the internal hull.  Supplement that with some final sanding and you can do a lot without a lot of sawdust flying about.  More evidence of my activity is the current state of my rough worktable:
 

 
Definitely needs some cleanup tomorrow, but a tidy workshop does not show progress!  At the end of the day I can stand back and look at my hull with keel and keelson on (but not yet attached).  Still need another hour or so of refinement but I am happy with the progress and I can see the finish for this part of the project:
 

 
Tomorrow probably switch to the Lady Anne for awhile.
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark

It has been some banner time in the workshop the last couple of days.  I was boresighted on getting past the frames so this afternoon I was back at it, this time for the internal fairing.  To borrow a phrase "Say hello to my little friends"
 

 
Cabinet scrapers are very effective in removing wood on the internal hull.  Supplement that with some final sanding and you can do a lot without a lot of sawdust flying about.  More evidence of my activity is the current state of my rough worktable:
 

 
Definitely needs some cleanup tomorrow, but a tidy workshop does not show progress!  At the end of the day I can stand back and look at my hull with keel and keelson on (but not yet attached).  Still need another hour or so of refinement but I am happy with the progress and I can see the finish for this part of the project:
 

 
Tomorrow probably switch to the Lady Anne for awhile.
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark

Thanks everyone for stopping by.
 
Tonight was another big night for Druid-X:  I affixed the first plank.  I am putting the wales on at this time to provide greater longitudinal strength.  I traced the wale pattern off of the plans and defined three plank widths.  The curvature of the wales was transferred to a piece of 1/8" thick basswood (double the 1/16" plank width) and this pattern cut / sanded out.  After I was satisfied with the curve I used dividers to define the width of one plank and also cut and sanded this out.  This continued for all three planks.
 
The middle plank was to span entirely across the cross section, the upper and lower ones being jointed three frames in (different sides).  I affixed the middle plank first given it was the easiest one.  The following pic shows the top one being put on:
 

 
I now laugh looking at this.  It was with the click of the shutter that I made a mental note to insure the joint in the lower was made on the opposite side.  The opposite side of.the.joint.that.I.had.forgot.to.put.in.  The glue sets fast but I was able to pry off the top plank without too much damage, cut the joint and re-attach.  Here is a shot of what it was supposed to look like originally:
 

 
I added the third plank then sanded the edges flush with the frames.  
 

 
In this pic you can see the face on view and also the chocks completed on the opposite side of the cross section.
 

 
Trying to accomplish a little bit with every hour - Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

It has been some banner time in the workshop the last couple of days.  I was boresighted on getting past the frames so this afternoon I was back at it, this time for the internal fairing.  To borrow a phrase "Say hello to my little friends"
 

 
Cabinet scrapers are very effective in removing wood on the internal hull.  Supplement that with some final sanding and you can do a lot without a lot of sawdust flying about.  More evidence of my activity is the current state of my rough worktable:
 

 
Definitely needs some cleanup tomorrow, but a tidy workshop does not show progress!  At the end of the day I can stand back and look at my hull with keel and keelson on (but not yet attached).  Still need another hour or so of refinement but I am happy with the progress and I can see the finish for this part of the project:
 

 
Tomorrow probably switch to the Lady Anne for awhile.
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark

Thanks Mark and Greg, you spend so much time thinking and pondering yet let something pretty obvious looking back at it escape you.
 
These frames are taking time (perhaps too much) and maybe I am giving too many photos.  I believe the Hahn drawings have some issues at this part of Druid (as I think I have stated before).  Much more checking on mirror images in the future for me.  Still workable but I have focused on fairing below the wales and now I am resetting the top timbers (usually by millimeters) into the jig to allow better alignment above the wales (lower part now fixed).
 
Hopefully on the home stretch for this part of the build.
Mark

One note I can add is that you never know where you are going to get bit.  When overlaying the wale template on the cross section I found that the cross section was about a 1/8" too short.  This puzzled me.  Measuring the base and keel showed correct widths.  So....the spacers used were a bit too small.  Visually it was invisible and 'wouldn't' have affected much since the whole hull was not involved.
 
However very quickly I knew I had to do something and this was the only time available for fixing it.  I ended up cutting through the first and last spacers on both side and added 1/16" spacers into each.  Glued it all up - solution done.  Everything measures up.
 
There is always something.    -Mark

Thanks everyone for stopping by.
 
Tonight was another big night for Druid-X:  I affixed the first plank.  I am putting the wales on at this time to provide greater longitudinal strength.  I traced the wale pattern off of the plans and defined three plank widths.  The curvature of the wales was transferred to a piece of 1/8" thick basswood (double the 1/16" plank width) and this pattern cut / sanded out.  After I was satisfied with the curve I used dividers to define the width of one plank and also cut and sanded this out.  This continued for all three planks.
 
The middle plank was to span entirely across the cross section, the upper and lower ones being jointed three frames in (different sides).  I affixed the middle plank first given it was the easiest one.  The following pic shows the top one being put on:
 

 
I now laugh looking at this.  It was with the click of the shutter that I made a mental note to insure the joint in the lower was made on the opposite side.  The opposite side of.the.joint.that.I.had.forgot.to.put.in.  The glue sets fast but I was able to pry off the top plank without too much damage, cut the joint and re-attach.  Here is a shot of what it was supposed to look like originally:
 

 
I added the third plank then sanded the edges flush with the frames.  
 

 
In this pic you can see the face on view and also the chocks completed on the opposite side of the cross section.
 

 
Trying to accomplish a little bit with every hour - Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

On to the chesstrees.  There is definitely a few hours here as will be explained below.  My first gut was to jump right in, make a cardboard template to match the hull shape, transfer to a wooden piece and get'r done.  Well, I never really like butt joints that show and in this case I was unable to get a real tight fit all around the chesstree.  Pause to think.....
 

 
Well, the easiest way is to inset the chesstree into the planking.  So, I carefully trace around the chesstree and chisel half a plank depth away.
 

 
The result is much more satisfying.  As a bonus, the joint will be a whole lot stronger.
 

 
Now here came the biggest problem to overcome, creating the sheave hole.  At first I jumped in and carefully drilled a hole at both ends of the sheave hole and tried to remove any remaining wood in between.  I didn't even take a picture as the result was totally unacceptable no matter how much I carefully filed, scraped and poked.  I ended up walking away for the night. 
 
Later on the solution came to me and involved keeping it as simple as possible.  I would cut into the chesstree to the sheave from the bottom.  Once everything was cleaned up (now that the entire hole was accessible this was easy), a small section of wood would be replaced.  Very quick and the result I liked very much.  The actual block you see is one fashioned quickly and will be replaced.
 

 

 
So overall the process was probably 3.5 hours.  The next one for the port side will probably be done in less than half the time but I am okay with that.  I ended up with something that looks good and methodically worked through the issues as they came up. 
 
Cheers,
Mark

It has been some banner time in the workshop the last couple of days.  I was boresighted on getting past the frames so this afternoon I was back at it, this time for the internal fairing.  To borrow a phrase "Say hello to my little friends"
 

 
Cabinet scrapers are very effective in removing wood on the internal hull.  Supplement that with some final sanding and you can do a lot without a lot of sawdust flying about.  More evidence of my activity is the current state of my rough worktable:
 

 
Definitely needs some cleanup tomorrow, but a tidy workshop does not show progress!  At the end of the day I can stand back and look at my hull with keel and keelson on (but not yet attached).  Still need another hour or so of refinement but I am happy with the progress and I can see the finish for this part of the project:
 

 
Tomorrow probably switch to the Lady Anne for awhile.
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark

As we say in the Army, no plan survives first contact and it was proven true once again.
  After rubber cementing the futtock templates to the Basswood sheet (grain oriented correctly) I cut each one out with about a 1/16" buffer, which was sanded to shape on the drum sander.  For the joining edges I used my sled on the table saw for precise angles (match the cuts).  Guaranteed straight and perfect 90 degrees.  I could shave off a 1/64th safely using this method.     The first layer was finalized (paper template removed) and glued together piece by piece over a copy of the frame (with wax paper). Then I finished each piece of the second layer and added each one separately to the existing finished layer.  I had thought of making the second layer independently and then joining both whole layers together but the piece by piece looked to be the better and more accurate solution.   In the following pic I was using the second layer pieces as clamp aids for the first layer.     After everything dried I did a gentle sanding by hand of all the surfaces.     I finished frame 19 first (second one in) since it will be totally covered up.  After I am confident in my technique I can then do the exposed frames of 18 and 27 (one side exposed each).  Next up is frame 26 so I can also start working on the base jig and get that trued up.  With everything going on, hope to have the skeleton complete and setup during Christmas break.   Very happy with this approach.  More time than with the original Druid but a lot less wood.   Mark

As the planning starts, so does the log.  With my admiralty hull finally back home after a month road trip around town I am more convinced than ever that a cross section is needed.  With a variety of questions being consistently asked about the layout of the internals and how did this or that happen, the cross section would be perfect.
 

 
Being a cross section it will fit on the mantle but also bring home the resultant size of the full ship with the full main mast being present.
 
The first question is where to define the cut lines.  After looking at the plans I am looking at the following layout (frames 18-27):
 

 
Being a Hahn plan, there are no knees defined (not seen at all in the full model).  In this case they will be seen so I will add those in.  I am a little lucky in that this is an American built cargo ship purchased and converted by the British.  So......I do not necessarily have to follow exact British standards of the time.  I am pretty sure I will put in at least one futtock rider.
 
I am thinking of fully planking the outer hull inside and out both sides, but then one half of the inner hull decks will be left with all floor beams exposed.  The fully deck planked side will be fit out with ballast, water and food casks, cannon (kids happy about that) with associated tools and probably a hammock or two.
 
The rigging will be that which is possible.  I am thinking about having sails (lower one furled).  I have picked up the masting plans for the Brilliant / Druid in the possession of the Smithsonian.  That is a big help.  Lots of scratching of the head on tie down positions with the added quarterdeck extension.
 
Now to start on the frames.  I will not use the short cut frames jig provided but will go with more of wood saving futtock by futtock method (modified) - still using the inverted building stand / jig.
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

You make progress when you can.  I have affixed the futtock templates for ten half frames using around one and a third  boards (3 inch by 24 inch, 1/8 inch thick).  For comparison sake, using the expedited method created two half frames per board length if memory serves correct.
 

 
Many different techniques that probably vary with wood type, but for basswood I evenly apply a coat of rubber cement to the wood and allow to dry, usually around 5 minutes.  Then I apply a second coat and apply the paper templates to the wet surface.  You have around 5 seconds of maneuver time to slide them around before I apply pressure from the center and rub outwards to insure flat and totally affixed.
 
After getting the other ten halves affixed I will rough cut out using the scroll saw and cut the mating joints using the Byrnes saw with my sled.
 
Mark

Thanks everyone for stopping by.
 
Tonight was another big night for Druid-X:  I affixed the first plank.  I am putting the wales on at this time to provide greater longitudinal strength.  I traced the wale pattern off of the plans and defined three plank widths.  The curvature of the wales was transferred to a piece of 1/8" thick basswood (double the 1/16" plank width) and this pattern cut / sanded out.  After I was satisfied with the curve I used dividers to define the width of one plank and also cut and sanded this out.  This continued for all three planks.
 
The middle plank was to span entirely across the cross section, the upper and lower ones being jointed three frames in (different sides).  I affixed the middle plank first given it was the easiest one.  The following pic shows the top one being put on:
 

 
I now laugh looking at this.  It was with the click of the shutter that I made a mental note to insure the joint in the lower was made on the opposite side.  The opposite side of.the.joint.that.I.had.forgot.to.put.in.  The glue sets fast but I was able to pry off the top plank without too much damage, cut the joint and re-attach.  Here is a shot of what it was supposed to look like originally:
 

 
I added the third plank then sanded the edges flush with the frames.  
 

 
In this pic you can see the face on view and also the chocks completed on the opposite side of the cross section.
 

 
Trying to accomplish a little bit with every hour - Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Thanks Mark and Greg, you spend so much time thinking and pondering yet let something pretty obvious looking back at it escape you.
 
These frames are taking time (perhaps too much) and maybe I am giving too many photos.  I believe the Hahn drawings have some issues at this part of Druid (as I think I have stated before).  Much more checking on mirror images in the future for me.  Still workable but I have focused on fairing below the wales and now I am resetting the top timbers (usually by millimeters) into the jig to allow better alignment above the wales (lower part now fixed).
 
Hopefully on the home stretch for this part of the build.
Mark

Thanks everyone for stopping by.
 
Tonight was another big night for Druid-X:  I affixed the first plank.  I am putting the wales on at this time to provide greater longitudinal strength.  I traced the wale pattern off of the plans and defined three plank widths.  The curvature of the wales was transferred to a piece of 1/8" thick basswood (double the 1/16" plank width) and this pattern cut / sanded out.  After I was satisfied with the curve I used dividers to define the width of one plank and also cut and sanded this out.  This continued for all three planks.
 
The middle plank was to span entirely across the cross section, the upper and lower ones being jointed three frames in (different sides).  I affixed the middle plank first given it was the easiest one.  The following pic shows the top one being put on:
 

 
I now laugh looking at this.  It was with the click of the shutter that I made a mental note to insure the joint in the lower was made on the opposite side.  The opposite side of.the.joint.that.I.had.forgot.to.put.in.  The glue sets fast but I was able to pry off the top plank without too much damage, cut the joint and re-attach.  Here is a shot of what it was supposed to look like originally:
 

 
I added the third plank then sanded the edges flush with the frames.  
 

 
In this pic you can see the face on view and also the chocks completed on the opposite side of the cross section.
 

 
Trying to accomplish a little bit with every hour - Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Now to put the bevels in.
 
First step is to add spacers between the frames where the main wales will be.  So....I need to know the height for each frame.  I used a light box to copy the plans for the cross section to a blank piece of paper.  I then cut the plans so the floor was equivalent to the base jig.  This was then glued to a form that allows measurements to be taken off.
 
.
 
I then was able to take measurements of the wale upper and lower limits and transfer to the model.  Then spacer pieces were added.  THEN the sanding starts.  I was just focusing on one of the external sides initially.  When the full outside is done I will attach the wales for complete stiffness before attempting the inside.
 
I did find the frames had some 'issues' conforming to a pre-bevel ready install.  I had flashbacks to the original Druid when I had problems in the same area.  I had though using the top spreaders would solve how this happened but I think there are a couple of issues with the drawn frames on the plans.  I actually cut one of the lower legs and re-glued in a slightly different orientation to make things match up better.  Some other frames had their slots enlarged to allow more movement prior to gluing.  You go slow and check your progress often and it was slowly brought into alignment.
 

 
I had a plank at the ready and checked how it laid on the hull often.  As a note the first and last frame are still not glued in.  I wanted to see exactly how the bevels affected them prior to adding the futtuck join pieces to insure they visually looked right.
 

 
For a current look and comparison, the following shot shows a beveled hull on the right and untouched on the left - big difference.
 

 
All this work will be hidden (except the keel) and it might thought to be overkill but I wanted this build to be equivalent to the original build.  
 
As an aside, I include a current view of my full HMS Druid at the Lowell Arts Building (pic from them).  Not looking too shabby.
 

 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark