kruginmi

very nice indeed...
lovely

On to the catheads!
 
I decided to opt for a stylized cathead, one that didn't include the section underneath the forecastle.  This was in keeping with not including the knees.  To simplify things I decided to plank the forecastle first and then add the catheads.  I will probably chisel them in just a tad for added realism.  I have only planked one side currently to allow me to know exactly where the beams are.  Both sides will eventually be planked.
 

 
It was at this point that I sanded everything perfectly level between the internal and outside planks.  A cap rail will cover the ribs, ends of the floor planks and outside planks.
 
I cut some boxwood to the correct dimension of the catheads and measured out there targeted locations.
 

 
At this scale (1/48) my preferred method of defining sheaves is to cut out everything except the center, then rebuild (essentially as built practice).  This meant lots of careful chiseling.  Which isn't obvious here is that I did add a mortise past the sheave hole for the mating piece to fit into for strength.  For the sheaves I lathed down some boxwood.  They fit perfectly in the sheave slots and I was quite happy at the result.
 

 
I finally added an angle to the inboard cathead to simulate it going below deck.  I still need to dowel it solid in place but it is definitely a keeper.  When I add the cap rail it will really make this strong.
 

 
Now I just need to duplicate on the other side (but not forget to include the hole for the chimney in the planking!).
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark
 
 

On to the catheads!
 
I decided to opt for a stylized cathead, one that didn't include the section underneath the forecastle.  This was in keeping with not including the knees.  To simplify things I decided to plank the forecastle first and then add the catheads.  I will probably chisel them in just a tad for added realism.  I have only planked one side currently to allow me to know exactly where the beams are.  Both sides will eventually be planked.
 

 
It was at this point that I sanded everything perfectly level between the internal and outside planks.  A cap rail will cover the ribs, ends of the floor planks and outside planks.
 
I cut some boxwood to the correct dimension of the catheads and measured out there targeted locations.
 

 
At this scale (1/48) my preferred method of defining sheaves is to cut out everything except the center, then rebuild (essentially as built practice).  This meant lots of careful chiseling.  Which isn't obvious here is that I did add a mortise past the sheave hole for the mating piece to fit into for strength.  For the sheaves I lathed down some boxwood.  They fit perfectly in the sheave slots and I was quite happy at the result.
 

 
I finally added an angle to the inboard cathead to simulate it going below deck.  I still need to dowel it solid in place but it is definitely a keeper.  When I add the cap rail it will really make this strong.
 

 
Now I just need to duplicate on the other side (but not forget to include the hole for the chimney in the planking!).
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark
 
 

On to the catheads!
 
I decided to opt for a stylized cathead, one that didn't include the section underneath the forecastle.  This was in keeping with not including the knees.  To simplify things I decided to plank the forecastle first and then add the catheads.  I will probably chisel them in just a tad for added realism.  I have only planked one side currently to allow me to know exactly where the beams are.  Both sides will eventually be planked.
 

 
It was at this point that I sanded everything perfectly level between the internal and outside planks.  A cap rail will cover the ribs, ends of the floor planks and outside planks.
 
I cut some boxwood to the correct dimension of the catheads and measured out there targeted locations.
 

 
At this scale (1/48) my preferred method of defining sheaves is to cut out everything except the center, then rebuild (essentially as built practice).  This meant lots of careful chiseling.  Which isn't obvious here is that I did add a mortise past the sheave hole for the mating piece to fit into for strength.  For the sheaves I lathed down some boxwood.  They fit perfectly in the sheave slots and I was quite happy at the result.
 

 
I finally added an angle to the inboard cathead to simulate it going below deck.  I still need to dowel it solid in place but it is definitely a keeper.  When I add the cap rail it will really make this strong.
 

 
Now I just need to duplicate on the other side (but not forget to include the hole for the chimney in the planking!).
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark
 
 

On to the catheads!
 
I decided to opt for a stylized cathead, one that didn't include the section underneath the forecastle.  This was in keeping with not including the knees.  To simplify things I decided to plank the forecastle first and then add the catheads.  I will probably chisel them in just a tad for added realism.  I have only planked one side currently to allow me to know exactly where the beams are.  Both sides will eventually be planked.
 

 
It was at this point that I sanded everything perfectly level between the internal and outside planks.  A cap rail will cover the ribs, ends of the floor planks and outside planks.
 
I cut some boxwood to the correct dimension of the catheads and measured out there targeted locations.
 

 
At this scale (1/48) my preferred method of defining sheaves is to cut out everything except the center, then rebuild (essentially as built practice).  This meant lots of careful chiseling.  Which isn't obvious here is that I did add a mortise past the sheave hole for the mating piece to fit into for strength.  For the sheaves I lathed down some boxwood.  They fit perfectly in the sheave slots and I was quite happy at the result.
 

 
I finally added an angle to the inboard cathead to simulate it going below deck.  I still need to dowel it solid in place but it is definitely a keeper.  When I add the cap rail it will really make this strong.
 

 
Now I just need to duplicate on the other side (but not forget to include the hole for the chimney in the planking!).
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark
 
 

On to the catheads!
 
I decided to opt for a stylized cathead, one that didn't include the section underneath the forecastle.  This was in keeping with not including the knees.  To simplify things I decided to plank the forecastle first and then add the catheads.  I will probably chisel them in just a tad for added realism.  I have only planked one side currently to allow me to know exactly where the beams are.  Both sides will eventually be planked.
 

 
It was at this point that I sanded everything perfectly level between the internal and outside planks.  A cap rail will cover the ribs, ends of the floor planks and outside planks.
 
I cut some boxwood to the correct dimension of the catheads and measured out there targeted locations.
 

 
At this scale (1/48) my preferred method of defining sheaves is to cut out everything except the center, then rebuild (essentially as built practice).  This meant lots of careful chiseling.  Which isn't obvious here is that I did add a mortise past the sheave hole for the mating piece to fit into for strength.  For the sheaves I lathed down some boxwood.  They fit perfectly in the sheave slots and I was quite happy at the result.
 

 
I finally added an angle to the inboard cathead to simulate it going below deck.  I still need to dowel it solid in place but it is definitely a keeper.  When I add the cap rail it will really make this strong.
 

 
Now I just need to duplicate on the other side (but not forget to include the hole for the chimney in the planking!).
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark
 
 

On to the catheads!
 
I decided to opt for a stylized cathead, one that didn't include the section underneath the forecastle.  This was in keeping with not including the knees.  To simplify things I decided to plank the forecastle first and then add the catheads.  I will probably chisel them in just a tad for added realism.  I have only planked one side currently to allow me to know exactly where the beams are.  Both sides will eventually be planked.
 

 
It was at this point that I sanded everything perfectly level between the internal and outside planks.  A cap rail will cover the ribs, ends of the floor planks and outside planks.
 
I cut some boxwood to the correct dimension of the catheads and measured out there targeted locations.
 

 
At this scale (1/48) my preferred method of defining sheaves is to cut out everything except the center, then rebuild (essentially as built practice).  This meant lots of careful chiseling.  Which isn't obvious here is that I did add a mortise past the sheave hole for the mating piece to fit into for strength.  For the sheaves I lathed down some boxwood.  They fit perfectly in the sheave slots and I was quite happy at the result.
 

 
I finally added an angle to the inboard cathead to simulate it going below deck.  I still need to dowel it solid in place but it is definitely a keeper.  When I add the cap rail it will really make this strong.
 

 
Now I just need to duplicate on the other side (but not forget to include the hole for the chimney in the planking!).
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark
 
 

I have had a couple of queries with regard to my Byrnes saw sled so I thought I would give some data on this.
 

 
I originally cut some wood strips that fit into the saws slots.  Not too tight or loose, just right.  I then grabbed a piece of thin plywood and glue tacked it onto the wood strips while they were on the saw.  I tried to get everything as squared up as possible but this wasn't critical.
 
When dry I ran the blade through the first third of the plywood.  I then glued the top block onto the plywood (which held the now slightly separated pieces together).  Then back on the saw and cut almost through all the plywood.  Now attention to detail is critical.  I affixed the back block using a square to insure it was ABSOLUTELY 90 degrees to the now visible cut mark.
 
Once dry I run a clean run all the way through the plywood which adds the cut mark to the blocks also.  That pretty much sums it up.  As I have said previously, I use this almost every time I work on the model.  I need to cut anything at a 90 degree angle, it is done on the sled.  Any other angle I also use the sled with appropriate hold downs.  I consider it very safe and very controlled.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Thanks for all the kudos, looks and likes!
 
Grant - for most of the ideas you have picked up here, I can probably refer to other builds where I snagged them.
 
Tim - I don't know if I am as good as lucky!
 
As i thought about the forecastle it became obvious two things had to happen first.  I had to pry off the top level outer planks since they were sanded down slightly more than they should have been and replace them.  Not too hard and easy to do.
 
The second was the railing had to be done now (or a factor of 10 in hardness later).  This was a half height railing (would not conform to OSHA standards) of five posts.  For strength I opted to mortise them into the deck beam.  After all the planking is attached I will attach a cap piece running the length of the beam to cover the end of the planks as well as most of the generated mortises.
 
First order of business was to generate five posts that had some carving done to their tops as well as a plank shelf running the length of the railing.  I cut a notch around the post for the 1/32inch shelf to slide into for support and maintain constant height.  To do this I always like a jig:
 

 
Once the post work was done I cut the post to half width where it connected with the deck beam using my Byrnes saw.  I always use a sled that I have built if I am not ripping down lengths of wood.  The whole sled moves with everything else anchored.  Very solid, very safe and easy to make several accurate cuts on different pieces of wood.  A micro-chisel was used to smooth down any bumps left by the saw blade.
 

 
I then attached one post at a time, starting from the center.  I also doweled the mortised section into the deck beam.
 

 
After each post was affixed I used a piece of oversized wood for the shelf and cut the slot for the post into the shelf.  This allowed one slot to be focused on at a time which was easy as opposed to five at the same time.
 

 
Working outwards it didn't take too long to get all the posts in and the shelf fitting snug.  Then I simply cut the shelf down to size lengthwise and width wise.  An important item to remember was that the deck planks have not been attached (so that size needs to be accounted for).  When I put the railing on the ship I put down a couple of pieces of plank thick wood for visual comparison.
 

 
I will add small pieces of wood to fill the gaps in the shelf behind each post.  This system worked out a lot easier than I had thought and I feel much more confident on the railing work on the stern now - which is a good thing.  Lots of ways to do things, but this worked for me.
 
Next up is the mast partner and then the catheads.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Thanks for all the kudos, looks and likes!
 
Grant - for most of the ideas you have picked up here, I can probably refer to other builds where I snagged them.
 
Tim - I don't know if I am as good as lucky!
 
As i thought about the forecastle it became obvious two things had to happen first.  I had to pry off the top level outer planks since they were sanded down slightly more than they should have been and replace them.  Not too hard and easy to do.
 
The second was the railing had to be done now (or a factor of 10 in hardness later).  This was a half height railing (would not conform to OSHA standards) of five posts.  For strength I opted to mortise them into the deck beam.  After all the planking is attached I will attach a cap piece running the length of the beam to cover the end of the planks as well as most of the generated mortises.
 
First order of business was to generate five posts that had some carving done to their tops as well as a plank shelf running the length of the railing.  I cut a notch around the post for the 1/32inch shelf to slide into for support and maintain constant height.  To do this I always like a jig:
 

 
Once the post work was done I cut the post to half width where it connected with the deck beam using my Byrnes saw.  I always use a sled that I have built if I am not ripping down lengths of wood.  The whole sled moves with everything else anchored.  Very solid, very safe and easy to make several accurate cuts on different pieces of wood.  A micro-chisel was used to smooth down any bumps left by the saw blade.
 

 
I then attached one post at a time, starting from the center.  I also doweled the mortised section into the deck beam.
 

 
After each post was affixed I used a piece of oversized wood for the shelf and cut the slot for the post into the shelf.  This allowed one slot to be focused on at a time which was easy as opposed to five at the same time.
 

 
Working outwards it didn't take too long to get all the posts in and the shelf fitting snug.  Then I simply cut the shelf down to size lengthwise and width wise.  An important item to remember was that the deck planks have not been attached (so that size needs to be accounted for).  When I put the railing on the ship I put down a couple of pieces of plank thick wood for visual comparison.
 

 
I will add small pieces of wood to fill the gaps in the shelf behind each post.  This system worked out a lot easier than I had thought and I feel much more confident on the railing work on the stern now - which is a good thing.  Lots of ways to do things, but this worked for me.
 
Next up is the mast partner and then the catheads.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Build log part 25
 
 
 
Fitting out of the aft two bulkheads, that will allow a later look into through the half cut away poopdeck from above
 
 

the first mast channel Support brackets are still missing
 

 
 

here the doors for the gundeck aft bulkhead, and the great cabin bulkhead. Because I started the starboard bulwark inner planking in oak, here again oak is used
 

double doors to the great cabin. The doorpanels are of ply Color framed with Mahagoni
 

rear side view. Here I`ll leave the Mahagoni Framework for the double doors away, and the brass knobs are only handles
 

this bulkhead with the two double doors is the aft end of the gun deck, here in raw process...
 
 
Nils

I have had a couple of queries with regard to my Byrnes saw sled so I thought I would give some data on this.
 

 
I originally cut some wood strips that fit into the saws slots.  Not too tight or loose, just right.  I then grabbed a piece of thin plywood and glue tacked it onto the wood strips while they were on the saw.  I tried to get everything as squared up as possible but this wasn't critical.
 
When dry I ran the blade through the first third of the plywood.  I then glued the top block onto the plywood (which held the now slightly separated pieces together).  Then back on the saw and cut almost through all the plywood.  Now attention to detail is critical.  I affixed the back block using a square to insure it was ABSOLUTELY 90 degrees to the now visible cut mark.
 
Once dry I run a clean run all the way through the plywood which adds the cut mark to the blocks also.  That pretty much sums it up.  As I have said previously, I use this almost every time I work on the model.  I need to cut anything at a 90 degree angle, it is done on the sled.  Any other angle I also use the sled with appropriate hold downs.  I consider it very safe and very controlled.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Thanks for all the kudos, looks and likes!
 
Grant - for most of the ideas you have picked up here, I can probably refer to other builds where I snagged them.
 
Tim - I don't know if I am as good as lucky!
 
As i thought about the forecastle it became obvious two things had to happen first.  I had to pry off the top level outer planks since they were sanded down slightly more than they should have been and replace them.  Not too hard and easy to do.
 
The second was the railing had to be done now (or a factor of 10 in hardness later).  This was a half height railing (would not conform to OSHA standards) of five posts.  For strength I opted to mortise them into the deck beam.  After all the planking is attached I will attach a cap piece running the length of the beam to cover the end of the planks as well as most of the generated mortises.
 
First order of business was to generate five posts that had some carving done to their tops as well as a plank shelf running the length of the railing.  I cut a notch around the post for the 1/32inch shelf to slide into for support and maintain constant height.  To do this I always like a jig:
 

 
Once the post work was done I cut the post to half width where it connected with the deck beam using my Byrnes saw.  I always use a sled that I have built if I am not ripping down lengths of wood.  The whole sled moves with everything else anchored.  Very solid, very safe and easy to make several accurate cuts on different pieces of wood.  A micro-chisel was used to smooth down any bumps left by the saw blade.
 

 
I then attached one post at a time, starting from the center.  I also doweled the mortised section into the deck beam.
 

 
After each post was affixed I used a piece of oversized wood for the shelf and cut the slot for the post into the shelf.  This allowed one slot to be focused on at a time which was easy as opposed to five at the same time.
 

 
Working outwards it didn't take too long to get all the posts in and the shelf fitting snug.  Then I simply cut the shelf down to size lengthwise and width wise.  An important item to remember was that the deck planks have not been attached (so that size needs to be accounted for).  When I put the railing on the ship I put down a couple of pieces of plank thick wood for visual comparison.
 

 
I will add small pieces of wood to fill the gaps in the shelf behind each post.  This system worked out a lot easier than I had thought and I feel much more confident on the railing work on the stern now - which is a good thing.  Lots of ways to do things, but this worked for me.
 
Next up is the mast partner and then the catheads.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Hey Eamonn, Define 'Novice.'  I am looking at the Ballahoo and it might be your first proper wood build but the experience and care you bring to sure puts you above a novice.  I actually think that anyone that actually finishes planking a hull automatically graduates to 'Been there, done that' classification.  This is my first scratch so I am right in there with you what ever the classification - hah, hah.
 
After four hours in the front flower beds (winter is officially over in Michigan) I needed to do something that showed I was finally off that gun deck.  So...the gammoning jumped out, which included the necessary cleats:
 

 
I didn't know where the cleats should be positioned and did some over thinking for awhile.  Finally I grabbed the line I intended to use and loosely put in the gammoning which took less than 10 minutes.  After insuring the lines were clearing all the headwork and looked right I lightly marked a line on the bowsprit where the cleats should fall.  Pull off the gammoning and make some cleats.  I did keep the cleats parallel with the bowsprit and equal spaced, which required the front face of the lower cleats to have a slight angle.
 
I had hoped for 8 frappings (I believe they are called) and it worked out perfectly with the gammoning hole drilled out so many years ago.  I might eventually replace this but there is no rush since this can be done anytime with full access.
 

 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark
 
P.S.  Happy Easter

I have had a couple of queries with regard to my Byrnes saw sled so I thought I would give some data on this.
 

 
I originally cut some wood strips that fit into the saws slots.  Not too tight or loose, just right.  I then grabbed a piece of thin plywood and glue tacked it onto the wood strips while they were on the saw.  I tried to get everything as squared up as possible but this wasn't critical.
 
When dry I ran the blade through the first third of the plywood.  I then glued the top block onto the plywood (which held the now slightly separated pieces together).  Then back on the saw and cut almost through all the plywood.  Now attention to detail is critical.  I affixed the back block using a square to insure it was ABSOLUTELY 90 degrees to the now visible cut mark.
 
Once dry I run a clean run all the way through the plywood which adds the cut mark to the blocks also.  That pretty much sums it up.  As I have said previously, I use this almost every time I work on the model.  I need to cut anything at a 90 degree angle, it is done on the sled.  Any other angle I also use the sled with appropriate hold downs.  I consider it very safe and very controlled.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Thanks for all the kudos, looks and likes!
 
Grant - for most of the ideas you have picked up here, I can probably refer to other builds where I snagged them.
 
Tim - I don't know if I am as good as lucky!
 
As i thought about the forecastle it became obvious two things had to happen first.  I had to pry off the top level outer planks since they were sanded down slightly more than they should have been and replace them.  Not too hard and easy to do.
 
The second was the railing had to be done now (or a factor of 10 in hardness later).  This was a half height railing (would not conform to OSHA standards) of five posts.  For strength I opted to mortise them into the deck beam.  After all the planking is attached I will attach a cap piece running the length of the beam to cover the end of the planks as well as most of the generated mortises.
 
First order of business was to generate five posts that had some carving done to their tops as well as a plank shelf running the length of the railing.  I cut a notch around the post for the 1/32inch shelf to slide into for support and maintain constant height.  To do this I always like a jig:
 

 
Once the post work was done I cut the post to half width where it connected with the deck beam using my Byrnes saw.  I always use a sled that I have built if I am not ripping down lengths of wood.  The whole sled moves with everything else anchored.  Very solid, very safe and easy to make several accurate cuts on different pieces of wood.  A micro-chisel was used to smooth down any bumps left by the saw blade.
 

 
I then attached one post at a time, starting from the center.  I also doweled the mortised section into the deck beam.
 

 
After each post was affixed I used a piece of oversized wood for the shelf and cut the slot for the post into the shelf.  This allowed one slot to be focused on at a time which was easy as opposed to five at the same time.
 

 
Working outwards it didn't take too long to get all the posts in and the shelf fitting snug.  Then I simply cut the shelf down to size lengthwise and width wise.  An important item to remember was that the deck planks have not been attached (so that size needs to be accounted for).  When I put the railing on the ship I put down a couple of pieces of plank thick wood for visual comparison.
 

 
I will add small pieces of wood to fill the gaps in the shelf behind each post.  This system worked out a lot easier than I had thought and I feel much more confident on the railing work on the stern now - which is a good thing.  Lots of ways to do things, but this worked for me.
 
Next up is the mast partner and then the catheads.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Thanks for posting the extra info on your sled Mark. I'll be making one of these up for myself very soon now. Your photos and comments will be invaluable.

I have had a couple of queries with regard to my Byrnes saw sled so I thought I would give some data on this.
 

 
I originally cut some wood strips that fit into the saws slots.  Not too tight or loose, just right.  I then grabbed a piece of thin plywood and glue tacked it onto the wood strips while they were on the saw.  I tried to get everything as squared up as possible but this wasn't critical.
 
When dry I ran the blade through the first third of the plywood.  I then glued the top block onto the plywood (which held the now slightly separated pieces together).  Then back on the saw and cut almost through all the plywood.  Now attention to detail is critical.  I affixed the back block using a square to insure it was ABSOLUTELY 90 degrees to the now visible cut mark.
 
Once dry I run a clean run all the way through the plywood which adds the cut mark to the blocks also.  That pretty much sums it up.  As I have said previously, I use this almost every time I work on the model.  I need to cut anything at a 90 degree angle, it is done on the sled.  Any other angle I also use the sled with appropriate hold downs.  I consider it very safe and very controlled.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Great idea.  This is a keeper.
David B

I have had a couple of queries with regard to my Byrnes saw sled so I thought I would give some data on this.
 

 
I originally cut some wood strips that fit into the saws slots.  Not too tight or loose, just right.  I then grabbed a piece of thin plywood and glue tacked it onto the wood strips while they were on the saw.  I tried to get everything as squared up as possible but this wasn't critical.
 
When dry I ran the blade through the first third of the plywood.  I then glued the top block onto the plywood (which held the now slightly separated pieces together).  Then back on the saw and cut almost through all the plywood.  Now attention to detail is critical.  I affixed the back block using a square to insure it was ABSOLUTELY 90 degrees to the now visible cut mark.
 
Once dry I run a clean run all the way through the plywood which adds the cut mark to the blocks also.  That pretty much sums it up.  As I have said previously, I use this almost every time I work on the model.  I need to cut anything at a 90 degree angle, it is done on the sled.  Any other angle I also use the sled with appropriate hold downs.  I consider it very safe and very controlled.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Thanks for all the kudos, looks and likes!
 
Grant - for most of the ideas you have picked up here, I can probably refer to other builds where I snagged them.
 
Tim - I don't know if I am as good as lucky!
 
As i thought about the forecastle it became obvious two things had to happen first.  I had to pry off the top level outer planks since they were sanded down slightly more than they should have been and replace them.  Not too hard and easy to do.
 
The second was the railing had to be done now (or a factor of 10 in hardness later).  This was a half height railing (would not conform to OSHA standards) of five posts.  For strength I opted to mortise them into the deck beam.  After all the planking is attached I will attach a cap piece running the length of the beam to cover the end of the planks as well as most of the generated mortises.
 
First order of business was to generate five posts that had some carving done to their tops as well as a plank shelf running the length of the railing.  I cut a notch around the post for the 1/32inch shelf to slide into for support and maintain constant height.  To do this I always like a jig:
 

 
Once the post work was done I cut the post to half width where it connected with the deck beam using my Byrnes saw.  I always use a sled that I have built if I am not ripping down lengths of wood.  The whole sled moves with everything else anchored.  Very solid, very safe and easy to make several accurate cuts on different pieces of wood.  A micro-chisel was used to smooth down any bumps left by the saw blade.
 

 
I then attached one post at a time, starting from the center.  I also doweled the mortised section into the deck beam.
 

 
After each post was affixed I used a piece of oversized wood for the shelf and cut the slot for the post into the shelf.  This allowed one slot to be focused on at a time which was easy as opposed to five at the same time.
 

 
Working outwards it didn't take too long to get all the posts in and the shelf fitting snug.  Then I simply cut the shelf down to size lengthwise and width wise.  An important item to remember was that the deck planks have not been attached (so that size needs to be accounted for).  When I put the railing on the ship I put down a couple of pieces of plank thick wood for visual comparison.
 

 
I will add small pieces of wood to fill the gaps in the shelf behind each post.  This system worked out a lot easier than I had thought and I feel much more confident on the railing work on the stern now - which is a good thing.  Lots of ways to do things, but this worked for me.
 
Next up is the mast partner and then the catheads.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Very nicely done Mark.

Very nice indeed, Mark!
 
John

Thanks for all the kudos, looks and likes!
 
Grant - for most of the ideas you have picked up here, I can probably refer to other builds where I snagged them.
 
Tim - I don't know if I am as good as lucky!
 
As i thought about the forecastle it became obvious two things had to happen first.  I had to pry off the top level outer planks since they were sanded down slightly more than they should have been and replace them.  Not too hard and easy to do.
 
The second was the railing had to be done now (or a factor of 10 in hardness later).  This was a half height railing (would not conform to OSHA standards) of five posts.  For strength I opted to mortise them into the deck beam.  After all the planking is attached I will attach a cap piece running the length of the beam to cover the end of the planks as well as most of the generated mortises.
 
First order of business was to generate five posts that had some carving done to their tops as well as a plank shelf running the length of the railing.  I cut a notch around the post for the 1/32inch shelf to slide into for support and maintain constant height.  To do this I always like a jig:
 

 
Once the post work was done I cut the post to half width where it connected with the deck beam using my Byrnes saw.  I always use a sled that I have built if I am not ripping down lengths of wood.  The whole sled moves with everything else anchored.  Very solid, very safe and easy to make several accurate cuts on different pieces of wood.  A micro-chisel was used to smooth down any bumps left by the saw blade.
 

 
I then attached one post at a time, starting from the center.  I also doweled the mortised section into the deck beam.
 

 
After each post was affixed I used a piece of oversized wood for the shelf and cut the slot for the post into the shelf.  This allowed one slot to be focused on at a time which was easy as opposed to five at the same time.
 

 
Working outwards it didn't take too long to get all the posts in and the shelf fitting snug.  Then I simply cut the shelf down to size lengthwise and width wise.  An important item to remember was that the deck planks have not been attached (so that size needs to be accounted for).  When I put the railing on the ship I put down a couple of pieces of plank thick wood for visual comparison.
 

 
I will add small pieces of wood to fill the gaps in the shelf behind each post.  This system worked out a lot easier than I had thought and I feel much more confident on the railing work on the stern now - which is a good thing.  Lots of ways to do things, but this worked for me.
 
Next up is the mast partner and then the catheads.
 
Stay building my friends,
Mark

Nice work on the timberheads. They came out very well.
 
Russ