glbarlow

Very crisp and neat work, fine joinery!  Not sure it’s what you’re looking for, take a look at the port lid hinges Chuck offers for Winchelsea. Perhaps they can be modified to work.  

Very crisp and neat work, fine joinery!  Not sure it’s what you’re looking for, take a look at the port lid hinges Chuck offers for Winchelsea. Perhaps they can be modified to work.  

We’ll done , this will look great on display 

For many of the finer details on Winchelsea Chuck uses Boxwood. AYC is lovely wood bod will not hold detail on small things. My own experience trying to scrape moulding out of AYC on Cheerful confirmed that. 
 
Very lovely work!

Looking nice, glad you’re returning to the bench. 

That paintwork is amazing!

Very crisp and neat work, fine joinery!  Not sure it’s what you’re looking for, take a look at the port lid hinges Chuck offers for Winchelsea. Perhaps they can be modified to work.  

After a considerable time away from the shipyards I found some motivation recently and have been plugging away at the ship's well and have almost completed it. I didn't take photographs of the progress, but I built up each of the 4 sides and then glued the sides together as square as I could. What I'm currently struggling with is how to make the hinges. I don't think my metalwork is at a point when I can fabricate them so I'm currently leaning towards using black card and pondering how to give the pin some depth. I have a little bit of time to ponder it though because I realized I build the lower deck beams incorrectly (confused width and depth) and need to remake them (about halfway done with them so I better get on the hinge decision before I start scouring the web for PE sheets that could solve the issue for me).
 
 

 
 

New update about what I've done this week:
 
Installed the prow, keel and rudder post, including their outer patterns/facings so to speak.
This gives the ship a whole new appearance.  
 

 

 
 
After that I glued the outer lower counter pattern in his perticular spot. This all went without trouble. Now I could measure the space between this pattern and the rudder post, so I could fill the difference with a thin piece of pear wood that I abstracted from the same sheet where also the outer patterns came out of. So there is no color difference  
Because of the thickness difference (the outer patterns of the rudder post and keel are 1mm thick and the supplied outer pear planks are 0.8mm thick) I maybe need a bit of filler underneath the second layer of pear planks against the rudder post and keel. Just to get them at a even height in the end. Will think about how to approach this.
 

 
Last step that I've done was soak the fore outer planking patterns and clamped them onto the hull. They have dried overnight and will glue them soon onto the hull.
A bit exciting these larger thin pieces of wood, so I need to gather some courage to get them in a good way onto the hull  
 
I also thought about the gunport stops and if i'm going to do them on all the gunports and not only at the ones with actual lids. I saw this idea in Blue Ensigns log and like the look when all the gunports have the stops, including those without a lid. So i'm going for those...it looks fairly easy to execute this small modification. The two questions after that were...glueing first the patterns onto the ship and install after that the stops? Or do them first and glue the patterns after that. I go with the first option because the outer patterns have a bit of extra "meat" onto the gunports...they are a bit smaller then the mdf inside frame so you have some wiggle room and you can sand them afterwards flush with the mdf framing. So it looks to me easier to install them afterwards.
 
Next question was...at all four sides a stop or only at the sides and the bottom? I found this topic:
 
 
 
And saw that both options look correct. It didn't seem if there was 1 correct answer, so then I choose for asthetics and will do all 4 sides because I find that look more appealing.
 
 

Hello,
after some days with snow and sunshine I'm now back at the shipyard. In Dec. we had here in Schleswig-Holstein an average of 5 hours sunshine!
Cutting the planks for the gangway

The painter has painted the knees and the carpenters made the planks ready for installing.

In the front on both sides are cavel blocks

And now is the gangway ready, except for the rails to the outside, who come when the whole ship would be mainly ready.

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post.  I'm taking my time planking the deck.  Like everything on this build, it's more complicated and challenging than I had initially thought it would be.  Haha.  I've managed to get eight more rows of planks down since my last post.  I only did a rough sanding, which is why it still looks a bit crude.  I'll do a final sanding once the entire deck is planked.  Even though I have tick marks on the deck and the planks drawn in, it still takes some effort to get the planks a uniform width, and the run of each plank to flow smoothly when viewed down the length of the hull.   At any rate, for a first deck planking job, I'm happy with the results so far. 
 
Erik
 

Great idea, Chuck! as long as the shear is good, then all should work out nicely. I’m gonna take a look at what Greg did on his build. It should be an interesting comparison.

The overlap of the second planking should cover that. The counter is planked first then trim the hull side planking flush with the planked counter. The gaps should easily be covered, the first planking is a foundation, doesn’t always need to be a perfect match to the final look generated by. 2nd planking. The parts are generally oversized on purpose as every hull is different. You can also sand the counter piece to fit a little better. 
 
Do make sure the second planking is equal, by trial fitting, to the rudder at the stern post, generally this is more problematic than the counter.  I wish my Pegasus log wasn’t lost in the great 2013 crash.  

Small update on the stern carvings for Portland. 
The carvings are all based on the Marshall painting of the contemporary model, from 1774. 

these are all Greek mythological characters, most of which can be found on other contemporary models, sculptures and paintings all over the web. This has been useful in bridging some of the gaps on the painting. 

I should have a complete set of boxwood carvings and printed quarter galleries before I complete the planking. More updates to come soon.
 
JJ

Margin and outboard Planking
 
Time for the margin planks, waterway, and outboard planking.

I started with the quarter deck. The margin planks are heat bent with my trusty travel iron (I had a brief flash back to those long months planking the hull). I elected to use one long strip and then once shaped I use the template as a pattern to cut a scarf joint midway.

I did the same with the four planks, all ¼ widths I’d ripped and run through the thickness planer, tapering the planks towards the stern per the template and using a razor saw to simulate the planking end cuts and then adding #2 pencil along the long edge for caulking. Running a single long plank with the simulated break made for a cleaner run and easier fit. (the angle of the iPhone photo makes it seam the port side planning seem wider than starboard, it isn’t).
 
I half-rounded a strip for the waterways to finish up the outboard work. This small strip adds a lot, it won’t wash away any water but it does a nice job of bridging the deck and bulwarks.
 
After sanding and 4 coats of WOP it’s done. I may WOP the beam tops late,r for now I haven’t. The q-deck was easy enough and done fairly quickly, the forecastle not so much.

The forecastle margin planks are too curved to bend a plank so they are cut from 3/64 sheet. I started with the template (template beams and actual beams were lined up for measuring, just not for this photo) then added Tamiya tape to make up any differences (really not much, but some) with my hull and transferred the outer edge to the sheet. The outer edges were then cut roughly with a #11 blade.
 
Using dividers, and a technique learned from Rusty, I drew the proper width for the inboard side. This step is done after the cut and completing sanding of the outer edge.
Once again I again did the full length and cut the scarf joint after the fitting, amazing how nice they match up that way.

My Byrnes sander does a nice job of rough sanding the outer curve smooth. The new version with the reversible direction makes it even easier. I converted my mill into a sanding table for rough sanding of the margin and forecastle planks inner curves.

The same process of starting with template, modified by tape, transferred to sheet with double sided tape, rough sanded and finally the time consuming part, final sanding by hand with sanding sticks to a tight fit.

While there are only 6 planks plus the margin plank they are all cut from sheet and sanded to custom fit, a slow process but a rewarding one with the final result.  Once again the waterway and 4 coats of WOP are added (four because that’s how many I used on the main deck so the finish and tone match up). The WOP is wiped on and off and lightly sanded between the second and third coat.

A lot of cut up templates and Tamiya tape were used to make it all work. My blue canary tape is also shown - it serves as an early warning before an elbow snags a cannon barrel. Kinda dumb, but it works.

There is a pronounced curve to these planks, while they were cut with that curve, clamping while gluing keep them that way.


The completed quarterdeck.

 

The completed forecastle.
 
On to the center planking and deck furniture. As always thank you for your comments and the likes and for stopping by.

Making some progress these past few days. More detailed post later but just one photo for a quick update on forecastle work. 

Making some progress these past few days. More detailed post later but just one photo for a quick update on forecastle work. 

Making some progress these past few days. More detailed post later but just one photo for a quick update on forecastle work. 

Belfry
 
I spent a long time on the belfry, lots of char removal on small pieces and tiny mitre cuts. 
As you can see I went a different way using black masking tape and a blackened rope pull I fashioned from brass strip. These were planned. 

After spending hours unsuccessfully trying to remove char from the roof and with assurance from Chuck these were often painted black on contemporary models I went that route. However I weathered my Ironwork Black paint to give it, in my char-addled mind, the look of the lead sheet the captain ordered to prevent wood rot.
 
That’s my story anyway. 
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. 

Caprails
 
Maybe not the most exciting thing, still installing the caprail is a test determining how well I did at the very beginning building the ship's infrastructure. That work and the pre-testing and fitting I did back then (nearly two years ago now) turned out to be ok for the most part. The laser cut caprail fit the top curves of the hull, finally finishing off the last of the exposed hull.

First up was the waist, a 5/16 plank fit the bill. Seemingly simple, this was a first example of early testing making it so. Originally my run of planking did not leave the flat surface between the scrolls required. It was so much easier to correct that back then than it would have been now.


Way back before I started building I admired how the caprail fitted with the two scrolls and wondered how I’d manage to make that happen. Naturally Chuck has a great design starting with those hance pieces from chapter one on to the scroll moulding and friezes, finally arriving at the curves of the caprail up from the main deck to the quarterdeck, it all works together.
 
The curved portions of the caprail are two pieces pieces glued together extra wide for good reason. First the rail narrows from 5/16 on the main deck to ¾ on the qdeck, plus there is an inward angle as the hull narrows going towards the stern. There was a lot of sanding and fine tuning to create a proper transition up and back. Also I appreciate the extra sets of this curved piece Chuck provides, I’ll just call the first attempt a prototype.

Next up was the quarter deck, first closing up the bulwarks having first painted them red then adding the cap rails. I switched to Admiralty Paints Dull Black for the rails, not sure why the name, it is the very opposite of dull. Though I had to make a few adjustments, for the most part I had a good fit matching the laser cut rail with gentle inward curve from mid-ship to stern.

I always look ahead to determine what I can do now that might be easier than doing it later, the two gangway platforms are an example. They aren’t a simple fit given the angles and placement required, including the tricky fitting of a knee below. It was much easier to build and install them now than later in chapter 11 when I’d have to work around, and likely knock off knowing me, the qdeck rail. The decking for both is fitted, but not glued on, it can wait as can the rest of the gangway.

Staying with the look ahead concept I elected to build the catheads and use them as guides to cut the opening in the hull to the deck called for later. A small laser cut template is provided which of course would work, I just wanted to have as tight a fit as possible and match the angle to the rest of the simulated cat tail below the beams. More importantly I wanted to get this cut made before I’d risk damaging any deck planking. The cat heads are just laying there, this is not how later they'll be mounted further out and at a much higher angle. It’s kinda cool how they make up from seven parts (including sheaves inserted in the slots) to look as one, they will stand out nicely in the final fit.

The bow section of the cat-rails are added, with the catheads laying in the slots confirming a tight fit. It took me a minute to recognize the grain in the wood wasn't more char.

That was followed by the remainder of the forecastle caprails. It’s worth mentioning again as I did in a much earlier post, and as suggested by Chuck and others, to use the paper caprail templates way early as the bow is being framed. Matching them up then makes installing the laser cut caprail easy now. I wouldn’t want to get to this point and find out they didn't not follow the curve of the bow.
 

The final result of the forecastle caprail installed, again with catheads just laying in the slots. You might notice there is no windscreen behind the stove. I did fit it but decided I’d rather have a peek of the stove visible from the main deck. It's such a cool stove and much of it will be hidden by the partial forecastle decking.
 
Note in this photo I’ve also pre-fit the breasthook though I won’t paint it until I can make a final fit after the planking is installed. An over-sized laser cut piece is provided, it took a lot of sanding to get a decent fit for my hull, including a little work on the back side of the bollard timbers.
 
With that I’ll move onward with the balance of chapter nine. Can’t wait to remove more char, if anyone comes up with a char removing formula I’ll be first in line. Wouldn’t it be nice to dip a piece of laser cut material in a little vat and it came out free of char…
 
By the way, while RED, my paint isn't as red as these photographs always make it out to be.  Apparently my workshop lighting and iPhone combine to make everything more vibrant.
 
As always thanks for stopping by with your likes and comments, I appreciate you’re doing so.
 

Where’s the fun if we can’t add new stuff to the workbench. Amazon thanks us. 

Not sure about that, but thank you both for saying so. 

Where’s the fun if we can’t add new stuff to the workbench. Amazon thanks us. 

Thank you, it was a trip, every centerline and port side plank is unique, as you know, only to have to be mirrored on the starboard side. Fun stuff.

The key is to use bright lights to hide stuff🤣🤣. Thank you BE, much appreciated.