Elia

Floyd -   in this case I am working under the assumption that what is provided in the plans IS a 2D sail template.  In short, my CAD drawings don't take this into account, they assume that a bunch of flat strips of cloth were sewn together to make a bigger flat sheet.  I will shape the finished product into wind-filled sails after cutting them out and adding details.  I don't know how I'll do that just yet, but there are lots of interesting approaches to be found on MSW.
 
Pete - thanks for stopping by and for the kind words.  I love the quote in your signature.
 
As promised, I temporarily attached the the main and fore sails to check for rough fit and to get a feel for where I might be headed with them.  Here are the photos.
 

 
Thanks,
Bob
 
 

I'm adding some new images, of the continued rigging oif the head rigging....I still need to add the bowsprit shrouds.

Continuation

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 14 – Setting Frames – preparation
 
American Clipper Note: Young America cost $140,000 to build.  Gross revenue from her first voyage from New York to San Francisco was $86,400 – more than half her initial cost in her first four months!
 
 
With four frames finished and a few more in progress, it was time to start thinking about erecting them.  The first picture shows the midship frame set up temporarily on the keel, supported by the two clamped squares set at the maximum breadth line on both sides.
 

 
The so-called "midship" frame is set at the deadflat location along the keel.  This is not at the midpoint of the hull, but is actually about 20’ forward of that point.  Also, this frame is the widest part of the hull only in the neighborhood of the load waterline.  At topside the frames immediately aft are wider and at the bottom the frames immediately forward are wider.  This is a departure from normal 18C RN practice where the midship frame was the widest at every height.
 
Before setting any frames, some other work had to be done.  First, the keel had to be bolted securely to the shipway.  The next picture shows the three bolts made for this purpose.
 

 
These are identical to the type used on Naiad.  The reduced diameter section fits up through the keel.  It is stopped at the bottom of the keel shoe by the shoulder at the change in diameter.  This limits the distance the bolt can be screwed into the model, preventing the keelson from being popped off by over tightening.  The small threads are 4-40 and the larger 10-32.
 
The next picture shows one of the bolts pulled up at the keel bottom by the small nut on top,
 

 
With the top nuts on the three bolts tightened up, and larger holes drilled through the shipway, the keel is slipped into position as shown below.
 

 
Thumbscrews with lock washers are then tightened up under the shipway.  Eventually the top nuts will be filed to fit within the woodwork and the top of the studs will be filed flush  to the nuts.  These will be covered by the keelson or deadwood.
 
With the keel secured, the end posts were set up in the vertical position as shown below.
 

 
The next picture shows three frames set loosely in position and a fourth lying flat where it would have been assembled in the real shipyard.
 

 
At the yard, once the midship frame was set, moveable assembly platforms were constructed fore and aft.  Working two at a time, frame pairs were assembled on these then raised up into position.  The platforms were then moved and the work on the next frames begun.  Methods like these enabled these ships to be constructed in 3 to 6 months – some in less time.  If there were two of me I could duplicate this practice.
 
The next picture shows the midship frame being prepared for installation.  A pine cross-spale is being glued to the toptimbers to hold the correct upper separation.  Also, while in this position, an alignment centerline is marked on the spale with a razor blade.
 

 
This will be done to perhaps every 4th or 5th frame – plus any that need it – until some other means of holding frame alignment is installed.
 
Finally, the fore and aft faces of the first several frame pairs were squared up from the base drawing and marked in pencil on the top of the keel as shown below.
 

 
The frames will be glued to the keel based on these marks – and of course plumbed and aligned.  Bolt holes will be drilled through the floors, and bolts – probably brass pins - driven into the keel – as was done in practice.  Although authentic, these will be invisible when the keelson is installed over them.
 
 
Ed

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

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

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

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

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

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

 
The last picture shows the first three frame pairs erected. 
 

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

Thank you very much, Elia.
 
And thanks also for your recent PM inquiry on the deadeyes, which ended up giving me the impetus to "get going" again.
 
Good luck on your deadeyes.  Getting right the spacing of the holes on the jig was not easy; it took me four or five tries before I was satisfied.  And I'm sure the smaller they are, the more difficult it is!   But the good thing is, once you've got it, they will all come out well.
 
The strop recess I didn't do as I had described to you (which was a faulty memory!).  Here's a photo, though I'm not sure how understandable it is--
 

 
 
I twirled the dowel against one edge of a triangular file, guided and braced by the pressure of my fingers, scoring a line that I later filed deeper once the deadeye was parted off.  It was all done by eye and feel, and on some the scored line was not located as well as it could have been--indeed in that photo the scored line is too far down on the dowel, it should be closer to the end of the dowel.
 
 
Ron 
 
 
 
 

Ron,
 
Very nice deadeyes! The jig looks like it worked like a charm. I'm in-process on my deadeyes. Mine are 4mm in diameter. I've made a similar jig for locating the holes, though I may have make another with altered hole locations. Your deadeye strop recess, the hole location and spacing, the easing of the holes- very very nice sir.
 
Cheers,
 
Elia

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 
 
 
Ed

A bit of progress on Effie. The deck is planked and scraped, but needs a bit of trimming around the various deck openings.  With no top timbers on the frames, sanding and scraping the deck planking was easier than when there are bulwarks or top timber framing in place.
 
There are stanchions between frames versus having top timbers on the frames. The frames stop at the same height as the top of the deck beams so the stanchions will be the support for the bulwark planking. 
 
When framing the model I placed small blocks between frames to give added strength.  Coincidentally, these act as a stop for the stanchions.  I have drawn these blocks in red on the attached.
 
I have started fitting filler decking pieces between the stanchions to close in the decking around the stanchions as shown on the photo.
 
Allan

The hull planking is on and first sanding complete.  Hand sanding to a fine finish will be next.  I left a section of planking off to expose the framing, but I have decided against installing most of the below deck items inside the hull.  I left a little DNA on the keelson after a little slip of a chisel, so there is no denying who built this thing.
 
I put in a few inside planks for strength and the two mast steps are in place.  The deck frames are started.  There are a few carlings where there are deck structures and to set up the masts' partners.  Once the deck is framed the stanchions and bulwarks will follow.
 
Allan

more. The jpg 7_27_13 is from work I had done yesterday on two of the frames and the keel and stern post. I have been working on this well over a year now.

Antony,
 
   If you are just learning this I do feel sorry for you, not trying to be disrespectfully to you or anyone else. But this software is very hard, I know for a fact I even went to collage for it just for this hobby. Making frames isn't easy like making gears and other stuff, I have books and more books plus videos etc. I wish I could tell you different but I can't. I am going to post some pictures for you and maybe you might understand what I am saying. And yes I know what the software cost, I am using version 2011 and believe me it not cheap at all and I got a break because of collage and the service.

Hello,
 
here is another progress update...

...

Half of the main deck planking is done. There still are about six strakes of planking to be "nailed" plus a thorough sanding but the bulk of the work is done.
Here are some pictures.
 
Regards,
Alexandru

Haven’t posted in quite some time, bad me. To catch up, I have stepped the masts and complete much of the standing rigging. I am currently tying ratlines and have competed the port side of the main mast. Some photos to catch up.
 
Main sail lacing.

 
Main and fore masts and sails set in place. The gaffs are temporarily rigged.

 
Used single wires to set constant deadeye heights while seizing the shrouds.  The single wires worked okay for height but allow the deadeye to rotate while tightening the shroud. Next time I’ll try something more stable and may make a single tool for all deadeyes.

 
Lanyards complete.

 
Bowsprit details.

 
Ratlines in progress.

 
Dave B

Well, she's finished at last!
 
The last couple of details were finished at the museum yesterday.  As you can see from the photographs, she still needs a proper stand and case - plus a bit of a clean off of odd dust particles before she's permanently cased - but she is complete at last.
 
I must say I'm quite pleased with the way she's turned out.  I think I've got the spars fine enough to look realistic and make her look light and fast rather than just over sparred, but that's just my opinion.
 
The next model is currently in the planning stage and a new building log will appear shortly.
 
John

It’s taken me 4 days to complete the paper patterns for the sails.  I started with the Main Sail and it took me 5 tries to get it right.  The Main Top Sail was next and it took 4 attempts before it was right.  Pretty much, it took me at least 2 tries on each one to get the dimensions correct.
 
Now comes the fun part!  I’m going to go to a fabric shop and purchase some of the lightest muslin I can find.  That seems to be the preferred fabric in all the reading I’ve done on sail making.  I plan on spending a couple of days playing with it to practice using the sewing machine.  I do have a toy sail boat that needs a new set of sail and I thought I would use that as practice before attempting the sails for the Bluenose.
 

Yes indeed they are...my favorite ship type. 

I further added details to the forecastle and anchors.

At this point I set the masts.....

during this time I was working on the gunnels and chain plates as I was adding the masts...

Next I moved forward again and added pins in the pinrail and worked aft.

Thanks.
 
I temporary turned my attention to make the aft hatch and grating. Making gratings was one of the things I've been looking forward to making. I finally got around to set up my table saw to make the notched battens, it was actually less difficult than I had imagined. In the end I didn't use the special sled I had made, but just a regular cross sled with a small batten off set from the blade to make repeated cuts. I had to adapt the coamings to let the bitt pins pass. 
 
A big batch of notched battens were made so I only need to do this once and have good supply to make all the gratings.
 

 

 

 
The nails are simulated with a graphite tipped needle, just like I did on the mast tops.
 

 
Remco

Thanks for the warm welcome back guys! Really appreciated.
 
I made the carlings and ledges around the mast partner. As two of the carlings are half lapped under the beams and the mast partner itself is let down 1" on the beam this makes for some interesting cutting and fitting....
 

 

 

 

 
The mast wedges will be simulated by scoring the ring with a graphite dipped scalpel blade (actually it's already done but this other ring is fitted to the mast)
 

 
 
Remco