Elia

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 92 – Main Deck Framing 3
 
Framing of the main deck continues from forward and aft.  Additional operational features are also being installed.  In the first picture the topsail sheet bits  and two round openings for the anchor chain chutes  are installed.  The samson post is being glued in place toward the bow.
 

 
This very large timber extends up above the forecastle deck.  It will support the lever arms for the anchor chain winch located on the main deck just below the forecastle break.  The levers were operated from the forecastle.
 
Working just one step behind the drafting sometimes causes problems.  The next picture shows the step for the main capstan, which I neglected to install when framing the middle deck.
 

 
The decking between the two hatches and the middle bay of framing had to be removed and reworked to include support carlings and the square step itself.
 
The next picture shows the extent of the main deck framing at that time – a few days ago.
 

 
The next picture is a different view.  The three rows of carling under the deck cabin can be clearly seen in this picture.  The cabin will extend some distance further aft than the beams installed here.
 
 

 
The next picture shows some additional progress on the aft part of the main deck.
 

 
The members that will support the capstan on the main deck have been installed including two large support carlings.  The design of these supports and the step is speculative.  It will soon be time to make the smaller forward water tank and install both iron tanks while there is still access.  The bilge suction pipes will also need to be installed soon.
 
The next picture was taken while I could still place a smaller camera on the middle deck.  The view is forward along the middle deck
 

 
In the foreground is the main hatch and the bilge pipe openings.  The dark areas along the waterways are shadows of the deck beams. 
 
The last picture is one of those scary close-ups taken through one of the view ports.
 

 
This was taken at F8 – the smallest aperture on the smaller camera - so the foreground is out of focus, but the detail of the knees on the middle deck framing can be clearly seen – also a scarph jint in the deck clamp.
 
Ed

Not much to show for the last few weeks.  Last week was devoted to the NRG meeting.  It was great to put faces to some new names.  Hope to see you again next year in Mystic.
 
I started the planking below the wales.  The first 6 rows of planking are anchor stock and the rest is standard planking.  The first strake is 3" thick at the wale, tapering down to 2".  The rest of the strakes are 2" thick.  I laid the first row of strakes full thickness and then tapered the lower edge after the second row of planking was completed.  The extreme fore and aft planks are dropped.  I marked out the landing spots for the planks terminating at the counter to prevent any uneven plank widths.  Holly is a pleasure to work with for the hull planking.  Gentle curves can bent by hand.  The extreme bends require a 30 minute soak in water and are pinned in place with clamps and planking screws.  After they are completely dry, final shaping is done and the plank is glued in place with almost no pressure.  I like to rough sand the planks every few rows to check for any problems.  It is a lot easier to pop one or two problem planks now rather than several planks after the hull is completed.  
 
The wale has gotten scuffed with handling and sanding.  It will get a re-paint  after all the planking has been installed.
 

 

 

 

 
 

Thanks for following this build, Christian.
 
Not much got done this weekend, between Fall cleanup and getting my Hannah cleaned up to take to the NRG meeting next week, there was not much time for building.  When I bought the styrofoam for the base, I found  a hobby-quality drafting table.  It elevates and tilts, important to me since I prefer to work standing up (I guess it's the surgeon in me). And at 30% off, what girl could say "no"?  A bungee cord across the base keeps everything in place, even at an angle.  And the casters allow me to follow the sun.
 

 

 

 
The second two rows of planking are almost completed.  When I return, I will start the planking below the wales.
 

 

 

It is time to work on the lower hull.  I pressed the top timbers, stem and counter timbers into a 2" thick slab of styrofoam. I then threaded butcher's twine through the gun port openings and secured the hull to the styrofoam in four places.  This allows me to comfortably work on the lower hull while having the ship securely attached to a flat surface.
 
The lower hull planking is holly.  I am using a different holly for the hull planking than I did for the decking.  That wood was more grey and had some color imperfections which became apparent after the finish was applied.  This is a whiter wood without any visible flaws.  (Thank you Hobby Mill.)  The garboard strake was installed first.  When you look at the plan, you are tempted to say "Oh, a straight line with the keel.  Easy."  Well, because of the twists in the plank fore and aft, that straight line is anything but.  The key is to make templates of everything and then transfer the outline of the template to the wood, leaving a little extra for fine-tuning.  The fore end of the garboard was terminated per the layout in TFFM.  Prior to gluing the planks in place, the keel rabbet was cleaned up.
 

 

 

 

Ben and Mark, thanks for the support.
 
I have reached a milestone...the upper works' planking is completed!  I left the frame ends protruding above the level of the top rail to protect the upper edge of the planking.  Now you can even tell which frames have timberheads associated with them. Because the only things keeping the starboard frames in line are the ribbands and the filler blocks above the top of the frames, this side was not cut down.  Now I have a question.  In TFFM it states that where the sheer strake "...widens down to the ports there is a change in surface level to produce a smooth, continuous chamfer line..."  I interpreted this to mean a smooth chamfer to the top of the port.  Another interpretation would be to make the lower part of the strake the thickness of the hull planking and the top part the thickness of the sheer strake.  Looking at a contemporary model of Atalanta did not show enough detail for me to tell which direction to go.  If someone could give me some direction, I would appreciate it.  I left things so that it would be easy to convert if my interpretation is wrong.
 
On to the lower hull planking.
 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Joe, Vivian & Mark. Indeed I used the knurling attachment from Shereline, it gives a good grip and a adds a nice touch.
 
Port side treenailed
 

 
And draught marks added, they won't be painted red as they should as this might be to distracting. They are just 3 mm, 1/8" high
 

 

 
Remco

Thanks, Kees.  We are usually our own worst critics.
 
Now that the sheer strake is installed, it is time to attack the fixed blocks.  There are two fixed blocks that pierce the hull.  One of them has two sheaves and the other only one.  They are pretty straight-forward in construction.  First the block's shell is cut and dry-fit.  Next the slots for the sheaves are marked out, drilled and then finished with needle files.  The hole for the pin is drilled and the block is put back into the hull.  It is much easier to drill the slots for the sheaves prior to shaping the sides.  The inner and outer faces are sanded to conform to the shape of the tumblehome.  I made the sheaves from ebony that I drilled out and shaped with chisels and sandpaper.  Finally, they were sawn to thickness and installed.  In the pictures there is too much contrast between the woods to actually see the sheave withing the slot.  The blocks were removed, the sheaves and pin inserted and glued with CA, and the assembly was glued in place in the hull.
 
    
 
The first photo shows the blocks glued and sanded in place.  In the second photo the wood has been wiped down with a damp cloth to highlight the treenails.  The slots on the inboard face need a little more cleaning up.
 

 

 

 
The final appearance.  I still have to insert some of the gun port liners but overall I think it looks pretty good.
 

 

 
 

The sheer strake was installed next.  This is 3" thick and is let down to the top of the gun port where the width of the upper planking would have been less than 5".   There is a hook scarf amidships.  I have cut down some of the timbers to just above the sheer strake.  By leaving them a little long at this point I am preventing damage to the top edge of the sheer strake. 
 

 
I ran into two problems:  one correctable and the other not.  Although it is hard to tell from the pictures, my Dremel has developed a wobble in the shaft and consequently the holes are slightly oversized.  I solved this by dipping the treenails in dilute glue before installing.  Usually I install them with pressure fit and rely on the finish to seal them into place.  It appears a new Dremel in on my horizon.  You can see my general approach for treenailing in the following picture.  I draw a light pencil line to indicate the center of the frame.  Next, I pencil in the locations of the treenails.  I use a carbide stylus to prick the wood so the drill bit does not wander.  And finally I drill the hole.  I start at the bottom and work up to the top.  The sawdust drops down so by starting at the bottom I do not have to clean off the hull after each hole has been drilled.  I sanded the aft area so show how the treenails disappear until finish (or water) is applied.
 

 
Now for the relatively uncorrectable problem.   As I mentioned before, I had to correct the sill heights to get a smooth run.  This was accomplished by lowering the central gunports and raising the aft gun port and bridal port.  I have already stripped the planking twice and began to be concerned about the integrity of the frame glue joints with the repeated application of isopropanol.   Therefore, I decided not to strip the planking again even though the appearance is not perfect.  You can see my shim on the lower port opening and the height that had to be removed at the top.   I am not pleased with it but weirdly feel better for showing the problem to whomever reads this log.  I guess that means I need a life!  The wood was wet down to show off the treenails.
 

At long last the installation of the upper planking is progressing.  After installing most of the planking up to the level of the top of the gun ports I discovered that the height of the lower sill was 2 scale inches too high.  However, I also determined that the height of the bridal port and the last gun port were correct.  To make everything perfect would have required removing all of the spirketing and the string in the waist.  Well, that wasn't going to happen so I did the next best thing.  I raised the sills of the bridal and aft gun ports one inch and lowered everything else one inch.  There was minimal damage to the appearance inside the hull with this approach.  In the first picture it looks like the aft port is too low.  This is an optical illusion caused by the narrowing distance between the main wale and the bottom of the gun port as one moves aft.  I removed the gun port liner after the outer planks were installed to get a better edge.  The pictures show some of them reinstalled.  I have tapered the thickness of the planking to 2 1/2".  The sheer plank will be 3".  I still have to finish sand the planks, reinstall the rest of the gun and sweep port liners and finish the opening for the sweep ports inside the hull.  The scrapes in the main wale paint will be addressed when all of the hull planking is completed.
 

 

 

The planks of the main wale have been drilled for the bolts at the butts and the treenails have been installed.  The bolts are 0.75" in diameter and the treenails are 1.25" in diameter.  Although not quite to scale, I used a 77 bit for the bolts and a 75 for the treenails.  I usually dry-fit the treenails, relying on the finish to hold them in place.  However, I wanted some structural strength with these treenails so I drilled them deeper into the frames and dipped them in dilute glue to secure them.  I realize no one will see them, but it only took a few hours and the added security is worth it.  I wet the wale in the second photo to make the treenails stand out.  
 

 

 
Next came applying a black finish to the wale.  I tried several approaches before making my final decision. I found an unopened bottle of Floquil hull black.  This looked good but when I applied the Watco's finish it rubbed right off.  Next I tried archival marker.  Looked good but the length of time it took to apply tried my patience.  Feiberg's leather dye also looked good and allowed the joint lines to be slightly more apparent but it bleeds into the wood and I was afraid of getting it onto the stem (even with masking).  My winning choice was artist acrylic paint.  This comes in a tube and can be diluted to the desired consistency.  It applies nicely and there was no concern about ruining the stem.  I was a little sloppy in getting paint on the frames when painting the edges of the wale but this will be covered with planking and so will not show.  The photos show the first coat applied.   I am up to 3 coats and will probably go with 3 more.  In between coats I am sanding with 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper (used dry).  Each subsequent coat is more dilute than the initial one.  I have left the aft edge a little long for final shaping later.  The bolts will be installed after the painting is completed.
 

 

The three runs of planking that make up the main wale have been installed.  As you can see, most of the joinery disappears after sanding.  In the first picture I wet the wood to make the plank edges stand out.  The next step will be to mark out and install the treenails.  The slight rise at the fore end of the wale when looking head-on is not apparent when looking at the ship, so I am going to leave this be.  I would cause far more damage if I tried to remove the wale in order to drop it 0.5 mm.
 

 

 

 

 

The main wale is composed of three strakes.  The upper most is a straight board.  The lower two interlock with anchor stock planking.  The ends are all butt joints.  Several of the planks have either severe bends or twists in them.  My basic technique for plank bending if the bend is mild is to soak the wood and then clamp it into place, allowing it to dry.  I will then final fit and glue into place.  The bends at the bow are anything but mild.  For these planks I soak them for a few hours and then use my ancient Aericopola plank bender to bend them.  I over-bend them and then allow them to finish drying off the model.  Then I final fit them and glue them into place.  One trick I have learned is to leave extra length (1/2") on the bent end (the bow in this case).  The plank bender will not work well at the end of the plank and the final result is usually a broken end.  By leaving the extra length, the extreme end of the plank can be left straight, avoiding breakage.  I use a 16 oz soda bottle because it is tall enough to soak a long length of wood and it does not waste too much water.  Floating the wood in a pan of water results in one side staying much drier than the other.  The plank shown is 0.95" thick and was bent in about five minutes.  In the second photo the plank is offered to the hull without forcing.
 

 

 
The first row of the wale has been installed.  The lower tape is left for reference.
 

 

 
The middle row of the wale planking has been installed.  Since I plan on painting the wale I decided not to highlight the plank edge with paper or chamfering.  You can see the saw-toothed appearance of the anchor stock planking in the second photo.
 

 

 
For the lower row of planking I first fit the top of the plant to the middle plank.  After I was happy with the fit I marked the lower edge with a compass and cut the plank down to the line.
 

 

 
 

It has been a while since I have posted anything new...but I have an excuse.  I was performing nautical research in the Tetons and Yellowstone.  For you non-US folks, these are two national parks adjacent to each other in the Rocky Mountains.  First I had to research the types of water craft used on Jackson Lake.  This photo was taken from our campsite.
 

 
We had rain and so drove up to Yellowstone.  We had never seen Old Faithful and decided to act like tourists.
 

 
There is a lovely grand hotel called the Yellowstone Inn that overlooks the geyser.  It was built by the railroad in the '20's to promote travel in the West (which had to occur via rail since there were few passable roads).  Walking back to the car I looked up under the eaves and saw...compass timbers!
 

 

 

 
So much for the nautical research.  The rest of the time was spent hiking and enjoying a phenomenal wildflower display.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A belated thank you Remco.  And thank you everyone for the likes.
 
A little progress has been made.  In order to fit the counter planks the ship had to be "launched" from its building board. This marks the first time I have removed it from its home since fairing the exterior of the hull over a year ago.  No champagne was wasted in the launching but I did toast it with a little homebrewed IPA.  I have also done a little more fairing of the lower transoms and cut off the aft ends of the ribbands.
 

 

 

 
The lower counter was covered with five rows of planks.  These are cut to shape rather than attempting to edge-bend them. The planking started next to the stern post and progressed outwards.  The exact shape of the cut-out on the outermost plank will await fabrication of the rudder.
 

 
There are a few points in every build where decisions need to be made which will impact everything else going forward.  I am at one of those points.  I have decided to attack at least some of the hull planking next.  The decisions to make are: how much to plank, what materials to use and what finish to apply.  I will be leaving the starboard side with ribbands and hairpins.  The port side will be completely planked.  The main wales will be castillo that will be colored black.  I made test pieces using india ink, archival marker, ebony stain (oil and water based) and paint.  Ink is very messy but dyes the wood well.  I found the archival marker too time consuming but it does a good job of dying the wood.  Regular marker will bleed with oil based finishes.  The castillo is to dense to take up stain readily.  I have opted to paint the wale black with Poly S model railroad color Engine Black.  I used this same approach with Hannah.  I am still uncertain about the rest of the planking.  It boils down to aesthetics...  Two colors vs. several.  I am leaning towards only two colors but I'm a girl so I have the right to change my mind at any time.
 
I measured the top and bottom of the wale from the plans and marked the points on the hull.  I then ran a row of pin striping tape above and below these points and faired them to a smooth run of planking.  
 

David, I made a template of the space between the inner counter timbers to give a general outline for the piece of wood to cut.  Next, I sized the piece to fill the entire space between the timbers, cutting the opening for the stern timber.   I made sure the wood was thick enough to accommodate the inner and outer curvatures.  The opening for the rudder was drawn on the piece as were the cuts for intersection with the chock.  After cutting away everything aft of this point I was able to make the hole for the rudder and install the side pieces. The chock was formed by careful fitting and refitting and refitting.

Next on the agenda is the helm port.  I worked on this while the stern was being rebuilt  so the corrections will not be evident until the next posting.  
 
The helm port is a opening in the counter to allow the rudder to pass into the ship.  It needs to be large enough to accommodate the rotation of the rudder.  It is comprised of three pieces, two side pieces and a chock and in construction is very similar to the bowsprit chock.  (Loosely translated as a right royal pain in the stern.)  At first glance you would say "two straight pieces and a chock, what's so hard about that?"  The straight edges' lateral pieces are cut an an angle to match the taper of the sternpost and the cant of the inner counter timbers.  Once that is set, the chock was started. The chock not only has the same side angles as the lateral pieces, but must also lock into their top edge.  After I was happy with the fit, I traced the curvature of the inner counter timbers onto the over-sized pieces and sanded in the top and bottom curvature off the model with a Dremel.  The opening in the helm port is perpendicular to the water line.  The aft end of the chock was left rough at this point and will be finished when the knuckles of the counter are shaped.
 

 

 

 

 

I sometimes view my work in a mirror. Things can pop out at you that way. Glad you've corrected what could be a huge headache down the road!

Druxey, I think we are all at least a little OCD if we participate in this hobby.  I went back and remeasured everything again.  It appears the last time I corrected the elevation the pieces shifted when I clamped them.  So I unglued everything, remade the aft starboard deck clamps and rebuilt it yesterday.  To prevent the same problem from happening again I glued the quarter deck transom in place and then added the deck clamp after the transom was secured.  No pictures yet, but I am much happier with the results.  I appreciate you and everyone who alerts me to problems.  As you know, when one looks at something for a long time you stop seeing the problems until they are pointed out.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 91 – Main Deck Framing 2
 
The first picture shows the most time consuming step in framing the deck – fitting the hanging knees under the beams.  I have been doing a lot of this lately.
 

 
After fitting the knee its bolts are installed at the workbench, it is sanded smooth and then glued in place.  Later it will be further secured with two functional copper wire bolts – one down through the beam and another through the frames.
 
The next picture shows a few more beams installed with their carlings.
 

 
The next picture shows the aftermost beam on the main deck – at frame 36. 
 

 
There will be a few steps down to the cabin deck and a few steps up to the poop at this location.  A transverse bulkhead will be installed from the main deck to the poop deck.  The cabin deck will also be closed off from the hold with internal partitions.
 
The next picture shows some other work being done as the beams are installed.  Chocks with circular holes have been installed just aft of the fore hatch.  The anchor chain tubes will fit into these holes and extend from the main deck into the chain storage area in the hold.
 

 
The next picture shows more main deck beams fitted and some additional details installed.
 

 
The two bored chocks at the main deck have now been installed – also the topsail sheet bits.
 
Finally in the next picture - aft of the main hatch - framed, bored openings for the two bilge pump suction pipes have been made and installed.  These pipes will extend down to the outer planking in the limber channel just aft of the main mast step.
 

 
The plank strakes outside of these openings are for the pillars under the main deck.
 
 
Ed

Still hard at work on the LEE, however I wanted to share a build with you of a Russian 3rd Gen Nuclear Attack Submarine.
 
This is a High Quality resin Kit from Ships-n-Such from Russia.  For those who do not know most of my adult life was spent chasing or being chased by Russian subs. I love'em!!!
 
Before you close this topic as "Resin kit? Really? I've built the battle of Trafalgar out of one log," I might suggest you give a resin sub a whirl.  There is more detail on a submarine than you think.  Remember in a modern sub, anything on the hull could make noise, so we must come up with ways to make cleats rote into the hull, capstans lower to deck level, chocks are removable. Heck the who darn thing is coated in rubber!
 
So here you see the Ships-n-Such 1/350 scale Russian Project 971 (NATO Code Name AKULA.)  A little bit of confusion here. In the Russian Navy the Akula is called the PIKE Class.  In the Russian navy the huge SSBN TYPHOON as it is known to NATO is called the AKULA. Ok take some time with that.
 
First thing you notice on these late 2nd, 3rd and 4th gen Russian boast is the long stern. This is called the Hogner Stern.  So don't cut it off!.
 
Take some time and look over the hull a few times, note the many little boxes and lines that cover the hull. Unlike American submarines and their single hull design, Russian subs are double hulled. (Typhoon has 4 hulls.)  It is because of this double hull design that many access points must be built to allow repair and maintenance work between the hulls.
 
So you have looked at all the neat little do-dads, keep them in mind because you might have to remake them!  Resin kits are made with a pressure pot or the spin method. These methods remove air and allow resin to completely fill the rubber molds. Molds for the Akula are two piece units. The halves are fit together and resin poured in and pressurized or spun.  This can sometimes cause resin to run from one side of the mold to the next creating a lip of unwanted material. This is also caused when heat from the curing resin breaks down the mold.
 
No big deal, but be careful!!  The obvious way to remove this mold line is sanding...right?  Well yes, but you need to plan and use the ultimate in patience or you could really spoil the look of your hull.
 
Remember a modern sub hull is round. If you sand the side flat, you no longer have a round submarine with is what you wanted in the first place.
 
I take some model putty and place under or over the lip at the parting line. This is NOT to fill in the lip.  If you did that you would have a great parting line but an out of shape hull.  The putty is used to let me know when I have sanded the right amount as have still maintained my hull shape.  I tell myself,  "Green-Gone-Good."  It is a slow process, but the results will give you a mean looking underwater killer.
 
Next installment we will get some parts on and make a few extra details and make some decals.  Stay tuned!!        

Ed, I am just catching up with your build log. You continue to offer an invaluable manual for model ship construction with every post!
 
Mark

Elia thank you for nice comment 

All masts are now tapered. The parts for mast caps were very poor quality and holes for masts were far too big for tight fit. I made my own from 2mm plywood. Every part is specific to the location they go. Nothing is not glued yet.
 
 

A long overdue update....... I was too busy making decals and flags
 
I planked the port side from the Sheer strake up, this is all the planking I will do on this side except some minor parts I need for the rigging. Next up tree nailing the lot.... 
 

 

 

 
Also made new brass knobs on the clamps, as it turned out the wooden ones didn't hold up after I reenforced the bars with nuts.
 

 
Remco

once upon an idea...........there was a concept to build three boats,  all with a holiday theme.   they were part of an experiment,  to replicate hulls,  using kit parts panels.   in my opinion,  it was a success....the M&M fun ship being a completed build,  the trawler 'Syborn' well on it's way towards being the second ship to be completed.  the 'Syborn' is unique to me, because it was an added experiment in making the hull longer by adding in copies of key ribs, stretching the hull.  these two were created using the hull from the Billing's Mary Ann.......or even the Cux 87.
 
when I assembled the hull for the Boulogne Etaples,  I saw possibilities yet again.....and the three hulls were created from the parts panels from this kit.   I originally had three themes for the subject of Christmas,  but as time went on,  one of the themes fell through.  I was left with a hull without a theme
 
in building these boats.......I at least want them to be somewhat logical {although the M&M boat was more of an 'admiral's whim' }.   when I was making these hulls.......I had thoughts about the Andrea Gail.  I looked her up in the Billings catalog.....the bones were there...it could be done.   I kept her on the back burner.....I have projects started already...enough to keep me busy for a while.   maybe later.
 
months past...............
 
it was during my two month hiatus,  that the idea surfaced again.  I had downloaded the instructions for the R/C version of the A.G. and thought I would look at them.  I also found that there was also a static kit out there as well....smaller scale,  but just as detailed.  I thought about the Gundalow,  and how a simple article I read,  stopped me in my tracks.  perhaps that is the same problem here......can't say for sure......but you know it's pretty chronic,  if the admiral starts to take notice
 
if you've been following the Holiday Harbor build,  you've seen the modifications that needed to be done,  to create the basic hull.   I found an interesting article:
 
Perfect Storm, The - THE ANDREA GAIL
 
seeing the movie about the Andrea Gail during the time frame made me want to attempt this,   all the more.   I wish i had saved a copy of the search records.......they never found Capt. Tyne or his crew.
 
....and so......to where I am now.   the hull and the pilot house has been created.   the hull needs to have the external rails done,  and soon the paint.  I'm using the Billing's plans as sort of a practicum,  so......if you see something that may not be exactly correct,  it's just me keeping the copyright monster at bay {but it will be in the ballpark though}.  here is the hull and where I am now
 

 
I only had a chance to sand down the roof line of the pilot house so far....more needs to be done.
 

 
the ice maker looked too deep to me.......I took about 1/4 of an inch from it,  so that it would sit under the cut - a - way on the starboard side.
 

 

 
lastly.......here is the boat that they used in the movie......you can see on the bow where they had changed the name.
 

thank you Nils.........now I'll give something to really laugh about {go ahead.......I did }
 
 
another sub assembly I decided to play with,  are the ladders  {we all know how much I love to play with ladders}.   first off though........it's not in it's proper place,  but I though I show you this photo of the assembly I just made.........I just like how it looks 
 

 
with some 1/16 square stock,  I made the ladder that will go up the side to this part.......it leads to an upper platform.  I sanded it and took the squareness away,  but I'm not really happy with the rungs.   their not as clean as I would like them to be.
 

 

 

 
I then thought to make one like I did on the Nordkap,  using staples.   first starting with two equal length pieces of 1/16 square stock.......marking them in 5 mm segments.
 

 
then drilling the holes and cementing in the staples
 

 
when all was said and done.......it looked like this
 

 
I like it.........but wasn't happy with the fact that some of the staples weren't all the same height.......as if the holes in the Formica {all around there} wasn't a dead give - a - way to what was to happen next.
 

 
I had to keep in mind that I was using CA...........usually when I do some bone headed move like this,  I use white glue.......much easier to pry off the table.  the admiral saw me doing this earlier.......thought it was the coolest thing in the world.........she doesn't know about the outcome yet.  she liked the wooden ladder and thought I was nutz for thinking it wasn't good enough.  I think with a little tweaking on my method   I think it would work .  these are staples that fit in the mini staplers.   of all the best laid plans..........this one was too good....NOT....to show you :D