rlb

WONDERFUL build Ron
I really like seeing the great results with the use of hand tools,   You are bringing back memories of my adventure in building her.  
Allan

I made 4 card templates, and sanded the area of the deadwood below the bearding line.   In between sessions of doing that, I beveled the aft side of the sternpost-

 
After this was done, I glued the sternpost to the keel, and went back to sanding the deadwood.
 
When I was satisfied that I had done enough there, I cut two shallow mortices into the bottom of the deadwood assembly, and then glued in two small tenons.  These weren't meant to be historically accurate, but would add some strength, and help in keeping the piece aligned when gluing the deadwood to the keel and sternpost--

 
The tenons were filed down until they extended only about 1/32nd of an inch.  I then cut two shallow mortices in the keel and glued the deadwood to the keel and sternpost.   I had also morticed and tenoned the sternpost to the keel when I glued it to the keel earlier.   I did not tenon into the sternpost from the deadwood.
 
Here is the sternpost and deadwood glued to the keel.  You can see 4 pencil lines on the upper part of the deadwood (the fourth is barely visible) that had marked the locations for using the card templates--
  
 
Next will be work on the transoms, and fashion timbers.
 
All for now,
Ron
 
 

I made 4 card templates, and sanded the area of the deadwood below the bearding line.   In between sessions of doing that, I beveled the aft side of the sternpost-

 
After this was done, I glued the sternpost to the keel, and went back to sanding the deadwood.
 
When I was satisfied that I had done enough there, I cut two shallow mortices into the bottom of the deadwood assembly, and then glued in two small tenons.  These weren't meant to be historically accurate, but would add some strength, and help in keeping the piece aligned when gluing the deadwood to the keel and sternpost--

 
The tenons were filed down until they extended only about 1/32nd of an inch.  I then cut two shallow mortices in the keel and glued the deadwood to the keel and sternpost.   I had also morticed and tenoned the sternpost to the keel when I glued it to the keel earlier.   I did not tenon into the sternpost from the deadwood.
 
Here is the sternpost and deadwood glued to the keel.  You can see 4 pencil lines on the upper part of the deadwood (the fourth is barely visible) that had marked the locations for using the card templates--
  
 
Next will be work on the transoms, and fashion timbers.
 
All for now,
Ron
 
 

I made 4 card templates, and sanded the area of the deadwood below the bearding line.   In between sessions of doing that, I beveled the aft side of the sternpost-

 
After this was done, I glued the sternpost to the keel, and went back to sanding the deadwood.
 
When I was satisfied that I had done enough there, I cut two shallow mortices into the bottom of the deadwood assembly, and then glued in two small tenons.  These weren't meant to be historically accurate, but would add some strength, and help in keeping the piece aligned when gluing the deadwood to the keel and sternpost--

 
The tenons were filed down until they extended only about 1/32nd of an inch.  I then cut two shallow mortices in the keel and glued the deadwood to the keel and sternpost.   I had also morticed and tenoned the sternpost to the keel when I glued it to the keel earlier.   I did not tenon into the sternpost from the deadwood.
 
Here is the sternpost and deadwood glued to the keel.  You can see 4 pencil lines on the upper part of the deadwood (the fourth is barely visible) that had marked the locations for using the card templates--
  
 
Next will be work on the transoms, and fashion timbers.
 
All for now,
Ron
 
 

I made 4 card templates, and sanded the area of the deadwood below the bearding line.   In between sessions of doing that, I beveled the aft side of the sternpost-

 
After this was done, I glued the sternpost to the keel, and went back to sanding the deadwood.
 
When I was satisfied that I had done enough there, I cut two shallow mortices into the bottom of the deadwood assembly, and then glued in two small tenons.  These weren't meant to be historically accurate, but would add some strength, and help in keeping the piece aligned when gluing the deadwood to the keel and sternpost--

 
The tenons were filed down until they extended only about 1/32nd of an inch.  I then cut two shallow mortices in the keel and glued the deadwood to the keel and sternpost.   I had also morticed and tenoned the sternpost to the keel when I glued it to the keel earlier.   I did not tenon into the sternpost from the deadwood.
 
Here is the sternpost and deadwood glued to the keel.  You can see 4 pencil lines on the upper part of the deadwood (the fourth is barely visible) that had marked the locations for using the card templates--
  
 
Next will be work on the transoms, and fashion timbers.
 
All for now,
Ron
 
 

I made 4 card templates, and sanded the area of the deadwood below the bearding line.   In between sessions of doing that, I beveled the aft side of the sternpost-

 
After this was done, I glued the sternpost to the keel, and went back to sanding the deadwood.
 
When I was satisfied that I had done enough there, I cut two shallow mortices into the bottom of the deadwood assembly, and then glued in two small tenons.  These weren't meant to be historically accurate, but would add some strength, and help in keeping the piece aligned when gluing the deadwood to the keel and sternpost--

 
The tenons were filed down until they extended only about 1/32nd of an inch.  I then cut two shallow mortices in the keel and glued the deadwood to the keel and sternpost.   I had also morticed and tenoned the sternpost to the keel when I glued it to the keel earlier.   I did not tenon into the sternpost from the deadwood.
 
Here is the sternpost and deadwood glued to the keel.  You can see 4 pencil lines on the upper part of the deadwood (the fourth is barely visible) that had marked the locations for using the card templates--
  
 
Next will be work on the transoms, and fashion timbers.
 
All for now,
Ron
 
 

I made 4 card templates, and sanded the area of the deadwood below the bearding line.   In between sessions of doing that, I beveled the aft side of the sternpost-

 
After this was done, I glued the sternpost to the keel, and went back to sanding the deadwood.
 
When I was satisfied that I had done enough there, I cut two shallow mortices into the bottom of the deadwood assembly, and then glued in two small tenons.  These weren't meant to be historically accurate, but would add some strength, and help in keeping the piece aligned when gluing the deadwood to the keel and sternpost--

 
The tenons were filed down until they extended only about 1/32nd of an inch.  I then cut two shallow mortices in the keel and glued the deadwood to the keel and sternpost.   I had also morticed and tenoned the sternpost to the keel when I glued it to the keel earlier.   I did not tenon into the sternpost from the deadwood.
 
Here is the sternpost and deadwood glued to the keel.  You can see 4 pencil lines on the upper part of the deadwood (the fourth is barely visible) that had marked the locations for using the card templates--
  
 
Next will be work on the transoms, and fashion timbers.
 
All for now,
Ron
 
 

Hello 2024!  Time to work some more on Euryalus!
 
In preparation for assembling the stern framing and aft cant frames, the deadwood assembly piece needs a great deal of shaping, which I had started before my long hiatus, and I now continue--
 
 
Perhaps I am 75% done.  The goal is to get close to the correct concavity in the area between the bearding line and the keel and sternpost, so that a minimum of additional fairing need be done when the frames are on--

.   
 
All for now,
Ron

Thanks druxey.  I would love to go back in time to visit one of those shipyards!
 
In between sessions of fairing the interior of the bow section, I am preparing the sternpost, deadwood, and transoms.
 
I hadn't cut the rabbet in the sternpost, or tapered the inner post, before gluing them together, so doing that work now is likely more difficult than it needed to be, but many shavings later, it's just about there--

 
The fashion timbers are cut out, and shaping of the deadwood below the bearding line has begun--

 
The transoms are cut.  Test fitting, and rough shaping is underway.  The complex warped shape of the number IV Deck transom is tricky.  That's the one without the paper pattern, in the photo.  I haven't started the wing transom yet--
 
 
Ron

Thanks everyone for the comments, likes, etc.!
 
I adjusted about a quarter of the frames which were slightly out of alignment, ungluing and regluing them.  Those starboard hawse timbers that gave me so much trouble needed to be disassembled and adjusted as well.  I'm using my bottle of isopropyl alcohol quite a bit, but hopefully now everything is good to go.  
 
Fairing the interior has begun--

 
I'm also starting to cut out the aft cant frames, with the ongoing puzzle of laying out frame pieces as efficiently as I can manage--

 
Finally for today, a near eye-level view, with a scale figure.  He's holding a modern-day 2x4 to help give some idea of the size of the massive timbers that went into these ships--

 
Ron 

Thanks Allan and botra.
 
After getting all the cant frames cut and glued up, I glued the first rising wood piece in preparation for erecting the first pair of square frames, which will be a starting guide for the cant frames--

 
That first pair in place, and the cant frames ready to go--

 
I didn't get far before realizing that I also needed that horizontal piece at the top, to fix the width of each set of cant frames.  So I would take a measurement from the frame drawing, and after lightly gluing a pair of cant frames in place, I would check the width with the horizontal cross piece, and if okay, then glue the cross piece in place to hold everything together.
 
This seemed to be going fine--

 
However, as I moved farther forward, I began noticing that in order to make the right width, my frames needed adjusting to the bottom vertical bevel that joins the deadwood.  I thought, well, my initial cutting of that bevel must not have been accurate.  Curiously, each frame needed the same adjustment, but I soldiered on.   It also started to seem improbable that the bow would narrow enough to meet the hawse timbers--

 
At this point, when I held up the next frame as I had cut it out, the disparity in width was growing extreme.  The frame looked just right when I set it on the frame drawing, but holding it in place, the location compared to the previous frame (which I had adjusted as I thought it needed to be) looked alarming.  Something was obviously wrong--

 
I went back to a frame drawing (I chose Za, the frame next to the hawse timbers) and measured the width on the forward face at the "Reference Line".  Just a hair over 3 and 3/4 inches--

 
Taking this same measurement on the framing guide on the build board the measurement here was almost exactly 3 inches even.  How could this be?

 
I knew what was wrong now, though I couldn't understand why, for a while.  But it did mean that everything back to the square frames had to be undone.  Fortunately (anticipating that I might screw up at some point), I had only very lightly glued everything.  It came apart easily--

 
I now realize WHY taking the width measurement from the frame drawing was incorrect (though it works for the square frames).  Painfully obvious in hindsight.  I now measure the width at the reference line from the build board and compare it to markings on the lightly positioned frames before gluing the top horizontal piece.   I'm just about back to where I was when I learned of my mistake--

 
Of course, it's all coming together much better now.  Previously my one gunport width had been about a 32nd inch or so too wide, and now it's exactly right, which makes sense as the frames haven't splayed out quite so much.  There is a slight gap on the bottom of the bevel at the foot of the frames now where they rest on the shelf of the lower apron, because I had taken some wood off in my folly.  It will be completely hidden though.  Going forward they'll sit the way they are supposed to.  It also looks more like the cant frames will turn in enough to meet the hawse timbers.  We'll still have to see on that.
 
 
Ron
 
 
 

Yes, Allan, that is what I am doing.  Thanks for looking in!
 
Ron

Thanks everyone for looking in, commenting, and liking!   
 
It's been a while since my last posting, but I have been spending time in the shipyard.   I have been slowly cutting out and gluing up the first full frame pair,Q-(f)orward and (a)ft, and all the rest of the pairs of forward cant frames.  Z was already done so that's R through Y (f and a for each).   
 
The last two are here.  They just happen to be Uf and Sa.  I did them mostly in order, but these were a couple of stragglers.  Their chocks are cut and ready to glue in--

 
And the backsides, as the chocks are being glued.  The slight angle on the clamping of the clothespins works well with the angle of the chocks since they don't sit square in the frames--

 
Here's the stack of frames.  After gluing the chocks in, each frame was given a rough inner and outer bevel, still leaving them plenty full, to allow for some minor inaccuracy in the shape of the frames, and for fairing.  The chocks have been sanded down almost flush.  The angle to the deadwood has been sanded in, which is different for almost all of them.  Next, the paper needs to be removed from the frames, the frames marked for identification, and then the canted chocks sanded flush with the faces of the frames--

 
And here is the forwardmost full frame, and the forward cant frames with paper removed (still some bits around some of the chocks); chocks ready to be sanded smooth--


 
This is an exciting point for me!   Soon I'll be ready to put the forward frames on the keel, including the bollard/hawse timbers, and see the bow take shape.
 
Ron

Thanks JJ,
 
Going off course a little bit, I worked on making some closed hearts for the bowsprit stays and shrouds--

 
I need two different sizes--4 for the stays, and 4 slightly smaller for the shrouds.  After doing a few after cutting them off, I realized it would be much easier to shape them before cutting them off--


 
Now I need to make a bunch of deadeyes for the topmast shrouds, as well as the backstays.
 
All for now,
Ron

Hello all,
 
It's been since last July that I've done any building on Euryalus.  When the 3rd attempt at the bollard and hawse timbers turned out to be a failure, I walked away, and I've only just in the last week or so had the motivation to try again.
 
So here I am--
 
 
As far as I can tell, the 2nd attempt at the port bollard/hawse timbers was okay.  I was lucky I think.  It's the starboard ones that have given me fits.  Here is a fourth batch cut out, roughly shaped, and stacked on the board.  During fitting, they seem good.  I am doing a first pass at sanding the partial gaps in them.  I'm not very confident yet with my Byrne's saw skill, so I'm still doing the gaps by hand.
 
I'm also starting to cut out the rising wood pieces.  I tried initially to use my rotary tool as a milling machine, to cut the notches, but the vertical adjustment is too imprecise and difficult get a consistent result with, so I'm doing the frame notches by hand, using a saw, small chisel, and file.  I've broken one corner, but I'll repair it and any other that may get "chipped" at some point--

 
Another task is slowly working on cutting out and assembling the frames.  First rough cut the pieces, then cut and chisel out the chock notches, glue up the frames without chocks, then shape and glue in the chocks.  I have all the forward cant frames at various stages of assembly--

 
Ron 

That's great news Mike.  With Allan's and Wayne's help I was able to get pdfs of the plans.  And I'll order the book as soon as it's available!

Ahh, I think having a lot of scraps in your scrap box doesn't necessarily mean you make more mistakes.  (Though it's true in my case!)   I think it can also be directly proportional to how much of a perfectionist you are!

Greg,
Yes, that was humbling.  I think I understand what you did, but I'm not sure.  In any event, though I have a Byrne's saw now, I never would have thought to use it for the air spaces; so much to learn!  I'm sure it was much more precise and uniform than my hand filing.
Ron

Unfortunately, I mismeasured the location of the gaps, and didn't realize it until I had filed them into one set of timbers.  On to the third try.  I felt like I wasted precious wood, with the way they are curved, and as they are some of the largest timbers on the ship.  The most disheartening was re-making the Bollard timber, as that has to have a concave taper to match the stem.  It was not fun to make that timber 3 times.  I hope I've got it now, though I won't be 100% sure until I have more of the cant frames mocked up, and I finalize the rabbet.  The rabbet seems to need extra shaping to transition to the foot of the Bollard timber and the bearding line.   We will see. 
 
The rejected timbers are in front, and the temporarily glued together Bollard and Hawse timbers (with their gaps) sitting in place between the first cant frame and the stem--


 
 
The masking tape is just holding the group of timbers against the stem.   The timbers still need a lot of fairing, and some adjustments to the length of some of the upper gaps.  The isopropyl alcohol in the background was heavily used over the last couple weeks, as the timbers were glued together for rough shaping, unglued to make the gaps, and glued back together, unglued to make fixes, reglued again, etc.
 
Ron 

I realized as I was rough shaping the glued together Bollard and Hawse timbers, that I would need the first one or two cant frames to be installed temporarily in place to check the correct angles, amount of wood to remove, etc.   Going a bit further than the first frames, Zf (forward), and Za (aft), I cut out ALL the forward cant frame pieces--


 
In between other tasks, I'll assemble these.  But to get on with the Bollard and Hawse timbers, I temporarily glued up the first frame Zf.  As I fit the glued together and roughly shaped group of Bollard and Hawse timbers between the stem and this first frame I realized I had removed too much material from the starboard group.   It wasn't going to mate to the first frame satisfactorily.  The port group was more salvageable.  The two groups of timbers were separated, and I would try again, one at a time with the timbers, and the Zf frame--
  
Having the Zf frame in place, the required shape of the Bollard and Hawse timbers finally clicked in my mind.  The angle to the keel (deadwood to be precise) of the Zf frame (55.24 degrees) is the key to all the Bollard and Hawse timbers, and if you cut (sand) that angle correctly into the "foot" of each Bollard and Hawse timber, the rest of the shaping of them follows.  I started with the Bollard timbers.  When I had the correct "foot", I lightly glued them to the stem, then on to the next Hawse timber, lightly gluing each in place to the previous one, as it fit.  All the "first try" starboard timbers had to be thrown out and recut (indeed, the outer starboard Hawse timber needed multiple tries), but only one of the port timbers.  Here they are in place--

They look very ragged and inconsistently sized, but they fit right at the foot, which is what, I think, seems to matter.  We'll see, I wouldn't be surprised if I have redo them again!
 
The two glued together groups were separated back off of the stem and first frame, and some further rough shaping done--
 
 
At this point they were marked (oh so crudely!) for the locations of the gaps, and will now be separated into individual pieces again to file those gaps into the timbers--

That's smart, Greg.  On this frame I'm using the paper copy underneath to make sure my frame keeps the right shape, and finessing the chock cut-out on the second futtock if the chock is slightly off.  I'll experiment with other methods as I go forward.
 
Ron

Thanks Rick.
 
Continuing with rough shaping of the Bollard and Hawse timbers, they are glued together, and sanded.  After they are close to the right shape, they will be separated and will be filed to form the correct gaps between them.  To the left, the first cant frame "Z (Forward)" is also cut out--
 
The second cant frame "Z (After)" is made up of two pieces each, with a chock.  This is my first time building a chocked frame, and the chocks need to be skewed to accommodate the inner and outer bevels of the frame--

 
  The skewed chock is made oversize and glued to the first piece--

 
Then it is sanded flush on the side without the paper pattern--

 
Here are the frames with the second piece ready to be glued.  However, I discovered that the upper starboard futtock (the one on the left in the photo) is misshapen.  The paper pattern became distorted when I glued it down.  I had had to lift and reposition it on the wood billet, and during that process it warped.  I will need to make some more paper copies, and cut another one--
 
 
Ron
 
 
 

I have a little bit more work to show.   Final shaping is not done, but I've glued together some of the pieces that make up the bow and stern framing--
 
The bow assembly-

 
The sternposts and deadwood assembly--

 
And the rough cutting out of the bollard timbers and hawse pieces--

 
Ron

Thanks again, Allan!
Ron

Hi Hakan,
 
Yes, Allan and Wayne, the authors of the Euryalus books and plans, were able to help me out.  But I am still looking for a used copy of Vol 1 (with the plans included).
 
Ron