rlb

HI everyone,
 
I have not posted in many months, and want to catch up now.
 
In anticipation of carving the figurehead, I attended the excellent workshop on carving run by David Antscherl and Greg Herbert in Annapolis in early October. Fired up with my newly acquired skills, I flew back home to Montana ready to carve, only to discover that I had pinched the sciatica nerve in my leg on the flight. I was unable to sit at all for several months, taking me entirely out of the workshop. After several months of physical therapy, I am finally able to get into the shop again in small bursts of activity.
 
During that down time, I put my computer on a stool at my desk so I could work on CAD drawings standing up. I was able to draw many more of the details still to come. I will show some of those in some following posts. Here is a taste:

 
 
The unexpected and enforced downtime due to medical issues caused me to realize that I have to get my skates on and work more aggressively towards completion. I may not have the luxury of working for many more years at the same leisurely pace. At the Annapolis workshop, Chuck Passaro discussed with me a number of ideas for tackling the most challenging pieces that were putting me into a tizzy,  like the frieze paintings and the fretwork stern decoration, and I am beginning to pursue some of these ideas with him further. Thanks, Chuck, huge help! I am starting with the stern, and here is a sample of what I will discuss in a later posting.
 

 
The time off from cutting wood also gave me time to think more carefully about the decorative scheme I will want to follow as I get to this level of detail. I decided at the very beginning that I wanted to show the Bellona as originally designed and built, based on the original Admiralty drawings and on the first Bellona model of 1760 that shows her mainly in frame with little decorative detail other than the taffrail down to the floor of the stern balcony, with no quarter galleries. I did NOT want to portray her as she looked after a major refit 20 years later and shown in the second, fully detailed and colored Bellona model with the coppered bottom. Not only did the latter model show the later structural changes like the changed balcony geometry and the railings along the roundhouse that I do not like, but its overall decorative scheme felt like it was more extravagantly Rococo and showy than the real ship would have looked several decades earlier (like ivory details sprinkled around, and exuberant carvings).
 
So I have been looking at other models contemporaneous with the first Bellona, like the Princess Royal and the first Victory, both designed by the Bellona's shipwright, Sir Thomas Slade. In some later postings, I will explore this further, as it might be of interest for others who are attempting to reconstruct a decorative scheme from indirect sources.
 
So anyway, back into the land of the living!
 
More posts to follow as I am able to put them together.
 
Best wishes,
 
Mark
 
 

Tom,
 
I don't know what the directions call for, but it seems odd to me that the caps are laser cut into the carriage sides.  I think it would be better if you sand that off, so it looks like the red carriage to the right, and then use the pe caps bent over the cannon trunnions, although it would be more fiddly as Nipper says!
 
Ron

I finally finished the first set of sidewall decorations:
 





 

The masts have all been shaped, and fid holes and sheave holes cut into them in various places also.  I blackened using my usual method (shown a few times earlier in this log), and here they are--

 
They are not completely finished.  Tung oil finish is only partly applied, as part of the procedure to minimize bleed of the staining.  I need to attach some eyebolts to the caps; and the shroud deadeyes and some blocks to the tops, but they can finally be temporarily assembled to see how they look--

 
And on the ship--


 
Next will be finishing those parts I mentioned earlier, and checking the deck to see if there's anything else that should be done before starting the standing rigging.   Also making the rest of the bowsprit, and the trymast that attaches to the aft side of the mainmast.  And I'm sure I'll discover additional things that should be done before the stays and shrouds go on!
 
All for now,
Ron
   

Thanks, Tom, Joe, Ed, and Steve, and all who have looked, and liked.  It seems there are never ending things to learn in this hobby, which is one of the things I love about it.
 
Ed, the metal is a tin-bismuth alloy, that I bought from Micro-mark (I'm sure available elsewhere also).  It is lead-free, and has a 280 degree Fahrenheit melting point.    
 
 

The masts have all been shaped, and fid holes and sheave holes cut into them in various places also.  I blackened using my usual method (shown a few times earlier in this log), and here they are--

 
They are not completely finished.  Tung oil finish is only partly applied, as part of the procedure to minimize bleed of the staining.  I need to attach some eyebolts to the caps; and the shroud deadeyes and some blocks to the tops, but they can finally be temporarily assembled to see how they look--

 
And on the ship--


 
Next will be finishing those parts I mentioned earlier, and checking the deck to see if there's anything else that should be done before starting the standing rigging.   Also making the rest of the bowsprit, and the trymast that attaches to the aft side of the mainmast.  And I'm sure I'll discover additional things that should be done before the stays and shrouds go on!
 
All for now,
Ron
   

The masts have all been shaped, and fid holes and sheave holes cut into them in various places also.  I blackened using my usual method (shown a few times earlier in this log), and here they are--

 
They are not completely finished.  Tung oil finish is only partly applied, as part of the procedure to minimize bleed of the staining.  I need to attach some eyebolts to the caps; and the shroud deadeyes and some blocks to the tops, but they can finally be temporarily assembled to see how they look--

 
And on the ship--


 
Next will be finishing those parts I mentioned earlier, and checking the deck to see if there's anything else that should be done before starting the standing rigging.   Also making the rest of the bowsprit, and the trymast that attaches to the aft side of the mainmast.  And I'm sure I'll discover additional things that should be done before the stays and shrouds go on!
 
All for now,
Ron
   

Thanks, Ab, much appreciated !
 
*********************************
 

Installing the ship’s boats 2
 
It is done! All four boats are suspended from their davits and the work was achieved without major damage to other parts.
 
Good thing that there is not (yet) any brain recorder … because of the mental language that accompanied the process at certain stages.
 
Still there is a lot to be done, such as tidying up the loose ends, making and installing the coils of rope from the runners of the boat-tackles and the longitudinal chain-stays for the davits.
   

 
To be continued ....

The masts have all been shaped, and fid holes and sheave holes cut into them in various places also.  I blackened using my usual method (shown a few times earlier in this log), and here they are--

 
They are not completely finished.  Tung oil finish is only partly applied, as part of the procedure to minimize bleed of the staining.  I need to attach some eyebolts to the caps; and the shroud deadeyes and some blocks to the tops, but they can finally be temporarily assembled to see how they look--

 
And on the ship--


 
Next will be finishing those parts I mentioned earlier, and checking the deck to see if there's anything else that should be done before starting the standing rigging.   Also making the rest of the bowsprit, and the trymast that attaches to the aft side of the mainmast.  And I'm sure I'll discover additional things that should be done before the stays and shrouds go on!
 
All for now,
Ron
   

Some tidying up of space between waterways and bulkheads and 3/32 square section rail attached to top of bulkhead (seen in previous builds for reason of height needed fro cannon ports



 
Next step - framing of cannon ports

I finished the bitts and windlass but put them away before taking pictures. I then made up the capstan, pumps and swivel guns. I am going to put 8 swivel guns per side, unless that looks too crowded. I certainly don't want to fill all the swivel gun supports.
 

 
The capstan went together so nicely. The laser cut pieces just fit together do problem. The pumps weren't too hard either, except when I cut the middle pieces from the PE I cut off the pin that is supposed to be glued into the side of the shafts. To compensate I drilled a hole into the top of the shaft and glued the part of the pump into the hole. I also glued the pump to the side of the shaft using CA and held it until the glue dried. They seem to be attached well but I don't want to risk catching anything on them so I will wait until much later to add them to the deck.
 
Now I am working on the cannons. I cut out all the pieces, which took a while, and started cleaning the char off the carriage sides. I am using a sanding block on the flat edges, a small Swiss flat file on the steps, and a small round file for the curved portion. I am also opening up the slot for the bolt on the back sides using a very small flat pointed file.
 

 
I am going to use a mandrel to hold the wheels while I spin them to remove the char and a small file to carefully remove the char from those small pieces.
 
One thing that confused me some was that the supplied carriage sides are different than those shown in the instructions, as you can see here:
 

 
But, the PE caps (part PE-3 in the image) are also supplied. To me the supplied sides already have the cap as part of them. I did try adding the PE cap over that part of the side but it does not conform well to the wood. So I think I am going to paint that part of the wooden side black and not add the PE part. If this isn't correct, please let me know.
 
 

The masts have all been shaped, and fid holes and sheave holes cut into them in various places also.  I blackened using my usual method (shown a few times earlier in this log), and here they are--

 
They are not completely finished.  Tung oil finish is only partly applied, as part of the procedure to minimize bleed of the staining.  I need to attach some eyebolts to the caps; and the shroud deadeyes and some blocks to the tops, but they can finally be temporarily assembled to see how they look--

 
And on the ship--


 
Next will be finishing those parts I mentioned earlier, and checking the deck to see if there's anything else that should be done before starting the standing rigging.   Also making the rest of the bowsprit, and the trymast that attaches to the aft side of the mainmast.  And I'm sure I'll discover additional things that should be done before the stays and shrouds go on!
 
All for now,
Ron
   

The masts have all been shaped, and fid holes and sheave holes cut into them in various places also.  I blackened using my usual method (shown a few times earlier in this log), and here they are--

 
They are not completely finished.  Tung oil finish is only partly applied, as part of the procedure to minimize bleed of the staining.  I need to attach some eyebolts to the caps; and the shroud deadeyes and some blocks to the tops, but they can finally be temporarily assembled to see how they look--

 
And on the ship--


 
Next will be finishing those parts I mentioned earlier, and checking the deck to see if there's anything else that should be done before starting the standing rigging.   Also making the rest of the bowsprit, and the trymast that attaches to the aft side of the mainmast.  And I'm sure I'll discover additional things that should be done before the stays and shrouds go on!
 
All for now,
Ron
   

The masts have all been shaped, and fid holes and sheave holes cut into them in various places also.  I blackened using my usual method (shown a few times earlier in this log), and here they are--

 
They are not completely finished.  Tung oil finish is only partly applied, as part of the procedure to minimize bleed of the staining.  I need to attach some eyebolts to the caps; and the shroud deadeyes and some blocks to the tops, but they can finally be temporarily assembled to see how they look--

 
And on the ship--


 
Next will be finishing those parts I mentioned earlier, and checking the deck to see if there's anything else that should be done before starting the standing rigging.   Also making the rest of the bowsprit, and the trymast that attaches to the aft side of the mainmast.  And I'm sure I'll discover additional things that should be done before the stays and shrouds go on!
 
All for now,
Ron
   

The masts have all been shaped, and fid holes and sheave holes cut into them in various places also.  I blackened using my usual method (shown a few times earlier in this log), and here they are--

 
They are not completely finished.  Tung oil finish is only partly applied, as part of the procedure to minimize bleed of the staining.  I need to attach some eyebolts to the caps; and the shroud deadeyes and some blocks to the tops, but they can finally be temporarily assembled to see how they look--

 
And on the ship--


 
Next will be finishing those parts I mentioned earlier, and checking the deck to see if there's anything else that should be done before starting the standing rigging.   Also making the rest of the bowsprit, and the trymast that attaches to the aft side of the mainmast.  And I'm sure I'll discover additional things that should be done before the stays and shrouds go on!
 
All for now,
Ron
   

The masts have all been shaped, and fid holes and sheave holes cut into them in various places also.  I blackened using my usual method (shown a few times earlier in this log), and here they are--

 
They are not completely finished.  Tung oil finish is only partly applied, as part of the procedure to minimize bleed of the staining.  I need to attach some eyebolts to the caps; and the shroud deadeyes and some blocks to the tops, but they can finally be temporarily assembled to see how they look--

 
And on the ship--


 
Next will be finishing those parts I mentioned earlier, and checking the deck to see if there's anything else that should be done before starting the standing rigging.   Also making the rest of the bowsprit, and the trymast that attaches to the aft side of the mainmast.  And I'm sure I'll discover additional things that should be done before the stays and shrouds go on!
 
All for now,
Ron
   

Ok last one from me!  I couldn't resist making the lever for the windlass just to see how it looked.  I haven't got a lathe so I winged it a bit but overall I'm happy with the result. I also like the way I can put it in any of the holes on the windlass.



Sorry for the poor picture quality - Mark
 

@Mark Pearse, yes, Sweden and the Baltic region is totally shattered with islands and skerries like no other part on the entire globe actually. It makes for quite stunning trips in the archipelago. The Admiral has a sailing friend in Florida, where they only have shallow sand beaches everywhere. To his complete horror we send him films when we sail only meters away from solid rock islands on both sides 😄 
My avatar picture is of a ship that sails in the Baltic sea, owned and maintained by a Christian organization. It has been a couple of years now since I last enlisted as first mate on it, but further back I was a regular for about 7 years. Fatigue through work and cancer did its best to take the fun of it for a while. As a first mate on it I was part in everything from sailing to finding the nearest power outlet and so on.
Primarily though it is my own sailboat I commandeer. Picture below. It is called OE36 after its constructor, Olle Enderlein. He studied at Sparksman&Stephens in NY and the OE36 is very similar to the more known Swan 36. The Swan is a bit more slender around the waist compared to the OE36. 36 is the length in feet. The first OE36 is from 1969 and mine is from 1980. The Swan predates that with a handful of years if my memory is somewhat accurate.

Tool rants and sailing discussions aside, I said I was about to do the rudder.
Did I?
Erhm, no.
After painting the hull a couple of times it didn't appeal to me to do the rudder (too simple). Instead I've opted for somethinge inherently much harder and more complicated - the coamings for all the deck openings! Truth be told, I have never done a fish tail corner in full size and now I attempt them in 1:30.. sane? No, not really. Buth then, amongst the kids I'm not known for being sane all the time 😄 
So far, so good I must say. Only about 19 or 23 more corners to do 🙂 


And here is my setup with tools to accomplish to work.

Now a brake to watch some cross country skiing.
Cheers!

In an attempt to stay somewhat true to the original detailwise, I mused over how to fabricate the coppling between the rudder and rudderstock. Se the picture below.

What I came up with I figure is an alternative way to make trucks for gun carriages. For those of us that do not own a precision lathe, that is.
How then? Well, I used my bung drillbit, then swapped it for a regular drillbit without moving the stock. Then parted it off with the bandsaw.


Apart from the coppling I also used it as bottom support for the rudder. 🙂 

This was all for today. Now that the rudder assembly is figured out I can turn my attention to the bitts for the bowsprit. That also includes the bowsprit itself. So back to the plans and software...

Yes yes, the measurements are to scale and not real world dimensions. My reasoning behind that is so that I not necessarily need to print them out, but instead just can look at the drawing and fabricate the spar from that.
 
That's all for now, cheers!

That is class work mate and the experience shines through
 

Hi Mike - These are simply over priced 2 flute fish tail end mills that can be bought for a fraction of the price elsewhere.  You are right though that they really are great for the job that we do and most importantly get the chips out quickly.  

If in doubt - a set of Proxxon mills that are included with their MF70 mill is a great start. No problems in any kind of wood, very clean cut, can do plunge cuts as well. No burning, charring, they cut like butter.
Do not use them in your rotary tool freehand though, as they would dig into the wood and jump away from you.
 
Part number NO27116
https://proxxon-us-shop.com/products/milling-cutters

Thanks so much, wefalck, and Toolmaker, for providing some guidance to a beginner.  I have messaged with No Idea, and between all of you, I think you have given me the info I was seeking.  
 
For anyone following along, the key points for square end cutters for use in wood, as I have learned are:
     If unspecified most cutters are upcut, which is better for this use.
     2 flute cutters are best, with fishtail ends (vs flat ends) even better.
     High rpm's are important.
     Uncoated, carbide cutters are fine.
       
 
Thanks again,
Ron

Paul, thank you for referring me to "No Idea"'s build log.  That is exactly the type of milling that I need to do.  I just want to make sure I buy the right type and quality of end mill bit.
 
Here is a sketch of some of the cuts.  Yes, Jaeger, all can be done with a chisel (and I have made them all more than a few times!), but with so many to be done, learning to do these with a milling machine will save me much time.

 
Ron