Bob Cleek

Somewhere here on the board already posted by someone else, but I do not find the original source, here a copy from the document how the Royal Navy was doing the hammocks (thanks to the original poster!!!) http://files.homepagemodules.de/b564537/f129t1616p17024n2.pdf     Two drawings out of Brays Album from NMM PAJ1992 http://collections.rmg.co.uk/mediaLib/400/media-400304/large.jpg PAJ1989 http://collections.rmg.co.uk/mediaLib/676/media-676424/large.jpg    
  This is what Nares, Commander R.N. wrote in 1868  http://archive.org/stream/seamanship00acadgoog#page/n222/mode/2upPage 85
      And here the US Navy in 1915 doing it still the same way http://www.filmpreservation.org/preserved-films/screening-room/u-s-navy-documentary-1915 see 8:40    Here 2 stills  
 

 
Gruß, Daniel

None that I can see. The practice of bedding faying surfaces with cloth and bedding compound leaves nothing to see but a very narrow seam the color of the bedding compound, if that. Unless a model were built to an unusually large scale, such a seam would be invisible at scale-viewing distances. Some modelers like to highlight their joints by the use of pencil lead, paint, or a sliver of black paper when building unpainted models. Pencil lead is quite sufficient. Paper is more time-consuming and, in my opinion, no more effective than other methods. Additionally, paper between the faying surfaces results in a weaker joint. (Paper between glued joints is a common way to create a temporary joint which can later be easily broken apart.) A careful study of "masterpiece" models in respected museum collections, close-up color photographs of many of which are now available online and in books, will assist a modeler in determining which details they might consider incorporating in their model truly contribute to a compelling impression of reality in miniature and which are inaccurate stylistic conventions which are popular from time to time with the modeling fraternity. 

None that I can see. The practice of bedding faying surfaces with cloth and bedding compound leaves nothing to see but a very narrow seam the color of the bedding compound, if that. Unless a model were built to an unusually large scale, such a seam would be invisible at scale-viewing distances. Some modelers like to highlight their joints by the use of pencil lead, paint, or a sliver of black paper when building unpainted models. Pencil lead is quite sufficient. Paper is more time-consuming and, in my opinion, no more effective than other methods. Additionally, paper between the faying surfaces results in a weaker joint. (Paper between glued joints is a common way to create a temporary joint which can later be easily broken apart.) A careful study of "masterpiece" models in respected museum collections, close-up color photographs of many of which are now available online and in books, will assist a modeler in determining which details they might consider incorporating in their model truly contribute to a compelling impression of reality in miniature and which are inaccurate stylistic conventions which are popular from time to time with the modeling fraternity. 

Plank widths would also vary depending upon the amount of curve to the frames. The lower planks below the curve of the bilge were called the "broads" because the flatter shape of the hull permitted wider planks without the need for extensive backing out to shape the plank to match the curve of the frame.

None that I can see. The practice of bedding faying surfaces with cloth and bedding compound leaves nothing to see but a very narrow seam the color of the bedding compound, if that. Unless a model were built to an unusually large scale, such a seam would be invisible at scale-viewing distances. Some modelers like to highlight their joints by the use of pencil lead, paint, or a sliver of black paper when building unpainted models. Pencil lead is quite sufficient. Paper is more time-consuming and, in my opinion, no more effective than other methods. Additionally, paper between the faying surfaces results in a weaker joint. (Paper between glued joints is a common way to create a temporary joint which can later be easily broken apart.) A careful study of "masterpiece" models in respected museum collections, close-up color photographs of many of which are now available online and in books, will assist a modeler in determining which details they might consider incorporating in their model truly contribute to a compelling impression of reality in miniature and which are inaccurate stylistic conventions which are popular from time to time with the modeling fraternity. 

Plank widths would also vary depending upon the amount of curve to the frames. The lower planks below the curve of the bilge were called the "broads" because the flatter shape of the hull permitted wider planks without the need for extensive backing out to shape the plank to match the curve of the frame.

Heavy duty bending equipment suggests serious bending is contemplated.
 
I apologize for the inappropriate anthropomorphic terminology, it just is easier.
 
Wood wants to bend thru the thin dimension.
But for sharp bends pay attention to the grain,  if it is not parallel it may delaminate.
Wood does not want to bend thru the thick dimension.  It will try to spring back forever. It will tend to twist.
 
This means that for parts like rails, it is a better choice to follow prototype practice.  The method is to spill the shape from a much wider plank and assemble it in pieces.  Most kits do not supply the necessary wide stock, so a third party supplier is needed.

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

Thank you to all who replied to my question. Being new to ship modeling, I have much to learn. One thing I have learned in my over 35 years of cabinet making is, the very best tools, coupled with the right blades, makes for a much more accurate and enjoyable building experience. Having said that, there is also something to be said about the mind that demands excellence. 
I'm looking forward to getting my own Byrnes saw. I'm falling in love with my new ship building hobby. And I greatly admire the caliber of skill and excellence that is displayed within these pages. Thanks again for giving me some of your time.
Much appreciation,        Robert 🙂

As a deckie who has used the davit system for lowering/raising such an anchor  I would suggest the aft position is due to the stays. It would be extremely difficult to raise the anchor inside them especially with any kind of rocking.
 
The process is to lower the anchor on the falls while taking in chain with the windlass until the anchor is hanging on the chain just below the hawse pipe. The falls are then detached and the anchor lowered. The retrieval operation is the opposite. That being the case the falls must have quite a length of line to reach that far forward.
 
It's interesting to note that the falls are not stowed attached to the lifting eye on the anchor shaft, rather to an eye on the pin rail. On Waratah it's not as pretty but the falls are stowed hooked to the lifting strap on the anchor.
 

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

I don't see why one couldn't use the process for brass as well, although I think it might be faster to build up thickness with copper and then brass, nickel, or gold plate the copper. In the days of real chrome trim on autos, I believe they plated the iron with copper and then the copper with chrome.  The plating process is the same for any metal, although the electrolyte mixtures may vary, I think. All the brass and copper fixtures on the old "boardroom models" of the great ocean liners were gold plated. It wasn't "realistic," as they were all painted on the prototypes, but it was a style in modeling at the time. 
 

Why is a Ferrari better than a Corvette? :D  There is no comparison between any of the Byrnes Model Machines (I have all three) and anything else on the market. (I've pretty much seen them all.)  Read all the reviews on this forum, and others. I've never seen anything other than rave reviews on Byrnes tools.
 
As for the saw,

1.  Quality of construction is unsurpassed. The fit and finish is perfection. There isn't a piece of plastic anywhere on the thing, except maybe the insulation on the power cord and the shop vacuum hose spud. They are made in a small workshop by a master machinist, not a mass production factory with unskilled labor, and it really shows. 
 
2.  The machine is made of CNC-machined parts and nobody else can match its accuracy tolerances. Order one with the micrometer fence adjustment, the machine's tolerances are finer than your eyesight.
 
3.  Order the cross-cut table, and you will have a machine that can do whatever you need in terms of straight cuts in wood or light metals at a level of precision you can't get anywhere else.
 
4.  The saw takes four inch blades. Most all of the competitors take three inch blades. The extra inch of cutting capacity alone should convince anyone the Byrnes saw is the one to have.
 
5.  It has much more power than the other micro-saws. This is very significant. The other saws can zip through balsa and basswood as well as a Byrnes saw, but when it comes to hard woods, they often struggle. The Byrnes saw isn't a "hobby tool," it's a very serious piece of professional grade machinery.
 
6.  It's made in the USA and you can pick up the phone and actually talk to the guy who makes them. When ordering, you can have your saw configured exactly as you wish, e.g. extended table, tilt table, accessory choices, and end up with a "bespoke" machine. If you call, I'm sure Jim Byrnes will be happy to advise you how to best configure your saw to do exactly what you want to do with it.
 
7.  How often do you buy a tool that makes you feel good just looking at it? The Byrnes saw is the Purdey shotgun of small table saws.

Most of these conundrums go by the boards once one becomes familiar with how wooden ships really appear. If one can't spend a lifetime on the waterfront, spending as much time as possible studying really great models in the better maritime museums is highly advisable, as is collecting as many books on the subject as one might have room for. The object of modeling is to create a convincing impression of the subject in miniature. If it doesn't look right, it isn't right. The trick is developing a trained eye for what a subject should look like at scale. The concept of scale viewing distance is important and often is overlooked. Scale viewing distance is best determined by asking, "If I were standing as far away from the real ship as would be necessary to make the real ship appear as small as the model, what details on the real ship would be visible? The most frequent mistake made seems to be models which have out of scale details that would not be visible at scale viewing distance. The biggest offenders seem to be copper plating tacks, deck planking seams, planking trunnels, rigging diameters, and most anything having to do with details on sails. If the model's scale viewing distance is seventy-five or a hundred yards, you certainly aren't going to be seeing much more than the most subtle hints of seams and roping on sails and certainly not individual coppering tacks. Reproducing the mere suggestion of those subtle details, where they are barely visible at scale viewing distance, is really where the modeler's artistic skills come into play and, generally, "less is more." If visualization isn't one's strong suit, a good rule of thumb is that at 1:96 scale (1/8" = foot)  any detail larger than one foot in size on the real vessel should be reproduced on the model and any less than one foot in size on the real vessel should be seriously considered for omission entirely if they cannot be reproduced accurately to scale. Similarly, on a 1:48 (1/4"=foot) scale model, details less than six inches in size should be omitted if they can't be reproduced to exact scale.  

Happy to oblige! She's looking good! 
 
When you get to beveling your frame faces, take a wider batten and glue some sandpaper to one side of it. Chalk or paint the frame faces. Lay the sanding batten against the frames, bending it to contact the "high" frame face edges. Sand with the batten, watching the chalked or painted frame faces as the chalk or paint is sanded off. This will prevent sanding too much and removing the "low" side of the frame faces. This should give you a perfectly faired frame for planking. (And if you have low spots, glue on a piece of wood, or add a bit of filler paste, and then sand fair.)
 
It's a bit tricky working around the battens you have in place. You can remove one or two, sand that area, replace them, and move on to the next. You will find that tying the battens to the frames will greatly increase the rigidity of the frame structure. You don't want frames moving (or, God forbid, breaking) as you sand. Any string or wire will work to fasten the battens to the frames. I use pieces of telephone wire or the plastic ties they sell in gardening stores for wiring plants. Small "zip ties" work well, too.
 
When it's time to define your sheer, mark the points from your table of offsets or drawings, and then define the sheer with a batten, coming as close to the points as you can. Most often, the points defining the sheer aren't going to yield a perfectly fair sheerline. There's usually an inherent error at the ends.  The elevation drawing and offsets will accurately indicate the height of the sheer, looking at it in two dimensions straight on. However, because the side of the sheer is curved, the sheer is farther away from the viewer at the bow and stern than it is amidships, which is closer to the viewer. When building, one has to compensate for this optical illusion. Slightly more sheer is required at the bow and stern than may be indicated in the plans, so as to prevent the boat, now in three dimensions, from appearing to have a "flatter" sheer than the designer intended when the vessel is viewed. Trust your batten and your eye. If it looks good, it is good. Once you have the sheer defined on one side, it's easy enough to duplicate it on the other side by transferring the measurements from the first side to the second.
 
 
You could have fooled me! It doesn't look like your cutting any corners that matter. This looks like it's going to be a very nice model and a model of a very refreshing subject! As impressive as they are, there's more to modeling than Seventeenth Century ships of the line! We need more models of working watercraft!

The trick is to keep the wood moving so it doesn't scorch. On most electric soldering irons, the lower shaft, rather than the tip end, is just about the right temperature.  If you have a clothes iron or a ladies hair curling iron, those may work well also.

Bob...as with most of your observations....your descriptions are worth a pot of gold.  I entirely agree with your observations and applications.  Rigging and sails, as you rightly depict, are the greatest scale violations in model ship building(IMHV).
 
Rob

The trick is to keep the wood moving so it doesn't scorch. On most electric soldering irons, the lower shaft, rather than the tip end, is just about the right temperature.  If you have a clothes iron or a ladies hair curling iron, those may work well also.