Glenn-UK

Looking forward to watching your progress with the 2nd planking.

First Planking – Adding Stealers Previously when fitting a stealer I would ignore the general rule that planks never be tapered by more than half of their width and would simply taper to a point. As I continue on my model building journey I decided that I should try improve my skills with regards to fitting stealers. The next planks to be fitted at both the bow and stern required half stealers. Once I had determined the start point for the stealer and selected a suitable planking off cut the half stealer plank was tapered. It was then a case of using the stealer as a template to make the required cut out in the adjacent full plank to be fitted. The join between the stealer and full plank was checked and once I was happy both planks were glued in place. This is a little bit more time consuming than a simple “tapered to a point” type stealers but does look much better The blue arrows indicate the half stealers. You will also note, when looking at the photos below, that I made a couple of mistakes elsewhere with the bow and stern section and which required some small filler planks to be added. Thankfully these errors will be covered up with the second planking layer.

Thanks Gus

First Planking – Planking Garboard Yesterday I had to attend to a plumbing issue as the water in our kitchen sink disposal unit was not draining away. After removing the unit and cleaning it there still seemed to an issue with the water drainage, so I ended up buying and fitting a new unit. I was therefore unable to spend much time in the shipyard. Having completed planking under the stern counter area today I decided to add the garboard plank. I was very pleased with how the first three planks looked around the bow area. The stern area is only being planking up to the dead area which avoid the need to taper the keel. I am working with an inverted Indy which is resting on two spacers to stop the bulwarks resting on the work bench. I am using pins to secure the planks to the various bulkheads However I am also using clamps to ensure the plank edges are aligned which should reduce the amount of sanding required.

Thanks Allan I do normally work on shaping a few planks at a time. But as you say this is a hobby so I'm in no rush at the moment.

Agreed

Many thanks and I have certainly found it much easier working aft - forward. Glenn-UK

Planking in bands with lateral bends around the bow would be worth considering. I did add 3000+ copper tiles when I built Caldercraft's Victory which was a mammoth undertaking. The copper tape will be much easier to do if you decire to use it.

Thanks Kevin I am taking my time at the moment, so it will be several more days before the first planking is completed.

First Planking – Planking Stern Area The method I used to plank under the stern counter area has evolved as I have progressed with this task. With the first couple of planks I worked from bulkhead 9 and used my plank crimping tool to add the bend around the stern counter. I was not totally happy with the above method particularly with getting a nice smooth bend. It was also tricky to trim the end of the plank to fit under the stern frames. Therefore I decided to try working from the stern to bulkhead 9 which has worked out to be much better. The first task was to trim the plank end to the required angle. Next I marked the area where the plank needed to be bent. I used my heated plank bender to add the required bend which did yield much better results. The bent plank was then clamped in position around the stern area so the plank could be trimmed to the right length at bulkhead 9. I found it beneficial to leave the plank clamped in place for a few minutes. After one final dry fit check the plank was glued in place. I found it better to use a clamp to hold the plank in place at bulkhead 18 and then pinned the rest of the plank at each bulkhead position. I have added 6 layers of planks. It is by no way perfect but this is my best attempt at first planking.

Hello CaptnBirdseye I was planning on adding more detail once I had completed the first band. I have attached a couple of photos of my double stacking method. It should be noted that the upper (outer) plank will have a slightly different bend radius. So far the method seems to be working Ok as I not aiming for perfection given this is basically a base layer which is being prepared for the final planking, which will need to be much more precise. Photo 1 - the two planks are secured in the plank bending station. Once they have been coated with water they are left for a period of time to dry out. Photo 2- once the planks have been released there is a nice bend. The sheet of paper is a bulkhead template, making the marking for the tapering process a bit easier.

Thanks Nipper I am experimenting with a double plank bending station at the moment which may speed the process up a bit. Glenn-UK

First Planking - Bow Lateral Plank Bending The hull planking will be split in two sections. Section 1 is from the bow to bulkhead 9. Section 2 is from bulkhead 9 to the stern. This post details the method I plan to take for section 1. After taking some measurements of the various bulkheads I entered the data into a spreadsheet and made some calculations. I have allowed 28mm, 6mm will be from the top as the first plank has already been fitted and 22mm will be taken from the bottom. This will allow me to plank downward in 3 bands, with 8 planks fitted per band. The following picture shows my planking data calculations. With a plank held in position around the left-hand side of the hull I marked the positions of bulkheads 1 to 9 on to the plank. I then transferred the required measurements on to the plank. I used 3mm at bulkhead 1, 4mm at bulkhead 2 and 5mm at bulkhead 4 as the main reference points. The start of the taper is halfway between bulkhead 6 and 7. With a line drawn connecting the points the plank was tapered. Using the tapered plank as a template I repeated the process for another plank which would be the right-hand side of the hull. The printout shown in the photo below was my first draft, before I updated it. When the tapered left-side plank was offered up to the hull it looked to be a nice fit but needed a little bit of force to push up tight against the already fitted plank. The photo below shows the plank clamped in place with a natural flow. With reference to Chuck’s lateral bending method the blue arrow indicates the widest gap between the planks. The plank was then taken to a makeshift bending station and clamped in place, with the point indicated by the blue arrow in the previous photo at the centre of the bend point. I made sure the plank had an even bend, by counting 5 divisions either side and bring the plank down to the same level as indicated by the two blue arrows. After brushing some water on the plank heat was applied using my heated plank bending tool. When the plank was released, it had held the lateral bend. When the plank was then offered up to the hull it followed the upper plank much better and without the need to apply any force. This seems to be the way to go forward, noting it is going to take quite a bit of time to plank the hull using this method. I am unsure if I will taper the planks between bulkheads 9 and 18 and will probably make tapered test plank before deciding.

First Planking -Stage 1 The Upper Section With both forecastle bulwark patterns clamped in place I carefully drew the lines where the lower plank will fit. With the first plank held in place I marked the 9th bulkhead position, where the plank will be split, as indicated by the blue arrow in the ensuring photo. Although the planks were flexible and could be glued and pinned around the bow section without any pre-bending I did opt to bend the plank using my crimp plank bending tool. With the bent plank clamped in place it was a great looking fit. The first planks (both left and right sides) were then glued and pinned in place. Somehow I loaded two pins in my pin pusher tool on one occasion. The outer bulwark patterns were then clamped in place in order to plank the area between the gun ports. It was then a simple task to plank upward and to clear the gunport openings. The next task is to glue the outer bulwark patterns in place. You can never have to many clamps. I used the glue bottles to keep the hull upright while the clamps were in place. Tomorrow my wife and I are looking after our youngest grandson, so my shipyard time will be limited to about an hour during his afternoon nap time.

Well done on completing this milestone, the planking looks good. On your second photo did you add a stealer at the bottom of the garboard plank? When I was looking at the garboard plank requirements I thought it would be benifical to add one at the bow end. Goog news with the vet visit

Starting The First Planking There is a lot of hull real estate to plank so it will take me quite a few days to complete the first planking of the Indy. The first plank to be laid sits below the gun ports and forecastle bulwark pattern. Therefore before the plank can be fitted it is important to mark the position of the lower edge of the forecastle bulwark pattern. With both patterns are carefully positioned on the hull and held in place with a couple of clamps the lower edges are drawn on to the bulkheads. With the first plank clamped to the hull the central position of bulkhead 9 is marked, as the plank will be fitted in two sections. The plank did seem to have enough flexibility to be secured around the bow section without any bending being applied. However as I want to make a good job of the planking I used my plank bending tool and made a series number of crimps so the plank would naturally follow the curve around the bow section. As can be seen in the next photo the bent plank is a good fit. With the brass pins placed in a disk and the depth of the pin insertion tool checked the first planks were ready to be fitted. With a good coating of titebond 3 brushed on to the hull the first plank was fitted. Not sure how I managed to do this but I inadvertently double loaded the pin pusher on one occasion.

Thanks Kevin, I don't think I will be catching you up anytime soon.

The skill of a master craftsman is being able to stick with the plan which is what I usually fail to do. 😂

Fairing The Hull - Completed I have now completed fairing the hull and the planks seem to have good contact with the bulkheads. Sorry about the photo being out of focus when I took the following picture. I have been thinking about how I am going to plank the hull. I have taken measurements of all the bulkheads and believe 34 rows planks will be required at the widest point (bulkhead 7, 8 and 9) with the first plank laid aligned with the bottom edge of the gun ports. If I ignore both the garboard plank and first plank laid aligned with the bottom edge of the gun ports then I could split the hull into 4 planking bands with 8 planks per band. I did make a 8 plank jig from some spare planking material to double check my calculations. I also made some cardboard templates, based on the calculated plank widths at bulkheads 1 to 7 and I was happy with how they looked. I think I will try to plank in 4 bands, and will also try the lateral plank bending method to help the planks to sit better around the bow. The two forecastle bulwark patterns were soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and have now been clamped to hull and will be left overnight to dry. Tomorrow I will start the first planking layer.

Well done.

Fairing The Hull - WIP The hull fairing process is progressing well, albeit slowly. I am finding it better to do this is short stints due to the amount of sawdust that is being generated. The task has been made much easier with the aid of a palm sander which I am using in conjunction with my Amati sanding block (A7140) both fitted with 80-grit sandpaper. I am also using sandpaper and sanding sticks primarily to remove the laser char from the bulkhead ears. After a few hours work yesterday I finally completed the fairing of the left-hand side, but I know there are a couple of areas which may need a bit more work before I start adding the first planking layer as can be seen with the blue arrow in the second photo. I am pleased with how the left side quarter gallery upper finishing canopy and quarterdeck outer bulwark patterns are looking when I did a dry fit. The forecastle bulwark pattern will need to be soaked and clamped which will done once hull fairing process is complete. I have now started fairing the right-hand side. I am finding it easier, for this side, to work from stern to bow. I have completed fairing the upper section where the quarter gallery upper finishing canopy and quarterdeck outer bulwark patterns will fit. Some of the essential fairing tools can be seen in the previous two photos. I will continue to fair the upper section around the bow before moving down to the lower hull sections. My shipyard time will be limited as I have tickets for one of tomorrow's FA cup games which wipes out Sunday and I will be watching the six nations rugby matches this afternoon and evening.

Fairing The Hull When I first started modelling and built AL’s Scottish Maid and then Caldercraft’s HMS Victory I followed the method detailed in the simple hull planking techniques document and drew a beading line and then tapered the keel to the edge to account for the additional thickness when the 1st and 2nd planking had been completed. Since then, I have followed the method shown in several of Jim’s build logs which is to terminate the 1st planking at around the stern’s beading line area thus removing the need to taper the keel. The first task was to draw on some sanding guide lines for the stern and bow fillers. You will note in one of the attached photo’s I used some 1mm masking tape to check the position of the beading line. With my new palm sander raring to go I have started to fair the hull and I am working from the bow toward the stern, currently at the midpoint along the left-hand side of the hull and for the most part everything looks good. This is task that cannot be rushed and I am checking to see how the planks are laying over the bulkheads, particularly looking for good and full contact around the curved bow area at the moment. The bow area still needs more attention as I’ve detailed in the attached series of photo’s where I am moving a plank down the bow to check for contact. I have added yellow arrows to indicate where I think I need to fair more so that planks will lay flat. The blue arrows indicate where the planks are not fully flush with the bulkhead(s). In the final photo I have indicated, with the red lines, where I think more fairing is needed. I would welcome any advice to ensure I get this aspect right especially if you think I am wrong with what needs to be done to enable the planks to sit flush.

Hello Kevin I have just noticed, when looking at your build log, that you do not seem to have added the two stern filler parts 29 to either side of the keel under bulkhead 18, as per build steps 82 and 83. Glenn-UK

Thanks, just preparing to start fairing the hull.

The planking is looking great.