Glenn-UK

Just a quick update as I am excited about how the Duchess looks now all the masts have now been shaped. The mast assemblies are only dry fitted at this stage but everything fits together nicely and I am very pleased with how they look. Next on the agenda is tapering and adding all the fixtures and fittings to the 9 off yards. I also need to add the fixtures and fittings to the masts, bowsprit and platforms. This will keep me busy for the next few days.

Thanks Rusty.

Hello Matt All the parts were supplied with the kit. Many thanks for your comments.

Following on my last post I thought some readers might find my methods interesting and perhaps even helpful. Therefore I have prepared a tutorial on how I shaped the masts. This may not be the best (or right) way to make make the masts. However it works very well for me and produces good results. Enjoy Main Mast This mast is made using an 8mm dowel. There are only two tasks required for shaping this mast. Main Mast Step 1 – Bibbs The two adjacent sides require flattening for the two mast bibbs which sit under and help support the platform assembly. I marked the bottom position of the bibbs on the dowel with tape. I also marked a vertical and horizontal line on the top of the down to ensure I had the correct alignment for cutting. I set the bench saw to its minimum cut and I made to adjacent cuts using a spare length of 8mm dowel. This confirmed the width of the two edges matched the plan drawing. I then repeated the process on the main mast dowel. I had to be careful with the bench saw as the cut is always longer underneath. A craft knife (with a new blade fitted) was used to trim and tidy the bench saw cut ends. Main Mast Step 2 - Making a 5mm x 5mm square end for the platform The bottom position of the 5mm square end was marked on the dowel with tape. The cut of the bench saw was adjusted slightly, and the dowel end was squared off. I used a craft knife to trim and tidy the bench saw cut ends. The square cut was a fraction oversize, so I used a sanding stick in conjunction with my craft knife (chisel mode) to remove the excess. I did continually check the fit and it did not take too long before the platform slid down the squared shaft to the bottom edge ridge. Main Top Mast This mast is made using an 6mm dowel. I find it better to work from the bottom of the mast to the top in a series of steps, as detailed below. Main Top Mast Step 1 – Making a 5mm x 5mm square end for the platform I started off by marking the end with a vertical and horizontal line which helps me with the square alignment. I also made 2 pencil marks 2.5mm either side of the centre line. I added tape to indicate where the square shaping finishes. Using a sanding stick in conjunction with a craft knife the excess wood was removed. I kept checking to see if the end would fit in the platform. It was necessary to use the oblong slot on the platform (where the main mast normally fits) for this. Not sliding all the way down the shaft, the vertical and horizontal lines are visible. After a bit more work the platform fits perfectly. Now for the senior moment, only the bottom end needs to fit in the platform, which is upside down in the picture. The fid prevents it sliding down. That said it does need to be that size as the cap does need to slide down the full squared length. I then repeated the process to remove the excess wood for the other two adjacent sides. As can be seen in the next photo the platform now fits nicely over the squared end. Again upside down platform. Main Top Mast Step 2 – Making a 5mm x 5mm square fit the end cap The end cap also needs to fit over the bottom end, but a 5mm x 5mm square end does not fit through the cap hole. The plan drawing shows the square edges are rounded. It was another case of filing and test fitting. Test fit, still more work required Although I thought the cap was correctly positioned, the bottom edge of the cap needs to match up with the line on the plan drawing. I discovered this when I did a test assembly with the main mast as can shown the final photo of this post. Main Top Mast Step 3 – Tapering The main mast requires a taper from the cap down to 4mm. The end of the taper was marked as shown in the previous photo. The dowel was placed in my bench lathe and taper was created using 100 grit sandpaper. I then moved the tape to the next position for the next short 4mm to 6mm taper section. The short taper was completed in the lathe, again using 100 grit sandpaper. Main Top Mast Step 4 – Making the 3mm by 3mm square end for top platform. The top platform requires a 3mm x 3mm square end. From a test I conducted using a spare piece of 6mm dowel I was able to use my bench saw to make the initial square end cuts. I took great care to ensure the saw blade did not cut pass the tape marker. I used a craft knife to trim the edges. The actual square end cut using the bench saw was a tad oversized (on purpose). It required a little bit of sanding to remove the excess. The top platform was regularly checked, during the sanding process, until the platform slid down the full length of the squared shaft. The end rounded off so the cap would fit. Finally, a 1 mm hole was drilled for the fid. The square edges were filled off the fid and test fitted. The test assembly of the top main mast, shown below, shows everything fitted together as per the plan drawings. Main Top Gallant Mast This mast is made using an 3mm dowel and is simply a repeat of the tapering process (step 3) used for the main top mast. The 1mm holes for the fid was drilled before the tapering. Final Assembly Check Checking the assembly with the plans Getting an idea of how it will look. The main top needs needs a bit more work as the bottom cap need to sit a bit higher, as the top mast does not locate with the bottom platform hole.

The new bench saw has been a god send. I used it to cut the angles on the bowsprit. The bowsprit required a taper over the final third so it would fit at the right angle with the end cap as can been seen in the photo below. It was a bit fiddly setting up the parts for the photo and I have just noticed a little bit of bow sprit can be seen poking out of the bottom of the forward end of the end cap. Work is now progressing well on the yard production. I started of by cutting all the yards and masts. I did slightly overcut each dowel to account for the holes required at one end when placed in the bench lathe for tapering. The spritsail and jibboom have already been shaped, as can be seen in the photo below. With the masts cut to size I made sure they all fitted which the did. Next I shaped the three parts of the foremast, checking that each part would locate in the platforms and caps as I went along. The 1mm holes were drilled for the fid's which were then test fitted. The fids did required a little bit of shaping in order to fit in the holes. Making sure I have all the masts, yards and platforms for the fore mast, the overcut lengths can be seen. Checking the fit of shaped masts. I drilled both the fid 1mm hole and the other 1mm hole in the top mast prior to starting the shaping. I did have to remake the top mast as I managed to snap the first one when I apply a bit to much pressure when sanding. The fore mast, with all parts dry fitted at this stage, added to the Duchess to get an idea of how it will look.

Looks very nice, great job.

Great work, and looks very nice. The 4 offshot garland assembly really tested my patience and eyesight. You'll be building the masts and yards before long. All the dowels have be cut to length on my build. I have completed shaping the bowsprit, jibboom and spirtsail. I'm now working on the fore mast assembly.

Thanks Derek. Full steam ahead on all masts and yards. The proxxon bench saw has been a god send already.

Hi Rusty Great minds think alike or fools seldom differ.

I have now started work on the masts and yards. My bench saw is out for delivery and is expected to arrive later this afternoon. I have started work on the bowsprit and jibboom. The bowsprit requires a 6mm dowel. In order to help aligning the various parts to be fitted I start with a centre line. I simply clamp a 3mm wood strip to the dowel and then I can draw a line along the entire length. As I will use the bench saw to make the angled end cuts I moved on to making the jibboom. This requires a 115mm long 3mm dowel which tapers to 2mm. I like to identify key points along the length. The first 35mm will not be tapered, so the 3mm to 2mm taper will be applied to the final 80mm. To get a good taper the diameter need to reduce by 0.25mm per 20mm. I have used some very thin tape to mark the dowel. I like to mark it slightly long The dowel was then placed in my lathe and tapered using sandpaper. I started with 100 grit and then reduced to 320 grit. It took me around 10 mins to get the required taper. I kept checking the taper at the 20, 40, 60 and 80mm points. There is a grove required near the end. I made this using a folded edge of sandpaper while the dowel was still in the lathe. The completed dowel was then given a light sand with a 800 grit sandpaper. The end result is a nice looking jibboom the matches the plan drawing I think I got this measurement pretty close!

Look nice

I have ordered a Proxxon KS230 mini bench saw which should arrive later this week. I think this will help me with the production of the masts. I will be able to make a clear angled cut for the two ends of the bowsprit. I also plan use the bench saw with the fore, main and mizzen mast shaping, helping to make a round dowel square for example. I already have a Proxxon DB250 mini lathe which is great for tapering the dowels. I have started assembling the gunwale and ribs for the Fore, Main and mizzen masts. These parts were removed from the wooded sheets and glued (wood glue) and then clamped together. I did use a couple of pins to ensure the ribs lined up perfectly with the gunwales. I then moved on to the assembly of the crosstrees and tressletrees required for the platforms. As always, I made sure I had all the parts. I applied wood glue to the locating slots and assembled. I took great care not to mix up the fore and main mast parts which are very similar. As the glue was cured I rounded the bolsters and then fixed them in place. The crosstrees and tressletrees were then glued and clamped to the platforms. Next I started work on the fore and main top mast tressletree and crosstrees. The crosstrees for each tressletree is slightly different so I marked the parts before they removed from the wooden sheet. The two tressletrees were soaked in acetone and then blackened. I applied wood glue to the each crosstree and clamped them to their respective tressletree. I also blackened the 11 off lower rail stanchion and test fitted them to the platforms with their associated top rail. I will glue these parts when I am ready to fit these parts to their respective masts.

Thats what I did also. I really enjoyed making all the inboard deck items. The grating for the middle hatch needs to be fitted later so the anchor ropes can be added. The other option, if the grating is already glued, is to fit the rope to the middle hatch assembly before it is glued to the deck.

Thanks Bob

After completing the cannon assembly yesterday I have now fixed the main deck items in place. Photo of the timberheads I have test fitted the 6mm dowel which will be used for the bowsprit and there were no problems. Photos of the deck items. I made sure the staghorn cleats were installed the right way up, shot garlands are only dry fitted as I need to add the cannon balls. I like the look of the DOK deck in this photo. The side steps have been fitted. I plan to fit the channels after I have completed the mast and yard manufacture phase. I will now commence work on the bowsprit. I have made a photo copy of the plan drawings and marked up the key dimensions for the items,

This post details the method I used to assembly the 6 off 4-pounder cannon assemblies. The rigging of the cannons will be covered in a later post. I thought about painting the carriages, red for the sides and black for the wheels and carriage bed but I have opted to leave them unpainted. Cannon Assembly Stage 1 - Part Identification Each cannon comprises several components, which are: 2 x Carriage Sides, 1 x left sided and 1 x right sided 2 x Front Wheels and 2 x Rear Wheels 1 x Front Axle and 1 x Rear Axle 1 x Carriage Bed 3 x Eyebolts 1 x Cross Bolt 1 x 4-Pounder Cannon Barrel 2 x Cannon Barrel Trunnions To aid identification, during the assembly phase, I marked up some parts before they were removed from the wooden sheets, as shown in the photo below. This proved to be unnecessary because I ended up removing 1 set of carriage sides and 1 set of axles at time as I assembled the cannons. I also removed one set of wheels which I used to test fit over all the axles once they had been rounded off. Cannon Assembly Stage 2 - Carriage Frame Assembly Knowing assembly of the cannon can be fiddley I decided to make an assembly jig to aid the build process. It is not an elegant looking jig, as can be seen on the attached photo, but it was fit for purpose and worked very well. The first task, using sandpaper (320-grit), was to slightly round the axles. I did a couple of test fits of the wheels during the rounding process. The two axles were placed in the jig. I then applied a touch of wood glue in the axles locating slots for the two carriage sides and the carriage sides were then positioned in the jig. The cannon was left in the jig for a few mins to give time for the wood glue to grip. I used this time to round the axles of the next cannon. It did not take too long to assembly all 6 cannons carriages, as can be seen in the photo below. Cannon Assembly Stage 3 - Completing Carriage Assembly The cross bolt and 3 eyebolts were test fitted and then removed so the excess material could be trimmed, using a sharp craft knife blade. The cross bolt was then reinserted without any need for glue (in my opinion). I applied a small amount of ca gel to the three eyebolts stems and they were then correctly aligned and inserted. Next the 4 wheels were added to the carriage assembly. A touch of wood glue was placed on each wheel axle and the wheels were then pushed on. I did my best to ensure the wheels looked level with the sides of the carriages. Cannon Assembly Stage 4 – Adding the 4-pounder cannon barrel and 2 off trunnions On inspection of the 6 off 4-Pounder cannon barrels I noticed some excess casting resin which needed to be removed. This was done, very carefully, using a sharp craft knife. The 4-Pounder cannon barrel was placed in the carriage assembly using a touch of ca gel. There is an emblem on each cannon, so it is important to make sure this is face up. I found the shaping of the trunnions over the cannons pivot arm to be the most time consuming and fiddley part of the cannon assembly process. Initially I used my small round nose pliers but I was not totally happy with how they looked so I decided to make as jig to allow the trunnion to be shaped consistently to fit over the cannon barrel’s pivot arm. I made a small slot and glued a small length of copper wire in the slot. I then added some guides (both sides and at the top) which allowed the trunnion to be correctly positioned over copper wire. I then applied pressure on the both sides of the trunnion to get the required shape. This worked very well and made this task much easier and quicker. Once the trunnions had been shaped, they were placed on the carriage to check they were sitting flush. I then used ca gel to fix in them place, by applying small drops on the carriage. The ca gel allows a little bit of time to adjust the trunnions in the correct position. The end result is a nice looking 4-pounder cannon assembly.

Nice work, she looks amazing

Nice work, looks very good. You are making very good progress. I have just completed the assembly of the 6 off 4-pounder cannons. I should be moving on to yards and masts next week. I'm waiting on a delivery of some thin fly tying thread I've ordered before I can start rigging the cannons.

Thanks Derek Bring retired means I have plenty of free time and as I really enjoy making the small sub assemblies I do tend to spend all day in the shipyard. I have had issues with stove chimney ( and folding other PE parts) on previous projects. I saw a video on YouTube by John Builds Iconic (when I was building Yamato) which used a two steel ruler approach to fold delicate PE parts. I simply added the clamping element for the stove chimney.

Thanks Jim The masts and yards will be next on the agenda once I have built the 6 cannons, which I'm also planning to rig (breach and rear tackle).

This post details the method I used to build and install the two step assemblies, including the left & right aft deck rails, the two quarterdeck gunwales and the quarterdeck rail. Ladder Assembly The steps comprise an inner and outer ladder side. These have been designed to account for the curvature of the deck. When I removed the ladder sides from the wooden sheet I added a small pencil mark on the two outer ladder sides for ease of identification during the actual assembly stage. There are 8 steps per ladder and a decorative fascia patterns for the two inner ladder sides as shown in the photo below. Knowing assembly of the ladders can be fiddley I decided to make a simple jig to aid the assembly process. This was easy to make and the jig I used is shown in the next photo. The two ladder sides were then placed in the jig and the top and bottom steps were dry fitted as shown in the next photo. Once I was happy with the alignment of the steps, I proceeded to glue the steps in one by one. With the two dry fitted steps still in place I started with gluing the two central steps. I then removed the top dry fitted step applied some glue and replaced. This was followed by the bottom step. It was then a simple process to add the final four steps. The assembly was removed from the jig and the inner side fascia pattern was then added. The steps are now ready for installation. However before this can be undertaken the left and right aft deck rails, the quarterdeck rail and the two quarterdeck gunwales need to be fitted. Aft deck rails, Quarterdeck Gunwales and Quarterdeck Rail The aft deck rails, quarterdeck rail and quarterdeck gunwales were painted black before being removed from their respective wooden sheets. I then used the following assembly method: a) The left and right aft deck rails were both dry fitted in the locating holes on the two quarterdeck gunwales and the quarterdeck rail. No problems were encountered. b) The aft deck rails were then glued to the quarterdeck rail. c) The two quarterdeck gunwales were installed on the quarterdeck with ca gel, noting the outboard edges required a slight bevel to match the line of the bulwarks. d) The quarterdeck rail, complete with aft deck rails, were then glued in place. I found there was enough flex in the quarterdeck rail to create the required bend over the canopy. I used ca gel to secure this part. Final Installation The two assembled step assemblies were glued in place, using wood glue and then I applied a thin coat of polyurethane varnish to the completed assembly. The final photo shows the completed installation noting the varnish is still wet. Next on the build list is the assembly of the 6 cannons.

Great spot Chris. They will be the right way up when glued in place. I was more interested in how they fitted in the locating hole at this stage. Many thanks for your positive comments also.

Today’s tutorial is about the method I used to assembly the Stove Chimney. I thought this might be of some interest because I have trouble getting good clean bends on previous models. The method outlined below has solved the problem for me. I have also added a small section on the 4 off staghorn cleat beams in this post. Stove Chimney Assembly The first task, as always, is to ensure I have all the bits available before making a start. I painted the wooden base black before removing it from the sheet. The stove chimney (photo etched part) was cleaned in an acetone solution to remove the contamination and to ensure the surface is ready to take the primer coat. The next task was to fold the PE stove chimney part. To do this I placed the stove chimney (photo etched part) on a wooden base with the fold line along the straight edge. I then clamped a solid straight edge item on top of the stove chimney. I found a steel ruler to be an ideal tool for this. I then applied pressure along the fold line to get a clean 90-degree fold. I used another steel ruler to help with this bending process. I repeated this bending process along the other fold lines until I had completed the folding process. Stove Chimney has been clamped and is now ready for first fold. First fold completed. Second fold completed. I applied a light touch of ca along the joint line. The stove chimney was then clamped to allow the ca to fully cured. The result is a perfectly bent stove chimney, which is now ready to be primed and painted black. In the paint shop I sprayed on a coat of white primer. I then gave the stove chimney a light sand with some 800-grit sandpaper before spraying on two coats of black paint. I did give the part a light sand between coats of black paint. The result is a very nice-looking stove chimney, fit for the Duchess. Staghorn Cleat Beams The staghorn cleat beam assembly was a very easy job and requires very little explanation. I have included a picture of the parts prior to the manufacturing process, noting the 4 off staghorn cleat beams shown are only dry fit assembly to check everything fits. The inner bulwarks are provided with locating holes for the 4 off Staghorn Cleat Beam assemblies. I have test fitted all four of them and they were all a nice snug fit, as shown in the following picture which shows one of them dry fitted (upside down for the time being).

Thanks Bob

Thanks Rusty. I hope to start working on the mast and yard manufacture in the next couple of weeks. I am very impressed with your build.