robdurant

Great feeling, isn't it, as it grows more and more like a ship! Nice progress.
 
Tony

Hi again,
 
A little more progress.
 
The deck's down. I marked out the shift pattern and then I put the deck down using a pencil to simulate the caulking:
 

 

 
I've also planked the inside of the bulkheads, and opened up the gunports and oar ports again. Then I put the capping rails on. (The second picture below has some of the deck furniture roughly in place, but not fixed, just to see how it looks... I couldn't resist )
 

 

 
Once the capping rails were in place, I trimmed them back, and added the stern.
The stern fascia was first put in boiling water, then clamped round the cutlery holder from the kitchen sink to give it a curve. Once dry, it was fitted in place. This left a small gap at the bottom (so that the top was level with the tops of the capping rail, which I remedied by adding a small strip of walnut)
 

 

 

 
I added the lettering on to the stern - you'll notice I dropped the "U" from the name to match my wife's old school (brownie points for free!), and then it was on to the wales...
 

 

 

 
Think that's it for now. Managing to stick to the plan of not painting anything... the only things with any paint on so far are the remaining photo-etch, anchor, cannon. Quite pleased with the effect at the moment.
 
Next job is to tidy up the ends of the wales, and put the rudder on.
 
Happy building.
 
Rob
 
[edited to restore photos, 11, 13 July 2017]

Time for an update... I didn't really see the benefit of posting every time another plank went on, but here's the result...
 

 

 
And another comparison with Pickle...
 

 
Also - while waiting for glue to dry... (and trying to build my patience!), I began the cannon... these were a little rough as they came out of the cnc cut walnut ply, but by pinning them all together, I was able to tidy them up enough that I'm happy with them (at least without a milling machine, I think I'd struggle to make better from scratch)...
 
 

 

 

 

 
And one with them on the deck to see how the ports line up... (although they're not on their wheels yet, and the deck is yet to be planked...)
 

 
Finally, the bulkhead stubs were removed and the deck marked up for three-shift planking (I think?!?). I used some veneer I had left from Royal Yacht Caroline for the waterways. The gaps at the edge should get covered up by the planking that will go on the inside of the gunport pattern (he said, hopefully!).
 

 

 
Starting to take shape
 
Happy building
 
Rob
 
[edited to restore photos, 11, 13 July 2017]
 

Hi again,
 
A little more progress.
 
The deck's down. I marked out the shift pattern and then I put the deck down using a pencil to simulate the caulking:
 

 

 
I've also planked the inside of the bulkheads, and opened up the gunports and oar ports again. Then I put the capping rails on. (The second picture below has some of the deck furniture roughly in place, but not fixed, just to see how it looks... I couldn't resist )
 

 

 
Once the capping rails were in place, I trimmed them back, and added the stern.
The stern fascia was first put in boiling water, then clamped round the cutlery holder from the kitchen sink to give it a curve. Once dry, it was fitted in place. This left a small gap at the bottom (so that the top was level with the tops of the capping rail, which I remedied by adding a small strip of walnut)
 

 

 

 
I added the lettering on to the stern - you'll notice I dropped the "U" from the name to match my wife's old school (brownie points for free!), and then it was on to the wales...
 

 

 

 
Think that's it for now. Managing to stick to the plan of not painting anything... the only things with any paint on so far are the remaining photo-etch, anchor, cannon. Quite pleased with the effect at the moment.
 
Next job is to tidy up the ends of the wales, and put the rudder on.
 
Happy building.
 
Rob
 
[edited to restore photos, 11, 13 July 2017]

Time for an update... I didn't really see the benefit of posting every time another plank went on, but here's the result...
 

 

 
And another comparison with Pickle...
 

 
Also - while waiting for glue to dry... (and trying to build my patience!), I began the cannon... these were a little rough as they came out of the cnc cut walnut ply, but by pinning them all together, I was able to tidy them up enough that I'm happy with them (at least without a milling machine, I think I'd struggle to make better from scratch)...
 
 

 

 

 

 
And one with them on the deck to see how the ports line up... (although they're not on their wheels yet, and the deck is yet to be planked...)
 

 
Finally, the bulkhead stubs were removed and the deck marked up for three-shift planking (I think?!?). I used some veneer I had left from Royal Yacht Caroline for the waterways. The gaps at the edge should get covered up by the planking that will go on the inside of the gunport pattern (he said, hopefully!).
 

 

 
Starting to take shape
 
Happy building
 
Rob
 
[edited to restore photos, 11, 13 July 2017]
 

Good progress, Rob. I like the brass cannon. I agree about the difficulties with the walnut trucks. The kit walnut is very flaky and difficult to get to a nice finish, so it's good to see the result you've achieved.
 
Tony

Time for an update... I didn't really see the benefit of posting every time another plank went on, but here's the result...
 

 

 
And another comparison with Pickle...
 

 
Also - while waiting for glue to dry... (and trying to build my patience!), I began the cannon... these were a little rough as they came out of the cnc cut walnut ply, but by pinning them all together, I was able to tidy them up enough that I'm happy with them (at least without a milling machine, I think I'd struggle to make better from scratch)...
 
 

 

 

 

 
And one with them on the deck to see how the ports line up... (although they're not on their wheels yet, and the deck is yet to be planked...)
 

 
Finally, the bulkhead stubs were removed and the deck marked up for three-shift planking (I think?!?). I used some veneer I had left from Royal Yacht Caroline for the waterways. The gaps at the edge should get covered up by the planking that will go on the inside of the gunport pattern (he said, hopefully!).
 

 

 
Starting to take shape
 
Happy building
 
Rob
 
[edited to restore photos, 11, 13 July 2017]
 

Thanks for all the advice. 
 
I've paused to reflect on the best way forward as I finish off the second planking on my Sherbourne (bring on the scrapers!). Almost there now. Just two planks left on the port side. I'll have to invest in a jeweller's saw. I managed to find some replacement coping saw blades with a higher tpi, so I'll give them a try. A scroll saw does sound like a good idea though (might have to wait for that kind of investment!). I'll have a look round and see if i can get a bigger drum sander, too.
 
Thanks again
 
Rob

Thanks for all the advice. 
 
I've paused to reflect on the best way forward as I finish off the second planking on my Sherbourne (bring on the scrapers!). Almost there now. Just two planks left on the port side. I'll have to invest in a jeweller's saw. I managed to find some replacement coping saw blades with a higher tpi, so I'll give them a try. A scroll saw does sound like a good idea though (might have to wait for that kind of investment!). I'll have a look round and see if i can get a bigger drum sander, too.
 
Thanks again
 
Rob

Ok, here are a few now pics of where I am, the lady is in the cradle with a cloth to protect the finish as much as possible, those of you in the know will see some issues with the build and I have done my best to work around them. I have learned a lot from this build and as I move on I am becoming more competent with what I am capable of.
 
Any ways, I will now update more as I move on and I seriously will be seeking help once the rigging starts.
 
Thanks all.

Hi all, been a while due to a number of personal issues which needed my attention, so apologies for not updating a lot more. I am back into the swing of things now, the attached pic is a few weeks old, I am now on the final deck fit of the quarter deck and lots of additions have been done now.
 
I am keeping the hull in varnish as I like the look, I have found some of the wood in this build pretty dire to be honest but I have soldiered on and she is getting there now. I am going to take a few updated pics later but I wanted to just say I am alive and my build is now back to reality. Thanks all.

Well, not much progress, but a little.

This project is going to be a slow one, as I'm working on it while I work on Sherbourne to get a feel for whether I have the scratchbuilding skills (and patience) to try something harder.

That said, I had a good headscratch, and I think I'm beginning to work out how I can turn boards of walnut into something resembling parts of frames (given the distinct lack of power tools). So here's the progress so far.
 
I've printed off the plan for frame 0 (at a factor of 0.75 to make it 1:64) and stuck the component patterns onto the walnut with pritt stick to allow me to remove the patterns later.
 
Then very gently with a coping saw (I've ordered some finer blades!), I cut roughly round them.
 
The next challenge was the bigger hurdle. I don't have a scroll saw, band saw or any powered sander... but I do have a basic stand for to turn a hand drill (750W) into a pillar drill... so I mounted a proxxon drum sander part into the drill chuck and lowered the stand as shown in the photo, so it was permanently level with the work surface...
 
It sounds horrendously loud - so loud in fact, I had pity on the neighbours after a short while... and I had to keep one hand on the drill power button... but it kind of did the trick... My issue was that although it was sanding the excess away, it left a pretty wavy line, so a larger drum would be handy. It looks like the following would help:
 
* A better way to cut the frames out, so I can cut closer to the lines (i.e. a scroll saw / band saw?)
* A quieter way to sand the frames, so I don't annoy the neighbours and provide a variety or sanding disk sizes to allow me to attain smoother sanding (perhaps an oscillating spindle sander?)
 
Anyway - progress... and I'm encouraged that this isn't impossible, just time consuming and requiring patience on my part.
 
Pictures below:
 

 

 

 

Well, not much progress, but a little.

This project is going to be a slow one, as I'm working on it while I work on Sherbourne to get a feel for whether I have the scratchbuilding skills (and patience) to try something harder.

That said, I had a good headscratch, and I think I'm beginning to work out how I can turn boards of walnut into something resembling parts of frames (given the distinct lack of power tools). So here's the progress so far.
 
I've printed off the plan for frame 0 (at a factor of 0.75 to make it 1:64) and stuck the component patterns onto the walnut with pritt stick to allow me to remove the patterns later.
 
Then very gently with a coping saw (I've ordered some finer blades!), I cut roughly round them.
 
The next challenge was the bigger hurdle. I don't have a scroll saw, band saw or any powered sander... but I do have a basic stand for to turn a hand drill (750W) into a pillar drill... so I mounted a proxxon drum sander part into the drill chuck and lowered the stand as shown in the photo, so it was permanently level with the work surface...
 
It sounds horrendously loud - so loud in fact, I had pity on the neighbours after a short while... and I had to keep one hand on the drill power button... but it kind of did the trick... My issue was that although it was sanding the excess away, it left a pretty wavy line, so a larger drum would be handy. It looks like the following would help:
 
* A better way to cut the frames out, so I can cut closer to the lines (i.e. a scroll saw / band saw?)
* A quieter way to sand the frames, so I don't annoy the neighbours and provide a variety or sanding disk sizes to allow me to attain smoother sanding (perhaps an oscillating spindle sander?)
 
Anyway - progress... and I'm encouraged that this isn't impossible, just time consuming and requiring patience on my part.
 
Pictures below:
 

 

 

 

Well, not much progress, but a little.

This project is going to be a slow one, as I'm working on it while I work on Sherbourne to get a feel for whether I have the scratchbuilding skills (and patience) to try something harder.

That said, I had a good headscratch, and I think I'm beginning to work out how I can turn boards of walnut into something resembling parts of frames (given the distinct lack of power tools). So here's the progress so far.
 
I've printed off the plan for frame 0 (at a factor of 0.75 to make it 1:64) and stuck the component patterns onto the walnut with pritt stick to allow me to remove the patterns later.
 
Then very gently with a coping saw (I've ordered some finer blades!), I cut roughly round them.
 
The next challenge was the bigger hurdle. I don't have a scroll saw, band saw or any powered sander... but I do have a basic stand for to turn a hand drill (750W) into a pillar drill... so I mounted a proxxon drum sander part into the drill chuck and lowered the stand as shown in the photo, so it was permanently level with the work surface...
 
It sounds horrendously loud - so loud in fact, I had pity on the neighbours after a short while... and I had to keep one hand on the drill power button... but it kind of did the trick... My issue was that although it was sanding the excess away, it left a pretty wavy line, so a larger drum would be handy. It looks like the following would help:
 
* A better way to cut the frames out, so I can cut closer to the lines (i.e. a scroll saw / band saw?)
* A quieter way to sand the frames, so I don't annoy the neighbours and provide a variety or sanding disk sizes to allow me to attain smoother sanding (perhaps an oscillating spindle sander?)
 
Anyway - progress... and I'm encouraged that this isn't impossible, just time consuming and requiring patience on my part.
 
Pictures below:
 

 

 

 

Well, not much progress, but a little.

This project is going to be a slow one, as I'm working on it while I work on Sherbourne to get a feel for whether I have the scratchbuilding skills (and patience) to try something harder.

That said, I had a good headscratch, and I think I'm beginning to work out how I can turn boards of walnut into something resembling parts of frames (given the distinct lack of power tools). So here's the progress so far.
 
I've printed off the plan for frame 0 (at a factor of 0.75 to make it 1:64) and stuck the component patterns onto the walnut with pritt stick to allow me to remove the patterns later.
 
Then very gently with a coping saw (I've ordered some finer blades!), I cut roughly round them.
 
The next challenge was the bigger hurdle. I don't have a scroll saw, band saw or any powered sander... but I do have a basic stand for to turn a hand drill (750W) into a pillar drill... so I mounted a proxxon drum sander part into the drill chuck and lowered the stand as shown in the photo, so it was permanently level with the work surface...
 
It sounds horrendously loud - so loud in fact, I had pity on the neighbours after a short while... and I had to keep one hand on the drill power button... but it kind of did the trick... My issue was that although it was sanding the excess away, it left a pretty wavy line, so a larger drum would be handy. It looks like the following would help:
 
* A better way to cut the frames out, so I can cut closer to the lines (i.e. a scroll saw / band saw?)
* A quieter way to sand the frames, so I don't annoy the neighbours and provide a variety or sanding disk sizes to allow me to attain smoother sanding (perhaps an oscillating spindle sander?)
 
Anyway - progress... and I'm encouraged that this isn't impossible, just time consuming and requiring patience on my part.
 
Pictures below:
 

 

 

 

Hi,
 
Hoping to make a fully framed frigate in the future in 1:64, so this seems the perfect place to try out some of those skills. I've only done plank on bulkhead before from kits, so it's a bit of a journey into the unknown, but how helpful to have so many others who've travelled the path before me!
 
I scaled the plans down by a factor of 0.75 to take them from 1:48 to 1:64 (where 3/16" is equivalent to 1ft).
 
Here are the picture so far. Parts are walnut. I've left the keelson, keel and false keel longer than the plans and intend to trim them down later on in the build.
 

 

Hi,
 
Hoping to make a fully framed frigate in the future in 1:64, so this seems the perfect place to try out some of those skills. I've only done plank on bulkhead before from kits, so it's a bit of a journey into the unknown, but how helpful to have so many others who've travelled the path before me!
 
I scaled the plans down by a factor of 0.75 to take them from 1:48 to 1:64 (where 3/16" is equivalent to 1ft).
 
Here are the picture so far. Parts are walnut. I've left the keelson, keel and false keel longer than the plans and intend to trim them down later on in the build.
 

 

Thanks Pete, and thanks everyone for the likes.
 
I'm planning on using walnut. But this is very much a try-it-out project, so that may well change. I've got some wood on order for the frames at the moment.
 
Rob

Welcome to the build,  Nice start to your build,  what type of wood will you be using?  Looking forward to more!!!

Hi,
 
Hoping to make a fully framed frigate in the future in 1:64, so this seems the perfect place to try out some of those skills. I've only done plank on bulkhead before from kits, so it's a bit of a journey into the unknown, but how helpful to have so many others who've travelled the path before me!
 
I scaled the plans down by a factor of 0.75 to take them from 1:48 to 1:64 (where 3/16" is equivalent to 1ft).
 
Here are the picture so far. Parts are walnut. I've left the keelson, keel and false keel longer than the plans and intend to trim them down later on in the build.
 

 

Well, I'm a little late starting this building log, but it's been an interesting model to build, so I thought I'd share my experiences. Hope it's helpful, anyway.
 
I'm hoping this will be an opportunity to try out some new skills and improve my planking skills before attempting something a bit larger!
 
First off, a quick look at the kit itself. It comes in a small, but really nice and sturdy box, with everything packed in very neatly.
 

 

 
The instructions are much more simple than the instructions for Pickle (a more recent kit, I believe), and reading them through I was glad I'd built Pickle first. Nevertheless, having build Pickle, these are perfectly adequate. The plans are excellent, and give lots of detail, including step by step illustrations for the construction of the hull.
 
Looking closely you'll see the the walnut ply used for the cannon carriages and capping rails has been cut out right to the edge... on the other side this has led to a slight split going through the capping rail itself, but nothing too major, and it should be simple enough to put right (I'll mount it good side up!)
 
So far I've found that all the materials are provided with plenty to spare, just as with Pickle.
 
[edited to restore photos, 11, 13 July 2017]

The next task was to fill the gaps between bulkheads 1-3 and 7-9 with balsa to help me find a smooth flow as I finished fairing the bulkheads. You may notice in these photos that I clean forgot to add the bow formers that sit up against the keel former at this point, and had to cut into the balsa to add these retrospectively. Again - too much haste, and so less speed!
 

 
You can see in this photo how bulkhead 9 is at a slight angle - with the starboard side (on the left of this photo because it's keel up) slightly further forward... across its width, this adds up to ~6mm!
 
Eventually, it started to look like I was hoping it would... I added a strip of lime to the bottom of the keel former to help the rabbet.
 

 
[edited to restore photos, 11 July 2017]

Now we're up to date... I've been using the same strategy with the second planking to try and get really neat runs of planking without lots of drop planks and stealers... time will tell whether I end up getting bitten, but so far I'm pleased with it. I have a thermos flask with freshly boiled water in it, and then here's what I do for each plank:
 
Use paper to take a map of the curve of the plank (as though spiling) Mark out the width of the plank to fit and trim with a craft knife and sandpaper. Bevel the edge of the plank (I have good intentions, but I'm not very good at this yet!) Soak the plank in the _hot_ water for 30 seconds Edge bend the plank according to the paper prepared above. (with 1x4mm walnut, it'll hold it's shape fairly easily) Use plank nippers to bend the plank in for the bow and stern. Test, re-test, and glue in place with pins (or near the top, clamps to avoid pin marks)  
And here are the results so far...
 

 
There are gaps in between several of the planks, which I suspect may be shrinkage... I'm hoping next time I can spile, to avoid the soaking process, and that way avoid those gaps... Of course, it may not be shrinkage at all, but simply that my skills aren't quite up there yet
 
Anyway - I'm pretty pleased with how it's going, and the rest of the planks will be under the waterline and painting dull white, so it's not looking too bad now!
 
In amidst the planking I decided to start on something completely different to freshen up a little... I've begun the gratings. And I found a sailor left over from Pickle to keep eyes on proceedings too
 

 
Once the edging is on, I'll sand these to have curved tops...
 
But that's for next time.
 
Happy building
 
Rob
 
[edited to restore photos, 11, 13 July 2017]

Hi,
 
Hoping to make a fully framed frigate in the future in 1:64, so this seems the perfect place to try out some of those skills. I've only done plank on bulkhead before from kits, so it's a bit of a journey into the unknown, but how helpful to have so many others who've travelled the path before me!
 
I scaled the plans down by a factor of 0.75 to take them from 1:48 to 1:64 (where 3/16" is equivalent to 1ft).
 
Here are the picture so far. Parts are walnut. I've left the keelson, keel and false keel longer than the plans and intend to trim them down later on in the build.
 

 

Hi,
 
Hoping to make a fully framed frigate in the future in 1:64, so this seems the perfect place to try out some of those skills. I've only done plank on bulkhead before from kits, so it's a bit of a journey into the unknown, but how helpful to have so many others who've travelled the path before me!
 
I scaled the plans down by a factor of 0.75 to take them from 1:48 to 1:64 (where 3/16" is equivalent to 1ft).
 
Here are the picture so far. Parts are walnut. I've left the keelson, keel and false keel longer than the plans and intend to trim them down later on in the build.