Stuntflyer

More interior details completed. I ended up braking a thwart while trying to get it under the cap rail. Fitting them close to the inner hull width means that one has to bend them slightly and they can break easily. Raising one end up so it touches the cap rail makes it easier to insert the other end. I'm still working on the wider thwart for the mast and need to paint the filler piece at the bow red.
 

Molding strip under friezes and some interior details completed. The red paint is much smoother than it appears here. I applied 4 coats thinned just a little bit with water. Used 1/64" and 1/32" shims to get the floor spacing as close to the plan as I could. The front platform required a lot of sanding and fitting to place it low enough thereby making room for the risers which I have yet to work on.
 

The first layer hull planking is completed on one side with 2 more planks remaining on the other. I was hoping to finish both sides before my leaving on a week's vacation but rushing things is not an option. The completed side has been sanded with 120 grit to within 90% of where I want it. I still need to taper the planking at the stern to 1/8" where it meets the sternpost. Right now it's 1/16" too wide overall.
 
I have to say that the experience so far has been somewhat of an eye opener. I was hoping that my planking the Longboat would have made things a lot easier, but new challenges were presented. The biggest challenge was having to plank a more rounded bow using 1/16" x 1/8" basswood strips. If not careful, this wood is sure to crease, splinter, crush or lose an edge. Although it was too late to turn back at the time, Chuck mentioned that instead of using 1/8" planks in the lower hull I could have used 5/32" planks tapered to 1/8" near bulkhead "0". This would have avoided the use of stealers altogether.
 

Nice planking, Mike. Wish mine came out looking as good as yours.

Well, got my kit today of the launch from Model Expo (probably the absolutely BEST and most customer oriented business I've ever seen).
 
Skipped the intro of photographing the box/parts since you've seen many of those and all know what's inside the box.
 
The only thing bad was two of the walnut belaying pins are broken.  Just in case I need all 20 I'll talk to them tomorrow about replacements.  They are quick on this kind of stuff so those will arrive well before I need them.
 
I'm donating this to Dave's (Sawdust Dave) Wounded Warrior Project for auction so I want it to be really clean and as accurate as possible.  As this is only my 1 1/2 build (didn't get the longboat completed because I got depressed about "wavy" thwarts and set it aside) I'm asking you guys to help me get this assembled well.  One thing that will help is the rather large size of this model - 1:16.
 
I will do my best to take pictures of every step as I go along and if you see something that is screwy (or gonna cause something screwy later on) PLEASE don't hesitate to tell me.   I'm not a sensitive person (I've been called Spock and Sheldon(Big Bang)) and you are not going to hurt my feelings.  TRUTH PLEASE - especially from the "masters" if they happen to see this build.
 
It will be a few days before anything more shows up here - I've gotta finish at least enough of my new work table to get started, but stay tuned. 

The first layer hull planking is completed on one side with 2 more planks remaining on the other. I was hoping to finish both sides before my leaving on a week's vacation but rushing things is not an option. The completed side has been sanded with 120 grit to within 90% of where I want it. I still need to taper the planking at the stern to 1/8" where it meets the sternpost. Right now it's 1/16" too wide overall.
 
I have to say that the experience so far has been somewhat of an eye opener. I was hoping that my planking the Longboat would have made things a lot easier, but new challenges were presented. The biggest challenge was having to plank a more rounded bow using 1/16" x 1/8" basswood strips. If not careful, this wood is sure to crease, splinter, crush or lose an edge. Although it was too late to turn back at the time, Chuck mentioned that instead of using 1/8" planks in the lower hull I could have used 5/32" planks tapered to 1/8" near bulkhead "0". This would have avoided the use of stealers altogether.
 

That planking look really good to me!

While writing my last post I was contemplating the idea of going to a second layer planking below the lower whales using boxwood and leaving it a natural wood color. I have decided against this and will simply paint the first layer planking in that area white (tallow).

● First planking layer (part 1): 6 Planks are now in place and the gun ports are shaped.
 
The individual planks were made from one continuous length. I used scrap laser cut sheet to create the shape for the sharp curve of the bow. I also added a balsa filler block to help when bending the plank around the bow.
 

 
Before shaping the gun ports I sanded the planking with 180 grit, being very careful not to sand too close to the top edge of the initial plank or too close to the bottom edge of the last plank. My reasoning was that since additional planks would be added above and below I would leave these 2 planks at full thickness to be sanded later after all the planks are in.
 

The first layer hull planking is completed on one side with 2 more planks remaining on the other. I was hoping to finish both sides before my leaving on a week's vacation but rushing things is not an option. The completed side has been sanded with 120 grit to within 90% of where I want it. I still need to taper the planking at the stern to 1/8" where it meets the sternpost. Right now it's 1/16" too wide overall.
 
I have to say that the experience so far has been somewhat of an eye opener. I was hoping that my planking the Longboat would have made things a lot easier, but new challenges were presented. The biggest challenge was having to plank a more rounded bow using 1/16" x 1/8" basswood strips. If not careful, this wood is sure to crease, splinter, crush or lose an edge. Although it was too late to turn back at the time, Chuck mentioned that instead of using 1/8" planks in the lower hull I could have used 5/32" planks tapered to 1/8" near bulkhead "0". This would have avoided the use of stealers altogether.
 

Marking the initial plank position with the bulwark template gave me a better idea of where the upper plank runs would be located. Some additional fairing of the hull was needed in order to get the planks running without dips and rises. Once one side of the hull was faired I made bulkhead profile templates from card stock. Holding the card templates up against a window I was able to trace the profiles onto the other side of the card stock. I used these tracings to match the bulkhead profiles from the faired side. Once both sides were symmetrical I checked the plank run once more to confirmed that all was good for attaching the 2 initial planks.
 
● Setting Initial planks: The bulwark template was used to mark the bulkheads for the location of the initial planks before they were glued into place. For these 2 planks I found it easier to form its shape by soaking in water for 5 minutes and clamping them to the hull. I used a hair dryer on its high setting to dry them.
 
The photos below show the plank run along the bulwark template and then with the template removed.
 

 

Hello everyone,
 
Welcome to my build log of the Model Shipways "Mayflower". For those who have been following my build of the US Brig Syren, I have decided not to build it at this time. These two models require a similar level of experience yet have their own set of challenges. I have decided to build the Mayflower for those challenges that I feel are more to my level of experience. Chuck has done a superb job with the Mayflower instructions and there are some excellent build logs here on MSW. I would appreciate any help or suggestions that you might have as I move along.
 
● Clamp setup for first bulkhead: Hours after removing the bulkhead former from the sheet I noticed that it was curved but not warped. After all the bulkheads are glued in place I will attempt to straighten the former.
 

 
● Clamp setup for remaining bulkheads:
 

 
● Bulkheads and filler pieces glued into the bulkhead former: The initial fit was generally tight. When fitting the bullheads I allowed for the PVA glue swelling the wood by sanding in a very small amount of bulkhead movement past 90° fore and aft.
 

 

 
● Curved bulkhead former before straightening:
 

 
Straightening was achieved aft of bulkhead "A" in three steps.
 
1. Blocks were inserted between the formers A&B and C&D to prevent this area of the hull from moving while attaching the "dummy cannon support strips".
 
2. These support strips were used to straighten 90% of the curve by pulling the hull straight and pinning the strips in place before gluing.
 
3. Blocks were inserted between bulkheads 3 and 3b in order to correct the remaining curve in this area.
 
 

 
Straightened hull
 

 
● Eye bolt: This was formed using a 1/8" dowel and then compressing its shape into an oval. Photo shows eye bolt temporarily in place before priming and painting the inside of the two "fore mast Fillers" and eye bolt black with Badger 16-01 Engine Black. Testors Dull coat was used to flatten the finish.
 

 
● Gun Port Framing: I will be using boxwood as the primary wood for the model. Although the gun port framing will not be seen I wanted to see what it was like to work with. No complaints at all and I really like getting clean crisp edges easily. After the bottom gun port frame was glued into place a 1/4" balsa sheet, of a consistent thickness, was cut into small filler pieces to maintain an equal distance between the two gun port frames while the top frames were being glued. Later, this greatly eased the process of making the small vertical pieces for the ports. I have no idea why the small block between C&D was there so I removed it after the photo was taken.
 

 

 
I made a test piece for the vertical frames to see if the angles were similar for both the top and bottom. It turns out that they were at approximately 10.5°. All I had to do was cut one angle with the help of the disk sander and then measure 1/4" and cut the other in parallel. Very little sanding was needed to achieve a nice fit. Were the gun ports angle upwards at the bow and stern a slight angle was sanded in the opposing direction to account for the tilt of the vertical strip.
 

 

 
After the stern pieces XX, YY and ZZ were glued in, the hull was faired and the four false decks were glued into position. Once dry they were later faired into the hull shape.
 

 

 

The first layer hull planking is completed on one side with 2 more planks remaining on the other. I was hoping to finish both sides before my leaving on a week's vacation but rushing things is not an option. The completed side has been sanded with 120 grit to within 90% of where I want it. I still need to taper the planking at the stern to 1/8" where it meets the sternpost. Right now it's 1/16" too wide overall.
 
I have to say that the experience so far has been somewhat of an eye opener. I was hoping that my planking the Longboat would have made things a lot easier, but new challenges were presented. The biggest challenge was having to plank a more rounded bow using 1/16" x 1/8" basswood strips. If not careful, this wood is sure to crease, splinter, crush or lose an edge. Although it was too late to turn back at the time, Chuck mentioned that instead of using 1/8" planks in the lower hull I could have used 5/32" planks tapered to 1/8" near bulkhead "0". This would have avoided the use of stealers altogether.
 

The first layer hull planking is completed on one side with 2 more planks remaining on the other. I was hoping to finish both sides before my leaving on a week's vacation but rushing things is not an option. The completed side has been sanded with 120 grit to within 90% of where I want it. I still need to taper the planking at the stern to 1/8" where it meets the sternpost. Right now it's 1/16" too wide overall.
 
I have to say that the experience so far has been somewhat of an eye opener. I was hoping that my planking the Longboat would have made things a lot easier, but new challenges were presented. The biggest challenge was having to plank a more rounded bow using 1/16" x 1/8" basswood strips. If not careful, this wood is sure to crease, splinter, crush or lose an edge. Although it was too late to turn back at the time, Chuck mentioned that instead of using 1/8" planks in the lower hull I could have used 5/32" planks tapered to 1/8" near bulkhead "0". This would have avoided the use of stealers altogether.
 

The first layer hull planking is completed on one side with 2 more planks remaining on the other. I was hoping to finish both sides before my leaving on a week's vacation but rushing things is not an option. The completed side has been sanded with 120 grit to within 90% of where I want it. I still need to taper the planking at the stern to 1/8" where it meets the sternpost. Right now it's 1/16" too wide overall.
 
I have to say that the experience so far has been somewhat of an eye opener. I was hoping that my planking the Longboat would have made things a lot easier, but new challenges were presented. The biggest challenge was having to plank a more rounded bow using 1/16" x 1/8" basswood strips. If not careful, this wood is sure to crease, splinter, crush or lose an edge. Although it was too late to turn back at the time, Chuck mentioned that instead of using 1/8" planks in the lower hull I could have used 5/32" planks tapered to 1/8" near bulkhead "0". This would have avoided the use of stealers altogether.
 

That looks very good Rusty.   As fine as any planking job that I have seen.   I applaud your willingness to try the proper planking techniques of spiling and such.  Its different than just force bending and may take more time but once you start,  its something you will just continue to do.  Well done!!!  
 
Chuck

Hi Everyone. Thanks for the comments and likes.
 
Sorry for the delay getting back to you all. My PC's hard drive started failing and had to take her to the doctor.
 
During that time I was able to complete the startboard side planking, sanded it down and applied one coat of
wipe on poly. The good news is that I was successful in doing it without any drop planks or steelers. The bad
news is after sanding it a few joints aren't as tight as I would have liked.
 
All in all I'm happy with my first attempt at this type of planking. Hopefully the next one will be better
and the planks a little more uniform.
 

 
Well I'm off to the port side to start the last two bands of planking.

Got the counter and the transom planked.  You may notice that I thinned down the outside stern frames considerably before planking the stern.  The first photo shows how thick they were before it was planked.  After the sides of the hull were planked the outside stern frames were strong enough to handle the thinning down.  It makes the model more historically correct.  The inboard side of the stern and counter will not be planked so I wanted to make sure it looked as authentic as possible.  That of course means that I must really clean up the inboard side between the stern frames carefully to prepare it for painting.   I will fill any cracks and sand it smooth and do lots of surface prep.
 
Now I can have some fun.  Its time to put the fashion pieces on and the wales and fancy trim.  This is the step that will make it really come together.
 
Chuck
 

 

 

 

 

as I am finishing my bluenose this and other things are having me re-start my FA build around x-mas time.
 
as I built the hull from my FA kit I am just not happy with how some of it came out and I will be using this log as an example of what I need to do differently when I re-start.

Hi Dave, As it so happens I have been working on the mayflower,  albeit a bit slower than I had hoped.  Have been stealing moments here and there to work on the Mayflower, the other ships, the database project =). 
 
The Mayflower is at that portion of the show which I have the least confidence in my abilities.  Wihle I am excited to get the masts and rigging up (after all that is the final stage right, in the home stretch), it is where I get the jitters! .   So I hit it with great trepedation!  Granted, I need to ramp up skills in all aspects of the ship building,  but the masting and rigging is my biggest struggle - planking is a definate runner up to that,  so far I can HIDE the oopsies with the planking though
 
However, I did get some work done as I had mentioned.   I will apologize, I took pictures as I went along but am not exactly sure where they are.  It is enough to make me think I am losing my mind.  I am SURE I took pictures of the crows nests being built up as well as the mast work in steps - but alas,  I could not find them all.
 
Anyway.....
 
I have the masts started.  They were tapered using my Robbe Cordless Drill as a lathe and sanding them down by hand.  IF anyone should try this apporach PLEASE be sure to wear a glove.  I wore Mechanix gloves which are nice in that they fit tight (no bulk) and offer great protection from the friction.  If you try to sand a mast down on a drill bare handed you will definately have a bad time!
 
Once I got the masts tapered I wrapped em up and attached the rings using chucks suggestion of manila folder cut into strips, stained and glued in place.   Below is a picture of all three mast bottoms.   I still need to attach the cleats and chocks, but once those are on they should be ready to go.
 

 
The crowsnests were a struggle.  I used the kit supplied part as the base and per chuck's instructions sanded out the center ridge.  The trouble i ran into is no amount of sanding evened out the color.  I have a clear pale stripe around the center of the crowsnest outer wall.  I sanded the HECK out of that thing and could not get rid of it .  So, it is here to stay. I was hoping that the stain would even it out a little, but alas - no.
 
So, there is a stripe, not seen in this pic but you will see it when they get installed.   The deadeyes were done up per the instructions and was pretty eas (towards the end) to get them going. The first couple were a pain but by the last one I had it down so that when I was done I was kind of disappointed I didn't have more to do.
 
The holes were drilled on my newly acquired micro mark drill press.   I have been looking at it and some of the other tools for a while and finally decided to pull the trigger on this one.  I was looking at the Proxxon Mill believe it or not, even had the Admiral on board with it!  However in the end I really wasn't sure all I was going to do with the mill other than be an expensive drill press.  So, got the drill press - should the day come that I find a need for the mill, at least i have pre authorization!
 
Anyway the one problem I had was the drill bit really didn't fit well in the Micro Mark chuck as it was hard to get it centered well, however after a litle digging - problem averted...
 

 
That little guy right there made it so adding a tiny drill bit was a snap!
 

 
Then it, with the larger shank, took to the chuck JUST fine!
 

 
So, if you use the little drill bits and have a hard time getting it lined up a chuck, or get a lot of breakage from chucks - I highly suggest it.   Although I do know some companies sell the tiny drill bits with the 1/8 shanks,  this will work for me until I can afford to pick some of those up!
 
The final result..
 
Some crowsnests which will suffice. (fear not, that one deadeye is not way off center just flopped back a little bit on the thread.  Will striaghten in line when rigged up).
 
They are not perfect - but they are not to shabby I don't think.
 

 
 
So, like I said a tiny update for now.  I have been working - just not with hours to go as I was for a little bit, but still plugging along....
 
 
Until later all - thaks for stopping in and HAPPY MODELING ALL!!
 
Thanks!
Adam.

● First planking layer (part 2): Before adding the garboard planks I did as Chuck advised and thinned the rabbet down to 1/16" in the area where the stern post will go.
 
The width across the rabbet is too wide where the planks twist and some additional sanding is needed.
 

 
The planks will be sanded down gradually to around 1/32" to blend in where the stern post will be located.
 

Chuck, I see what happened. The stem has an indent(for lack of a better word) in it's profile. Instead of leaving clearance for the cap rail I ran the shear plank up tight against the indent. I checked the measurements on each bulkhead from their tops down to the top of the shear plank and they are all correct. It's only after "H" that I pushed the shear strake up into the indent. This is what created the extreme curve in the front. In order to clear for the cap rail I would have to remove 1/32" from the top of the shear plank and gently taper the shear plank aft. I doubt if this would totally remove all of the the curve however. This would also probably create a problem for the frieze fitting nicely into a constant shear plank height. I'm not quite sure how to get around this one. Unless I start over AGAIN!!!! LOL!

● First planking layer (part 2): Before adding the garboard planks I did as Chuck advised and thinned the rabbet down to 1/16" in the area where the stern post will go.
 
The width across the rabbet is too wide where the planks twist and some additional sanding is needed.
 

 
The planks will be sanded down gradually to around 1/32" to blend in where the stern post will be located.
 

Looks really good so far,  those first planks are pretty important and yours look good.   Mine were just a HAIR off and caused me great pain!! lol.
 
Enjoying your work!

Divarty- I did some plank bending for the first 6 planks, no spiling. I will pre-spile the remaining planks using the kit supplied spiling guide as shown in the photo below.
 

 
Brian- The scale is 5/32"