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woodrat

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Everything posted by woodrat

  1. woodrat
    No. The aft end of the curved guides (inner and outer) is permanently fixed to an extended beam. To remove the rudder when in port all that is required is to disconnect the rudder hoist and "uphaul". The rudder is reversed out of the mount with the help of a boat. The rudder then is floated off and towed away by one of the boats. It is reinstalled in the opposite manner, again with the help of a boat. That is my interpretation. Also, do you think that the rudder blades were coated with pitch? The MIchael of Rhodes manuscript shows the blades blackened. Dick
  2. woodrat
    Alberto, what is your specialty in archaeology, if you don't mind my asking? Dick
  3. woodrat
    I closely read Lawrence Mott's thesis. the poop superstructure is based solely on Veneziano's Pala Feriale transport of St Mark, as is the bow structure (to follow soon). The length of the rudders is 1/3 of keel length (Fabrica di Galere and Michael of Rhodes) Having fun. Dick
  4. woodrat
    Thanks, Alberto for the links to Twitter. They did work and I have had a good look at the mediaeval merchantman from 13th century. The rudder mount seems to tally with mine and I feel somewhat encouraged. The Contarina I wreck upon which I largely based my reconstruction has been tentatively dated to 1300 and so can really be regarded as a 13th century vessel contemporaneous with the Black Sea example. Unfortunately Amazon wont ship the video to Australia and Amazon Australia has never heard of it. It will turn up somewhere, I suppose. I am now turning my attention to the bow which is more bluff than the Black Sea vessel. Here are pictures of the quarter rudders in the down and up position. Cheers Dick
  5. woodrat
    verrry interesting! I have not heard that. Can anyone clarify this? The wedges were solidly hammered in and woolded. It would be no mean feat to take them out and replace them for an extra knot or two even if the mast did not go by the board. Keel-haul the captain, I say! Cheers, Dick
  6. woodrat
    The structures surrounding the mast base at deck level are indeed wedges inserted around the mast at the mast partners. These wedges are then tightly woolded with stout rope (see my cocha build). Without these wedges at deck level, the strain on the mast foot would lead to early failure. The coin needs to be byzantine of the correct period, I agree. Dick
  7. woodrat
    Steven that foremast looks like it has a curve to it. Love the poop super structure. It would make sense to use wedges. Don't forget the coin under the mast foot. Dick
  8. woodrat
    Thanks Steven Attached is a rough draft of the rudder and its tackle as I see it. Rudder curved guides are not shown. The hoist and "uphaul" are shown. The forces holding the rudder to the throughbeam and upper beam are shown as red arrows. This system will allow easy re-installation of the rudders and easy raising . Of course the uphaul would need to be cast off to allow the hoist to raise the rudder. I will demonstrate this later when I have made the rudders. It is rather like the system shown in Veneziano paintings ( one of the more reliable artists) Cheers Dick
  9. woodrat
    For what it's worth, having read and re read Lawrence Mott and reviewed contemporary iconography, I am coming to the view that most artists did not know what they were drawing or carving. They represented what they thought they saw. They might, for instance see curved rudder guides in a swing mount and interpret them as ring or box mounts or even through-the-hull jobbies. Artists are unreliable draughtsmen but produce tantalising representations. I await the publication of archaeological results from the Black Sea. Were any rudders found at Yenikapi? Dick
  10. woodrat
    Thanks Steven. A couple of these are new to me. The Veneziano in particular shows detail of the poop deck which I was puzzling over and is very helpful. Some of the others such as the San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro - Pavia show the curved guide timbers much as I have done them. The Sant'Eustorgio is gorgeous and shows the rudder hoist and downhaul ropes well but looks like a box mount . It is hard to see how the rudder could swing up. Cheers Dick
  11. woodrat
    It would only be fair to share them with our colleagues. Pray send them here. Dick
  12. woodrat
    That is what the curved guides would prevent. There was also a rudder "uphaul" which used to raise the rudder. Additional lashing would be added in a heavy sea. But I am not sure if swing mounts had developed early enough to be seen on a dromon. This is a galley from the Michael of Rhodes manuscript showing a quarter rudder raised and being secured by what I have interpreted as curved guide timbers This is one of the black sea wrecks of a similar vessel showing the quarter rudders and the throughbeams. I think I can see evidence of a swing mount....maybe?
  13. woodrat
    The rudders, strictly speaking, won't be "lashed" to the throughbeams, rather held by 3 point pressure generated by the rudder "downhaul" which pulls the rudder onto the aft edge of the lower throughbeam and the forward edge of the upper beam. If that is as clear as mud in a beerbottle, the model will make it clear. This is seen in a number of illustrations by Veneziano:
  14. woodrat
    This in my concept of the swing mount used to attach the quarter rudders. The rudders had to be removed and given to the port authorities as a safeguard against sneaking out without paying port fees. So the rudders ahd to be easy to remount. Also, loss of a rudder was not uncommon at sea and mounting a new rudder had to be straightforward. (and a sight easier than remounting a stern post rudder. The quarter rudder had to be able to swing horizontally out of the way in shallow water to prevent damage. Also the weather rudder could be withdrawn if the ship was heeling. The ship was steered then by the lee rudder. There were many different variants of swing mounts. Here is a contemporary illustration showing a swing mount. This how it is on my ship: This the rudder rotated up ( this would be done by a rudder hoist) and would be even more horizontal when fully raised. Dick
  15. woodrat
    This is my plank bending jig. Planks are soaked for 24 - 48 hours. No steaming. the framing of poop. The stern deck framing is underneath the poop. Note the pillars with the red balls. This will become the shelter for the steersman. Making the external supports for the poop. This can be used to make complex curves. 0.5 mm planks are glued and clamped and allowed to set overnight. It saves a lot of carving. sorry about the soft focus I will show the swing mount for the quarter rudder in the next installment Cheers Dick
  16. woodrat
    Thanks Steven and Druxey and everyone for the likes Yes Steven I have read Lawrence Mott's definitive treatise on the Development of the Rudder. I use this plus some of my own interpretation of the iconography. In addition, new information from the Black Sea wrecks will be used to reconstruct a usable swing system for the quarter rudder. Cheers Dick
  17. woodrat
    The wales have been attached. I have inserted the main throughbeam in the stern. This a major structural element as the quarter rudder applies its turning moment through this beam. Pilgrims in round ships have described how, travelling in steerage, they could feel every movement of and twist of the ship when they leant against the throughbeam. Cheers Dick
  18. woodrat
    Thanks Carl and Steven. The hull framing is complete and awaiting fairing so I can fix the wales. Overall the framing of the bow and stern is fairly consistent with the Contarina find. I am presently researching the quarter rudders and have decided to make a swing mount. This allowed the rudder to be swung up and secured when not in use and allowed easy removal and replacement of the rudders ( in some mediaeval ports it was a requirement on anchoring or docking to remove the rudders so the master couldn't do a quick scarper and avoid paying the port fees). Cheers Dick
  19. woodrat
    Chaps, I have completed the framing of the stern and used a slightly different technique. It was quite difficult. Fairing of the frames and pinning was made easier by keeping the stern separate from the main hull. I will now attach the stern module. Making the tilt floors 15 deg. angle then angle to match that of the futtock Tilt floors fixed in place Stern uprights in place stern detached and fairing up commences Fairing done and breasthooks in place cheers Dick
  20. woodrat
    One of the difficulties will be matching the newly restored sections of the deck and hull to the original surviving portions of the wreck. You may wish to consult some of the MSW members who have expertise in "aging" wood. Or, alternatively, as archaeologists do, leave the restored portion obviously different to showcase the restoration. Good work so far Dick
  21. woodrat
    I was able to complete the framing of the bow section. The tilted floors from the wreck were reproduced. The timbers above this level in the Contarina 1 wreck did not survive and have been guessed at. You will note that canted frames became necessary and seem to work. Breasthooks and deck clamps applied. Dick
  22. woodrat
    So do I. The venetians managed it. Unfortunately not all of the bow survived so some extrapolation will be needed. Dick
  23. woodrat
    The first two bow frames are in. Not quite perfect but I think I have the hang of it. Although there are no actual cant frames as we usually understand them, it seems inevitable that some frame rotation or canting creeps in. Note how the floor timbers are now tilted to match the curve of stempost. the curve of floors and futtocks is the same as for the rest of the ship. Cheers Dick
  24. woodrat
    Steven, just ease of access for the Dremel. You could join the posts up now. The strength is largely in the wales rather than the attachment of the keel to the posts. I need the frames in place before I can extend the wales to the posts. There were no cant frames in this vessel and the bow and stern frames were curved floors placed along the curve of the posts and reinforced with vertical futtocks. I believe there must have been some vertical bow timbers to reinforce the hawse holes but these were not preserved in Contarina 1 Thanks, Patrick for the info on iron nails. What was the book? Steffy? Cheers Dick
  25. woodrat
    Only nails are being used as this was how the original was built. No trenails were used according to the relazione of the excavation. I have not connected the stem and stern posts. I will do this after the bow and stern framing is completed and faired. I used this method for my Essex and Gros Ventre builds. Dick

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