Beef Wellington

Headworks (Part 2):
 
@DaveBaxt - the diamond cutting wheel is similar to this, easily cuts into the razor blades (545 Dremel | Tools | DigiKey ) with suitable eye protection!  Sure there are many other similar items and prices from other retailers.  The razor blades were bought in bulk...similar to these Multi Purpose Razor Blades (Pack of 100) (double-glazing-parts-spares.co.uk).  Also, have provided a little more detail in update below...The wood used is either pear or castello box depending on what I have on hand, these woods are great for this.  I would suggest you have nothing to lose, and much to gain by giving it a go....think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how simple it is with a little practice.
 
Much fiddling, fettling and fine tuning has been going on with the headworks, but this should bring me up to date.  Think the back of this challenging task has been broken as I will likely be needing to spend much of any available time on unrelated projects.
 
Once the shape of the head timbers had been finalized, the covering boards could be added.  These are identified as being 1" in TFFM, so these were cut from 0.5mm pear sheet to approximately the correct dimension.  TFFM suggests shaping these and attaching once the lower rail is in place, but am going to try and simplify because I'm not sure how successfully I'd be able to do this.  Photos below show work very much in progress.

Once finalized, the time head timbers can be finished.  A scraper was made specifically for the purpose to scribe the profile, with a long inner face than usual to act as a guide on both the fore and aft sides, and to account for the very different angle the face presents.  A light coat of blue paint was applied to the outer face of the covering board to aid the eye in seeing the results of introducing the profile.  Unfortunately, the only photo I had of this was of horrible quality, so apologies in advance but you get the idea.  The scraper detail and a more final version is also shown below with paint applied.

The lower rail was profiled by temporarily attaching to some spare sheet and again a custom scraper.  Finding one that followed approximately the desired profile and looked acceptable took quite a few attempts.

With all the key components really only requiring the some final finishing, it was time to cross fingers for another dry-fit - it gives confidence knowing that any additional tweaks can be easily addressed before glued to applied.  The covering boards introduce a 'ledge' for the main rail to sit on, something that the simplified approach to shaping the head timbers did not include but seems prototypical.  Some slight alignment issues apparent in the photos below should disappear when finally secured in place with glue.  Next up is clearly some touch up after seeing these pictures on the PC!

 

Headworks (Part 2):
 
@DaveBaxt - the diamond cutting wheel is similar to this, easily cuts into the razor blades (545 Dremel | Tools | DigiKey ) with suitable eye protection!  Sure there are many other similar items and prices from other retailers.  The razor blades were bought in bulk...similar to these Multi Purpose Razor Blades (Pack of 100) (double-glazing-parts-spares.co.uk).  Also, have provided a little more detail in update below...The wood used is either pear or castello box depending on what I have on hand, these woods are great for this.  I would suggest you have nothing to lose, and much to gain by giving it a go....think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how simple it is with a little practice.
 
Much fiddling, fettling and fine tuning has been going on with the headworks, but this should bring me up to date.  Think the back of this challenging task has been broken as I will likely be needing to spend much of any available time on unrelated projects.
 
Once the shape of the head timbers had been finalized, the covering boards could be added.  These are identified as being 1" in TFFM, so these were cut from 0.5mm pear sheet to approximately the correct dimension.  TFFM suggests shaping these and attaching once the lower rail is in place, but am going to try and simplify because I'm not sure how successfully I'd be able to do this.  Photos below show work very much in progress.

Once finalized, the time head timbers can be finished.  A scraper was made specifically for the purpose to scribe the profile, with a long inner face than usual to act as a guide on both the fore and aft sides, and to account for the very different angle the face presents.  A light coat of blue paint was applied to the outer face of the covering board to aid the eye in seeing the results of introducing the profile.  Unfortunately, the only photo I had of this was of horrible quality, so apologies in advance but you get the idea.  The scraper detail and a more final version is also shown below with paint applied.

The lower rail was profiled by temporarily attaching to some spare sheet and again a custom scraper.  Finding one that followed approximately the desired profile and looked acceptable took quite a few attempts.

With all the key components really only requiring the some final finishing, it was time to cross fingers for another dry-fit - it gives confidence knowing that any additional tweaks can be easily addressed before glued to applied.  The covering boards introduce a 'ledge' for the main rail to sit on, something that the simplified approach to shaping the head timbers did not include but seems prototypical.  Some slight alignment issues apparent in the photos below should disappear when finally secured in place with glue.  Next up is clearly some touch up after seeing these pictures on the PC!

 

Mark - your work is outstanding and inspirational, such clean woodworking.  One question if I may, how do you shape the underside of your beams?  The concave profiles must me challenging than the convex upper side.

This looks like a great kit coming together!  Question maybe for Chris, I see the carronade beds that will be provided look to have a molded wheel arrangement vs the flat PE wheel arrangement that is currently available.  Will these be available to buy separate from the kit?  They look so much better.
 

LOL...I suppose I could have put those two Syrens in a pants suit for the more conservative model builders out there.  But I think it best to stick with the typical imagery used during the time period.   
 
I chose the syrens for an obvious reason.   If I can sneak one into a project I am working on I wont pass up the opportunity.
 
And by the way...choosing a frieze of the best color and shape is not an easy task at all.  I may yet do a third version.  Its a big part of the models visual appearance.   I look to find actual friezes used on Contemporary models and then adapt them to my projects and change them up.  Adjusting the shapes and colors etc.  The inspiration below....adapted for the Speedwell.  Oneof my all time favorite contemporary models. If I could find the drafts for this I would build her in a second.
 
 
 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 
 

Chuck

Hi, Larry.
 
I'm going to give you some possibly unpopular advice. If you have a SOTS (Sovereign of the Seas) kit and are looking for instructions to build it, that's a pretty good sign that you aren't ready to build it. SOTS is one of the most difficult kits you could ever take on as a project, and Italian manufacturers are notorious for their poor instructions. Someone who is actually capable of tackling that kit, i.e., a seasoned modeler, doesn't really even need those instructions. So before you dig into SOTS, may I suggest you read through this topic first? I know the guy that wrote it -- he's kinda goofy, but he means well. After that, give some serious thought to investing in a simpler first project. Finishing one will increase by orders of magnitude your chance of completing SOTS successfully. For ideas on what to build first, look through the build logs and find ones that have both "finished" and "first build" in the title. Each of those represents a builder who got his or her hobby off to a good start, and everyone here would like to see you become a part of that accomplished group.
 
Cheers!

Mark - your work is outstanding and inspirational, such clean woodworking.  One question if I may, how do you shape the underside of your beams?  The concave profiles must me challenging than the convex upper side.

Hi, Mitch.
 
The first model is a mass-produced decor model with essentially zero resale value. The second model is likely made from the Artesania Latina kit. Being a kit model and given its current state of disrepair, its resale value is also negligible. If it were repaired, it might be worth a few bucks -- not a lot, just a few, but restoration work is not cheap, and finding buyers for a model like that is not easy.
 
Wish I could give you better news.

Mark - your work is outstanding and inspirational, such clean woodworking.  One question if I may, how do you shape the underside of your beams?  The concave profiles must me challenging than the convex upper side.

Thanks Brian 👍
Cheers Vladimir 
Thanks HH its starting to come together now!
 
I've now done some more work on the forward beams.  It's exactly the same principle as before.  Here are the beams cut to length and carved.


And cut into the deck clamp making sure that they are sitting at the correct height.

Just like the stern; at the stem the beams must line up with the breast hook which was fitted over a year ago!

A couple more pictures


So my next job is to mark the centre line of the beams and then mark out and cut all of the notches for the carlings and hatches.
 
Cheers Mark 

Well at last I've finally had some time to do a little on my ship.  So I've started making the rest of the main beams and this is another very wood hungry job.  In fact I was really surprised just how much wood these parts use.  Firstly I cut them out and sanded them all to their curved shape.

I have decided to do the stern beams first and this is where I found a bit of a discrepancy in my build.  The wing transom also acts as the last beam and I found that it sits 1mm too high.  I'm not surprised to be honest as this was one of the first jobs I did when starting this build.  I didn't realise at the time how much photocopies of plans can be out and also looking back I didn't check my measurements often enough........so I'll take the 1mm as a bit of a win.  What it did mean though was I had to gently increase the hight of the beams towards the stern.  Not a problem to do so thats what I did.
 
I also had to cut out the dovetails for the waterway and spirketting into each beam which is a job that I was unsure of how to do accurately.  I considered using the mill but in the end I decided to cut them by hand as this is a skill that do need to improve.  So here's how I did it.
 
Firstly I glued the templated onto the top of the beams and then marked the depth of the dovetails which in my case is 2mm

Next using a blade I cut the square ends of each joint to the required depth

Then I cut the deepest point of the dovetail which is basically stabbing the blade in and then scored the 2mm depth line along its full length.

It was only after doing these cuts that I attempted the diagonal cuts.  I found that I had to be very delicate with this cut as its so easy to split the wood.

Then I cleaned the joint up by using a chisel

And the final result looked like this - I was quite surprised just how nicely they turned out.  Its one of those jobs where its just better not to think about it too much and just get on with it.

So I'm halfway there now and these beams seem to make the hull look much more solid.



And yep it all lines up with the wing transom.......it's just a little high 🤣

So I'll now make a start on the forward beams 👍  I've not yet cut any of the rebates for the hatches and carlings because I want to fire a line straight down the middle using thread once all of the beams are in.  That will give me a really good datum to keep things nice and straight.
 
Cheers Mark
 

Hi - I've not really had anytime lately to get much done on Le Rochefort.  Hopefully things will ease off soon and give me a little more time.
 
I have now finished the nailing on the hold deck



I've also finished making Chuck's barrels and they are now stacked in place.  I must mention though that they are historically incorrect as French powder barrels should be circled in chestnut.  For some reason though I really like the copper - and its my ship so I left them as they are.  Plundered from a captured English ship!


Cheers Mark

Hi All
 
Yet another update on Le Rochefort.
 
So firstly were the limber boards. These are nice and easy to make 👍  A small strip of wood is placed up against the keelson in my case I cut it 1mm x 0.5mm which did the trick.  Then the actual boards needed a rebate cut into them which I did on the table saw.  Sorry I only took 2 photo's but once made they just slot into place and have no nails as they are supposed to be removeable.


You can see them again fitted in the next photo's.
 
So then I moved onto the hold deck beams - These are very very difficult to get right and its an angle challenge all the way!  Its so easy to start off level and then start to go off of level as you move along the hull.
 
I did make an error as I did not space the forward 4 beams correctly and ended up short on the bulkhead.  Now I could have removed them but I took the easier route and simply added another beam.  There are also 2 half beams that sit next to the pump well and they require a post to support them.  I have also only placed a beam on one side of the mast step as I'm not planking the other side and did not want to loose this detail.
 
Enough words here's the result.








So the next job is to cut the planks for the hold deck and then half timber it so as the beams etc can be seen through the side holes.
 
Cheers Mark
 

Some more done on Le Rochefort
 
Simple bases for the samson posts which are then fixed to the keelson.  The wood used is 1.4mm square 


The samson posts themselves - Although I had already carved one of these I pondered for quite a while how to machine them instead.  In the end I just carved them again and actually I really like the finished posts


Next I made the two beams that the posts attach too just to make sure that everything aligned ok.  A few pictures of the posts and beams dry assembled 




Now I need to think about the limber boards as once the hold deck beams are in place I think they would be quite tricky to do.  So those are my next jobs
 
Cheers Mark

Another update from me  - The hatches are now finished 👍
 
I completed the front hatch by cutting the small rebates into the frame that the battens sit in.  The battens were cut to match which was a little bit fiddly to do.  I also cut the 45 degree angle that sits around the edge of the frame and glued it in place on the hull.



Then it was onto making the front hatch cover


Then the rear hatch cover which was a really nice simple job to do.


Next I put all of the pieces in place and also fixed the bulkheads permanently into the hull.





So my next job is to make two more Samson posts that lead up from the hold to the main deck.  I need to make another two beams to make this happen so I hope my order of 0.7mm end mills arrive soon as I've broken all of the ones that I had.
 
Cheers Mark
 

Hi Derek and cheers for you nice comments  - I think scratch building is as good as the plans that you have.  Ancre plans literally give you everything that you need to build a ship which is great as I do not have the skills to do my own drawings.  They are so precise that as long as you are too as the builder it should all come together for you.  It's also a lot more expensive than I thought it would be.  I bought my first batch of wood and I would say I've then bought the same again due to my many many mistakes.  It lovely though when it all comes together!  I do think you should finish your Vanguard models first or I'll have Chris Watton on my case for loosing him sales 😂  They really are fantastic kits!
I'm pretty pleased with the results of the shellac that I bought and I now have enough for about 2 complete ships.  It wasn't totally matt but a quick rub with a fine (grey) scotchbright pad brought it down to what I wanted.  I've dropped a couple of pictures below which show what it's like.  Thanks for your recommendation too!
 
VTHokiEE - Thank you too!  My go to tool for measuring is a 150mm Mitutoyo digital vernier caliper with carbide tips.  It's the best £300 I've ever spent and is just so accurate.  Other than that I also have my height gauge and that's really it.  All of the compound angles that I cut are taken pretty much from the plans as they are all clearly drawn.  Often I will have to look a 2 sheets to find both angles but its all there if I look.  It's also really important to have a datum that does not change.  All of my measurements where possible are from the bottom of the keel upwards.  That way if I put one part on slightly out of place it won't affect anything else and then later stands out like a sore thumb.  Also allowing for the kerf of blade cuts and cutting the correct side of the line drawn pretty much sums up what I do.  If you need anything else drop me a PM and I'll do my best to answer it.
 
A couple of pictures of the shellac which I think looks ok.  It's not the easiest place for a test under the decks but I've got to start somewhere.  Oh and ignore the nice gap in my planks - that particular carpenter has now been sacked 

Tobias brings up an interesting point. I had a similar conversation just yesterday with a famous ship model miniaturist. He talked about realistic appearance in a model versus size-reduced actual construction. He himself runs a fine blade between the planks and then stains his work. The stain is picked up slightly more in the grooves, so that the seams show up subtly at viewing distance.
 
Ultimately it is the individual model-maker's choice and how different builders develop individual styles.

Hi All
 
I've now made the hinges and the lock for the pump well doors.  I made them out of 0.25mm brass sheet, 0.5mm brass rod and 1mm brass tubing.
They are attached using 0.6mm nails as I already had these in stock and didn't want to buy any more.  Here's a few pictures - I really like the one looking inside the well!








Cheers Mark  
 

I've now made a good start on the pump well - Here's the main parts that it's made up of which include some very simply reinforced doors.


Then they were assembled - They are well over sized at this point to give me loads to play with.  You will also see the very thin reinforcing battens at the opening



Next I used the template to cut it to the correct size but I left it overly high as this part has to fit snuggly under the main beams.  I also milled out the slot for the keelson and shaped the bottom of it to match the hull.

Then I removed the planks that I had previously fitted as the pump well sits directly on the frames.  I also at this stage cut the holes through the frames for the actual pumps.  I got a nice tight fit

I then used the main beams to determine the correct height and recessed the support posts to fit between the beams.  The well pump is wider that the opening between the beams. I also completed the side planking and added the planking nails.



And here's the pump well in situ inside the hull



I very pleased with the way it fits and I didn't have to make any alterations to the plans.  So my next job is to make the hinges and lock for the doors.
 
Cheers Mark

Well I have to say that I'm glad I paused and re-checked.  This morning after the 1mm strip that I put onto the port side had dried I checked every frame on each side for accuracy.
 
I found a high spot on the starboard side and also discovered that the port side was not completely 1mm incorrect.  In fact the clamp was slightly wavy 🥲
 
So I've spent today pulling both sides to their correct dimensions as thinking forward - if I don't do this now I'm going to have to make loads of alterations to the waterway to make it fit.  I'm sure it will still need fettling into place but nothing like it would have done had a not checked.
 
The results are great as I can actually see that the clamps run far straighter than they did and now I know that they are correct.
 
So after doing that I cut the dovetails into the two beams that I had made.
 

I then cut the receiving dovetails into the beams.  I cut these 2.5mm deep as apposed to the 2.4mm on the plans (Sorry druxey I'll try harder next time I promise 🤣)

The beams are now in place and the fit is really nice - even better they are bang on the money height wise with just a little left to sand out.



So now I can get on with the pump well as I now know its exact location.
 
I can't thank enough for the encouragement and making me re-think to get this right.
 
Cheers Mark

Just a quick update as I'm a little bit happy with something.  So today I made a few main beams which are huge.  They are each made from a piece that is 15mm x 7.9mm x 200mm.
Sorry I digress - I then fitted the two that I need for the dimensions of the pump well and I thought that I had better check that the build was going the right way.
 
So just like all of the other beams I checked the height at the crown of beams using my height gauge.
 

The beam according the drawings should be dropped into the deck clamps by 2.6mm to be at the correct height.  Mine need dropping by 3.0mm!!  I am so happy about this as I fitted the clamps ages ago and things have moved on since then.  I'll take being 0.4mm out everyday of the week 👍  It may be different at various points of the clamp I'll find out as I go along.
 
I just need to work out how to cut the dovetails in both the beams and clamps but I'll sort it.  I need to sit these beams at their final height to build the well.  A few of pictures of these beams in place and sorry for my little self indulgence but I'm well happy with this result!



Cheers Mark
 
 

Thanks Jim
Thanks Jean Paul  
 
Onto the stern sleepers - These are another really easy piece to make but very difficult to get them to sit correctly on the stern.  I lost the first set but improved on the second.  Here's the sleepers ready to go on.

And here they are all fitted which I managed to get quite a tight fit to the hull.  Also fitted are the beams for the small deck at the stern which will also have a hatch.  This deck is not horizontal with the keel but has a very gentle slope downwards.  They were installed in exactly the same way as the forward deck beams.




I'm going to make the pump well next but to ensure the correct placement I need to make a couple of the main beams first.  It's at this point when you realise what building in 1/24 scale is like as these beams are big pieces of wood.  
 
Thanks for all of the encouragement - Mark  

Hi All
 
I've been working on the mast step and what a lovely little piece this is to make.  It's like making a miniature piece of furniture due to its many angles and precise joints.  I guess it was made that way due to the amount of stresses it must have received from the mast.
 
The step is made of two thickness materials.  The outer pieces are 6mm and the inner 5mm.

After sanding and milling the parts look like this

Here's the profile of the inner pieces which I cut to an angle of 7 degrees.  It then has a taper at the bottom so that it sits correctly on the keelson.

All assembled with the relevant nails.  I used 0.28mm carbon for the first time for the very small nails and I think they look alright.





Finally fitted into the hull



The next job is to make the stern sleepers - Cheers Mark

Another update from me and I have to say its been very nice making parts instead of planking 🤣
 
So starting with the very lowest breast hook- This part is not flat but is curved to match the deck that rests upon it.  It is also recessed as it receives the first beam of that deck too.  
 


This hook is supposed to be recessed for the stem apron as well but I've obviously done something wrong way back when I made the hawse timbers.  So instead I opted (was forced) to make it the fit as best that I could.
 
Next was to make and fit the beam that is attached to it

Which was then trimmed to shaped - Its worth noting that the beam must stand proud of the hook as the hook is angled down towards the keel.  This can be seen in the lower picture.


This assembly was then glued in place in the hull at the correct height but more on that later.

Then I made the middle breast hook which needed to be scribed in to match the hulls shape which I seem to have sanded a little too much on the port side.  This wasn't difficult to do just time consuming to get a decent fit.  Once again I could not recess this hook into the stem either.

Next was to make the 3 beams that complete the small deck at the bow.  These are really easy to make and extremely difficult to fit accurately.  Luckily I only wasted one beam.

The second beam and middle hook after being installed

Now going back to Greg's excellent point about marking out the inside of the hull which I do find quite difficult I thought it best to show how I installed all of the beams and hooks at the correct height.
 
Looking at the drawing and working from the very bottom of the keel as my constant datum you can see that the crown of the beams should be 65mm high.  You can also see the small step in beam number one and the angle of the lower hook too.

So I use my height gauge but anything that can hold the correct height can be used.  It was zero'd on the base board and not the work surface and then set at 65mm.
This then allowed me to gently sand away the ends of the beams until they sat in the correct place and at the correct height.  If I put a small ruler across all of the beams it is flat so I'm very happy with that.  Here's a picture that explains things far better

A few pictures of the beams all in place.  It's also worth noting that there is a hatch to be fitted between beams 2 and 3 so the distance between them is very important.  



I was really pleased with my marking out for the cut aways on beam 4 - I don't think I could have got it an closer!
 
Next parts to make are the mast step and the stern sleepers - Thanks for all of your comments and like's - Mark  
 
 

Just a quick update - I was asked quite a lot of questions about the last breast hook that I made and how I got it to fit.
 
So here's my technique and I do this to save wasting time and wood.  I use some very thin off cuts and glue the templates on.
 
I then use these to get a pretty good fit as its quick and easy with little wood to remove compared to the actual breast hook.  I hold them in place with a tiny drop of PVA glue to check my marking out of the positions and also the level comparative to each other.
 
They come off very easily and these are now my templates for the actual hooks.  A couple of pictures are better then a thousand words!
 


I can now get on and make the actual things!
 
Cheers Mark