Vivian Galad

Minor update;
 
Finished the two sections of keel. As I noted earlier used Longridge as my guide. Pics speak for themselves.
I have a couple of questions for the experts within the photos
Regards,
 

                                                                                  

Looking good Mark,
      Little stuff. Your looking at a bigger boat next time! Admiral permitting. WOW!
 
 
YOU HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON WITH THIS GUY.haha

Here is what it looks today.  It may not look like much more was done but its very deceiving.  I have been making a great deal of progress by tweaking the drafts...refining the construction concepts etc.
 
In these pictures you can see I added a few more frames.  But more importantly I have faired the frames.  This was important for my design and needed to be done now to test that the chocks would not be sanded away.  Also to test the overall shape but I was pretty convinced that they were OK.  Everything worked out wonderful. What you might find interesting is the fact that none of these frames are glued into the keel....they are all just test fit together and this is also true of my initial test for the port framing.  All the pieces are just dry fit together.  The port sills are not faired yet as you can see.  The fit on all of the pieces and frames was surprisingly good which is what enabled me to fair the inside and out without too much difficulty, although you would/should not try this at this stage.  Its not recommended.
 
The port framing is purposely simplified as some of you know.  I believe they were called fish tail joints in actuality but these are just simplified squared off mortises which will be fine.  For those folks who have more experience and want to create the fish tail joints instead, that will be very easy to do with just a slight modification to the laser etched notches I am using in this kit.   
 
Remember, this is my throw-away test prototype.  I want to get two more frames done and see how the sweep port framing goes and how the scupper tubes fit.  Once that is done I will discard this mess and start over.   Not to mention that after a few tweaks in the concept and build sequence the next iteration will be much better.  I learned a great deal and its almost time for phase two...I will start posting more details at that time once I get this preliminary testing done.  
 
One quick note....I am well aware that other folks creating drafts and making kits dont do this kind of up front work.  Its just something I feel I have to do before releasing anything.  I am constantly making little tweaks that make everything hopefully just a little bit better. This is the cherry version by the way, but I am still going back and forth about using the new wood on the finished one which I will start in a few weeks.  Just a little more testing to do!!!
 

 

 
  

There will be a total of 20 frames in this cross section.  It is a pretty robust section of the hull.  Eleven of those frames are plain square frames, style one construction.  There will be five frames with shifted or bent top timbers...Style 2.  And finally four broken frames where the ports will be located.....style three.  Style 3 is shown below.  The concept seemed to work just fine.  You can see I didnt even finish sanding the inside of the frame or apply any finish to it yet.  I was just testing the concept.  Once the port sill and lintel are added the safety tabs on the inside of the hull can be cut away.  I dont think it will be too hard to do but given the tight space maybe but this will be better determined once I get that far.
 

 
Now that the three styles of frames have been tested and approved....I can slowly move forward with drafting the remaining 17 frames.   Its just busy work at this point.
 
Having said that,  this initial prototype will now be discarded and I will begin again with a new one after making a few minor tweaks.  And this is how I design and bring a new project forward.  This next rendition should be the final for all the framing so I will not be making yet a fourth iteration.  
 
In the meantime...have a look at one of Dennis' wonderful renderings of this cross section.  This time with a lot more trimmings and you can see what the final will look like.   Why build one when these renderings look so real????   Makes my actual wood version look kind of boring!!!
 

There will be three different types of frames.  All with slight variations of my frame design concept.  You have seen the first which is the typical square frame.  This second type which are are only four or 5 have shifted top timbers....or bent top timbers.  It is built very similar to the last frame I described and will be described in full in the instructions.  It is shown below with the bent top timber. The other thing you might notice in this photo is the laser etched notches on the frame for the port sill and lintel framing.  This should make adding the port sills easier although if you would like to, you can adjust the notch shape so it looks more like the traditional fish tail shape you see and expect.  It all depends on how much realism you want to add depending on your experience.  The other interesting pieces are the two notched registration strips that will span across the top of all the frames.  I didnt see this on other fully framed projects and I thought it would be a nice addition.  This is going to be very different than the stylized framing ala Hahn.
 

The third and final frame style will be those that are broken with a space to accommodate the gun ports.  I will be designing it so they can remain in one piece until after you insert the port sills and lintels.  This will make more sense after I show pictures.  This last version of my frame concept will be up next so I want to finalize the testing and get it done soon.
 
You can see the bent frames and "broken or split" frames in this 3 d rendering.  I am working from aft towards the bow so the next two frames will be those broken frames to accommodate the gun ports
 

 
 
 
Chuck

That Echo Cross section and how it is presented is exactly how I plan on presenting the Pegasus kit.  Literally the same.  One side planked and one side open framed.....Its beautiful.  
 

 
Chuck

Thank you guys.  I wanted to show the test set up with one of the actual cherry frames in position.  This will be an actual frame I use on the model as opposed to the other tests I posted.  This final version is slightly different in that it is done with chocks.  You can see the chock between the futtock and toptimber .   Its is not an actual chock but it is impossible to tell the difference.  I just used a laser etched line to complete the appearance of a chock and it only shows on one side of the frame.  This is important for the outside frames because it completes the look of actual framing practices.  But the other side just shows the simple scarf joint.
 
The frames will be so close together that you wont be able to see that.  To complete the simulation, I just drew a line with a very sharp pencil along the inboard edge of the frame.  This will have to be redone once the inboard frames are faired but you can see how nice it looks.  It will make the open framed port side look really authentic.  Especially after treenailing is done.  If you really wanted to, you could complete the illusion on the other side of each frame with a pencil...but seriously it would be impossible to see.
 

Prototyping the keel parts.  These are all in cherry.  I have laser cut the false keel, keel, and rising wood.  They have holes in them for the screws that will hold it to the baseboard which are also laser cut.  Note the hex holes for the captive nuts laser cut into the rising wood.  The rising wood is also pre-notched to position the frames.  One of my test frames is being tested for its fit and it all seems good.  All of the layers for the keel assembly were laser cut somewhat wider than needed so there would be plenty of meat left on the parts.  This extra meat will allow someone to vigorously sand the laser char from the edges AFTER assembly without worrying that you will sand too much off which would then cause a problem.  You can get these pieces nice and clean as you can see by the keel that I finished.
 

 
I havent cut the rabbet yet but that is coming next.  I am laser cutting a tool that will hopefully help make creating the rabbet a lot easier.  I am going to build this one in Cherry.  Now that all of the notches and holes have been squared away as far as drafting is concerned...I can move forward with drafting the remaining 18 frames.  That will be a slow process.
 
Chuck

I have started the cross section model...mostly drafting.  But I figured I would start a log.  I am waiting on arrival of a variety of machine screws and nuts to finish drafting the keel parts.  They will be set up in the usual fashion you folks have seen but I will post that once its ready.  Here is the overall plan I am working from. Hopefully it will look like this once done...planked on one side and open framed on the other.
 

I have started drafting the frames.   There will be some bent frames with curved top timbers but this is just a plain straight one.
 
Here are the laser cut pieces.....but you will not build the frame with the parts laid out like this.
 

Because the laser cuts on an angle,  it is best to strategically flip certain parts to get the tightest fit possible.  You wont get one side with a large gap which is typical.  Therefore no sanding of the char is needed ...nor should you attempt to sand the char from the edges of all joints that fit together.  They will fit perfectly as is.  The only drawback is that you will see the seam which in some instances was not the case as they werent tarred.  But thats OK....
 
So I flipped them as I show in the photo below....flip parts "C" and "D" for the best fit possible.  Note the dirty side on the flipped parts.
 

There is no need to build each frame on top of a plan trying to get the frame to come out the correct shape.  I have created some tabbed guides which make it very easy.  I built five of these frames and they all came out the same...Each one took just a few minutes.  I used titebond on the seams.  Just take care not to glue the guides to the frame.  See below.  All glued up.
 

 
Then the guide tabs are cut free leaving the frame strong and ready for sanding.  I sanded every edge to remove the char except for the notch in the bottom chock which stays unsanded.  It needs to be a perfect press fit into notches I created in the rising wood...which I will show later.  But the finished frame all sanded up up looks like the one below.  The top cross bar is added for strength and also to help register all of the frames once they are glued onto the keel.  That is what those two notches on the cross bar are for.  After I draft more frames it will make more sense.
 

 
Chuck
 

hope you have a speedy recovery Doris....your making great progress in spite of it all      your modifications look great!

Hello dear friends,
thank you very much for your support and likes.
It is sometimes quite adventurous, but as we say: There is no victory without a battle.
 
 
Oh yes, I am gonna construct the upper part of the QG in the same way, but the shape is much more complicated. I can ask my husband to help me with an instructional video. I believe it can be very interesting and useful. I would like to do it as soon as possible, but I fell ill a few days ago and my condition is getting worse with every day. So please be patient.
 
Many parts of the model will be modificated to achieve better a more realistic appearance. I do not have exact plans of Royal Katherine, so I must "play it by ear".
 
Here are some newest pics - the hull after complete cutting down and some colour modifications in the central area of the model created according the museum models from this period - for example Saint Michael 1669.
 
 
Best regards

Hubac'sHistorian: No problem, you are welcome. I am glad I can help.
 
I have made another important change on the model to move it closer to greater historical accuracy.
 
The hull on Vale´s painting and also on other English ships from this period is not so tall, so i decided to reduce its height to the appropriate level. I'm gonna continue on port today an prepare other improvements.
Plenty of interesting and useful information is available in my main building log on the Czech forum, where you can also find expert advice and valuable information about real ships from the top expert Kpt.KL., who is my excellent advisor during creation of the Royal Katherine.
 
http://modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=177&t=110763&start=270
 
Here are some current pics of the model with finished quarter gallery on  starboard and reduced upper part of the hull close to aft:
 
 

Dear friends, I am pleased, you like my work on Royal Katherine. Thank you very much for your favour and feedback.
I have almost finished the second quarter gallery and took some pics from process. It would be better to shoot a video for a clarity, how I shape the card usind steam and suitable tools. Steam helps shaping cause the card is more flexible.
At the beginning, I prepare templates from soft paper.Then I redraw them onto a high quality black card coated with a foil with wooden imitation. After shaping I place them onto the right place using tweezers and during drying improve details.
I am going to make further changes onto the upper parts of the hull that will help to achieve much more realistic look.
 
Have a great time.
 
 

Hi.
 I agree with Vivian above. 
A most excellent build.
It's nice to see all that beautiful  timber.
 
Regards Antony.
 

Good news: Cataract surgery - done, I stopped looking throught fog, my sight get cleared. Oh Yeah !!!!
Bad news: I have to wait sometime for everything in my eye to get on it`s place to proceed with Her Majesty
See you soon!

All of the rigging is now complete. Some health issues have limited my golf, which always means more modeling, resulting in a push to finish the rigging. This involved making, mounting and rigging the main lower and topmast yards, doing the braces for all of the yards, and, finally, tying off all of the lines and adding rope coils.
 
The making, mounting and rigging of the main yards followed identically the items and procedures for the fore yards, and won't be repeated here.
 
The lower yard braces were a bit of a challenge because they run to the shrouds on their opposite mast, making it difficult to give them tension without pulling the shrouds out of line. I think that I was finally able to do that.
 
By far the most difficult task was to tie off and add coils to the many lines that were hanging loosely as I proceeded through the rigging. The combination of tight spaces and aging hands that aren't quite as steady as they used to be made for a lot of bad language and a few 'timeouts".
 
All that remains to be done now are the swivel guns and the anchors.
 
Bob

Since no log can be deemed complete without some overall photos of the finished model, mine are attached here.
 
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have followed this build, who have hit the "like" button, and, particularly, those who have provided their support and encouragement through their generous thoughts and comments. It is gratifying to have such an appreciative response from such a talented and accomplished group of modelers. Thanks again.
 
I hope to see you all on my new log for Prince de Neufchatel, which will be opened a little later today.
 
Bob

there might be a draw back to this though......you would see this looking through the model.   you may need to do this on both sides,  throughout the model,  for it to be effective.   it would be a very nice touch though      great idea of veneering the outside surface of the frame....are you going to cover the back one too?

Late congratulations, Michael. It was great to follow your log and see ALL the details coming alive in só beautiful a ship, as the Wasa comes to be. Marvelous piece to expose!!

Hey! I'll be picking up my seat along! Think there's a chair right there. 
 
Nice to see a new project ongoing! I'll be following this one too, If u don't mind. 
 
Love cross sections. 

Happy to pull up a chair and enjoy another of your builds, especially one based on archaeology.
 
Best of success.
 
Dan

Wow! I'll be following for sure! Great News to know you're bringing another one to life! Briliant!

Hi Mates,
 
Finishing up the front face of the frames. Pics speak for themselves. so again brief here.
 
PS: I really liked working with the veneers - for this bit - much easier than actually building all of the frames segments. Glad that its only the first one 
 
 
Oops sorry about the last pic, the text was to say; need to think about deck hight, gun carriage or not, and how to incorporate the false vertical frames and how many?
What kind of wood (they should be oak -hhmmm)