Jack Panzeca

The mast is oak and I tapered it using power drill and sandpaper method.  This is a very simple mast and took no time at all, I did make a huge mess.
 
The shields will be next.  The kit version is (as usual) laser cut plywood.  
 

 
I felt the need to improve on that. The choices are to build the shields out of planks or cut the disks and score to look like planks.  Chuck Passaro demonstrated a technique on his HMS Winchelsea Quarter Gallery columns that I thought was really interesting so I decided to try it on the shields.  There are 30 of them and I have a pile of mahogany given to me by a friend that is close to the correct thickness and can be quickly dimensioned by the thickness sander.  I would have taken me a week on the old Preac but the new Byrnes will handle it in no time.
 
I used a .016 kerf blade raised 1/64 above the table.  I spaced the cuts 5mm apart and they lined up nicely.
 

 
I cobbled together a mini mill using a Vanda-Lay drill press with a "Z" axis fine adjustment attachment, a Proxxon X-Y table and a toy rotary table that I got years ago with a Unimat 1.
 

 
I set it up on the rotary table and cut out the shield, using a 3mm end mill.  The mahogany is soft enough to use a smaller mill but that was the smallest I had on hand.  
 

 
I did not dimension the strips for the test because I wanted to prove to myself that it would work before I spent the time.  Now all I have to do is score and cut 30 more.  I will score in long strips before I cut shield size pieces.  
 
Thirty identical things taxes me enough but the thought of over 100 gun ports and canon carriages for a ship of the line seems beyond my concentration level.  I guess the maximum ship for me is a frigate.

Hi David B,  the Driftwood is on the way, thanks for the recommendation.  I am sitting around like a kid waiting for Santa Byrnes to arrive.  I plan to spend the entire weekend making saw dust.
 
Thanks Vivian, I like the Aged Oak very much as well.  David B suggested Minwax Driftwood so I will test that also and put them side by side and you get to judge again.
 
I am happy that you both liked the images.  It was really fun to get outdoors and play before it gets really hot here.
 
Here are a couple of close ups of the Atlas Moth posted above.  It is a facinating insect.  They are about 9 inches wide and the wing tips really do look like snake heads.  Incredible evolutionary adaption.
 

I have been slow to post lately for two reasons.  First, it is spring and I have been out chasing bugs and flowers.
 

 
The second reason is that I have been stalling.  I have a lot of oak to cut and since my Admiral was kind enough to order a Byrnes saw for my fathers day "surprise" I have waited rather than struggle with my old saw.  The Byrnes will arrive tomorrow so the updates should increase.
 
I have finished the added bulkheads and the planking supports attached to the bulkheads.  The next step is a day of steaming and bending of the oak caps for the bulkheads and the deck planks.
 
 
 
This is a quick stain test using Minwax Gel Stain color Aged Oak.  I have been looking for a stain that would not be as dark as the ship after it was buried for 1000 years (walnut) but not as new looking as, say, golden oak.  I ran into a sample of this aged oak at a local store and decided to give it a try.  I hope that this gets the Vivian seal of approval   .
 
The plank set on the left has ebony stain on one side to simulate caulking, the center group has nothing and the right group has black Sharpie on one side.  I am not sure that it makes much difference.  The Sharpie was easier to control than the stain.  Pencil did not show up at all.
 
The piece at the bottom of the picture is the same plywood as used for the hull planks.  It matched better than I expected.
 
 

Hi Bindy, it is good to hear from you.  Thanks for looking at my photography, very happy that you liked it.  When I get around to updating the website I will let you know.  I hope that you are well and look forward to your return, we miss that permanent good attitude of yours.
 
This was made in the Florida Everglades a couple of years ago.
 
 

I decided to take a break from the hull and do something a little different.  I put together he mast foot and as others have found it is not very nice.  It is lots of plywood stacked together with a plywood top.  The center part is a little thinner than the top so if I planned to use it I would have to fill the sides as well.
 

 
I used a ¾ x ¾ x 5 inch piece of red oak instead.  I think it was meant to be a pen blank.
 

 
I used a band saw to cut the major curves and a 1 inch belt sander to refine it.
 

 
I will drill the hole for the mast and do the finish sanding later but I was really pleased with the way it turned out.  I bought a couple of spares in case I messed up.  I am sure they will come in handy later on.
 
 

Well I finally got the use of my right hand back.  It took three weeks when I optimistically thought it would be one week.  The little finger is still a long way from straight but it at least it is no longer (to paraphrase Bindy) stuck out like a poser drinking tea.  I feel a little lame whining about my little finger while Vivian is still in serious dry dock.
 
I finished cutting out the gunwales and placing them.  It took a few tries.  The oak really is a nice improvement.  I also completed the oak veneer on the keel between the scrollwork.
 

 
The next step before I start on the inside is the keel edge.  It is plywood with the scrollwork and oak veneer applied.  I could sand it and stain it but I think it will still be ugly.  If I stain it a relatively light oak it will be hard to hide the layers.I have been thinking of covering it with oak veneer.
 

 
The Oseberg scrolls at the top of the stem and stern look rounded so that presents a problem wrapping all the way around.  I will try dry fitting as many options as I can think of and decide which way to go.  Suggestions always welcome.
 

 

I am back from a business trip (I know, I am supposed t be retired) and I stopped in Sedona Arizona for a few days to enjoy my other hobby, photography.
 

 
The bad news is that I fell off a rock and damaged my camera and myself.  It is amazing how debilitating a disabled little finger is.  It is improving rapidly so hopefully I can get back to my build in a few days.  I am happy to be back and catching up on the true works of art underway on this wonderful forum.

I had to cut back the planks in the curve to allow the scrollwork to fit.  Better that than reduce the size of the scroll which is the most important visual detail.
 

 
Von_Kossa and I both ran into the same problem with the top two planks that form a vertical band.  If you follow the bulkheads those planks lift to the center.  They are also a little fat on the ends.  They must be dragged down to get them level which leaves a fair amount of bulkhead to be cut off.  The bulkheads are also cut with the profile for those two planks too deep.  It takes a lot of sanding to cut them back far enough that the planks lay against each other.  It is still a little high (I missed it) which I will have to cut back.  I am holding off on the scroll pieces on the inside of the stem and stern to avoid damage as I work.
 
This sure is fun!
 

 

Please let me know if this is what you are looking for.  
 
One problem I had was keeping the glue off of the outside surface where the planks overlapped.  I applied the glue with a toothpick but when I clamped the planks out came the glue.  I wiped it off immediately but I am still left with some sanding.
 

I finished the lower part of the hull but had a little false start.  On my first plank of the day I got the distance between the overlap of two planks about 2 mm too close and I did not notice until 3 planks later.  I have always used water to loosen PVA glue but I heard alcohol mentioned on MSW and it sure works faster than water.  Thanks for the tip.  
 
I sure do like the lines of this ship.  The Vikings must have been a tough bunch-crossing the ocean in an open boat. 
 

I got a start at the planking.  It is 1mm laser cut plywood and bends easily.  Each plank is overlapped about 1 mm and needs a little adjustment to get it just right at both ends.  I did a little coarse sanding but it has a long way to go.

Greetings Everyone,
 
This is my first build log and I missed the ritual box opening.  I was already putting things together before I realized I should have photographed it first.  The plans and directions are pretty sparse but it is a fairly straight forward ship.  The keel had a slight bow in it but I used a little warm water and bent it a little past straight and it dried nice and flat.  This is the kit version with the plywood scrollwork and shields.  The keel and bulk heads leave a lot of exposed plywood edges and my plan is to cover them with oak veneer.  The deck planking is Obechi which is soft, brittle and in my eye a little ugly.  I have already ripped a few oak planks and they should work fine. 
 
I am happy to be here and doing this.  More soon.

Thanks Grant,  the nails were definitely the right decision.  Real life, not to mention all those nails, has intervened lately so I am still late on the photo tips.  I am working on them, just not as fast as I intended.
 
Thanks Davit B, sainthood would certainly be a stretch.  The process was tedious but the result was worth it.
 
Hi Dee Dee, thanks, the chaos is semi intentional.   The real Oseberg pattern appears sort of random.  I think that it has to do with the different curve rates of the planks throwing the spacing off.
 
The photos were done with a set.  The umbrellas are white on the inside to bounce the flash onto the ship in a diffused, soft manner.  The black outside also has the function of blocking the awful fluorescent light from the ceiling.  The shipyard was originally a garage.
 

 
Thanks, Keith, I have to admit that it is turning out better than I expected.  Now all I have to do is not screw it up.
 
Hi Pete, thanks for the kind words as well.  I did the wall side first in case it did not look good.  The Oseberg has a definite wall side because of the rudder.
 
Hello Vivian, thanks.  The stain is Minwax Aged Oak (one of the samples shown previously).  I was nervous before I started but I applied it inside the storage compartments at the stem and stern first knowing that I would cover most of it up if it was ugly.  But, as you can see it looks very nice.  This is a gel stain and although it looks good it is a little unpleasant to work with.
 
Thanks to all the likes.  I may play with the shields a little bit and take a little longer break from the nails.

Thanks Grant,  the nails were definitely the right decision.  Real life, not to mention all those nails, has intervened lately so I am still late on the photo tips.  I am working on them, just not as fast as I intended.
 
Thanks Davit B, sainthood would certainly be a stretch.  The process was tedious but the result was worth it.
 
Hi Dee Dee, thanks, the chaos is semi intentional.   The real Oseberg pattern appears sort of random.  I think that it has to do with the different curve rates of the planks throwing the spacing off.
 
The photos were done with a set.  The umbrellas are white on the inside to bounce the flash onto the ship in a diffused, soft manner.  The black outside also has the function of blocking the awful fluorescent light from the ceiling.  The shipyard was originally a garage.
 

 
Thanks, Keith, I have to admit that it is turning out better than I expected.  Now all I have to do is not screw it up.
 
Hi Pete, thanks for the kind words as well.  I did the wall side first in case it did not look good.  The Oseberg has a definite wall side because of the rudder.
 
Hello Vivian, thanks.  The stain is Minwax Aged Oak (one of the samples shown previously).  I was nervous before I started but I applied it inside the storage compartments at the stem and stern first knowing that I would cover most of it up if it was ugly.  But, as you can see it looks very nice.  This is a gel stain and although it looks good it is a little unpleasant to work with.
 
Thanks to all the likes.  I may play with the shields a little bit and take a little longer break from the nails.

Thanks Grant,  the nails were definitely the right decision.  Real life, not to mention all those nails, has intervened lately so I am still late on the photo tips.  I am working on them, just not as fast as I intended.
 
Thanks Davit B, sainthood would certainly be a stretch.  The process was tedious but the result was worth it.
 
Hi Dee Dee, thanks, the chaos is semi intentional.   The real Oseberg pattern appears sort of random.  I think that it has to do with the different curve rates of the planks throwing the spacing off.
 
The photos were done with a set.  The umbrellas are white on the inside to bounce the flash onto the ship in a diffused, soft manner.  The black outside also has the function of blocking the awful fluorescent light from the ceiling.  The shipyard was originally a garage.
 

 
Thanks, Keith, I have to admit that it is turning out better than I expected.  Now all I have to do is not screw it up.
 
Hi Pete, thanks for the kind words as well.  I did the wall side first in case it did not look good.  The Oseberg has a definite wall side because of the rudder.
 
Hello Vivian, thanks.  The stain is Minwax Aged Oak (one of the samples shown previously).  I was nervous before I started but I applied it inside the storage compartments at the stem and stern first knowing that I would cover most of it up if it was ugly.  But, as you can see it looks very nice.  This is a gel stain and although it looks good it is a little unpleasant to work with.
 
Thanks to all the likes.  I may play with the shields a little bit and take a little longer break from the nails.

Time for another update.
 
The kit makes no mention of the iron nails that hold the overlapping planks together.  I felt that the ship would really be incomplete without them so I decided to spend a few weeks and do it.
 

 
The nails are about 200 mm apart on the Oseberg but do show some randomness.  That scales out to 8 mm.  I did a couple of test planks 1 at 8 mm and 1 at 16 mm.  I was hoping that the 16 mm spacing would look great and save me about 700 nails.  Oh well, no luck.  I did widen the spacing to 10 mm.
 
 
 
I bought the smallest brass nails that I could find and blackened them using the method sited in various places on MSW but I specifically read it in Augie"s Confederacy log (great log by the way!).  I marked the holes with dividers and patiently drilled the 720, ½ mm holes.  It took over a week to mark and drill and insert all those nails.  I broke several bits in the process.  I forgot to mention that this is only the port side.  
 

 
I will place a drop of CA at the base of the nail forest and cut them off before I glue the deck in place.
 

 
I decided to go ahead and stain after the holes were drilled and before the nails were inserted.  I spent some time cleaning up the glue that was left where the planks overlapped so the stain would go on evenly.  I had cleaned up carefully when the planks were glued but the best laid plans...
 

 
I still have some touch up to do on the stain and I will add the wipe on poly at the very end.  I have taken a couple of days off to decompress after the first half and it is back to work tomorrow.
 

I said that the simulated iron rivets were next but I lied.  I could not find any brass nails locally so I had to wait for them, they just arrived.  I will do a test layout and decide on the spacing. I also played with the oars.  As usual I will do them from oak.  For the test I cut a strip of 3.5mmx3.5mm oak and routed off all four corners to create a round dowel.  It worked well enough but I need to figure out some sort of jig since working on something that small freehand put my fingers way too close to the router bit for comfort.  The oar blade was cut out using a scroll saw.
 
I had a crisis of confidence when I started to work on the oar holes.  The realization that I was about to drill 30 holes into my ship was nerve racking to say the least.  I laid them out and checked them many times.  The are positioned mid way between each bulkhead.  I did find that the spot where the top planks on the port side come together had a little hump (about 1mm by 150mm) which I sanded off to make it level.  I put masking tape behind each hole to help prevent splintering. 
 

 
The shield rails were next and they are made of oak pieces at each bulkhead covered with a strip 1.5mmx4mm.  
 

 
I had a board long enough so I made them out of a single strip on each side.  I installed the rudder support to give the strip a place to land where it meets the rudder.
 

 
The shields just drop in.
 

 
Nails, oars and shield decoration are next.  I am still looking for a proper center piece for the shields.  The bead supplied with the kit is both too small and too ugly.
 

Hi Scott,
 
Welcome to the party.  Thanks for reading the log.  This ship is a lot of fun to build and the bashing is helping me develop my skills.  I really enjoy the wood work and solving problems.  I don't think that I would be doing half as well without the truly incredible amount of help from this forum.  The experience and artistry here is amazing.
 
The steamer is a great toy.  It came from Rockler here in the US.  http://www.rockler.com/steam-bending-kit-w-free-bentwood-carryall-plan-download
 

 
Their plan for a wooden steam box was not very realistic so I used 4" PVC with wooden end caps.  That was not a very good idea either.  I did a long overdue and much needed re design this past weekend.  The version 1 leaked and split the wood ends.  The blast of steam when the door opened required wearing barbeque gloves.
 

 
The new one has a solid PVC cap on one end with a hole drilled for the steam input hose.  The condensate drain is in the bottom of the pipe near the back.
 

 
The front is a clean out plug that is much easier to open than the previous hinged gate.  The front is elevated to allow the condensate to drain.  There is a steel rack to keep the wood out of the muck,  I may want to change to some sort of plastic rack later but the steel rack has not marked the wood so far and it was carried over from version one with many hours of use.
 
It really makes bending easy.  Thanks for looking in.

Time for another update.
 
The kit makes no mention of the iron nails that hold the overlapping planks together.  I felt that the ship would really be incomplete without them so I decided to spend a few weeks and do it.
 

 
The nails are about 200 mm apart on the Oseberg but do show some randomness.  That scales out to 8 mm.  I did a couple of test planks 1 at 8 mm and 1 at 16 mm.  I was hoping that the 16 mm spacing would look great and save me about 700 nails.  Oh well, no luck.  I did widen the spacing to 10 mm.
 
 
 
I bought the smallest brass nails that I could find and blackened them using the method sited in various places on MSW but I specifically read it in Augie"s Confederacy log (great log by the way!).  I marked the holes with dividers and patiently drilled the 720, ½ mm holes.  It took over a week to mark and drill and insert all those nails.  I broke several bits in the process.  I forgot to mention that this is only the port side.  
 

 
I will place a drop of CA at the base of the nail forest and cut them off before I glue the deck in place.
 

 
I decided to go ahead and stain after the holes were drilled and before the nails were inserted.  I spent some time cleaning up the glue that was left where the planks overlapped so the stain would go on evenly.  I had cleaned up carefully when the planks were glued but the best laid plans...
 

 
I still have some touch up to do on the stain and I will add the wipe on poly at the very end.  I have taken a couple of days off to decompress after the first half and it is back to work tomorrow.
 

Time for another update.
 
The kit makes no mention of the iron nails that hold the overlapping planks together.  I felt that the ship would really be incomplete without them so I decided to spend a few weeks and do it.
 

 
The nails are about 200 mm apart on the Oseberg but do show some randomness.  That scales out to 8 mm.  I did a couple of test planks 1 at 8 mm and 1 at 16 mm.  I was hoping that the 16 mm spacing would look great and save me about 700 nails.  Oh well, no luck.  I did widen the spacing to 10 mm.
 
 
 
I bought the smallest brass nails that I could find and blackened them using the method sited in various places on MSW but I specifically read it in Augie"s Confederacy log (great log by the way!).  I marked the holes with dividers and patiently drilled the 720, ½ mm holes.  It took over a week to mark and drill and insert all those nails.  I broke several bits in the process.  I forgot to mention that this is only the port side.  
 

 
I will place a drop of CA at the base of the nail forest and cut them off before I glue the deck in place.
 

 
I decided to go ahead and stain after the holes were drilled and before the nails were inserted.  I spent some time cleaning up the glue that was left where the planks overlapped so the stain would go on evenly.  I had cleaned up carefully when the planks were glued but the best laid plans...
 

 
I still have some touch up to do on the stain and I will add the wipe on poly at the very end.  I have taken a couple of days off to decompress after the first half and it is back to work tomorrow.
 

Time for another update.
 
The kit makes no mention of the iron nails that hold the overlapping planks together.  I felt that the ship would really be incomplete without them so I decided to spend a few weeks and do it.
 

 
The nails are about 200 mm apart on the Oseberg but do show some randomness.  That scales out to 8 mm.  I did a couple of test planks 1 at 8 mm and 1 at 16 mm.  I was hoping that the 16 mm spacing would look great and save me about 700 nails.  Oh well, no luck.  I did widen the spacing to 10 mm.
 
 
 
I bought the smallest brass nails that I could find and blackened them using the method sited in various places on MSW but I specifically read it in Augie"s Confederacy log (great log by the way!).  I marked the holes with dividers and patiently drilled the 720, ½ mm holes.  It took over a week to mark and drill and insert all those nails.  I broke several bits in the process.  I forgot to mention that this is only the port side.  
 

 
I will place a drop of CA at the base of the nail forest and cut them off before I glue the deck in place.
 

 
I decided to go ahead and stain after the holes were drilled and before the nails were inserted.  I spent some time cleaning up the glue that was left where the planks overlapped so the stain would go on evenly.  I had cleaned up carefully when the planks were glued but the best laid plans...
 

 
I still have some touch up to do on the stain and I will add the wipe on poly at the very end.  I have taken a couple of days off to decompress after the first half and it is back to work tomorrow.
 

Time for another update.
 
The kit makes no mention of the iron nails that hold the overlapping planks together.  I felt that the ship would really be incomplete without them so I decided to spend a few weeks and do it.
 

 
The nails are about 200 mm apart on the Oseberg but do show some randomness.  That scales out to 8 mm.  I did a couple of test planks 1 at 8 mm and 1 at 16 mm.  I was hoping that the 16 mm spacing would look great and save me about 700 nails.  Oh well, no luck.  I did widen the spacing to 10 mm.
 
 
 
I bought the smallest brass nails that I could find and blackened them using the method sited in various places on MSW but I specifically read it in Augie"s Confederacy log (great log by the way!).  I marked the holes with dividers and patiently drilled the 720, ½ mm holes.  It took over a week to mark and drill and insert all those nails.  I broke several bits in the process.  I forgot to mention that this is only the port side.  
 

 
I will place a drop of CA at the base of the nail forest and cut them off before I glue the deck in place.
 

 
I decided to go ahead and stain after the holes were drilled and before the nails were inserted.  I spent some time cleaning up the glue that was left where the planks overlapped so the stain would go on evenly.  I had cleaned up carefully when the planks were glued but the best laid plans...
 

 
I still have some touch up to do on the stain and I will add the wipe on poly at the very end.  I have taken a couple of days off to decompress after the first half and it is back to work tomorrow.
 

Time for another update.
 
The kit makes no mention of the iron nails that hold the overlapping planks together.  I felt that the ship would really be incomplete without them so I decided to spend a few weeks and do it.
 

 
The nails are about 200 mm apart on the Oseberg but do show some randomness.  That scales out to 8 mm.  I did a couple of test planks 1 at 8 mm and 1 at 16 mm.  I was hoping that the 16 mm spacing would look great and save me about 700 nails.  Oh well, no luck.  I did widen the spacing to 10 mm.
 
 
 
I bought the smallest brass nails that I could find and blackened them using the method sited in various places on MSW but I specifically read it in Augie"s Confederacy log (great log by the way!).  I marked the holes with dividers and patiently drilled the 720, ½ mm holes.  It took over a week to mark and drill and insert all those nails.  I broke several bits in the process.  I forgot to mention that this is only the port side.  
 

 
I will place a drop of CA at the base of the nail forest and cut them off before I glue the deck in place.
 

 
I decided to go ahead and stain after the holes were drilled and before the nails were inserted.  I spent some time cleaning up the glue that was left where the planks overlapped so the stain would go on evenly.  I had cleaned up carefully when the planks were glued but the best laid plans...
 

 
I still have some touch up to do on the stain and I will add the wipe on poly at the very end.  I have taken a couple of days off to decompress after the first half and it is back to work tomorrow.
 

Time for another update.
 
The kit makes no mention of the iron nails that hold the overlapping planks together.  I felt that the ship would really be incomplete without them so I decided to spend a few weeks and do it.
 

 
The nails are about 200 mm apart on the Oseberg but do show some randomness.  That scales out to 8 mm.  I did a couple of test planks 1 at 8 mm and 1 at 16 mm.  I was hoping that the 16 mm spacing would look great and save me about 700 nails.  Oh well, no luck.  I did widen the spacing to 10 mm.
 
 
 
I bought the smallest brass nails that I could find and blackened them using the method sited in various places on MSW but I specifically read it in Augie"s Confederacy log (great log by the way!).  I marked the holes with dividers and patiently drilled the 720, ½ mm holes.  It took over a week to mark and drill and insert all those nails.  I broke several bits in the process.  I forgot to mention that this is only the port side.  
 

 
I will place a drop of CA at the base of the nail forest and cut them off before I glue the deck in place.
 

 
I decided to go ahead and stain after the holes were drilled and before the nails were inserted.  I spent some time cleaning up the glue that was left where the planks overlapped so the stain would go on evenly.  I had cleaned up carefully when the planks were glued but the best laid plans...
 

 
I still have some touch up to do on the stain and I will add the wipe on poly at the very end.  I have taken a couple of days off to decompress after the first half and it is back to work tomorrow.
 

Time for another update.
 
The kit makes no mention of the iron nails that hold the overlapping planks together.  I felt that the ship would really be incomplete without them so I decided to spend a few weeks and do it.
 

 
The nails are about 200 mm apart on the Oseberg but do show some randomness.  That scales out to 8 mm.  I did a couple of test planks 1 at 8 mm and 1 at 16 mm.  I was hoping that the 16 mm spacing would look great and save me about 700 nails.  Oh well, no luck.  I did widen the spacing to 10 mm.
 
 
 
I bought the smallest brass nails that I could find and blackened them using the method sited in various places on MSW but I specifically read it in Augie"s Confederacy log (great log by the way!).  I marked the holes with dividers and patiently drilled the 720, ½ mm holes.  It took over a week to mark and drill and insert all those nails.  I broke several bits in the process.  I forgot to mention that this is only the port side.  
 

 
I will place a drop of CA at the base of the nail forest and cut them off before I glue the deck in place.
 

 
I decided to go ahead and stain after the holes were drilled and before the nails were inserted.  I spent some time cleaning up the glue that was left where the planks overlapped so the stain would go on evenly.  I had cleaned up carefully when the planks were glued but the best laid plans...
 

 
I still have some touch up to do on the stain and I will add the wipe on poly at the very end.  I have taken a couple of days off to decompress after the first half and it is back to work tomorrow.