scratch

Thanks Brian, Steve, Nils, Grant, Ed, George and Mark - much appreciated .
 
Main Stay Collar
 
This is the largest Collar on the ship. Again, it is served all over.
 
After measuring and serving the line I "spliced" an eye into one end. Next I lashed the Heart to it. Then came the fun part - attempting to pass the line through the hole in the knee of the head. To assist me with this I tied a length of thin cotton to the free end and led that through the starboard headworks, through the hole, and then back up through the port headworks. All went very well .
 
Once the line was all in position I passed the free end through the first eye and seized the end back on itself :
 

 

 

 
  Danny

David Antscherl has given me permission to post a couple photos of his lovely Comet here. The model is not finished - it is in the process of being fully rigged.
 

 

Thanks all, good quality chisels and keeping then very very sharp helps a lot...
Robin I used the watering marking on my body plan to establish the position of the marks
 
Next up the rudder, my first attempt to cut 'simple'  tabs that go all the way from side to side failed. I had to much tear out from the mill, even with a backing piece of wood. So back to the chisels and I made the proper altering tabling.
 

 
Cut to size with the table saw and scroll saw, tarring simulated with thin black paper
 

 

 
Tapered with a big bench plane
 

 
The square hole  at the top tapers from fore to aft. Next up the pintles.
 
Remco
 
 

Fore Tack Step Blocks
 
These are relatively large Blocks which attach to the Boomkins - 14" in real life. I made them from English Box, the pics tell the story :
 

 

 

 

 
Their Strops are served :
 

 
  Danny

Gammoning
 
The Gammoning consists of 9 turns crossing over each other vertically, followed by the same number horizontally to pull it all tight. A couple of half-hitches complete it :
 

 

 
Boomkins
 
The Boomkins were made in similar fashion to the other masts/yards, with the exception that they are curved. I cut them from rectangular stock and "octagonelled" them before sanding them round. They have a step at their outboard ends for the shrouds and Fore Tack Block :
 

 

 
A Capsquare fastens them to the head :
 

 

 
  Danny

Thanks very much for looking in again Brian, Allan, Arch, Nils, Grant, and a welcome to George .
 
Work has been continuing on the Bowsprit Rigging.
 
Bobstays
 
These are the equivalent of the Forestays on the other masts. Like all the Bowsprit rigging they are served all over. The inboard ends pass through the foremost holes in the Knee of the Head, and are spliced together :
 

 
Bowsprit Shrouds
 
The equivalent of the Shrouds on the other masts. These are hooked through eyebolts at their inner ends :
 

 

 

 
The outer ends of both the Bobstays and Shrouds finish in a heart block, and are lashed to their respective Collars :
 

 
  Danny

Hi Joe,
 
I must apologise for any confusion, I am building the cross section, the heading needs to be changed to reflect that.
 
The plans came from model ship builders, here is a link http://modelshipbuilder.com/page.php?135
 
They really are a good set of drawings.
 
With regard to the frames, they are cut out from the timber billets, I will post a couple of pics to show you.
 
 
 

 
Best way to go is to copy the original page onto sticky A4 labels, these are then cut and placed onto the wood, a tip gleamed from Grant is to put painters tape on the wood first.
 
Cut out the frame sections and sand down to just above the lines, position the sections onto the main label, clean up the joints until a snug fit is obtained, when you are happy with the fit glue together using PVA white glue, when dry clean off excess glue and sand down to the lines.
 
Hope that makes sense Joe.
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie
 
 

First off let me say Hello to all the Lords of the Dark Side, your tolerance will be gratefully accepted.
 
I would like to give plaudits to Jeff Hayes of Hobbymills for superb quality materials, the timber really is first class, also to Jeff Staudt for a fine set of drawings.
 
A special thanks to Grant for all his hard work in working out the quantity of timber required and the different types, I just had to make some minor adjustments to the order. Below is a taster of the timber to be used.
 
 
 
As you are probably aware this is a group project build with Grant, Jack and myself, ( at the moment ), this the first scratch build for all of us apart from prefabricating kits parts that were not happy with and I think we've all done that.   
 
It would be great if others wanted to join in. We will be working in unison and posting in our own logs and this is the start of my log.
 
I started by practicing with my tools and would you believe it this framing jig appeared, as this was a practice piece and it didn't count towards the build but on investigation I found I hadn't got any more material I could use and so had to keep it.    
 
 
 
Following on from the jig, I started practicing on the frames themselves and I found out a few things I need to work on, 1st, Don't cut so close to the lines, give your self a bit of room. 2nd, Easy on the sanders, don't put so much pressure when sanding down and 3rd, It doesn't take much to remove the skin from the knuckles with a disc sander, this had been switched of and was slowing down, I helped it stop and found out how good my bandaids are.
 
I made a double frame but will not be using it, I can and will do better.
 
 
 
 
 
Following on from that I attempted the Keel, this is made up from 4 pieces, Ebony for the Keel, followed by Swiss Pear for the False Keel Upper and Lower and the Hog. This Keel looks difficult but in reality is quite simple, you just need to be accurate, a rabbet is cut into it when all the pieces are assembled. I was going to use my router for this but there is a deviation 2/3rds along it's length so this had to be cut by hand, I used my trusty Stanley knife carefully, (we have a history) and finished with a triangle file. Below is the completed practice keel
 
 
 
So, that's the start of my new log, if anyone has any questions please don't be afraid to ask Grant !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
 
Be Good
 
mobbsie
 
 
 
 

This will be my first full scratch build. I have chosen the Bomb Vessel Granado Cross Section as an introduction to scratch building as it has all of the components of a scratch build while offering something a little bit ‘unusual’ at the same time. This build is also a ‘group’ build as my very good friend Mobbsie in the UK has agreed to do this in tandem with me, and to make it a truly international build, we are also joined by Jack Panzeca from Texas.  While we will all maintain individual build logs, we will progress at a common (slow) pace and will therefore be able to help each other through any tricky bits.
 
Plans are by Jeff Staudt, based on the drawings by Peter Goodwin in the Anatomy of the Ship series, and also original drawings by Thomas Slade.  The plans are available through the Model Ship Builder (MSB) forum.  Although this is my first scratch build, I have to say that the plans/drawings by Jeff look to be first class.
 

 
We will also be guided by the build logs of several skilled modellers who have trodden this path before us.  I would like to pay tribute here to the excellent logs of Rusty, whose log of his 1:24 scale build is available here at MSW, and also of Mike41, who built the prototype model over on MSB.
 
We will be using timber from Jeff Hayes at Hobbymill, and have chosen a selection of timbers that will allow us to “paint with wood”.  My thanks to Jeff for his patience and guidance in helping me to put together the final timbering package.  Of course, as you would expect, the timber from Jeff is just gorgeous.
 
Here’s a picture of the overall wood package:
 

 
And here is one showing more clearly some of the colours that we have available through these timbers:
 

 
On with the show:
Framing Jig
We decided to start by constructing the Framing Jig - mainly because Mobbsie “cheated” by making his up earlier while testing out his new toys.    It is fairly straight forward to make - the base is 12mm ply that I had lying around, while the top is 3mm “aircraft grade” birch plywood (also spare stock I had lying around). The two pieces were cut to size and then clamped together while 10mm holes were drilled to take the adjusting bolts.  The pattern for the jig was then printed on sticky label paper and applied to the top, and the inside cut out on the scroll saw. After cutting on the scroll saw, the frame notches were finessed to size with a file, using a piece of 1/4” stock (framing stock) to test for a comfortable fit. The top and bottom were then temporarily joined with the bolts and the centreline transferred from the top piece to the base.  The centreline was scribed into the base and then drawn over with a pencil.  Additional lines were drawn parallel to this 1/8” either side to aid in locating the keel/keel supports.  Lines were also drawn across the base board to denote the ends of the frames. In the following pictures, you may notice a partially completed Stephenson’s Rocket lurking in the background ……… 
 

 
Two battens were glued to the underside of the base board to allow for the height of the bolt heads and make the base a little more stable.
 

 
A block of MDF was cut to size from the plans to make adjusting the height of the top easier, and the top was then positioned and the bolts all secured.
 

 
So far, so good.  Tomorrow will be the first attempt at making the keel components and cutting the rabbet.

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 92 – Main Deck Framing 3
 
Framing of the main deck continues from forward and aft.  Additional operational features are also being installed.  In the first picture the topsail sheet bits  and two round openings for the anchor chain chutes  are installed.  The samson post is being glued in place toward the bow.
 

 
This very large timber extends up above the forecastle deck.  It will support the lever arms for the anchor chain winch located on the main deck just below the forecastle break.  The levers were operated from the forecastle.
 
Working just one step behind the drafting sometimes causes problems.  The next picture shows the step for the main capstan, which I neglected to install when framing the middle deck.
 

 
The decking between the two hatches and the middle bay of framing had to be removed and reworked to include support carlings and the square step itself.
 
The next picture shows the extent of the main deck framing at that time – a few days ago.
 

 
The next picture is a different view.  The three rows of carling under the deck cabin can be clearly seen in this picture.  The cabin will extend some distance further aft than the beams installed here.
 
 

 
The next picture shows some additional progress on the aft part of the main deck.
 

 
The members that will support the capstan on the main deck have been installed including two large support carlings.  The design of these supports and the step is speculative.  It will soon be time to make the smaller forward water tank and install both iron tanks while there is still access.  The bilge suction pipes will also need to be installed soon.
 
The next picture was taken while I could still place a smaller camera on the middle deck.  The view is forward along the middle deck
 

 
In the foreground is the main hatch and the bilge pipe openings.  The dark areas along the waterways are shadows of the deck beams. 
 
The last picture is one of those scary close-ups taken through one of the view ports.
 

 
This was taken at F8 – the smallest aperture on the smaller camera - so the foreground is out of focus, but the detail of the knees on the middle deck framing can be clearly seen – also a scarph jint in the deck clamp.
 
Ed

Thanks all.
 
Cog, I used a tripod and the timer to take that picture.
Dave, the carving was done with small chisels of different sizes.
 
Druxey, I was planning to tonight but ran into a problem. While marking their position I saw the stern post has the same with as the largest XIV and XIII marking. So adding them here will look odd. In the picture they are roughly penciled in but the final markings will take the full with of the stern post. I'd better leave them off
 
 

 

 
Remco

Thanks Joe, Vivian & Mark. Indeed I used the knurling attachment from Shereline, it gives a good grip and a adds a nice touch.
 
Port side treenailed
 

 
And draught marks added, they won't be painted red as they should as this might be to distracting. They are just 3 mm, 1/8" high
 

 

 
Remco

Not much to show for the last few weeks.  Last week was devoted to the NRG meeting.  It was great to put faces to some new names.  Hope to see you again next year in Mystic.
 
I started the planking below the wales.  The first 6 rows of planking are anchor stock and the rest is standard planking.  The first strake is 3" thick at the wale, tapering down to 2".  The rest of the strakes are 2" thick.  I laid the first row of strakes full thickness and then tapered the lower edge after the second row of planking was completed.  The extreme fore and aft planks are dropped.  I marked out the landing spots for the planks terminating at the counter to prevent any uneven plank widths.  Holly is a pleasure to work with for the hull planking.  Gentle curves can bent by hand.  The extreme bends require a 30 minute soak in water and are pinned in place with clamps and planking screws.  After they are completely dry, final shaping is done and the plank is glued in place with almost no pressure.  I like to rough sand the planks every few rows to check for any problems.  It is a lot easier to pop one or two problem planks now rather than several planks after the hull is completed.  
 
The wale has gotten scuffed with handling and sanding.  It will get a re-paint  after all the planking has been installed.
 

 

 

 

 
 

A long overdue update....... I was too busy making decals and flags
 
I planked the port side from the Sheer strake up, this is all the planking I will do on this side except some minor parts I need for the rigging. Next up tree nailing the lot.... 
 

 

 

 
Also made new brass knobs on the clamps, as it turned out the wooden ones didn't hold up after I reenforced the bars with nuts.
 

 
Remco

..... continued.
 
I've finally come to making the actual rigging .
 
Collars
 
First step was to make the Collars for the hearts. These are Served for their entire length, so my new Domanov Serving Machine got it's first run :
 

 

 
For the serving line I used Quilting Thread, which is made from cotton with a polyester coating. It has no fuzzies at all, and is quite easy to work with. It also has no "rope definition", but at this scale that's not noticeable.
 
I used my vise to hold the eye and turned the excess serving line around the main line to make a very neat fake splice :
 

 
A couple of hearts with their strops. The larger is for the Forestay and has a double strop (one still to fit). The smaller is for one of the Bobstays :
 

 
A bobstay collar lashed to the bowsprit :
 

 
  Danny

Thanks Brian and Pat.
 
Hearts
 
The standing rigging for the bowsprit requires a number of Hearts, both open and closed. I made these from English Box in the following manner. First cut the groove for the strop using the table saw on both sides. Next I filed the groove on the end with a very thin needle file. I put the stock in my vise and tapered both sides, and used a 0.8mm "chisel" to recut the groove. Next step was to drill the centre hole using the mill - I drilled a number of holes and trimmed the excess with an Xacto blade. Finally I cut the heart from the stock on the table saw :
 

 

 

 

 
Continued next post ......

Frame 10 in place and some rough fairing.
 
Ben

Small update, three more frame pairs have been installed and another gunport being framed.
 
Ben

Thanks for following this build, Christian.
 
Not much got done this weekend, between Fall cleanup and getting my Hannah cleaned up to take to the NRG meeting next week, there was not much time for building.  When I bought the styrofoam for the base, I found  a hobby-quality drafting table.  It elevates and tilts, important to me since I prefer to work standing up (I guess it's the surgeon in me). And at 30% off, what girl could say "no"?  A bungee cord across the base keeps everything in place, even at an angle.  And the casters allow me to follow the sun.
 

 

 

 
The second two rows of planking are almost completed.  When I return, I will start the planking below the wales.
 

 

 

It is time to work on the lower hull.  I pressed the top timbers, stem and counter timbers into a 2" thick slab of styrofoam. I then threaded butcher's twine through the gun port openings and secured the hull to the styrofoam in four places.  This allows me to comfortably work on the lower hull while having the ship securely attached to a flat surface.
 
The lower hull planking is holly.  I am using a different holly for the hull planking than I did for the decking.  That wood was more grey and had some color imperfections which became apparent after the finish was applied.  This is a whiter wood without any visible flaws.  (Thank you Hobby Mill.)  The garboard strake was installed first.  When you look at the plan, you are tempted to say "Oh, a straight line with the keel.  Easy."  Well, because of the twists in the plank fore and aft, that straight line is anything but.  The key is to make templates of everything and then transfer the outline of the template to the wood, leaving a little extra for fine-tuning.  The fore end of the garboard was terminated per the layout in TFFM.  Prior to gluing the planks in place, the keel rabbet was cleaned up.
 

 

 

 

Ben and Mark, thanks for the support.
 
I have reached a milestone...the upper works' planking is completed!  I left the frame ends protruding above the level of the top rail to protect the upper edge of the planking.  Now you can even tell which frames have timberheads associated with them. Because the only things keeping the starboard frames in line are the ribbands and the filler blocks above the top of the frames, this side was not cut down.  Now I have a question.  In TFFM it states that where the sheer strake "...widens down to the ports there is a change in surface level to produce a smooth, continuous chamfer line..."  I interpreted this to mean a smooth chamfer to the top of the port.  Another interpretation would be to make the lower part of the strake the thickness of the hull planking and the top part the thickness of the sheer strake.  Looking at a contemporary model of Atalanta did not show enough detail for me to tell which direction to go.  If someone could give me some direction, I would appreciate it.  I left things so that it would be easy to convert if my interpretation is wrong.
 
On to the lower hull planking.
 

 

 

 

 

..... continued.
 
To drill the holes at an angle in the Saddle I set it up in my mill vise :
 

 
The Saddle and Gammoning Cleats fitted :
 

 
The inboard end gets a "iron" band made from thin card :
 

 
The outboard end of the Jibboom has a shoulder cut into it and a tiny sheave :
 

 
Some views of the bowsprit assembled. As with the other masts nothing has been glued yet (apart from the fittings) :
 

 

 

 

 
  Danny

And thank you Piet .
 
Continuing on with the Bowsprit. The Cap has been made - this one is considerably more difficult to make than the mast caps, due to the angle of each cut. The groove in one side is the seat for the Jackstaff :
 

 

 
I cut down and soldered one of my spare trunnion caps for the jackstaff capsquare :
 

 
Also made were the Bees and Bee Blocks, the Spritsail Yard Sling Cleat complete with "lead" liner, the Jibboom Saddle and a Woolding :
 

 

 
Continued next post ......

Hello friends.
Iron construction of the handrail mounted.
Karl   
 
 
T e i l    52

Thank you Mark, Geoff, John, Allan, Nils, Grant and Ed - much appreciated.
 
 
Geoff, the idea was to give other builders another option for very small sheaves .
 
Thank you Ed. You were one of those responsible for me "lifting my game" .
 
Cheek Blocks
 
The Fore and Main masts have a pair of double cheek blocks in the Topmast Head. I cut these on the table saw from English Box. They are fitted with 0.6mm thick by 2.4mm diameter sheaves :
 

 

 
  Danny