KevinR

Bob,
Thank you for the info and link.

Patrick,
I love the look of finished wood. However, I build ships for the history. Historically, skipjacks are painted inside and out, except for the mast. My plan is to paint everything as well. The hull will be white and red below the water line. The interior will be a light grey. The deck will be white. Ironwork will be black. In reality they were a pretty boring on color.   The only wood that will be left bright is the mast, boom and jib club.
 
Thanks for asking.

Bob,
Thank you for the info and link.

Hello Everyone and thanks for stopping by.
Today I attempted to make my first metal parts, the Pentle and Gudgeon.

The first try went well. It looked good until I tried to trim it with the rotary tool. It heated up and twisted in the vise.
 

The second try went better (not smoother). I kept dropping the tiny parts on the floor. I had to re-cut a couple of times because I could not find it.

I used a hand saw to cut the tubing this time and a lot more hand filing.
I still need to notch the rudder so the gudgeon is centered under the rudder post.
 

This is the tin snips I purchased to cut the sheet of brass. I am hoping I can find some smaller. This pair is too large and makes it hard to see the score marks for cutting. Anyone have a recommendation?
 
Well that is it for today. Tomorrow is a holiday so I may get more time in tomorrow.
Untill next time,
 
Catch Yall Later,
 
 
 

I just bought the smallest pair of tin snips That I could find at the local Ace. Hopefully it is not to big to cut what I need.

Hello Everyone and thanks for stopping by.
Today I attempted to make my first metal parts, the Pentle and Gudgeon.

The first try went well. It looked good until I tried to trim it with the rotary tool. It heated up and twisted in the vise.
 

The second try went better (not smoother). I kept dropping the tiny parts on the floor. I had to re-cut a couple of times because I could not find it.

I used a hand saw to cut the tubing this time and a lot more hand filing.
I still need to notch the rudder so the gudgeon is centered under the rudder post.
 

This is the tin snips I purchased to cut the sheet of brass. I am hoping I can find some smaller. This pair is too large and makes it hard to see the score marks for cutting. Anyone have a recommendation?
 
Well that is it for today. Tomorrow is a holiday so I may get more time in tomorrow.
Untill next time,
 
Catch Yall Later,
 
 
 

Hello Everyone and thanks for stopping by.
Well I have just a quick update. I Competed building the rudder. I made it from 1/4x1/4" poplar, sanded down to 1/4x1/8" and then glued up. Sorry forgot to take pictures of the in-between. I then shaped it using my belt sander. This weekend I plan on starting on my attempts to make the pintle, and gudgeon for the rudder. This will be my first attempt at making metal parts, wish me luck.

Completed Rudder and Skeg.


Rudder and Skeg Dry Fitted.


 
Until next time!
 
Catch Yall Later,

Hi! and welcome.
I was able to accomplish some more work on my boat today.
  The skeg has been shaped and is ready to b glued into place. I am using basswood for most of the model. I have picked up some square poplar dowels of different sizes from the local Lowes. I use the poplar where I want something harder than basswood. I used a 1/8x1/8" strip as the keel shoe.  The smallest poplar dowel is 1/4x1/4". I had to sand it down to 1/8x1/8".
  The stem facing was made from a 3/8"x3/8" poplar dowel. I first had to shave it down to 3/8/'x3/16", then taper the side into 1/8".
  I made the rudder post out of 1/4x1/4" poplar dowel, turning it in my drill. I decided to wait to add the skeg until I have the rudder completed. This way I can ensure a better fit.
 

Skeg with the template glued.
 

The Stem facing waiting to be shaped.
 

THe Skeg shaped, with the keel shoe and the stem facing shaped and ready to be glued.
 

The new Rudder post.
 
Thank you for stopping by.  I hope to have more to show soon.
 
Catch Yall Later,

The sides have been cut down, so it now looks more like a skipjack. I am currently working on the skeg and the stem facing.




Here is the skeg glued up and ready to b shaped.
 
Well I have a snow day tomorrow, so my plan is to complete the skeg and the stem facing. I hope to have something for show and tell at the next club meeting.
 
Catch Yall Later,

Thanks for stopping by. I know it has been a while since I posted an update. Life just keeps getting in the way. Well I finished adding the side frames to the 1899 hull and planked the bottom. The next step is to cut the side planks down to where they need to be. Then I will start working on the 1942 hull to get it caught up with the 1899 hull.


I started out gluing on e plank at a time. Half way though the planking I started gluing multiple planks together. This made it easier to bend the planks to the chin log. This created a smoother planking.
 

The finished planking.



 
With winter here, I am hoping to spend more time in the shipyard.
 
Catch Yall Later,

Hi everyone,
Thanks for stopping by. I know it has been awhile since my last post and unfortunately I do not have much to report. I have concentrated mostly on the 1899 Albatross, drawing up the plans for the deck beams and started adding the side frames.

 
That is all I have to report at this time.
 
Catch Yall Later,

Hi Everyone,
Just a quick update. All of the side planks have been added to the 1942 Albatross.

Gluing the planks on.
 

The 1942 and the 1899 Albatross with the side planks completed.
The next step is to add the side frames. I still need to produce about 30  more frames.
 
Well that is all for now.
 
Catch Yall Later,

I decided to plank boxwood down to the waterline and holly below.  The top of the waterline is pretty close to the bottom of the wales.  I used a taper jig to taper strips of boxwood and holly, and glued them together into a single plank 10" scale in width.  I need to rip out the plank below this one that tapers from 3 1/2" to 3" thick, then can begin planking.  I think I am going to take the approach that the whitestuff would cover the treenails and not spend a week treenailing under the waterline.  I will probably treenail the boxwood below and above the wales.
 
Dave

Here's a list of naval related books available from Project Gutenburg all are without copywrights and maybe downloaded for your interest.
 
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=sail+ship
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=wood+ship
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=building+ships
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?query=british+war-ships
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46094
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48179
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25749
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29285
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25544 The Pioneer Steamship Savannah: A Study for a Scale Model by Howard Irving Chapelle
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31179  Fulton's "Steam Battery": Blockship and Catamaran by Howard Irving Chapelle
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23861  The Story of the Great War, Volume V (of 12) by Churchill, Miller, and Reynolds
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46215  The Battles in Flanders From Ypres to Neuve Chapelle by Edmund Dane
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6721  The Voyages of Captain Scott : Retold from the Voyage of the Discovery and
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26509  Journal of the Third Voyage for the Discovery of a North-West Passage by Parry
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4673  Notes By the Way in a Sailor's Life by Arthur E. Knights
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/31910  Memoirs of the Extraordinary Military Career of John Shipp by John Shipp
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10542  The Boats of the "Glen Carrig" by William Hope Hodgson
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24880  The Wreck of the Titan by Morgan Robertson
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13830  The Wreck of the Hesperus by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21531  Woodwork Joints: How they are Set Out, How Made and Where Used. by William Fairham
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22107  Wood-Carving: Design and Workmanship by George Jack
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12299  The Mechanical Properties of Wood by Samuel J. Record
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20846  Handwork in Wood by William Noyes
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/27238  Woodworking Tools 1600-1900 by Peter C. Welsh
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43604  Wood-working for Beginners: A Manual for Amateurs by Charles G. Wheeler
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43574  Carpentry and Woodwork by Edwin W. Foster
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42650  The Boy Craftsman by A. Neely Hall
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26598  Seasoning of Wood by J. B. Wagner
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52902  A Naval Expositior by Thomas Riley Blanckley
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36776  Inventions in the Century by William Henry Doolittle
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/725      Men of Invention and Industry by Samuel Smiles
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11368  Stories of Inventors: The Adventures of Inventors and Engineers by Doubleday
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/50475  The Young Ship-Builders of Elm Island by Elijah Kellogg
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/7947  The Diary of a U-boat Commander by Sir Stephen King-Hall
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44228   Boat-Building and Boating by Daniel Carter Beard
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/23601  The U-boat hunters by James B. Connolly
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53900  Historical Record of the Seventh, or the Queen's Own Regiment of Hussars
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/20483  Artillery Through the Ages by Albert C. Manucy
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43799  Gunnery in 1858: Being a Treatise on Rifles, Cannon, and Sporting Arms by Greener
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38961  Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18941  The Fight for a Free Sea: A Chronicle of the War of 1812 by Ralph Delahaye Paine
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52942  The Year after the Armada by Martin A. S. Hume
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/52472  Captain Cuellar's adventures in Connaught & Ulster A.D. 1588. by Hugh Allingham
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22942  Clare Avery: A Story of the Spanish Armada by Emily Sarah Holt
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3334  Drake's Great Armada by Walter Bigges
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42604   Stories of the Ships by Lewis R. Freeman
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32166  Thomas Andrews, Shipbuilder by Shan F. Bullock       
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29685  Submarine Warfare of To-day by Charles W. Domville-Fife
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26641  The Submarine Hunters: A Story of the Naval Patrol Work in the Great War
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/33438  Sea-Hounds by Lewis R. Freeman
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26040  Log-book of Timothy Boardman by Timothy Boardman
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45583  Scapa and a Camera by C. W. Burrows
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21404  From Powder Monkey to Admiral: A Story of Naval Adventure by Kingston
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36136  Yankee Ships and Yankee Sailors: Tales of 1812 by James Barnes
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/45011  The Logs of the Serapis--Allance--Ariel, Under the Command of John Paul Jones,
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46788  The Story of the "Britannia" by Edward Phillips Statham
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40847  A Short History of H.M.S. Victory by W. J. L. Wharton
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21389  Ronald Morton; or, the Fire Ships: A Story of the Last Naval War by Kingston
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/34489  Antony Waymouth; Or, The Gentlemen Adventurers by William Henry Giles Kingston
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/40689   Off to Sea: The Adventures of Jovial Jack Junker on his Road to Fame by Kingston


Enjoy Ed

The parts look to be 1/16 to an 1/8th thick.  I'd go to the nearest big box store (i.e Home Depot or Lowe's) and by the equivalent thickness in Poplar. You can always stain it whatever color you want.  Poplar is inexpensive and comes pre-cut in 1/16 and 1/8th " thick plus many other thicknesses.
Tom

To avoid the blade following the curve of the grain, I use a rolling cutter, small diameter blade for tight curves and a larger diameter for  more gentle curves. For small I mean 10 mm and for large I mean 100 mm diameter. These cutters can be found at fabric stores like Joann's, Michaels,,etc. They a as sharp as any razor blade and do not dull rapidly. Replacement blades are also available.

Hi rexy have you tried the scroll saw blades that cut in any direction pretty handy but can lead to mistakes also
 
Doug don't know if you have a drum sander but that would be helpful
 
Steve

If there is enough wood on the billet, cut the pieces out very roughly then use a drum sander on your dremel for final shaping. If the pieces are going to be painted coat the delicate areas with thin ca glue, this will harden the wood up and help prevent splitting then cut and shape as mentioned. 
 This all I got, hope it helps.

Doug:  I would use a round sanding bit on your Dermal. Try it on low speed first and keep a steady hand. Go lightly and try not to gouge or over sand.  Pat

I'm working on an older kit - well before laser cut sheets were used - and have to cut out and sand various pieces for gunwales and such.  
 
I've been cutting them out laboriously with x-acto knives.  I'm ok as long as the pieces are along the grain or are large enough but I've had 2 or three splits on pieces like the one shown.
 

 
What are some of techniques that I should try?
 
Note:  The only small power tool in my toolkit is a dremel.  I've tried using a jewellers saw but it is hard to hold the part steady while sawing.
 
Doug
 

Good luck, Macsparty. I was supposed to receive this ship today but looks like it'll be Thursday. It'll be my first build, so I'll be watching yours closely. 

Hi Kier, the rabbet is not a scary beast  Simply, it should be the depth to accommodate both layers.  However, this does not mean twice as deep as usually the first layer is much thicker than the second layer.  This second layer is usually just a veneer and very thin.  
 
So just make it as deep as the two combined.  lay the first layer and there should be a very thin fall about the thickness of the veneer. 
 
cheers
 
Pat

hello to all you ship builders.
  I have a quire regarding the rabbet that has me scared to touch although I honestly wish to use to do it properly. I am looking into doing a double planked hull. I had built the bluenose- billings before..sorry no log, but I didn't use a rabbet and my hull looked square at the bow...yuk!
doing a double planked hull:-
           1...should the rabbet be twice as wide to accommodate both layers or-
           2... only the one but for the inner planking or outer -
           3...if twice, how do you attach the first layer but leaving enough for the second.
 
           If anyone could help me with this problem it will be most helpful to me as I have looked at many logs on MS
W but to no avail.   :(   please help
 
       kier
 

Starting my first build log. I've already learned a lot perusing other logs, so hopefully one more on this gem of a little kit isn't one too many!
 
As you can see, I have the frames in, and the cockpit floor and transom and am getting ready to do some sanding while working up the courage to put the main deck on. It seems flexible enough to just glue down and clamp, or should it be soaked first?
 
I'm a notoriously slow builder, so if there are gaps in construction time, don't fret, I always get back to it!
 
Scott
 

 

 

 

I'm about to wrap up my gundeck section build. At least all the pieces will be in place. There's so much stuff crammed into such a small space that it will take some going over to be sure everything is in order.
 
One thing I'm already seeing - there are a lot of ropes that are tied off or laid over hooks and just left to dangle. In real life I imagine the ropes weigh enough for gravity to kick in and pull them straight down. In our modeling fantasy world it isn't happening. Ropes are sticking out in all directions.
 
So I'm hoping you guys have some tricks to make ropes hang more realistically.
 
Thanks in advance.....