alde

That looks great Mick. You are making super progress. I have this set of plans in waiting. I may start it next year after I get more experience. Right now it looks like it would be overwhelming for me.

Great stuff Dave.

She looks fantastic Sal. Congratulations on a project well done.

Good luck on your first build. It's quite a kit to start with but it looks like you are willing to take your time . I will be happy to stick with you to the end. I am just a beginner too and hope to learn from your experience.

You sir, are a master with a file.

The planking slowly continues.I finished up with the upper belt and have started working my way up from the keel. I am pretty happy with the way it's going so far and it's definitely getting better and easier as it goes. I wish I got more time to work on it but really have a great time when I do.

Thanks for stopping in for a look. I hope to have more progress fairly soon   

Bob, Count me in for a front row seat. I really enjoyed your Cheerful build.

Looks great Greg. Nice looking planking.

Looks great Tom. Now you can throw that kit part in the scrap bin.

Dave, the widest Scotch tape I could find was 3/4" wide. The problem I see with the masking tape is transferring the plank width from the tick marks to the tape. I guess they can just be measured with a divider after the tape is off the bulkheads and transferred. That would be easy enough but add an extra step. If you could trace the line of the previous plank, mark the bulkhead locations and transfer the tick mark while the tape is on the hull you will have a complete pattern for the plank on one step.

I picked up one of these adjustable curves to try and it looks promising. The kit I am building now has the spiled planks drawn on the plans so I don't need it for this project but having them drawn and cutting and fitting them has been a very educational process. I may us the tape and curve method on the last belt just to try it. In Chuck Passaro's planking tutorial he uses clear tape. I sent him a PM to ask what type of tape he uses and he said he just uses packing tape from the Post Office and a fine point sharpie to mark the line, bulkhead locations and plank width at each point. It sounds like a pretty straight forward way to go and Chuck sure gets great results.

Man that's nice. It sure builds into a pretty little cutter. Your rigging looks fantastic.

Your wheel is 500% better than the kit part. It's going to look great when it's all assembled and in place.

Is the basswood from the kit just not workable with machine tools? I was thinking of using my Sherline lathe to taper the masts on my current and future builds but may just get some boxwood to do that with and not even bother with the kit wood.

You sir are an artist.

You can see how much finer the dust is with the boxwood. I can't imagine it being easy to turn the basswood and get good results. Thanks for giving such detail.

Al

Looks darn nice for not showering.

Well the time you spend on the project is paying off in dividends......

 

Great job.

 

Rob

They are nice looking boats. You are off to a good start. Your right about the plans. They are about as cluttered as I have ever seen. I'll sit on my rope coil if you don't mind.

Another great Constitution build. I'm looking forward to seeing her progress.

She sure looks nice Ken.

My pleasure Ray. It's not of the period you like but it's a really nice kit. My goal is to eventually build a scratch built plank on frame frigate. That's a long way away for me.

Ray, Many people start with the Model Shipways Armed Virginia Sloop. I have that kit and don't feel I'm ready to start it. I am working on the Model Shipways Glad Tidings as a second build it it has it's challenges but is not difficult with some help from the forum.

Ray,

The ship you like would not be impossible but it would be very difficult and frustrating. I would start with something with one mast and a simple rig. Also keep in mind that planking the hull well takes practice. You may not want to invest that much money on a kit to learn on.

Ray,

The major parts to build the frame of the ship will be cut out for you. You will need to final shape some of them. The hull planks will just be strips of wood that will need to be shaped and fitted. There will also be metal parts that may need a little cleaning up. You might be able to use your Model Master paints but many people seem to be using Artist Acrylics in the tube these days. I have not tried them yet but plan to on my current build.

Hi Ray,

I have seen many great wooden ship models built with just simple hand tools. Some of the fancy tools make certain jobs easier but the hand tools do just fine. I mostly use hobby knives, razor saw, measuring tools and clamps. There are a few other tools that you can get as you go. One of the best tools is this forum.