US Brig Niagara by mikiek - FINISHED - Model Shipways - Scale 1:64 - First wooden ship build

[jbshan]

I did my carronades on an assembly line of sorts.  If you can keep the same tool in your hand for 18 operations, it goes a lot faster.

Wait until you get to assembling the 186 (?) blocks, hooks and line into gun tackles.  Mine are all in individual envelopes, labeled for the guns.  That's as far as I got.

[mikiek]

You're right Joel and that is a terrible habit of mine. I tend to build 1 assembly from start to finish. VERY inefficient!

 

With these carronades, I'm doing my best to get all of 1 step done, i.e. cutting the hooks, before moving on to stropping them. Only problem is some of this stuff is so small I can only do a limited number before I start seeing double.

 

On the good side, there is always lots of other unrelated tasks I can do when I need a break.

 

 

Mine are all in individual envelopes, labeled for the guns.  That's as far as I got.

 

 You saying your Niagara has no guns?

[jbshan]

The gun tackles are in storage, four per carronade.  The carrs. and two long guns sit on the deck with breeching ropes attached but nothing is hooked up permanently.  You want a clear view for drilling eyebolts etc. for the rigging.  I got talked into moving on to Lexington at that point.

[mikiek]

I had started what I thought might be a quick question on Darrell's Niagara thread. It is looking like the discussion may go on for a bit, so rather than hijack Darrell's log I am moving the comments to my log. Hope this works.....

 

>> From: Mike

Darrell - going back to your post #18, are your cathead shapes identical to the laser plywood parts? I'm asking because I just cut out the laser parts and they don't even begin to fit in place correctly. I did file out a notch for the rail. If the upper part of the CH sits flush on the rail then the lower part extends out and away from the inner bulwark. If I make the lower part sit flush on the bulwark then the upper part angles up a little and doesn't sit well on the rail.

    I'm trying to decide if I need to file out a big chunk at the inner elbow of the CH. Or maybe make one that's shaped to fit.

<<

 

>>From: Joel

    Detail on sheet 3, lower right.  The tail wants to be against the inner bulwark planking.  The outer part should angle up and out.  Make your notch to allow the full width of the cathead to sit on the rail.  The small knee should help you determine the angles.

<<

 

>>From: Mike

    Joel - what I am missing from the plans is a view from the bow looking aft. When I hold the tail to the inner bulwark, the other end sticks up at maybe a 30-40 degree angle. I got more confused then as several pix from build logs seem to show the outer part almost horizontal. If I let the upper piece lay horizontal then of course the tail does not touch the inner bulwark. It almost seems like the elbow of the cathead needs to be closer to a 90 degree angle - or those other pix are wrong.

    As far as the knee goes, it appears it should get some filing to get around the outer rail and to sit flush against the underside of the cathead. The instructions/plans don't say anything about doing that.

<<

[jbshan]

Mike, I brought this back to your page so not to hog Ohio Cav's

 

Do either of these shots help with the catheads?

 

 

[mikiek]

Another cathead question. The plans show 3 sheaves at the top end of the CH. If I understand things, in real life that would have been a groove cut thru the cathead (well actually 3 grooves), a wheel inserted into the grove, held in place by a rod (axle) running from one side of the CH thru the wheels and out the other side of the CH???

 

Assuming this is correct, what is the proper rendition for a model? Do I cut the groove all the way thru? That doesn't sound right as I have no wheel to put in. What I was thinking was drilling 2 holes then cutting a slight groove in between them.

 

 

This pic also shows how much of the CH I had to file in order for it to sit flush on the bulwark and on the rail.

 

 

[mikiek]

Yes, these help. However, I had to do quite a bit of filing on the inner elbow to bring the top part of the CH down. It was literally sticking out at almost 45 degrees. Now it's about 10-15 degrees, which looks more like yours.

 

 

I notice you have a second knee brace on the side as well as the one underneath.

 

Mike, I brought this back to your page so not to hog Ohio Cav's

 

Do either of these shots help with the catheads?

 

Quick addition - I like the wood cleats. And your nibbing strake looks fantastic!

Edited July 3, 2016 by mikiek

[jbshan]

I substituted the second knee brace for the wire specified in the kit.

Might as well make some cleats early on so you know how later when there are lots more.  :-)

Two holes and a groove between for each sheave, yes.  Make the grooves shallower in the middle and deeper at the ends; you are simulating a round sheave.

They gave you more wood on the cathead so you could file it down to fit.

The deck nibbing I did one plank at a time as I laid the plank into place on the hull.  You were beyond that part so quickly I didn't mention it.  I used a laminated process for the most tightly curved part of the margin plank also, which you had gotten beyond.  You can just see the laminations in one of the pics.

There is a groove on the end of the cathead which is for the stopper when the anchor is fished and lashed to the bulwark.  Explanation if you want it.

There is an anchor lining, which I learned is almost universal, so much so that it is not mentioned usually.

Anchor rings are puddened, details in Lever, I believe.

[mikiek]

All good info.

 

I like the knee idea better than the wire.

I've been using the kit supplied cleats but don't care much for the preparation they require.

Glad to know I can file away on the catheads. I was getting concerned that my bulwarks had too much angle at the bow.

I'm struggling a bit cutting those grooves. Been trying an Exacto but I'm not getting the precision I need.

I looked up catting and fishing (Lever has a page for it too). I'm wondering how they got the cat block hooked to the anchor ring? Swing it around until it finally hooks? Send someone over the side?

The pix I see from Googling anchor linings kinda look like another slab of planks on top of the hull.

I can't make out what you used for the anchor ring and pudden.

[mikiek]

I think I am straight on the catheads now. It took a good bit of filing on the inside elbow to get the upper arm to extend at the proper angle. No pix for that as I still have to add the eyebolts, finish painting and install them.

 

The rest of the day was pretty grueling - fixing split rings to eyebolts, trimming, blackening and installing. These were for the carronade rigging on the starboard side. Also quite a few cleats. I'm trying to get all the close in bulwark parts in place before doing the carronade rigging because when the rigging is done, doing anything on the bulwark will be difficult. I am skipping the mooring cleats - as the historical ship most likely didn't have them.

 

Got to get back on my soapbox for the dividers again. I was raving about them back during hull planking. They were a tremendous time saver today. In placing all those eyebolts, I never made a single measurement. I just spread the dividers between points on the plans and then put the dividers at the same points on the model. Very quick. Very simple. Very consistent. I just hope the plans are right.

 

Pix are not real thrilling, just a snapshot of where I'm at. You may notice there are still some holes in the bulwark. These are for the eyebolts that hold the breech lines. Since the breech lines are seized to the eyebolts I don't want them in the bulwark now. I will do the seizing as part of the carronade rigging process and glue the eyebolts at that time.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 4, 2016 by mikiek

[jbshan]

Yes, somebody went over the side to hook in the cat block.

Yes, the anchor lining is just an extra layer of plank, sacrificial, to keep the anchor bills from scraping up the actual hull planks.  On ships with tumble home, it would be braced out to present a smooth surface.  To find the position, hold an anchor under the cathead and swing it up to where it will be when fished.  That arc is where you want the lining.

The end of the anchor shank has a hole.  Make a big ring for this, just like a ring bolt.  I wrapped line around the ring to make the puddening.  Lever and others call for a more elaborate building up of the line.  This is to keep the cable from chafing on the ring.

I have the breeching seized to ringbolts and on the guns.  You made a mockup 'battle station' and could use this to get the proper length for the breeching line so not to have to do all that while the guns are on the deck.

[mikiek]

Yes, somebody went over the side to hook in the cat block.

 

I have the breeching seized to ringbolts and on the guns.  You made a mockup 'battle station' and could use this to get the proper length for the breeching line so not to have to do all that while the guns are on the deck.

 

Really?!? A man over the side? I was halfway joking when I mentioned that.

 

I'm going to figure out the proper length for each piece of rope and cut them all at one time. I suppose I could cut the breech lines now but I think I could only seize one end and install that eyebolt. Before the other end can be seized the line needs to be reaved thru the breech ring at the back of the barrel.

[jbshan]

You wrote:  "Before the other end can be seized the line needs to be reaved thru the breech ring at the back of the barrel."

 

Yes.  Seize one end, pass through ring and do the other end using your mockup to determine the length.  When time comes, you will only need to stick the ring bolts in the holes you already have drilled in the bulwarks.

 

Looking for a good explanation of the cat hook process.  Ships had bridle ports right forward to allow better access for this process.

[jbshan]

John Harland, 'Seamanship in the Age of Sail', shows, on an iron-strapped block, a line trending forward from an eye on the strap, and another line also trending forward from the hook.  By manipulating these lines the block could be brought forward and the hook tipped up to engage the anchor ring.  If this failed, a man would be lowered either in 'hawse clearing breeches' or in a bowline.  A lot of that might be anachronistic for Niagara, but certainly a bowline could have been used.

[mikiek]

I should have thought about that book. It has just about everything else. Nelson's Navy also has a good segment on weighing anchor but only mentions guiding the cat block with lines.

 

I forget how much information those 2 books have.

 

I'll bet they send the "new guy" over the side

 

Thanks for chasing that down.

[6ohiocav]

Mike,

 

Perhaps you have already overcome this hurdle, but here are the photos of my hull and catheads.  It looks as if you had to make the same modifications to the hull rails that I did to make them sit right.

 

I cut my three slot sheaves all the way through and just placed a pin through the middle. I will not be adding any wheels. I made them out of cherry using the laser cut pattern.

[mikiek]

Two things I noticed while fixing the catheads:

 

1. The support knee extends a little too far outwards and actually covers some of the holes drilled for the sheaves.

 

2. With the Ch in place, all of a sudden you have to be a lot more careful about setting the hull down. You can't set it upside down anymore either. I imagine I will be breaking them a few times, kinda like the bulkhead timberheads before they were planked over.

[mikiek]

Finally something finished - or at least 1 of 2. The cathead assembly with anchors.

 

It's funny how some days you "got it" and some days you don't. I wasted an entire evening trying to make brass collars for the anchor stocks. For crying out loud, it's just a rectangle (4 corners) from brass strip. Couldn't make one if my life depended on it. Some not square. Some too big. Some too small. Right size but too much solder.  Next nite, cranked out all 8 in about an hour. Go figure.

 

Did a few basic rigging things - seizing, stropping hooks to blocks. Really makes me wonder if I have the patience for the real rigging job coming up. Maybe Niagara becomes an Admiralty style build

 

The research for this was interesting. How anchors are laid and taken in. I forgot about a couple of books I had on basic seamanship and life on board. Both had good write ups on anchors and dealing with them.  "Seamanship in the Age of Sail" - John Harland  and  "Nelson's Navy" - Brian Lavery.  I'm not sure I would call them "must haves" but I will say there is some fascinating information in both.

 

And on with the show:

 

Seizing a hook. I cheated here. Just glued the seizing cord to what will be the stropping rope, wrapped a few times and glued the other end.

 

 

I had always wondered where the triple block was used.

 

 

Anchor and cathead with cat block assembly

 

 

 

 

 

A few minor steps left. Wrap the anchor ring. Touch up the paint. Decide how to stow the anchor - the books show several different ways.

[cobra1951]

Nice neat work

[6ohiocav]

This looks great. It reminds me that I still have to make the knee and fit that in somehow. I will be definitely following your lead on the rigging.

[jbshan]

Mmmmm . . . I used paper for the bands on the stock.  ;-)

I made the stock in two pieces so if it became loose you could merely drive the bands further on to tighten it.

I don't recall a problem with the knee and sheaves, but make the end nice and curvy smooth.

Stowing- bring the tackle up tight, swing the anchor up and hook it over the rail.  There's a special section of rail just for that.  Look on the plans.

[mikiek]

Thanks everyone for the comments.

 

I have the extra bit of rail installed. I was missing a cleat behind it for lashing.

 

As far as stowing, I was trying to decide whether to leave the cable clinched or not. I suppose that a Captains call. I don't recall what the plans say about what to do with the cable that comes inboard thru the hawser. I would assume it goes below deck pretty quick but not sure where.

 

I have too much rope in the tackle, but that made me wonder how much is enough? If I understand the weighing process, the cable is being hauled in via the messenger and capstan. At this point the cable is going directly thru the hawser (cathead not involved)? When the ring breaks the water surface, it is doing so below the hawser, not the cathead. Catting then hooks the cat block to the ring. If yes, then the cat block needs to be able to extend to about water level in front of the hawser?

 

I may sound like I'm knit-picking but there is not a lot of space to put extra rope from the tackle. Plans say to belay rope to pins in cathead base but the pins are not long enough to wrap much rope. Will probably pull those and use some longer ones. Assuming the block is extended far enough to reach the ring, how much rope is required on the hauling end?

 

Is he overthinking this one?

[jbshan]

Yes, the cathook needs to reach to beneath the hawse hole.  It would not ordinarily stay hooked, there would be a stopper rope to take the weight of the anchor once it was fished.  I chose to show the port side hanging from the hook and starboard fished, the tackle hooked over the rail with the fall belayed inboard.  They wouldn't probably ever un-belay the cable, as Niagara was always 'in soundings'. On long deep sea voyages all the anchors would be either fished or stowed below and the cable would likewise all be in the cable tier, below.

Check Harland for details.

[mikiek]

Looking over the cathead rig again last nite, I have decided it needs a slightly larger hook and anchor ring. I came across some specs stating a 1st rate ship anchor block was approximately 26" wide and the hook was 20"-24". The anchor ring is supposed to be wrapped - canvas in real life, probably rope for modeling. This would be easier to do with a bigger ring.

 

I realize Niagara's were probably smaller than that but proportionally the hook should be almost the same size as the block width.  I used a 4mm PE hook. I think it needs to be a little beefier. I started making some hooks from wire last nite but have not yet come up with the right size yet. Will work on this more tonite.

 

 

I have not reviewed the general rigging plans in detail yet but I got to wondering how widespread the use of stropped hooks are in that application.

[mikiek]

And speaking of hawse pipes - how in the world does one drill those? I mean it's easy enough to find the spot to start from but how do you get the proper angle? Do you start from the inner bulwark and drill out or the outside and drill in? I'm guessing the former as it is more important where that hole is located. Obviously the outside hole needs to be lower than the inside.

 

I saw a pic somewhere that showed an actual lining for the hawse pipe. It was slats of wood run thru the hole with one flat side against the outer edge of the hole and the slats edge to edge in a circle. The slats were cut flush with the bulwark and hull. I haven't found anywhere on the plans where it mentions what to do after the hole is cut.

[6ohiocav]

Love the anchors and the rigging.  I AM also waiting to hear how the hell to drill the hole for the anchor cable. THAT JUST PLAIN SCARES ME.

[Don Quixote]

 

drill the hole for the anchor cable

Gotcha covered on this one. No matter WHAT you do it won't be worse than mine:) NEXT time I'm thinking something a lot faster and less aggressive. I'd really rather almost burn through it than rip through it with a drill bit.

 

Dremel?

[mikiek]

Plans call for a protective block on the waterway. There is a slight downward groove on that. I'm thinking if I cut that groove correctly it will be my guide to go on into the bulwark. I have interesting idea for a lining. I'll take a few pix when I get back to town.

 

Darrell, Mr Woodworker - what's the best speed for drilling a 1/8" hole into our side? Fast? Slow? Got a new Foredom a while back - it will go anywhere from barely turning to 15K rpm. I just don't want to splinter anything up. Especially when the bit comes out the hull.

[jbshan]

I used a smaller drill and pin vise and off set it to be on the center of the hole, not, for example, on the waterway or the bolster outboard.  Drill partway from each side, using the plans for a rough angle, then when the holes meet, go up in size and adjust the angles to meet.  If you can get a set of reamers, sort of hand-powered square drill bits, you can finish up with those and avoid tearing the wood.

Hawse holes were sometimes lined with sheet lead, made into a tube and extra left on the ends which was then slit and the ends folded back and nailed.  This is to protect from chafing and water getting inside the planking.  Think of lead flashing used on a roof, around a chimney or dormer.

[mikiek]

Once again, I try to make things so difficult. With those dividers I can get virtually the exact spot on both sides, which would not be the case if I drilled all the way thru. Hopefully there's nothing between the outside and inside.

 

The kit comes with what I thought could be a lining. It's a piece of metal tube maybe 1/8". One end of it is flared. problem is there is only 1. Last I checked there is an anchor on both sides.

 

I'm still trying to find the pic I saw that showed the wood slats as a liner. I have duplicated this, but don't yet have a hole to try it in.