USS Constitution by xken - Model Shipways - Scale 1:76.8

[scott larkins]

Truly magnificent work there.  I bow and your skills.

[xken]

Zoltan, I am not sure if there is a location to upload reference images. But if you have a particular area or detail please let me know and I can post them on your Santa Maria build. I notice that your ship has many similarities to this one.

Let me know what you need.

[JSGerson]

Ken, you might want to try wetransfer.com. For no cost, you can transfer 20 GB of files. You submit your files to the site. The site notifies the recipient so they can download. After 30 days the stored files will vanish from the site. It worked great when my sister had send me a bunch of stuff.

 

Jon

[xken]

Back from the NRG Conference and I think my presentation was well received as well as participation in the round tables. I had a chance to meet and see the work of many great ship builders and sold out of the books I took for sale. 

 

Getting back to work I continued on the canopy frames for the aft hatches and turned many stanchions, as well as, drilling them for their appropriate positions. Following is a series of pictures showing them being fabricated much as the same as the forward ones were made; of course no two were the same configuration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An overview of the hull so far.

 

Next I will add the step plates on the deck and frames as needed and then onto the masts.

[Tigersteve]

Impressive is the word that comes to mind. Awesome wood and metal work. You've obviously been at this hobby for a long time.

Steve

[xken]

Steve, years of model building, but just my second ship and still learning a great deal.

[Tigersteve]

Well the ship looks amazing. Your years of modeling really show. Many people are learning from you. Can you attach a link to your first ship build if you have it? I wish I started this hobby earlier!

Steve

[xken]

Steve, here you go, hopefully it works. I started with the small boats to get the feel of things and doing boat work. Enjoy! Any questions just ask.

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/10038-us-brig-niagara-by-xken-finished-model-shipways-scale-164/page-1

[Tigersteve]

I flipped through your Niagra build. Excellent work! I think this Constitution build is even outdoing that one. Both great builds. I wonder where you purchased the brass tubing. Sorry if you've answered this already in any of your posts. I am also wondering your thoughts on what your third ship build will be being that your current subject is very complex. Thanks for sharing the link.

Steve

[xken]

Steve, I usually order from:  http://www.specialshapes.com/

 

but plan ahead for your needs because they have a $20 minimum order.

As for the next subject ... nothing firm at this point but thinking of perhaps a scratch build.

Edited October 17, 2016 by xken

[xken]

Well back to working with wood and decided to build the main mast fighting top first as a guide for the others. These are almost a model in themselves. The plans and instructions are real sketchy on these and lack details discovered while looking at photos and a naval yard plan. I am still in the process of finding eyebolt locations on the bottom. Here is an "in progress" building sequence that I hope will benefit some who will follow.

 

First I discovered during the build that since I already built the masts with rings and mast caps that a trestle and cross block would have to not glued in place to allow assembly installation on the mast. Lesson learned and advice to others: hold off on adding rings and caps until fighting tops are installed.

 

 

 

Here is a sequence of making the thumb cleat with sheave.

 

 

 

 

Here is a test fit.

 

 

 

 

After taking the pictures I discovered that the swivel gun chocks needed to be extended to the rear corners. The extended ones are in the first picture. I will need to add the mounting holes for the swivel guns.

 

If anyone has images of what these guns should look like I would greatly appreciate an image so I could add them; these would be a nice little detail.

 

Back to being a detective and add some eyebolts to the bottom and build the guard rail. Once I have this one built I will use it as a guide for the other two.

 

 

[HIPEXEC]

Very nice work

[JSGerson]

Beautiful work. I sure hope my disc with pictures and plans arrives before you finish the tops.

 

When you get it, if you will check the folder under Photos, Masts, Fighting Tops you will find a bunch of photos taken from above as well as from below. Hopefully they will show you the eyebolts you are looking for.

 

The Navy Plans "masts,21162" folder has a sheet of plans (21162 - Tops for Masts) for the tops which shows eyebolts.There are also a couple of miscellaneous documents related to the tops in "mast" folder.

[xken]

Jon, not in the mail today, hopefully tomorrow. I may beat the US Mail and get the first top completed.

[xken]

Jon, I may be ahead of the US Mail. I moved on to the guard rail using 1/32" square stock as framing material to trap the netting material. First I made one then duplicated a second one. They were assembled on the steel block that the yellow glue would not stick too and once glue was set careful separation was done with the tip of an Xacto blade.

 

 

 

The netting was then sandwiched between the two frames that were glued together and excess netting and framing trimmed away. The caps were added and trimmed. Here is a test fit into the primed top. Also the inside radii were added to the top which were not noted on the plans.

 

 

Here is the finished top ready for deadeyes and a pattern to build the next two. I still need to find the locations for the swivel guns and images of the guns themselves. Perhaps once the deadeyes are in place the locations may be more obvious.

 

 

On to building the other two and add deadeyes in the meantime.

 

 

[JSGerson]

Sorry it's taking so long to reach you.

 

I thought about attaching the netting on my Rattlesnake at the same time you are now but a lot of other builds I was watching elected not to. They were afraid the netting would interfere or get damaged during the rigging process. Of course using the method you are using, you would have to do it now unless you can attached the rails later. My netting is going to to be laced on using a thread to wrap around the railing and stanchions and through the netting. . Once I finish adding my rope coils to the pin rails and cleats, that's next. At least that's the plan.

 

BTW, what method did you use to add those fine "rivets" to the tops?

 

Jon

Edited October 22, 2016 by JSGerson

[xken]

Jon, they are .020" rod dipped in CA and inserted into drilled holes then cut off and the tops filed square.

 

Nothing in the mail today; that turtle must have stopped off for a cold one. 

[JSGerson]

Here are some of the pictures I had hoped you would of received full size by now

 

Jon

Edited October 22, 2016 by JSGerson

[xken]

Jon, thanks they look great and show that I am headed in the right direction. Sometimes it is fun being a detective trying to sort out what the plans and instructions have left out. 

[xken]

Jon, the turtle finally arrived! Thanks! Here are some pictures of the rivets you had a question on earlier.

 

 

 

Then there were three.... I still need to add the guard rails and thumb sheaves to the fore mast and mizzen mast tops. Then onto the deadeyes.

 

[JSGerson]

Those tops look great! How did you create the half bands on the lower part portion of the masts and what did you use for the bands in the square upper part? I'm trying to gleam all the detail I can for when I start my build.

 

Just realized, I hope you didn't glue the caps on, they need to be removed to add the second step masts!

 

Thanks 

 

Jon

Edited October 27, 2016 by JSGerson

[xken]

Jon, yes I realized that I should not have glued them either while I was building the tops. If I cannot feed the second step up through the lower holes I will cut and peg the caps. Another lesson learned and warning for others.

 

The half bands and square bands are brass strips explained earlier in this build if you look back.

[JSGerson]

Sorry for the redundant question on the masts. You've accomplished so much in such a short time I had forgotten that you did describe how the masts were assembled back in April. I had to go back through your log to refresh my memory. Thanks for being patient with me.

 

Jon

[xken]

My son who I am building this ship for is coming to visit with our twin 5 month old grandsons this Saturday; so I have decided to build up the main mast so they can get a feel for the overall size it will be. 

 

I had glued the caps in place on the masts which I probably should have not done, so a lesson learned. However, the top masts can be inserted up through the bottom of the fighting top and pressed into place.

 

I could not find on the plans the dimensions for the lower square or diameters needed for the top masts or gallant masts for the dowels to start with. Taking dimensions off the plans did not make sense. I have learned over the years in doing my own plans that when reproduced as much as 5% shrinkage can occur which is why I provide on my plans a 1 inch reference square so the printing/copying machines can be adjusted for an accurate reproduction. So I measured the holes in the fighting top and cap that the top mast was to index into and through to get the starting dimensions and the dowel size needed.

 

I started with the top mast and carved the hexagon once the 7/16" dowel (this size was not in the kit so purchased) was cut to length and taper shaped using both small plane and scraping. While cutting the hexagon I realized that there was an easier way by starting with a square pinned into the dowel. I used this idea for the top gallant and it work much easier and more accurate than carving the dowel directly. The joint will be painted over with the white paint.

 

Here is an "in progress" sequence showing the above. 

 

 

 

 

 

Now back to the main mast.

 

[6ohiocav]

Ken,

 

I like your idea of sectioning your masts allowing you to file the octagon sections from a square stock. Making such cuts on a round dowel is always undersized and does not look good. I started all of my masts from square stock, marked off the octagon section and turned the rest on the lathe. The octagon section was filed by hand.  I am lucky to have an indexing pin on my lathe that allows me to make fractional turns of the stock and holds it in place. I then simply file the very top, then turn it 45 degrees, set it and file the top again.  It made good looking octagons. I posted some photos in my log.

 

Your tops look marvelous. Gluing the caps on may impede your ability to get the throat collars from the shrouds over the mast head requiring you to tie them on the mast. I just went through that mental exercise.

 

By the way, how big is this ship going to be?

[xken]

Darrel, yes after I was working on the tops I realized that I probably should not have glue the caps on. But as I mentioned to Jon what I will do is a surgical saw cut just below the cap using a 0000 Jeweler's saw blade; but before sawing it I will drill a 1/16" hole down from the top of the cap for realignment with a dowel pin once the shrouds are attached.

 

One of the joys of being new to ship building and learning as you build. I am still sorting things out.

 

The size on the box says: "Length-48 inches; height-32" and 16" at the hull. Scale 5/32" = 1 ft."

[xken]

Main mast standing tall at 32" high. I have been busy with details on this mast using the Navy Yard drawings for details not clearly explained on the plans. Just a note on the drawings that I noticed was the indication of the rope lead ins where the sheave slots are located. These are the oval shapes on the drawings.

 

Here is the mast test fitted.

 

 

Following are a series of mast details that were added after the main mast portions were tapered to size.

 

 

 

 

 

Note that there are larger sheaves that are at the base of the masts.

 

 

 

Now onto the foremast.

[usedtosail]

Beautiful sheaves, Ken. Those masts are really tall!

[scott larkins]

Nice

[xken]

Tom, yes they are and yours will be just as tall when you get to them. I have found the kit supplied dowels a bit of a challenge to work with when shaving with my small plane with one side splintering out instead of cutting even using the sliding motion of the plane. Forget even trying to turn on the lathe. I found that I had to rough cut close and then finish tapering by using my hand held T sanding board and 150 grit dry sandpaper to final shape. Then smooth sand with fine lady finger nail files from the local drug store.

 

Will be taking inventory of the yard needs and may purchase new ones for them.

 

Anybody else have this issue?