HMS Naiad 1797 by GDM67 - 1:60 - using Ed Tosti Books

[GDM67]

Hi All,  I am new to the forum.  I am very active on another forum, but decided to join here after meeting so many wonderful people at the NRG Conference in Mystic this past fall.  While at the confernece, I stumbled upon Ed Tosti's masterpiece, The Naiad Frigate,Vol 1 & 2 from SeaWatch Books.  I bought them and devoured them.  There is so much great information in these books for all levels of modelers. In addition to the books, Ed's log and that of Albert will come in handy as I progress.

 

As for me, I consider myself a new intermediate modeler and welcome all constructive comments. I just finished a kitbashed POB Rattlesnake and am starting the rigging to a POF US Brig Eagle scratch build.  I was not planning to start the Naiad so soon, but here it is...

 

Since I do all of my modeling while standing in the garage, I built the building board at about 42" height.  I plan to use it for more projects after this, so the construction is very solid, using kiln dried pine 1x4 and melamine.  I also put in some trays so my tools wont end up on top (thats the theory...)  It has the T-Tracks as specified in the book.  I opted for a laminated copy of the builidng plan, since my first attempt at a spray adhesive for gluing the plans down didnt look so good.  The laminated plan was less expensive than the glue.  And, I like the results much more. 

 

You will note the gantry and uprights are made from Padauk. I had some laying around so decided to use it.  They are also glued, screwed, and pinned.  I am planning for a long life and a life time of use...

 

The stern and stem holders are made from simple kiln dried pine and are also glued and screwed. I scored the center line to ensure that everything lines up (or so I hope...)

 

I made multiple sets of clamps from Boxwood and 6-32 brass screws and thumb bolts.  These were fun to make and really come in handy.  I like them better than the small colored clips since you can adjust the pressure.  Also shown is my version of the framing jib.  I made a double jig as shown.

 

In my next installment, I will share my work on the stem, knee of the head and keel.  All are coming along nicely.

 

Thank you, Gary 

Edited June 30, 2016 by GDM67

[S.Coleman]

Welcome! The building slip looks great. Well engineered. Best of luck. Looking forward to what's up ahead.

[mtaylor]

Hi Gary,

 

 

 

I think I'll follow along.... 

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Welcome to MSW. I will follow your log with interest.

[wyz]

Welcome to MSW Gary. That's quite a building board you have for the project.  Something tells me this will be a fun build to follow, so let me pull up a chair.  Be prepared for a full house; a lot of onlookers.  Mark has the popcorn.  Should I bring the beer? Chilli? Chips & dip? Dancing girls? ......

 

Tom

[gjdale]

Nice start Gary, think I'll pull up a front row seat for this one too!

[ianmajor]

Gary,

 

I will follow your progress with great interest.

 

As well as the books and his log I think you will find Ed himself to be very supportive and helpful.

[Canute]

Gary, I'll join in on this build, too. Nice building slip there.

[EdT]

Look's like you are all set to go, Gary.  All the best with the project.  I look forward to following it.  thanks for posting.

 

Ed

[Mahuna]

Looks like a great start, Gary.  I'll be following along.

[GDM67]

Hi All,

Thank you for the kind words and warm welcome.  Very motivating.

 

You may note that in my last post of the gantry, I double laminated the crossmember,  this was to mitigate any twisting, which did happen with my first attempt. 

 

I will be building the Naiad from Swiss Pear, West Indian Boxwood, and Holly, all purchased as billets from Dave at D'Lumberyard.  I really enjoy milling my own stock and allow for a few hundredths of extra thickness for fine tuning and sanding.  The false keel will be ebonized swiss pear. I really dislike working with ebony for a variety of reasons.

 

Below is a photo of my calipers as suggested in Ed's book.  I made these of Babinga.  Next time, I would do without the Shellac and would center the screw and sleeve clamp.

 

 

I have been working on the model for the past few weeks and came across a significant pitfalls that I will share:

Scale of pattern sheets - I printed out the pattern sheets from the disk, but neglected to scale the prints to "full size".  This error was not detected until I built the full stem, and beak!  Oh well, back to the drawing board I went.  While it was only off by a smidge on each part, the cumulative affect was significant.  I then read Ed's log and sure enough, he addresses the issue there.

 

Here are the patterns for the stem, cut out and ready for fitting.

 

 

 

You will note that in this second photo above, I glued up the box joint where the stem meets the keel.  In my first attempt, I got this angle wrong.  I decided to do it earlier than suggested by the practicum so that I could better tie the whole thing together.  This is probably one of the most critical angles/relationships in the ships structure.

 

Below is a close up of the box joint.

 

 

 

More to come.  Thanks again for the warm welcome. Gary

 

 

 

 

[dvm27]

Looking great, Gary. You 're obviously very comfortable working with wood.

 

The scarph joint between your upper and lower apron appears to be S-shaped on your mock-up. I believe the actual scarph joint consists of three flat surfaces, much like the upper apron, but much shorter.   

[albert]

Hi Gary, great start.

[GDM67]

Again, thank you for all the great comments and support.  I appreciate all the "follows" and look forward to the popcorn and beer!

Greg- good eye on the "S-curve" of my lower apron, I hadnt noticed this.  Although the glue-up has already happened, it wont show in the final product.  I appreciate the comment and will be sure to incorporate it into my next ship.

 

As for my log - Since EdT and Albert have done such an outstanding job narrating thier logs, not to mention Ed's books, my plan here is to focus more on techniques and sequences not already illustrated.  No sense talking about measurements, since that stuff is already well documented.

 

Below is the lower apron/stem/keel all glued up and ready for final sanding, which will not take place until further down the road.

 

The knee of the head has not been glued in yet.  I still need to taper it as well as cut the gammoning slot.  I am waiting for my new micromark mini drill press that Santa is putting under the tree, courtesy of my wonderful Admiral.  I opted for boxwood on my false keel and did not ebonize it.  I just liked the look.  I used ebony on my Rattlesnake and was looking for something a little different. I also prefer natural woods as opposed to paint. 

 

While I want to be historically accurate (and this build allows that), I am not a strict purist in the sense and will carefully defer to artistic license at times. 

 

 

Over the weekend, I plan to install rising wood, the bollard timbers, taper and install the beak, cut the rabbet, and construct the stern deadwood.  Yes, I am goal oriented...

 

Happy Holidays!

 

G

Edited December 23, 2015 by GDM67

[aviaamator]

I lay black paper between the parts, here's what happens:

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Be careful with black paper. I've the exerience that the gluing is not stable. The problem is that paper has different layers and the wood glue will not go through all. I prefer black pulp, which I found in an hobby store. It has only one layer.

[giampieroricci]

Hallo Gary!

I will follow with great interest your work: my next site will be just the Naiad of which I'm already studying the excellent monograph of EdT!

[aviaamator]

If our city were hobby shops...

[GDM67]

Stern Deadwood -

 

I spent the weekend working on the Stern Deadwood. This was a bit of a challenge because I was having trouble visualizing how it should look when complete.  I actually made the piece twice! There are many angles that I needed to take into account - specifically, how the planking would flow into the rabbets as well as the keel.

 

The Naiad is my fifth ship and the first ship that I used calipers on.  In the past, I was content with just using a ruler to identify 1/4 stock, but with my calipers, I get it down to the hundredths.  I find it very enjoyable to be this precise and it only takes a little extra effort in diligence to up your game. It has for me.

 

Stern Deadwood glued up.  I wetted it down for the photo to show the joint detail.  Most of which will not show in the final product, but hey, I love god and will build some detail for him!  Still to be added are the inner post as well as the stern post.  I will then cut the keel to size.  Important to remember is to keep the correct angle of the keel when trimming.  Also, there is a cumulative affect when using the pattern sheets.  The glue joints, will increase the overall size of the piece, so some subtle trimming is necessary when finished.  Double and triple check the angle of the keel and stern post. This is another critical angle of the ship.

 

Pattern sheet installed on both sides of stern deadwood in preparation for cutting in of the bearding line.   I scored this line with a #11 blade, making multiple cuts, each deeper into the wood. This allows for a break line when chiseling out the bearding.

 

A couple of examples of using the calipers to measure center as well as the depth of cut for the bearding. I used a compass to mark the material needed for removal.

 

As I type this, my fingers ache.  I spent the better part of four hours cleaning this bearding line up, using a variety of tools, mostly a small chisel, razor blade for scraping and a small file.

 

When it was all done, the notching of the stern deadwood was exactly the 14 1/2" as required.  Well worth the time and effort!

 

A couple of shots of the near finished stern deadwood.  I still need to cut the rabbet into the stem post as well as glue the assembly onto the keel. It is just set in here.

 

A few interesting details:  Make sure the inner post is notched for the transoms with an angle parallel to the keel and not the piece itself.  Even though this was written in the book, I did it wrong on my first attempt.  Also, as mentioned, the aft rabbet will extend past the inner post and notch into the stern post.  It will be flat below the transom and a "v" angle at the area of the transoms.

 

More to come next week.

 

Thanks, Gary

Edited December 28, 2015 by GDM67

[Mike Y]

This is a very professional building board, for sure!

[AON]

love the photos, details, locking cams for chiseling/shaping the deadwood, etc...

[albert]

Hi Gary, beautiful work.

[druxey]

Building a model as the original ship was built is a learning process, for sure!

[GDM67]

Thanks for the kudos, guys! I really appreciate them.

 

Alan - the locking cam idea is EdT's from the Naiad book.  There are so many of these golden nuggets in this book.  I will keep the details coming as I go along, with an emphasis on highlight those not already covered by Ed and Albert.  BTW, I reallly like your log on building a modeling table.  I will use some of those ideas this spring as I revamp my shop for more efficiency. 

 

All the best!  Gary

Edited December 29, 2015 by GDM67

[robnbill]

Gary, this is going to be a fantastic build! I have pushed my way up to the front to watch this one.

[Jack12477]

Gary, I'll be following along also.

[GDM67]

Stem - Keel - Stern:

 

Progress is slow and steady on the Naiad.  The entire backbone of the ship is all glued up and sits on the shipway, ready for the finishing touches before framing begins.

 

The Stem and Head of Knee all ready.  I cut the gammoning slot using a small drill bit to puch out successive holes and then cleaned it up with a file.  If I were to do this again, I would cut the gammoning slot before tapering the piece!  I had to angle the part so the slot would be perpendicular to the piece when fayed to the stem.  Also, if you are temped to not make the jig for tapering the knee of the head as outlined in the book (as I was), then you run the risk of having a bent nose to your ship (trust me on this and learn from my badly chosen shortcut).  I was able to correct the "bent nose", but the part could have been perfect, not just very good...

 

I still need to cut the rabbet as well as install the copper nails.  I ordered some antique copper wire in 22 and 24ga. for this purpose and will show it once it arrives.

 

I am very happy with the stern deadwood structure. A simple structure that was tricky to make due to all the angles.  In the end, just study how this should look on the real ship and then execute.  Its all very logical once studied.

 

This is how she sits on the slipway.  I am very pleased with the results.  There is a subtle taper fore and aft on the keel structure that I have never inclued in my previous models.  This is a really nice touch and is a result of precise plans and research by EdT.  My hat is off to him again for creating such a wonderful monograph.

 

I will be switching back to my US Brig Eagle to start the masting, and will start a log on that here next week.

All the best, Gary

 

[GDM67]

Work continues on the keel detail.  I have to admit that I was a bit concerned about scrapping the rabbet into the keel.  I have always done this with a #11 blade and some files.  But no more!  It took about ten minutes to fashion a scraper using the pattern from the book and in another 20 minutes, I had perfect a perfect keel rabbet on both sides!  I just started with very light scrapes, never getting gready and it all worked out fine.

 

  The scraper in the photo was made by using an old saw blade for an exacto knife.

 

I ordered some copper wire for $7.  The info is on the photo. I then installed the wire, pulling it first to anneal it and dipped in CA.  I think the 22ga wire used a #71 drill bit.  I drilled the holes using my new Microlux press that Santa brought.  Yes, the bolts are too close together, not sure where my head was at the time, so if  you are copying my work, please refer to the book for proper spacing.  I will live with this error...

 

 

Now for the fun stuff! 

Below are the Bollard timbers as well as the hawse pieces.  I have made four sets of Bollard timbers as a result of not being able to get the proper angle at the foot.  I have scratched my head about this for many hours.  And have come up with a plan that I will execute this weekend. 

 

 

Here are the short timbers that attach to the Bollards. It is absolutely essential to get the right angle in all directions here.  Small variations will translate into bigger headaches down the road.

 

 

In efforts to get the angles right, I have done the following:

1. Ensure the bollard timber foot angle is 34.5 degrees. Dont just rely on your grinder for this angle.  Prefit the bollard along with the short under timber and work with the shipway drawing to see that everything lines up.
2. Ensure the bollard foot is perpendicular to the keel - this should be intuitive, but was not for me!  This will allow the first short timber (as noted above) to lay up against it and remain perpendicular to the keel.  Otherwise, this timber will lay over slightly and every piece thereafter will do the same.
3. I made a template jig that clamps the template square so that I can prefit all these pieces.  I really like this jig.  I am going to put removable arms on it that will clamp to the t-track so that it wont move when I fit pieces.  This build makes great use of templates, so the investment in time is well worth it, and its also fun to make new tools.  I will take a few more pictures of the jig and post more detail in my next post.
4. Once the angle is correct, I will glue the bollard and then finish scraping the stem rabbet.  There is some further detail work to be done on the keel before I start attaching the frames. 

  The foot of the template should be lined up with that on the shipway.  It is not in this photo...

 

Refelction:

 

As I build this ship, I am really changing the way I look at modeling.  While not a fast modeler in the past, I was always looking forward to the next build or piece.  Now that I am five ships in, I have decided to strive for higher quality and fewer ships.  I keep all my work (my kids will get them some day...). This build incorporates modeling skill, perserverance, education, math, puzzle building, ship building, ship design and obsession all into one. 

 

I hope to share the bollard timber results after the weekend.

Best, Gary

Edited January 21, 2016 by GDM67

[markjay]

This is really going to be an exciting build to watch. I'm pulling up a chair as well...

[EdT]

Looking good, Gary.

 

Ed