HMC Sherbourne by Jörgen - Caldercraft - 1:64

[Jörgen]

Hello all

 

Now is the time to start my second build log since I have finished the Americas Cup Endeavour. I am more interested in warships of the age of sails so it feels natural to build Sherbourne as a second kit. The ship is not so big but still has all features of a period ship. The main purpose of this build is to learn as many skills as possible so I can not tell how the finished model will look like. I will scratch and replace many parts in the kit just to learn how to do it. The model will be of darker but better walnut than supplied in the kit. I bought it in a local hobby shop here in Helsingborg and I think it is Amati's replacement wood.

As sources for the build I will use AOTS Alert, Rigging period for and after craft and other books that I find fits. I will also pick ideas from Chucks cutter Cheerful and of course from the very nice Sherbournes by Gregor, Dirk, Tony and Kester. I hope you don't mind I follow some of your ideas .

 

Ps, Some of the pictures are to small. You will see the full photos if you click (open) on them.  

Edited July 5, 2016 by Jörgen

[Jörgen]

These are the first pictures and they show the basic build. Holes for brass stands has been drilled out and two nuts are glued in with epoxi. The planking is not the best and I have sanded to much so some amount of filler were necessary (especially on the middle) to get the right smooth form. It is probably my fault but I agree with Chuck when he wrote in the buildlog for Cheerful that Sherbourne needed more bulkheads. But I think the final result is accetable

 

(some of the photos are in wrong order...)

Edited July 5, 2016 by Jörgen

[Jörgen]

I got this as a present when I get 40 some weeks ago and I tested it directly

Edited July 4, 2016 by Jörgen

[Jörgen]

Now I could start to build:) The keel and bow are replaced with scratch build pieces. (The kit keel was to short....) I have follow the pattern found in  AOTS Alert but redone it a little. I also experiment with dowels and I use the supplied Walnut for it since it is a little brighter than my Walnut. I use 0.8mm drill for the dowels in the bow to strengthen it but I think I will use 0,5 mm on second planking. Don't know if that is the right measurement on real dowels. To get the black line so is wood glue mixed with black pigment used. Maybe I will change to black pencil later. I think the result is ok fort the first scratch built part I have done .

 

Click on last photo to see the keel and bow togheter.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Jörgen

[Jörgen]

The scratch keel and bow is glued to the ship. I followed Chucks instructions for Cheerful and added a smaller strip as rabbet. The holes for forestay deadeye lanyards are also drilled out.

[tkay11]

Great to have another Sherbourne! I really like the approach you are taking and will follow with great interest. All these various builds (including Chuck's Cheerful) have shown an evolution in the way these cutters are approached.

 

By the way, I was at first puzzled by your post #4 where you say "I also excrement with dowels". It took me just a little time to realise you meant 'experiment with dowels'. I am sure most other readers will understand immediately, but thought I'd point it out just in case others puzzle over it as well.

 

Tony

[Jörgen]

Thank you Tony. You have loot of good ideas on your Sherbourne that I might copy. Will see .

 

I have changed the word in post#4. Quite embarrassing....  The automatic spelling program plays it own games sometimes..and ofc my English is not the best.

Edited July 5, 2016 by Jörgen

[Jörgen]

Small update. Cutting out some parts for the stern with the milling machine and drilled holes for stand screws. The milling machine is so fun to work with .

 

Also received the first delivery of the next long time project and the parts looks very good.

 

I will have a pause in the workshop for some weeks since we are traveling to my wife's parents in Russia. 3 hours flight and 18 hours by train...... I have time to figure out how to make the stern on Sherbourne. Maybe do as on Cheerful?

 

Have a nice summer!

Edited July 7, 2016 by Jörgen

[Jörgen]

Hello all.

 

Have been a slow start for me since the summer holidays. But here is an update on how far I am at the moment.

The red is the paint I mixed together with Vallejo colours. It is not bright red but I really like it since it looks old and used.

 

I started with the top plank as a guide (just carefully glued it on so I could move it later) and then attached the others. The two lowest on each side are the planks under the whale and these will be covered later.

 

I really looking forward to how this wood will be when pure tung oil is added

 

Ps. I can say that I don't like the pre-cut plywood parts for the gun openings, they make more mess than they are helpful. Also it adds to more plywood edges that needs to be covered (I just hate to have visible plywood on a model).      

 

 

[donrobinson]

That's looking like a real nice start

[puckotred]

Very nice planking!!!

[tkay11]

Nice to hear you're back on the Sherbourne, Jörgen

, while you have a respite from Vasa fever. Looking forward to the descriptions of progress!

Tony

[Jörgen]

Don't worry Tony  I must build Sherborne first since there is a lot of skills I want to learn and use on vasa. But sometimes it is low progress since I like to build plastic kits also. And then ofc the life with 3 girls at home. Wife, and two small at 2.5 and 5 years old. That take some time also...

I am about to cut out the gun ports and I will post a update when they are finished.

 

[tkay11]

Life must come first, Jörgen! It certainly does with me. Like this morning, preparing for a pleasant day with the Triton, but suddenly asked to take care of grandchildren. It's no contest!

 

Tony

[Jörgen]

I totally agree with you😊. It is actually quite interesting about these "free spots" where you can sit down and build. I have mine on working evenings when the children are sleeping or on Saturday, Sunday mornings (2h) when the children are at Russian school or in Russian church (my wife are from Russia and it is  important for us that they speak Russian as a mother language and get the culture from there).

However, the interesting thing is the question I always got on work and that is "how do you have time over to sit down and build?"

The anwere is easy. I very seldom just sit down and look at that thing that is called TV screen.... Some of the people that ask are in same family situation as me but they "burn" there free time in front of Netflix and etc....

[tkay11]

The choice re the tv is easy. There's very rarely anything of interest to see on it. And even if there is, I don't mind if I miss it. But we do have one at home. Our grandchildren watch it in small doses, and in fact I think TV for kids now plays the same role for the imagination as comics used to do for me when I was a kid. But as for me, I haven't read a comic since childhood.

 

Tony

[Jörgen]

Hello again

 

Have started my Sherbourne again after some time. Now I have a question about the shape of the gun ports. Shouldn't the gun ports follow the lines I have put in the photo instead of be square to the upper rail? I have already cut them open so if I must change, they have to be little bit bigger. 

I thinking of use covers for the gun ports, but if I change the form, can they still be operated if the opening is a diamond form?

 

And also the tree nailing. Shouldn't they also follow the line (90 degrees from the keel)?

 

 

[tkay11]

As you'll have seen from the other Sherbourne builds, the gunports and their heights have always been a problem. Others more knowledgeable may guide you here, but I think that ideally the gunport bottom edge should follow the line of the deck and be of sufficient height so that the maximum and minimum elevations of the gun barrel are not impeded. Some have re-shaped the gunports simply by planking over the bulwark and cutting them out afresh. The ports tend to become more diamond shaped as the rake of the deck increases toward the bow. I think you'll have to work out your own particular solution. It's worth looking at the builds of Kester (Stockholm Tar), Dirk (Dubz) and Gregor, who also have a full discussion about the gunport covers.

 

As for treenailing, they should follow the frame positions and the plank positioning which allows for correct butt placement. You'll see the frame positions (which run vertical to the keel) on the original plans -- again which you'll see on Dirk's and Gregor's build. For planking and how to position the planks, see the tutorials in the resources section on the forum. However, if you're going to paint the hull, you won't need treenailing to be shown.

 

Tony

[Jörgen]

Yes, have checked there logs (and will use many ideas there) . When I lock at the original drawing (the bad one on internet..) so feel I that the outer shape and planking on my kit looks correct, but it seems that the deck positioning on the Sherbourne kit is wrong (too low at the bow) and it is this that cause the height problem of the gun ports. 

Chucks Cheerful has the diamond shaped ports and that was what I paid attention to yesterday so I started to think.... If the ports are not diamond shaped so will the tree nailing look weird around the ports since the frames are vertical. It will be tree nailing on the hull and no paint. I will only use red (inner planking) and black (on the whale and upper rail) paint on this model. I will use Chucks instructions on the hull planking. Preparing for it at the moment.

     

[Jörgen]

I forgot to mention this. My gun ports are in higher positioning than the ones in the pre-cut plywood. When I had planked the outer side I used the top of the planks to positioning the gun ports. In this case they follow the natural bending of the outer sides planking. And it is this bending I mean the deck also should follow.

[Jörgen]

Tony,  tonight I found the long and interesting discussion about Gun port lids on Sherbourne (actually by accident on google..) you and others had some years ago. really interesting.

This evening  i reshaped one of the gun port openings to diamond form with the sides 90 degrees to the keel (the right gun port). For me it looks much better so I will go for it. This will also apply to the small square sweep holes. I will also most probably use lids for the gun ports and this is because I like it and I want to learn to do it before Vasa. I will also do covers for the sweep holes because it feels wrong to have gun port lids when there is other openings without covers. For this I will use AOTS Granado as a guide. 

 

I also manage to start to work at the stern. I used the milling machine to redo the stern frames in massive Walnut. I just can't stand plywood were the edges are visual..even if it will be painted. I think to put in 1 tree nail in each of the center ones just to make them stronger. I must be crazy but I really find it relaxing to do tree nails with my draw plate......  

 

Sorry about the light in the photos. I have two working stations with two different lamps. The white lamps make the photos boring with no color and the yellow lamps gives too much color....must try to find a way to make this better. 

 

I also attach one photo on my building place if anyone is interested. 

 

 

 

 

[tkay11]

Very good choice! And excellent work into the bargain!

 

Tony

[Shiphile]

I have this kit.  Am following your build.

I also have the Cheerful as well.

I have always been enamored with the lines of the Cutter hull and the tough little fighters they were.

Looking forward to more of your build.

Cheers Rick

[Jörgen]

You are welcome Rick.  I think my kit will be a hybrid between Sherbourne and Cheerful since I actually more follow Cheerful instructions. Maybe I name the ship just as "Cutter".

[Jörgen]

Hello, here is another update. After have make the decision how to make the gun port openings I had to make straight lines 90 degrees to the keel. I put up this simple "jig" to do it and I am happy with the result.

 

  

 

I followed the drawings in AOTS Alert to ger the spacing between the frames and this was 10 mm. I manage to get a nice spacing in total from the bow to the stern. I then reshaped the portholes and I am very happy with the result. For me the holes now just feels better. They are slightly bigger but later there will be sills in them. Here is the photos of it.

 

 

 

After this I tried some tree nailing and realized how big job this will be.... The holes are drilled with 0.5 mm drill and the tree plugs are done with the 22 hole in Byrnes Draw plate (have never understand these odd measurements  ). The material for the tree plugg is the planking material that was supplied with the kit. I am more than happy with the result and the colors match each other. Here is the result with some tung oil added.     

 

 

 

This was all for now because I really need to go to bed. This change of time to summer time last night has make me to a zombie...

[tkay11]

Now I'm jealous! Lovely work again!

 

Tony

[S.Coleman]

Hey those treenails have come out brilliant. Good work. Only another 1000 to go.........

[BenD]

You're making me wish I did treenailing! Nice work.

[Jörgen]

Hello again. I had the idea of a bigger update on the tree nailing and other things but I need to make a short update and ask you all about your opinion. Is the transom to small? I don't really follow the Sherbourne plans and I want the stern to be more like Cutter Cheerful. I will use smaller letters (2.5mm) so they will fit. For me I like the look from the side and the inside but I am worried the transom look to small from behind. What do you think?

 

 

 

[tkay11]

I think it's entirely up to you. The original NMM plans of the Sherbourne/Sherborn seem to suggest the transom is both raised above the rail and wider (overlapping) so most people have gone with a form that shows that, with or without a rail on top or on the top and sides.

 

Have a look at all the various pictures and models of cutters. There's so much variability that you have a lot to choose from.

 

Here's the link to the pictures I took at the National Maritime Museum at Chatham. There are also hundreds of pictures and several models if you look at the NMM website. I think Chuck also has links to cutter models in the US museums, or should we say musea? (I've forgotten my Latin).

 

Tony