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Galley Washington by Mike40 - 1:48 - POFl


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The galley Washington will be my very first ship model build. I decided to start with a scratch model as I know I will enjoy making everything myself. I'm sure there will be a lot trying and failing, but that's part of the learning process, and It will just make it a little more challenging.

 

I bought the NRG plans and they are very thorough and nicely done. I would have preferred the frames to have been shown as parts rather than drawn as complete to save making so many copies for the patterns, but it's no big deal and I am quite happy with them. I downloaded the excellent free practicum to guide me through the build and also the material list. I had some planks of basswood) that I use for figure carving and so I decided to use those for my main building material. I have some other species for trim, wales, etc. I have gotten all the materials dimensioned and sanded, so I am ready to go.

 

So far I have made the keel, bow, and stern and mounted the construction on a building board. I followed the practicum for the building board set-up. It was great to learn that the work was very enjoyable and with the  added advantage that I can do most of it while sitting down, which is an advantage at my age. I hope to start with the first frames tomorrow. 

 

You might notice my first mistake in my progress photos below. I extended the rabbet all the way to the to the back of the stern post instead of stopping it where the stern post meats the deadwood. Luckily I can fix this, so I don't have to do the whole keel over again!

 

Any comments, including criticism, are very welcome. I would also like to point out that the POF build logs you folks have posted have been a great help to get me started, including the several wonderful Washington build logs. I wouldn't have tried ship modeling if it weren't for the massive amount of know-how available on this site.

 

 

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Edited by Mike40

Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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You are a lot more ambitious with your first build than I was.  Good luck and I'll be following along, even if I won't have much (or any) advice since I'm still learning in the world of kits for now.

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Thanks for your comments Brian and Joe. My next post will include more detail. I was so focused on just getting the keel, stern and bow together that I forgot to take photos along the way. I'm looking forward to starting on the frames today, so hopefully I will have some more progress to show soon. It will take me awhile to get the hang of posting a better log. 

Edited by Mike40

Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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Thanks Albert. I will have to get a lot more experience before I can satisfy myself, especially after seeing all the very skilled detail work done by yourself and others on this site, but it helps to know what kind of quality I am dreaming about. I may never get there, but I will enjoy the journey!

Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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You have a nice start.  Don't worry about mistakes and redo's. If at the end, your scrap bin does not outweigh the boat, you did something wrong.

 

Bob

Every build is a learning experience.

 

Current build:  SS_ Mariefred

 

Completed builds:  US Coast Guard Pequot   Friendship-sloop,  Schooner Lettie-G.-Howard,   Spray,   Grand-Banks-dory

                                                a gaff rigged yawl,  HOGA (YT-146),  Int'l Dragon Class II,   Two Edwardian Launches 

 

In the Gallery:   Catboat,   International-Dragon-Class,   Spray

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Thanks Bob. As an old woodworker I am very happy that I will no longer have to deal with all the 1:1 scale cut-offs I have always created along with my projects. I'm anticipating having to redo a lot of work, especially on this first model. I don't mind, it's all part of the learning process and otherwise doing the work as good as I'm capable.  :)

Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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The only thing that's going to change is the scale of the cut-offs that you will be saving.  It's amazing how many will wind up being used someplace on some model.  Will be watching.

Thanks,

Kurt

Kurt Van Dahm

Director

NAUTICAL RESEARCH GUILD

www.thenrg.org

SAY NO TO PIRACY. SUPPORT ORIGINAL IDEAS AND MANUFACTURERS

CLUBS

Nautical Research & Model Ship Society of Chicago

Midwest Model Shipwrights

North Shore Deadeyes

The Society of Model Shipwrights

Butch O'Hare - IPMS

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Yes Kurt, after all the milling work I had to do to get my materials ready for the build I will surely be saving even the smallest left overs. I hope they will be a lot more useful than the cut-offs I've been generating the last 20 years! Glad you will be watching. Please feel free to pick on me anytime you see me making missteps. BTW I found that the frame plans weren't so hard to use after all and I didn't need a lot of extra copies either. My bad. 

 

Thanks John. I am quickly becoming addicted this type of work. I love the small fiddly work even though I'm not very good at it yet.

Edited by Mike40

Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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Looks neat! Hope the wood is not too soft, but at least fairing should be easy!

Will grab a char, if you do not mind :)

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Thanks Mike and welcome aboard. Yes the basswood is pretty soft, but strangely enough it does behave a lot like other hardwoods. It is fine for ship modeling, but not as nice looking as boxwood, pear and other species like you are using. I carve figures with it and it takes the smallest details and is surprisingly strong, so it is ideal for modeling from a technical standpoint. I will be treating it with a sanding sealer of diluted hot hide glue which should take away any fuzziness tendencies and leave very smooth surfaces after light sanding. Some parts will also be stained in golden tones to provide better color tones. I will also be using some nice hardwoods on different parts of this model to provide some contrast to make it more interesting. 

Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

It's been awhile since this log was started and even though I haven't made any significant progress since, I thought I should at least show a sign of life to let you know that I haven't given up.

 

I started making some frames after getting the keel, stern and bow finished and mounted on my building board, but I was not happy with the results because I lacked a method to insure the accurate gluing together of the forward and aft frame parts. I did finally find a build log, EDT's Young America build with the answer to my problem. So many thanks EDT! Another problem was having the ability to drill straight holes into the frames. This was solved by mounting my Dremel on my large drill press, another idea I found on this site, but cannot remember who posted it. I did post a photo of it on the the tool forum if you want to see it.

 

So far I have only managed three frames, one finished, and two almost finished. Not very impressive progress, but other things took up my time last month. Here is a picture of the method where small nails are used to connect the drilled holes in the forward and aft frame parts, first to let the glue joints set and then to glue the two completed parts together. This method really works well and I now feel confident that my frames will be pretty darned accurate. I will be leaving some extra material, about 1/32" to allow for fairing. Not sure if that's enough, but I think I read that others do the same. 

 

I expect to see some real progress this month. Right now each frame from start to finish is taking a couple of hours. Pretty slow, but accuracy is more important than speed, so I hope to finish a couple of completed frames each day with the time I have available.

 

 

 

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Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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My latest progress. At least a start. These frames are not glued in yet. I am surprised at how long it takes to make to make the frames, but at least I have a good process now. I expect things will speed up a bit with experience, but the main thing is to enjoy the work and so far It's been fun, especially when problems are overcome. Having support from members on the site makes all the difference. I n the future I will try to show more of how I am doing the work and provide better close-up photos to make the log more interesting.  Any suggestions or criticism is welcome.

 

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Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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Mike a beautiful job on your construction so far. I smiled at the juxtaposition of the jewelers saw and Axe on the wall in the background...... both ends of the cutting tool spectrum.

 

Michael

Current builds  Bristol Pilot Cutter 1:8;      Skipjack 19 foot Launch 1:8;       Herreshoff Buzzards Bay 14 1:8

Other projects  Pilot Cutter 1:500 ;   Maria, 1:2  Now just a memory    

Future model Gill Smith Catboat Pauline 1:8

Finished projects  A Bassett Lowke steamship Albertic 1:100  

 

Anything you can imagine is possible, when you put your mind to it.

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Thanks guys for the positive comments and the thumbs up too. I only plan to use the axe if no other tool will do the job!  I'm really enjoying myself now that the frames are going smoothly. I expect things to get a lot more challenging when I get to the cant frames, maybe they should be spelled 'can't' to go with my skill level.

 

One thing that makes it easy to produce the frames is my scroll saw. I think every woodworker/model maker should have one.     The first 3 double frames took me about 2 hrs. each to make while the next 2 took about 45 minutes each (the glue is still drying). I haven't tried to go faster, but my routine is better now and the scroll sawing has speeded up quite a bit too as it always does after not using it for awhile. 

 

I won't be installing the frames permanently until I can find some black monofilament fishing line to use for the bolts. My biggest problem with woodworking and model building where I live in Norway is finding the materials that are needed for any but the most common types of work. This is due to our very small population here and the lack of market demand. The smallest drill bit that can be found locally is 1mm dia. That is slightly oversize for the bolt holes, but only by a small margin, so 1mm will have to do for now. I am planning to order some other tools and supplies on the web, probably from Germany or England as modeling is not exactly widespread here! 

 

If anyone can recommend a good German web store for modeling supplies I would much appreciate it if you could send me a link.

 

 

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Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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Good and precise work so far to be seen Mike,

every thing is well underway...

 

do you have one or two pics what the actual ship did look like ?

 

Nils

Current builds

-Lightship Elbe 1

Completed

- Steamship Ergenstrasse ex Laker Corsicana 1918- scale 1:87 scratchbuild

"Zeesboot"  heritage wooden fishing small craft around 1870, POB  clinker scratch build scale 1:24

Pilot Schooner # 5 ELBE  ex Wanderbird, scale 1:50 scratchbuild

Mississippi Sterwheelsteamer built as christmapresent for grandson modified kit build

Chebec "Eagle of Algier" 1753--scale 1:48-POB-(scratchbuild) 

"SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" four stacker passenger liner of 1897, blue ribbond awarded, 1:144 (scratchbuild)
"HMS Pegasus" , 16 gun sloop, Swan-Class 1776-1777 scale 1:64 from Amati plan 

-"Pamir" 4-mast barque, P-liner, 1:96  (scratchbuild)

-"Gorch Fock 2" German Navy cadet training 3-mast barque, 1:95 (scratchbuild) 

"Heinrich Kayser" heritage Merchant Steamship, 1:96 (scratchbuild)  original was my grandfathers ship

-"Bohuslän" , heritage ,live Swedish museum passenger steamer (Billings kit), 1:50 

"Lorbas", river tug, steam driven for RC, fictive design (scratchbuild), scale appr. 1:32

under restoration / restoration finished 

"Hjejlen" steam paddlewheeler, 1861, Billings Boats rare old kit, scale 1:50

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Thank you Nils. There have been several excellent build logs of Washington here on this site. Here is a link to the list: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&section=search&do=search&fromsearch=1 I chose this ship as my first model for it's relative simplicity to learn some of the skills I will need for more complex builds in the future. 

Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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Thanks Mike,

 

I googled up "Galley Washington" and noticed she was lateen rigged, an interesting looking ship and an just as interesting model you`re going for...  :)

wish you much fun with the build

 

Nils

Current builds

-Lightship Elbe 1

Completed

- Steamship Ergenstrasse ex Laker Corsicana 1918- scale 1:87 scratchbuild

"Zeesboot"  heritage wooden fishing small craft around 1870, POB  clinker scratch build scale 1:24

Pilot Schooner # 5 ELBE  ex Wanderbird, scale 1:50 scratchbuild

Mississippi Sterwheelsteamer built as christmapresent for grandson modified kit build

Chebec "Eagle of Algier" 1753--scale 1:48-POB-(scratchbuild) 

"SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" four stacker passenger liner of 1897, blue ribbond awarded, 1:144 (scratchbuild)
"HMS Pegasus" , 16 gun sloop, Swan-Class 1776-1777 scale 1:64 from Amati plan 

-"Pamir" 4-mast barque, P-liner, 1:96  (scratchbuild)

-"Gorch Fock 2" German Navy cadet training 3-mast barque, 1:95 (scratchbuild) 

"Heinrich Kayser" heritage Merchant Steamship, 1:96 (scratchbuild)  original was my grandfathers ship

-"Bohuslän" , heritage ,live Swedish museum passenger steamer (Billings kit), 1:50 

"Lorbas", river tug, steam driven for RC, fictive design (scratchbuild), scale appr. 1:32

under restoration / restoration finished 

"Hjejlen" steam paddlewheeler, 1861, Billings Boats rare old kit, scale 1:50

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Thanks Nils. I am enjoying myself so far even though the repetitive work of making the frames can be a little boring, but that is true of just about any kind of project and the price we pay for our progress. I am very much looking forward to the more challenging aspects, especially the metal work which I have very little experience with. It is really wonderful to have so much knowledge and experience to draw from in all the members great build logs on this site. They are a much better source than any books on the market in my opinion. 

Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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Something curious about my frame drawings from the Washington plans. Suddenly the  bolt hole locations are omitted. As I previously mentioned I am pinning through the bolt holes to accurately locate the aft and forward parts of the double frame for gluing. I don't know if this omission is accidental or otherwise. It's not a big deal, as I can mark out the holes myself, but there is a greater chance for error that way and it takes a little more time. Not whining, but maybe a heads up for NRG.

 

 

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Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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Hi Mike,

 

Sheet number four of the plans shows a typical framing detail with the bolt locations on the aft and forward frame sections. That should help you with the bolts. You are doing very precise clean work on your frames good job.

 

Mike

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A little update. Still working on the frames. They are sitting loose on the keel with a couple of wood strips next to the keel to help keep them balanced. I noticed I put a couple in backwards from the photo. I still have a few small adjustments to do before gluing them in, but in spite of them looking out of wack they actually line up nicely only they don't stay that way by themselves.

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Mike,

an American living in Norway

 

 

Current build:  Galley Washington - 1:48 - Scratch POF - NRG plans

 

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Hi Mike. Just read through your log and must say that you are braver than I am tackling a fully framed scratch build on the first try. I do want to build one myself one day so I think I will join you on your journey and see if I can learn something too. 

 

Your work is looking good and there is nothing wrong with a slow pace. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of your build as you progress. :)

"A Smooth Sea NEVER made a Skilled Sailor"
- John George Hermanson 

-E.J.

 

Current Builds - Royal Louis - Mamoli

                    Royal Caroline - Panart

Completed - Wood - Le Soleil Royal - Sergal - Build Log & Gallery

                                           La Couronne - Corel - Build Log & Gallery

                                           Rattlesnake - Model Shipways, HMS Bounty - Constructo

                           Plastic - USS Constitution - Revel (twice), Cutty Sark.

Unfinished - Plastic - HMS Victory - Heller, Sea Witch.

Member : Nautical Research Guild

 

 

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