USS Constitution by SawdustDave - FINISHED - 1:60th Scale

[SawdustDave]

Thanks to the many PM's here and on FB ON MY 74th birthday.

Great news from my dear son and daughter who called this morning to wish Dad a happy BD, and inform me that they were treating the old man to a trip to Boston and three days to take in all of the details of the Constitution first hand. Not only that, but my son is going to join me there in Boston. That will be a DOUBLE treat!

 

Meantime, back in the ship yard.....

Reason for the lul in progress is due to a ton of off-ship work.... mostly related to the realization that I will eventually run into a s....t-pot load of cannons and carronades including carriages and rigging material for each. All being a scale I had no idea what I will need.... etc.

 

I hate the thought of completing her gun deck and then beginning the arduous task of building and installing all those cannons. I would much rather, and hope to build and install her cannons as the gun deck bulwarks and deck planks are developed.

 

So, the entire last several days has been focused on building prototypes for her long guns and carronades.

 

Hopefully, I will be able to post a few progress shots tomorrow.

Edited January 23, 2017 by SawdustDave

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVE

What a surprise for you. Going to Boston and also your son will be with you. Now that's a birthday present that you deserve.

Good luck on the canons and I, for one, can't wait for the proto-pics.

Havagoodone mate

Greg

Edited January 23, 2017 by Greg the peg leg sailor

[JesseLee]

Wow Dave, what a great birthday present!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Jesse

[Cuda1949]

Happy Belated Birthday my friend. What a great present hope you have a great time.

 

Al

[usedtosail]

Yes, Happy Belated Birthday. Let me know when you will be in Boston and maybe we can get together for a beer.

[SawdustDave]

Scaling the cannon prototypes....

I'm glad I paused to do this, as it turned out to be a little more involved than I anticipated.

As we all know, while there are a good number of other things to work on, the gun deck of this ship is mostly about the guns.... lots of guns!  Same goes for the spar deck.  Also....Guns also mean gun carriages and rigging. 

 

Having said all that, my primary concern being scale, and having a reasonable method of creating all the parts.

 

First, a quick shot of the framing of the gun ports for the gun deck..... note that I have created a cardboard deck which can be marked up for all of the fixtures that will be added, in addition to the guns.   I located the masts on the deck in order to index the entire layout.

 

 

The next pics show the development of the carronades and carriages and rigging.

 

Created molds for the carriage parts....
24 carronade carriages and 30 long gun carriages will be needed.

 

Each of the carronade barrels will be turned from hard rock maple. 

 

I also developed a mock up of the bulwarks in order to work out the exact size of the rigging blocks, hooks, and rope.  This is the part that was little more difficult than I expected.... mostly block and rope sizes.  

 

 

I'm working on the same mock up for a long gun prototype.

Edited January 24, 2017 by SawdustDave

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

Yes, Happy Belated Birthday. Let me know when you will be in Boston and maybe we can get together for a beer.

Or a cup of tea

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

G'day Dave

I bet your grey matter is working overtime on this problem...

Looking great mate

Havagooday

Greg

Edited January 24, 2017 by Greg the peg leg sailor

[Piet]

Happy birthday Dave an d many more to come.  What a nice present you received, going to Boston - - - and see the real Constitution.  Plenty of picks.

The model is coming along just great.  The carronade mock-up looks good from here.

 

Cheers,

[Elijah]

Happy belated birthday, Dave! Have fun in Boston!

[SawdustDave]

After several days of working on prototypes for cannons and carronades.... including their carriages, and rigging.... I guess I'm about ready to move back to the ship for a while.

With so many of these guns to create, I'm hoping to get the technique for creating and installing them down to within reason.  The mock up of a gun port has been invaluable in that respect.  I came to the conclusion that a few trade-offs was necessary in terms of being able to install each gun.

 

The hooks that attach the block to the bulwark has to be much longer in order to get them to anchor into the eye rings.  

I also learned that all rigging must be attached to the carriage and cannon before attempting to install.

Also.... the cannon restraining rope must be hooked in place before attempting to hook the block and tackle hooks.

 

Finally, I was able to develop this little jig which will be used to make all of the rigging the exact same length.... very critical.

With 30 long guns and 24 carronades needed, my plan, for now, is to build three long gun and two carronade modules per week as I continue with progress on the ship..... in 10 weeks I should have all the guns completed.

This is, by far, more fully rigged guns than I have ever installed on a ship.

 

Edited January 28, 2017 by SawdustDave

[JesseLee]

"Rigging must be attached to the carriage and cannon before attempting to install." ......Now you tell me  lol! Good idea for the jig to keep them all the same length.

 

Jesse

[SawdustDave]

Sorry Jesse.... Trial and error.  

Tried it both ways under the clock.  Attaching all the rigging off ship turned out to be much faster.

Attaching the cannon rope first serves to anchor the module making the attachment of the tackle hooks much easier.

[HIPEXEC]

Yep, I rigged the guns on my Connie off the ship, too. Much easier.

[mtaylor]

Good idea to plan and build ahead, Dave.  Things are looking good.   And happy belated birthday and may you have a great time in Boston.

[SawdustDave]

I don't expect this posting to be of much value to many experienced modelers, but for the few who might be faced with creating scratch planks, here's how I approach it.

 

In other words, turning a choice piece of 3-1/2" X 1/4" poplar into a pile of deck planks....

 

 

Before ripping the thickness of each plank on my band saw, I had to remove some width of the planks by passing the board through the table table saw.  Standing on edge, the height of the blade is set to remove only about 3/4".... safely.

One pass on opposite edges gives me 1-1/2" of perfect plank width to take to the band saw.
Note that the edge of the board represents the width of each plank.
The plank thickness will be determined by the band saw cuts.

 

After each pass on the band saw, creating the thickness of the plank, I use a long sanding block to re-dress the edge, removing the rough surface caused by saw blade.

Done properly, the last cut will be something like the lower right pic.

 

Finally, each plank must be completely dressed with a long sanding block to remove the roughness caused by the band saw blade.

 

Quick note about the sanding block I use for dressing planks....
Years ago, I purchased a roll of this 100 grit paper used for safety "non-slip" concrete floors and stair treads.  Can't tell you how many sanding blocks I've made with this roll.
The important point being.... compared to the typical sanding board we have all used (top right), this stuff will seriously remove material like no other sandpaper I've ever used.

Edited January 30, 2017 by SawdustDave

[JSGerson]

Just found your log and will join all the others to follow you as you complete this arduous but satisfying journey. I hope to start building my Conny soon if I can ever finish my Rattlesnake.

 

A quick question: You mention earlier using small router bits. What kind of router are you using? I have jury-rigged a pseudo router thingy in the past but using the proper tool for the job is always best. Any other power tools you intend to use i.e., lathe, milling, etc.?

 

Jon

[SawdustDave]

Hi Jon.... Thanks for the visit.

Routers..... Being a long time old wood worker, I have a number of routers of different sizes. The DeWalt I have mounted underneath a table is the one I use most because I can set up fence guides for best control. I occasionally use the Dremal router attachment as well.

Other tools.... table saws, band saws, and drill press.... vertical and belt sander, vibrating sander, plus a few different Dremal Tools.

In other words, if makes noise and creates sawdust, I will find a use for it..... yahaha

 

Dave

[JSGerson]

All my power tools are miniature: Brynes saw, Brynes thickness sander, rotary drill, and a 40 year old Dremel scroll saw that vibrates like crazy. I'd loved to get a milling machine and lathe, but as I have learned through school...the school of hard knocks, you don't buy a tool until you need it. I can't tell how many doohickys and thing-a-mabobs I've bought and never used. So I'm always window shopping and asking questions. Thanks for the prompt reply.

 

Jon

[SawdustDave]

OK, you outed me Jon!

I confess!

A hopeless "tool nut"..... 

[Piet]

Great progress Dave and also some very good advice to us scratch builders.  I'm taking notes!

 

Cheers,

[Greg the peg leg sailor]

G'day Dave

A 'hopeless "tool nut"..' with a flair for excellent.

Havagooday

Greg

[SawdustDave]

Back to work on the Constitution......

 

Completed the planking of the gun deck since my last posting. Then began building the aft paneled bulkhead leading to the commodores aft cabin and stateroom.

 

Here's where the fun came to an abrupt halt!

 

I ran into a serious conflict with the location of the aft most gun port being snug against bulkhead "R".

The conflict being that there are two cannons on each side of the cabin and the two aft cannons cannot be fitted into that corner with the bulkhead being that close (see attached pic).

 

As seen below, the paneled bulkhead is completed.... dry fitting pic below.

 

The obvious solution is that the bulkhead has to go.... yuk!

 

Not only the removal of the bulkhead, but also the entire deck within the Commodores Cabin area must be ripped out because all of the deck planks butted against that bulkhead. The removal creates an obvious issue with those planks along the base of the new bullhead location.

 

So here's where I am now....

 

Consider this a minor setback.

 

I really have a hard time visioning one of those guns being fired within that enclosed area.

Edited February 13, 2017 by SawdustDave

[BANYAN]

You're powering along mate.  Glad you saw that as a minor setback and that you took the plunge and fixed that pesky bulkhead - she will look all the better for it.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Piet]

Ouch!  That's to me a seriously major setback Dave.  Wat's the reason for the missing gun port?  Plans okay? Cabin too big?   Ship too short?  Just very curious mind you.

 

Cheers

[SawdustDave]

Ouch! That's to me a seriously major setback Dave. Wat's the reason for the missing gun port? Plans okay? Cabin too big? Ship too short? Just very curious mind you.

 

Cheers

I say it was a minor setback because it only took me a couple of hours to rip out the problem. Then another couple of hours to repair the rip out.

Four or five hours, in the life of a three year project, is just not a big deal....right?

 

The reason for the problem.......

Actually, none of the above Pete.

The problem comes from the fact that the plans are designed for a kit that does not include the exposed gun deck. That gun port is exactly where it should be.

The problem I encountered here only arose from my attempt to create the Commodores Cabin on the Gun Deck. I anticipate I will run into a similar issue in the bow area where I will probably have to remove portions of bulkhead "A" and "B". I'll deal with that when I eventually get to that area.... waaay down the road.

 

Compared to the horrible plans I had to work with on the SOS, the plan sheets for this model are a gift from heaven. This little rip out was a piece of cake compared to the one where I had to rip out both sides and reposition the gun ports of the SOS after I had completed the hull planking.

Now THAT was a major setback!

 

Dave

Edited February 14, 2017 by SawdustDave

[mtaylor]

Dave,

 

You have to remember that the bulkhead would be removed when they cleared for action.   So it wouldn't be in the way in combat.  And yeah.. a serious bash like you're doing will pop up some these types of things.  Been there, done that, turned the air blue.  

[SawdustDave]

Dave,

 

You have to remember that the bulkhead would be removed when they cleared for action.   So it wouldn't be in the way in combat.  And yeah.. a serious bash like you're doing will pop up some these types of things.  Been there, done that, turned the air blue.  

My guess is that, when removed for battle, the bulkheads would somehow be hoisted and lashed to the overhead beams Mark.

Otherwise, where would they be stowed?

[mtaylor]

Good question Dave.   Some where hinged and swung up to the beams, others taken apart and sent below.  Depends on the ship.  I do know the guy to ask though... Henry..(popeye2sea).  

[SawdustDave]

Gun deck paneled bulkhead development....

 

Thankfully, the availability of plenty of photo's of this ship make it possible to come up with most of what is needed to create her gun deck in fairly reasonable detail.

 

After a full week of working on the development of these paneled bulkheads, they are finally in place.
The forward module was particularly challenging due to the fact that I had to be paneled on both sides and includes the attachment of the Commodore's pantry which completely encloses the mizzen mast.

 

Here's that same bulkhead looking forward from inside the Commodore's cabin....

Just looking at these two pics, I discovered two mistakes.  
One I can fix.... Omitted the door knob's from all of the doors.
The other, I'll have to live with.... The tiny spindles in the top panel of each door should be stained wood.  As you can see, I painted them white.

Edited February 20, 2017 by SawdustDave