Advice for planking

[Slowhand]

Merry Xmas to all readers,

 

I' am ready to start planking below the wales (not until after Xmas as the Admiral would be unhappy)and was wondering what is best to do? I don't want to do spiling as don't have the tools for it. I've split the area into bands, and will be planking with 4mm mahogany strips. Photos below. The width at mid-ships in all 4 zones bar the one next to the keel is 20mm so that's 5 strips. At the stem the width of the bands is just over 12mm, do I taper all 5 strips do to just over 2mm or is it better to drop the 3rd plank and taper 4 strips to 3mm wide?  Photos of lined of lined off hull below. In previous models I tapered the blanks to below 50% width to get it to work but want to do it properly this time.

 

I know its not conventional but it is tempting not to plank from wales downwards but to start on the middle zone.

 

Build log is San Martin Occre, afraid cannot paste the http link

[donrobinson]

If it were me doing it I would taper all strips and start at the wale , this is just me, and you are the Captain. Happy holidays

Edited December 25, 2016 by donrobinson

[allanyed]

What's your name? I hate to be rude and have to address you as a blank space.

 

Regarding your concerns about not having tools to spile -----. An Xacto or scalpel, maybe a $10 coping saw, a pencil and some card stock and paper is about all you need. What tools do you feel you are missing?

 

Allan

[mtdoramike]

I agree with Don. That is what I usually do, but then again, I usually don't do things the "Right" way, I do them my way or the easiest way I can do them to get the hull planked and looking as good as I can get it without pulling my hair out (whats left of it) or taking the model outside and stomping on it.

 

 

mike

[pete48]

Hello, You should first Line off the Hull and planking always starts at the Keel working your way to the Sheer Strake

 

Best Regards,

Pete 

[druxey]

Check the pinned planking tutorials on this site.

[mtdoramike]

Hello, You should first Line off the Hull and planking always starts at the Keel working your way to the Sheer Strake

 

Best Regards,

Pete 

Now you see, this is what I mean. I start from the Sheer and work downward toward the keel so that way if there is any piecing to be done, it will be at the keel area and not really visible. This way, there is always a solid plank at the sheer without any issues or needing to be trimmed because I don't care how much you mark and how careful you are with laying out the planking patterns first, it seems never to come out exactly as planned. This could be because of poor layout, poor planking job with too much gap in between the planks or more than likely poorly cut planks which are not all the same width, which can be an issue with kit furnished planking.

 

mike 

[pete48]

Hi Mike, the Key is to take your time to make sure you have lined off the boat correctly, The Garboard is just as important as the Sheer Strake , Read any book on Boat building ( The Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction is a great book I would highly recommend it ) Here are some photos of a Herreshoff 12 1/2 that I recently completed 

[mtdoramike]

Thanks for the example Pete and also the suggestion on the book. But I've built too many ship models to change my practice. My way of ship modeling is "the ends justify the means". I'm not a purist when it comes to ship modeling like yourself. I do what I need to do to get the job done the easiest, quickest and best way that I can. This is why I make sure and tell folks that I "do not build museum quality models, only display pieces for decor purposes" and I try and also let folks know when viewing any build logs that I do, if you are looking for the purist way or the right way, don't follow my examples. But if you want to get a nice display model built without going nuts and in a relatively quick time frame then my builds are for you. For instance, if I know ahead of time that I'm going to either paint the hull or copper plate it, I use shssssssss don't tell anyone (putty), because the only two who knows would be me and the big man up stairs. 

 

Beautiful planking job by the way. I guess I'm just to caught up in the kit type of build, which about every kit that I have ever built suggested starting at the shear strake and plank towards the keel.   

 

mike 

Edited December 28, 2016 by mtdoramike

[jbshan]

Mike, one way to sequence the plank is to start at both keel and sheer, so the final gap or hole to be filled is on the widest part of the hull and easier to get at.

[Thistle17]

May I wade into this discussion and ask something that might be of common interest to the originator of this sub-segment?

 

I am also of the opinion that after the wales install one might be inclined to work the Garboard next and continue as recommended since the Garboard is compartively hard to install as the last element. Now if I listen to the experts (not being sarcastic) it is  recommended that the Garboard should not follow the "turn of the bow or stern" as this will cause problems in those areas later on. So here is where the question starts to emerge. Given the restraint that the Garboard is not a "lengthy" plank it will only partially infill the keel area. The next plank, the Broad strake will appraoch the "in fill" need but must begin to follow the turnof the bilge and will not remain parallel to the keel as advised (in some documented practices). It will still be fairly perpendicular amid ship but turn almost 90 degrees to it's outermost edge by the time it reaches the stern thereby the paralellism is sacrificed. Am I reading too much into the practice?

[jbshan]

Thistle, correct in regards the change of attitude of the second plank, but also for the garboard.  The trick is to not let the fore end of the garboard get too high up the stem, as here there is less distance to cover with the given number of plank.  At the stern, sometimes the garboard gets very wide, or a stealer is let in.  Lining off prior to planking will help determine which may or may not be the case.

[mtdoramike]

May I wade into this discussion and ask something that might be of common interest to the originator of this sub-segment?

 

I am also of the opinion that after the wales install one might be inclined to work the Garboard next and continue as recommended since the Garboard is compartively hard to install as the last element. Now if I listen to the experts (not being sarcastic) it is  recommended that the Garboard should not follow the "turn of the bow or stern" as this will cause problems in those areas later on. So here is where the question starts to emerge. Given the restraint that the Garboard is not a "lengthy" plank it will only partially infill the keel area. The next plank, the Broad strake will appraoch the "in fill" need but must begin to follow the turnof the bilge and will not remain parallel to the keel as advised (in some documented practices). It will still be fairly perpendicular amid ship but turn almost 90 degrees to it's outermost edge by the time it reaches the stern thereby the paralellism is sacrificed. Am I reading too much into the practice?

Yep, you are taking the fun out of it.  

[mtdoramike]

Mike, one way to sequence the plank is to start at both keel and sheer, so the final gap or hole to be filled is on the widest part of the hull and easier to get at.

Now this I might try if a decide to ever build another model just to see the difference.

 

mike

[druxey]

The method Mike describes is how planking is often carried out on full-size hulls. I'd be reluctant to do this on a model hull for, unless one is extremely precise to the mark-out, one might end up with a skinny or fat space to fill. Or, worse yet, a wiggly strake of planking. 

Edited December 29, 2016 by druxey

[glbarlow]

I've planked a lot of hulls, right now I'm working on the 4th ship's boat for the Vanguard model I'm building (link to my Vanguard build log in my signature line show's my work on those boats, its the most recent series of entries).  In a lot of ways building a ships boat is harder than the hull because of the small size. 

 

I start with the top most plank and work my way down.  However, the second plank I install is the garboard plank at the keel.  You're always going to have some fill even with the most perfect planking job.  You want that fill to be on the bottom where it won't be seen.  However you need a neat garboard to get a good clear match to the keel. 

 

With the top plank (below the future cap rail) done and which should require splining and the bottom plank (garboard) done at the keel I start working top down.  Splining and tapering to fit is not that difficult.  Determine by counting how many planks it will take to fill top to bottom at the widest point, the waist of the ship.  Measure the distance top to bottom at the bow between your top and bottom plank  and divide by the total planks at the waist.  Example if it will take 10 5mm planks at the waist to fill and your measurement is 5mm then the plank width at the bow needs to be 2mm.  Its then just learning where to start the trim based on how it overlaps and use a standard Xacto knife and a metal ruler to do the trimming.  Probably have to do the same thing at the stern. The comments about the trim and curve of the garboard above are correct, but I wouldn't stress much about that, its an easy trim and at the bottom of the boat not noticeable, especially after sanding and painting the final result.

 

I'm sure somewhere on this forum is a more detailed explanation of planking (I had a detailed tutorial here once, but it was lost in the great site crash).  But the basics of working top to bottom and trimming so that every plank full width at the waist reaches the bow at a smaller width is the way to go.  The little fill that leaves at the bottom between the last full plank and the garboard won't ever be seen.

Edited December 29, 2016 by Glenn

[allanyed]

Glenn,

All tutorials are still here, including planking.  

Allan

[glbarlow]

Turns out I did do a bit of. A tutorial earlier in my Vanguard log, so long ago I had forgotten. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/3329-hms-vanguard-by-glenn-amativictory-models-172/page-2#entry120343 Maybe it will help.

[Slowhand]

As I started this post I wanted to show what I have done as it turned out using a drop plank was the best option for me on this build. Was surprised at the diversity of replies although in the end my planking was based on the linked guide msw framing and planking.

 

 

The 5 planks could have been tapered to fit by reducing from 4 to 2 mm (theoretically) but as it turned out I just managed to squeeze in 4 planks tapered to 3 mm.The last plank closest to keel is for the next band.

 

Slowhand

(although some people call me Maurice)

Edited December 31, 2016 by Slowhand

[allanyed]

Maurice, VERY clever intro to your name   (assuming you are referencing the music)   As it is 43 years later I am sure Steve, Ahmet and Eddie would be happy.

 

Based on the planking expansion drawings I have seen, for a two to one at the point of the drop, the top plank would normally run short,  but the underlying one would continue to the stem.   For a three to two drop,  the "arrow" the butts form would point forward, not aft.  Check out David Antscherl's  tutorial on this forum.  Overall, looks like a nice job on the 2nd planking.  Can't say that I like the open grain of the wood they provide but sometimes one must work with one has been handed in the kit, same as in life. 

 

Happy New Year

 

Allan

Edited January 1, 2017 by allanyed