USS Constitution by JSGerson - Model Shipways Kit No. MS2040

[JSGerson]

The Syren cleats are really blanks and must be carve to their final shape. For each side, the three wooden ones were stained with Minwax Wood Finish Gunstock 231. The other two Syren cleats were painted black to simulate metal with one cleat to have a base plate made from painted cardstock when installed. Installation posts were added to provide connection and rigging strength. They also act as a fabrication handle. The posts will be trimmed just before installation.

[JSGerson]

The large wooden cleat was made following the lead of xken’s Constitution build log which meant I made the two required (one for each side) plus four more to be used later. For these I used 1/8” x 3/32” boxwood. Boxwood holds its edge much better giving a sharper result, plus it going to be left as natural wood.

 

I marked off the required vertical cuts for all six cleats on the one piece of wood which were cut with the razor saw save for the cuts which would have separated the six pieces. The horizontal cuts were made carving out the wood with an X-actor knife. As seen in the image above of the actual bulwark, the large cleat has five bolt heads recessed on its face. Xken simulated the bolts by drilling holes and filling them in with “black” glue. I’ve not heard or seen “black” glue except as epoxy which I was not going to use for such tiny fills. I initially thought I would use bamboo tree nails stained black. As normal, I used a pin to make a starter hole for the drill. Then I thought, why make tree nails, a fine spot of black paint should do the trick, but I didn’t want the paint to soak into wood surrounding the bolt holes. To remedy that, I sealed the wood with the Minwax first. However, I noticed the stain accentuated the bolt holes and made them look black. My job was done. To the naked eye, you can’t tell the pinholes weren’t filled in due to the dark color. They looked perfect.

 

The cleats were then separated with the razor saw with final filing, trimming, sanding, and staining completing the cleats. The last touch was the addition of a metal installation post to provide added strength for potential rigging.

[JSGerson]

The last items to be fabricated, were the three bulwark steps for each side. Close examination of the actual steps shows they are not simple pieces of wood but have three layers in descending lengths and widths stacked upon each other pyramid style. One step is about one half the width of a bulwark plank. This works out to 3/64” total thickness

 

Using my Byrne saw, I cut a strip of 1/32” x 3/32” boxwood down to 1/64” x 3/32”. Great saw, that Byrne saw. BTW, all these pieces of boxwood are leftovers from my Rattlesnake kitbash which didn’t use any basswood.

 

Using the razor saw and its miter box, three different lengths of boxwood were cut for each step. The first two pieces to be stacked upon one another were offset to create the first stepback. The third piece which was a bit narrower was the third stepback. Then, with a sanding block the excess wood from the back of the step was removed. Finally, two vertical channels were filed at the back of the step. What the purpose of these opening was, I don’t know, but they are there, so I made them. No metal installation post was needed as these pieces are not intended to take any load.

Now it’s a matter of attaching all this stuff to the bulwarks and the bulwarks to the hull frame.

[CaptainSteve]

Nice work, JS. The bulwark steps look especially good (as does the rest).

[JSGerson]

Finally, I attached all the bits and pieces to the bulwarks after removing some strategic bolt heads that were interfering. The second image shows the dry fitted bulwarks in place. For the most part, the remaining bulwarks will need the pin rails and like the gun deck, rigging eye bolts attached.

[ArthurN]

I came late to this site and too late to this build log to do me any good. I have ‘finished’ my Model Shipways Constitution build and had the same problems with the transom as it seems everyone else has had.  I am afraid this will be a little long and perhaps boring. I hope not.  About 35 years ago I built the Mamoli USS Constitution. It took about a year and a half.  About 4 years later I built it again after the cat knocked it off the shelf and broke the first one beyond repair.  I started this one about a year ago. I casually mention to my son that there was a new, bigger and supposedly more accurate Constitution model being offered. He said I should build it. I said I was getting too old and stiff to build anything like that again. He said I was retired and had all the time in the world, so I started on it.  After a short while, I complained to him about how the model was almost a scratch build and how vague and unhelpful the plans were.  When he said he guessed it was just too hard for me, I knew I had to finish it no matter what.  I have only hand tools, except for a cordless drill but as a retired art teacher who did some wood carving, felt I could handle the job. It would just take longer.  I am not an experienced model builder but built some plastic square riggers as a kid and years ago did do the two builds mentioned earlier plus other wood models:  one of the HMS Beagle and a couple cross sections of US frigates. On this one, I noticed after assembling the bulkheads on the keel  frame, that some of the tops were not even and I’d have to figure out how to make the deck straight when I got to that point. After I assembled the transom section and saw that it was going to make the deck even more messed up, I quit and started over with a new kit.  Being forewarned of problems that could occur, I did my best to avoid errors I made on the first build and made sure the transom parts fit the rest of the model as shown on the plans but found that even so,  the deck and side walls of the ship were still going to be off.  I ended up modifying the kit so everything would fit even though I knew in my heart that the model would not be as true as I hoped it would be.  Now that I have read parts of your build and saw another on line build go astray, I realize that it must have been an error in the kit and not  completely to my ineptness.   

 

I hesitate to show a picture of my build after seeing how wonderful your build is going but here is the aft portion. At one point, I was determined to finish it even if I had to avoid calling it "The USS Constitution"

[poundemin59]

So what's wrong with it? I am new to wood models and am currently working on the Rattlesnake and I can tell you yours looks better than mine.  

[ArthurN]

On 5/20/2019 at 7:29 PM, poundemin59 said:

So what's wrong with it? I am new to wood models and am currently working on the Rattlesnake and I can tell you yours looks better than mine.  

It is OK but would never measure up to what I have seen done by JSGerson's work here. My main purpose of posting here was to accent the apparent flaw in this kit.

Edited May 25, 2019 by ArthurN

[JSGerson]

Yes, I am slowly (what else is new?) continuing to make the spar deck bulwarks. I also had personal business, as well as visiting Mom in Florida who turned 101 early this month of June.

 

Most of the remaining bulwarks required pin rails. Continuing with my use of boxwood for any bare wood fabrication, the pin rails were made from 1/8” x 1/16” strips of boxwood. Because I know where the pin rails are going to be attached on the bulwarks, I left gaps devoid of simulated bolt heads where the pin rails were to be installed. Notice that the belay pin holes are close to the edge and not centered on the board. That is the way they are supposed to be as shown on the plans and as pointed out in Robert Hunt’s practicum.

[JSGerson]

Just as a matter of note, when I purchased the MS model kit and the associated practicum by Bob Hunt, some years past, Jeff Hayes’ HobbyMills was Bob’s wood supplier of choice but Bill has since retired and closed shop. He had supplied the supplemental wood required or suggested by Bob’s many practicums. In this case, Bob Hunt did not kit-bash the Constitution, but he did modify it a bit by substituting boxwood for certain basswood and laser cut constructs, which I am trying to follow. Bob felt the laser cut parts were too fragile.

 

At that time, Jeff Hayes offered a wood supplement package for those substitutions, which I purchased. That is where I’m getting my pre-sized boxwood substitutions from. Anything, I initiated, like the gun deck and all its associated accoutrements, the supplemental wood package did not cover. Whether some other wood supplier is selling those wood supplement packages today, you will have to check with Bob Hunt, I don’t know.

 

I’ve completed the remaining bulwarks forward of the waist and shown here unpainted and dry fitted with the pin rails. I then painted the bulwarks and assembled and glued their associated parts. All the fabricated bulwarks are shown in the last image.

[JSGerson]

Additional to the hardware and pin rails on the bulwarks, the opening for the bow anchors had a couple of eyebolts and rings fastened underneath opening. The kit plans show those bolts but not the board they are fastened to nor the fact that the eyebolts have a base plate, and that they are at opposing 45-degree angles as well. My attempt at duplicating them is shown below. Compare mine against the actual ship. Sorry for the poor image, but that was the best my camera would do.

[JSGerson]

Finally, before I would fasten the bulwarks to the hull, I needed to add the cannon rigging eye bolts to both the bulwarks and the planking just above the waterway. I thought doing that now would be easier rather do doing it later. The blackened eyebolt openings are 3/32” dia. So, they may be difficult to see. Here are all the bulwarks so far (about 1/3) glued into place. The construct continues.

[JSGerson]

Well, I hit a near disastrous “oops.” If you go back into my log where I’m framing the spar deck gun ports, you will remember I switched from creating post and header frames to using solid pieces of wood. Unfortunately, On the last port before I made the switch, I got confused as to which side of the vertical post was to be the gun port and placed the horizontal header on the wrong side of the post. This moved the port to the wrong position. Then I created the remaining ports with the solid wood based on that last port. So, all the ports forward of the third gun port from the transom were wrong and those must be re-positioned. Since I was working both sides of the model at the same time, both sides were affected.

 

I say a “near disaster” because I hadn’t finished the creating the bulwarks. I only made the plywood pieces with the glued-on planks. I could have punched out all the hundreds of bolt heads, applied them to the bulwark surface, painted them and glued them into position on the model. Or I could have been planking the hull wale like other builders at this stage. Hey, you have to look at the bright side.

 

This error was discovered when I was trying to figure which bulwarks required the bulwark sheaves. The plans showed a wide bulwark and my model indicated it was a relatively narrow one. I’ll show the before and after images once I fix and make the “after.”

[Nirvana]

Nice recovery! We all do our oops, and as long items has been covered up, changes will be easier. 

[JSGerson]

Luckily the fix wasn’t too hard at all. Due to the thin gluing surfaces, removing one frame and the solid wood pieces from each side was fairly quick and simple. A few delicate “wiggles” and the PVC glued parts came off. As rule, I’ve been using PVC glue on the framing so far to allow me the luxury of being able to fine tune the positioning before the glue set. That gave the joint a little flexibility which led to its ease of removal.

 

The only part I had to remake was the first piece to the far left inside the red elongated circle of the “corrected” image below. The others came off the model so cleanly I was able to reuse them with a little fine tuning with a file. All I had to do was shift them aft. Note, I only circled the far side as it is easier to see. I now have to check all the plywood backed planking dimensions before I can proceed.

[usedtosail]

Nice save Jay.

[DocBlake]

Tuning back in.  Nice progress!  She is coming along well.  The extra time and detail will pay off in the end.  Keep going!

[JSGerson]

Almost a month has gone by. Where does the time fly???!!! I’ve completed adding the simulated bolt heads to the remaining starboard and port bulwarks. On average, each panel takes at most two hours of intense concentration due to the itsy-bitsy teeny weeny (that’s a technical term) size of the brass punched elements to punch, position, and attach them to the bulwarks. I still need to make the panels for the stern. I must have made about a thousand of them due including mis-shaped or lost pieces. I also wore out another punch, but because I got two replacement punches (no cost) for the one that broke earlier, I had a spare.

 

In the images below, you will notice that I have dry fitted the large and small cleats. Their mounting pins have yet to be trimmed. You will also notice that four bulwark panels have a rectangular hole cut into them. These will become the bulwark sheaves.

 

There is still a bit of work left such as fitting the pin rails, painting the bulwarks green and mounting them onto the model. Then of course there is the work on the stern bulwarks. All this will have to wait as I will be closing the shipyard for a couple of weeks for other personal activities.

[mtdoramike]

On 5/20/2019 at 1:57 PM, ArthurN said:

I came late to this site and too late to this build log to do me any good. I have ‘finished’ my Model Shipways Constitution build and had the same problems with the transom as it seems everyone else has had.  I am afraid this will be a little long and perhaps boring. I hope not.  About 35 years ago I built the Mamoli USS Constitution. It took about a year and a half.  About 4 years later I built it again after the cat knocked it off the shelf and broke the first one beyond repair.  I started this one about a year ago. I casually mention to my son that there was a new, bigger and supposedly more accurate Constitution model being offered. He said I should build it. I said I was getting too old and stiff to build anything like that again. He said I was retired and had all the time in the world, so I started on it.  After a short while, I complained to him about how the model was almost a scratch build and how vague and unhelpful the plans were.  When he said he guessed it was just too hard for me, I knew I had to finish it no matter what.  I have only hand tools, except for a cordless drill but as a retired art teacher who did some wood carving, felt I could handle the job. It would just take longer.  I am not an experienced model builder but built some plastic square riggers as a kid and years ago did do the two builds mentioned earlier plus other wood models:  one of the HMS Beagle and a couple cross sections of US frigates. On this one, I noticed after assembling the bulkheads on the keel  frame, that some of the tops were not even and I’d have to figure out how to make the deck straight when I got to that point. After I assembled the transom section and saw that it was going to make the deck even more messed up, I quit and started over with a new kit.  Being forewarned of problems that could occur, I did my best to avoid errors I made on the first build and made sure the transom parts fit the rest of the model as shown on the plans but found that even so,  the deck and side walls of the ship were still going to be off.  I ended up modifying the kit so everything would fit even though I knew in my heart that the model would not be as true as I hoped it would be.  Now that I have read parts of your build and saw another on line build go astray, I realize that it must have been an error in the kit and not  completely to my ineptness.   

 

I hesitate to show a picture of my build after seeing how wonderful your build is going but here is the aft portion. At one point, I was determined to finish it even if I had to avoid calling it "The USS Constitution"

I built this model of the Connie about 7-8 years ago and found no issues with the transom to speak of, in fact I found the plans and instructions quite excellent. Also, the Constitution wood comes from the Constitution Gift shop, not actually the museum itself. But some times they run out of wood and is only replenished when they are doing refits or repairs. They rarely if ever have any wood larger than what you were able to get. It makes great cross trees, mast heads, anchor collars and the like.  

Edited July 26, 2019 by mtdoramike

[JSGerson]

First off, let me give ArthurN and mtdoramike kudos for completing their versions of the Conny. I hope to join those fellow builders who have accomplished that feat no matter what they think of their skills. A lot of people start a model, and never finish.

 

This is only my second wooden square-rigged ship model so hopefully I haven’t bitten off more than I can chew. The MS model presently being sold is based on the 1926 restoration. That restoration has come under some criticism for some historical inaccuracies like the replicated cannons and the top gallant bulwark extensions. I am, for the most part, basing my build on the last restoration started in 2015 which is continuing to bring the ship back closer to its 1812 configuration. In addition, I decided to add detail to the gun deck as well. This has resulted in a large amount of scratch building, something I learned constructing the Rattlesnake following Robert Hunt’s practicum.

 

This time I’m using Mr. Hunt’s USS Constitution practicum as a guide, not an absolute “how to” as before.  I’m using a lot of other builder’s build logs as a guide as well. I also purchased the Mamoli plans from a fellow builder to be used as a cross reference and I also have numerous reference books on the Conny. From what I can tell and based on my limited experience, very few people follow kit instructions completely.

 

Like you mtdoramike, my model also has wood from the actual ship which I was able to purchase mail order through the gift shop back in 2016. I got what I got; I had no choice in size or shape.  I would have thought there would be a whole new supply during this last restoration, however, I have not seen any for sale lately. I’ve already incorporated some of that wood in the keel.  Per your suggestions, I’ll try and incorporate more as the build progresses.

[mtdoramike]

JS, my Constitution was a commission piece for an insurance corp in the state of CT. I also built the Mamoli version of the Connie that went to a Computer Software Co. in the state of NJ. So both of those builds were meant to be fairly quick turn arounds requiring me to be finished with 6-8 months. So there was limited amount of scratch building done on either one. I have had a couple of requests for Constitution builds, but have turned them down due to the inability to obtain any of the Constitution wood as well as too much time restraints required. If I ever live long enough to build another, it will be started with the Model Shipways kit but with extensive scratch building done to the point that each deck would be finished out and there would be a cut away down the side of the hull to be able to view and access the interior.

 

 

Your work on her is absolutely stunning. This is a tutorial of true craftmanship in progress. What would have really been something was if someone was there to do how to videos of your work in progress and post them on YOUTUBE for future reference for new builders of this model to show what a little initiative, extra time and forethought could be achieved with a run of the mill kit.    

 

mike        

Edited July 27, 2019 by mtdoramike

[JSGerson]

Thanks for the complements albeit a bit undeserved. To paraphrase an old saying, I'm standing on the shoulders of some might great builders. As for video recording, I build so slow that by the time I finish, today's video type, standard, method, etc. would be obsolete and YouTube would probable go the way of MySpace 8-). I've 2 1/2 years so far into this project and I'm 72 years of age. It's a race to see who finishes first!!!

[JSGerson]

After a few personal activities including another trip to Florida with my sister to visit Mom for two weeks, the shipyard finally opened again. I swear, my Mom saves all the “honey do’s” to happen when we arrive. We weren’t inside her condo for more than 5 minutes when the land line phone went dead as well as the internet (both supplied by AT&T). {Note: because she is 101, we wanted to ensure that we could communicate with her should the power go out. The landline is the simple analog type which supplies its own power. Cell phones need power to recharge. So, the irony is obvious.] That took a couple of days to fix as they had to dig up the line and replace it. Other things like simply changing a fluorescent tube in the kitchen got more complicated when I discovered that I had to replace the ballast unit as well. Just a typical trip.

 

Then there was the worry about her while Hurricane Dorian park over the Bahamas. The initial forecast had the storm track going right over her home. Luckily that didn’t happen; she didn’t even lose power.

 

Back to the shipyard, I wanted to finally add the bolt heads to the transom bulwarks. This required that I first build the framework for the stern windows and ports for the gun and spar decks. This took a couple of tries as it required critical precise measurements. It may not look precise, but the ports and windows are measured from the center line. All the structural elements will be covered by the bulwarks and planking.

[JSGerson]

Once that was completed, the transom bulwark panels were constructed, and the pseudo bolt heads were added. At this point, all the bulwark panels were painted green like those forward. Finally, I fabricated two small wooden transom cleats and four transom bulwark steps. Once I painted all the bulwark panels green and the transom steps black, the remaining cleats and steps were installed. This left the cannonade rigging eyebolts to be installed. Those eyebolts which I could install onto the bulwark panels was done, which left 66 or so odd eyebolts need to be stalled just below the gun port openings on the planks just above the waterways, plus about 14 double eyebots.

[JSGerson]

Well for the most part, the bulwarks are done…finally. They bulwark panels were glued into place and the eyebolts were installed. There still are some odds and ends that still needed to be fabricated and installed, but the most tedious part is completed.

[JSGerson]

One of the odds and ends I mentioned earlier are the two “backing plates” for the “towing bridle ring bolts” located just below the two outer port openings in the transom. The other item I decided to wait on are the four hull sheaves. Those will be done once the hull planking installed around the gun ports.

 

As a matter of note, I had planned to have cataract surgery this coming January, but my left eye got bad very quickly, and by quickly, changing daily. So, I will be having the surgery for the left eye Oct 1 and the other eye hopefully two weeks later. This of course will slow me down juusssst a bit (not that you will notice from my normal lightning pace) in my build.

[JSGerson]

Planksheer

I thought it might be a good time to finish up the gun ports. This meant that I would now have to plank the hull from the gun deck to the cap rail, so I went back to the Robert Hunt practicum for some guidance. He started with the planksheer.

 

First thing he stated was that the planksheer was “slightly thicker than the planks above” the planksheer. He also stated “…if you look at sheet 3 of your plans, Hull Planking Layout, it also clearly shows the planksheer on the outside to be thicker than the other planking.” He provided a photograph to illustrated it. Now I may need cataract surgery, but I’m not blind…yet. For the life of me, I could not find on the plans where the planksheer is shown or indicated as being thicker. The image he provided (HP3.3-2), as near as I could determine, did not provide proof of the extra thickness at least to me. I even checked all my reference images and rechecked the images online. They all confirmed my observations, the planksheer is no thicker than the other planks.  Shown below is the referenced plan, Mr. Hunt’s photo, and my two photos.

[JSGerson]

Well I wasn’t “shown otherwise” but a comment made by another builder made me realize I interpreted Mr. Hunt’s terminology wrong. When he stated “the planksheer on the outside to be thicker than the other planking” I interpreted the term “thicker” to mean thickness of the plank, expecting the planksheer to be proud of the hull like the wale. He was using the term to mean the width of the plank which, after I realized that, was definitely shown on the plans as wider.

 

Still no actual work on the model as my left eye still does not see well after cataract surgery which it definitely needed. A day after the surgery (Oct 1) I could barely make out the big letter “E” on the eye chart. My cornea clouded up due to the non-routine procedure that was required. It might be a month before the eye settles down.

[Tom E]

JS,

Great build, really enjoying it.

Lord knows when I'll ever get to my Connie kit. I have the MS version as well in my stash.  

 

I just wanted to chime in about your eye post surgery. I work with eye surgeons, have been for 15+ years.

Not an MD, I'm what's called a COA.

You would have met a guy like me when you first met with your surgeon, well prior to surgery. 

Probably did a full eye exam with you before hand. 

 

Eyes heal at there own pace, which can be kind of slow. 

If your surgeon has you doing a regimen of post-op eye drops, (some surgeons do some don't), follow that schedule to the letter. 

If it gets itchy, which means its healing, keep those hands out of there! Try not too scratch it. 

 

Tom E 

 

[JSGerson]

Thanks Tom. So far, my eye doesn't itch and I do use three kinds of eye drops 4 times a day. Right now its like looking through a very dirty window. I'll be back at the doctor office in 4 days.