Halifax by rafine - FINISHED - The Lumberyard - 1:48 - semi-scratch schooner

[rafine]

With completion of the framing, it was time to make some decisions. First, I decided that I would leave the hull below the wales unplanked, except for a single strake of holly directly below the wale. Second, the hull above the wales would be fully planked on both sides. Third, I would leave fairing of the interior hull until I have completed the hull planking and have cut the hull from the framing jig.

 

Having made these decisions, it was time to begin the planking process. The first item was the wales. Since they were to be painted black, I chose to use holly which is easier to bend than boxwood, and made them in two layers, again for ease of bending and fitting. When they were in place, I painted them using multiple coats of ModelMaster engine black (the former Pollyscale). 

 

Next, I planked the stern counter and the lower portion of the transom. This was done with boxwood and was treenailed using the drill and fill method (which I intend to use for all of the treenailing). I trimmed back the wales to meet the counter planking. I still need to add moldings, finish the counter planking with Wipe-on poly and paint the wale ends black. This will be done later, as will the remaining stern transom work.

 

Bob

[donrobinson]

Looks real good Bob. I have never tried that drill and fill method for tree nails, yours look exceptionally good. What are you using for a filler?

[gjdale]

Looking lovely Bob.

[rafine]

Thanks so much Don and the "likes". I am using DAP walnut wood filler from Home Depot on the boxwood planking and golden oak on the holly. Any hard drying sandable filler will work.

 

Bob

[rafine]

Thanks so much Grant.

 

Bob

[Jim Lad]

She's really looking first class, Bob.

 

John

[MEDDO]

It's funny you painted the wales black.  I really like the look.  Day before yesterday I was considering it and cut some black paper out and taped to my hull to see what it would look like.  My only concern would be painting over previously sealed wood (wipe-on poly).  I also like the treenails.

[popeye the sailor]

very nice Bob  

[cwboland]

Love the look Bob. One question though. Are you going to paint the ends of the wales or leave them natural? I would think they would have been finished the same as the wales.

[Gahm]

Beautifully done, Bob!

 

Thomas

[rafine]

Thanks so much John, Michael, Denis, Carl, Thomas and the "likes".

 

Michael, I believe that wales are generally black. There should be no problem painting over the Wipe-on poly if you lightly sand it first.

 

Carl, as I indicated above, the wale ends will be painted black at some future point.

 

Bob

[albert]

Hi Bob your work is very very nice.

[Blue Ensign]

Nice work Bob, I like the idea of leaving her in frame below the waterline.

 

B.E.

[rafine]

Thanks so much Albert, B.E. and the "likes".

 

Why do the frames B.E., if you're not going to let them show. 

 

Bob

[Tallshiptragic]

Looks gorgeous bob! Lovely work

[rafine]

Thanks so much Anton for the very kind comment.

 

Bob

[rafine]

A number of things have been accomplished. First, I added the single strake of holly planking that I intend to have below the wales. Then, I made the fashion pieces that border the counter at the stern. These were cut from boxwood sheet and sanded to shape to fit. They were painted black and mounted. Next, I added black painted moldings to the lower and upper counter. Lastly, I applied a coat of Wipe-on Poly to the counter and the lower hull from the wales down.

 

Next up will be the planking above the wales.

 

Bob

[MEDDO]

 Love the look of the stern.

[rafine]

Thanks so much Michael and the "likes".

 

Bob

[Stuntflyer]

Nice progress, Bob! It looks like planking that bluff bow might have been a bit challenging?

 

Mike

[rafine]

Thanks so much Mike and the "likes".

 

Actually Mike, the planking that I'm doing is not too bad. I did do the wales in two layers to make the bending easier. I 've started the upper planking and it's going pretty well. I have to admit that at least some part of my decision to not plank one side of the bottom was based on the degree of difficulty that it might involve.

 

Bob

[Rat-Fink-A-Booboo]

Hi Bob

I'm currently building my first - (Panart Lynx)

Seeing your build is an utter inspiration - I hope, one day, to be able to emulate a build like this

Fantastic.

 

Wishing you, as always, fair winds and a following sea

Don

[rafine]

Thanks so much Don for the very kind words. Model building, like so many other things, is more perspiration than inspiration. Keep at it, don't get too self satisfied and you can only get better at it. Time to get off my soapbox.

 

Bob

[Rustyj]

Hi Bob,

 

I just got caught up and you are proceeding along, as always, very nicely.

[DocBlake]

Outstanding. Bob!  The holly below the wales will look awesome.  I did that with my "Independence " build, but the contrast on your model will be really dramatic, given the hull's cherry frames.  Good choice!  Do you plan on limiting the holly to just one strake, or maybe several on one side of the hull only?

[rafine]

Thanks so much Rusty, Dave and the "likes".

 

Dave, at this point it is my intention to do only the one holly strake.

 

Bob

[rafine]

Before beginning the upper hull planking, I had one more task: framing the quarter window opening. I first cut down one of the aft frames and then added strip pieces to create the framing.

 

After that, it was on to the planking. The main belt consisted of five strakes of 1/8" x !/16" boxwood strip.I also added a 1/16" square strip as a base for the molding that will go above this planking belt. The good news was that the planks are of even width throughout their length and did not require tapering. The bad news was that the bow is extremely blunt and required compound curves to obtain a good fit. My method to do this was to first soak the planks in boiling water, then edge bend them and then use my old heated plank bending tool (an Aeropiccola product that I've had for decades) to make horizontal bends. Some beveling was employed where necessary to ensure tight fit. I used a carpenters pencil to simulate caulking on one side and one end of each plank and glued each in place using carpenters glue on each frame and the mating edges of each plank. I'm sure that some will laugh at my "clamping" method. I've always found it more difficult than useful to fit fancy clamps to planking, and rely on low tech "five finger clamps" (my hands) to hold the planks in place with pressure until the glue grabs sufficiently. After rough sanding, I drilled and filled for the "treenails", using a #75 drill and walnut filler. After final sanding, I applied a coat of Wipe-on Poly and touched up the black paint on the wales.

 

Now, it's on to the remaining planking.

 

Bob

[MEDDO]

Very nice and neat planking.

[popeye the sailor]

very nice planking Bob......very clean and neat  

[gjdale]

Looking lovely Bob. Your low-tech clamping method obviously works well.