HMS Atalanta 1775 by tlevine - FINISHED - 1:48 scale - from TFFM plans

[druxey]

Those carlings line up very nicely, Toni. Well done! One can't finish a fully framed model in weeks or months, unfortunately.... Good things take time.

[mtaylor]

Toni,

 

Lovely work.  Took me a bit to find that gap....  Very precise work.

[BANYAN]

Thats a great job to date Toni, you should be very happy (and proud) of your efforts so far - only 22 months, that's supersonic speed compared to my efforts

 

cheers

 

Pat

[tlevine]

Mark and Pat, thanks for looking in.

 

The mast partner has been installed and now it is time to install the upper deck clamps.  There are four strakes and an air space between the top of the lower deck and the upper deck beams.  The first task was to measure the top of the beams on the draughts and transfer this to the Mylar.  The sheer is less pronounced fore and aft than shown on the Mylar.  This height was then marked on the inside of the hull and a strip of tape was placed to ensure a smooth run for this line and also make sure that the line is parallel to the gun port sills.  The second photo shows the model laid on its side in order to show the run of the clamp to the stemson.  The beams are 7" in height and let into the clamp 1".  Therefore I measured down 6" to find the height of the top of the clamp.  This line was marked in pencil. 

 

 

 

 

[WackoWolf]

Your doing an excellent job. I enjoy watching this build, have been watching since the beginning and will be watching to the end. Keep the pictures coming.

[Maury S]

She's looking great Toni.

Maury

[tlevine]

Joe, at this rate you will be watching for a long time.

 

Thanks, Maury.

[druxey]

Just starting a deck's worth of ledges, so I'm looking enviously at yours! Your model is coming along beautifully, Toni.

[tlevine]

Thank you, Druxey.  Right now it feels good to forget about mortises and concentrate on long planks (upper deck clamps) with lots of treenails!  The upper clamp is almost done.  I'll take some pictures when both strakes are completed.

[tlevine]

Both strakes of the upper deck clamps are in place.  I started with the upper stake which is 4" thick.  It tapers down to 3" where it intersects the lower strake.  In the pictures that has not been done yet except at the stemson to better highlight the top and butt planking.  There in an airspace below the lower strake which stops at the aft end of the upper deck.  For this reason the aftmost lower plank is 2" wider than the others.  The planks are all treenailed but they are decorative only.  In the pictures the wood looks mottled because I wet it down to try and highlight the treenails and the top and butt planking.

 

I am still trying to decide whether I will install the spirketting or treat it like I have the footwaling and leave it off.  I am leaning towards leaving it off to allow more light to enter the hull.  That decision will be made after the deck planking has been installed.  I will be planking the port side, leaving the starboard side open except for (possibly) the waterway.

 

 

 

 

 

[dgbot]

Great work Toni.  what kind of finish are you going to use when you get to it?

David B

[tlevine]

Thanks, David.  I have been using Watco's.  I have been toying with a sanding sealer for the decking (which will be holly) to prevent yellowing.  I think the formulation of the Watco's has changed.  I have ships that were decked 15 years ago that still look like holly.  On Hannah, which I finished two years ago, the holly has yellowed almost to the color of boxwood.  It looks OK but is not the effect I was after.

[tlevine]

I have accomplished a lot of little things since the last posting.  Some of these included mock-up of internal planking to decide how I want to procede.  In order to show off the framing of the lower deck, I will leave the starboard deck completely bare.  (Yes I know it will be barely visible regardless.)  I will put in the waterway on the port side but will not install the spirketting on either side.  Internal bulkeeads will be installed on the port side only.

 

The waterways are 3" planks that taper medially to 2" to match the thickness of the deck planking.  They are 12" wide.  There is also a lateral bevel to mate with the bevel of the spirketting.  I could not get a good picture to demonstrate this.  The bevels were scraped in with a razor blade and then sanded.  Once I had fabricated the foremost waterway plank and its scarf, I cut the scarf in to the eking piece on the port side and copied it on to the starboard side.  I could not find a trunnelling diagram either in TFFM or in the various build logs for the waterways so I decided to put two trunnels into each beam and a single trunnel between frames and at the scarf joints.  The trunnels are decorative.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tlevine]

I put in the centerline or king plank next.  This plank is 3" thick and the lateral edges are beveled.  My deck planking will be holly with one edge and end highlighted with pencil so the seams are more apparent.  The hardest part of deck planking is determining the centerline.  I drilled a hole in the midline of the stemson and inserted a pin into the hole.  A doubled thread then is secured to the pin and to the #19 pillar to determine the midline.  The thread is evident in the pictures.

 

 

The pins for the riding bitt, main topsail sheet bitt and the main jeer bitt were temporarily installed.  The riding bitt extends all the way to the thickstuff over the floorhead.  The other bitts end at the lower deck beams.  These are 9" square but have an aft taper below the upper deck.  The dimensions at the lower deck beam are 6"d x 9"w.  The foot is rounded over.  These are shown in TFFM as being bolted flush to the aft side of beams 11 and 12.  The draughts for Atalanta show that they are mortised into the beams and that the jeer bitt is also mortised into the after hatch framing.  These are (theoretically) bolted to the beams.  In the pictures I made no attempt to check for plumb, as these were only temporarily fastened.  During the construction of the lower deck framing, I did not think far enough ahead.  I should have made these bitts and drilled the bolt holes as assemblies 11 and 12 were made.  At this point, it would be next to impossible to put those holes in.

 

 

 

Of course, while I am taking pictures, Sadie decided that she was not getting enough attention.  It looks like she is taking a bite out of the stern.  In reality, she loves masking tape and the midline thread is secured with some (which she is trying to remove).  Since we almost lost her to urosepsis last week (a really bad kidney infection that gave her blood poisoning in normal people talk), I guess I can tolerate some of her idiosyncrasies.  But if she ate a piece of wood...

 

[tlevine]

I have progressed a little with the deck planking.  This is 2" thick, in contrast with the king plank which is 3" thick.  There is a mild taper in the planks towards the bow and (more noticeably) the stern.  Not all of the planks are the same width at midships.  In particular, the planks between the outboard edge of the hatchways and the king plank are narrower.  Caulking is represented by pencil.  The planking extends all the way to the beam edges for the scuttles but is recessed 5" for the hatchways to accommodate the hatch covers.

 

The riding bitts are temporarily installed to allow the deck planking to abut the timber.  At this point I decided to remove the bit and discovered that it would not come out.  The bitt is notched to fit into the fore platform and lower deck beam.  Not a problem when the framing is left exposed; big problem when the deck planking has been installed.  The solution was to remove the deck planking around the bitt and taper the fore edge down towards the lower platform, rather than having a notch for the lower deck beam.  The starboard bitt will be left with the notch intact.

 

 

 

[ChrisLBren]

Looks really nice Toni !

Chris

[druxey]

Coming along very nicely, Toni. You can always put blind bolts in the bitt pins: only you will ever know they don't go through the beams!

[st george]

Toni,

 

Great model and a great build log. Thank you for posting.

[tlevine]

Chris, David, thanks.

Druxey, great idea.  It really illustrates how one must think ten steps ahead with every piece that is built.

[Dan Vadas]

Hi Toni,

 

At this point I decided to remove the bit and discovered that it would not come out.  The bitt is notched to fit into the fore platform and lower deck beam.  Not a problem when the framing is left exposed; big problem when the deck planking has been installed.  The solution was to remove the deck planking around the bitt and taper the fore edge down towards the lower platform, rather than having a notch for the lower deck beam.  The starboard bitt will be left with the notch intact.

 

Yes, I had exactly the same problem and came up with the same solution . The Bitts will have to go in and out quite a few times before they are ready to be permanently fitted, so an easy way of removing the "planked against" one is necessary.

 

  Danny

[Kevin]

i am logging all this info in me brain for future reference, well done - lovely build

[tlevine]

Thanks, Kevin.

 

Danny, once I discovered this I toyed with completely finishing and mounting the pin but decided that it would get too banged up while finishing the lower deck and building the upper.

[Trussben]

Beautiful work Toni, seems that it always happens that we will miss something but how you fix it is the key.

 

Ben

[TomShipModel]

Toni,

 

Great work.  The detail is amazing, especially at how quickly it moves along.  Thanks for posting this build log.

 

Tom R

[tlevine]

Ben, Tom and Brian, thank you.  Although I wouldn't exactly say it is moving along quickly.  Next month will mark the two year anniversary of beginning construction. 

[druxey]

"Quickly" is a relative term!

[Jeronimo]

Hi Toni,

very nice and good work.

Why the deck Planks in a light Wood?

 

Regards Karl

[tlevine]

Druxey, right you are.

 

Thank you Karl for your kind comment.  I chose the holly because I did not like the effect of everything being the same color.  One the finish is applied, the color contrast between the two woods will be less.  Also, once the bulkheads are installed, much of the deck planking will be obscured anyway.

[tlevine]

The rest of the lower deck planking has been installed.  I have removed the bit pins to prevent them from getting damaged.  According to TFFM, joggled planks were not commonly used in this time period.  David's suggested layout shows them, however, so I used them in four strakes at the bow.  I guess I just like the way they look.  The last three strakes aft and the last two strakes fore are dropped to prevent the end of the plank from being too narrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have not decided what I am going to do for fastenings.  Deck nails were used to fasten the planks to the beams.  They were countersunk so wood plugs could be inserted above them.  I have tried unsuccessfully to show these plugs with a hypodermic needle.  To remain in scale, a 25 gauge needle is required.  I found that this bent after only a few uses.  Seven-eighths inch treenails and doualls were used at the ledges and butts respectively.  At this point I am leaning towards installing the treenails and doualls and skipping the plugs, as they would barely be seen anyway.

[druxey]

Keeps looking good, Toni.