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

[tlevine]

Author:  remcohe. Getting the proportions right I find the hardest part (re:  sculpting).  A book from Katherine Dewey I find really helpful.  The great thing about polymer clay is you can add and remove bits as often as you want.  I find it really enjoyable and relaxing to do.  It’s carving the figures in wood that I still fear to do.  But as I like to say, I’ll cross that bridge when I get there (if ever…).

August 13, 2011.  The lower apron is done.  Definitely the hardest part was mating the inferior surface to the keel.  The stepping line was just a little fussy.

Once I finished the piece I looked at the figures in TFFM.  Three of the drawings show the forward step as I cut it.  One of them shows the forward step configured differently.  Considering how long it took to fabricate this piece, I got very  oncerned.  Greg’s photo of Pegasus shows the step as I cut it so it must be right!  I have the original version of Volume One TFFM.  There are several errata which have been addressed in the second version.  Check which version you have and make corrections if necessary.

 

 

Edited February 20, 2013 by tlevine

[Trussben]

Nice to see the full build log going back in Toni - really beautiful work there.

 

ben

[WackoWolf]

Toni,

 

    Glad to see your up and posting again. Keep the post and pictures coming, I like other will be watching.

[BertUS]

I will follow this log aswell as Remcoho's log, both models are my inspiration for my recent built and following built

[tlevine]

Author:  dvm27.  Wonderful work, Toni!  You’ve left plenty of width in the steps for the cants.   And, yes, the piece is correct.  The error in the one illustrations’ scarph orientation…was corrected in the later reprints.  When you consider David wrote the books without actually having built the model, the amount of mistakes are amazingly few.  While building the prototype, most of the time when I thought he had erred I discovered the mistake was actually caused by my deviation from the plans or instructions.  This is very precise work and one must constantly be on guard lest cumulative error occur.  For example, just a minor deviation in positioning the steps of the apron could translate into major problems with the fore body shape or height of the top timber line.  Greg

Author:  Dan Vad.  Anyone who has the first edition should be warned to take the revisions into consideration.  The revisions are available at http://seawatchbooks.com/AboutSwan.htm. 

 

August 13, 2011  Greg, everything was done with a chisel and an 11 blade.  A Sherline mill is on my wish list, along with other goodies.

 

In looking ahead to the aft deadwood assembly I noticed in TFFM that Atalanta has a modified assembly.  I went back to the draughts and cannot see any detail regarding this.  Does anyone have any thoughts regarding this?

The fore deadwood has been attached and all the joints are trunneled.  The trunnels will never be seen but they add a little strength to the joint.  You cannot tell from the pictures but the forward end of the keel and the stem have been tapered.  I have decided not to add any pigment to the glue.  My fear is that it will cause any imperfections to be more obvious.

 

 

 

[tlevine]

Author:  druxey.  If deadwood details are not shown on your own draught, you need to be your own master shipwright and decide how to build it up.  The Atalanta sheer and profile does not give the “breakdown” of this but does show the keelson and a sternson knee.  In general, deadwood pieces might be up to between 2 and 3 feet wide, so take it from there.

 

August 20, 2011.  The stern deadwood has been made up and marked for the stepping line.  The Atalanta deadwood configuration is different from the generic plan.  There is a scarf on the top piece for the keelson.  I tried different configurations for the other four pieces and decided that the spiled piece as shown on the Mylar would not work.  Therefore I made five pieces with a simple curved run.  The angle between the back of the deadwood and the keel is also about two degrees different.  I forgot to mention it earlier but I had the “pleasure” of trying out the 90% isopropanol soak for debonding the glue joints
when I was working on the apron.  Works great!  I’ll try not to need it again soon.

 

 

 

[tlevine]

August 22, 2011.  Work continues on the stern deadwood.  I cut out the stern post and the inner post now to make sure everything lined up correctly. The stepping line was put in and the thickness above the stepping line was decreased to 12”.

 

 

[tlevine]

August 22, 2011.  The next step was to decrease the thickness of the deadwood as it approaches the keel and the inner post.  This is supposed to be a concave shape but I misread it and made it convex initially.  Since it is a lot easier to take off more wood than put it back on, there was no harm done.  The first picture shows it done wrong and the second one shows the correct shape.  With the unshaped inner post in position, the amount of taper is more evident.

 

Convex Deadwood (Wrong)                                 Concave Deadwood (Correct)  

       

 

         

[tlevine]

August 28, 2011.  The sternpost assembly is finished.  The easiest part is cutting the notches for the transoms.  I’m glad that I have Greg’s book (Volume 3 TFFM) as his picture sequence helped me out quite a bit.  The notches have been cut for the pintle straps.

Stern Post Rabbet

 

 

The deadwood has been glued to the stem piece.  After letting it dry I started fairing the deadwood into the inner stem.  Then, I also slightly recut the bearding line above the stepping line to give it a smoother curve.  Last, I added a tenon to the stern post and cut a mortise into the keel.  A little more reining of the deadwood is necessary but I am going to wait until the frames are installed to get the correct shape.

 

 

[tlevine]

August 29, 2011.  I have started the rabbet.  TFFM suggests using a small v-gouge to shape the rabbet.  I don’t own one so my approach was a little different.  First, I mark out the lower edge of the rabbet (3” from the top of the keel).  Then I draw a line to represent the deepest part of the rabbet and use an 11-blade to score this line.  I use small chisel bites to bevel down to the score and finish up the bottom of the rabbet.  Then I pare off ribbons of wood on the upper part of the rabbet until I get the right depth and angle.  The share of the rabbet changes throughout its course.  L-shaped at the deadwood, V-shaped in the mid-portion and then a wide V at the stem.  I have not decided whether to put in the stem rabbet now or wait until the hawser timbers are shaped.  I fayed the deadwood into the rabbet but only minimally trimmed the lower apron.  I will leave that until the fore cants are in place.

Keel with Rabbet

 

Deadwood Rabbet

I have decided to leave the stem rabbet until later.  It will be easier for me to match the rabbet to any irregularities of the hawser assembly rather than the other way around.  The next challenge is the wing transom. 

 

[tlevine]

Sept. 5, 2011.  The wing transom is roughly shaped and pinned in place.  Nothing will be glued until the base supports are made.  You can see the aft rabbet extending above the top of the wing transom. 

 

Wing Transom

 

 

The transoms were difficult for me and I remade each one a few times until I was happy with the result.  What I finally figured out was “bigger is better”.  You can always make them smaller.  The photos illustrate that concept.  Although they look sloppy,
there is sufficient extra wood to allow me to fair them up later with the aft cant frames.  They are only press fit at this point.  The last pictures shows them after they have been trimmed up a bit.

 

Transoms

[tlevine]

Sept. 5, 2011.  The captive nuts are in place in the rising wood and keel.  I have decided to use single bolt pedestals.  The bolts are placed according to the plans.  Since the aft bolt goes through the fore part of the deadwood, a longer bolt was necessary.  This will be cut off later.  The Plexiglass vertical supports have been made and secured to the building board.  The stem and stern slots will be lined with adhesive-backed felt.

Keel Bolt

 

Base

 

 

Author Dan Vad:  I see you haven’t glued you lower three transoms on yet – good move.  If you make up two of the right angle cant frame jugs now you’ll be able to use that to get the exact lines for trimming the ends of them where they butt onto the fashion pieces and aft cant frames.  They are a real “bear” to trim up after they are glued on.

Sept. 6, 2011.  Danny, I plan on predrilling the filler transoms and pinning them but they will not see glue until everything is fair.  On Atalanta the fashion pieces appear to end at the lower transom.  The Fly is like the Vulture with the fashion pieces extending to the top filler transom.

Sept. 7, 2011.  The more I looked at the transoms, the less happy I became.  This is my (hopefully) final stab at them.  In my previous efforts I was unaware that the CD that accompanies the Mylar (containing the frame outlines) also contained plans for the transoms and fashion piece.  The first set of filler transoms were made based on my interpretation of the Atalanta plans.  The second set had the benefit of David’s drawings to follow.  I was pleased to discover that there was not a tremendous difference between the two sets…just enough that I am glad that I remade them.  They have been temporarily pinned in place.

Transoms

 

[tlevine]

Sept 11, 2011.  I have fitted the fashion pieces and the filling frames between them and the stern timber.  They have all been left “fat” for final fairing later.  I found it easiest to remove the aft acrylic support for access to the area.  I must admit I thought more than once how I wish I was building upside down (a la Hahn).  I hope to get the aft cant frames installed today.

 

Fashion Pieces

 

Filling Timbers

 

 

Sept. 12, 2011 I have completed and mounted my aft cant frames.  All told, it took about six hours to cut shape, chock, mount and treenail both of the frames.  I have mentioned that I am a slow builder.  I am happy with the fit of the chock.  I took the keel assembly off the building board to make it easier to clamp the frames to the other members.

 

 

Aft Cant Frame

 

Aft Cant Frame Installed

 

 

 

[tlevine]

Sept. 12, 2011.  The treenails are hard to see but there are two in the foot of the frame and fashion piece and in the filling frames.  The aft cant is also treenailed into each transom.  The chock is treenailed into both futtocks using a diagonal pattern.  I wet the cant frame to help them stand out a bit for the photo.  The pins holding the transoms in place have been removed and treenails inserted.  I decided I wanted more strength for the wing transom insertion and so countersunk the brass pins.  The pictures were taken before that was done.

 

Aft Cant Installed

 

 

 

 

 

Author:  Dan Vad. 
I suggest you cut the Hawse Timbers with a bit more overhang on the top timber line than the templates are drawn to. 
I cut mine exactly to the templates and came up fractionally short.

 

Sept. 20, 2011.  The bollard timber is another one of those complex pieces that, when finished, does not have a single face in the same plan that it was cut out in.  The first step is to cut the foot at a 34.5^o angle.  The rest of the piece is cut normally.  I made three sets.  The first set I made after scaling the templates too small.  On the second set I did not allow myself enough tolerance and when placed on the sip the rabbet would not have had a graceful curve coming up from the keel.  Once cut, the medial face needs to be modified so that it fits snug against the stem.  Then the lateral face needs to be reshaped so that the thickness of the two bollard timbers and the stem is a consistent thickness.  In the pictures you can see the gap before reshaping the timber.  The fore and aft faces not need to be tapered, leaving a 1mm ledge on the fore face for later fairing.  The picture shows the discarded and the shaped timbers to help illustrate the amount of shaping required. 

 

 

Bollard                                                              Bollard 4

               

Bollard 1

 

 

The airspace is cut next.  This gap allows ventilation between the hawse timbers and is 0.015” deep.  I cut this with a chisel and sanded it with 400 grit.  I deliberately cut is too short because I am uncertain of the exact angle it needs to be.  It is
supposed to be at the same angle as the hawse hole.  I will finalize and bevel the edge when the next timber is ready to be installed.

 

Bollard 5

 

Bollard 6

 

   Once I had the final shape of the bollard timber I traced it on to the stem and completed the rabbet.  This stops at the lower edge of the knighthead.

Edited February 23, 2013 by tlevine

[tlevine]

Author:  druxey.  Slow and steady is the way for this part of framing.  Check frequently against the plan on the baseboard (it is marked out there, isn’t it?) and a square.  Also check that each timber sits at the correct height.

Author:  dvm27.  The angle of the air space should echo the air hole but it’s not crucial as the inside face virtually disappears once the adjoining timbers are added.  What is crucial is to make sure the upper edges of the air space line up on each side.  Also, the knighthead shaping is crucial to the appearance of the model.  But you do have the option of shaping it off the model (as I did with the timberheads) and adding them as separate pieces.  The plankshear will cover the joint.  The first photo below shows my original knightheads shaped directly on the bollard timbers.  Over time, they lost their crispness through repeated trauma.  The second photo shows the replacements added years later.  Greg.

 

Original Knightheads

 

Replaced Knightheads

Faces machined on the Preac saw

 

Sept. 16, 2001.  I plan on shaping the knightheads now but rather expect that they will be sawn off at a later date and redone as you did, Greg.   
 

The knighthead/bollard timber tops are done.  It took 2 ½ hours for the first one and 1 ½ hour for the other.  I compared the knightheads shown on the plan for Atalanta with the Mylar.  This show a beveled cut down from the top, as seen in Greg’s photos.  Atalanta had a curved waist instead, as seen in the pictures.  The hardest part was getting the two timbers to look like mirror images of each other.  I did the work with a combination of #11 blades, Swiss needle files and sandpaper.  The finished size of the timber tip is 0.2 x 0.2 x 0.45 inches.

 

Knighthead

 

Author:  Dan Vad. The good news is that all the other timberheads have an easier design.

Edited February 23, 2013 by tlevine

[tlevine]

Sept. 18, 2011.  The next step is to sand the top of the stem for the bowsprit and make the opening in the bollard timbers through which the bowsprit passes.  In TFFM, David demonstrates a surefire way to get the angle correct.  The line of the bowsprit is extended to the keel.  A brass tube wrapped in sandpaper
to achieve the correct diameter of the yard is threaded over a dowel.  The dowel is then used to guide the moveable brass tube and sand the opening at the correct angle and diameter.  The mortise for the chock between the bollard timbers has also been made.  The pictures show the fore and aft faces of the timber. Hopefully, the difference in the mortise size is visible (it is larger aft).  The angle of the bowsprit can also be appreciated.  The timbers still need
finish sanding.

 

Bowsprit Opening Fore and Aft

   

The bollard timbers are now glued to the stem.  I put two pins into the stem for added strength.

 

Bollard timbers attached to stem

    

 

 

Author Dan Vad.  Did you run the sanding tube back through after fitting the bollard timbers?  It may need a small touch-up but I would wait until after you glue the chock in.  That definitely will need rounding off.

 

Sept. 26, 2011.  I made the chock for the bollard timbers and then added the groove for the top of the bowsprit off the ship.  That minimized the risk of damaging the bollard timbers.  Once installed, I tweeked the curve with an 11-blade.  Only took me two tries!  In the second picture you can see the slight step-off for the air space between the bollard and the second hawse timber.

 

Chock

  

 

[tlevine]

Sept. 28, 2011.  I have made the first six fore cant frames.  I used the angle gauge on my scroll saw for cutting the angles for the bollard, hawse and cant  timbers.  I later discovered the gauge is off approx. 1 degree.  This resulted in a 2 degree cumulative error which was corrected by changing the angle of the aft end of the bollard timber by 2 degrees.  Needless to say I have bought an accurate protractor and am no longer relying on the angle gauge on the saw.  I felt this was safer than removing 1 degree on two pieces.  Of course, I had already glued and pinned the bollard timbers so this had to be done mounted on the stem.  Any internal imperfections will be hidden by further construction.  The apparent crossing of cant 3 in the first picture is a result of the camera angle. Because this is such a critical timber, I used hidden brass pins to secure them.  Wood treenails were installed externally for a uniform appearance.

 

Fore Cant 

  
 

 

 

Author:  Dan Vad. I do the 90 degree bevels with my disc sander to the angle on the pattern – also the little step where it sits on the apron.  Then I use a sanding board to shape the fore-aft angle.  My sanding board is a piece of MDF with a gloss laminate (old shelving) which I’ve cut to the size of a sanding sheet and screwed to a corner of my workbench (from underneath).  I glue 120 grit paper to it with spray-on contact cement.  I start off with a couple of rough cuts by feel on the edge that will need the most cut off, holding the frame like a pencil.  Then I use my adjustable protractor to check how close my angle is, making more cuts and adjusting my grip as needed.  As I near the “uncut” edge I check the angle again.  Etc.  This also works great when finessing the chocks.

 

Sept. 30, 2011.  I discovered that the toprail contour for Atalanta is different from the prototype.  It is lower fore, the same midships and higher aft.  The bowsprit is also at a slightly different angle.  Initially I thought that the plans had become distorted in the copying process but after taking several measurements I was convinced there was no error.  I also noticed that the fore shape of the stem is different towards the keel. 

The second and third hawser timbers have been placed.  All the hawse holes will be reshaped during the final fairing.  In the last picture you can see the temporary spacers placed in the airspace.  It always amazes me how something that looks hard is deceptively easy and something that looks easy is actually quite difficult.  As an example, the airspaces and hawse holes
looked tough to me but were easy.  But mounting the hawse timbers square, plumb and at the correct angle is very difficult.  I measured across the timbers at the airspace and full breadth lines and am shy be a scale inch.  I will make that up in the fourth timber. 

Hawse timber 2 installed

 

 

Hawse timber 3 installed

 

 
 

Edited February 23, 2013 by tlevine

[tlevine]

Oct 4, 2011.  The rest of the hawse timbers are in place.  The outboard faces have been cut significantly oversized to (hopefully) prevent any mistakes on the final fairing.  The most difficult part of making the last timber is accepting the fact that the easiest way to fabricate it involves wasting a lot of wood.  TFFM Vol. III describes the technique.  I have also mounted the next three fore cant frames

Hawse timbers installed

 

 

 

Fore Cants

 

 

 

Oct. 5, 2011.  I plan on treenailing the chocks.  I will drill the exterior holes into the chocks for stability and drill the interior holes shallow for appearance.  I cut both the chocks and the scarf joints oversize and then “sneak up” on the perfect fit.  The frames have not been drilled for treenails yet because I am still debating which wood to use for the treenails.  I will be looking at Castillo box, bamboo, pear, and pau marfin.

 

Author:  dvm27. I guess everyone has their favorite method of inserting treenails.  I drew them down to fit a no. 76 drilled hole, using a Byrnes draw plate.  I use bamboo because I don’t like to make them too obvious and it doesn’t fall apart at this diameter.   Once the frame is assembled but before it is raised I drill the four holes from the outside in after pre-marking them with pencil.  It’s pretty easy to eyeball the positions and angles.  You just need to remember which direction the
pattern goes.  I insert the treenails dry, trim them close and then paint over them with a dilute white glue wash.  A dry-inserted treenail will not swell, so a tighter fit can be made.  The glue locks them in place.  Always check your choice of trunnels with the final stain you are using.  As it is the end grain of the treenail showing, it could look darker than the length of the treenail. 

Oct. 10, 2011.  I went back to the original drafts and incorporated the difference in the bow shape to a copy of the Mylar.  I found that there were two frames that would need modification.  In attempting to debond those two joints, several of the frames debonded.  The end result was most of the fore cants had to be reinstalled. 

I have given the interior a preliminary fairing of the hawser timbers and the cant lower futtocks.   The first picture shows the starboard side faired and the port side left “raw”.  The final result is in the last picture.  I have also drawn in the location for the sill between cants 3 and 5. 

 

Fairing Fore Cants

 

 

I have mounted a few more cant frames.  It is actually beginning to look like a ship!  The joints are predrilled for treenails.  I will be making the treenail pattern a mirror image on each side.  I. e. the aft treenail will be higher than the fore on either  ide.

More Fore Cants

 

  

 

 

 

 

[sonicmcdude]

Welcome back Toni... beautiful as always. Thank you for sharing!

[tlevine]

Oct. 15, 2011.  I made a treenail mock-up and applied Watco’s.  From L to R the species are bamboo, degame, pear and Castillo boxwood.  Bamboo wins.  It is slightly darker than the boxwood and the pear is too dark.  The degame is too brittle to bother with.
 

Treenail Mockup

 

 

All the fore cant frames are mounted.  What worked best for me was to cut the lower futtock with a 2 mm margin and the upper futtock very fat.  I then tacked the lower futtock onto the frame template, made the chock and glued that to the lower futtock.  I then made the scarf for the upper futtock and gave that to the chock, paying much more attention to the joint than the angle of the upper futtock (the reason it was cut oversized).  Once glued up, I took a fresh copy of the frame template and applied it to the frame. The shape was finished on the spindle sander and finally, the bevel at the foot was cut.  Full sized Averylabels are perfect for transferring the frame templates to the wood.  Being stiffer than regular paper helps
prevent distortion.  There are several other brands of the same product.  Some of them leave a black residue, others are too sticky.  If you are counting, there are six copies of each template…two sticky and one plain for both the port and starboard sides.

There are two unusual frames.  Between frames 7 and 8 there is an extra top timber.  This is trapezoidal in shape and steals from the aft side of 7 and the fore side of 8.  The upper futtock of frame 11 is cast aft.  This futtock is cut from thicker stock to accommodate the cast.  To get a clean cut superiorly I partially cut this down with the Preac Say and then finished it with chisels and sandpaper. I have penciled in the location for the bird’s mouth tenon on frames 3 and 5 for cutting later.   Spacers have been placed between the timberheads.  This adds substantial strength and stability to the model. They were left protruding to facilitate removal later. 

Fore Cants Finished

 

 

 

 

 

Author:  dvm27.  I cut the sill mortises on Pegasus after temporarily mounting and marking them.  While easier to cut with a chisel off the model, this technique caused me some headaches as sometimes the frames were a hair off when remounted on the model.  On my current model, I plan to mark and cut these after all the frames are in. Ed T shows how efficiently this can be done on his model.  Regarding fairing, I suggest adding the first frame pair before fairing to see how the cants flow into them.  These square frames are a bit fuller and the difference may seem somewhat jarring.  I also removed the assembly from the building board while fairing and started with 80 grit garnet paper, progressing to 220 for the final  sanding.  I had an occasional filler piece between the cants come loose during the fairing but these were easily glued back in place.  Your goal is to get that nice consistent 5” top timber line smoothly curving towards the bollards.  I found the pencil trick mentioned by Druxey very helpful.  Draw numerous horizontal (sheet) lines with a pencil from the top of the keel to the top timbers.  Sand until all the marks are gone.  This will show the high and low spots.

 

[Trussben]

Hey Toni,

 

I just wanted to add a big thanks for you rebuilding your log in such a detailed and complete way, it's a joy to read it all again.

 

Ben

[BANYAN]

Great to see your log coming back to life Toni, the inclusion of the hints and comments by other members is a great addition for those following in your wake.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[tlevine]

Thank you, Ben and Pat.  I felt instructive comments from other members were important to include.  Some of them have been paraphrased or combined from multiple posts to make it easier to read.

 

 

[tlevine]

Oct. 16, 2011.  I have added the second aft cant frames.  I thought this would be a good time to show my setup.  I clamp a carpenter’s square to the building board on the aft line of the cant.  In the second picture you can also see a shim next to the square to keep the clamp from sliding off the square.  The frame is then clipped to the square and the foot is held in place with the clamp.  I tried using a square made from plexiglass but found that the transparency made things more difficult. I will therefore be very careful not to let the metal square fall on to the model.
 

Frame Setup

 

 

 

Author:  dvm27. Here is the setup I use to add frames.  I use a steel angle plate.  This sits on the aft line of the fore cant or frame (reversed aft) and the bladed machinist square is located at the maximum height of breadth on the plan.  I just add glue to the heel of the cast (or frame) and sit in place, applying gentle pressure for about 30 seconds while the glue tacks.  Thus, the frames are perfectly square to the table and the height of breadth assured.  No clamping for me.  Greg.

Greg’s Method

 

 

Nov 6, 2011.  I have finished constructing the aft cants and am in the process of mounting them.  The process is similar to mounting the fore cants but for some reason I found it easier to inadvertently tip the aft cants behind vertical. 

For anyone else building a Swan class in the future…leave the steps on the deadwood a little too long.  It is easy to trim them back later when the cants are installed.  One of my steps was too short (on both sides) and I had to narrow the foot of the cant to improve the appearance.

Aft Cants

 

 

 

 

 

Author:  Dan Vad. I found the same thing with the aft cants wanting to tip a bit – maybe something to do with their narrower profile?

Nov. 6, 2011.  Danny, I think part of the problem is an optical illusion.  They actually “seem” better when they are tilted. 

 

Nov. 13, 2011.  All of the aft cants are in place. I had to reset most of them after I tripped over the dog while carrying the model.  How I got away without serious damage (to either the ship or myself) is amazing.   I have started fairing the interior of the aft cants and have glued up the exterior stern counter timbers.

 

Aft Cants Finished

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author:  Jim Lad. Nice to hear that there was no serious damage done.  I hope the dog is OK too!  John.

 

Nov. 13, 2011.  Fairing the aft cants is more difficult than the fore cants because of the compound curves involved.  I felt is necessary to leave any fairing until they were all in place.  With the fore cants I started fairing them after only eight of them had been installed.

As for the dog…deaf, almost blind, stupid, senile but very cute (just ask him!)
 

Cocoa

 

[druxey]

Nothing like re-living past near-diasters!

[tlevine]

And he still manages to get underfoot.  I just make sure my hands are empty when he does.

[AnobiumPunctatum]

Thanks for redoing your log. It's a great help for me.

[rdsaplala]

Hi Toni,

 

Just catching up with your HMS Atalanta log, remarkable work there, she's looking great, I'll be keeping a weather eye on your beautiful build

Edited February 27, 2013 by rdsaplala

[tlevine]

Thank you for looking in, gentlemen.  I have about a third finished.  I am going to try to get the next third posted this weekend.  It is just so difficult to sit typing and sorting pictures when I would rather be making sawdust.

[tlevine]

Nov. 15, 2011.  I had time yesterday to start the fore external and aft internal fairing.  It is daunting to remove all that wood from the hawser timbers and fore cants.

 

Beginning the Fore and Aft Fairing

 

 

Author:  dvm27.   When fairing the hull I use a pencil to draw lines across the hull from top to bottom.  As you begin to fair the marks start to disappear.  This means the high spots are being sanded down towards the lower spots (which still have the pencil marks).  The pencil marks are reapplied every so often.  Once all the pencil marks have disappeared the hull is fair.  Sweep your hand gently across the hull from time to time and you will appreciate the fairing progress.  David Antscherl taught me this method and it has worked quite nicely.  Greg.

 

Nov. 21, 2011.  I have started working on the counter timbers and the knee of the head simultaneously.  There is a lot of fitting and temporary tacking of pieces, so while the aft was drying I worked on the fore, etc. 

I have the angle for the counter timbers set and the timbers are temporarily pinned in place.  I have also started the external curvature of these timbers.  The next step will be to carve out the excess internal wood and permanently install them.  I will not finish the exterior profile until I start the exterior fairing.  The mark on the aft side is the top of timber line.  Atalanta’s top of timber line is 4” shorter but I went with the prototype instead.  The timber’s angle is the key; the height can be shortened later.

 

Counter Timbers

 

 

The shape of the bow timbers had to be redrawn from David’s plans.  The stem of Atalanta has a slightly different shape from the plan, as does the anterior edge of the knee of the head.  The cheeks are positioned 6” lower and the curve of the upper part of the lacing and extension is also a little different.  All of the joints below water have black paper (felt) and the upper joints have pencil on the edges to make the joint more apparent.  I need to sand the knee to its final shape and drill several holes before mounting.

 

 

 

There are always items that seem easy but in reality are not.  The filler timbers between the aft cants and the counter timbers are one example.  I spent a lot of time measuring and remeasuring the location of the side lights.  Even though the height of the top timbers is different on Atalanta than on the prototype, the height of the side light is unchanged.  There are six timbers on each side.  Two of the timbers form the vertical sides of the side lights.  There is a short timber under the sill.  The four aft timbers need to fill in the remaining space relatively evenly while, at the same time, gradually angling aft to approximate the angle of the counter timber.  The fore timber has an unusual configuration.  It is notched onto the first cant frame and has an aft taper superiorly and a fore taper inferiorly.  I left these timbers very oversize because I did not know how it would all come together.

 

I have started cutting the first few full frame pieces.  The frames will have chocks between the futtocks except as shown in the plans.

 

Counter Timbers