HM Cutter Sherbourne by Edwardkenway - FINISHED - Caldercraft - 1:64 - First wooden build

[Edwardkenway]

Hello all, after reading several build logs here I thought why not, so here is mine.

This is the first time I've built a wooden kit so this will be a bit hit and miss so please bear with me.

So far I've just dry placed bulkheads and bevelled bow and stern ones.

Edited September 3, 2019 by Edwardkenway
Finished build

[tkay11]

Bear with you? I'll do more than bear with you. I'll follow your build avidly. It's a great model to start with, especially as there are so many pieces you may well find yourself improving or modifying as you get into the swing of things. There's no single 'correct' way of finishing it, as you will have found out from the various builds, so no need to worry: you'll be doing it right!

 

Tony

[Jörgen]

I will also follow you. I also building Sherbourne at the moment :). And as Tony say, build Sherbourne how you like and don't be afraid to ask questions.

 

Jörgen

 

[Edwardkenway]

Thank you gents, I will definitely asking for help when I get a bit puzzled 

[vaddoc]

I ll take a sit in the back and join you in your journey if it's alright Edward. 

 

Vaddoc

[Edwardkenway]

My work area ( haha a board on top of the kitchen table )

Anyway glued bulkheads , keel , prow and rudder post. Tried to make sure bulkheads were square to false keel, I think they will pass muster when planking begins.

Have to get a brush to apply the glue to stop so much excess.

Got to say nearly forgot to do the beard and rabbit line

[Edwardkenway]

Ran out of time so dry fitting deck will have to wait til next time, right now it's time for Game of Thrones

[vaddoc]

This is how I started, working on the dining table. 

One important thing with modelling is lighting, very strong white (daylight 4700K I think) makes working easier and less tiring. Also, light from many angles to eliminate shadows. It looks you could use a few more lumens, maybe one of the high output bulbs? With all the reflection in the white walls you ll probably get no shadows and brilliant light.

 

 

[tkay11]

Good start. Seeing as you've already fitted the stem, keel and stern, it would be a good idea to cover them with tape to avoid the inevitable scratches etc as you get on with the planking.

 

Tony

[Edwardkenway]

Thanks for the tip Tony. There is another thing I'm not sure about, how do I finish the planks at the stern as they just seem to be a bit untidy, or does the 2nd lot of planking cover it??

[Edwardkenway]

After putting one plank on I've realised I've got to get some glasses with better magnification as my poor old eyes are straining too much. So maybe I'll get another lamp and a couple of those bulbs Vaddoc!!

Edited May 19, 2019 by Edwardkenway
To add more txt

[tkay11]

First planking just gives the base and you can sand and use filler, so there's not much problem there. One of the reasons to leave the stem, keel and stern timbers off until you've done the planking is to allow you to sand the planks down more easily, but I (like you) had not known that because the instructions tell you to put them on first. In order to make it easier, I ordered 0.5mm thick planks for the second layer in order to fit to the timbers more easily. I used 5mm widths for most of the planking but 10mm strips for the garboard as that can't be done with the narrower strips.

 

All the same, if you protect those timbers it just takes a little more care to achieve a good result, especially if you follow the planking tutorials available in the articles database of this site. I found it easier to start with the garboard planks. For a really good result you might want to separate the planking into bands as suggested by the tutorials, but I didn't.

 

It also helps if you fill between the bulwarks before planking, certainly at the bow where the curvature is more pronounced, and at the stern. That gives the planks something firm on which to rest and to make a good curve.

 

Don't forget that the details of the planking won't be noticed too much if you're going to paint below the waterline.

 

On the question of gluing, I find it easier to use a pointed stick such as a cocktail stick. You don't need much to glue a joint. It's more important to ensure a really tight fit.

 

As for lighting, I agree it's very important to have the area well lit. I use a magnifying lamp as well as an anglepoise.

 

Tony

Edited May 20, 2019 by tkay11

[captain_hook]

Hello,

 

it seems that the pre-cut plywood sheet does not support a correct gunport alignment. This may be a kit-fabrication mistake because I have seen this in some sherbourne builds before. AFAIK the distance between gunport bottom and false deck should all be the same. I've modified a picture from a recent post (red line) so you get an idea of what i mean. In comparison another picture of the sherbourne I build three years ago. If you follow the plank below the gunports, you see that all gunports are lined up (purple line).

 

Best regards,

Andreas

[Edwardkenway]

Thanks again I did think about putting some filler blocks in between bulkheads but then didn't.  Should follow my gut instinct more. As to the hull I am painting but after reading your article on the cutter models at Chatam it will be upto the wales. 

I will probably get .5mm planking if that is better

Thank you for all your  help and tips

 

Jon

[Edwardkenway]

Andreas I  will keep my eye on that and sort it thanks 

[tkay11]

If you want to try out the full spiling route on the planking, then it might be good to go for wider strips overall so you can cut according to the width required at each part of the length. You could practice that on the first planking, although it would mean buying more wood. I've used Cornwall Model Boats mostly in the UK, although I've also used Jotika and Model Dockyard in Cornwall.

 

Tony

[Henke]

May I suggest that you put together a cannon on a carriage and test fit at each gun port and remember that there will be deck planking also. Another thing you can check is the drawing. The drawings of Caldercraft are generally of good quality and in "1:1" model scale. You can measure on the drawing and compare with your build. If it has turned out to be something wrong with the gun port alignment you can check what is wrong. This way it will be easier to rectify any mistake (if there is any).

 

And remember: Enjoy the build. If you make a mistake, and I do them all the time, take a step back and make it right.

 

Regards

 

Henrik

[Edwardkenway]

been busy on this scratch build so time on Sherbourne has been a bit limited!!

Still persevering with 1st planking, finding it a bit of a challenge,  but I think it may be ok at the end.

Put a cannon together to keep a check on the gunport heights.  Also made hatch gratings but then re-read other Sherbourne logs and seems that the two towards the stern are more of a companion hatch so searched the internet for any info on hatch covers but found zilch. If anyone can help me out I'd be grateful, as I don't think plain grating looks quite right.

Anyway back to the challenge.🤔

Edited May 27, 2019 by Edwardkenway

[tkay11]

The planking is symmetrical, and all you need now is filler followed by sanding.

 

The original plans for the Sherbourne show the rearmost entry as a companion way, then comes a scuttle. I interpreted that scuttle also as a skylight for the cabins below. As to the design of the companion way, you can see different interpretations of that on the various builds. I attach the relevant drawing (the plan is from the low res distorted jpeg from the NMM site: you can order the full originals from them if you intend to do this seriously but note that it is sometimes spelt as Sherborne or as Sherborn).

In the above low res plan from the NMM website, note the top of the companion way and the placement of the vertical line on the lid. I interpreted that as signifying the companion opened towards the front.

 

You'll notice the design of the windlass is quite different from that of the kit. There's also the one gunport with a lid, the boom crutch, the galley stove pipe and the hand rails at the top of the steps.

 

All these aspects were, I think, discussed in the different logs (as well as on separate question discussions) so it would be worth while digging a bit more if you're going after historical accuracy (which you don't need to, of course!). Just search for Sherbourne on the site.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Tony

Edited May 28, 2019 by tkay11
Forgot to add second plan

[tkay11]

Sorry, Edward, I forgot to add the second plan which shows the deck details I was alluding to in the post. I've now edited that post so you can see what I was talking about!

 

Tony

[Edwardkenway]

Thanks  Tony, 

I've searched Sherbourne and still reading and thinking it has to be some sort of housing structure rather than just a grating. Also remembered an Alexander Kent / Bolitho story set on a naval cutter and the chapter in which Bolitho steps aboard the boat the author writes a great description of the deck and mentions a companionway down to the stern cabin. The only difference is that it is not the placement nearest the stern but the one before and the stern hatch is an opening skylight.

I guess it just depended which boatyard built the vessel. 

The novel by the way is: Midshipman Bolitho and the Avenger by Alexander Kent,  it is one of a very good series of books set in the 18th /19th century navy

[tkay11]

Yes, the plans point to a housing, while there's a scuttle next forward. However, as you say, these cutters differed in their anatomy from shipyard to shipyard. I'll look up the Alexander Kent books, so thanks for the recommendation.

 

Tony

[Edwardkenway]

well 1st planking finished, not the neatest but it will do. There is just a bit more filling and sanding to do. 

As soon  as the extra planking I've ordered arrives I shall do the deck, Tony I've taken your method and got some wider plank to edge the deck. Also heeded your advice and shall be using .5mm × 6mm walnut for 2nd layer, many thanks 

[Edwardkenway]

Because of the other Sherbourne logs here and the many discussions about the transom, I've modified mine to make it somewhat higher. It was after I fixed it on that the thought of the boom hitting it hit me. So would it be detrimental to the finish if the boom  sat slightly higher?? All opinions welcome. 

Edited June 1, 2019 by Edwardkenway

[tkay11]

I'm not a sailor, so I can't really comment on the height of the boom in terms of sailing. Its function is to be movable laterally and vertically, so in terms of structure there would be little problem as you can set it to whatever height you want with the rigging.  However, the transom does look very high to me and I'm not clear of the need for it to be so high. The original plan which I posted earlier would seem to be a good indication of the height.

 

Tony

[Edwardkenway]

After a day of looking at the transom I'm  thinking that it has got to be lowered, mainly because I  have decided I don't like it so tall as well as not having lift the boom higher.  Once again thanks Tony for your insight. Just goes to show that a different viewpoint finds things that are overlooked by the builder.

[Edwardkenway]

Had a bad few days of rain so no work, the good news is that I had extra time on Sherbourne.  I got stuck in to the top coat planking, just another fine fill and fine sanding and I'll be content with it.

Also started in board planking, decided to use walnut supplied with the kit for this.

As you can see I have lowered the high transom I'd made and fitted in the previous post, and yes it does look more in keeping with the boat style. Thanks Tony, an independent, unbiased viewpoint helps enormously!!😀

Edited June 12, 2019 by Edwardkenway

[Edwardkenway]

Hello again, just a quick question, when putting the planks down for the deck what is the best method of simulating caulking?

[Henke]

If it is the best method I do not know but I use a pen with a long and pointed tip. I find it a bit less messy than pencil. The downside is that the appearance can be a bit "over the top". It also depends on the scale. 1:64 is in the middle. In scale 1:90 or something like that I would seek for a more toned down appearance. I suggest that you try both methods gluing a couple of deck planks on a piece of scrap wood to see how it look like. Then I suggest you kindly post a picture in your build log and we can have a vote 🙂. Another way of toning it down is to "caulk" only on one edge of each plank.

 

And congratulations to a nice build!

 

Regards

 

Henrik

 

 

[Edwardkenway]

Thanks Henrik, I shall give both versions a go, photos will be posted for a straw poll as soon as I can