HMS Vulture 1776 by Dan Vadas - FINISHED - 1:48 scale - 16-gun Swan-class sloop from TFFM plans

[jaerschen]

What a love to detail, gorgeous Dan

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks John, Grant, Mark, Tom, Michael, Martin, Brian, Frank, Christian, Allan and Juergen . Sorry for the late reply - I've been away for a few days.

 

do you have a special jig for moving the frame over the saw when it is being rebated ?

 

Do you have any sequence photos of cutting the material and then the groove, (or vice versa?)

 

Martin and Allan - no Rocket Science involved here   . I simply cut the rebate on the outside (away from the fence) edge of a wider piece of "squared up" stock FIRST, and then cut off the frame to width. Both those steps are very easily done that way, but virtually IMPOSSIBLE to do if you try and cut the rebate into an already sized piece.

 

The rebates for the corners were simply done with an Xacto knife.

 

  Danny

[rdsaplala]

Ingenious modifications for the forcastle bulkheads and excellent fix on the rabbets, Danny, truly inspiring

Thanks too for sharing your technique on making the frames for the stern lights, I will be eagerly taking notes watching you work on those tricky bits.

 

Just a small question on the stern frames/timbers if I may:

 

Are all the stern timbers/frames identical in shape and their apparent differences in height levels and fore/aft positions is just due to the shape of the wing transom?

Thanks very much.

[Dan Vadas]

Are all the stern timbers/frames identical in shape and their apparent differences in height levels and fore/aft positions is just due to the shape of the wing transom?

 

Hi Aldo. I doubt if ANY pieces are the same shape/length because of the differences in the converging angles    - theoretically they should be the same (or a mirror) for a particular piece on the port/starboard side.

 

  Danny

[rdsaplala]

Thanks for the info, Danny

[Jeff-E]

Hi Danny ,

 

Beautiful work   ; as always. I do like the way you are going to make the light frames  

[Dan Vadas]

Thank you Jeff .

 

Stern Lights Completing

 

I've completed all five Stern Lights - FINALLY   . The munions are VERY fragile - I lost count of how many I had to do more than once as quite a few either let go or broke in several places when I was doing "final adjustments".

 

I made a jig from three pieces of thin planking glued to a piece of flat pine for each Light. A piece of thin card established one angle first, and then I transferred each edge length using dividers.

 

 

The central Light being test-fitted. The small gaps between the Counter Timbers and the Light Frames will disappear when all the trims have been added :

 

 

The five completed Lights. Note the small brass (non-working) hinges that will attach the port and centre lights in the open position. These have been epoxied to the frames :

 

 

  Danny

[st george]

Great workmanship Danny. A joy to watch your build progress.

[Jim Lad]

What?  You mean the hinges are dummies?  

 

Great work, Danny!

 

John

[Sjors]

Wow again,

 

Very, very nice Danny!

 

[gjdale]

Fabulous Danny, though I would have expected a man of your skills to make some working hinges!

[Shazmira]

Beautiful Danny!

[mtaylor]

Beautiful work Danny, working hinges or not.  Still beautiful.

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks for the kind words David, John, Brian, Sjors, Grant, Robbyn and Mark. Those "hinges" are only 2mm wide - a bit beyond my old eyes to get them to actually pivot   . Although they WILL be doing something - the Lights will be relying on a good epoxy bond to them to stay attached.

 

Brian, I'm not sure exactly what type of Acrylic this stuff is. It seems to resist scratching a fair bit better than Perspex, although other qualities are very similar.

 

  Danny

[Dan Vadas]

Rudder Head Trunk

 

The head of the rudder is enclosed by a Trunk - removable timber panelling. I made the pieces up in similar fashion to the bulkhead panelling. I've found it easier to make each piece, glue it in place and then move on to fashioning the next one or two :

 

 

I remade the front piece (see below). I'd forgotten to allow for the height of the Lockers which flank the trunk :

 

 

 

 

  Danny

[Jim Lad]

Nice trunking, Danny.. It's hard to see from the camera perspective - does it go all the way up the the deckhead?

 

John

[mtaylor]

Nice work.  The light behind the rudder head.. would that have been a deadlight on the Vulture?  I've seen some ships with deadlights and others without.

[rdsaplala]

Marvelous work on the rudder trunk and stern lights, Danny   

Wow! at the scale you're working on, those rabbets on the lights must be a fraction of a millimeter in size, amazing! 

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks for looking in John, Janos, Mark, Brian and Aldo .

 

does it go all the way up the the deckhead?

 

It will fit hard under the Rudder Head Partners John. Some trimming has been allowed for.

 

would that have been a deadlight on the Vulture?

 

I don't know Mark. TFFM is a little vague in this area.

 

at the scale you're working on, those rabbets on the lights must be a fraction of a millimeter in size

 

Aldo, they are indeed - 0.4mm x 0.5mm to be exact.

 

  Danny

[Dan Vadas]

I've made and fitted the final three pieces of the Rudder Head Trunk. Some slight sanding still needs to be done to get the joints flush :

 

 

 

 

  Danny

[Dan Vadas]

Great Cabin Lockers

 

There is a bank of Lockers under the stern lights in the great cabin. I've fitted a triangular shaped piece for the hinges, and made the panelled piece for the front :

 

 

 

  Danny

[rdsaplala]

Splendid work on the Lockers, Danny 

[Dan Vadas]

Thanks Aldo.

 

Completing Great Cabin

 

To complete the work in the Great Cabin the Lockers received two lids and a couple of fill-in pieces :

 

 

Next I fitted four planks to the Lower and Upper Inner Counters :

 

 

A Sill finished off the top of the planking, and Cover Timbers were fitted between the Lights over the framing :

 

 

 

  Danny

[mtaylor]

incredibly wonderful work Danny. 

[gjdale]

More great work Danny. You just keep raising the bar.

[allanyed]

Your posts continue to be a delight Danny!    I hope making the fine cabinetry on the tiniest parts was as much a joy as it is for us to see the photos.
Allan

[michael mott]

Really nice to watch these tiny details being developed and fitted Danny.

 

Michael

[Sjors]

Hi Danny,

 

I you sure you make this your self?

You don't have a store in the neighbourhood who sell that kind of stuff?????  

Great job !

 

[TBlack]

Danny,

Nice work; your eyes are obviously not that old yet and you've a steady hand. Deservedly, you've received many accolades for your work on the stern lights. I notice the frames are not just butt-joined, but lap-joined. I don't know whether to burst out in laughter, or break down and cry.

Cheers, Tom

[vulcanbomber]

Just caught up on your build Danny. Fantastic, absolutely fantastic, she's going to be a first class model when she's finished.