Mast without cheeks

[rlb]

Hi all,

I am looking for information on how masts without cheeks were constructed at the area of the hounds/bibs.   

 

Here is part of a drawing I have to guide me for my Oneida masts.   It's for another ship (and I don't remember where I found it!!), but since Chapelle's re-draft of Christian Burgh's "Oneida Spar and Sail plan" also shows the masts and bibs similarly, without cheeks, I think it is probably accurate to Oneida, and I have chosen to follow it.

 

What I am not sure of (besides where I found this drawing!), is how the bibs were incorporated into the structure and taper of the masts.  The bibs don't seem to be made of two pieces, with the sawtooth joint into the cheeks as on the more elaborate masts of larger ships.   But I am thinking they must have been fayed (?) into a flattened area of the mast, which somehow made some kind of support at their base, rather than simply bolted onto the side of the mast.

 

Can anybody offer any guidance, or know of a source of info on this point?

 

Many thanks,

Ron 

Edited February 4, 2020 by rlb

[Dr PR]

Wolfram zu Mondfeld's Historic Ship Models (pages 219-223) shows two methods of attaching bibbs to masts. One method used a round mast with a square cross section below the hounds, with single piece cheeks attached to the flats. The Neophyte Ship Modellers Jackstay shows a similar method. Note: cheeks and bibbs are sometimes interchangeable terms.

 

 

The other method had a round mast with "filling chocks" below the hounds that were shaped to fit around the mast in the inside and with flat outer surfaces that the bibbs attached to.

 

 

Harold Underhill's Masting and Rigging (page 80) shows a round mast with flats on the sides below the hounds that the cheeks attach to. The cheeks were tapered, thin at the bottom and thicker at the tops. The cheek was a single piece and the mast appears to be carved with flats on the sides that the cheeks attach to. This was for mid to late 19th century clippers and ships. This looks something like the image you posted. I have also seen drawings showing a round mast that was tapered with flats on the sides that cheeks attached to, with the cheeks also tapered wider at the top. The flats on the mast below the hounds were conic sections - parabolas - with a curved bottom end. The cheeks were shaped at the bottom to match the curve of edge of the flats.

 

 

Anatomy of the Ship Endeavor and some other AOTS books show a two-piece cheek/bib. The one on the left has the square cross section mast top with cheeks (14) attached to the mast and the bibbs (19) attached to the cheeks..

 

 

Hope this helps.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Dr PR

[rlb]

Phil,

 

Thanks very much for those examples.  I don't own any of those books, so I appreciate your taking the time to respond and share the information.   I think either the Underhill (as far as the mast shapes), or AOTS left side example (without the woolding) may be appropriate for my masts.  The major difference between those two seems to be whether the mast is flattened only on the sides for the cheeks/bibs, or as in the AOTS example, fully squared.

 

Ron

[druxey]

For a smaller ship, the last illustration, left side, is about right; other than a one-piece cheek and bibb combined.