Gun ports

[Sheerline]

Hi folks,

I'm a relative newbie planking up Corel Victory. When it comes to marking out the gun ports should I reference each one by measurements from the drawings or can I do a tracing and lay it alongside?

Thank you in anticipation.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Sheerline
Thank yous

[Ponto]

Printing a copy off of the plans and using the copy as a template is an option that I've found works for me. An inexpensive home printer  with scanning capabilities does the trick as transferring measurements always led to inaccuracies  for me.

[Justin P.]

This may be a more technically difficult approach for a newbie, but I’ve found it easier to add scratch built gun port framing according to where they should be, and then plank around that.   Otherwise it gets finicky to drill/file and cutout holes in a nicely planked hull.   

Edited February 7, 2020 by Justin P.

[Ponto]

2 hours ago, Justin P. said:

This may be a more technically difficult approach for a newbie, but I’ve found it easier to add scratch built gun port framing according to where they should be, and then plank around that.   Otherwise it gets finicky to drill/file and cutout holes in a nicely planked hull.   

From his description in the original post I would gather that his planking has already been completed and the query is over how to establish a reference for the gun port openings.

[Dr PR]

The bottom sill of gun ports should be the same height above the deck for guns of a given type. For lower decks that aren't visible on the model this isn't critical. The ports should line up according th 0 the sheer and camber of the deck (curvature lengthwise and side to side).

 

But for open gun decks it is important to get the height above the deck correct. You can really screw this up if you just tape a copy of the plans on the side and start cutting. I make a wooden tool that has the proper opening size spaced correctly above the deck. The tool is a bit tapered on the end.

 

For an already planked hull I cut a small hole at the center of the port and slowly enlarge it, using the tool as a guide. Keep the tool snug to the deck while using it. I use files to remove the wood slowly until the tapered end of the tool fits into the hole. Then I continue to enlarge the hole until the tool fits in all the way and is a snug fit all around.

 

One other thing to note is that the sills of the gun port (the framing around the port) are recessed a bit into the hull planking (the thickness of the gun port lids) to make a cavity for the port lid to close into. The opening in the planking is a bit larger than the port opening between the sills. I make another simple wooden tool that fits snugly into the opening in the planking but is a bit smaller all around to be used as a guide for placing the port sills. This will make every port exactly the same size as all the others.

 

Also, be very careful when scanning and then printing a plan. Many printers do not print the scale accurately. You are certain to have errors if you use the "fit to page" option. Even if you don't a printer may enlarge or reduce the size several percent relative to the scanned original. You may have to experiment and calculate the scale to use with your printer.

[Justin P.]

3 hours ago, Ponto said:

From his description in the original post I would gather that his planking has already been completed and the query is over how to establish a reference for the gun port openings.

It was not as obvious to me, but still is good advice for the next build.  At the very least Ive found it a very helpful approach after going through the process of cutting holes in a planked hull.

[Sheerline]

Thank you for the input. These are very useful tips which I shall employ.

One thing I might do is measure out the four most distant ports from the drawing and lightly mark them on the hull.

Then if I overlay a printout see if everything coincides. The hull curvature may impact upon this so will proceed with caution.

It's been so long since I worked on the model I'm having to revisit lots of things! Thanks again, much appreciated.

[Ponto]

9 hours ago, Dr PR said:

The bottom sill of gun ports should be the same height above the deck for guns of a given type. For lower decks that aren't visible on the model this isn't critical. The ports should line up according th 0 the sheer and camber of the deck (curvature lengthwise and side to side).

 

But for open gun decks it is important to get the height above the deck correct. You can really screw this up if you just tape a copy of the plans on the side and start cutting. I make a wooden tool that has the proper opening size spaced correctly above the deck. The tool is a bit tapered on the end.

 

For an already planked hull I cut a small hole at the center of the port and slowly enlarge it, using the tool as a guide. Keep the tool snug to the deck while using it. I use files to remove the wood slowly until the tapered end of the tool fits into the hole. Then I continue to enlarge the hole until the tool fits in all the way and is a snug fit all around.

 

One other thing to note is that the sills of the gun port (the framing around the port) are recessed a bit into the hull planking (the thickness of the gun port lids) to make a cavity for the port lid to close into. The opening in the planking is a bit larger than the port opening between the sills. I make another simple wooden tool that fits snugly into the opening in the planking but is a bit smaller all around to be used as a guide for placing the port sills. This will make every port exactly the same size as all the others.

 

Also, be very careful when scanning and then printing a plan. Many printers do not print the scale accurately. You are certain to have errors if you use the "fit to page" option. Even if you don't a printer may enlarge or reduce the size several percent relative to the scanned original. You may have to experiment and calculate the scale to use with your printer.

 

Needless to say, using the "fit to page" option for our purposes would indeed lead to unwelcome complications, putting it mildly. Secondly, any method chosen to translate information from a plan can get "screwed up" if care is not taken.  What an accurate copy of any gun port plan does is reduce the repetitive transfer of measurements which can lead to inconsistency. 

[Ponto]

12 minutes ago, Sheerline said:

Thank you for the input. These are very useful tips which I shall employ.

One thing I might do is measure out the four most distant ports from the drawing and lightly mark them on the hull.

Then if I overlay a printout see if everything coincides. The hull curvature may impact upon this so will proceed with caution.

It's been so long since I worked on the model I'm having to revisit lots of things! Thanks again, much appreciated.

Yes, the hull curvature will pose some challenges with placement.    One can reinforce the copied template with any clear thin tape such as packing tape. Use an exacto to open the gun ports on the template and  then carefully secure to hull when correct positioning has been confirmed.  The openings on the template allow one to mark out positions on the hull and then the cut out process can begin.

[mtaylor]

Do be advised that any scanner will not scan at exactly 100%.  This is done by all companies making them so as not to have their machines used in counterfeiting money.  So it make take some fiddling with the scanning and printing to get a perfect copy.

 

I stand corrected... the paper roll fed machines used by architectural firms for printing building prints are an exception.  

[Sheerline]

Thank you everyone for the useful pointers. As a precaution prior to planking I measured from the main deck the distances at each station down to the next. Using all in combination hopefully it will come right. Think I need to assemble a gun carriage too in order to estimate the bore height above deck.

Rigging seems a long way off but enjoying every minute watching the ship grow.