HMS Naiad 1797 by EdT - FINISHED - 1:60 - 38-gun frigate

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 145– Capstan

Posted 8/1/12

 

First, many thanks to the administrators for making more upload space available – so I’m back to the old format.

 

While everyone was focused on my hard earned scrap pile (really guys!), I was busy finishing the capstan which I started back in Part 130.  But first, here’s one last picture of the taffrail figures after giving them a bit of finish to bring out the relief.

 

 

 

They look better with the finish.  I used the wax and turpentine mixture that I have used everywhere else on the model but added just a trace of a dark Minwax stain to the solution to put some darkness into the cuts.  The work on the stern decoration is now essentially complete.  I have been relieved of the agony of lettering the name on the upper counter by the Admiralty order, probably around the start of the war with France (1793?), that ordered the discontinuation of name boards.  I thought I had a nice solution for this task but it didn’t pan out.  Fortunately I didn’t need it, but I tested it out anyway without success.  No mystery.  I was hoping to make my own dry transfers from inkjet printouts.  Turned out looking like decals.

 

On to the capstan.  The barrel, the drumhead and the pall head were made earlier.  The next step was to make the trundlehead -  the head on the lower assembly.  The first picture shows the machining of the square holes for the bars.  The top of this was parted off on the lathe as a disk, the same milling operation was the performed on remaining piece, these were then glued up cross grain, and the trundle head was the turned on the lathe.

 

 

 

At the suggestion of Keith, I used a dial indicator to center this so the slots would be centered on diagonals and therefore match with the mating piece.  A very helpful suggestion. A Unimat 48 tooth indexing head is being used in the picture setup in the Sherline mill.  A rotary table could have been used but I like the positive indexing of the gearhead and this also allowed me to use the same chuck for the slotting and the turning.

 

The next picture shows the completed trundlehead (in the center of the barrel) and the other two heads fitted to the barrel along with the upper whelps that fit to the barrel under the drumhead.

 

 

There is another set of these – different sizes of course – on the lower part.  The copper reinforcing rings on the heads were photo-etched copper and are secured by small copper wire “bolts” – no cement to mess up the blackeneing.

 

The whelps were made by hand.  After cutting the scores for the chocks in a single, wide piece of Boxwood, the whelps were parted off and the outside faces shaped.  The two to the right are just-in-case spares and never did get shaped.

 

The next picture shows the upper whelps installed and the assembly set up in place

 

 

The bottom of the whelps clear the top of the quarterdeck step, which will be installed later.  Because the heads are larger than the beam spacing, the capstan needs to be in place before adding the next beam.

 

The next picture shows the pall head in the process of having its ratchet arms installed.  .

 

 

 

 

These will ride in the pall ring inset in the upper deck step where stops are installed to prevent reversal of direction.

 

Finally, the completed capstan is shown in position inside the pall ring on the lower step.

 

 

 

After polishing the wood and metalwork and then cleaning the copper with acetone, all the metal was blackened with liver of sulfur.  The black monofilament bolts were then added and the entire assembly given a coat of wax finish.  It will tone down a bit when dry.

 

The last picture is a closer view.

 

 

The ratchet arms are visible in this picture.  The iron strips in the barrel below the quarter deck were installed as a bearing surface.  The entire assembly is supported on a metal shaft a metal cup bearing set in the lower step.  The upper step will be installed in two pieces around the barrel.  There is nothing to keep the assembly down.  I may need to add something.  The real capstan probably relied on its weight, and since no one was turning the ship upside down…

 

Cheers,

 

Ed

 

 

[EdT]

Correction to the last post: In the last sentence I said the real capstan probably relied on its weight to keep it down. Actually there were vertical "muntins" fastened to the barrel below the bearing that acted as stops to prevent the capstan from rising. Wood pieces were fit between these at the bottom of the partners - perhaps as a grease seal.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 146– Capstan/Cathead Detailing

Posted 8/4/12

To finish up on the capstan: The first picture shows the hole in the quarterdeck step being bored on the lathe.

 

 

 

The hole was sized to fit the bearing area on the capstan barrel. Two of these were made, then split down their centers to make two equal halves.

 

The next picture shows the two part step being glued in placed around the capstan.

 

 

Once the capstan was completely fabricated and finished, the next beam aft of it was installed with it in place. It will not fit between these beams in one piece. I did not want to make the single barrel in two pieces. The step carlings were then installed followed by the step itself as shown above. There will be hatchways and gratings fore and aft of the capstan.

 

The next picture shows the finished installation without the aft beams in place.

 

 

 

The starboard side of the upper step was cut back to just enough to hold the capstan securely in place to allow visibility from the starboard side to the lower parts. Unfortunately all those iron strips on the barrel bearing face are not visible.

 

I had not fully detailed the catheads earlier and decided to do that now. The paneled surfaces on the side were cut as shown below.

 

 

 

The next pictures show some of the work on the end caps carving.

 

 

The first step on these small star carvings was to face turn the buttons in the center on the lathe with the small square piece set up in a four jaw chuck. The area around the button was then pared back. It is glued to a piece of paper on a wood block. This piece of paper saw a lot of use in carving the taffrail figures.

 

 

The final size of the endplate was drawn on the piece. The points of the star were then laid out by scribing lines to each of the centers of the sides and the corners – all tangential to the round button. The eight point star shape was then carved out with small chisels – using an optivisor.

 

The next picture shows the starboard cathead installed.

 

 

 

The planking on this side will be completed right up to the topside.

 

And the last picture shows the installed cathead on the port side.

 

 

 

As I have mentioned before, the port side will be unplanked, except in areas where structure is built over the planking. The port head structure will be built over the planning in this picture.

 

Now back to those dreary deck beams.

 

Cheers,

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 147– Installing the Wheel 1

Posted 8/29/12

 

Its been a few weeks since the last update – a lot of summer chores had to get done.

 

The next major milestone is to get the quarterdeck framing finished back to the bulkhead that separates the captain’s quarters on the upper deck and to get the wheel and its ropes installed so the decking aft of that bulkhead along with the other work in the cabins can be completed. That part of the upper deck framing needs to be left open for the rigging of the steering gear..

 

The first picture shows the next five beams aft of the capstan installed

 

 

 

The carlings for the hatch coamings between the capstan and the wheel are also installed, as is one half of the simple upper deck partner for the mizzen mast. This has been bored for the steering rope but not yet for the mast. The rope is for the steering gear, which is one half rigged below the upper deck aft.

 

The next picture shows a closer view of this.

 

 

 

The starboard half of the mizzen step will be left off to allow visibility of the sheaves for the steering rope that are fitted right below it. The inauthentic plank endings in this picture will be covered by the captain’s cabin bulkhead. They had to be installed this way (and treenailed) so the beams above could be installed.

 

The wheel was made some time ago. The next picture shows a step in the modeling of the wheel support stanchions.

 

 

Stanchion patterns were pasted to a strip of boxwood in line with a centerline that had been marked (with the compass). The next picture shows the boring of the bearings in the top of the stanchions.

 

 

 

This sequence assured that the bearings would be centered on the strip. The stanchions were then cut out on the scroll saw. The next picture shows them glued together with a paper joint to permit their final shaping.

 

 

 

A short bit of dowel was placed between these parts in the bearing recesses to maintain the alignment for the final shaping.

 

The next picture shows the wheel mounted on the finished stanchions.

 

 

 

The wheel/stanchion assembly was glued to what will be the central deck plank. After this glue had set, two copper bolts were CA glued from the underside of the planking up into each stanchion for strength. The excess plank will be cut off later before this assembly is installed.

 

The next picture shows the assembly set on the deck beams.

 

 

 

Once this is installed the next adjacent planks will be slotted to take the steering rope. This cannot be done until the grating hatchways structure just forward of this are installed.

 

The next picture shows the coamings and head ledges for that structure being glued together.

 

 

 

Both these assemblies are still loose. The coaming structure will need to be finished, rounded up and have its gratings installed before final attachment. The plank under the wheel has been cut to size on its forward end, but still needs to be marked and cut on the aft end.

 

Stay tuned.

 

Ed

[lamarvalley]

Unbelievable! The details are astounding to me... the cathead carving, the wheel, the capstan.... I am in awe.

[archjofo]

Hello Ed,

 

just a fantastic performance. I'm excited.

[st george]

Incredible workmanship Ed.

 

David

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 148– Installing the Wheel 2

Posted 9/4/12

 

In Part 147 the framing of the hatchways between the capstan and the wheel were constructed.  Three of the openings have gratings and the third is a ladderway.  In the first picture the grating ledges are being formed on the circular saw with the help of an auxiliary Plexiglas®  table with an inset guide strip.

 

 

 

The blade is a .045” slotting saw.  This is equivalent to the 3-inch width of the grating sections.  The guide strip and the distance to the blade are both the same measurement (.045”).

 

The next picture shows the gratings being installed.

 

 

 

The center grating is finished.  Before installing it was curved to match the curve of the head ledges by passing it across the shoulder of a 25-watt soldering iron.  The grating to the left has not been sanded yet.  The one to the right had to fit in a very slightly larger opening, so the first strips were glued in using the opening as a guide.  The remaining to ledges were spaced in between.  The difference in spacing is unnoticeable as can be seen in the next picture.

 

 

Here the assembly is almost ready to be glued.  It just needs a few bolts holes for locating pins.  The corners of these hatchway frames will be rounded after the decking is installed.

 

The next step was to install the forward bulkhead to the captains quarters to stiffen up the beam under the aft pedestal of the wheel.  This is shown in the next picture.

 

 

The paneled sections are 2’ 6” wide and were built up using thin boxwood stiles and panels on both sides of a single thin boxwood sheet cut to fit the space under the beam.  The door hardware is ebony.

 

The next picture shows the wheel assembly being glued down to the beams.

 

 

Finally, after the glue on this dried, it was time to rig up the wheel and see if it would move the rudder.

 

The next three pictures show the final rigged wheel – and I am relieved to say it works.

 

 

 

It turned out to be much easier to thread up than I had anticipated.  I had left off the framing and decking over the tiller assembly to be able to access the tiller tackle that was installed much earlier.

 

 

 

With the rope threaded through and put under tension, a seizing was tied just forward of the tensioning tackle then given a drop of glue.

 

The last picture is a closeup of the wheel showing the wrapping of the rope.

 

 

The picture also shows small strips on either side of the central plank.  When the adjacent slotted planking is added these strips will appear to be part of those planks.  The aft end of the central plank will later be shaped to fit around the mizzenmast opening.

 

I have been working toward this milestone for some time.  It allows the remaining upper deck framing and the detailing of the captains’s cabins to proceed.

 

Ed

 

 

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 149– Captain’s Cabins

Posted 9/23/12

 

 

It has been a few weeks since the last post.  I had some other things to do and spent the last week lying on the beach.  Now back to work.  In the last part the steering gear was rigged.  The remaining framing of the upper deck – the ledges aft of the partition and the four half beams over the tiller – could then be installed.  The first picture shows these additions.

 

 

In this picture the decking is being installed aft of the partition on the port side.  The cants at the base of the partition are installed after the decking.

 

Before much of this work was done it was clear that the steering wheel needed some protection from me.  With all the rigging now buried under structure, any breakage at this stage would be very hard to repair, so the bomb shelter shown in the next picture was installed before going any further.

 

 

This strong cover was made from scrap hardwood and clamped on the beams with a screw on each side.  I think that even I will have a hard time breaking this.

 

Before detailing the cabins, the iron transom knees were installed.  The next picture shows these for the upper deck seat transom and the quarterdeck transom – on the port side.

 

 

The fore and aft legs of these knees jog down to fit under the deck beams and the opening to the quarter gallery.  I see one bolt missing in this picture – one of the reasons I take pictures.  The next picture shows these after blackening.

 

 

 

A similar knee, installed much earlier,  for the upper deck transom, can be seen in this picture.

 

The next picture shows one of these knees on the port side after some of the finish carpentry in the great cabin was installed. 

 

 

 

The lower knee is hidden with a step under the opening to the quarter gallery, which is fitted with a sliding door.  The wide benches are typical of frigates, where this cabin is directly above both the lower and the upper counters.  Larger ships provide the captain and/or admiral with a lot more usable floor space.  This picture also illustrates why aft chase guns are impractical on this deck.  This finish work is installed on the port side only.  The hexagonal cabinet over the rudder head is cut away to show that detail.  None of this wood work has had finish applied.

 

The next picture provides a larger view.

 

 

There will be a partition across the deck between the two gun ports in this picture.

 

The next picture provides a closeup.

 

 

 

This degree of finish work was deemed sufficient for the lowly frigate post captain – no paneling of the sides, some exposed ironwork, and of course the floor space reduced by the wide benches.

 

The last picture shows the great cabin from above.

 

 

 

Except for the partition separating this area from the sleeping cabin and the coach this is the extent of the interior work.  This picture also shows the cutaway of the rudder cover and the full structural detail on the starboard side.

 

 

Ed

 

 

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 150– Aft Quarterdeck Beams

Posted 9/25/12

 

Moving right along this week. Anticipating the completion of the quarterdeck framing, I applied the turpentine wax finish to most of the upper deck framing, decking and sides – excluding the area where the captain’s cabin partition will be installed – while access was available. The contrast between the unfinished and the finished areas can be seen in the first picture.

 

 

 

The next picture shows the finish on the deck framing and sides on the starboard side. All the accessible areas on the upper deck were finished at this time except as mentioned and also in the waist where the beams still need to be installed.

 

 

 

The next picture shows the remaining quarterdeck beams aft of the wheel fitted with their lodging knees and set temporarily in place.

 

 

The mizzenmast is just aft of the wheel and there are some eyebolts in the deck on either side. I had neglected reinforcing carlings under these on the drawings and so did not cut seats in the beam at the aft side of the wheel. In the next picture this is being corrected.

 

 

The bunker had to be removed from the wheel for this, so I was extra careful using the saw and chisels for this work. In the next picture the next two beams with carlings are being installed.

 

In the next picture the decking on either side of the wheel pedestals is being installed. I figured I’d get all this work done while the lid was off the wheel.

 

 

 

In the next picture the ends of the planks have been trimmed and the mast ring installed. The whole for the mast was cut in the planking in place – another risky process next to the exposed wheel. The planks butt up against the fore side of the companion – the glazed set of windows that illuminated the coach underneath – to be installed later.

 

 

 

The mast ring was turned in boxwood and has an opening just over 18” in diameter. In this picture the wheel has been given a coat of wax finish. The next picture is a close up of this work.

 

 

 

The plank on the near side shows a dark painted edge. I use dark paint to highlight the caulked joints. The paint is applied before the planks are ripped to thickness. Additional planking is to be installed on this side.

 

As soon as this work was done the bunker was replaced over the wheel. Fortunately no mishaps.

 

 

Ed

[druxey]

Exemplary work as always, Ed!

[Mcdood]

Very true Druxey, very true..

 

Martin.

[WackoWolf]

Beautiful work Ed. Keep the pictures coming. Waiting for the second book.

[jaerschen]

I don't no what to say Ed. Outstanding craftsmanship.

[EdT]

I'm running out of ways to say thank you for all your comments, everyone.  They are most appreciated.  Just 25 more reposts to do and we can move on to new stuff.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 151– Completing the Quarterdeck Beams

Posted 9/27/12

 

Two rainy days have helped move the quarterdeck framing to completion.  In the first picture the beam over the partition between the coach and the captain’s day cabin has been installed, the partition is installed and a top retaining cant is being glued into place.  Cants at the base on either side of the double doors have been installed.

 

 

In this picture the upper door hinges have somehow gone astray.  They have been restored in the next picture.

 

 

In the next picture all but the last of the beams have been installed.

 

 

 

 

 

In this picture the area around the lodging knees is still wet from washing the glue off. 

 

In the next picture, the last beam is being sprung to allow it to drop into place.

 

 

Because of the inward slant of the sides all of the beams needed to be slightly sprung to fit in from the top.  The next picture shows the aft end of the model after the quarterdeck beams were all installed.

 

 

The ugly bunker is still in place and will be for some time.  With all the beams installed it was time to complete the bolting for all the deck framing on the exterior of the port side.

 

 

This side will be left unplanked so the bolts can be installed now.  This step will have to await the planking being added on the other side.  The blue tape in this picture has been applied on the line of the lodging knees to help keep the line of holes neat.  These are all “dummy” bolts.  The inside heads were installed in the knees before setting the beams.  As I have mentioned before, I gave up trying to drill these all the wat through from the outside and hit the right spot on the knee.

 

In the next picture the quarterdeck lodging knee bolts have all been installed and a bolt for one of the gun port eyebolts is being inserted.

 

 

 

The vertical lines of bolts in this picture are those of the iron hanging knees.  I have been intent on getting as many of the structural bolts as possible installed.  There is no neat pattern to this multitude of fasteners.  Once this work is done, this portion of the framing can be given its finish sanding.

 

The work will now move to the waist.

 

Ed

Edited May 28, 2013 by EdT

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 152– Fixed Blocks

Posted 9/30/12

 

Before installing the skid beams in the waist, some details need to be added.  These include on each side a fixed single block for the main tack and a double version for the fore and spritsail sheets and iron cleats for these lines.  I will also install turned pillars under the skid beams.  All this work has been proceeding concurrently for the past few days.  I will cover the blocks in this part.

 

These were assemblies that were bolted from the inside through a lap joint inset into the internal planking with the outside of the block flush with the outer planking – as will be seen below.  Steel gives quite specific dimensions for these including the bolts through the laps.

 

The first picture shows the way I made these as a sandwich of built up strips.  The very small sheave thickness of 1 ¼” for the spritsail sheet block dictates this approach.  I just don’t have a milling bit that small – or long enough.  The sandwich approach also leaves very clean and precisely sized openings.  The first picture shows an assembly from which both blocks will be cut. 

 

 

 

The files are to remove glue residue and round the ends a bit.  The next picture shows the first of these sized to the correct depth of 12”.

 

 

 

The sheaves slant downward somewhat in the aft direction.  After facing off the slant on the top, the bottom face was cut to size by ripping on the circular saw.

 

The next picture shows a double block casing.  The lap ears still need to be trimmed to size.

 

 

 

Sheaves of the correct diameter and thickness were turned from pear and dyed almost black.  I believe these would have been made from lignum vitae – a dense, oily, dark, tropical hardwood.  Pins were inserted in drilled through-holes – but not until the block casing was fit into the side and trimmed on flush on the outside – just before final installation.  Two small holes for ¾” bolts were also drilled in each ear – also after fitting.  All this was the easy part.

 

I won’t go into all the gory details of cutting the openings and fitting these neatly into the sides.  The casing fits snuggly between two frames with a frame between these two cut out.  Steel shows this detail in one of his plates.  These must have been installed after the planking otherwise the cut frame would be loose. 

 

The next picture shows the finished block for the main tack on the starboard side on the inside of the hull, which is not planked.

 

 

The next picture shows this block on the outside.

 

 

 

The next picture shows the finished counterpart on the port side, which is planked.

 

 

It just fits between the port and the top rider.  I see in this picture that the iron hanging knee under the breast beam just forward of the rider did not get blackened – notice?  The next picture shows this block on the unplanked outside of the hull.

 

 

 

The last picture shows the main tack block and the double blocks for the sheets on the outside.

 

 

 

I had some interference problems with the top riders just forward of these double blocks.  This required some surgery on the riders – still thinking about the solution to this.  I think the original draftsman wasn’t thinking about blocks when locating the riders – and neither was I when copying his locations.

 

In the next part I will cover the cleats in the waist on the planked side, the pillars and hopefully some skid beam installation.

 

Ed

 

 

[druxey]

Are the riders shown on the 'design' profile or the 'as built' one? If the former, your theory must be correct. If the latter, perhaps the draftsman mis-measured? Either way, a beautiful job on the fixed blocks.

[EdT]

Druxey,

 

The riders are shown on the original profile that is dated before the contract was let (Sept 1795) and there are located to avoid beams and ports.  With just these obstructions, some of  the fits are tight.  I do not believe there are any as-builts for Naiad.

 

There are no fixed blocks shown on any of the drafts, so the interference problems I referred to are not original drawing errors per se. They arose from problems trying to locate the blocks roughly where they belong while avoiding ports, main frames, riders, chains, etc.  but the riders were the main obstructions.  I should have seen this earlier on my own drafts, but by the time I added the blocks and some other details like that to the drawings, the rifders were already installed - a problem with just in time drafting.  On the final revisions for the book, adjustments have been made, but some of the locations are tight and normal construction error may still cause some problems.

 

I would be very surprised if the shipwrights didn't confront this problem routinely.

 

Ed

[druxey]

Thanks for those observations, Ed.

[Revier]

Very nice and inspiring work.

[allanyed]

Ed,

I have always struggled with the fixed blocks, including using small diameter end mills.  The problem is that those with an appropriate diameter are too short to pass through the block so they have to be worked from both sides and of course they never quite match up..  I like your method and will definitely give it a go.

 

Allan

[EdT]

Hi Allan,

 

The laminated approach certainly gives yo a clean opening. I find the joint lines are not very noticeble - I use Titebond on Euro boxwood for these. I also used this method on the lower ends of the fore brace bitts, which have very narrow sheaves - and on the catblocks as well. Both these methods are discussed in Volume II. The brace bitts are also covered in Part 158 which I have not yet reposted.

 

Ed

Edited May 28, 2013 by EdT

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 153– Skid Beams

Posted 10/4/12

 

 

There are two large cleats to be made and bolted to the side in the waist before installing the overhead beams.  These secured the lines that reeve through the fixed blocks discussed in the last post. 

 

These, like the iron structural knees, were made from copper electrical wire – in this case 12 gauge.  The first picture shows one of these during the final shaping process.

 

 

 

The next picture shows a pair installed on the port side.

 

 

The next picture shows the five skid beams positioned on their clamps over the waist.

 

 

 

Each of these will be secured at the ends with a single iron knee – much like the other beams at this level – but these are spaced further apart.  The contract language had not quite caught up with the practice of permanently installed skid beams flush with the fore and aft decks at this level, so some assumptions were made in deciding how these are secured as well as there spacing.   These were placed over upper deck beams to allow a pillar to be installed under the center of each one.  They are the longest beams at this level and would be pretty “springy” without pillars.

 

In the next picture a pillar is being turned from a strip of pear.  The piece is turned at high speed – secured in a four jaw centering chuck with a dead center being used to steady the other end.  There is no four-jaw centering chuck for the Unimat, so a brass adapter was made to use the Sherline chuck.  This is visible in the picture.

 

 

The next picture shows some turned pillars before sizing.

 

 

 

The two tools used to turn these are shown in the picture.

 

The next picture shows the first beam installed with its iron knees and pillar.

 

 

The next picture shows the first two beams installed from above.

 

 

The last picture shows the same two installed beams.

 

 

This picture shows chocks fit between the beams – similar to those used with the iron knees in other locations.  There are a lot of obstructions on the side planking in the waist and fitting the knees was something of a challenge.  The curved side mounted knee shown in this picture is typical of most of the skid beam knees – of necessity.

 

Installing the remaining three skid beams should be straightforward.  This will complete the last of the deck beams – a total of 115 for all the decks.  Not exactly a three decker, but a lot of work to check off as finished.

 

Ed

 

 

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 154– Quarterdeck/Gangway

Posted 10/10/12

 

The installation of the skid beams was completed this week.  The first picture shows a pillar for the next to last beam.

 

 

 

The beam is mortised to fit the tenon on the top of this pillar, which is also tenoned into the center plank at the bottom.  Each of these pillars rests on top of a beam.  Where necessary the bases are cut back to fit against the head ledges of the hatchways as shown in the picture.

 

The next picture shows all of the skid beams installed . . . .

 

 

 

. . . . and thus, finally all the deck beams in the model.  This was the last of them and the last of the fabrication of iron knees – a major milestone.

 

The next picture shows the beginning of the quarterdeck planking.

 

 

 

 

All the planking at this level is 3” thick.  The waterway against the frames is 4” thick, 11” wide and bearded down to just above the top of the next plank..  The planks are being set with a 3-butt shift with a minimum of 6 feet between butts, except that I am avoiding short planks at the ends.

 

The next picture shows the gangway planking installed.

 

 

 

The plank butts here are given less shift to keep the planks long, given the wide spacing between beams.  The 3” thick planksheer will fit against the outermost plank on top of the frames so it will be flush with the gangway decking.  It will extend outward beyond the side planking enough to allow a round molded edge.

 

In the next picture the first strakes of spirketing are being installed.

 

 

The top corners of these forward ends will be cut back later to match the curved ends of the drift rails.  The tops of the frames have been roughly cut back to this shape.  The next picture shows this area from the inside.

 

 

In this picture the decks have been leveled out.  The ends of the gangway planks fit into a rabbet cut into the front of the breast beams, similar but not as wide as the rabbet for the qdeck planks.  I may be a bit ahead of myself with the top strake of spirketing.  As installed its top is at the height of the 9-pounder port sills, but I need to do some research to discover if these ports had linings.  If so the top strake will need to be raised to match the lining top.  These are currently drafted with no sills.  Any opinions?

 

The last picture shows the outside of the frames in the waist area.

 

 

I believe all of the bolts are installed except for those securing the two large cleats inside.  The frames need to be finish sanded before installing the planksheer.  This is well along on the frames to the left in  this picture.  Pinholes above the ports from the temporary ribbands that were removed earlier are still visible.  These will be covered by a permanent ribband like the one just visible in the lower right corner.  There will also be one in between.  When all the finished sanding and buffing is done the copper scuppers shown in this picture will be blackened to simulate lead.

 

At this stage of the work, the accuracy in the placement of the heavy structural members meets the intricate detail of the finish carpentry – and the inaccuracies in the former start to come home to roost.  A lot of dimension checking has been going on this week.

 

Cheers,

 

Ed

 

 

 

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 155– Quarterdeck/Forecastle continued

Posted 10/14/12

 

Work has been moving forward at a good pace on the decking and the inside planking of the quarterdeck and forecastle.  The first picture shows the spirketing and the “berthing up” of the qdeck well along.  The temporary roughtree rail has been removed but saved as a drilling template for the final rail.

 

 

There are still a few strakes of decking to be added to the outside planked area on this deck, and of course the decking in the center area, which is awaiting the framing of the numerous hatch openings.  The top strakes of side planking aft will await the installation of the fixed blocks on the aft framing.  I will be glad to dispense with the unsightly bomb shelter – but not yet.  I have whacked it several times already.

 

The next picture shows the berthing up from the outside of the hull.

 

 

 

This side will be exposed as shown but some ribbands and of course the roughtree rail will be added.

 

The next picture from above shows the decking leveled out and rough sanded.

 

 

The three ports in this picture are 9-pounder ports – open up to the roughtree rail.

 

In the next picture the waterway on the forecastle is being glued down.

 

 

The forward end of this piece was curved into shape by my usual method of boiling, pinning/clamping it in place, allowing it to thoroughly dry, then finish sanding it and gluing it down.  The next picture shows this on the starboard side.

 

 

In the next picture two sections of the lower strake of spirketing on either side of the cathead are drying after boiling.  The aft section is glued in.

 

 

The decking of the forecastle has been going on concurrently and is all installed in this picture.  Although difficult to discern in this picture, the five outside strakes are “hooked” at their forwards ends with the fifth hook cut into the waterway.  The remaining inside planks are angled at the end to fit the waterway and cathead.  The waterway between the cathead and dummy bowsprit and the strake of spirketing above it are being installed in this picture.

 

In the next picture the next strake of spirketing has been installed up to the aft side of the forward carronade port and the forward section is clamped in place and drying out.

 

 

 

In this picture the planking has been leveled out.  The lines of nail holes have been marked for drilling.  The next picture shows the same status on the starboard side, but there will be no decking on this side.

 

 

The aft carronade port sill on this side is a bit low – another error due to premature port framing.  Fortunately both sides of this port will be planked over so the repair will be hidden.  Otherwise, the match in heights of the topside and the breadth of the spirketing band on both sides matches up.  Only one of the timberheads required some surgery.  They should finish up pretty well.  I have been concerned about this since these frames were installed – over two years ago.  I did not want to have to use short dummies for these.  The hole marks in the decking can be seen in this picture.

 

 

Ed

 

 

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 156– Quarterdeck/Forecastle continued

Posted 10/19/12Fleshing out of the inside planking and related details on the weatherdecks continued this week. The first picture shows the forward section of waterway on the starboard side in the process of being shaped to fit the curve of the side.

 

 

 

I do not normally make templates when spiling pieces like this but prefer to work directly on a wood blank. The forward curve was shaped on the disk sander – by trial and error. The crude pencil mark shows where the piece will be cut to clear the cathead. When the forward edge and the ends fit neatly, the width of the plank will be marked off parallel to the front edge and cut to yield the final piece.

 

The next picture shows the bow after the above piece plus the spirketing over it had been installed – followed by the breast-hook-over-the-bowsprit.

 

 

 

This latter piece is 9” thick by 13’ long and fays to the top strake of the spirketing and the knighthead assembly. It has 12 bolts through the bollards. In this picture the port side timberheads have been given a preliminary shaping.

 

The next picture shows the quarterdeck seat being installed.

 

 

 

Detailing of this seat required some speculation. The space behind the seat transom would most likely have been sealed off to prevent water from running down the taffrail into the captain’s cabin, so I decided to install this in the form of a seat on the transom with a closed panel in the front. The front is being glued on in the picture. The top of the seat is also shown in the picture. It was made to fit tightly around the counter timbers and to the taffrail. This picture also shows the two fixed blocks in the side installed – one just ahead of the last carronade port and one just forward of the taffrail.

 

The next picture shows the outside of one of these blocks.

 

 

The aftermost top strakes of internal planking are being installed in this picture. The bolts securing the fixed block have been installed. There is still a fair amount of cleanup to be done on the exterior in this area and I still need to decide on the extent of the planks under the quarter gallery structure to leave in place. I may remove the forward ends of these.

 

The next picture shows the inside of these blocks and the finished seat.

 

 

 

In this picture the side has been completely “berthed up” to the tops of the timbers with 2 ½” thick planks above the 3” thick spirketing. This picture and the next two also show the decorative trim rail installed along the inside planked area.

 

 

 

Following the line of the top external drift rail, this rail would have been at the top of the side planking if the quarterdeck were not berthed up. This internal trim may or may not have been installed when quarterdeck sides were berthed up in the original construction – but I decided to include it. Tradition often dictated installing details like this that preserved the appearance of earlier designs.

 

The next picture shows the full line of this trim.

 

 

 

Although it may be hard to discern in these pictures, all the side and deck planking treenailing is finished. Some ironwork now needs to be installed – the ringbolts for the guns in the sides, the seat transom knees, and a pair of iron cleats. I am also considering installing two cavil blocks on this side of this deck. Installing of the roughtree rail at the top of the side is becoming a temptation.

 

The last picture shows the exterior framing in this area after some finish sanding. It also shows the two fixed blocks with their bolts.

 

 

The Naiad on the port quarter piece and her four companions are getting impatient with the progress of the work – pretty boring just standing around for all these months.

 

Cheers,

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 157– Quarterdeck/Forecastle continued

Posted 10/24/12

 

More work on the quarterdeck. The first picture shows the ironwork in the side for the guns.

 

 

These were made with 22 gauge copper wire. The rings were silver soldered, so selenium blackening agent was used instead of liver of sulfur, which does not etch silver solder very well.

 

The next picture shows the seat transom iron knee and one of the two cleats fitted to the sides on this deck.

 

 

The next step was to install the framing of the openings for the rigging hatches astride and behind the main mast. The next picture shows some head ledges and coamings while their joints were being cut.

 

 

The pieces toward the top are coamings. The next picture shows the four openings framed.

 

 

There was some guesswork here. Some contemporary models show no framing. White’s book on Diana shows them framed. Framing made sense to me, so these are framed like the other deck openings.

 

In the next picture the decking in this area has been installed.

 

 

The “bunker” over the wheel has been removed to allow the planking on this deck to proceed. The next picture shows the planking around the wheel back to the opening for the companion.

 

 

I decided to fit the companion up to the decking this time. Seems easier.

 

In the next picture the hole for the main mast has been cut and fitted with a turned ring.

 

 

The three holes on each side are for eyebolts. All of the installed planking up to this point has been treenailed and sanded smooth.

 

The next picture shows the extent of the progress at this time.

 

 

 

While exposed, the wheel has gotten another coat of wax – hence the pronounced color. This will dull down as it dries.

 

The fore brace bitts need to be installed in the two forward openings astride the mast. I now have the drawing of these finished so that work can proceed. That and the companion are probably the next steps, then the eyebolts and ringbolts in the deck. Getting close to being finished on this deck.

 

 

Ed

[EdT]

There is an error in the above post #157. On the hatch framing, the ledges are set down over the coamings, not as I have shown. A common error that nailed me as well. The head ledges were bolted into the beams and thus able to hold down the coamings. Coamings in the fore and aft direction would have to be bolted to carlings and these were not bolted down, but merely drivein down into the scores and presumably held down by the deck planking.

 

Anyway, fear not, all this was corrected in the detailed method described for making these in Volume II.

 

Sorry, if anyone was mislead by this.

 

Ed

[EdT]

1:60 HMS Naiad 1797

Part 158– Quarterdeck continued

Posted 10/31/12

 

Still working on the detail on the quarterdeck. There was a question after the last post on the process for turning mast rings. The first picture shows the set up for this and the tools used.

 

 

A flat square of European Boxwood about the thickness of the ring was glued directly to a round block – actually a leftover from turning the wheel or maybe the capstan. The next picture shows the piece in the lathe.

 

 

The bore was turned first using the boring tool in the center of the top picture. Here the outer diameter. is being turned - back far enough so the ring can be parted off. The curve is then cut with the rounded tool on the right in the first picture. The ring was given its final shape with files then sanded and polished in the lathe with steel wool.

 

The scuttles for the top tackles were revised after some comments on the last post. The coamings were removed and a planked hatch installed on the port side as shown in the next picture.

 

 

This picture also shows some of the deck ironwork. All of this has now been installed. The next picture shows the fore brace bitts before installation of their sheaves.

 

 

 

The sheaves in these are less than 2” thick so I was stuck for a process to make square openings that small. I first made these by laminating the entire piece but the laminations were too pronounced, so I decided to saw out slots from the bottom and fill these up to the sheave openings. The joints can be seen above, but will be much less noticeable at the bottoms of these when installed. The next picture shows the cutting the slots.

 

 

 

The three slots are being cut with a .023” slotting saw blade – very slow speed and very shallow cuts to avoid burning the wood and really accentuating the laminations. Thin pieces were then glued in. The very thin sheaves were turned to their diameter of 9”, parted off with a x-acto knife, sanded to fit the slots, then dyed and installed. The next picture shows the two bitts in place.

 

 

 

These will be bolted to the beam and the main jeer bitt pins below – when the glue has set. The next picture shows these from the forward side.

 

 

 

The cross piece will be added later. Two length of shot rack have been installed. One is visible in this picture.

 

The last picture shows more of the quarterdeck.

 

 

The ringbolts outside the hatches are for the guns. The other shot rack is also visible. Small ringbolts were installed on the top tackle scuttle hatch. Except for some features aft of the wheel, the quarterdeck is pretty much finished.

 

 

 

Ed