Donald Dressel's book of Planking Techniques

[Don Case]

I was hunting for planking info on the web and kept seeing this book pop up. It looked familiar. I went looking under the pile of books on my bedside table and found it under 20 years of newer hobby books. Is it still considered a good source of info?

[ccoyle]

Been a while since I've read the book (and BTW, back in my SoCal days, Don helped me get through my first POB project), but if I recall correctly, it's more of a survey of various techniques rather than a how-to book. If you're looking for pointers, you can start here.

[Don Case]

Thanks I bookmarked that. I remember there was a website that had a bunch of "How they actually did it way back". The rules of the trade. Joins on a plank had to be two frames apart. That kind of stuff. Does that ring a bell??

[Bob Cleek]

22 minutes ago, Don Case said:

I remember there was a website that had a bunch of "How they actually did it way back". The rules of the trade. Joins on a plank had to be two frames apart. That kind of stuff. Does that ring a bell??

You should find that information in any good book on wooden ship and boat building. There are several well-known "scantling rules" which lay out standards for construction. I'm sure the warship modelers can tell you exactly when such particular rules were laid down by the British Admiralty and which were in effect at different times. (Called "Establishments" and designated by date, e.g. The 1706 Establishment or the 1716 Establishment, these rules set the "ratings" for the various sizes of Royal Navy ships, together with minimum standards for their construction and quality of materials, e.g. how many scarfs were permitted in the keel of a First Rate ship and so on down the line.)  The French Navy had their own scantling rules. (Uniquely, the French combined treenails and iron fastenings, but that's about as far as my own knowledge of that subject goes when it comes to warships.) Planking schedules and rules for the placement of plank butts are commonplace. In the small craft area, Lloyd's of London has "Lloyd's Rules." Europe has Det Norske Veritas' ("DNV") Rules. In America, Herreshoff's scantling rules, Skene's Rules, MacNaughton's Scantling Rules, and, modernly, the American Bureau of Shipping ("ABS") rules are followed. Most all of the current rules were established by the marine insurance industry to ensure "best practices" for vessels ensured by their member insurance companies and, with respect to wooden hull construction, have remained relatively unchanged since the early days. Researching and paying attention to these historical details is what makes a good model a great model.