ancre Le Rochefort by No Idea - 1/24th Scale - First POF Build

[Some Idea]

8 minutes ago, JacquesCousteau said:

Excellent work! At 1:24 scale, those 5mm work out to 12cm on the real vessel. I think you can chalk it up to building differences between shipyards. 

Thanks Jacques that really means a lot to me - Since starting Le Rochefort I have bought a few monographs which has made me appreciate just how good the monograph by Gerard really is.  I also have to remember that this is my first POF build too!  My shipyard is obviously on the sketchy side 🤣 but we get things done!

12 minutes ago, ChrisLBren said:

Nice recovery Mark !  Have a great time in Crete

Thanks Chris - We fly out next Sunday for a much needed 2 week holiday in the sun.  

[druxey]

It's nice when earlier attention pays off later in the build, as has happened here. Looking good!

 

Enjoy Crete with your bride!

[dvm27]

I had a similar problem with the decade long build of my Swan class model. My earlier work was not as good as later on and some of those came rookie inaccuracies came back to haunt me as the project progressed.

Have a great holiday. Oh, to be 60 again!

[SaltyScot]

Mark, what impressed me the most about all this (apart from the incredible workmanship) was the fact that you didn't give up! You are right, banging your head against the wall solves nothing, walking away and returning at a later date on the other hand gives one a whole new perspective and this is a prime example of that. Nice save, sir. It would have been a crying shame to see this build shelved because of that. Enjoy Crete and please convey our birthday wishes to your good lady too (my dear wife has her birthday at the beginning of July so not long for me either).

[Some Idea]

druxey, dvm27 and SaltyScot - thanks for the comments!  It's nice to know that it's not just me that has had to resolve earlier issues.

 

After I built the quarter deck I was surprised just how much it changes the entire look of the ship.  It just looks so much more complete and solid which was just another piece of encouragement to move forward.

 

Mark

 

 

[Mike Y]

Great repair! 

Interesting gantry, could you please show more of that measurement probe mechanism on top?  

[Some Idea]

12 hours ago, Mike Y said:

Great repair! 

Interesting gantry, could you please show more of that measurement probe mechanism on top?  

Hi Mike - it's a trick of the camera!  The gantry is separate from the height gauge in front of the of it.  This is the gauge that I use - I use this to measure so much as my datum for the build is the bottom of the keel.  I didn't have this tool when I began building but I wish that I had.

[Some Idea]

Hi all

 

Back from our lovely holiday and straight back onto Le Rochefort

 

I'm now working on the crews quarters below the quarter deck and have started with the bulkhead which has a double entry door.  This is quite a feature on this ship so I want to get it as good as possible.  I started by making the shiplap planks that form the walls which I then glued together to make the actual walls.

Next was to look at the doors themselves - I usually just get a solid piece of wood and then mill out the features to make them look like doors.  In this instance I thought that I would try a new exercise for me and make them from individual parts and include all of the relevant joints as they possibly would have been made originally.    Each frame is made of 5 pieces which then require 4 inserts in each door.

Milling out the rebates to fit the 0.7mm inserts

Sorry I should have taken more pictures but here are how the doors turned out.  Assembling the parts actually proved to be one of the hardest parts.

Next I needed to make the door frame uprights which have 2 rebates cut into them and also the base rebate that the walls slot into.

It all took a little bit of fettling to get all of the parts to fit correctly but I'm just about there now.

I did have one issue and that was with the door frame uprights which stopped the whole assembly from sitting flush with the beam.  This maybe because I miss read the drawings but to get around this issue I cut some rebates into the beam which actually makes the whole thing stronger and more stable

 

It's all still a work in progress but I'm getting there with this particular part of the build.

 

Mark

[JacquesCousteau]

Incredible work! Especially making the shiplap planks, they look great!

[SaltyScot]

That is some fine woodwork, Mark. Very nicely done! You must have had a great sense of accomplishment having competed this as well as you did.

[Some Idea]

On 6/29/2025 at 5:18 PM, JacquesCousteau said:

Incredible work! Especially making the shiplap planks, they look great!

Thanks JacquesCousteau - The shiplap planks are really simple to make on a table saw but I find them difficult to glue together so that they lay flat.

On 6/29/2025 at 9:46 PM, SaltyScot said:

That is some fine woodwork, Mark. Very nicely done! You must have had a great sense of accomplishment having competed this as well as you did.

I have to be honest the whole assembly did fit better than I thought it would and yea - I did look at it and think you lucky fella that looks nice 🤣

 

Sorry for the late replies  - I'm now starting on the 2 beds which for this ship are quite elaborate in detail and I need to work out how to make them.

[Kevin]

lovely work, its amazing the time we spend on detail that will never be seen

[Some Idea]

Just now, Kevin said:

lovely work, its amazing the time we spend on detail that will never be seen

Thanks Kevin  - I'm not planking the decks which is why I'm trying to get it as good as possible. When the ship is finished I'll still be able to look inside and see the detail  

[Tonphil1960]

Mark, you’ve made great progress. The quality of your work remains excellent ! 

[Some Idea]

On 7/23/2025 at 9:59 PM, Tonphil1960 said:

Mark, you’ve made great progress. The quality of your work remains excellent ! 

Thanks Tony

 

A bit more work done this week - I have made the 2 beds.  One is for the Master of the ship and the other for the Master Gunner who was on board when Le Rochefort carried its cargo of gunpowder.

 

I made the recesses in the door and the lower part of the bed in the same way I made the door into the cabin.  I just like the way this method looks when finished.

Next was the cupboard walls and the base of the bed

The pair of beds and the bulkhead with hinges and handles fitted.

The parts now fitted into the hull - it's the fitting that takes the longest time just trying to get a tight a fit to the hull as possible.

So I'm pretty sure that once I've made the hatch surround, fitted the beams and made the carlings that will be the quarter deck finished.  Those tasks will be my next jobs.

 

Cheers Mark

[BradNSW]

Everything looks clean and the joints/seams are fantastic!

 

That pear wood is able to showcase your careful attention to detail and precise milling/construction.

 

I hope to be able to emulate some of the techniques and details when I get to the interior!!  Thanks for sharing.

 

 

[Some Idea]

More done - I started off by making the hatch surround which sits in the cabin.  This will be the third one of these I've made and I have always enjoyed their construction.

 

Next it's pretty much been an assembly of many parts that I had previously made.  This did take me quite a long time as so many joints are meeting each other which ties everything together. I have to say though this has probably been one of the most satisfying parts of my build for me so far.  When it all comes together and the joints are where they should be.  I also made the carlings which pretty much finishes the quarter deck bar the finer details.  Here's a few pictures.

I did make a couple of errors - I forgot to cut the 4 recesses into the hatch surround to allow the hatch cover to sit flush and I also forgot to put the nails in the beam supports but its too late now.  Next I need to make and fit the upper moulded rail that sits flush with the waterway.  I can then finish the planking on the outside - but first I need to solve a problem of my own making.  I cut the planking too short at the end of the final tall frame which the gunwale runs down too.  I'm not sure how to cure this issue yet but I'll get my thinking cap on.  I can see me having to carve and mill a solid piece for both sides of the ship - I don't know but I'll keep you updated.

 

Thanks for all of the support - Mark

[ccoyle]

It is becoming increasingly evident, Mark, that "No Idea" no longer suits you as a username, as you clearly have at least some idea!

[Some Idea]

🤣 Hi Chris - This "name" dates back to when I first thought about having a go at a scratch build.  I was looking through this forum and some books and realised I had no idea at what I was looking at.  I didn't understand the terminology, drawings, techniques and skills required.  Forward a few years and I now understand the terminology and techniques - however the drawings still take me months and months to get a bit of an understanding of how things all fit together.  So until someone offers to be my drawing mentor - I still often have no idea 🤣  However I'll change my name to some idea if I can work out how to do it 

[Some Idea]

Tis done - but I still need a drawing mentor ta 👍

Edited 7 hours ago by Some Idea