28 foot American cutter by druxey - FINISHED - 1:48 scale

[druxey]

Well, having read the thread on an article seen the drawings and photos about a cutter preserved in Venice, the beautiful form has inspired me to attempt to build a model in 1:48 scale. 

 

The first step was to download the photos of the pages in the article that showed the surveyed drawings.  These had to be stitched together and distortion removed, which was done in PhotoShop. Then  the drawings had to be re-sized to 1:48. Having  the overall length, width and depth helped define the reduction required.

 

Once the drawings were to scale, I could begin. The first step was to begin preparing a plug on which to build the hull. Leaves of yellow cedar were cut from blocks (1) and sanded. Four layers a scale 4" thick, two layers 8" and one layer of 15" were needed for each half of the plug. These thicknesses matched the waterlines on the plan (2).

 

Tracing paper was used to transfer the waterlines to the leaves of cedar and laid down using graphite paper (3). The opposite pairs of wood leaves were rubber cemented together before cutting them out on the scroll saw.

 

To be continued!

[bruce d]

Mind if I look over your shoulder?

BTW, I am sending you via PM the original PDF from which I took the article. There is no additional information there but you may want to see if the photographs can be enlarged any further for details.

[Wintergreen]

A 28 ft cutter at 1:48 - that will be kind of tiny. But then again, what else to except from an expert 😉

I will follow with interest. The hull looks promising judging from the drawing.

Also, from what I can see I guess it will be carvel planked?

[druxey]

Thank you kindly, Bruce. That would be much appreciated! If there will be blame to be laid.... It's not often one has the luxury of a specific period small boat photo to refer to.

 

Yes, Håkan, she is definitely carvel planked.

[druxey]

The lifts for the plug have been cut out and glued up. Next, the profile of the boat was marked out on the inner surfaces of the halves. I remembered to keep the off-cuts of the lifts to temporarily glue on again in order to scroll-saw the profiles!

[druxey]

The sheer was sawn out and smoothed using shaped sanding sticks. The half-hulls were then joined with a central 'spine' to allow for the keel/stem/stern post assembly. The projection allows me to clamp the plug in my vise. Shaping then began using a sharp chisel and gouges.

[druxey]

Just about completed the smoothing of the plug. It is worth taking time to refine this even though it isn't part of the model itself. A little filler was required in spots in order to create a smooth fair surface. Next will be several coats of gesso and sanding. The planking runs can then be marked out.

[Chuck]

That is lookin very good.  I imagine you are happy to get this messy stage completed.

[druxey]

Thanks, but not yet, Chuck! It's gesso and sand and repeat time now.

Edited April 9, 2021 by druxey

[WalrusGuy]

3 hours ago, druxey said:

It's gesso and sand and repeat time now.

Can sanding sealer serve the same purpose? I guess this is just to make the curve as smooth as possible without any seams?

[druxey]

The gesso provides a white surface which you can use pencil on. The lines show up clearly and you can easily erase if you need to. Stay tuned to see this.

[druxey]

So, after many layers of gesso and sanding a good surface was achieved on the plug. While gesso coats were drying, I began construction of the backbone of the cutter. The stem and stern posts were cut out of wood a scale 2" and 3" respectively. The stern post was tapered to 2" at the heel. The rabbets were marked out carefully and cut. The drawings of this cutter showed both inner and outer rabbet lines. This established the changing bevels. The outer line was cut with a new scalpel blade and the bevel cut using a miniature chisel. Thinking ahead, the holes for the ringbolts were drilled using a #72 bit held in a pin chuck. Next will be the keel.

[druxey]

Next was to complete the spine of the cutter. Cutting the rabbet along the top of the keel was easiest for most of its length by attaching the keel (rubber cement again!) to a board and using a shaped scraper as shown. The stem and stern posts were scarphed on, the joints being accentuated with a little pencil. The aft scarph was unusually short, as shown on the surveyed plans.

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by druxey

[jlefever]

Looking really crisp and well thought out. Impressive.

 

Jim

[wefalck]

And I thought you were still in the middle of the planning phase ...

 

Will be watching this space !

[thibaultron]

I'll be following also!

 

Bruce D, where did you get the original PDF?

[druxey]

Thanks for dropping in and having an interest in this project! The next step was to fit the backbone and plug so the slots at bow and stern were widened to accommodate them. The run of the planking was next sketched on. Looking  at the photos from Venice, it appears that there are ten strakes below the sheer rail. As you can see, the run aft looks quite good already, but the fore body needs correction. The planking will be delineated far more accurately as corrections are made. This comes next.

 

The deliberate gap at the forefoot is that the hull form is so fine here that, if the plug were in the way, the planks will not run smoothly into the stem rabbet.

 

Edited April 13, 2021 by druxey

[bruce d]

4 minutes ago, thibaultron said:

Bruce D, where did you get the original PDF?

 

https://archive.org/

 

If it is new to you, be prepared to spend waaaaaaay too much time exploring 🤐

[druxey]

And have other unintended consequences!

[bruce d]

7 minutes ago, druxey said:

other unintended consequences!

... like finding something that leads to someone else building a model!

[thibaultron]

I down loaded the pages at 200DPI ~3700 by 4000 pixels, and combined them into 2 sheets (at 96 DPI, due to program limits), and cropped them so they came out ~6700 by 2300. If anyone is interested in copies of either the single shots, panarama, or all PM me.

 

I'll explain how to get the hi res download, later today.

[Thistle17]

Your works are always so inspiring David! You set a high standard even for carving plugs for a model. Your productivity while maintaining the standard is also a wonderment.

Joe

[druxey]

Thank you, Joe.

 

Next was to refine the planking layout. At this scale the width of a pencil line makes a difference!  As you can see, it's almost these now. Lining out is a science and an art. If one only scientifically divides the space for the planking, it does not always look fair to the eye. I had to then use a bit of art - and maybe a touch of alchemy - to make the lines run fair to the eye from stem to stern.

 

There will still be some minor adjustments before transferring the mark-out to the second side.

 

[wefalck]

The idea with the gesso is a good one that I have to remember (in the not too distant future I want to attempt to make a clinker-built boat in 1/160 scale, just over 20 mm long). One sees the lines well and I suppose the frames/planks will not stick too well on it either. What kind of gesso did you use, 'real' one or the modern acrylic based one ?

[druxey]

The gesso is acrylic, not the traditional one. It sands very well, Eberhard. I will still wax the plug before building over it. 

[wefalck]

Thanks, David, I thought so. Yes, the acrylic one certainly needs to be waxed or sprayed with Teflon-spray. The 'real' gesso would sand off easily and may not need waxing, but I never worked with it.

[BANYAN]

I don't know how I missed this Druxey; I hope there is room for a late-comer to the party.  Seeing what you achieved in other builds, this should be another beauty.  I, and I am sure many others, appreciate the tutorial on how to develop a boat/building  plug.

 

cheers

 

Pat

Edited April 13, 2021 by BANYAN

[druxey]

The lining out of the planking has now been refined. Even the thickness of a thin pencil line makes a difference at 1:48! Pencil erases well over gesso. There was much erasure. I use 4H leads in order to get the thinnest lines possible. The beauty - or lack of it - in the final model will depend on precise marking out.

 

The next step in the process will be to mark out the frames on the plug. 

 

 

[bruce d]

Druxey: watching this like a hawk and enjoying it. I know I could wait and see, but can I ask about your plan for the stern?

Comparing your last photo in #23 above ...

 

... with the stern shapes in this photo ...

 

 

... I take it the shapes do (or will) match. It may be the photos but the subtle hint of tumblehome on the museum piece isn't obvious to me in the plug.

Go on, tell me it's there and I am just not seeing it 🤐.

Great job so far, looking forward to the next instalment.

 

Bruce

Edited April 14, 2021 by bruce d

[Maury S]

Is there going to be a new MSW section on "Alchemy".  Can't wait.  The lines look fabulous.

Maury