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

[Wintergreen]

On 5/1/2021 at 2:34 AM, druxey said:

I'm improving my ability to bend frames freehand to fit the hull

Ain't that a remarkable little comment? There always seems to be something more to learn and master, even for a master.

A soothing thought for us mere mortals at the beginning of the scale modeling path.

 

Excellent build so far!

[druxey]

The first five half-floors for the fore body have been cut and fitted. A nice smooth line for the floor heads is needed as can be seen on the plan view. 

 

I'm often asked how my work looks so clean. The answer is time and labor intensive: I dampen surfaces with a wet brush and scrape any last remnants of glue off very carefully using miniature chisels or dental tools. However, for a natural, unpainted surface this is necessary.

 

[wefalck]

I gather you scrape off any glue squirting out while it is still wet - hence also the wetting brush ?

 

What kind of chisels do you use ?

[druxey]

I certainly wipe off any squeeze-out Eberhard, but also re-dampen and scrape later when dry. It's surprising how much more comes off!

 

Thanks for looking in and for any questions.

[lraymo]

Your precision is incredible.  I have LOTS to learn, and your work is really inspiring!

[druxey]

The fore body floors are complete and the internal surfaces of the model cleaned up. As in larger vessels, the floors in the aft body will be attached to the aft sides of the futtocks. All these internal details were beautifully recorded and delineated in the American Neptune article, July 1955, by G.B. Rubin de Cervin. 

 

[allanyed]

David,  Beautiful workmanship!!!   I agree that scraping is a great method to use compared to sanding.   I also use chisels, but at times I like to snap off the tip of a used up scalpel blade and grind a sharp edge on the end.  Any hardened steel blade does the trick.  This is much more precise  in the tight spots as well as on bigger flat surfaces compared to just sanding where dried glue might be hiding.  It is very easy to see if any glue spots are missed by just lightly wetting the suspect area.

 

Edited May 3, 2021 by allanyed

[druxey]

The aft body floors are now in. Then aftermost four pairs had to be cut from heat pre-bent stock. Next up, the keelson. It is substantial at 2½" x 4½" wide. Although the draught does not show this, photographs kindly supplied by Eberhard of the actual boat interior show this scored down on the floors and futtock heels. As this will not be visible (nor are the drainage holes in the frames) I won't go that far!

 

 

[BANYAN]

And you call this slow progress?  Very clean, beautifully detailed crisp work Druxey, and a tutorial on how to do it along with it.  I for one am enjoying every post of this build.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[druxey]

The keelson is in now. I found that I had to score it fore and aft as the frames rise. Holes were drilled for ringbolts and a blind square mortise cut for the mast step. Next will be to spile and fit the two boards that support the stretchers (footrests) for the rowers.

 

[Maury S]

beautiful !

Maury

[druxey]

Thank you, Maury.

 

The two floor boards have been made and installed. Then blessing (and curse!) of having the prototype to refer to is that one sees all kinds of detail not shown on the usual plans. The photographs show a delicate beaded molding along the edges of these boards so, of course, I had to try adding these. 

 

First the planks were spiled and cut out. They are a scale 7" wide and 3/4" thick. The moldings were then carefully run. (I had this profile available from a previous open boat model.) the planks have considerable twist at both ends, They were hot water soaked and clipped in place to dry, then glued in permanently.

 

[wefalck]

Mostly overlooked by modellers, but the shipwrights and boatbuilders of old took great care and pride in finishing their work, running down a moulding-plane here and there. It also had the practical purpose of rounding off edges to prevent splintering. Not easy to reproduce below certain scale, which is probably the reason, why it is rarely reproduced by us modellers.

[druxey]

Yes, the high quality of construction shows not only in these details, but the state of preservation of this boat for about 170 years.

[druxey]

Today's update be more 'tell' than 'show'. The stretchers for the feet of the rowers are located in notches along the outer sides of the footboards (see photo, courtesy Eberhard). These are rather small items. Each is under ¾" long and the 'tails' 1/64" square. 

 

I prepared a length of Castello and cut off ¾" long pieces. These were sandwiched together on edge using PVA glue. (Rubber cement does not have sufficient shear strength for milling operations.) The laminated pieces were then glued to a carrier piece of wood. Held in a machine vise, the profile was carefully machined on the mill. The assembly was then immersed in isopropanol for 24 hours to separate the individual pieces. 

 

While this was soaking, a length of wood was prepared for the stretchers. The upper edges of these are chamfered at 45 degrees, as can be seen in the phooto.

[Thistle17]

What is there about ship modeling that drives one to model to such a high degree of accuracy?  You set the bar so very high for the rest of us and that is OK. It has become such a passion for me through you and others of your capability! Thank you.

Joe 

[druxey]

Thank you for your encouraging words, Joe. Replicating these details is a challenge that I set myself as the prototype is still extant.

 

The cleats and stretchers are now installed.

 

 

[druxey]

Next are the risers; the plank that the thwarts rest on. It was difficult to determine their shape as it is hard to measure vertical heights inside the boat. I 'proved' the spiled shape in card first. The risers will be cut from ¾" thick stock.

 

Keen-eyed folk will have noticed that some metalwork has been made and fitted while there is still easy access to the ends and bottom of the model.

 

[BANYAN]

Looking great Druxey, are you clear coating or painting the interior?  If painting how do you protect the metal work if it not easily accessible?

 

cheers

 

Pat

[druxey]

Thanks, Pat. The model will be unpainted with a natural wood look to show off construction. I used to put a dilute coat of sanding sealer on my models but no longer do. The 'finish' is simply fine sanded and scraped.

[Bob Cleek]

On 5/4/2021 at 3:06 PM, wefalck said:

Mostly overlooked by modellers, but the shipwrights and boatbuilders of old took great care and pride in finishing their work, running down a moulding-plane here and there. It also had the practical purpose of rounding off edges to prevent splintering. Not easy to reproduce below certain scale, which is probably the reason, why it is rarely reproduced by us modelers.

Care and pride certainly was more valued by tradesmen in the past, but I believe that more often than not what we see as embellishments mainly were intended to serve practical purposes. First and foremost, aboard any watercraft the occupants are continually subjected to the risk of trips and falls, particularly in heavy weather. and the rounding of corners serves to reduce the amount of injury caused by falling off balance against a sharp corner. A one inch half-round corner versus a sharp right angle can easily mean the difference between a lump on the head and a fractured skull. Coves routed beneath lips serve to channel water which otherwise would run down the flat face below an overhang and cause staining of the paintwork. Rowing thwarts are always beveled half round to prevent chafe to rowers' legs and bottoms. What may seem to us to be fancywork is really just form following function... the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century carved gingerbread being something else again, of course. That was all about the king's pride, not the workmen's.

[BANYAN]

Thanks Druxey, that explains why it is safe and very convenient to add that detail now.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Bob Cleek]

13 hours ago, druxey said:

Today's update be more 'tell' than 'show'. The stretchers for the feet of the rowers are located in notches along the outer sides of the footboards (see photo, courtesy Eberhard). These are rather small items. Each is under ¾" long and the 'tails' 1/64" square. 

 

I prepared a length of Castello and cut off ¾" long pieces. These were sandwiched together on edge using PVA glue. (Rubber cement does not have sufficient shear strength for milling operations.) The laminated pieces were then glued to a carrier piece of wood. Held in a machine vise, the profile was carefully machined on the mill. The assembly was then immersed in isopropanol for 24 hours to separate the individual pieces. 

 

While this was soaking, a length of wood was prepared for the stretchers. The upper edges of these are chamfered at 45 degrees, as can be seen in the phooto.

It appears that the bearers which hold the stretchers were cleverly designed so the "tails" could be cut to the length best suited to the length of the particular rower's legs. By the simple adjustment of the "stick" with the notch for the bearer at the end, the position of the stretcher could be adjusted relative to the position of the thwart. Might this be so? Do we know how these notched sticks were fastened to the boat's structure, if at all? Are they devised so they can be adjusted and set in place with a wedge or something like that? 

[druxey]

The stretchers on this boat appear to be fixed, Bob, and not adjustable. Other boats had a double notch or other arrangement (see my Greenwich Hospital barge) to allow for short or tall rowers.

[rwiederrich]

Wonderful work Druxey.  Adhering to the prototype is fun when you have a clean clear example to follow.

 

Nice clean work...great little boat.

 

Rob

[druxey]

Update: There will be a hiatus in the workshop, hopefully only for a few days. The switch on my Byrnes' saw failed - after only 14 years of hard work! Jim and Donna have sent out a replacement very promptly so it's in the USPS service - somewhere.... Until it arrives I can't cut more 1/64" leaves of wood for the boat's risers. Dommage.

[Bob Cleek]

9 hours ago, druxey said:

Update: There will be a hiatus in the workshop, hopefully only for a few days. The switch on my Byrnes' saw failed - after only 14 years of hard work! Jim and Donna have sent out a replacement very promptly so it's in the USPS service - somewhere.... Until it arrives I can't cut more 1/64" leaves of wood for the boat's risers. Dommage.

Boy! Talk about a "the dog ate my homework" excuse! Just hot-wire the sucker until the switch arrives in the mail.  Twist the switch wires together and wrap some electrical tape around the joint, then plug it into a switched outlet. You can't just ignore your fan club that easily!    

[druxey]

Thanks, Bob. However, I think I can wait as I've other paying work to re-rig on the bench as well right now!

[druxey]

I thought it time to post a small update for you. The package containing the new switch for my saw is somewhere in the Province of Ontario now, according to USPS tracking. So, this is really a non-update. I debated the hot-wiring solution suggested. However, the idea of reaching over a running saw to pull the plug held very little appeal. So we wait....

Edited May 11, 2021 by druxey

[Bob Cleek]

6 minutes ago, druxey said:

the idea of reaching over a running saw to pull the plug held very little appeal.

Better safe than sorry!  Did I ever tell you the story about the starting capacitor dying on the motor on my 1950's 8" Craftsman table saw? The capacitor was a special order item because it was shaped like a pack of cigarettes to fit in the base of the motor instead of the round "cans" used modernly. Until I could source another one, I had to start the motor by wrapping a length of Venetian blind cord around the motor spindle opposite the belt sheave and then flipping the switch and pulling the cord like an outboard motor to get the motor spinning up to speed so it would run. It worked fine, but that was back in the days when I believed I was invulnerable!