HMS Euryalus 1803 by rlb - 1:48 scale

[allanyed]

2 hours ago, rlb said:

that is what I am doing. 

Kudos Ron, your build is a joy to follow!!

Allan

[botra288]

your frames are very nice, good luck 👌

[rlb]

Thanks Allan and botra.

 

After getting all the cant frames cut and glued up, I glued the first rising wood piece in preparation for erecting the first pair of square frames, which will be a starting guide for the cant frames--

 

That first pair in place, and the cant frames ready to go--

 

I didn't get far before realizing that I also needed that horizontal piece at the top, to fix the width of each set of cant frames.  So I would take a measurement from the frame drawing, and after lightly gluing a pair of cant frames in place, I would check the width with the horizontal cross piece, and if okay, then glue the cross piece in place to hold everything together.

 

This seemed to be going fine--

 

However, as I moved farther forward, I began noticing that in order to make the right width, my frames needed adjusting to the bottom vertical bevel that joins the deadwood.  I thought, well, my initial cutting of that bevel must not have been accurate.  Curiously, each frame needed the same adjustment, but I soldiered on.   It also started to seem improbable that the bow would narrow enough to meet the hawse timbers--

 

At this point, when I held up the next frame as I had cut it out, the disparity in width was growing extreme.  The frame looked just right when I set it on the frame drawing, but holding it in place, the location compared to the previous frame (which I had adjusted as I thought it needed to be) looked alarming.  Something was obviously wrong--

 

I went back to a frame drawing (I chose Za, the frame next to the hawse timbers) and measured the width on the forward face at the "Reference Line".  Just a hair over 3 and 3/4 inches--

 

Taking this same measurement on the framing guide on the build board the measurement here was almost exactly 3 inches even.  How could this be?

 

I knew what was wrong now, though I couldn't understand why, for a while.  But it did mean that everything back to the square frames had to be undone.  Fortunately (anticipating that I might screw up at some point), I had only very lightly glued everything.  It came apart easily--

 

I now realize WHY taking the width measurement from the frame drawing was incorrect (though it works for the square frames).  Painfully obvious in hindsight.  I now measure the width at the reference line from the build board and compare it to markings on the lightly positioned frames before gluing the top horizontal piece.   I'm just about back to where I was when I learned of my mistake--

 

Of course, it's all coming together much better now.  Previously my one gunport width had been about a 32nd inch or so too wide, and now it's exactly right, which makes sense as the frames haven't splayed out quite so much.  There is a slight gap on the bottom of the bevel at the foot of the frames now where they rest on the shelf of the lower apron, because I had taken some wood off in my folly.  It will be completely hidden though.  Going forward they'll sit the way they are supposed to.  It also looks more like the cant frames will turn in enough to meet the hawse timbers.  We'll still have to see on that.

 

 

Ron

 

 

 

Edited March 7, 2023 by rlb

[JohnLea]

1 hour ago, rlb said:

 

Wonderful stuff.  Thanks.

 

 

 

[Ebomba]

I am in always in awe of your patience and ability to solve problems as they arise , looking good.

 

Best,

Ed

[botra288]

We learn and improve thanks to correcting our mistakes, thank you for sharing which will prevent us from making similar mistakes in the future

[druxey]

Ah, the learning curve. Some of use needed several attempts before we 'got it'. The up side is that you'll get it right first time on subsequent models.

[Trussben]

Nice progress Ron, yeh - the bollard timbers and cant frames are the hardest to learn - but after them the square frames will seem like a walk in the park. Keep up the good work.

[rlb]

Thanks JohnLea, Ed, botra, druxey and Ben!

 

Yes, once again the learning curve made a fool of me.  It won't be the last time!  I don't have a problem showing my mistakes, hopefully they give others the idea that we aren't perfect, but we can achieve good results working through the failures.

 

Today was a good day.

 

As before, everything is very lightly glued, and I will have to make adjustments to many of the frames--fine tuning the spacing, mostly-- before committing to permanently gluing them in place (well, with isopropyl nothing is permanent), but I am now confident that I've got the bow under control--

 

Ron

 

 

[garyshipwright]

Looking good Ron. Believe it or not some of us our still learning. It still takes me a couple of tries to get it to the point that I like it. Keep up the good work. Will be watching your build. Gary

[Trussben]

Nice!

[hamilton]

Looking pretty sweet Ron! 

hamilton

[scrubbyj427]

Very nice work!

[Mic_Nao]

Nice, good luck for the following.

[rlb]

Thanks everyone for the comments, likes, etc.!

 

I adjusted about a quarter of the frames which were slightly out of alignment, ungluing and regluing them.  Those starboard hawse timbers that gave me so much trouble needed to be disassembled and adjusted as well.  I'm using my bottle of isopropyl alcohol quite a bit, but hopefully now everything is good to go.  

 

Fairing the interior has begun--

 

I'm also starting to cut out the aft cant frames, with the ongoing puzzle of laying out frame pieces as efficiently as I can manage--

 

Finally for today, a near eye-level view, with a scale figure.  He's holding a modern-day 2x4 to help give some idea of the size of the massive timbers that went into these ships--

 

Ron 

Edited March 12, 2023 by rlb

[druxey]

Shaping up nicely now, Ron. Those hawse timbers and cants are a big challenge to do. I can't image doing them at full size!

[rlb]

Thanks druxey.  I would love to go back in time to visit one of those shipyards!

 

In between sessions of fairing the interior of the bow section, I am preparing the sternpost, deadwood, and transoms.

 

I hadn't cut the rabbet in the sternpost, or tapered the inner post, before gluing them together, so doing that work now is likely more difficult than it needed to be, but many shavings later, it's just about there--

 

The fashion timbers are cut out, and shaping of the deadwood below the bearding line has begun--

 

The transoms are cut.  Test fitting, and rough shaping is underway.  The complex warped shape of the number IV Deck transom is tricky.  That's the one without the paper pattern, in the photo.  I haven't started the wing transom yet--

 

 

Ron

Edited March 23, 2023 by rlb

[scrubbyj427]

That looks great Ron, stellar chisel work!

[allanyed]

23 hours ago, scrubbyj427 said:

That looks great Ron, stellar chisel work!

I totally agree.  Too often many of us forget that simple tools are often the best way to go.  I love my mill, but I have been using chisels for far longer and plan to continue to use them.

Allan

[hamilton]

Wow! Amazing work with the chisels, Ron! 

hamilton

[Koopyetz]

On 3/12/2023 at 11:12 AM, rlb said:

Thanks everyone for the comments, likes, etc.!

 

I adjusted about a quarter of the frames which were slightly out of alignment, ungluing and regluing them.  Those starboard hawse timbers that gave me so much trouble needed to be disassembled and adjusted as well.  I'm using my bottle of isopropyl alcohol quite a bit, but hopefully now everything is good to go.  

 

Fairing the interior has begun--

 

I'm also starting to cut out the aft cant frames, with the ongoing puzzle of laying out frame pieces as efficiently as I can manage--

 

Finally for today, a near eye-level view, with a scale figure.  He's holding a modern-day 2x4 to help give some idea of the size of the massive timbers that went into these ships--

 

Ron 

Great  elevation.I like this photo with the scale figure. Really helps give one a sense of size . 

She is shaping up nicely. 

[rlb]

Hello 2024!  Time to work some more on Euryalus!

 

In preparation for assembling the stern framing and aft cant frames, the deadwood assembly piece needs a great deal of shaping, which I had started before my long hiatus, and I now continue--

 

 

Perhaps I am 75% done.  The goal is to get close to the correct concavity in the area between the bearding line and the keel and sternpost, so that a minimum of additional fairing need be done when the frames are on--

.   

 

All for now,

Ron

Edited January 21 by rlb

[jfhealey]

On 3/8/2023 at 10:33 PM, rlb said:

we aren't perfect, but we can achieve good results working through the failures.

I like that sentiment very much. Very much indeed.

Fred

[rlb]

I made 4 card templates, and sanded the area of the deadwood below the bearding line.   In between sessions of doing that, I beveled the aft side of the sternpost-

 

After this was done, I glued the sternpost to the keel, and went back to sanding the deadwood.

 

When I was satisfied that I had done enough there, I cut two shallow mortices into the bottom of the deadwood assembly, and then glued in two small tenons.  These weren't meant to be historically accurate, but would add some strength, and help in keeping the piece aligned when gluing the deadwood to the keel and sternpost--

 

The tenons were filed down until they extended only about 1/32nd of an inch.  I then cut two shallow mortices in the keel and glued the deadwood to the keel and sternpost.   I had also morticed and tenoned the sternpost to the keel when I glued it to the keel earlier.   I did not tenon into the sternpost from the deadwood.

 

Here is the sternpost and deadwood glued to the keel.  You can see 4 pencil lines on the upper part of the deadwood (the fourth is barely visible) that had marked the locations for using the card templates--

  

 

Next will be work on the transoms, and fashion timbers.

 

All for now,

Ron

 

 

[allanyed]

WONDERFUL build Ron

I really like seeing the great results with the use of hand tools,   You are bringing back memories of my adventure in building her.  

Allan

[rlb]

Thanks so much Allan.  

 

Incremental progress.   I'm now trying to put together the transoms and fashion pieces.  So far I've had to cut new transom pieces.  I had shortened them too much when fitting them to the sternpost earlier.  I cut a mortice in the fashion timbers, and tenons on the first transom, and here I have the lowest transom dry fit with the two aft fashion timbers resting in place--

 

 

The correct angle of the fashion timbers is verified with the squares--

 

I milled and chiseled out the next couple mortices in the timbers--

 

And am starting to fit the second transom--

 

This is all very slow going.   I've had to recut the third transom also.  It has a complex shape that needs to match the round up of the deck that it supports.  Though none of these pieces (transoms and fashion timbers) have been faired at all, that third transom needs a lot of shaping to get it to transition from the slot on the sternpost down to the mortices on the fashion timbers, which should be about five scale inches down.   All this seems to be going okay so far (apart from having to re-cut all the previously done transoms); hopefully I won't discover some egregious error that makes me start over, as with the bow timbers.

 

Ron

 

 

 

Edited February 23 by rlb

[scrubbyj427]

Looks good Ron, very crisp. 

[druxey]

It's been a while since I checked in on your build, Ron. Coming along very nicely.

[Michel Bénard]

Very nice work Ron.

[rlb]

Thanks, JJ, druxey, Michel, and all those looking in, and liking.  I appreciate the encouragement.

 

I took a leap of faith and followed Ed Tosti's lead from his Naiad books to start permanently gluing (well, there's always Isopropanol) each transom as it is fit.  I really hate gluing anything until I feel confident about the whole assembly, but here goes--

 

The lowest transom is glued to the fashion timbers only, not to the sternpost, nor the fashion timbers to the deadwood--

 

I wasn't sure how the assembly would work as it's added to, but it's really quite simple.  Here's the next transom in place on the sternpost, and the previous transom and fashion pieces sitting on the deadwood below it--

 

 

The fashion pieces/transom are then just slid up the deadwood, the lower transom fitted into its spot on the sternpost, and the upper transom test fitted with it's tenons into the fashion pieces--

 

If all is satisfactory (and believe me it took many tests and refinements to the second transom piece before it was satisfactory), then it is now glued to the fashion pieces--

 

 

Now on to the third (from the bottom) transom.  This is the deck transom, and it must slope down and to the sides.  I'm on the third try with the piece pictured here--

 

I took a different approach shaping this one.  Instead of shaping it all over at the beginning, I just thinned it at the top (stern) and two lower forward ends, and made sure those fit, as they do in the photo above.   Here is the piece showing the bottom--

 

And the top--

 

Once this fit was good, I then tapered and smoothed the top and bottom before gluing it into place--

 

So far so good.  Remember the transoms are glued to the fashion pieces here, but not to the sternpost, and the transom/fashion piece assembly can be taken off .  There is an enormous amount of fairing that will need to take place on the transoms and fashion pieces once it's all together.  And I don't know how much of that I will do with it as a separate assembly, or glued finally to the deadwood and sternpost.  We'll see.  I am pleased so far with the general method.

 

All for now,

Ron

 

 

Edited February 27 by rlb