18th Century Merchantman Half-Hull Planking Project by Cathead - FINISHED - NRG - 1:48

[VTHokiEE]

21 minutes ago, Cathead said:

Using my own wood has been a major challenge and I'm not entirely pleased with the outcome, but it's certainly acting as the intended learning experience.

I’m incredibly impressed by what you’ve done with your own wood. I would also think that cutting planks out of cherry would be trickier than basswood so honestly - hats off to you! Looking forward to the next set of photos. If nothing else it’s really neat to see how things look with Cherry.

[Cathead]

Surprise! The model is finished. I got wrapped up in finishing it and kinda lost interest in documentation along the way. I'm actually pretty pleased with the result, some serious sanding and multiple coats of wood oil really brought out the colors and contrasts in the walnut, maple, and cherry. I painted the exposed basswood keel black since it didn't look right raw against the nicer woods. The maple had some really interesting patterning that adds a lot of visual interest.

 

 

For mounting, I dug out a slab of walnut from my wood shop with an interesting fault at one corner, and used a hand planer and orbital sander to smooth its face. It has a strong cup to it that I couldn't quite remove, meaning that the model doesn't sit quite flat against it, but this is only noticeable at close range and I don't really care. I glued some thick blocks between the model's framing and then screwed the hull to the mounting board from the back.

 

I made a nameplate from maple, had my wife hand-letter it since she's better at that than me, and attached it using several small magnets. This way, if the model ever gets remounted, the nameplate can go with it. Here are a few more photos:

 

 

 

 

This is a gift for my stepfather, now in his 70s, who has been a woodworker his whole life and is a true artisan in wood. I learned what skills I have, along with a love for building in wood, from him. He loves boats and fishing, and recently built his first wooden boat. The photo below shows us with that vessel in his small woodshop, where he still builds beautiful frames and other creations for sale at various art shows. He's never done model work and is fascinated by my projects, so this gift is pretty meaningful for me to give back to him.

 

 

I shipped it off today (he's ~900 miles away in rural Western New York), since I won't be traveling for Christmas. Looking forward to his reaction when he opens it. The model wouldn't win any awards for pure craftsmanship, I can see its flaws as much as anyone, but it's attractive and interesting and will look great on his wall. 

 

Thanks for reading this log. It's probably not been the greatest resource for others who want to do this project, but I do recommend the kit as a great way to learn and practice planking skills. Making the wood myself had a serious learning curve that I hope to draw from in future, but I'm not sure how to convey those lessons in a way that would be useful to others (other than that a thickness sander or other way to ensure plank thickness would have been very helpful). Thanks to Toni and the NRG for developing this kit; my next project will be its cousin, the scratchbuilt capstan, for further practice in making and using my own wood.

[mtaylor]

A very well done model and beautifully displayed, Cathead.  I think your stepfather will be very pleased and happy with it.   

[VTHokiEE]

Finished up very nicely; I like the mounting and label. Can’t wait to follow your capstan build!

[mbp521]

Beautiful job Eric! I love the fact that you took an otherwise normal model and made it your own. Adding to the fact that you used home grown wood all milled on-site, not just for the hull but the display as well. Absolutely fantastic!  
 

I just recently purchased the capstan project plans and will follow your build closely, as that will be my next project 

 

 

-Brian

[bobandlucy]

Very nice Eric. I'm sure your father will be thrilled!

[Cathead]

So my stepfather was indeed thrilled and moved by his Christmas half-hull, thanks again to the NRG and @tlevine for developing this.

 

For those who expressed an interest, I just started my NRG capstan build, if you want to follow along.