HM Cutter Alert by Thukydides - Vanguard Models - 1:64 - first build

[jpalmer1970]

1 hour ago, Thukydides said:

However I suppose it doesn't really matter, just will result in more sanding :).

 

I guess that is one of the benefits of working with wood  - it easy easy to adapt things 😀

[Thukydides]

Log #8: The Stern Bulkhead and Counter

The first planking is now done.

 

Things I learned from this first planking:

1) You can never double check your measurements enough, especially with the first strakes.

2) When you think you are done faring, check it again and fare some more (especially at the bow).

3) If it doesn’t lie perfectly after edge bending don’t force it. Adjust the bend until it fits easily.

 

After attaching the uppermost 1.5x4mm limewood strake I embarked on the process of adding filler then sanding then adding filler again then sanding again and so on. With this done I was feeling much better about my first layer of planking.

 

I attached the keel and stern post at this point as well.

 

At this point the instructions call for me to fit the counter, but as Blue Ensign articulated in his build log, it doesn’t look quite right to fit it in as instructed. So following a similar process (you can see his original work here), I used part 76 to mark off the proper run of the counter and sanded it down to a curve to match. I then planked the stern bulkhead and after soaking and pre-bending the counter I attached it also.

 

Next up, the second planking.

 

[PhillH]

All looking good Thukydides your racing ahead of me.

The counter is an area that I have been considering as well .

The manual shows that part 76 should be cut to fit along the top edge of the main wale and the later pictures of the completed model show this as well.

The drawings of the ship in the rigging section of the manual however show the counter timber abaft the main wale as per the ATOS book.

I think I may end up going with what looks most appealing which at present is a curved counter like yourself and BE.

 

Phill

 

[Thukydides]

55 minutes ago, PhillH said:

All looking good Thukydides your racing ahead of me.

The counter is an area that I have been considering as well .

The manual shows that part 76 should be cut to fit along the top edge of the main wale and the later pictures of the completed model show this as well.

The drawings of the ship in the rigging section of the manual however show the counter timber abaft the main wale as per the ATOS book.

I think I may end up going with what looks most appealing which at present is a curved counter like yourself and BE.

 

Phill

 

Thanks Phill. Yes that is another issue which I have been considering, whether or not to terminate part 76 above the wales or make the wales but against it as in the ATOS book. I haven't yet decided what to do on that one, but I have to make a decision soon as the wales is next on the list.

 

A further thing that is a bit unclear to me regarding part 76 is how wide it is. If I follow the instructions I complete the second planking before attaching part 76. But this means that it will stick out from the wales as part 76 is twice as thick as the pearwood strips (I drew a small diagram below in paint).

 

From the pictures, it seems more natural to me that it should have the same thickness as the wales whether or not I follow the the plans as written or the AOTS plans. However, if I add it before the second planking so it lines up then it won't line up with the width of part 75 which is meant to but up against it at the edge of the stern transom pattern.

 

Any thoughts that anyone has on how to resolve this would be appreciated.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Thukydides

[PhillH]

Thukydides I think the position of part 76 will depend on how you have curvered the transom before fitting the counter although it is extra long so may not be an issue. Alternatively there is alot of spare material left on the sheet it comes on to cut another of the desired shape.

The thickness of the second planking used for the wale is 1mm and part 76 is 1.5 mm so I think the best option is to thin it down after fitting to just blend into wale.

The interesting thing is there are no instructions to actually fit the wales they just appear in the drawing regarding the gun port openings.

 

Phill

 

[BobG]

I just read through your build. Very nice work, Thukydides! I'll follow along too.

[jpalmer1970]

Thukydides and Phill, I'm also working on the 2nd planking and had planned to thin down part 76 to match the thickness of the wale.

[Thukydides]

9 hours ago, PhillH said:

The interesting thing is there are no instructions to actually fit the wales they just appear in the drawing regarding the gun port openings.

 

Phill

 

So my plan is just to go three planks down (like in the Goodwin book) and then match the wales to the curve that generates. We will see how it looks once I get three planks down...

 

On another note I just noticed the wide disparity in colour between the various pear planks. I am now sorting them by color so the ones that look off are limited to below the water line.

 

@BobG thanks, glad to have you along for the ride.

 

@jpalmer1970 Good to know, I guess I will proceed in that manner too.

[PhillH]

Thukydides, I like your idea on the main wale that is were I judge it to be as well.

When I finished the first planking I noted how different the wood strip colours were on that and made a mental note to sort the final planking by colour as well.

Anything that is very off can be consigned to wale duty given that it will be painted.

 

Phill

 

[Thukydides]

@PhillH I also got a wider 1/4 inch piece of pearwood strip that I am going to use for the wales. So because I don't need the 2 3mm ones I am going to use them on the first planking so I can visually see where the wales should be before I commit to placing the second layer of them.

[Thukydides]

Log #9: Lining Up the Wales

I have started the second planking.

 

One thing I have found with the super glue is that it is very hard to make sure it doesn’t squirt out between the planks and stain the outside. The instructions call for me to glue the planks to the first layer as well as edge to edge and it is this latter requirement, while also working fast to attach the plank before the super glue dries that gives me the most trouble.

 

Thankfully most of my mistakes with this occured between the first and second planks and so will get covered up by the rail that runs between them.

 

What I can't cover up is I made the butt joints between the planks perpendicular to the planks instead of parallel to the bulkheads. On the bright side since I am doing this one side at a time, it will only be a problem on this one side above the wales. Hopefully it won't be too noticeable.

 

I am going to attach the wales as one piece and then scribe the joints. Since I won't be needing the 3mm planks for the wales I used them as the lower layer of the wales. This way I could eyeball to make sure everything looked good. In order to save on sanding later, I stopped them short of the bow so the wales can slope into the rabet along with the rest of the planks.

 

Then I carefully bent the ¼ inch plank I had for the wales. This process took a long time as it was very resistant to bending and and it needed to be bent in multiple directions and places. In the end I think it turned out ok.

 

Next I have to repeat this process on the other side.

 

Edited August 29, 2021 by Thukydides

[jpalmer1970]

I'm using pva for the second planking. It's a slower process but provides me with more control.

[Thukydides]

Minor update, I did most of the other side tonight (still have to attach the wales). This side went much better. I feel I have a much better handle on the bending process and how much glue to use. Everything is going on more accurately and much more quickly.

 

@jpalmer1970 How do you hold them in place where you can't pin them since it is the second planking. One of the really nice things about CA is I just need to hold it in place for a sec and it grabs so I can slowly work my way down the plank.

Edited August 30, 2021 by Thukydides

[jpalmer1970]

I just use some map pins with an offcut of the first planking skewered on it to provide a bit protection against the second layer. I drill a run of holes in the first planking so that the pins then hold down the second layer.

 

I just wouldn't trust myself to get the plank in the correct place with CA and not make a mess. It sounds like you are doing well now though.

[BobG]

2 hours ago, jpalmer1970 said:

I just use some map pins with an offcut of the first planking skewered on it to provide a bit protection against the second layer. I drill a run of holes in the first planking so that the pins then hold down the second layer.

Great idea. Do you drill the hole just so the pins go in easier? Could you just push the pins into the first planking?

[jpalmer1970]

Hi Bob,

 

Drilling pilot holes of a slightly smaller diameter than the pin just makes it easier to insert the pins and minimises the risk of me pushing too hard and breaking things 🙂

[Thukydides]

Log #10: Concerning Drop Planks

With the wales done I proceeded to line off the hull for a second time. With the benefit of having done this once and realizing why it was not what I wanted, I was able to arrange much more pleasing lines.

 

However, when I went to make my tick strips and mark the tapering at the bow I realized I had an issue. To fit the required number of strakes in the first band, I needed to taper them at the bow to around 2mm (on the diagonal so just under 2mm perpendicular to the plank). This is right at the edge of what is acceptable to me for tapering (half the width at midships).

So I had three potential ways to solve this problem:

1. Just accept the narrow tapering
2. Adjust the tape lines to make them more “straight” running into the bow to create more room
3. Add a drop plank right under the wales

One was never really an option, I knew I would always be annoyed by how narrow they were. Two was not ideal because I really liked the lining off I had done and “straightening” the lines would risk the introduction of a “wiggle” in the planks near the bow (you can see this wiggle in my first planking). Three was by far the most difficult option, but in the end I figured that this whole thing is a learning process and I might as well gie it a shot. If they don’t turn out in a way I like, I can always decide to shift back to option one or two. All I will have lost is time. Also historically I believe that it was common practice for english shipwrights to put one drop plank right under the wales.

 

So what followed was an evening of reading, measuring, cutting, then reading and measuring again to try and shape the drop planks correctly. For the benefit of any other new builders who might want to attempt a drop plank I am going to detail my thought process below. I am not sure this is the best way to approach it so feel free to chime in if you have thoughts on the process.

I modeled the shape of the drop planks off of @chuck’s cheerful build log. However, that only gave me the rough length and shape, he never (that I could find) went into detail as to how he designs their measurements, so that part I was forced to improvise.

 

Step 1 - Calculations
I decided to use my lining off of the first band as the basis for my calculations. I knew I needed to fit seven planks in the band and that the drop plank needed to end at the 2nd bulkhead. This meant that at both the 1st and 2nd bulkheads, the width of the drop plank needed to be the equivalent of two strakes.

 

At the bow instead of dividing the space into 7, I now divided it into 6 to reflect the new taper of having “removed” one of the strakes. This now gave me my drop plank widths at both ends and the midpoint of the drop plank.

 

To calculate the width at the point where the drop plank splits into two planks I simply took the midpoint between the bulkhead 1 and 2 widths.

Step 2 - Determining the Bend
I pressed an old receipt against the bottom of the wales and ran my pencil along it to determine the shape of the curve. Using one of the ¼ inch strips I used for the wales I could get almost all the way there by marking out the curve. Ideally I would have used a piece of pearwood sheet, but I didn’t have one of those.

 

Step 3 - Cutting Out the Drop Planks
Using a sharp exacto knife I carefully cut outside the lines I had drawn. Then I used files and sandpaper to adjust until I was happy with the shape. When I had one plank done, I used it as a template to draw and cut out the other.

 

I then sanded and filled both until they matched and I was happy with the shape. In my case my ¼ inch stock was also slightly thicker (1.2mm) than the 1mm pearwood that came with the kit. So I also had to sand/scrape this down a bit to get the thickness closer to the rest of the planking.

All that was left then was to follow the normal process of attaching them to the model making small adjustments with sandpaper, filing and bending them round a pot to curve them. You can see below the finished product.

I may not have as much time in the next few weeks to work on the model so I expect that progress on the 2nd planking will slow down now. I will post another update once I have finished the first section.
 

Edited September 3, 2021 by Thukydides

[Gregory]

Looks really good.

[BobG]

Great information regarding the drop planks!

[Thukydides]

Minor update:

 

I have finished planking the first band on one side of the ship. So that is one down, 5 more to go.

 

The planking pattern pattern was a bit difficult to figure out at first, but once I got it going it flows easily. On to the next side.

[Thukydides]

It has been quite a while since I last posted so I figured I would give another minor update.

 

I am still plugging away at the second planking, but have had very little time to work on it. I finally got an evening I was able to block off to work on it and have made some headway on the first band on the port side.

[Thukydides]

Log #11: Adjusting the Second Band
I have completed the first band of planking on each side and things appear to be progressing well.

 

 

Now that the hull is beginning to take shape, I decided to make some adjustments to my lining off based on lessons learned so far.

The first of these changes was to stop using the bulkhead lines and to draw some new ones that lined up with the plank ends for my planking pattern. While reading @DelF's duchess build log, I came to the realization that the bulkhead lines were essentially arbitrary and I could use as many or as few as I wished.

The advantages of the new system are (1) more precision due to the increased number of measuring points and (2) measuring points that line up with the end of the planks making it easier to cut them to the right shape. Note the lines in the below picture don't look like they are parallel, but that is just a problem of the camera perspective.

 

With the second band the planks at the stern need to start getting wider (they will be full width in the third band). To avoid a jarring transition from narrow to wide I decided to increase the width of the planks at the stern gradually so that the first will match the width of the first band, but the last will be full width. To do this I simply measured the band using a tick strip as normal, but when it came time to mark the individual planks, I pre marked the first one using the width from the first band and then rotated the tick strip on the planking fan until both the two ends and the first plank lined up. This produced a continuous transition from narrow to wide which I then transferred to the stern.

Now I just have to finish the second band. In may next log entry we will discuss the garboard plank.
 

[Thukydides]

Log #12: The Garboard Strake

With the second band of planking complete it is time to consider the garboard strake.

 

I have done a lot of reading on where this should be positioned and what it should look like and I am still confused. To make matters worse, the clearest pictures I can find have bows which appear to curve much more sharply. So the part of the garboard that meets the stem has a shape that I can’t reproduce if I want it to fit the alert. The necessary shape of the garboard for the alert thins gradually to a point. The only way I can think of to avoid this is to curve the bottom edge, but that will introduce the requirement of much stronger bends at the bow and everything I read seems to suggest that the top edge of the garboard should be straight at that point.

 

So what follows is my muddled attempts to fit a garboard plank that looks as close to the examples I found as I could make while also conforming to the hull.

I used a piece of paper I clamped at both ends which I held against the hull and then ran a pencil along the edge between the keel and the hull to produce the necessary taper. I then transferred this shape to a piece of wider pearwood stock I purchased from @Joe V at the modeler’s sawmill.

I then used heat and moisture to bend and twist it so it lay in place properly with no forcing required. One of the difficult parts of this process was determining the bevel on the lower edge in order to fit tightly against the keel given there is no rabbet to slide into. Interestingly, while the template appeared to be narrowing very gradually, now that I have the plank cut and bent, it looks much closer to the pictures I was trying to replicate. Maybe part of my problem was just the optical illusion produced by the pictures.

At the stern end I allowed the garboard to widen as it approached the stern post in order to follow the run of the planks at the bottom of the second band.

And this is how it looked in the end. Now I just need to finish the final band and the second planking will be complete.

Edited October 22, 2021 by Thukydides

[BobG]

Excellent planking, Thukydides!

[jpalmer1970]

Looking good 👍

[mcpwilk]

The planking is superb, but is carvel, not clinker.

[Thukydides]

10 minutes ago, mcpwilk said:

The planking is superb, but is carvel, not clinker.

Thanks mcp.

 

I didn't think clinker on my first build was wise

 

Also thanks @BobG and @jpalmer1970 for the encouragement.

Edited October 21, 2021 by Thukydides

[Chuck]

Yes excellent work with the planking indeed.  Going slow and steady will always pay off as is evident with your progress.   Creating a planking plan like that is always the way to go.  Wonderful progress.

[CaptnBirdseye]

Making great progress, so the time element isn’t important. Great plan, well executed 👍

 

[glbarlow]

That may be the best garboard plank I've seen, that's exactly how its supposed to look.  Nice planking overall, well done!