HMS Druid by Krug - FINISHED - 1:48 - Hahn

[kruginmi]

Time for that last piece of deck apparatus - the Ship's Wheel.

 

I didn't take a lot of pictures (getting caught up in the moment) but this worked out a lot more straight forward than I had feared.

 

 

For the outer ring I used a 7/8" forstner bit to drill out the inner hole on an oversized piece of boxwood previously sanded to thickness.  I nibbled away the outside excess on my Byrnes saw using a sled then switched to the circular sander for the finer rough in.  Finalized with hand sanding.  The inner ring was turned on the lathe along with the associated drum.  The next pic is of a prototype drum that was replaced with another:

 

 

For the spindles I opted for a size equal to the carbide blade width of the Byrnes saw.  So after marking on the outer ring the spacing of the ten spindles, I set the height of the blade to this depth and made five passes through the ring leaving a small ring of wood to keep everything together.  The same thing was done for the inner ring.  After complete it was quite easy to glue in the spindles:

 

 

I kept the spindle blanks as one piece over the entire ring (two spindles) to make shaping easier.  After completing shaping I cut off the connecting piece to make two separate spindles.  The inner hole for the axle was made after all the spindles were complete.

 

 

I was very happy to take the following pic of the wheel essentially complete:

 

 

Now I need to make the stand for it then attach to the deck and rig.  Hopefully by the weekend.

 

Stay Building My Friends,

Mark

 

 

[kruginmi]

I am just rolling along.  In a couple more hours I banged together the wheel stand and got the tiller rigging all set.

 

 

This is a big milestone for me given that the figurehead is the only item remaining.  I am currently sitting back and giving myself a break.

 

 

Maybe clean up the workshop a bit (hah, hah),

 

Stay Building my Friends,

Mark

[mtdoramike]

Absolutely gorgous work on her.

 

 

MIke

[egkb]

Awesome work Mark.. you are nearly there !!

 

Stay Well

 

Eamonn

[mtaylor]

Good on  you for the break. You deserve one as this is a beautiful model.

[gjdale]

Well done Mark - she looks terrific. Looking forward to the figurehead after you've had your break.

[kruginmi]

Just to be a little more clear:  My break is painting the bathroom on Saturday and picking up some stuff across state on Sunday.  Monday is a the target.

 

Off to the store to pick up a carving glove.  Never done a 'true' carving before but I can draw and believe I have a bit of an eye for 3-D so I am hoping for decent results after a couple of tries.....

 

Mark

[Mirabell61]

Hi Mark,

 

I see you`ve been quite busy modeling Fitting out assemblies in the last days, it Looks fantastic..., all clean and exact

 

Nils

[kruginmi]

The case.

 

Yes I know the figurehead still looms out there, but I wanted a measure of safety with not only because of the kids but also spectators that love to put their hands near, if not on, the hull.  So....I needed a bottom to go with that plexiglass top.  Step one was to get some 1/2" oak and some 1/2" poplar (filler) to construct the main base.  Everything was glued together using biscuits:

 

 

Then I added some 5/8" inch cove molding to provide half the slot for the plexiglass dome.  The outside edge was also routed to add some character and the whole thing stained and urethaned:

 

 

Then I cut a 1/2" MDF board down to size to create the slot (between it and the molding) for the plexiglass to slide.  The MDF was painted a flat/flat black along with the stand previously made.  I did not paint the connection point that slides over the keel and between the ribs so it wouldn't stand out.

 

 

I still need to paint the bolt heads that go through all three pieces and are affixed with a nut recessed in the very bottom.  I affixed the Druid and I had not done anything really dumb (which I hadn't discounted):

 

 

So I carried everything (bottom, top and Druid separately) to the family room and put it in its designated place.  I put the top on and stood back (thinking about that FIGUREHEAD).  Yea, that will begin come Monday.

 

 

I really appreciate all the likes / looks / comments.  This last stretch is truly a stretch.  I keep thinking just another week and I will be done but that started 5 months ago and I am still plugging away.  I am still having fun and truly only have one item on the list left (the figurehead - did you catch that?).

 

Stay Building My Friends,

Mark

 

 

[gjdale]

Well done Mark! Can't wait to see the figurehead and final completion. A truly outstanding piece of work of which you should be justifiably proud.

[mtaylor]

Only 5 months?  Crikey.. and a beautiful ship to boot.   Hmm... I guess it'll take about an hour for the figurehead?   Ok... seriously.. it's only wood.  Make some sawdust, or in this case, carving dust.  If it's not right.. do it again.   We have confidence in you.

[Remcohe]

Mark, she looks great. At first I had to get used to the angled base you choose but now I real like it.

 

Remco

[egkb]

Mark that is amazing, am well pleased for you !

 

Can't wait to see the Figurehead !

 

Stay Well

 

 

Eamonn

[kruginmi]

On to the figurehead!  Never having carved before, but having some skills in drawing and 3-D perspective I was actually looking forward to trying this.  The big thing was to understand the proportions of what I was doing, especially since I was doing a Krug original.

 

Instead of just hacking into a piece of wood and going prototype after prototype I decided to do a first attempt using Sculpey.  After a quick mockup of the stem, I prepared my supplies.  My daughter wanted in on the action so I also set her up for her example.

 

 

The Sculpey did not stick to the wood at all and was actually fun to work with.  The target was a robed figure, so I started with a bare figure and then wrapped the additional layers where appropriate to replicate the look I was aiming for.

 

 

I wasn't too concerned about the hands or face at this point, just that there was enough material present in the eventual wood blank.

 

 

I added a bit of whim with the fish.  This will be displayed for a time at a local seafood restaurant and they offer a fish chocolate after the meal so - why not?

 

My storyline is that the British, when converting this American built ship to a 16 gun sloop of war, had this figurehead gathering dust in the warehouse.  Someone wanted it out, so they put it on this ship, causing the eventual name of Druid  (prove me wrong - hah hah).

 

After another hour or two I will bake this solid and then proceed to measure off the wood blank for final carving.  I might have found a new hobby!!!  (like I need one)

 

Stay Building my Friends,

Mark

 

 

[dgbot]

Looking good so far Mark. How did the little one do?

[egkb]

Nice.. You are a talented man Mark !

 

Eamonn

[kruginmi]

My daughter opted to make more of a 17th century Dutch influenced figurehead, so it went back into the Playdoh jar.  I also do not believe it was a correct 1:48 scale representation.  She handled it well.

 

I have actually started another figurehead in clay since the other one was pretty fast as well as fun.

 

Mark

[AndyG]

Mistletoe, sickles and oak come to mind when I think of druids. Lovely bit of carving work there!

 

Andy

[gjdale]

A very promising start to the figurehead Mark - looking forward to seeing the wood version.

[Chuck Seiler]

My daughter opted to make more of a 17th century Dutch influenced figurehead,

 

 

Reubens?

Edited July 26, 2014 by Chuck Seiler

[kruginmi]

Chuck - definitely some Reubens influence....

 

Another reason why I LOVE 1:48 scale (and didn't even realize this until two days ago).  The stem is 1/4 " wide and my smallest mortiser for the drill press is..... 1/4".  cutting the slot into the carving block was a piece of cake:

 

 

From there it was a matter of hacking off the bigger chunks prior to any actual carving.  The Sculpey model is INVALUABLE at this stage.  So far everything has clicked and no big mistakes:

 

 

The check of the blank on the actual ship showed perfect sizing.

 

 

I am now on the second level of hacking - those cuts that only affect a portion of the blank.  I am definitely thinking four times before actual cutting.  Maybe start carving tonight!

 

Stay Building my Friends,

Mark

[Trussben]

Sweet work!

[kruginmi]

Okay, I am not saying I am done.......for example I still need to gel coat some small areas....but....I am very happy with the figurehead as produced and the carving tools are now put away.

 

 

 

If you look real close on the starboard side of the Druid you will see some repaired battle damage I added, inflicted from the Raleigh.   (okay, knot in the wood that came loose but as I tell the kids, it is all in the story you tell).

 

I will take a day or two then go over the ship to see if there is anything out of place or missing.  At that time I will declare this complete.

 

It is a little hard to believe that I am finally at this stage.

 

Stay Building my Friends,

Mark

 

[mtaylor]

Beautifully done, Mark.  Your Druid came out very well, inspite of the battle damage.  

 

Splice the main brace and an a round of rum for the yard workers.  .

[gjdale]

Very well done indeed Mark. Congratulations on getting to the finish line - you should be justifiably satisfied and proud of your achievement.

 

What's next?

[Trussben]

Again, Congrats on achieving a superb model.

 

Ben

[egkb]

Well Done Mark.. Very Very Special !!

 

Can't wait for the next one ..  (I'll give you a minute or two to relax first though :P)

 

Eamonn

[PETERPETER]

Hi Mark,

 

Your DRUID is spectacular in every way :im Not Worthy:. I especially like your figurehead... a Druid... of course... why not.

Mine has languished these past months since our move to a new home,some 7 months back. She's stuck

in the doldrums...  ZZZzzz! . Waiting for a breeze, anything... to inspire me to get back to work.

Your display case is also top-of-the-line. Time to sit back and admire your work 

 

Peter

[kruginmi]

Thanks everyone for your well wishes!

 

Peter - Don't worry, the build always waits (remember - mine is around twelve (12!) years old).  Have you ever thought about just a hull model if the thought of everything above seems impossible?

 

The question now is the figurehead.  As I sit back and look over the pictures (pictures that tend to make that figurehead REALLY big - looks much better with the hull included in the pic) I am wondering about some tweeks:

 

1.  Reduce the size of the hood

2.  Add some sort of sense of folds to both sides of the robe off the arms

 

#2 was going to be done on some wood offship to see the effect prior to touching the figurehead. 

#1 was going to be a go slow and constantly re-examine where I was at.

 

I do NOT want to make another figurehead if at all possible,  I really like this one, especially knowing it was my first attempt.

 

I need to call it done sometime but something keeps gnawing at me with respect to the figurehead.

Mark

[kruginmi]

In for a buck, in for a hundred.  I dove in and started cutting:

 

 

A little hoodendectimy and some gouges into the smooth robes and 20 minutes later a more refined figurehead.

 

For now good, who knows tomorrow??

 

Mark