HM Cutter Cheerful 1806 by Fred Healey - FINISHED - 1:48

[allanyed]

What you say makes a lot of sense Mark, but this model as well as a few contemporary models I was able to find show stops/linings, rather than bucklers.  I suppose it is another mystery amongst hundreds more that continue to pop up in our research in this great hobby of ours.  Makes for a far more interesting hobby than if everything was straight forward.😀

Allan

[jfhealey]

I've been working on the outside - the steps and the channels for both of which I cut brass scrapers. The plans show the corners of the channels rounded off but I struggled to achieve an acceptable result and decided in the end to leave them square.

 

Here is the Syren Windlass. Te instructions indicate that orientation is important. I didn't appreciate quite what that meant. You install an octagon onto a square stick so there is a risk, unless you understand what is required by way of orientation, that you will be a quarter turn out - as I was. But I don't mind. 

 Here are some overviews.

 

Best wishes everyone

Fred

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[glbarlow]

Nice looking work!

[Seventynet]

You’re doing a great job Fred!

 

Ian

[jfhealey]

Thank you everyone.

 

After much indecision I decided to treenail the hull and deck. It came out OK.

 

The problem - and I don't see a way around it - is that the filler necessarily occupies every little planking defect. See the picture above where the drill knocked out the bottom right corner of the butt joint.

 

The deck is now finished and I'm pretty pleased with it. 

 

I left off all the deck furniture because the treenailing requires a lot of sanding of the filler and an absence of furniture makes that much easier. Here the furniture is not glued.

I bought a Proxxon mill. It gets mixed reviews - I suspect the low scores coming from those that want to mill metal. i've only used it a couple of times but I think its a fantastic bit of kit. it made forming the mouling on the top of the winch pot.sts a doddle.

 

I was also able to drill - with the mill - a 1mm hole through a 2mm brass tube to form the handle for the winch. I couldn't have done that otherwise. 

 

And this is where I am at:

 

All the best 

Fred

 

 

 

[Chuck]

Such a lovely model.   Well done.

[jfhealey]

Thank you Chuck. I'm really enjoying Cheerful - though sometimed I look at Winnie  and think its time to dust her off and get going again. Still, I'm going to finish Cheerful and then have a long hard think about Winnie. The dilemma is that I have learned so much about ship modelling over the last couple of years that I think I'd make a better fist of Winnie if I started over: and its  such a lovely ship that I want to make the best I possibly can of her.

 

I guess most of us part time hobbyists start a new model thinking "this is going to be the best model I shall ever make"  - or at least I have found it so. But in the case of Winnie I really mean it. I'm determined if not much else!

 

Fred

[glbarlow]

I’m a huge fan of the Proxxon mill, for me it proved to be an essential tool building Cheerful. 
 

You’re doing a great job with the model, Your deck furniture is outstanding!

[Seventynet]

Loving your beautiful work, Fred!

 

Regards,

Ian

[jfhealey]

Thank you all for your comments and likes. I have been plodding along quietly with Cheerful.

 

I initially made the chimney stack from wood but I didn't like it that much so I re-mad it in brass. I'm much happier.

I purchased a lovely little plain and made a board for planing a square stick down to an octagon prior to turning to round in the drill.

 

I've not made a mast from square before but it all proved very straightforward. I cut the square bit at the top on my new Proxxon mill which, again made a tricky task simpe enough. There is a little bit of run out on the mill so the square section, viewed from above is, if you are very picky, a little bit parrellelagram-ish; but not enough to worry me. The instructions with the mill relating to adjusting the run-out are very vague. When I was researching the mill before purchase I read lots of useful advice on this site. i only have to find it again now.

 

I can see looking at Chuck's build that I should not have rebated the cross trees so they fit flush with the fore and aft bits but no matter.

 

And here is the bowsprit just resting, like the rest of the deck furniture, in position. Carronades next I think.

 

 

I may now spend a little leisure time watching the World Cup. England v USA on Friday. England has yet to beat the USA in 2 meetings in WC finals including that momentous defeat 1-0 in 1950 when the Americans ran out an amatuer side against an England team containing a number of players good enough to play in a World XI. Lets hope we don't have anything like that again!

 

Cheers everyone.

Fred 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chuck]

Lovely work

[scrubbyj427]

Your cheerful look very good Fred. Well done. Looking forward to when you resume work on your Winnie.

[glbarlow]

Don’t think you have much to worry about for USA vs. England.  Soccer doesn’t attract our best athletes, we’ll never go far against the world’s best. I played in high school while in Germany and college and love the game, I’ll enjoy the World Cup, but the US couldn’t even get past Wales. 
 

Your Cheerful looks great. 

[jfhealey]

Thank you chaps for the comments and likes which I appreciate. Glenn - I understand soccer (football on our side of the ocean) is not high on the US's list of sporting priorities but I wish I shared your confidence. The newspapers over here are full of reminders that in two world cup final meetings England has not yet beaten the USA.

JJ - I look at my Winnie on a high shelf in what I fondly call my workshop (my wife takes issue with the term) every day and I think I'm getting quite fired up to get going again; but I must finish Cheerful first.

All the best 

Fred

[Ian B]

Hi Fred. Glad your getting on really well with Cheerful..it was my first scratch build. Chuck's plans and pdf notes are top class...i had to source my wood locally so she is a dark Cheerful lol 

 

Keep up the super work. Love your tree nailing it's worth the effort.

 

Ian 

[jfhealey]

Thank you Ian. Thats a lovely looking Cheerful. I'm using boxwood from Hobbymill EU (highly recommended - its beautiful wood and beautifully cut). I wish it was a wee bit darker. Your Cheerful is to my eye spot on on the darkness front.

 

In the meantime I have shaped the topmast and test fitted it. For a first attempt at scratch building a mast ( scratch building anything in fact) I'm very pleased. The proxxon mill is a godsend.

 

Cheers everyone.

Fred

 

 

   

[jfhealey]

Having spent an hour reading Matiz's HMS Euryalis and Johann's French Corvette logs in increasing bewiderment at the skills those two possess I'm reluctant to post any pictures of my own far more humble - but perhaps more accessible to the majority - efforts but I have a spare moment so here goes.

 

I provisionally hung the rudder and formed the tiller. For a reason I cannot fathom the tiller comes out shoulder height to a 6' tall man. I don't think that can be right. I shall work on it.

The mast coat is OK. I may have another go. It looks a little flat - rather than rounded - in the middle section.

The ladders were a cinch with my new Proxxon mill. I cannot decide whehther to paint or not.

 

Flushed with success making the winch I decided to re-make the bowstrip step so the formed bits at the top match the winch. I used the mill to cut the grooves. I pinched this idea from Glenn's Cheerful log I think.  

 

And the catsheads are underway.

Here placed temporariy in position prior to a bit of final fettling. To paint or not to paint - and single colour or two tone. I cannot decide.

 

And here some overviews of where I am now.

All the best everyone and thank you for the likes.

Fred

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chuck]

Excellent work...it is a pleasure to watch your progress.   The tiller is correct as far as the height shown on the plan.   So you should absolutely stick with what is shown on those.

 

The mast coat looks perfect....

 

Chuck

[ccoyle]

7 minutes ago, jfhealey said:

I'm reluctant to post any pictures of my own far more humble - but perhaps more accessible to the majority - efforts

 

Fred, your work holds up very well to close scrutiny!

[glbarlow]

Your work is exceptional, not a single reason to be apprehensive in posting photos of such a quality model. 
 

While I like my red paint, your deck furniture is so well done it looks quite nice natural, either way will make for a great model. Just don’t stain it, that would be a crime with that beautiful boxwood. You’re making excellent use of your new mill, I love mine.

 

btw: as it turns out England still hasn’t beaten the US 🤣😁. If they can keep our young team together we might make a deeper run in 4 years, especially playing here in the US. Some of the games are here in Dallas, I’ll definitely be looking for tickets. 

[jfhealey]

Thank you Gentlemen. I appreciate your kind remarks.

Glenn -  it is as you say.  We've had three  goes at beating the US and not yet succeded. Add in what your stroppy forefathers got up to 240 odd years ago and the US is a bit of a bogey team.

Best wishes 

Fred

[ccoyle]

29 minutes ago, jfhealey said:

the US is a bit of a bogey team

 

Don't fret -- I've been doing pennance for over a decade now by being an Everton fan. 😬😨😜

[jfhealey]

Greetings everyone from Cornwall - and I hope you all had a very happy Christmas.

 

We hear on the news that half of New York State is under 10' of snow with many houses without power. If you are affected  then I hope things are not too bad and that better times are not far away.

 

I've been plodding on quietly with Cheerful. For anyone yet to build her and thinking of a next project I can highly recommend this lovely little craft beautifully put together by Chuck/Syren. Incidentally I purchased the boxwood from Hobbymill EU: they provide the complete wood package ready cut; and lovely stuff it is. Highly recommended.

 

Here are some pictures of the present state of play.

 

I re-cut the bollards with my new mill. Much better than my earlier freehand versions.

 

A bit of a shame to paint the mast  but I went with the convention/realism in the end.

 

Mast and spar making. My first go. I followed the regular instructions: 7/10/7, planing down to an octogan and then turning in the chuck of a drill. All came out acceptably well.

 

 

I decided to turn another mast coat. I cut the other one in two and used it for that bit 5' or so up the mast. I have no idea what it is called. 

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Here are the channels filed down from brass sheet. As ever making one is not too difficult. Making  eight reasonably the same is trickier. I made a not quite but nearly jig to help and they are OK

 

 

 

There seem to be a lot of small jobs to do but I hope to start the guns and rigging soon.

 

Happy New Year All

Fred

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chuck]

Beautifully done!!!  You are getting close to the finish line now.

[glbarlow]

Very nice metal work. In fact all of your model is very crisp, you’re doing such a nice job of it all. 

[rcmdrvr]

Want to get onboard with everyone else and complement you build and your skills.  Someday I would like to try a go at the Cheerful.  Such a beautiful little ship.

[scrubbyj427]

Outstanding work Fred! Very crisp and clean. Well done.

[James G]

Beautiful model! Crisp has been used to describe previously and this was my first thought as I reviewed your pictures. You are doing an amazing job and deserve to be proud. Thanks for sharing!

[jfhealey]

Thank you Gentlmen for your very kind words which I warmly appreciate.

 

I'm nearly done with the woodwork and metal work: soon I can turn to the rigging.

 

The carronade carriages are assembled, painted and ready to rig. I tried painting the brass barrels, blackening them and blackening and lightly buffing them with wire wool and decided I preferred the blackened and buffed look. 

 

The backstays are done and ready to fit.

 

The elm tree pumps are likewise done and ready to pin and glue to the deck. I can see I made a small error. The outlet pipe and pump handle should be a little closer together: say seperated by one face of the octagon rather than three. It means a small compromise. If I angle the handle out as shown on the plan the outlet would discharge onto the grating. In the result I have to position the pumps further apart than they should be. Its only a small thing and I'm not going to lose any sleep over it . It does show, though, that you have to study the plans like a hawk.

 

Here are some pictures.

 

 

I hope my next post will feature lots of rope. I'm really looking forward to the rigging.

 

I wish you all a happy and peaceful New Year.

 

Fred 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chuck]

Beautiful work on the Cheerful.