HMC Sherbourne 1763 by tkay11 - FINISHED – Caldercraft – Scale 1:64 - A Novice’s Build

[hopeful]

 

Hi Tony,

 

Your build log is rich with tutorials, thanks! I know they take time but, they are appreciated. Nothing like bashing a kit!

 

A scratch built ship's boat, wow!  Thanks for sticking with the challenging project. You allow us all to know just what is envolved in making a ship's boat from drawings. Not a big gal either. Buy the time you are finished you will be able to move from kit to scratch builds.

 

Continue to follow as your Shelbourne is very close to the Lady Nelson.

 

 Agree with you that learning all the skills of a shipwright if fun and challenging.......and the weeks and months go by!  Wish you well as you move along.

 

 

 

BFN

 

Cheers,

Hopeful aka David

 

“there is wisdom in many voices”

 

Completed: Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Posted to the Gallery

 

Current: Sultana (MSW)

Current: Phantom (MSW)

 

Next: Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Edited April 18, 2013 by hopeful

[tkay11]

Thanks, David. Yes, it's great that this forum is filled with people learning from each other . Very convivial, educative and enjoyable.

 

Tony

[tkay11]

The Bank Holiday weekend in the UK allowed me to make a little bit of further progress on the ship’s boat.

 

First on was the sheer strake. I reckoned that would be good to place first because then I could estimate the number of planks between that and the keel.

 

I then cut out the garboard plank, as seen in the photo.

 

 

 

Shaping the planks was a bit easier than I expected – but this was mostly because I didn’t spile them correctly and just tapered one side of each plank!

 

 

 

Having finished the external planks, I could remove the shell from the mould, cut away the ribs from the point where the gunwale joins, and then add the gunwales.

 

That was a moment of magic for me -- it really did look like a boat shape! It may not have the magnificent carpentry of the other ship's boat builds that are on this site, but I had managed at least the rudiments and it certainly boosted my morale and my appetite to continue!

 

I made the gunwales by gluing a 1mm square strip of walnut to a 0.5 x 1mm strip, then bending appropriately. By the way, I now use a small soldering iron to do the bending. I do this after soaking the planks and allowing them to saturate. It really is quite a nice sound to hear the hiss of the steam as I apply the plank to the iron, and watch it (the plank, that is: not the iron) dry and bend.

 

After putting on the gunwales I cut strips from masking tape to show me where to place the stringer supporting the thwarts. You’ll see the strips in the photo.

 

Then I laid a false keel along the keel top, and started the floor planking.

 

 

 

 

The next stage was to cut away the rowlocks into the gunwales. This is not really accurate, as the gunwales I added are thicker than the plans recommend, but I compromised!

 

The sternsheets, sternsheet transom (made from strips of 0.5mm walnut) and the seats were then added.

 

The rudder was then cut out, a handle made from 1mm square cherry, and 0.6mm holes drilled into the handle and the rudder in order to join them with a sliver of walnut.

 

 

 

I’ve had a bash at the thwart knees, but so far have not found a nice way of doing them. I might give up on that score. I’m also debating about the position for a mast. However, the most immediate work to do will be the gudgeons and pintles for the rudder, and the oars.

 

The only real problem is the mix of walnut and cherry (apart from an obvious asymmetry in the height of the sides and the spacing of the ribs). That came about just because of the wood I had to hand. I had started the ship's boat more as a proof of concept -- not really believing I could make one. Now it's beginning to look like a real boat I am loathe to do it all over again. I decided I'll put it all down to experience for the build of my next ship's boat!

 

And now, back to the work that pays and funds the ship modelling (among other things).

 

Tony

Edited May 7, 2013 by tkay11

[mtaylor]

Tony,

I'm just catching up on your log.  You've done a fantastic job.   Have the perseverance to keep hammering away until it's the way you want is paying big dividends.  I like what you've done.

[cog]

Tony,

 

Wonderful, amazing job on the sloop. I've been looking at it, wondering if it really is as easy as you make it look!!!

[Jim Lad]

That boat has turned out well, Tony.  I yhink you might find a big improvement if you try shaping the tiller a little.

 

John

[tkay11]

Thanks a lot, guys! I very much appreciate the comments.

 

I don't know about 'easy', Carl. It's always easy in hindsight and after finding a way to overcome a problem -- and this is one of those very rare occasions in which the photos look better than the model.

 

Mark hits the 'mark' (groan, I put that in before realising the pun) when talking of 'perseverance': that, and learning from mistakes. Next time round it will be much easier for me. Thus I've certainly unglued and re-done quite a bit of it a few times over. For example, I realise now it was a bit presumptuous to dig out a rabbet: the planks never did quite fit into it so I messed up the keel irreversibly (unless I carved it out all over again). Then the sternsheets were first made out of a single piece of cherry that didn't fit correctly and looked totally out of place -- so I had to re-do those from walnut strip. And the thwarts went through two iterations before I could get their width and spacing better (for some reason I had mis-set my vernier calipers first two times round). All that and the problem I had with the sides coming away from the keel a couple of times as a result of the pressure I was putting on this fragile little shell. However, I thought such tribulations would be regarded as commonplace by the experienced crowd here, so I thought it better to leave all that out. Thank goodness for isopropanol and its power over PVA glue! And thank goodness as well for all the experience on this forum that gave me the courage and ideas to go about the whole endeavour!

 

Yes, John, you're right. The tiller needs a lot of work. I mention in a photo that it's only on the way to completion but didn't clarify that in the text. I just thought I'd post the photo as I was pleased at thinking of a way to attach it! I hope the final result will be a little more realistic!

 

Thanks again for keeping to pop in and give encouragement!

 

Tony

[tkay11]

Just a further comment on 'easy'. I think what I meant by 'hindsight' relates to the thinking involved. When I start out on any of these numerous 'mini-projects' that are part of the overall build, I am often very hazy about how exactly I am going to do it. So off I trot doing a search on the forums, looking at other builds, reading books. Then I think a lot about it while walking or sitting in a plane or having a beer until I can visualise in my mind's eye just how I can take each step, with which tools and, most importantly of all, with which compromises (and as a novice I accept many more compromises than those who have already been through such processes many times over). I'd say that is the hard part. Once it's all visualised, it then becomes 'easy' until I realise that my visualisation is not quite correct and I come across an unexpected outcome. So the process of visualisation starts all over again. The building part, being a mix of foolhardiness, dexterity, learning how to use good tools, patience and perseverance, seems much easier.

 

Tony

[Timmo]

Top quality build you've got there Tony. The sherbourne is a great little kit that you've made miles better. I'll be referring back to your boat build in future methinks if I ever get game enough to tackle a scratch built one. Keep it up.

Wayne

[tkay11]

Thanks a lot, Wayne. I do agree about the kit -- a really nice kit for beginners. I hadn't seen your Sherbourne, so I've been mulling over that and your Granado. It'll be a long while before I can achieve the crispness and tidiness of your finish on both the wood and the rigging (which has yet to come for me). And the tiller you made on the Sherbourne has made me think of re-doing mine. It seems I have a thing or two to learn about tillers!

 

Also a very interesting remark you made about blackener benefiting from heating. I'll be trying that next time.

 

My own feeling is that once I have completed the Sherbourne I'll want to move into building from plans rather than a kit. The experience with the ship's boat has shown me the challenge, the possibility and the sheer joy of achievement in working from plans.

 

Tony

[captainbob]

Tony,

 

I just found this build.  Fantastic.  Thanks for writing you thoughts and actions as you build.  It lets us know that we can too.

 

Bob

[tkay11]

That's really nice of you, Bob! I've often read your comments with interest -- they always have a good dash of humour mixed in with the wisdom. I loved your Dory, but your note to me made me aware of your Spray which is really beautiful. I have a strong feeling that my next project will be along the lines of your Spray. I have the book by Ewart Freeston on the Construction of Model Open Boats, which I bought when I was attempting my build of a ship's boat, and that made me think more of this type of boat. It's certainly a great way to get into scratch building and the models won't take up a lot of space.

 

I'll now be following your Malabar closely.

 

My thought about my log is exactly to help others like myself who come across the mysteries of how to approach an aspect of a build for the first time. For the more experienced it's all old hat and for many the techniques obvious, but when I come across a log that explains in detail how the problem was approached, what tools were used, how they were used, and how things go wrong I learn a huge amount. So I hope to give something back with each faltering step of my own!

 

Tony

 

Thanks again

 

Tony

[Blue Ensign]

Nice work Tony, and a great  instruction on how to achieve it; I would be really pleased to have produced that little gem.

 

B.E.

[tkay11]

Thanks for looking in again, B.E., an for your kind comment. I'd been wondering whether you would do your pinnace from scratch. I see you're after Chuck's plans, so I look forward to see how you do it. These small boats are a real joy unto themselves -- it's a delight to hold such a small and light little shell in the hand. In fact it's been the most rewarding and delightful part of my build so far even if (or perhaps because) it took such a long time to plan and to build.

 

I continue to enjoy your Pegasus build very much indeed. Lovely skills you have. It made me think of buying a mill as well, but I'm putting it off until I get my head around the basic stuff!

 

Tony

[Nirvana]

Tony,

I like the ingenious ideas of tools you have created as well as the build of the Cutter. Looking real good.

[ZyXuz]

wow~ impressive build! and thanks for sharing all your detail progress here..

i've learned a lot

[tkay11]

Thanks a lot, Per and ZyXuz. It's great to have comments like yours as it helps me find other builds from which I can learn and (b)logs I can add to those I 'follow'.

 

@Per: I wish I'd seen the details of the T37 build. I have grandchildren and when they're old enough I'm thinking of building some boat like that for them. Actually, I say 'for them' but I have a sneaky suspicion that I'd be the one hogging the time with it.

 

@ZyXuz: I enjoyed the idea of a switch in a barrel! You certainly crack along at a good speed with your build. Very enjoyable. But I notice the blog only starts on day 15. I suppose that's something to do with the blog being limited to a certain size. I was wondering how you had made the bombard shot so I presume that was part of the earlier blog.

 

Tony

[ZyXuz]

Thanks a lot, Per and ZyXuz. It's great to have comments like yours as it helps me find other builds from which I can learn and (b)logs I can add to those I 'follow'.

 

@Per: I wish I'd seen the details of the T37 build. I have grandchildren and when they're old enough I'm thinking of building some boat like that for them. Actually, I say 'for them' but I have a sneaky suspicion that I'd be the one hogging the time with it.

 

@ZyXuz: I enjoyed the idea of a switch in a barrel! You certainly crack along at a good speed with your build. Very enjoyable. But I notice the blog only starts on day 15. I suppose that's something to do with the blog being limited to a certain size. I was wondering how you had made the bombard shot so I presume that was part of the earlier blog.

 

Tony

Thanks for stopping by my build log and my blog.

 

I've just tried to change the setting of the page limit showing on the main page, but it doesn't seem responding...

Anyway, there's a 'Blog Archive' oh the right to browse through all the history. You can see my older posts from there

Thanks for reminding!

 

As for the cannon shots.. they are bought from caldercraft

 

oh ya, I've just notice that it;s your face on buddha body!! haha

[tkay11]

Thanks, ZyXuz, I hadn't noticed the archive section. Excellent work!

 

And if you were able to look closely enough at my face, you'd see I'm winking. But the resolution of the image doesn't seem good enough for that.

 

Tony

[tkay11]

APOLOGIES TO THE EXPERIENCED:

 

Please accept my apologies because, as usual, many of you on this forum will have been through all this and may regard it as somewhat basic. I am recording my experiences mainly for those, like myself, who are new to the game and no doubt have faced many of the same questions as I have when learning to make blocks.

 

The blocks to progress

 

Over the last few weekends, when I was able to get away from the demands of work, I concentrated on making blocks. The primary reason is that the guns have been made and they have been waiting very patiently for the gun tackle while I busied myself making a ship’s boat (and on which I continue to work). The secondary reason is that the skill of block making is going to be very useful for the rigging and for any future model as well. So I thought I might as well spend time to get it right.

 

And time it has been taking. There were three main elements that slowed me down:

• The first was the simple one of trying to make blocks of a reasonably identical shape and size.
• The second was trying to make the holes in the double blocks parallel.
• The third was finding out how to use the circular saw properly.

 

An accurate block?

 

Starting with accuracy of size, I made a CAD drawing in TurboCAD of a double block according to the recommendations in Zu Mondfeld. This was scaled to 1/64 and long lines of them printed.

 

I had been thinking that by doing this it would be easy to drill the holes for the rope in the correct position, accurately and in perfect line using my small drill and drill stand. All it would take then would be to saw them off and sand them.

 

So a line from the printed sheet was then stuck (using Elmer's Rubber Cement) to a strip of hardwood that had been cut to the right dimensions with my circular saw. For the hardwood I was using old oak floorboards that I’d picked up off a street near our home as I reckoned I’d be making many mistakes and didn’t want to waste anything expensive. This proved to be a good call as there were a lot of attempts!

 

After gluing the strip, the job was then to drill the holes and cut the blocks using my favourite small tool (a razor blade holder). You can see the sequence in the following photos.

 

 

 

Not quite!

 

Although this gave reasonable results, there were some problems. The main one was that I had cut no grooves to simulate the sheaves so the holes left the blocks looking a bit unrealistic. This partly resulted from my decision to orient the print out so that all the holes would be in line – something that was more to do with the fact that I was drilling the holes using my drill stand.

 

I then found that my method of separating the blocks from the strip led to a problem with sanding the edges. After quite happily using the razor blade holder to separate the blocks from the strip, I found that sanding the blocks wasn't so easy as the wood often simply disintegrated. (I realised much later that this was primarily due to my choice of wood -- the floorboards were made of oak which at small scale is harder to work. You'll see that I returned to the simple slicing of blocks later on in the post -- although with a different orientation of the holes for the sheaves.)

 

In order to avoid this my second attempt involved rounding the edges before separation using a triangular file between the blocks, then cutting with a razor saw. The results were really messy. The rubber cement I was using for the print out was not strong enough to withstand filing or sawing and although I got round this by making a mark with a scalpel, my filing was so inaccurate that I lost sight of where to cut. The fact was that the triangular file was at too great an angle and I hadn’t thought through the fact that there should be almost no angle between blocks when lined up side by side. I had overlooked the fact that all the sources that show how to make blocks from a strip of wood show them lined up end to end and not side by side as I had done.

 

So my attempts thus far had been a failure – but I had learned from the attempts. I had also been wary of the traditional method which uses a table saw because I didn’t trust my accuracy with the table saw to cut the line for the sheaves.

 

However, trying to use dividers to run lines down a strip of wood turned out to be a waste of time as the grooves were not at all distinct and it was very hard to keep the lines parallel.

 

So should I buy the ready-made blocks?

 

It was at this stage that I seriously considered buying ready-made blocks. Chuck’s looked oh so very tempting. But I said to myself that so many thousands of modellers previously had patiently made blocks for themselves, and if I didn’t do it I’d probably be losing an opportunity to learn a new and useful skill.

 

Naw! Coward I am not!

 

So I went back to the traditional method of lining the blocks end to end before cutting, and turned to the saw. As I have said, it had been something that I had been fearful of as I really didn’t believe I was capable of cutting the tiny grooves for the sheaves in those very narrow strips (2.5mm square) of wood.

 

I made lots of attempts to run grooves down a strip with the saw, but they all ended in failure. It wasn’t until there was a discussion about the correct way to use a table saw on this forum (see the discussion that starts at http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/2470-microlux-tilt-arbor-saw-problems/#entry63704) that I finally learned the simple trick of using a featherboard clamped to the table top to hold the strip from the side. I also learned how important it is to cut strips on the side away from the fence. Once I’d grasped all that it was relatively easy. Nay. It was wonderfully exciting to discover I could do it properly!

 

Re-thinking the block size

 

I also made it easier for myself by thinking carefully about the size of the holes I’d be drilling and the rope I’d be using. The correct size for rope going through the double blocks on the guns is 0.25mm diameter. However, my saw blade size is 0.6mm, so any 'sheaves' I would make would have to be 0.6mm.That meant that I’d have to make a double block 2.7mm wide (two 0.6mm holes, 0.5mm between them, and 0.5mm on either side. Previously I’d been making 2.5mm wide blocks. I reckoned that although my blocks would be slightly oversize at scale, such a discrepancy would hardly stand out against all the other discrepancies from perfection in my build. Far more important for me at this stage is to get the hang of basic skills and allow time to improve them.

 

The featherboard

 

The following shows the simple featherboard clamped to the table and holding the strip against the fence. I made the clamp from a couple of 6mm bolts I found in my spares box and a bit of pine from that continuing wonderful wood source – the streets round my home. You’ll see some holes already drilled in the strip – this was because I’d already cut the grooves on both sides and was starting on the holes before I remembered to photograph the process. This time the wood was boxwood – cut from an old boxwood ruler I bought on eBay (thanks to a tip from ‘Blue Ensign’ when I asked him about his sources of boxwood in the UK).

 

One thing you'll want to note is the use of a strip of wet & dry paper which is glued to the underside of the featherboard clamp. This is not mentioned in the article posted by Mark Taylor in the discussion referred to above, but is important as it really holds the featherboard very firmly.

 

For those wondering how I set the saw to a height of 0.5mm, I simply used the digital vernier caliper -- which I also used to determine the distance of the saw from the fence.

 

…and is the Proxxon FET up to the job? No, stop right there. The question should be: am I up to the job?

 

Just as an aside, there’s been a lot of discussion recently about the merits of the Proxxon FET table saw. I do realise it’s not as wonderful as the Byrnes saw but now I have come to understand how to use it, it really does do the jobs I have asked of it. Maybe a better way of putting this is that my skills are not up to the standard attainable with the Proxxon saw – so I doubt very much whether I’d be able to obtain better results with the Byrnes’ saw!

 

 

The next stage is drilling the holes. I use a simple jig for the Proxxon Drill as you can see in the photo. It was while doing this that I found out that the grooves provided a natural way to place the drill bit – I could feel the drill bit sliding into the groove, so that told me exactly where to drill. The pencil marks on the top of the strip are there to show where to cut the blocks.

 

 

You can see the strip with the drilled holes in the following photo:

 

 

Cutting of the blocks

 

Now for the cutting of the blocks. You'll now see that I reverted to the simple idea of cutting the blocks without trying to file the joins (the method suggested by many books). This is as suggested by Hubert at his site Wooden Ship Modelling for Dummies. Just before cutting, though, the corner edges of the strip were lightly sanded to save sanding them once they were cut.

 

In order to cut the strips accurately, rather than using the hand-held razor blade holder I had used previously, just for fun I used the Proxxon drill with a small saw blade mounted horizontally in the drill stand. It was easy to set it all up so that the cut was vertical and at right angles to the end by using the marks on the cutting board as reference points.

 

Most people will worry that the blocks would go flying off into the far corners of the room. This was easily avoided (i) by moving the saw slowly through the block, and (ii) by having double-sided sticky tape on a block of wood underneath (an idea I derived from something Hubert showed on his site (referred to above). Note in the second photo below that the vice is not square to the saw bit: this was just an error when setting up the photo.

 

 

 

Having cut off the blocks, they needed to be sanded. I used Hubert’s method of gluing a strip of 400 grit wet and dry to a stick and sanding by hand. I had thought I’d try to build a drum sander, but instead decided to stick with Hubert’s method for the while. You can see the results in the following photos. You’ll notice that some blocks came out better than others: That's simply because my technique gradually improved between first and last! I still have to think how to finish them (oil, varnish) and also will now have to work out how best to add the strops and hooks. Oh, and I do realise that I made no grooves for the strops. That’s something I’ll reserve for the next set of blocks!

 

It's not perfection, but the basics are now more in place than they were a month ago.

 

 

 

That's it for now.

 

Tony

Edited March 18, 2014 by tkay11

[Gregor]

There is nothing basic in explaining (in detail) a complete production line, in telling about the experience of learning and progress. It's awe-inspiring.

 

Gregor

 

[tkay11]

Thanks, Gregor. And I really like the image on your membership photo: that's real protection! For me, I just wear a face mask when using the table saw.

 

Tony

[Blue Ensign]

Great post Tony, an excellent explanation of how to produce blocks. I like the way you also include what didn't work.

 

One small amendment you may wish to make:-

 

Re-thinking the block size

 

The correct size for rope going through the double blocks on the guns is 2.5mm diameter.

 

I think you meant to write 0.25mm

 

Cheers,

 

B.E.

 

[tkay11]

Quite right, B.E. I've edited the posting to suit. And thanks for the kind remarks!

 

Tony

[tkay11]

That's very kind of you, Brian. I've often enjoyed your well-honed comments elsewhere on this site. I've also been intrigued by your membership photo/avatar as it shows a complex mixture of expressions. Does it have a particular significance?

 

Tony

[Gregor]

Tony, just a short question, since you are making these double blocks for the guns: I found here (http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/290-making-the-single-block-to-double-block-tackle-for-cannons-help/?hl=%2Bgun+%2Brigging+%2Bblocks#entry3583) that for smaller guns it might have been normal to use two single blocks (like on Badger's plan), or a double at the bulwark and a single at the carriage (pictures of Victory in the Forum). What's your plan?

 

(The helmet I could use in the office at times. Under water a simple mask is enough, no sawdust there…)

 

Gregor

 

[tkay11]

Thanks for the link, Gregor. Very interesting. I'm following the plans used for the 4 pounder guns on the Cutter Alert and just presumed 3 pounders would follow the same pattern. This shows a double at the bulwark and a single at the carriage. I have yet to make the single blocks -- well, that's not quite true: I made a whole lot but without replica sheaves so I'm about to make them again using the saw.

 

Glad you reassured me about the helmet. I suppose it would also make shaving difficult.

 

 

Tony

[hopeful]

I admire your determination, Tony! Making blocks in any size has got to be a real challenge. Your final set-up seems to work well for you. Thanks for taking the time to share your methods and progress. Have you considered a milling machine?

 

Wish you well as you move along.

 

Cheers,

Hopeful aka David

 

"There is wisdom in many voices".

[tkay11]

Ha! The milling machine has been on my mind a lot. I see you have a drill press which looks fairly massive -- do you use it as a mill as well?

 

I've been oscillating between getting the Proxxon MF70 that is used by so many others on the forum, and a Sieg X1 (which is a proper milling machine). The problem with the Sieg is that it is more expensive, will cost much more with all the extras, and is much bigger and heavier. The advantage is the very long and much more robust table. In favour of the Proxxon is the fact that I would really only be using it for wood and so would tend to use router bits in it as well as the few milling bits I would need. It strikes me as being more than sufficient for wood modelling at small scale. However I've not had time these last couple of months to do anything more than think about it vaguely as I have been up to my eyes in work.

 

Thanks a lot, David, for the kind comments, by the way! I have much admired your woodworking skills on Sultana and Phantom.

 

Tony

[hopeful]

Hi Tony,

 

NO, no, the massive drill press is used to drill only mast holes.

 

Am familiar with the Proxxon M70, and builders using it seem pleased with the unit. Like everything else, how much does one want to invest in a micro milling machine. Based on everything I have done to date on my Sherline milling machine, the M70 is more than adequate to do the job.  Nice thing about the Sieg X1 is the "y" axis travel distance, 4"/105mm. The M70 "y" axis travel distance is 1 13/16". One of the issues is how important is the "y" travel distance to you? Good luck with you choice. I must adit I am partial to the M70 at 300 quid.

 

Thanks for your kind remarks about my work. I have a lot of wood working experience building period furniture as a past hobby. I am  very much a novice when it comes to boat building  I do, however love the challenge of boat building (thought provoking and humbling) and very much enjoy the forum.  

 

Was at the NMM a month or so back. They currently have an excellent exhibit  of British warships from 1650-1720. If you have the chance take a look, well worth the time!!! Excellent chips as well in the cafeteria!!!!

 

Look forward to your next post.

 

Cheers,

Hopeful aka David

 

"There is wisdom in many voices".

Edited July 29, 2013 by hopeful