USS Constitution by Hipexec - FINISHED - Constructo - 1:82

[sport29652]

Rich, I have the same miter box and it has serve me well for at least 200 + cuts

[Sjors]

Be careful with that Dremel.

It's sometimes better to use just a sanding block or a file.

What you sand off you loose  forever …..

Further very nice job !

 

 

[HIPEXEC]

Roger on the Dremel! Thanks for the miter box report.

 

I discovered the slot in the fwd bulhead is milled at the wrong angle for the lower gun back-wall. I'll have to file in the right angle.

 

Rich

[HIPEXEC]

Below deck guns back-wall glued in place.

 

[Sjors]

Hi Rich,

 

Be careful that the back wall for your guns are not coming above the frames….

When you place the deck, it's not fit tide.

The third from the right is a little bit to high.

You have to sand that down a little.

For the rest….keep on going !

 

[HIPEXEC]

Thanks for the info, Sjors. 

 The last two days were spent shaping the deck and transom using soaking, damp cloths and rubber bands. It worked! Both pieces now conform with the hull. I'll fine tune the bulkheads today and mount the deck, then start planking it.

 

Rich

Edited September 12, 2013 by Hipexec

[HIPEXEC]

Deck's on!

Because it was pre-curved and pre-bowed, it went on real easy. I didn't do that when I built my Swift, and had a real wrestling match.

I'll start planking when the glue dries and I pull out some of the small nails.

 

Rich

 

P.S. I varnished all those planked below decks. I still don't think anybody will see much of those when it's done.

[Sjors]

That looks great Rich!!!!!

 

And when you varnish the deck planks, it doesn't matter that you don't see much of it, but we know that it is there !!!!

Keep on going like this and I enjoy 

 

[HIPEXEC]

Sjor, roger about the below deck varnish.

 

I discovered some very small over-hang  of the deck over four frames? Don't know why, but something got crooked in the last few days. So, I shimmed them and will  sand them to conform with the frames. They have to be exact since I must go several plank layers above the deck and it all has to be flush and smooth.

 

Rich

[HIPEXEC]

Here's a pic of the first deck plank!

 

Rich

[Sjors]

Morning Rich,

 

Are you gonna using whole planks?

Or is that the only one …..

 

[augie]

Deck planking is always exciting as she starts to come to life.   Try to get that first one centered as much as you can.

 

I think what Sjors is asking is do you run full deck length planks for the whole deck.  If that's what the instructions say, ok. In 'real life' the planks are usually only 25 or 30 feet long so it takes many sections to run the length of the deck.  These planks are also staggered in a regular pattern.  That staggering can be simulated, if you wish, if you use whole planks.  This is the type of thing you might do as your experience grows. 

 

I think it's always a good idea to stick with the instructions on your first model or two while checking other logs to see how others do the same operation.  That's what we all do and how we all slowly grow as we move closer to true scale techniques.

[Sjors]

Thanks Augie,

 

That's exactly what I mean       

 

[HIPEXEC]

Hi Sjors & Augie,

 

I'm going to use whole planks since the finished deck is so busy, it would take an expert to see the subtle difference. To me, it's not worth the extra work. I might break it in a few places, though if it looks too plain. 

 

Now, the work slows down. One piece at a time. Also, I'm taking a week off to go the Canada for some Salmon fishing and Grizzly bear watching. I'll leave Sunday. In the meantime I'll keep adding deck planks and carve the filler blocks. I never heard from Constructo about the over-hanging frame, so I'll just blend it so the hull planks run smoothly.

 

Rich

[augie]

Good luck with the salmon    :)  

[HIPEXEC]

If I catch a big salmon and bring it home, the way I figure it , it will cost me $1,000 a pound!

 

I finished shaping the stern blocks. There was a lot of material to remove, so I used a fine saw, a knife, my Dremel and some sanding blocks. I measured real carefully so as not to take off too much. It seems to have turned out real good. I had made a real muck of the stern blocks on my Swift and didn't want to repeat that mess.

 

I'll work on the bow while I add deck planks before heading to Canada.

 

Rich

[Sjors]

Hi Rich,

 

Nice job on those stern blocks.You just remove enough 

Enjoy your stay in Canada and if you catch a big salmon, picture of that please 

 

[HIPEXEC]

Is there a better way to build gun ports than the way Constructo instructs? I'd like them to be straight, square and even. Their method doesn't look very precise.

 

Rich

[augie]

A lot of kits supply metal frames and some have you build a square wood frame and these are built in before planking.  But what's wrong with the one all the way on the right?  The method is a little rough but careful filing should handle it.

[Sjors]

I have to agree with Augie,

 

The gunport on the right looks perfect.

And you can make those frames your self.

Don't use the metal ones if they are provide…..

 

[HIPEXEC]

The picture of the gun ports above is from the instruction book. I haven't gotten there yet. Just trying to stay a step ahead. Drilling all those small holes then filing it smooth works, but I was just wondering if there is a better way.

 

I just added 5mm to the lower deck gun port back walls since my measurements show that when I drill the hole to mount the cannon, it will be very close to the edge of the wall bottom. I didn't like that, so I added 5mm.

 

I fly to Canada tomorrow night.

 

Rich

[augie]

You've heard the old adage ......  measure twice, cut once.

 

Good luck

[Sjors]

Hi Rich,

 

You are bashing the kit ? 

Have a save flight and enjoy your time in Canada.

Catch some fish and show Augie how they looks like.

When he is fishing , he catch nothing all the time 

 

[Børge]

Nice progress Rich, you will be fine.

As Sjors say, making the frames now, before planking might be a good idea.

Should make it easier tho get them square.

Have a nice fishing trip, and get a lot of fish

 

Børge

[Anja]

Hello Rich,

 

You're off to Canada for a fishing trip. Have fun. And today .....

 

 

Happy birthday.

 

Anja

[Sjors]

Happy birthday Rich.

 

Are you celebrating that with the fish????

You give them an extra hook to bite in ????

Never mind, enjoy your day !

 

[augie]

Belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!!

 

We'll watch the store until you get back.  And good luck with the fishing up North.  Haven't done that for almost 20 years but it sure was fun!

[gmccabe01]

Hope you have fun fishing for Grizzly and watching salmon (or is that the other way around), never mind, have fun on the hols and looking forward to the rest of the build when your back and relaxed

[trippwj]

Hope your Birthday was a relaxing day fishing - ENJOY!

[HIPEXEC]

Just got back from Canada. Fishing was great! Bear watching and whale watching fair to poor. Attached are some photos. My wife and I caught a lot of fish. My wife more than me. We had to release a few since they were protected. We also gave a bunch away. The last pic is the birthday feast a local chef created with the big pink salmon my wife caught. My family is throwing a birthday party for me tomorrow, so I won't get back to my USS Constitution until next week. I had plenty of time to plan my next moves, though. Boat building is really like playing chess.

 

Thanks for the birthday greetings. 75 seems so old! The good news is, I don't feel that old.

 

Rich