Sloop Speedwell 1752 by Stuntflyer (Mike) - Ketch Rigged Sloop - POF

[Michel Bénard]

Very good work Mike.

[Stuntflyer]

I've finished up the starboard hull planking and I must say that I'm quite happy with it. So far it's been sanded with some 180 grit sticky back sandpaper attached to soft sanders. You can find them here, just search for "soft sanders" https://www.woodcraft.com/ I prefer the coarser grit as it allows me to even out the undulations in the wood more easily than if I went with a finer grit. I'll finish up with some 320-400 in order to remove any scratches that can be seen.

I still need to add the hance piece at the quarterdeck. Once that is in I will final shape the shear of that last filler plank.

Mike

[Matt D]

Beautiful work, Mike!  

[Freebird]

Just fabulous, Mike!

 

Are you going to add treenails to the frames and planking? 

 

Best Regards .... Rick

[Stuntflyer]

Thanks, Rick!

16 minutes ago, Freebird said:

Are you going to add treenails to the frames and planking? 

Good question. I don't plan on adding treenails to the planking. However, I might do the frames. Still deciding on that.

[Freebird]

Mike,

 

It's really nice to see the treenail contrast between yours and Chuck's Speedwell. At the moment, I'm hesitant to add treenails to my Speedwell as if not done correctly it'll really ruin the look of the model. I got the opportunity to really scope out Chuck's Speedwell at the conference back in April and in my mind I was trying to visualize the non-treenail look and your Speedwell shows me exactly what I was looking for.

 

Best Regards .... Rick 

[Stuntflyer]

Rick,

 

Take a look at my Winnie log and you will get a better idea of how Speedwell will look when completed without the treenails.

 

In the end, whatever look you go for I’m sure it will be fine.

Edited June 8 by Stuntflyer

[Freebird]

Mike,

 

I’ve read your Winnie log several times, and it’s truly an amazing model. Thanks for reminding me that your model was built without treenails, it’s a very nice look.
 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Stuntflyer]

Upper bulwark planking

With the hull planking completed I decided to hold off on the wales and do some upper bulwark planking.

 

I made the hance pieces in three layers rather than two. I might have gotten away with two but it would have been close regarding width. I added the first two upper bulwark planks at the forecastle. Around the area of the bowsprit there is a tight 3/4" radius. Those 3/32" cedar caps are just sitting on top of the shear to give you an idea of what they would look like once I add them.

Mike

[Rustyj]

I love looking at your work Mike. So nice and clean!

[Stuntflyer]

Thanks, Rusty!

[Stuntflyer]

I had to add the two outer stern lights before doing anymore work on the upper bulwark strakes. They are much stronger than the laser cut wooden ones that were on the Winnie. Before installing them I wanted to remove the char color from the inside edges of transom template. Sanding was not an option, so I mixed up some paint with what seemed to be a reasonable color. Notice the reflection off the build board on the center light.

I have the upper port side strakes completed. Cut from a long 3/64" sheet, I was able to combine strakes #3 and #5 together which made things easier for me when adding it to the hull. I was happy to see that the strake edge ran smoothly along the gun ports. It's hard to see, but there is a 1/64" space between the shear and the top of the transom. This allows for the cap rail to sit even with or slightly below the top of the transom, rather than above it. I planned for this in advance which might be something that you would consider doing. I sandwiched Three of those laser cut scroll pieces together rather than two which gives me more leeway as I add them to the hull.

Mike

[Stuntflyer]

I've been working on a number of things lately. .

 

The two inner stern frames where in need of some shortening as they were well above the top edge of the transom. I used a fine saw to make the cuts. I believe it's called a JLC razor Saw.

Then I added the 3/32" cap rail to the bow section. Actually, these were taken down with the thickness sander slightly thinner than 3/32". I did this so the top edge of the scroll molding would align with the cap rail in a smooth contour along the shear.

Then I scraped the 1/32" x 3/32" fancy molding for the outer hull. I went with a simple shape here.

Lower platforms (fore)

I went with Chuck's design for the Gauge which is needed when setting the depth of the beams inside the hull. What can I say other than it was easy to make and it worked perfectly.

The disc sander really comes in handy when making these beams, especially since they are boxwood. To establish the angles for each beam, I used a slightly shorter one than needed from scrap wood. Being shorter, I could hold it against one side of the hull and approximate the angles needed. Adjustments were made to the disc sander until I was sure that the final beam would work. For the most part things went smoothly with only a few throwaways. keep in mind that the beams should not only sit nicely against the frames, but also the tops should lay flat to one another for the planking.

Mike

[Arthur Goulart]

Incredibly neat work!

[Rustyj]

Wonderful work and pictures!

[Trussben]

Looking great Mike, and good to know that Chucks height/depth gauge works well.

[Stuntflyer]

Thanks, guys!

[Stuntflyer]

With the beams in place I went ahead and made the bulkhead for the lower platform. I ripped some 3/64" x 5/16" strip for the planks and 1/8" square strips for the vertical support beams. I used a cardboard template in order to get the approximate shape needed for the outer edge of the bulkhead.

 

Then I added the carlings and ledges for the scuttle lids. I prefer to assemble these off the ship if at all possible. Then it's just a matter of shortening the length of the carlings to fit between the beams. Also, the ends of the carlings were angled slightly to match the angle of the deck.

 

As you can see in the fore most scuttle lid, I used an extra ledge just to aid in squaring the parts. I will remove it later.

Mike

[bdgiantman2]

Your model looks great, Mike!! Making terrific progress making Speedwell. You and Chuck have been great mentors with this project as well as the Winnie

 

Brian D

[Stuntflyer]

Thanks, Brian!

[Stuntflyer]

It took me a few days, but I managed to get the lower deck installed. The deck was assembled off the ship. When adding planks there was a tendency for the edge to curve slightly. That required some additional sanding before the next plank could be added. Due to the slight overall narrowing in width I ended up adding an extra plank to each side.

 

These simulated riding bitt pins give an idea of the fit. According to the plan, when viewed from the side, the angle should be perpendicular to the keel. I used much taller pins in order to check the angle with a machinist square. The pins were leaning aft which meant that the forward most deck beam was too far forward or the one in front of it was sitting too far aft. I ended up shifting the forward most deck beam back, just over 1/64".

Mike

Edited August 15 by Stuntflyer

[Chuck]

Really nice.  Cant wait to see it in Person Mike.

[dvm27]

The key to these plank on frame models is planning ahead. In this case it's planning for the uppermost deck. By using the extended bitt pins you saved yourself a lot of aggravation later. Exceptional work Mike!

[Rustyj]

Oh that is sooooo nice. Such clean work. I'm envious of Chuck being able to see it in person.

[Stuntflyer]

Thanks!

 

Greg>The thing is, it's so easy to not think far enough ahead. I think that we should all take time to at least try and think things through. Not only scratch builders, but kit builders as well.

 

Rusty> That was kind of you to say. Envious is exactly how I feel when I see Chuck's Speedwell, really!.

Edited August 17 by Stuntflyer

[Katsumoto]

24 minutes ago, Stuntflyer said:

Thanks!

 

Greg>The thing is, it's so easy to not think far enough ahead. I think that we should all take time to at least try and think things through. Not only scratch builders, but kit builders as well.

 

Rusty> That was kind of you to say. Envious is exactly how I feel when I see Chuck's Speedwell, really!

This hobby gets a deeper meaning when sharing your work and knowledge with friends in real life. philosophizing over future possibilities and extending abilities is fuell for drive and focus to overcome difficulties ahead. I saw that with your outstanding Winnie built and now again with Speedwell. It’s wonderfull to follow.
 

love the clean and very accurate work and guidance to fellow Speedwell builders. Great job!

 

Peter

[glbarlow]

Really exceptional work and photography. Fun to watch these Speedwells coming together. 

[Stuntflyer]

Just wanted to get this small update in before starting on the riding bitts. The lower fore decks are now completed.

Mike

[Stuntflyer]

So, the riding bitts are on hold while I wait for the delivery of a 1/2" half round needle file. Meanwhile. .

 

Breast hooks

I decided to make each one these in one piece. Most of the work was done with the disc sander. Being able to set the angle for the outer edges of the hooks was a real time saver.

 

I always try to use whatever helping hands I can when gluing parts in place. Here I used two short 7/32" strips as spacers between the deck and lower edge of the hook.

Then I added a 5/8" balsa spacer which helped tremendously when positioning the middle hook. Some blue tape was added to show where the glue area will be.

Mike

 

 

 

[Ronald-V]

Incredible work! So precise and clean