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

[Stuntflyer]

I am very excited to be starting Speedwell, my next project and build log. Over the years I have really enjoyed collaborating with Chuck while building his designs. That includes all the ships I have built which are the 18th Century Longboat, Cheerful, and most recently, Winchelsea. Without his help I would never have been able to accomplish anything near what I have done so far. As always, I come away from each build knowing that there is always room for improvement. Hopefully Speedwell will show signs of that.

 

My first attempt at POF was David Antscherl‘s Hayling Hoy. Although it might be considered a first time POF model, I found out quickly that it had many challenges for me. The scratch frames were just one of them. Since that time I never lost interest in trying another POF. Chuck first mentioned building his version of Speedwell at 1/4". At the time, I really wasn’t all that interested in doing a small Speedwell like what Greg Herbert was already working on. That all changed when the decision was made to build an up-sized version. I was not surprised to hear that Chuck would add his own interpretation of the ship which would make it all the more interesting for me to build.

 

Speedwell will be a mix of scratch and kit. Just how much of each I really don’t know. The plan is to build the ship in boxwood which is not an option offered by Chuck. For that I have turned to Hobbymill.EU as my source for the wood and I highly recommend them. https://www.hobbymill.eu/  If I were to go the more traditional route like Greg did on his beautifully built Speedwell, then my build would be a hybrid and I would not be able to follow Chuck on this project.

 

The reference for the build is Chuck's build log and forthcoming monograph. I will try to mention only those things that are different or unique to my build. I think that this would be less confusing for those who wish to follow both logs. My goal is to stay scratch as much as possible while maintaining the basic procedures that Chuck would want all of the builders will follow. It will be challenging in places where it would otherwise be relatively easy. Honestly, I really do prefer it that way.

 

Chapter one: knee of the head, stem and gammoning knee

The knee of the head was made in the usual way. Individual pieces were shaped to the outline of an attached paper template. The paper templates were attached with Elmer's School Glue which I find holds better than rubber cement. The paper can be removed easily with a little water on a Q-tip or paper towel.

 

The mill made it much easier to cut some of the straight segments in parts like the lacing piece.

One more piece then ready for final outer shaping before adding the stem assembly.

The stem assembly is added to the completed knee assembly. The knee sits against a backing piece and small pine blocks are used to tighten the joint while the glue sets.

When sanding the flat taper in the knee of the head, the upper forward area of the bobstay piece was gradually tapered down to 4mm thickness at the upper fore edge. After a final sanding and tapering I added the gammoning knee.

Mike

Edited March 20, 2023 by Stuntflyer

[Chuck]

Thats a good start Mike.  Mike will be following all of the framing plans and jigs you currently see on my build.  He is basically recutting to my plans out of Boxwood as he prefers that over yellow cedar.   He also enjoys the challenge of cutting all of those frames from scratch which is very rewarding.  However Mike will be using all of  my laser cut cedar jigs and parts that wont be visible on the final

model.  In essence it will still be the same project.  
 

It will be interesting to see if the build concepts will work when parts are scratch made and how difficult it will be to replicate without a laser cutter.  It will be the only such version of my interpretation of Speedwell.  Plans containing all of my frame drawings will not be available on the final set of plans for the Syren Ship Model Company project.  There is no need for them since all frame parts are already laser cut…as a deterrent against kit piracy.   
 

Having said this…a fully scratch version can be made using the frame drawings and plans developed by David Antscherl in the Seawatch two-volume book set.

 

I am looking forward to seeing how it progresses. 
 

 

[bdgiantman2]

Good luck to you with this new project, Mike! I am sure that you will make a great model of the Speedwell like you did with the Winnie. I will be following you with this project. 

[davyboy]

Hi Mike,I will be following your build with interest. I started the POB version from David Antscherls` 1:48th plans in 2019,still a fair way to go yet. She does have lovely lines.

 

Dave 

[Stuntflyer]

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your interest. Have you considered starting a build log? It would be interesting to see a POB version.

 

Continuing with some catch up on my progress so far.

 

Keel

This is all very similar to what I did on the Winchelsea. The lower stem has a true boxing joint. The straight lengths of keel were made from two layers of 5/32” sheet which were offset, thus creating the half lap joint. The first section I added was the one that attaches to the knee and stem assembly. Additional keel sections were added to that by working aft. The false keel and rabbet strip were then cut and added to the keel.

 

For the keel bolts I used (.023) 30 pound black fishing line. The only change I made was to use a No. 73 bit instead of a No. 71. It provided the snug fit I was looking for. Holes were drilled about 1/8” deep.

Mike

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by Stuntflyer

[Rustyj]

Well done Mike. That is some clean, tight joinery. I can't wait to see your approach to the frames! 

[Mark P]

Good Evening Mike;

 

Your work shows a very high degree of care and craftsmanship. The joints between the various pieces are so equal and consistent that it is hard to believe that this is hand worked. You are a master at this art, and I salute you.

 

All the best,

 

Mark 

[gjdale]

Great start Mike. I look forward to following along.

[Stuntflyer]

Mark, Thank you!

 

Rusty, I can't wait to see my approach to the frames as well. I guess I'll figure it out when I get there.

[dvm27]

Great start Mike. I’m looking forward to your take on this model. 

[rcweir]

3 hours ago, Mark P said:

Your work shows a very high degree of care and craftsmanship. The joints between the various pieces are so equal and consistent that it is hard to believe that this is hand worked. You are a master at this art, and I salute you.

The photography, too, is superb.  It will be fun following this one.

[druxey]

Very sweet joinery, Mike!

[TomShipModel]

Very precise and clean, as per usual.  Great workmanship.

 

Tom

[jfhealey]

Hi Mike.

 

I'm certain this will be a wonderful and fascinating build.

 

Are you, I wonder, prepared to share lots of pictures of your construction work? I'm not asking about the finished product - for example the stem pictured above - but rather how you made it. That's what I'd love to see. I can see  photos of a scroll saw and a milling machine (in action - which is great) but I still cannot see how you achieved such an outcome. I get that you paste bits of paper onto wood and cut them out - but, self evidently there is a heck of a lot more to it than that. How , for example, did you achieve such close joints on the curved sections - an oscillating sander perhaps?

 

I appreciate there is a lot of skill involved but there is a lot of learning in there too. Will you share it?

 

I'd love to follow if you will.

 

Best wishes

Fred Healey

[dvm27]

I don’t know about Mike but I use an oscillating spindle sander on curved surfaces which are always cut a bit oversized to allow for the final fairing of the at the joints.

[jfhealey]

Greg - you are a case in point. Another master craftsman with so much knowledge to impart. I have your book "Building the Swan Class Sloop Pegasus" (I didn't realise who DVM 27 was for a long time) and I have read it from cover to cover but there are limitations to the printed page - not least that you can't ask. What I'd love to see is someone walk a beginner like me through each stage of making  a part - for example Mike's stem above  - with lots of photos. I may never be that good but I'd like to have a go!

 

Best wishes

Fred

[jfhealey]

By way of example of the above: Mike wrote "I added the gammoning knee". How on earth did you make it?

 

Sorry to be a pain.

 

Fred

[Stuntflyer]

Fred, I have often thought about showing, in great detail, how I go about making parts. The problem I always seem to run into is how to go about doing it knowing that certain subtle techniques are involved.

 

Take the stem for example. As Greg knows, the oscillating spindle sander on curved surfaces can give a smoother result than that of a scroll saw. That gets you somewhere in the ball park. The final shape still needs to be achieved and can be further honed in with some 90° sanding blocks. For myself, I will hold the pieces against a window in daylight and look for light leakage. It can be very time consuming and the back and forth takes technique, finesse and a lot of patience. HTH.

The gammoning knee was cut from an attached paper template on the scroll saw. The final shape was achieved with the disk sander, sanding sticks, #11 Xacto blade and assorted needle files. It would be very difficult for me to put that in writing in such a way that would be easily understood, I think.

 

Mike

Edited March 1, 2023 by Stuntflyer

[Stuntflyer]

Fore deadwood

In order to find the exact location, I aligned the central spine with the plan and carefully marked the aft location of the fore deadwood.

Having just purchased a Sherline mill, I thought it would be a good time to try it out. With that in mind I made the fore deadwood from 3/8" boxwood. I'm pleased with the result. I added the deadwood to the keel using the registration mark I made on the keel.

As I mentioned earlier, I'm going to maintain the build concept. With that in mind I went with the laser cut angle wedges for the cant frames. A mix of scratch and kit. When adding the wedges I left a little wiggle room because shifting of these pieces was necessary in order to align them fore and aft. The tops of the wedges were reduced to match the shape of the keelson before gluing them to the deadwood.

Mike

Edited March 3, 2023 by Stuntflyer

[dvm27]

Congrats on the purchase of the Sherline lathe, Mike. There are a million useful accessories but personally I find the 90 degrees angle plate and rotary table the most useful. You're going to have a lot of fun with it! The fore deadwood looks terrific.

 

There's no magic formula for creating work like Mikes, Fred. It requires a dedication to perfection and to make each piece as perfect as possible. His tip about using light to see how tight the joints are is excellent. I don't have a window in my workshop so I use a light box. They're inexpensive (for example https://www.amazon.com/Drawing-Brightness-Adjustable-Animation-Sketching/dp/B07KLY84NB/ref=asc_df_B07KLY84NB/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=475857625827&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=5262790266934135879&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9012258&hvtargid=pla-748436973284&psc=1). Where ever you see light between two mating surfaces is a low spot. Use pencil marks to delineate the contacting surfaces then reduce these with a sanding block. Just sand a little at a time and use the light box after each adjustment. The other tip I can offer is to do all work under magnification. If you're satisfied with the work at 2-3 times magnification you should have good results with the naked eye. Personally I do all my work with a 5x Optivisor.

[jfhealey]

Thank you both. All advice very graefully received!

 

I shall follow this build with great interest, Mike. Please post as many photos of making parts as you feel able to share.

 

Fred

[Mic_Nao]

Superb start to construction, good luck for the future.

[TBlack]

15 hours ago, dvm27 said:

Congrats on the purchase of the Sherline lathe, Mike. There are a million useful accessories but personally I find the 90 degrees angle plate and rotary table the most useful. .

I've also found the slitting saw most helpful, especially if you have the DRO capability.

Tom

[Stuntflyer]

Tom, I do have DRO. Thanks for the tip on a slitting saw.

[garyshipwright]

Mike I would add another item to Greg accessories which will be a good one and that's the Sensitive  Drilling Attachment. Great when you drilling a lot of holes using very small drill bit's.  They really do make a lot of good accessories thats for sure. Gary

Edited March 1, 2023 by garyshipwright

[Stuntflyer]

Stemson, rising wood

Moving along, I added the stemson and rising wood. Shaping and adding the stemson was straight forward. After that, I started work on the rising wood. Using a piece of 3/8" boxwood, I carefully copied the dimensions of the rising wood using the new milling machine. So much fun! All of the slots are 5/16" which made the process much easier. Basically a two day process that went along quite smoothly. I just needed to stay focused and not rush through it.

Mike

Edited March 3, 2023 by Stuntflyer

[Rustyj]

Very nicely done Mike!

[Mike Y]

Its not just every part that is a reference of precision and accuracy, but also a superb photo setup!

[Stuntflyer]

Mike, thank you!

[Stuntflyer]

Aft deadwood, stern post, wedges

With the addition of these parts, the central spine is finished. The stern post and the steps in the deadwood were cut on the mill. The straight taper in the deadwood, from the bearding line down to the foot, was done as described in Chuck's build log. There is a lot more wood to remove here than you might think. I often checked the work with a straight edge to insure that the final taper was straight and not rounded. More sanding will be needed later when it comes time to fair the cant frames.

Mike