Cutter Cheerful 1806 by Freebird - Syren Ship Model Company - 1/48

[Freebird]

1 hour ago, Paul Le Wol said:

Hi Rick, in the first photo where you are using the t-pin, the batten seems to cut straight across the space between the bow filler and bulkhead M. Maybe you can try putting some bend in the end of the batten so that it will enter the rabbet at the stem at a better angle. Then see how it sits moving aft. Looking good!

Paul, thank you for the look! As you can see from the pictures above, a lot has changed. Thoughts?

 

 Best Regards …. Rick

[Freebird]

Here’s the batten on the lower marks, looks pretty good. Please ignore what looks like to be a flat spot on bulkhead L, it’s the clamp pushing on the batten behind the bulkhead. 
 

Best Regards …. Rick

[glbarlow]

Unlike a double planked hull (and this is why they are double planked) you can’t correct uneven fairing by sanding that first planking. With a single planked hull you have no more than the thickness of a 3/64th plank.  It’s understandable to want to call it done and move on, but it is essential to have the fairing as near perfect as you can get it. Don’t just pin the batten, slide it up and down, top to bottom with your fingers at multiple sections, you can feel the imperfections if there are any, it should feel smooth and flow evenly.  The infrastructure is of course the basis of every thing else you do, it’s worth taking the time to do it right. There is some opportunity to so a little shim work as you plank, but not much.

 

I said it in jest, there is though a bit of zen at the stage. From what I can tell you’re doing a great job of this.

[Freebird]

2 hours ago, glbarlow said:

Don’t just pin the batten, slide it up and down, top to bottom with your fingers at multiple sections, you can feel the imperfections if there are any, it should feel smooth and flow evenly.

Glenn, that’s exactly what I’m doing. The batten runs very nicely across all bulkheads the length of the hull. I’m actually very impressed that I don’t have any bumps or dips. I’m sure that some tweaking will be needed when I start planking. 
 

Thanks for checking in and having my back!

 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Freebird]

Looking good and I think I’m ready to start the sills. The batten has a nice flow from stem to stern. What I found remarkable was that each laser mark was .470” from the top of each bulkhead extension. Also, when fairing the starboard side, I made the exact same mistake on bulkhead L and it too needed a shim. At least I’m consistent. 
I have a Byrnes 4” disk sander on order that should be here in a day or so. I’m going to wait on doing the sills until the sander arrives so I can give it a test drive. Here’s a few pictures. 
 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Freebird]

New toy arrived today, Byrnes 4” disc sander with an extra disc. This will make life a whole lot easier! No more using the monster disc sander that’ll sand a finger to the bone in less than a second. The accuracy is amazing! Now on the the sills!

 

Best Regards …. Rick
 

 

[Diver]

21 minutes ago, Freebird said:

New toy arrived today, Byrnes 4” disc sander with an extra disc. This will make life a whole lot easier! No more using the monster disc sander that’ll sand a finger to the bone in less than a second. The accuracy is amazing! Now on the the sills!

 

Best Regards …. Rick
 

 

IMG_2755.MOV

On my wish list.

[Freebird]

It’s the cat’s meow!

 

Best Regards …. Rick

[glbarlow]

One of my favorite and most often used tools.

[Freebird]

Slow progress, I completed the starboard ports and then checked the alignment with a batten, all looked good. Then I thought for the port side why not use the batten to align the sills. So I placed the batten just touching marks. I made the sills and alignment was quick and easy. Now to add the port uprights. 
 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Freebird]

Ok, who ever thought that gun ports on model ships was a good idea should be hanged from a yardarm! I’m a pretty good modeler, but gun ports have brought me to my knees. They’re a whole lot more work than I anticipated. I had to tear out some sills (only 2) and several port uprights. Lots of lessons learned! Stay tuned!

 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Diver]

I like the look of your keel clamp.  Is it home made, if so could you message me a photo and dimensions.  Thanks in advance.   Bob

[Freebird]

Bob, I got it from Model Expo a couple of years ago. Keeps the keel nice and straight. 
 

Best Regards …. Rick

[glbarlow]

This is a step you want to get right or you’ll be chasing it all the way through planking. They don’t follow the waterline but the sheer of the deck, they aren’t square as a result. I would have been lost without the reference lines, but depending on the bulkhead could be a little off. You’ll figure it out, and later as you’re planking, will be glad you did.

 

Have fun. 

[Freebird]

Thanks Glenn for the sage advice. Gun ports is something I’ve never done before, and it’s quite a challenge. I’ve been looking at build logs, including yours, for ways to get them ship shape. I’m having a lot of fun with this build and it’s teaching me a lot for when I get to my Winnie. One thing I really like about Cheerful, is the amount of bulkheads, I think it made fairing easier to get a nice flow. 
 

Also, just for giggles I put the stern parts on the hull to see what’s it going to entail. I can already see that there’s a lot of room to mess things up. Again, this is a first for me. 
 

 Best Regards …. Rick

[Chuck]

Its looking great....Dont over think it.  That can be paralyzing to a project.  Just go slow and steady and it will all work out in the end.

 

Chuck

[Freebird]

Chuck, Thanks for checking in and looking over my shoulder, much appreciated! I did find myself picking up the pace, so I’ve backed off. Thank you for the reminder. Having lots of fun, it’s so very different than the longboat. 
 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Freebird]

This marks the completion of chapter 1. Lots of rework required and a lot of measurements taken. Gun ports are a lot more complicated than anticipated. A few I messed up by over sanding (a bad habit of mine), and some were improperly installed. What ever didn’t measure up was removed and replaced. The sills have a nice flow and the battens sit snug on the bulkheads from stem to stern, no humps or bumps. I thinned the bulwarks to 1/8” before cutting the forward chase posts. All of this work is a new frontier for me and I’ve really enjoyed it! It took 30 days to complete this chapter, just some time here and there, no hurry needed here! 
 

Thanks to everyone for the likes and to those that have offered advise, much appreciated!

 

Now onto another first, the stern. 
 

 Best Regards …. Rick

Edited November 6, 2023 by Freebird

[Diver]

9 minutes ago, Freebird said:

This marks the completion of chapter 1. Lots of rework required and a lot of measurements taken. Gun ports are a lot more complicated than anticipated. A few I messed up by over sanding (a bad habit of mine), and some were improperly installed. What ever didn’t measure up was removed and replaced. The sills have a nice flow and the battens sit snug on the bulkheads from stem to stern, no bumps or bumps. I thinned the bulwarks to 1/8” before cutting the forward chase posts. All of this work is a new frontier for me and I’ve really enjoyed it! It took 30 days to complete this chapter, just some time here and there, no hurry needed here! 
 

Thanks to everyone for the likes and to those that have offered advise, much appreciated!

 

Now onto another first, the stern. 
 

 Best Regards …. Rick

Very impressive.  I hope my skill levels will get to this level some day.

[CaptnBirdseye]

Looking good to me Rick 👍 I have just got mine, but this is going to be a steep learning curve for me too, so i hope you don't mind if i follow along? 😬

Oh and i freely admit that if i see any good ideas i will probably steal them lol

Edited March 30, 2023 by CaptnBirdseye

[Freebird]

44 minutes ago, Diver said:

 

44 minutes ago, Diver said:

Very impressive.  I hope my skill levels will get to this level some day.

Thanks Diver, I think you’re more advanced than I am. This is my second build, first was Chuck’s Medway longboat, this is far more advanced than I thought. 

 

20 minutes ago, CaptnBirdseye said:

I have just got mine, but this is going to be a steep learning curve for me, so i hope you don't mind if i follow along? 😬

Oh and i freely admit that if i see any good ideas i will probably steal them

Thanks Captain, you’re more than welcomed to pull up a chair and follow along, I enjoy the company! There’s a lot of Cheerful logs with lots of great ideas to steal, err…..I mean to use. You’re going to love this build, such a pretty vessel with nice lines.

 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Freebird]

Started framing the stern. Z frames are laminated and glued into place. I used some bubble levels to make sure the frames were level with the bow and no adjustments were needed. Hard to see in the pictures, but all is level. I’ve also made the square tuck piece. Just need to fair the outer frames first and then glue the X & Y frames in place. 
 

Best Regards …. Rick

Edited March 30, 2023 by Freebird

[Freebird]

Outer frames are faired and a batten confirms the shape is good. 
 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Freebird]

Holy accuracy! The X/Y frames are just sitting in place and I decided to tape the stern template in place. Dang! Can’t ask for better alignment. I know I’m not this good, a great testament to Chuck’s design and laser skills. I’m loving this build! Thanks Chuck!
 

Best Regards …. Rick

Edited March 31, 2023 by Freebird

[Chuck]

I think your care in building her is what achieved that.   Great work!!!

[Freebird]

Thanks Chuck, that means a lot to me!

 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Freebird]

Chuck, quick question. In the picture above, the Z frame has a dotted line on the outer side. Does that mean the outer portion of the frame needs to be brought down to the dotted line?

 

Best Regards …. Rick

[Chuck]

No you are good to go as is....Just keep following the monograph chapters.   Its coming along very well.  You will be taking care of the inboard side of those outer stern frames in Chapter 3.....

[Freebird]

Thanks Chuck!

 

 Best Regards …. Rick

[Freebird]

Remaining stern frames glued in place as is the counter. On to the sills and lintels. 
 

Best Regards …. Rick