Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper

[druxey]

So, the frames are becoming 'bolt dense'? Soon there will be very little frame wood left - just a maze of bolt heads! Your model continues to inspire, Ed.

[dgbot]

Ed, your model is going to last for a long time. 

David B

[EdT]

Thanks, everyone.  I appreciate the comments and "likes".

 

Karl, I can only humbly return the sentiments you express whenever I look at "Poor Richard."

 

E&T, I too, continue to be amazed at themassive structure - and Webb was not nearly as free with big timbers as McKay!  WE have to remeber that these 1850's American clippers were built for the California service and that meant westward passages around Cape Horn fully-loaded - and always at speed, of course.  Young America made this passage 50 times in her long career.  Not many ships could make that claim.  There's more heavy stuff to come.  I just ripped off the 10" by 12" standing strakes that cap the lower deck waterways.

 

Druxey, sorry to coin a new phrase - it just popped out.  Once you commit to modeling bolts on one of these, you have let yourself in for something.  At that, I think I am only getting at half or less than the true number.  Its getting crowded on the outside of the frames and I still have most of the dummy bolts for the hanging knees to install.  I am starting to experience what the shipyard drillers were faced with - trying to find room for a hole.  I have drilled through a few bolts already.  There will be two per frame for those standing strakes I just cut.

 

Thanks, again for all the comments and the interest.  We have a long way to go.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Well, lets put it this way, David.  Its not going to come apart.

 

Ed

[NenadM]

Just incredible ! Looks as SF to me.

 

Nenad

[harvey1847]

Congratulations Ed!

 

 

These monsters are 15” square – hard pine on the original – as long a log as possible.

 

Looks like everything in the YA is massive and enormous. Simply amazed me. the keelson, the beams, the water way... and "There's more heavy stuff to come" !! Can´t wait to see it.

 

Always a pleasure to read study and re-read your log (s)!

 

Best wishes!

 

 

Daniel.

[Elia]

Ed,

 

Stunning work. It has the presence of a real clipper being built. Every day after work, when (if) I have a free moment, I look for updates. As I've noted before it is a joy and an inspiration to watch your progress. If you ever decide to publish this model design and plans you've got one solid sale right here.

 

Cheers,

 

Elia

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 70 – Waterways

 

In the last post I mentioned the bolt density on the outside of the frames.  This can be seen in the first picture.

 

 

The nails are part of the clamps being used to secure a section of waterway inside for gluing.  The pins are markers for some of the through bolt holes drilled for this section.  There will be more – one in each frame pair.  The lower deck hanging knee bolts have not yet been installed.  These will be dummy bolts only and dummy bolts will only be installed where the frames will be left exposed – lower hull on this side.  It was not practical to drill for through knee bolts.  All of the bolts for the ironwork lattice have been installed on this side plus of course many others for the members installed earlier.

 

The next picture shows the aft starboard section of waterway being fitted.

 

 

The outboard face has to be beveled to fit against the frames.  The next picture shows a copper wire bolt for this piece being clipped on the outside.

 

 

I had a bit of rework to do on the main deck clamps aft of midship.  For some reason – perhaps I neglected to plumb the hull before marking some of them – their fairness was off on both sides.  I saw this on one of those deck-level camera shots.  Since they were bolted on, removing them was a chore, but the new clamps are much better.

 

 

In this picture a batten has been clamped to the side under the deck clamp to help keep the sections aligned at the scarph joints where it is easy to get a kink in the line.

 

Although the main deck does not extend aft of frame 36, I decided to extend the deck clamps right through the cabin, joining it to a half-hook at the stern.  The half-hook on the starboard side is shown in the next picture.

 

 

This hook is interrupted by the sternpost.  Its wide breadth is dictated by the bevel required to fit on to the frames.  There will be a deck full-width hook for the cabin deck about 4 feet below this – just at the top of the inner post.  The cabin deck is a sort of mezzanine between the middle deck and the main deck.

 

The last picture shows the first section of 12” x 10” standing strake installed atop the he forward waterway.

 

 

The second section is clamped and glued in this picture.  This strake has vertical hook scarphs.

 

 

 Ed

[dgbot]

Beautiful work. But I would have gone pin happy long before this. You patience and dedication still astounds me.

David B

[Mau]

Hi Ed. Fantastic!!!

 

Do you have a crew helping you?! It's so fast and precise.

 

Congratulations!

 

Mauricio

[Pete Jaquith]

Ed,

 

Very fine work there. I enjoy tall ships of the mid 1800's and have a special connection with William H. Webb as he founded Webb Institute of Naval Architecture, a unique university where I obtained my degree and entered the shipbuilding industry.

 

Pete Jaquith

Shipbuilder

[alangr4]

 

Ed

 

Looking wonderful. Like Maurico I have wondered at times whether you have a team working for you or whether you have added CAM to your CAD?

 

One question, when you set out on this journey did you estimate the quantity of wood you would require or are you picking it up as you go along?

 

Cheers

 

Alan

[von stetina]

Looking great!  Anybody that doesn't think American clipper were the best is nuts. And realize...Webb built light! His ships lasted extremely well though, which makes me wonder about the idea of power to weight ratio that we are concerned with on our racing machines these days. It may have applied there as well.

 

Here is something that weirds me out... After so many of Donald McKays ships burnt, his barn burnt too when he retired! But so many of these ships burned no matter what builder. Still, a lot of his ships went that way.

 

Another interesting thing is that his Staffordshire was lost with all aboard right before his giant Great Republic burnt.

 

Bruce

[EdT]

Thank you all very much for the comments and "likes".  As always, they give me a lot of encouragement.

 

David, I go through a lot of pins.  How does onebuild without them?

 

Mauricio, I am afraid it is only me - as I said earlier, about 3 hours a day on average.  I do tend to work fast - sometimes too fast.

 

Pete, I have been reading about Webb and of course his endowment of Webb Institute and home for retired shipwrights.  A great man and as I understand, a great school.

 

Alan, I do not make bills of materials - too tedious, error prone and not much fun.  Several years ago I acquired two slabs of Swiss pear 2" thick and 10 to 12" wide each about 6 feet long and also a slab of Castelo maybe 2" x 8" and of about the same length.  I used that plus some real Euro boxwood to build Naiad and expect it to be enough for YA.  I cut the wood down to model sizes on an as-needed basis.  This is by far the easiest and least expensive way to go even including the cost of the 14" band saw and the Hogg thickness sander.  Jeff Hayes did a BOM for Naiad Vol 1 to produce his package and I expect that was quite a task.

 

Bruce, I must agree about the American clippers.  I too admire Webb for getting strength without killing off to many forests compared to some others.  In looking at the reinforcement by the massive waterways and standing strakes along each deck I realized that having three decks, as opposed to less, also added great strength in addition to offering advantages for certain cargo needs.  I never realized McKay's problems with fire except for Challenge, but I would not be surprised if Young America also burned - disappearance without atrace with 1900 barrels of crude oil aboard.

 

Thanks again, everyone.

 

Ed

[Maury S]

Ed,

Your work continues to amaze.  Your scarf joints are so good.  Some time would you show how you make them so consistent?

Maury

[EdT]

Hi Maury and thanks.

 

I do not believe I have sequential pictures illustrating the scarph joint method, but if I end up doing a book, pictures and details of the method will be taken and included as with all the other processes.  In a nutshell, however, the key tool is a disk sander with the table set 90 deg to the disk.  Mark the length of the scarph on the top face - from the end.  With the piece on its side, disk off the taper of the scarph from the mark to the end leaving the lip thickness at the end.   Saw down into the face at the mark and at the center of the face.  Pare and file out the indent for the joining table.  Mark the mating joint length from this piece before the first piece is installed if possible, otherwise mark in place.  Sand the new face to match - with the disk as before.  Then mark, saw and pare out the joining face the same way and trim with a file until it fits.  The disk sander assures a flat square face to start with.  With practice it goes faster than writing this description.

 

Hope this helps for now.  I will see if I have a picture of two.

 

Ed

Edited June 16, 2014 by EdT

[alangr4]

BREAKING NEWS

 

Ed has mentioned the BOOK word!!

 

Fantastic development.

 

Has made my day/week/year.

 

Going off to reread Naiad now.

 

Great stuff.

 

 

Alan

[dgbot]

HURRAY!!!    

David B

[EdT]

The enthusiasm is gratifying, but please don't celebrate too soon. Ed makes decisions like this slowly.

 

Maury, I found this picture showing the saw cuts being made after disking off the face of the scarph. The top of he vise can be used to gauge the depth of the cuts, but after a while you can judge the epth by the number of saw strokes. The depth will get refined after the scrap is pared out in any event.

 

 

Ed

[Maury S]

Thanks,  The top of the vise isn't too good on the saw teeth.  So the scarfs are cut separately, unlike the system you used on the Naiad deck beams where the sides mated?

Maury

[EdT]

Maury, I wouldn't worry too much about the saw blade. I have been usin this one for at least 20 years. The vise is really just a rough guide.

 

The joints on Naiad's deck beams, with several stepped tables each were much more complex and would be a bear to cut by hand. Also, the large number of identical joints lent itself to a machining set up. A completely different animal. I find these single-stepped scarphs to go much faster by hand.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 71 – Lower Deck Standing/Ceiling Strakes

 

Work continued on the remaining lower deck waterways and standing strakes.  Filling planking was also begun at the bow.  The first picture shows planking being glued on both sides – with the aid of clamps and wedges.

 

 

The second picture shows the horizontal bolts – two per frame – through the standing strake and the frames.  The standing strake is the thick member atop the waterway.

 

 

These are monofilament.  Through holes were drilled from the inside with a right angle drill.  Those through the waterway below are functional copper wire bolts with epoxy as discussed earlier.  They have not yeyt been blackened. 

 

The next picture shows further progress with the forward planking.

 

 

 

All the filling planks on this deck are  6” thick. The picture also shows planking on the port side in progress.  The glued plank is held by wedges in this case.  The next picture taken at the same time shows the space left open for the view port.

 

 

The X-marked frames will be cut out later.  Small pieces of waterway have been installed on the frames that will be left.  these will be planked up so that hanging knees can be installed on the beams at these locations,   All the small pieces will be trimmed back to the frame faces as shown at the forward end of the opening.

 

The next picture shows all the planks installed on the forward port side.

 

 

Fastenings need to be installed on all this planking – bolts for the heavy structural members and treenails for the ordinary ceiling planks. 

 

In the next picture the middle deck clamps near the stem have been dubbed off and are being checked with the ruler.

 

 

This will allow the middle deck hook to be fitted.  The will also be a breast hook between the two decks.

 

 

 Ed

[jburchfield1@wowway.com]

It's like watching a real, live ship come to life!  

[SawdustDave]

Learn something new each time I visit this incredible build. Thanks again Ed

[michael mott]

Ed I have run out of words, and just enjoy following along.

 

Michael

[the learner]

Had a hard time finding the log it was on page 3, looks like every one is busy!

 

some great photos of your detail for the Standing and ceiling strakes.

 

 

Guy

[Erebus and Terror]

Beautiful work on the filling planking, Ed. Six inches thick! I'm enthralled by the architecture and history of these vessels. They really were something else altogether.  

Edited June 26, 2014 by E&T

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 72 – Lower Deck continued

 

The lower deck ceiling planking is almost complete.  The breadth of the filling planking - and therefore the number of strakes - varies along the length due to the hull shape.  The first picture shows an area aft of midship between view ports where a drop plank will be inserted.

 

 

The planking has been rough sanded only in this picture.

 

Other work has started as the last remaining planks get installed.  The two forward hooks have been installed as shown below.

 

 

The first middle deck beam has been fitted in this picture.  The next picture shows the run of ceiling completed on the starboard side.

 

 

The next picture shows the bolts at the planking butts installed and holes marked for drilling of treenail holes.

 

 

I will not bother installing treenails where they will be covered by the middle deck hanging knees – every other frame.

 

The next picture shows the short planking pieces over the viewport frames that will be left in place.

 

 

These small planked areas will allow hanging knees to be installed. The excess lengths of plank on one of these is being trimmed back with a small saw.  The exposed frames will later be removed - from the lower futtock heads up to the underside of the middle deck clamps. 

 

There will be minimal planking on this deck, but the hatch coamings need to be installed first.  the forward hatch parts are being fit up in place in the next picture.

 

 

After assembly - in place - the coaming will be removed and trimmed.  The completed main hatch coaming is shown below.

 

 

The lower deck coamings were not very high.  This one is just 12 “ – 8 ½” above the decking.  There is a 3” x 3” rabbet in the head ledges to seat the covering planks.  “Iron” bolts have been installed.  There is some confusing terminology with these.  The term “coaming” refers to both the entire assembly and the fore and aft members themselves.  The cross-deck members that clamp down the coaming ends are head ledges.  The above-deck corners have been rounded – common practice.

 

 

 Ed

[Mahuna]

Ed - the beautiful work continues - I love it!!

 

In the prior post you showed the short pieces of untrimmed waterway between the viewport frames, and these pieces have now been nicely trimmed, and short planking pieces installed above them.  Can you give us a short explanation of how you trimmed those pieces in place without disturbing them?

 

Frank

[EdT]

Thank you, Frank.

 

Once the glue has completely dried on the small pieces they can be sawed off close to the frame then filed flush with the frame.  Later when the frames are removed, they can be sanded to leave a nice finish.

 

Ed

 

I should add, that the small razor saw shown in the picture cuts on the pull stroke so from the outside the sawing puts little stress on the glue joint - but the joints are plenty strong in any case.

Edited June 28, 2014 by EdT