Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper

[GLakie]

Truly outstanding work Ed. 

[dgbot]

Fantastic workmanship Ed.  What brand of paint are you using?

David B

[EdT]

Thank you, David.  I use artist's acrylics, except on metal.  Acrylic gouache (usually Jo Sonja tubes) and liquid acrylics ( usually Golden Fluid Acrylics).  The gouache dries dead flat and the Golden has a gloss.  

 

Ed

[flying_dutchman2]

I received vol. 1 of the YA as a door price at the Mystic conference. It is beautiful, well illustrated, and with step-by-step instruction. I have browsed the book and the plans and the one thing I immediately noticed are the methods used to build this ship. I can apply these methods to any ship I built in the future.

Presently this ship is way above my building grade, but who knows, maybe in the future.

 

Even if people do not build clippers this book it should be in everybody's library.

Marc

[EdT]

Hello Marc,

 

It was good to meet you at the conference and I am glad you will find the book useful.

 

All the best,

 

Ed

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 121 – Coach

 

The coach was really just a vestibule at the break of the poop to provide access from the main deck to the entrance of the “mezzanine” level cabin deck below.  It is an interesting and intricate structure.  Its forward end is just large enough to fit an entrance door on each side and that part is supported on a coaming on the main deck.  The aft part merely provides headroom above the main deck level over the head of the staircase that leads down to the cabins.  At the break of the poop is a double-door entrance to the head of the cabin deck staircase.  As mentioned before, the design of all this interior work is speculative.

 

The first step was to make and fit the starboard side panel on the coamings on both decks and to the bulkhead at the break of the poop.  In the first picture that wall has been built up of planks in the usual way and then cut to fit.  In the picture the forward corner post is being glued on.

 

 

In the next picture the studs on the inside of the wall have been installed and the door opening cut out flush with those members using the circular saw for most of the cut length.

 

 

A panel for the entrance door was then cut and fitted to reinforce this very fragile structure and provide a base for the door paneling.  In the next picture the panel is being glued in.

 

 

The outer door jambs and header are being added in the next picture.

 

 

In the next picture the door has been paneled inside and out and the wall installed on the coamings.

 

 

I made the doorway into the cabin itself a bit more ornate, using the same wood and trim style used in the cabins as shown in the next picture.

 

 

In this picture the double doors have been fitted with simple brass hardware.  As with the cabin woodwork, I used black walnut for the doorway.  In the next picture the finished forward bulkhead is in place and aft bulkhead is being glued in.

 

 

The wall on the port side consists only of the stud framing – to provide some visibility to the interior.  In the next picture that framing has been installed and other work is in progress.

 

 

In the picture the overhead rafters have been installed as well as the structure and panels on either side of the doorway.  The exterior end trim pieces are being glued on in the picture.  The last picture shows the freshly painted roof on the finished coach.

 

 

This picture also shows a new entryway on the port bulwark and some modifications that I will explain in the next part.

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Ed seeing the blue masking tape at first was a surprise, but then realized the relief from the anxiety of dropping a part makes the work more relaxed. Did you have to wash the surface afterwards to remove any residue that always seems to accompany the use of masking tape or is the blue tape special in this regard?

 

A second question, do you use this method often because it was the first time I recall seeing you use it?

 

I have been quietly following along and am always impressed by how clean everything always looks, and your commitment to being as accurate in your interpretation even when a large amount of the work gets mostly hidden.

 

Michael

[EdT]

Thank you for your comments, Micheal.  I decided to use the masking tape in this case because the fitting of the cabin rafters and small knees required use of tweezers and high risk of dropping parts into the lower hull where they can be very difficult to extract.  This sometimes requires upending of the model - not something I like to do very often.  After dropping a few pieces I resorted to the tape. I have tried paper cutouts with less success.  I also used the tape to cover the open deck when painting the bulwarks.  I did not detect any residue when removing it in either case.  Because of expected work, I have not applied finish to the weather deck structures as yet.

 

Ed

[michael mott]

Thanks for the information regarding the tape Ed that is good to know.

 

Michael

[albert]

Hi Ed very nice work, fantastic model, bravissimo.

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 122 – Ladderways

 

With the two larger deck cabins constructed, it was time to turn to the several smaller deck structures.  These include three companionways, two skylights, two small lockers at the forecastle break and the paneled housing for the rudder mechanism.  I thought this work would be the next logical step, before moving on to the several fife rails and the machinery – the windlass, bilge pump, capstans and wheel.

 

In preparation for making and placing ladders and stairs – work that must be done before constructing the companion structures – I had to finally decide the time period to base the model on.  Young America had a long life – 30 years.  Changes were made.  I had tentatively decided to aim for the period after installation of the Howes double topsails (1854) and after pole masts were installed above the topmasts (1860’s?).  Apart from my interest in these features, the two existing photographs of the ship were taken after these modifications.  These photos are the best primary data source available and I spend a lot of time going over them with a magnifying glass.  The photos clearly show two features that differ from the basis I initially used for the drawings and model.  First, the entryway is shown well aft, adjacent to the mizzen mast.  Also, there is a large area of each upper bulwark removed astride the main hatch.  This was undoubtedly to facilitate loading and unloading cargo.  The first picture shows the modification of the bulwarks to incorporate this feature.

 

 

This change also required modifications to the pin rails to move belayed rigging clear of this area.  The next picture shows me cutting the new entryway on the starboard side.  The pin rails in this area were also cut out.

 

 

The decision was now irrevocable, so I can stop thinking about it.  The next picture shows the completed entryways.

 

 

 The method I use for stairs and ladders was fully described in Naiad, Vol II and to some extent in earlier posts.  I use a milling machine to precisely set the angle, depth, and spacing of the treads on the stringers.  The first picture shows this in progress.

 

 

Mirror images of the cuts need to be made.  The stringer material is 4” thick and the slots are cut 2” deep and 9” apart.  The blade is about 2 ½” thick.  I used a 4” (actual) diameter blade so the work will clear the underside of the motor.  You can see by the shortness of the last two cuts that I ran into the column on the mill – but there was still enough material to make all of the 25 degree stairs.  The ladders at the entryway were 15 degrees.  This piece was then ripped into stringer pairs.

 

The next picture shows a pair with treads being fitted.

 

 

After installing the first two as shown, I fitted the other stringer and then slid in the remaining treads.  The next picture shows the finished assembly being sanded to even out the treads.

 

 

The next picture shows a stair assembly fitted into the aft main deck hatch.  There are three of these companion hatchways.

 

 

The last picture shows six of the nine ladder assemblies installed. 

 

 

There is also one into the forward hatch and two at the forecastle break.  These last two were made but will not be installed until the windlass is in place.  With this work done, the companionway enclsores can be constructed – next time.

 

 

Ed

 

 

 

[druxey]

Nicely done, Ed. How far apart are the treads in 'real size' inches?

Edited November 9, 2015 by druxey

[EdT]

Thanks for the comment druxey and to those who "liked" the post.  The 9" tread height equates to .125" (1/8"coincidentally) in real measure, slightly more than the 8" standard height in most of our stairways today.

 

Ed

[Mahuna]

Hi Ed

 

Enjoyed meeting you in Mystic.

 

That's a very interesting use of the mill for cutting with a saw blade.  Do you have the 2000 series mill, or did you use the Horizontal Milling table or Rotary Column attachment on a 5000 series mill? 

[EdT]

Thank  you, Frank.  I enjoyed meeting you as well.  On the mill, one picture may be worth a thousand words, so I have attached one of the setup below.

 

 

The mill is a Sherline 5400 Series fitted with one 1.2" spacer block between the column and the head.  The head is rotated 90 degrees.  The milling vise holds a "quick and dirty" wood "milling table".  The vise is mounted on a graduated rotating base as shown.

 

Ed

[amateur]

Hope you mind your fingers and eyes using this setup....

 

Jan

[Remcohe]

Very nice progress Ed!

 

Though I thought the same as Jan, quite a hazardous setup IMHO. I prefer to use a table saw to performs such cuts. Safer and faster if you take the time to set up a simple jig. 

 

Remco

[dgbot]

Job well Ed. But I echo the rest that it would have been safer using a saw with a jig. Open blades like that scare the day lights out of me.

David B

[EdT]

I thank you all for the concerns for my safety in the presence of the open 4" diameter blade. A couple weeks ago, I felt a similar concern for a guy getting set up to rip open a 3 foot diameter log with an unguarded 72" diameter blade.  If a tool scared the daylights out of me I wouldn't for a minute consider using it.

 

Ed. 

[SawdustDave]

What concerns me most with the setup is that you are pushing the material through the bottom of the blade.... with all the hazard of that spinning blade going on above the material. I trust Ed is very intensely aware of the potential danger and will be keenly focused when using.

Careful mate.... We don't wish to see any of your blood on all that magnificent workmanship.

[druxey]

I use a setup with a very small end mill to cut the scores for treads. Much less scary!

[michael mott]

An obvious concern for your safety Ed shown by the above posts. We all get more or less comfortable with the methods we choose to work with. My own thoughts when seeing your set up was one of less concern about the exposed blade than a snag caused by a slip of the clamps. I only use spring clamps where any slippage is not critical. my preference is always a screw type clamp when clamping to a substrate for milling or sawing with the mill with lateral movements. when cutting vertically with drill or mill a back stop to prevent rotation is either clamped with screw clamps or wood screws. Then a spring clamp for me would be OK.

 

Regards Michael 

[SawdustDave]

Of all my shop equipment, (3 table saws of different sizes, 2 laths of different sizes, band saw, drill press, chop saw, grinders, table sanders, thickness plainer, etc) it is the router that still makes me a little nervous. Loud and powerful, and moves a lot of material.

Hand held is safer than table mounted, but you can't always use hand held on small parts....a real bad *** piece of equipment.

[EdT]

Again, thanks for these comments.  It is hard to ignore good advice.  Since I expend a lot of ink describing processes I am of course very sensitive to all this.

 

I have viewed this process as a micro version of using a radial arm saw to cut a dado - from above with the blade coming forward.  In this case the cut is .028" wide and .028" deep - very small and at high tip speed, very low stress at the cut in wood.  Under heavier duty one might well consider this  a very flimsy setup.  The main advantage of this method is a wide range of saw thickness/cut widths and thus precise sizing- in this case 2".   A second advantage over making a special saw jig is setup time/expediency.  The first advantage is somewhat important, the second less so.

 

Like, Micheal, I too thought less about the exposed blade than the clamping, since no part of me ever got closer than 6" to the blade.  The steel spring clamps were actually very tight, especially considering the low stress, but screw clamps would be better.

 

Obviously, the preferred method would be to use an end mill.  This is as fast but sizes of cut are limited.  My smallest end mill is 1/32"(.03125").   The next step down that I have seen in the less-than-$100 price range is 1/64" - too small.  In retrospect, a 1/32" tread thickness (2.3") would be a very acceptable compromise, and I admit would be the preferred method.

 

I will soon have another opportunity to recover my good reputation for safety when I make the skylight windows.

 

Thanks again for this input.

 

Ed

[EdT]

Dave,  sorry I missed your comment.   I have a similar array of life size machinery that I have been using on a regular basis for the last 40 years or so.  Like you, I too have most respect for the router.  There are no small router injuries.  However, I feel safer with the table mounted router than with the handheld, especially the 2HP plunge router that I use for making deep mortises  - even with a very elaborate and strong jig to confine the movement.  Its something about the high speed router bit not being stationary.  Same goes for the moving blade on the chop saw or a radial arm saw.  I would not own the latter.  Wood turning with gouges also has its moments of risk.  Model shipbuilding remains a fairly safe pursuit.

 

Ed

[Mahuna]

Another way to make small slots using a milling machine is to mount a small jewelers bit in a collet or chuck.  I recently received a variety of very small bits from a friend who was retiring from the jewelry business.  They all have 3/32 shanks and are a wide variety of sizes and shapes.  Specific bits can be ordered from any number of jeweler supply houses.  My favorites are Gesswein, Shor International, and Contenti.

 

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 123 – Companions

 

Once the three ladderways into the lower decks were installed, the companion structures over these three hatchways could be constructed.  Before describing construction the completed two aft of the main mast are shown in the first picture.

 

 

All three structures are similar, with entry doors and a sliding panel to close them off when not in use.  They are fairly intricate structures.  In the one to the left in the picture the doors and sliding cap have been left open.  Unfinished wood on these has been finished with beeswax/turpentine.

 

The first step in making these is shown in the next picture.  The side and forward walls are paneled.  The first step in making the paneling was to trim long pieces with thin horizontal strips. 

 

 

The total thickness of these laminates is about 2 ½” (.035” act.).  These pieces were then cut to fit the coamings and trimmed out as shown below.

 

 

In the next picture one of these is being fitted into the rabbet on one of the head ledges.

 

 

When the three sides were  trimmed to size, they were painted white, fitted with natural wood corner posts and installed on the coamings as shown below.

 

 

Additional internal members and the outer roof planks were then added as shown in the next picture.

 

 

Next, the remaining roof planks, excluding the slide rails, were installed and painted blue.

 

 

The rails, door jambs, door and a closing cross piece were then added as shown below.

 

 

One of the sliding caps that were made to fit over the rails is shown in the picture.

 

The last picture shows the companion over the forward hatch.  The double-door entry to each of these was fitted with very simple brass wire hardware.

 

 

Next will be the two skylights on the poop deck.

 

 

Ed

 

[Mirabell61]

Wonderful Ed !!

 

Nils

[dgbot]

The thing about miniature joinery is that the angles have to be perfect for a good look.  And you have done wonders.

David B

[GLakie]

Astounding precision Ed!  Beautiful work!