Young America 1853 by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper

[rwiederrich]

Found a 6ft half model of the Young America in the Smithsonian in DC.

 

Very fine example.

[EdT]

Rob, thanks for posting the photo from the Smithsonian.   I am familiar with this - the original builders half model - but have not seen it in person.  Its good to know it is on exhibit.

 

Ed 

Edited October 15, 2016 by EdT

[rwiederrich]

Ed..I wasn't sure that it was the builders model..but it was very large and ...did you zoom in on the cheek plates to see the ornamental designs?  Beautiful.

Unfortunately Donald McKay,s half model of the Glory of the Seas was not available for viewing.

 

I hope you enjoy the image.

 

Rob

[rwiederrich]

The model of the Webb clipper, Challenge just beneath the half model was exquisite.

 

Rob

[EdT]

I am quite sure these were the builders models.  They are in the Smithsonian collection.  I have other pictures of them.

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

Care to share those other pictures Ed?  I for one would love to see them.  If you have not already posted them.

 

Rob

[ggrieco]

I haven't had the opportunity to check in for awhile. I was blown away! Absolutely spectacular! I can't imagine a model being any more realistic looking.

[EdT]

Thank you, Glenn.  Most kind.  When I saw over 50 notifications in my box, I figured someone was doing some catchup. 

 

Rob, the picture is attached.  Look familiar?

 

Ed

 

 

[EdT]

Thank you, Glenn.  Most kind.  When I saw over 50 notifications in my box, I figured someone was doing some catchup. 

 

Rob, the picture is attached.  Look familiar?

 

Ed

 

 

[rwiederrich]

Yes..I have seen this image many times before.  It sure was a big half model.

 

Assuming this is not the model used to scale up the design...would not that model need to be segmented for such a task?

 

This appears more a depictive model..rather then a working scale model.

 

Regardless...it was amazing  and so was the *Challenge*.

 

Rob

[EdT]

Rob, I am quite certain that this model was used to shape the hull  and then to take off the offsets.  This process did not require tracing of segmented lifts but could be done from measurements.  Either process may have been used.   The segments could have later been assembled and finished.  

 

I expect that the model was given some detail as shown for purposes of describing it to and negotiating with the owners.   I assume the scale to be 1:48.  This process was common practice by Webb and very likely other American builders and perhaps Brits as well.

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

I currently have half models of the clippers Lightning, Cutty Sark and I will be making one for the Sovereign of the Seas.

 

Rob 

[GuntherMT]

It's taken me a very long time, but I've finally gotten caught up with this log.  Thank you for the wonderful job you are doing with the photo's and documentation of this build Ed, it's really great.

 

I hope to someday be in a position to start a Naiad build, but I think a lot of things you show in this log and no doubt the books will be useful for that build also.

[Mike40]

I just started reading your log from the beginning Ed, but I skipped to the last post just to say how I much admire the inspiring work you have done on Young America. Your log is very much like a 'how to' handbook from which I have already learned so many techniques that will allow me to work much more accurately. I am in process of making frames for my first POF model and I found your way of pinning the frame components for gluing and locating to be extremely helpful, especially since I have been having mixed success with my frames so far. I know there will be many more of your ideas used as my build progress. 

[EdT]

Thank you Brian and Mike.

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 179 – Swinging Boom Hardware

 

Another small detailing chore.

 

The primary purpose of the lower studdingsail booms, commonly called swinging booms in this period, were to secure the feet of the studding sails sometimes used on either side of the foresail, and less commonly outside the mainsail.  These booms were also sometimes deployed in port for the mooring of small boats.  I expect to store two of these booms on the cabin deck skid beams and include hardware to support them on the fore channels only.  The first picture shows the iron brackets at each end the port fore channel.

 

 

The forward bracket is simply an iron bar with a hole to accept a gooseneck at the end of the boom.  At the aft end of the channel is an iron cradle to support the boom when fitted but not extended.  Both fittings are bolted through the channels.  The next picture shows one set of roughly formed fittings.

 

 

The support bracket to the right is being formed in the next picture, beginning with the bending of a right angle.

 

 

After bending the brass strip, it is hammered in the vise to form a sharp angle.  The round cradle at the end was then formed as shown in the next picture.

 

 

The end of the strip is left long to facilitate bending of the curve.  The bracket at the bottom of the picture has two bolts fitted.  In the next picture a fitting is set up for soldering of the bolts.

 

 

The bolts were then filed off and the pieces finish filed and buffed, pickled, degreased and blackened.  The last picture shows the starboard fore channel with the brackets installed.

 

 

 

Ed

[rwiederrich]

Excellent work Ed.  I too will be fashioning similar fixtures for the GR myself.

Great execution.

 

Rob

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 180 – Bowsprit

 

So, after three years and179 parts to this build log it is finally time to get off the deck.  Making the largest spars – lower masts and bowsprit – is the first order of business.

 

In shaping all the spars for the model, I expect to generally follow the methods used by the original spar makers – except of course for the tools.  I expect to take some liberties with the made masts, but that will be covered later.  There are many steps involved in getting from a model "tree" to a finished spar.  I do not intend to cover them in detail here, but merely to provide an overview.  Even at that, this posting on the bowsprit has nine pictures and a fair amount of text.

 

I started with the bowsprit as perhaps the simplest of the large spars.  At 47' long and 36" maximum diameter it was undoubtedly made from a single tree – probably of long leaf (yellow) pine.  The first picture shows the spar after the "first trimming" – the point at which the tree has been squared to the spars maximum diameter and cut roughly to length.

 

 

The piece has been marked on all four faces at the ends and at the four "quarters" forward of the "partners" – that is in this case, the knightheads.  The square section inside the knightheads has been marked.  Centerlines have been drawn on all four faces.

 

In the next picture the breadths at each quarter and the ends are being marked on one face only with dividers set from the drawing.

 

 

In the next picture the "second trimming" is being made on the disk sander. 

 

 

Two opposite faces are being trimmed back to the measurements made above.  This tool helps keep the cuts perpendicular and fair.  The next picture shows the spar after the second trim.  It shows the tapers at the ends on two opposing sides only. 

 

 

These cuts were made just slightly full so they could be safely finished to the final dimensions in later steps.  The calipers and the calculator are key tools for this.  The converted dimensions may be seen in pencil on the drawing.  In the picture the trimmed faces have been marked with centerlines and quarter marks.  The breadths at each point were then marked on the trimmed faces, so the "third trimming" could be made on the remaining two sides – also on the disk sander as before.  The bowsprit after the third trim is shown fitted part way in position between the knightheads.

 

 

The next step – the fourth trimming – converts the still square areas (except at the partners) to an intermediate octagonal shape.  The trimming is done by hand – planes, rasps, files, scraper plate.  To provide some rough guide lines for that work, the tool shown below was useful.

 

 

The apices of an octagon are 7/24 of the diameter in from the sides of the square at each point along the curve.  The tool shown has a scriber point at 7/24 distance from one of two end guides.  By angling the tool as it is drawn along the spar, a 7/24 line is scribed.  This takes some practice and is a rough measure – but a very helpful one.  With lines marked on each face of the square section, the octagonal flats were cut and the spar trimmed as shown below.   

 

 

A lot of caliper measurements and fine trimmings are required to get the spar to this point.  The diameters of all the faces at each point are measured and trimmed to size.   The final, "fifth trimming" is being made below.

 

 

The apices are being filed off and the spar rounded.  Again the diameters at each mark are checked.  Roundness along the spar was checked using a draftsman's circle template to spot high areas.  The last picture shows the bowsprit fitted temporarily with its tenon seated in the step above the main deck.

 

 

In the picture the bowsprit has been sanded but not polished and the tenon for the cap is not yet cut.

 

Ed

 

[Maury S]

Ed, Beautiful.  Will you elaborate on the "7/24" scriber.  That's the same as  7-10-7 line-out that we're familiar with but having the tool might help.  Once made, it will work on all spars, but how did you make it?

Maury

[giampieroricci]

your job is pure entertainment!

[EdT]

Thank you Maury and Gianpierro, and also for the likes on the last post.

 

Maury, the marking tool is simple to make, but to use it takes some getting used to - and maybe there should be a version 2 that is more ready for prime time.  But the idea seemed worth pursuing and it actually produced good results.  The line is good for the initial trimming but is then refined by measurements around the octagon at each point.  The key when scribing is to keep both guide rods engaged to the side of the piece as the breadth changes.  Starting at the small end seems to help.

 

The marker is simply a piece of 1/8" square brass drilled with three tight holes for hard, spring steel wire/rod - or nails?.  The center pin is sharpened, is shorter the the guides at the ends, and is centered 7/24 of the distance from the inside of one guide to the inside of the other - not the centers.  7/24 is an approximation (7-10-7), a rule of thumb used by mastmakers.  The spacing of the three holes was calculated and spaced for drilling by the mill calibration wheel.  The guide spacing should be larger than the maximum spar breadth.  Although it will work for smaller spars, the error increases as the spar size decreases, so a smaller one may be needed - but may be impractical to use.  I will see how it works on the topmasts.  Error also increases with the diameter of the guide rods.  A filed point on each side may be better.

 

Ed

[druxey]

Error with the gauge will also increase when used at extreme angles. Several sizes are recommended, so that the changing angle does not exceed about 30 to 40 degrees. Two pins, 7 parts of 24 in from each edge, will speed up the marking out process.

[rwiederrich]

Fantastic wood working Ed.  I do appreciate the time you spend in describing the processes...it's as if we're  learning at the hand of a master shipwright in 1853.

 

The main mast of the GR are end tapered and I will be rigging a gig for the process on my wood lather for this.  Watching you use your equipment is quite refreshing and encouraging as well...not to mention all the hand working you apply to this project.

 

Rob 

[albert]

Wonderful model ED.

[EdT]

Thanks for these additional comments and likes.

 

Druxey, I think your comments on error reflect what I said initially about error increasing at smaller sizes - because the smaller size increases the angle of the spar in the device and thus, as you said, the error.  Just to elaborate - at the risk of getting crazy with this.  I saw two theoretical sources of error (excludes operator error): 1) the diameter of the guide rods, 2) to a much lesser extent, fact that the rods bear on the spar above and below the point marked - not right at that point.

 

Before making the device I was concerned about the guide rod diameter, so I made some calculations:  With .032" guide rods and assuming 100% accuracy at 90 deg to the line of the guides: at 45 deg the 7/24 portion is 2.6% under (.003" @ 1:72), at 30 deg the portion is 3.2% under (.0024" @ 1:72). Note that % increases but actual measure decreases.   An angle of 30 deg corresponds to a spar of 50% of the markers maximum - about 1/4" actual.

 

I believe item 2 can be safely ignored.

 

So, I concluded the precision was adequate and went ahead and made the device.  I would not, as you say, want to use this at angles less than 30 degrees - or much below 45 for that matter.

 

So, a simple device is not so simple.

 

Ed

Edited October 29, 2016 by EdT

[druxey]

Operator error? In your case, surely not!  

 

Thanks for your analysis of device error with increasing angle, Ed.

[EdT]

The miracle of CAD, Druxey.  I was going to attach a copy of the diagram, but when I closed the app, I messed up saving it.  Operator error.

[cog]

Sooner a designer error ... I wouldn't call it an error, that's due the program ... I would go for temporary insanity. Nice tool though!!! Whom ever said inventors are sane ...

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 181 – Mizzen Mast

 

First, a word on the drawings made and used for all the spars.  The lengths were based on the original builders sail plan and a spar list published at the time with a few exceptions to be described later.  The diameters and other proportions were based on standard, documented practice at the time.

 

At 78' long X 29" diameter, the lower mizzen mast was near the borderline at the time between masts made from a single tree and those built up from smaller sticks – the so-called "made masts."  Longleaf pine, 3 to 5 feet in diameter and 80' to 100' feet long were available but easy to reach trees of this size were depleted by this time, requiring more effort to haul them out of the forest.  Most likely YA's lower mizzen was a made mast.  Because I wanted to describe both single tree and made mast modeling in a future book, I made this mast from a single stick.  Subject to further research, I may band this mast as would be done on a made mast.  So, making this single stick mast is described here before going on to the two other made masts.

 

Although the trimming to size of the masthead "doubling" was normally done in the second and third trimmings, I did it right after squaring the stick to the full diameter, the first trim.  Apart from the build up, this sizing method is the primary difference between the modeling of single stick and made masts.  By milling the head, as shown in the first picture, I could be sure the mast would be straight over its full length and that the doubling would be square and true.

 

 

In the next picture the centerlines are being drawn on the squared stick.

 

 

With the quarters marked, the breadths at each were then marked out from the centerline with dividers as shown below.

 

 

The indentation of the divider point was the only mark made – no lines.  The next two trimmings were done to these marks on the disk sander in two separate trimmings as described in the last part (Part 180) on the bowsprit.  In the following picture the trimmed breadths at each point are being checked with calipers on all four faces.

 

 

Adjustments were then made to bring the breadths close to the final size by filing and/or scraping.  This was the critical step in final sizing of the mast profile. 

 

To lay out the lines for the octagonal shaping, the tool described in the last post was used.  It seems easier to use by clamping it in the vise and drawing the stick over it.

 

 

In the next picture the octagon sides are being planed flat almost down to the scribed lines.

 

 

I have small model planes, but the Stanley 92 is so precise that I normally use it wherever there is room.  The octagon was finished to size, measured and adjusted, then given the fifth trimming – rounding – using files.  In the next picture the rounding is being checked using the circle template.

 

 

High spots are readily found by this method, filed down and rechecked.  The finished stick is shown in the next picture.

 

 

The step tenon was cut by trial and error until it fit neatly into the step mortise.  The mastheads are chamfered to the diameter at the hounds.  This is necessary not only for the usual safety reasons, but more importantly, so that the mast bands will pass over it.  For the same reason, the squared hounds below the masthead cannot be installed until the bands are fitted. 

 

The next picture shows the mast slipped temporarily in place. 

 

 

The main deck opening will later be enlarged, the rake set, and the mast wedged in place.

 

 

Ed

Edited October 31, 2016 by EdT

[Maury S]

Beautiful!  Why was the step tenon not done at the same time and method as the mast-head trimming?

Maury