Young America by EdT - FINISHED - extreme clipper 1853

[jburchfield1@wowway.com]

This is really amazing work.  Don't always hit the like button or comment, but am following avidly.  Maybe in another 25 years I can hope to come close.

 

I apologize if you have already answered this elsewhere but there are a lot of pages here......

 

Do you have experience as a finish carpenter or is this skill just from years of experience? 

[SJSoane]

 

Ed,

 

Beautiful lines in the stern view. Ahh, ships, works of art....

 

Are you ripping the knees from the shaped blank on a table saw? Seems like the blade would be high, and a thin piece trapped against the fence on the last parting cut.

 

Mark

[Erebus and Terror]

Great to see all your detailed preparatory work prior to assembly. Good call on the cherry!

[EdT]

Thank you, everyone - for the comments, "likes" and the questions.  As for the questions:

 

Pops, I'm afraid its all book learning and practice over 40+ years - a great deal of furniture work, other mdoelmaking and two previous ship models - both on these pages.  A close look will tell you I'm no perfectionist, but I am productive.  Its a balance for me.

 

Mark, the knees are sliced off on a 2" diameter Preac table saw using a fairly thin slotting saw blade.  Because of the shape these require two passes, each made with one knee arm up so they can be held from above through the cut.  Two push sticks can also be used.  This double cut sometimes leaves a visible cut line, which is sanded off.  These are 12" (.167") so I usually get 5 from a 1" thick shape.  These could be cut individually from a .167" blank, but the method shown saves hours (and sanity).

 

...and yes, Young America had very beautiful lines - for which I, of course, take no credit. 

 

Ed

[SawdustDave]

Ed....I keep seeing you use ... ".... used to express your measurements. Since the " notation has universally been used as an indication of inches, I am a little confused because, obviously, these knees are not a foot thick before you slice them up.

So, my question is..... Are we looking at cm or mm measurements?

Absolutely love your masterful work.

Dave

[EdT]

Sorry to be confusing in flipping back and forth between real and scale dimensions, Dave,  I almost always use actual historical feet and inches to express ship or ship part dimensions so you can convert to scaled, model sized dimensions in cm or ft-in as you prefer.  These ships were built in the English system of measure - not that it matters in scaling. 

 

However when talking about tools - like the 2" saw blade - or even the thickness of the starting block for the knees  - 1" thick - I will usually use actual feet and inches, since it makes no sense to say I'm using a 12 foot diameter saw blade on my Preac - or even -  a block of pear 6 feet thick.  When expressing some model dimensions, like the finished siding thickness of the knees, I will sometimes indicate both the actual, unscaled plus the scaled- as in the last post - 12"(.167").  The .167" is the 1:72 equivalent of the unscaled 12" - in this case to better describe the actual size of the piece being sliced off.

 

I hope this explanation has not confused you even more.  I do understand why it might.

 

The most frequently used tool in my workshop is the 1:72 conversion chart that converts real unscaled dimensions to scaled dimensions.  A copy is attached.  Rulers, English or metric are the least used.

 

Ed

1to72 Inch Conversions.pdf

[Jeronimo]

Ed

 

Your industry and creativity knows no bounds.

 

A wonderful set of photos.

 

Alan

 

 

Hi Ed,

wonderful work.

Alan hat meine Worte und Bewunderung für die Arbeit schon geschrieben.

Karl   

[SawdustDave]

Thanks for clearing that up for me Ed....Makes perfect sense.

And thanks for the conversion chart.

Carry on Mate.

[the learner]

Thanks for the conversion chart, will have it  laminated and put in my work book

[Justin P.]

One of my favorite build logs.   I learn everytime you post Ed.   Thanks.

[Mirabell61]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853

Part 74 – Middle Deck Parts

 

Posts to the log have not been as frequent because much of the work has been repetitive.  In the next phase – the middle deck – the work will be a virtual carbon copy of the lower deck.

 

Very little work remains to finish the lower deck – mainly treenailing and some deck planking.  While that is being completed, parts for the middle deck are being made.  In the first picture some sample turned pillars have been made to help me decide on the choice of woods for these.  Six dozen are required for the next two decks.

 

YA074 01.jpg

 

Turned pillars above the lower and middle decks were probably black locust – a favorite wood for that application – and for treenails.  The four options pictured are, left to right, Castelo, Cherry, Mahogany and Black Walnut.  I loved the color of the Honduras Mahogany but the pores are a bit distracting –same with the Walnut.  They could be filled but not on these small pieces – maybe for the upper deck rails.  So I decided on the cherry.  It is slightly darker than the pear I am using for oak members.

 

For the final versions of these a new lathe bit for the beads was required.  After quite a lot of fiddling with the shape and the depth of the cut the tool in the following picture was used.

 

YA074 02.jpg

 

The next picture shows the beads on a pillar being turned.

 

YA074 03.jpg

 

The piece is held in a self-centering four jaw Sherline chuck, running on my ancient Unimat SL.  The homemade brass adapter for the chuck can be seen in the lower left corner.  The cherry square is kept on center inside a close fitting brass sleeve in the tailstock chuck.  Cutting depth is set by the brass half sleeve stop slipped over the cross-feed rods – visible just below the cutting tool.   The beads are cut first and the piece removed so others can use the same setup.  That set up is then changed and the area between the beads turned in about the same way.

 

The next picture shows the first two dozen pillars in progress.

 

YA074 04.jpg

 

Deck beams were also made.  The picture below shows the middle deck set before cutting to length.

 

YA074 05.jpg

 

 The clamp template in the picture is used on a router table to impart the top of the beam curve – a recycled tool from Naiad – but with a different round up.  Once the curve is put on the top of a blank, the beam is parted off and run upside down through the thickness sander.  I have described this process on a few earlier posts and it is described in detail in Naiad Vol II.

 

Knees, knees, knees – about ten dozen are needed for the middle deck.  Below the pattern sheet for the starter set of hanging knees has been pasted to a pear blank about an inch thick.

 

YA074 06.jpg

 

After cutting out on the scroll saw the 12” thick knees will be sliced off.  The next picture shows the pieces after cutting to shape with some ripped to size.

 

YA074 07.jpg

 

 

The shape of these knees will need to be refined to fit each location – from about eight basic shapes. 

 

Finally, the out-of-date drawing on the shipway board was replaced with a new one with latest revisions - and is it clean!.  The picture below was taken before setting up the end supports – to give a good view of the stern hull lines.

 

YA074 08.jpg

 

 Ed

 

Hello Ed,

 

love this Stern view of the Framework, a very nice sight of the beautiful lines of this ship

 

Nils

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 75 – Lower Deck Finishing/ Middle Deck Beams

 

The finishing touches on the lower deck are finally complete.  The first four pictures show the last stages of the work.  The first picture shows the last section of binding strake being installed.

 

 

As usual the dark area are wet  from washing off excess glue.  The two central planks aft of the after hatch are also being glued.  The opening for the mizzenmast will be cut later.  The next picture shows final planking around the main masts. 

 

 

The planks astride the openings are need for the pillars.  There is not much planking on this deck – to maximize visibility of the hold.  After this final planking, all of the remaining treenails were installed and all of the copper bolts blackened in preparation for finish.

 

In the next picture the starboard side framing has received the first application of wax solution.  The side planking is left unfinished so the hanging knees can be glued.

 

 

The next picture shows a closer view above the forward hatch after the first coat of finish was applied.

 

 

The planks have been cut for the fore mast opening and left unfinished for later gluing of the pillars.

 

The next picture shows fitting of the middle deck beams in progress.

 

 

These have been cut to size, shaped at the ends to match the frames and pinned in place temporarily.  In the next picture all of the full width beams have been pinned in place.

 

 

Ed

 

[alangr4]

Wonderful lines Ed. It is fantastic to see her taking shape.

 

It looks like it would have been very difficult to load and unload from those two decks? What would YA have usually carried on those two decks during her working life?

 

Great pics.

 

Alan

[the learner]

Anything from Chinese coolies to crude oil! Sugar, freight, manufactured goods...basically anything that could be packaged in a barrel or burlap!

[druxey]

Exemplary as usual, Ed. Quite spectacular.

[Scoot]

Regarding the stern view. Nice butt....I mean buttocks......no,..no, I mean, um futtocks....Um......Nice lines.

[EdT]

Thanks, again, for the comments.  On the cargoes, Guy has it quite right - anything that the market demanded - in Gold Rush California that meant just about any saleable commodity.  The hold, lower and upper decks were basically jammed with cargo, the hatches sealed and caulked and usually no one went below the main deck until it was time to unload.  She did make one run from Hong Kong to Manila with 800 coolies aboard and in her last years under Austrian ownership she carried a lot of Pennsylvania crude oil to Trieste.  Attached is a cargo list from her October 1854 voyage from NYC to SF that will give you an idea of typical cargo - if you can decipher it.  Right click and open link to magnify.

 

Ed

[SawdustDave]

Ed....Is this about the time "Store High In Transit" came into use?

[druxey]

Quite the eclectic cargo! That is an interesting window into the transported goods of the day.

[SJSoane]

Oh, my! They must have had numerous freight handlers selling little quantities of space, to accommodate all of those diverse goods.

[Erebus and Terror]

Wonderful documentation, Ed. Now to model 418 boxes of oysters!

[dgbot]

Several years ago when the NRG had their conference in San Fransisco we were able to board the Balcutha.  And from what I saw they really packed it in.

David B

Edited July 17, 2014 by dgbot

[EdT]

Thanks for the pictures, David.  I am sure that at the prevailing freight rates she was jammed to the gun'ls. 

 

SawdustDave, I can't answer your question.  You need an entymologist for that one. But related to that, unlike many other aging clippers, I do not think Young America ever had to suffer the indignities of the detested guano trade.  However, my minimal undrstanding of that is that the ships were moored under the chutes and basically filled up.  Ammonia cocktail, anyone?

 

Ed

[SawdustDave]

Whether the term was "Store High" or "Ship High" (In Transit).... I question whether this story of that being the original source of the crude word, we so often use, actually holds true.

Dave

[amateur]

I presume it's not: too many related words on the old continent look very much alike this famous four letter word.

 

Jan

[alangr4]

Great pics David. They really do capture what it would have been like being a wharfie in the 19th century stacking these holds. A tough way to earn a buck although I suspect they weren't getting a buck for their labours.

 

Again Ed your build generates so many questions and research topics every time you post a new pic.

 

Well done

 

Alan

[dgbot]

My battery died before I could get a shot of the bow. It reminded me of a U.P.S trailer, every square inch was utilized. You could not get your finger in between any of it.

David B

[EdT]

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 76 –Middle Deck Framing

 

Since the last post eight middle deck beams and one pair of half beams have been installed – along with their hanging knees and pillars.  Lodging knees will follow.  The first picture shows the first four beams and two pillars installed.

 

 

The beams are glued bolted to the clamps with copper wire - epoxied in.  There will also be copper wire bolts through the beams into the tops of each hanging knee for extra strength.  The pillars are reinforced with wire into the beams top and bottom.

 

The next picture shows the first of the carlings installed.

 

 

These are going in after the pillars to leave space for fitting those.  In the next picture, the next beam has been glued in and is awaiting its hanging knees. 

 

 

Once the beams are in place to support the clamp over the view openings, they can be cut out – as in the above picture.  The next picture shows the first two of three openings cut into the forward view area.

 

 

The next picture shows those openings from the inside.  This area is now ready for the headers around the fore mast and the half beams to those headers.

 

 

The areas below the middle deck are having wax finish applied progressively as the work above is finished. In the next picture the two headers and half beams have been installed astride the fore mast opening,

 

 

The beam, knee and pillar bolts mentioned above were also in when this picture was taken. The last picture shows the current extent of the work completed.

 

 

This work is going faster than the lower deck framing, mainly because there are no knees on the pillars.  Patterns for the middle deck knees were also lofted more carefully using a different process - meaning the initial fits are better.  Also, deferring the lodging knees is probably more efficient.

 

 

 Ed

[Justin P.]

 

This work is going faster than the lower deck framing, mainly because there are no knees on the pillars.  Patterns for the middle deck knees were also lofted more carefully using a different process - meaning the initial fits are better.  Also, deferring the lodging knees is probably more efficient.

 

 

 Ed

 

 

What I love about this log, is that I know or am familiar with very little, admire and respect much and spend a fairly decent amount of time simply looking things up that I didnt know I didnt know. 

 

Thanks Ed.  Slowly but surely Im understanding what "lofting" is and where/how it applies... 

[alangr4]

Umm Ed

 

I know I was concerned the other day about how they got the goods in and out of those decks but did they have RoRo in the 19th century?

 

You don't have to cut through the framing on my account.

 

Great job.

 

Alan