HM Cutter Speedy 1828 by oakheart - from plans drawn by Bill Shoulders in 1972

[allanyed]

5 hours ago, oakheart said:

Onto planking the Port side now

 

Did you find any twisting issues by planking only one side first?   I have always planked a strake or two on one side then the same on the opposite for fear of twisting the hull by planking on side completely before planking the other side.

Thanks

Allan

[oakheart]

2 hours ago, allanyed said:

Did you find any twisting issues by planking only one side first?

I have read that this could be a problem, I had done about 2/3rds of the sides together, do one plank and mirror the other side, then I could not stop myself and rushed ahead, finished one side so I could see what it looked like. ( you know me always rushing to get finished )

So far there is no visible twisting, maybe it only happens if you plank one whole side and leave the other blank.

 

Talking of twisting, I am finding getting the twist of the planks at the stern right very difficult.

I'm using a small hot iron the bend the planks and it works well it's getting the twist in the right direction and how much, that gets me all the time.

 

 

Tim 

[allanyed]

Try soaking the plank overnight and then twist it in place and clamp it (softly) and then hit it with a hot air gun.  I find the gun much more efficient and easier to use than an iron.

 

Allan

[oakheart]

6 hours ago, allanyed said:

Try soaking the plank overnight and then twist it in place and clamp it (softly) and then hit it with a hot air gun.

Thanks Allan, I will try that.

It will also slow me down.

A bit worried that my hot air gun is a rather large beast, will it affect the rest of the hull?

 

Tim

[allanyed]

Hi Tim,

My gun has about a one inch opening with 6 settings for the temperature and to date I have had no problems.  The highest setting will scorch the wood so I stay just below that point.   I prefer to pre-form the pieces off the hull by spiling or hot edge bending when possible but have had times at the stern where I find it easier to form it on the hull and heat/dry it while it is temporarily clamped in place and have not had any issues.  Even then, once it is apparently dry I remove it for some hours or more  to be sure it is completely dry before gluing it as it will contract if it is at all wet and leave unsightly gaps.  This may only be me, but I have never found speed to be a consideration as I assume a fully framed hull will approach 1000 hours and POB several hundred hours to get things right.  If speed was a criterion for me I would not consider ship modeling as a good choice of hobbies, but that is just me.   Everyone has their own priorities, so go with what makes you happy which is one of reasons we have hobbies.  😀

Allan

[oakheart]

4 hours ago, allanyed said:

If speed was a criterion

I just don't seem to be able to stop myself from rushing things, spent my whole working life making models to tight deadlines, old habits and all that.

I really want to slow down and enjoy the process.

 

Any tips from any of you out there?

 

Tim

[allanyed]

Tim,

 

Self discipline is about all I can think of.   If things are not going right for me, it's usually because I am rushing and in the end it takes less time to do it right one time than to do it more than once because it was a mess up the first go around.

Allan

[oakheart]

1 hour ago, allanyed said:

Self discipline is about all I can think of.

Thanks Allan, I do read my daily Stoic post on Facebook.

But yes you are right,  getting the right mind set before you start the task is key to getting a good result.

Thanks for your support.

 

Tim

[mtaylor]

I find remember the "treat each piece as a model and at the the of the day, you'll have more models than most do in a lifetime.".    Yes, it's hard to do that and I'm still trying to follow that.

[oakheart]

7 hours ago, mtaylor said:

"treat each piece as a model and at the the of the day, you'll have more models than most do in a lifetime."

Thanks for that Mark, I too will try to keep it in mind.

It also helps that there are not so many tasks that need attending to in the garden. I have just cleared the leaves from a Mulberry tree.

The first hard frost and they all come down at once in great drifts.

 

On 11/28/2023 at 12:04 AM, allanyed said:

try soaking the plank

Hi Allan, I just tried this. The plank is keeping the shape nicely. I let it dry out off the hull as you suggested. After my coffee I will glue it in place.

 

Tim

[allanyed]

As time is sometimes part of your equation, the hot air gun will save hours.   The Galaxy Pro should suffice and can be found on Amazon UK for a reasonable price.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=hOT+AIR+guns&crid=O6BKDLLKMS3T&sprefix=hot+air+guns%2Caps%2C198&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

Allan

 

 

[mtaylor]

Even an old hair dryer will work.  They don't usually get hot enough to burn the wood if one's not being careful with a hot air gun.   I use both depending on my mood.

[oakheart]

5 hours ago, mtaylor said:

Even an old hair dryer will work

Hi Mark, my 20 year old heat gun has 2 settings, After doing a bit of research

The maximum temperature of a hair dryer is 140°C,  a heat gun's maximum temperature is upto 700°C

Mine does low : 460°C and high : 600°C

 

if I make a snoot for it as well it could work

 

 

Here is the wet plank clamped in place, I soaked it in boiling water for several minutes then clamped it and left it to dry overnight.

 

here it is clamped and gluing.

 

 

fingers crossed 🙂

 

Tim

 

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by oakheart

[CiscoH]

I use a hairdryer to twist planks and it so far works well.  Another upside is the heat dries the plank and if anything shrinks it.  

I also have used hot water (heat a glass of water in the microwave until its hot to the touch and then just leave the plank in the water for 10 min).  You have to clamp the plank in place and leave it overnight to dry.  i always worry if it hasn’t fully dried it may shrink and open gaps in the future.

 

But i’m working with holly which is very forgiving.

 

regardless thats a nice planking job you did

cisco

[oakheart]

6 hours ago, CiscoH said:

regardless thats a nice planking job you did

Hi Cisco

Some good advice there and thanks for the compliment.

I will make sure the plank is fully dry before gluing it in place.

Not worked with holly, I must try and get some.

 

Tim

[oakheart]

 

Thanks for all the likes.

 

I have now completed the planking on both sides.

The gun ports have been marked out as per the drawings

 

 

before they are cut, I tested with the cannon and a card template

 

 

here are the first half cut, I used a 10a scalpel to cut them, the cedar is a joy to cut.

 

 

here is a test of fitting the lining, not sure if it's too thick?

 

 

a lot of cleaning up to do before the ports look crisp.

 

 

I have traced the deck fittings to give me an idea of what it will look like.
I now need to plan the deck planking

For this I need some advice, what would be the correct plank layout for a cutter like this?

Is there a layout I could use, the drawings I have only show part of the deck.

 

 

Only a few more days until Christmas, hope I can find some spare time to get a bit more done

 

Tim

[iMustBeCrazy]

She's moving along Tim.

 

9 hours ago, oakheart said:

I have traced the deck fittings to give me an idea of what it will look like.

Something looks a little off aft, possibly the angles? Also, note that the drawing has the W.C. and pantry too far forward.

 

9 hours ago, oakheart said:

For this I need some advice, what would be the correct plank layout for a cutter like this?

Is there a layout I could use, the drawings I have only show part of the deck.

Cheerful could be a reasonable guide, https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/revenue-cutter-cheerful-1806.php  chapters 6-8.

 

 

[oakheart]

5 hours ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

Cheerful could be a reasonable guide

 

Hi Craig, thanks for the link I will go and take a look

I have some holly planks to try on the deck.

Your other advice and drawings are very helpful.

Is that dotted line an exit hole for the WC ?

 

Tim

 

 

 

 

[iMustBeCrazy]

1 hour ago, oakheart said:

Is that dotted line an exit hole for the WC ?

Yes, putting a shed over it was a step up from this:

[oakheart]

7 hours ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

Cheerful could be a reasonable guide

Having looked at Chucks deck, I think I will go for a simple straight run of planks for this build the curved planking will have to wait for another build.

I have seen talk of a 3 or 4 plank shift designs, I will draw up some plans but not sure which would be appropriate for this type of cutter

[oakheart]

After doing some more research, I think I will go for a simple deck like the one that Chris Watton designed for his Cutter Alert.

 

Here is a screen grab from the online manual. Saves me drawing up my own, thanks Chris.

 

 

I will not do the treenails shown.

 

 

[iMustBeCrazy]

12 hours ago, oakheart said:

I think I will go for a simple deck

At a minimum I'd delete the following joins:

It gets rid of planks that are just too short.

 

Also consider how wide you think your planks should be.

 

And if you want to go a bit more accurate, the deck beam spacing varied quite a bit, you could put your joins on the beams.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by iMustBeCrazy

[oakheart]

9 hours ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

put your joins on the beams.

 

As usual your advice is good.

That would make it look better.

Is that deck / beam plan of the Speedy or a different cutter?

 

I am tempted at this point to make this build the 'Kite' there is a great painting of her in action off Beachy Head on the south coast of Britain

by Montague Dawson

 

 

I think she was a sister to Lapwing.

 

The painting shows the drama of a chase really well, my model will just be static on the shelf. maybe put a print of the painting behind it.

 

Tim 

 

[iMustBeCrazy]

21 minutes ago, oakheart said:

Is that deck / beam plan of the Speedy or a different cutter?

Lapwing or Speedy or somewhere between the two, I've done toooooooo many versions to remember.

 

22 minutes ago, oakheart said:

I think she was a sister to Lapwing.

Nice painting but: HMS Kite - Purchased in 1778 which makes her 40 years too early for Lapwings sister Kite.

[oakheart]

On 12/22/2023 at 11:43 PM, iMustBeCrazy said:

 

Also consider how wide you think your planks should be.

I have been giving this some thought.

On the plan drawn by Shoulders the deck planks measure about 5mm wide ( the lines are thick and uneven)

At 1:48 scale that equates to a 9.5 inch plank is this too wide?

I can get thinner planks in stock sizes so 4 mm = 7.5 inches which would seem to be a bit more realistic

 

Dan Vadas said about his swan class sloop 'most of the planks (apart from the Kingplank) are no wider than 8 inches '

 

 

What would be the best for this model of a cutter, I did see another discussion about deck plank widths but can't find it again

 

Tim

 

Hope you all have a good Christmas, see you on the other side.

[iMustBeCrazy]

6 hours ago, oakheart said:

On the plan drawn by Shoulders the deck planks measure about 5mm wide ( the lines are thick and uneven)

At 1:48 scale that equates to a 9.5 inch plank is this too wide?

I can get thinner planks in stock sizes so 4 mm = 7.5 inches which would seem to be a bit more realistic

Honestly? My brain says 'around 6 inches'.

 

However the way we perceive smaller objects, 'to scale' often looks 'too busy'.

 

My Renard uses 5mm strips and looks quite believable.

 

The following are 6", 7.5" and 9.5".

 

And this is a PoB Lapwing in progress (I blame you).

 

And since it's already Christmas morning here, Merry Christmas Tim.

 

[oakheart]

9 minutes ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

And since it's already Christmas morning here, Merry Christmas Tim.

Merry Christmas Craig, Hope Santa left some nice pressies !

I have to wait until tomorrow to see what I got..............

 

Thanks for the drawings they do help to get an idea of the difference, I may just stick with the 5mm planks I have already.
They are maple not holly ( wishful thinking ) and too late for the Santa list now.

 

Tim

 

 

 

 

[druxey]

9" plank is perfectly reasonable for that date.

[oakheart]

28 minutes ago, druxey said:

9" plank is perfectly reasonable for that date.

Thanks druxey.

That confirms it, I will plank with the 5mm strips that I have, its a little wide but should look okay.
This whole build is really to get more experience for later projects.

 

Tim

 

[oakheart]

Happy New Year to all onboard.

 

I managed to get the wales cut and glued in place, I was really happy with the result.

 

 

Then I went back to figuring out the deck.

I cut out the deck plan from the original design as drawn by Bill and laid it in place.
As I looked, the old saying of "measure twice and cut once" sprang to my mind.

How did I managed to do that?
I had measured from the transom taking measurements from the side view drawing, it looks like I had got the stern all wrong, it's too long, so that threw out the gun ports.

 

 

Not a lot I can do about it now, so I will crack on and finish this model knowing that it's wrong, I think it should make a nice looking model all the same.

 

I don't remember who said it, but apparently "we learn nothing from success."

 

Tim