USS Constitution by Der Alte Rentner - Model Shipways - 1/76

[Der Alte Rentner]

Yikes, I goofed.  I don't know how I set this build log up in the wrong era.  I couldn't see a way to move from one era to another, so I deleted everything I could.  I'll try setting up the build log again tomorrow - hopefully in the right place.

 

sorry...

 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Der Alte Rentner
posted build log to the wrong era. I plan to try to correct that tomorrow.

[Der Alte Rentner]

 

2024 07-09: Note from my future self to anyone just starting the Model Shipways Constitution and planning on using the Hunt Practicum without a kit bash.  

 

At the end of this post, I've begun attaching bulkheads to the center keel set.  I would like to advise you now to look waaaay ahead to chapters 4 and 5 of the Practicum to see what will be involved in planking the spar deck.  Also look for XKen's build log (link below) here at the Model Ship World site.

 

Why?  Because I learned that some steps taken at the very beginning would have saved me considerable grief a year later.  In the Hunt Practicum, you will be asked to taper the planks covering the spar deck.  Now, not everyone posting here does that, and there's a case to be made that not doing so will make planking the deck much easier.  If you're a stickler for sticking as close to the plans as possible and following the Hunt methodology, here are a couple of options you may wish to consider very early on:

 

1. Following in  XKen's footsteps.  In particular, the bit about building a plywood carrier deck to facilitate planking off the hull.  There are quite a few advantages to doing the spar deck planking off the hull, not least of which is that you can much more easily achieve the tapered planking the plans really call for.  (By the way, Hunt sort of cheats on this tapering at the foredeck.)  

 

(A tip for you now! In his build log, XKen failed to mention early on that you'll need to shave off the thickness of this plywood carrier from the top of the bulkheads before you affix them to the keel.)

 

 

2. If you don't want to mess around with the plywood carrier, then spend a little time examining the plans and develop a map of where the butt joints for the deck planks will be.  If you want to understand what I'm talking about here, jump ahead to the latter part of page 8 and page 9 of this build log.  Tapering long planks and scratching in fake butt joints sounds easy, but it's not.  Once you know roughly where the butt joints will be, plan early on to put support pieces between the bulkheads.  Again, see page 9.

 

 

If perfect 20/20 hindsight, there are three things I would have done differently right from the start. First, I would have gotten some Baltic birch plywood and cut my own bulkheads, because the laser cut parts that come with the kit are simply the pits.  Secondly, I would have built a plywood carrier for the decking ala XKen.  And thirdly, I would have purchased better planking materials for the hull.  I didn't realize until I finished planking the hull, that I would prefer not to paint the Constitution.  The basswood material that comes with the kit is okay, if you're going to paint over it, but if you would like a nice natural wood finish, you may want to consider investing in alternative woods.  Look at Hipexec's build log for the Constructo kit to see what I mean.

 

 

Let me close this addendum with the best advice I can give you here at the start.  Learn how to navigate this site, and at each stage of your build, consult as many build logs as you can to help you chart your own course.  

 

Here are (hopefully) the links to the build logs I found must beneficial to study:  (I may have missed a couple, but this is a pretty good sampling to get you started). 

 

Good luck!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 9 by Der Alte Rentner
added advice from a year hence

[ccoyle]

On 7/5/2023 at 4:24 PM, Der Alte Rentner said:

Yikes, I goofed.  I don't know how I set this build log up in the wrong era.  I couldn't see a way to move from one era to another

 

I've taken care of it for you (and deleted the duplicate log).

[Der Alte Rentner]

Thanks for getting rid of the duplicate build log.  

 

I noticed that the image quality in my posted photos, which were generated by Adobe from the pdf file I'm using personally to document my build, is not the greatest.  This seems to be a limitation of Adobe's process of converting pdfs to jpgs.  Are jpg files the only acceptable format for the build log posts?  I prefer to put together several days of notes on my PC and maybe post to the build log once a week or so, but if I am going to post, it would be nice to submit higher resolution photos.

 

Thanks again

[Der Alte Rentner]

May 29, 2024 update:  Based on a comment by Bill Morrison yesterday, I'm amending this post to try to shed a little light on the issue I tried to explain below.  The camber(?) is not symmetrical between port and starboard on a number of bulkheads. 

 

 

I discovered this by simply eyeballing the hull from fore and aft. The worst offenders were bulkheads A, C, D and P.  By laying planks along the bulkheads, I was able to determine that bulkheads A and C needed to be trimmed back, and that bulkheads D and P needed material added to properly "fair" the deck.  It the photo of the Constitution from above in post 170, you can clearly see the shims on top of bulkheads D and P.  A closer look reveals the bulkheads that needed to be shaved or sanded back.

 

 

 

Original post of July 7, 2023.  (Man-oh-man, has it been almost a  year???)

 

Before I continue with my build, I have a question for any of you who have build Conny from this kit.  The next step in the process is to glue the bulkheads onto the keel.  I noticed that the some (?) bulkhead components have yet another flaw.  See below:

 

I don't plan to install a gun deck, so the fact that the flaw is repeated in what would be the gundeck (lower) cutout may not be an issue.  However, when it'll get to be time to plank the spar deck, absent a fix now, the portside of the deck will be slightly lower than the starboard side.  I see two options.  One is also illustrated below, and the approach I am taking with bulkhead C.  It occurs to me that I could also slightly taper slots in the offending pieces to allow for a little wiggle room to align the bulkhead so the deck edges line up with the closest neighbors.  C would align with B and E, and so forth. 

 

Sorry, the photos are out of sequence.  But I think third one (Bulkhead A) clearly illustrates the problem.

 

(I now see the advantage to making the bulkheads from scratch, but it's probably less work to fix the poorly laser-cut parts than dust off my scroll saw.)

 

Thoughts?  Advice?

 

 

 

 

Edited May 29 by Der Alte Rentner
amended post on May 29, 2024

[Der Alte Rentner]

Seems like I'm on my own..  Oh well,  

 

The build continues.

[ccoyle]

1 hour ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Seems like I'm on my own..  Oh well,

 

You won't normally see me liking every new build log update on the forum, but I do try to check in on each of them periodically. When you see me post a like, it means I've read the previous posts as well.

[Der Alte Rentner]

15 hours ago, ccoyle said:

 

You won't normally see me liking every new build log update on the forum, but I do try to check in on each of them periodically. When you see me post a like, it means I've read the previous posts as well. 

 

When you have to shoot, shoot. Don't talk.
- Tuco

 

Love the reference from the Good, the Bad and the Ugly!  

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Holey Moley, are there a lot of typos in my build log document!  I'll endeavor to avoid them in future.  Sorry about that...

I plan to post roughly every week, as long as there's progress to report.  Catch ya next week.

 

and Chris, thanks for the clarification.

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

[Sjors]

Go on, i will see what you are doing 😁

Then i can make a copy of it.

Great job!

 

Sjors

[Der Alte Rentner]

[Der Alte Rentner]

I'm still putting together the build log for my next post, but given that I just replied to woodartist about the problem I dealt with retroactively above with a method to prevent the same mistake going forward, I'm adding this bit of detail now.  I clamp a piece of wood to the top of the newly added bulkhead and also to the previously added bulkhead.  The slat forces the deck into alignment with neighboring bulkhead segments. Though not pictured here, I do check the distance between bulkheads to make sure they are parallel to one another.  In this case they were spot on and needed no tweaking.  If they are not parallel, I clamp a block to the bulkhead and to the false keel to make sure the bulkhead and spine are perpendicular.  

 

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

June 23, 2024 update and caveat!

I'm currently working on Hunt's chapter 4 and beginning the process of planking the spar deck.  A detail that perhaps should have been obvious here, in the construction of the bow framework, should be mentioned.  The height of the spar deck framing piece should probably be the same as the height of bulkhead A.  Perhaps another way to phrase this is, the top surface of the spar deck framing piece should probably be flush with the top surface of bulkhead A. 

 

Also, I suggest making the aft end of this piece at least an eight of an inch wider.   

 

 

In fact, I think I would advice just squaring this off thusly:

 

This way, when you do have to run planks between bulkhead A and this spar deck framing piece, you won't have to add additional framing between bulkhead A and the arched cutout.   

 

At the very least, make sure that your waterway does not completely cover the aft end of this piece.  When you fabricate your water way, look carefully at the plans.  I believe I erred using the dimensions spelled out by Hunt, resulting in too wide a section, especially at the bow where it meets the bowsprit.  

 

Here's what I'm dealing with.  I believe following the plan will result in the profile suggested in the red.  So, adjust your water way construction accordingly.  

 

That is not to say I didn't screw up by not noticing the difference between Hunt's construction and mine.

 

Here's Hunt's structure as shown in Chapter 2: Note there's still a ledge to support the spar deck planking, whereas, mine is buried under the waterway. 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 23 by Der Alte Rentner
Provided feedback from a year later to illustrate problem that could be avoided here.

[Der Alte Rentner]

[Der Alte Rentner]

[Der Alte Rentner]

[Der Alte Rentner]

August 5, 2024 update from my future self.  Yes campers, I borrowed Mr. Peabody's Way Back Machine again to warn you about a possible complication with these last two transom frame members.

 

I suggest you look ahead to Hunt's chapter 7, specifically section 7.2.4 -  Making The Windows. He ends up making his own Windows because the construction at this point of the build was not properly thought through, in my humble opinion.  

 

The problem is that the angle of the stern most part of the gallery windows needs to be pretty much the same as the angle of this transom frame to the counter/gallery base below.  

 

The window frame angle is 16-degrees, whereas the transom to base angle I ended up with is 23-degrees.  I now have to find a solution to this oversight that will permit me to use the laser-cut windows.  

 

Looking around the model ship world Constitution build logs, I see that this is a common issue. Builders have different solutions, Hunt's was to build new windows out of styrene. Others simply pinch the pilasters and don't concern themselves to make the aft end of the window frame parallel to the transom..  

 

If you want to use the laser cut windows that come with the model ship ways kit, you may want to adjust these two frames accordingly now.  

 

To illustrate the issue:

Note the 7-degree difference.

 

Shim underneath to bring frame parallel to the stern transom.  Fail!  

 

Most likely solution for me - shim behind window. I can live with a less than perfectly parallel pilaster.

 

 

Heck. Even the Bostonian USS Constitution doesn't sport perfectly parallel pilaster.

 

 

.. just a heads up if accuracy is important to you.

================================

 

 

Original post follows:

Edited August 5 by Der Alte Rentner
Added commentary from my future self a year after the original July 30, 2023 post.

[Der Alte Rentner]

[Der Alte Rentner]

Anyone out there following this, 

I've been looking at several build logs and other posts here and am now of the opinion that the instructions in Bob Hunt's Practicum differ from the plan.  

On pages 89 and 91 in my build above, I showed Bob Hunt's solution for the forward sections of the Waterway, and I showed an exerpt from the plans.  I observed that the plans show the stock has a square cross-section, whereas the Practicum specifies material that has a flatter and more rectangular cross-section.  I'm guessing the plans are correct.  

 

I'm debating whether to pull the waterways off and remake them.  Does anyone have any thoughts?

 

Also, the bulkhead extensions are a bit of a nightmare.  As I anticipate the planking phase, I'm wondering how much imperfection can be hidden between the inboard and outboard planking.  I'm referring mostly to the spar deck area - worst areas are stem and stern.    Some of those laser-cut extensions are really off - either too far outboard or having atrocious angles.  If they need to be a uniform thickness prior to planking, I guess I'll be shimming, shaving, sanding for many days. 

 

For all the discussion on planking here at MSW, I've seen almost nothing on fairing techniques that deal with misshapen bulkhead extensions.  

 

again, thoughts?  suggestions?  

 

 

Edited August 9, 2023 by Der Alte Rentner
typos corrected

[CiscoH]

i am building model shipways Armed Virginia Sloop and also using Bob Hunt’s practicum and ran into a similar? issue.  i think the supplied waterway in the kit was thicker stock than it said in the plans which threw off all the subsequent bulkhead inner planks installed above the waterway.  not sure if that applies to your question.  

i didnt sweat the angle between the waterway and the bulkhead because the above bulkhead plank covered any small gaps.

looking great so far

cisco

[Der Alte Rentner]

13 hours ago, CiscoH said:

i am building model shipways Armed Virginia Sloop and also using Bob Hunt’s practicum and ran into a similar? issue.  i think the supplied waterway in the kit was thicker stock than it said in the plans which threw off all the subsequent bulkhead inner planks installed above the waterway.  not sure if that applies to your question.  

i didnt sweat the angle between the waterway and the bulkhead because the above bulkhead plank covered any small gaps.

looking great so far

cisco

I'm more concerned about the gap between the inner and outer bulwarks/planking.  The gap between the inner and outer bulwark can vary as much as eighth of an inch, which will make the thickness between the bulwarks fatter in places, if I do nothing... 

 

Also, my waterways (and Bob's) are thinner top to bottom than the plan.  I guess impact of that small difference will be negligible, and perhaps I can compensate for it by making the plank sheer that much thicker so that the end height of the main rail and location of the gun ports.  Though I come from a machining background and, in general, am a stickler for detail, I may be able to not go overboard with this.

 

Thanks for the feedback

 

Best

Peter (aka Der Alte Rentner)

 

 

 

 

 

[woodartist]

On 8/7/2023 at 6:30 AM, Der Alte Rentner said:

I like your solution better than Bob Hunts, the fewer seams the better, less chance of error. The thickness of the stems varies a lot, I have not figured out a way to make them uniform yet without using shims. The other part of that problem is the only way to know the correct distances between the stems is to transfer a measurement from the plans.

[woodartist]

On 7/7/2023 at 1:32 PM, Der Alte Rentner said:

Before I continue with my build, I have a question for any of you who have build Conny from this kit.  The next step in the process is to glue the bulkheads onto the keel.  I noticed that the some (?) bulkhead components have yet another flaw.  See below:

 

I don't plan to install a gun deck, so the fact that the flaw is repeated in what would be the gundeck (lower) cutout may not be an issue.  However, when it'll get to be time to plank the spar deck, absent a fix now, the portside of the deck will be slightly lower than the starboard side.  I see two options.  One is also illustrated below, and the approach I am taking with bulkhead C.  It occurs to me that I could also slightly taper slots in the offending pieces to allow for a little wiggle room to align the bulkhead so the deck edges line up with the closest neighbors.  C would align with B and E, and so forth. 

 

Sorry, the photos are out of sequence.  But I think third one (Bulkhead A) clearly illustrates the problem.

 

(I now see the advantage to making the bulkheads from scratch, but it's probably less work to fix the poorly laser-cut parts than dust off my scroll saw.)

 

Thoughts?  Advice?

 

 

 

 

Did you correct bulkhead A and C before you glued in the bulkhead?

[Der Alte Rentner]

23 hours ago, woodartist said:

Did you correct bulkhead A and C before you glued in the bulkhead?

I did.

 

[woodartist]

Thanks, I checked mine and I have the same issue. I will correct it now.

[Der Alte Rentner]

[mtbediz]

5 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Yes, I agree about bowsprit tenon. MS kit plan also shows as you did.

Edited August 14, 2023 by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

8 hours ago, mtbediz said:

Yes, I agree about bowsprit tenon. MS kit plan also shows as you did.

May I ask?  How did you shape the bowsprit?

[mtbediz]

6 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

May I ask?  How did you shape the bowsprit?

I haven't done the bowsprit yet. Due to the summer season, I paused the construction of my model until the end of August.