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

[Geoff Matson]

Glad things are going well. I have the spring chores at the farm underway and am anxious to get back to the Conny. I will post soon. I really enjoy your thought process and how you adjust to the build. Looking forward tumor progress

[Der Alte Rentner]

Funny you should ask, Geoff.

 

I didn't spend much time at the shipyard yesterday, but I did manage to mask the small error of sanding away the detail on those laser-cut hatches.  Very light application of pecan gel stain.

 

Not much else to say.  Here's the evidence.

 

 

 

and today, Wednesday June 5, after delays to to shipyard A/C going down, I finished the last of the hatch coamings. That last one was a royal PITA.  The joinery came undone twice (super glue isn't that "super" on miter joint?)  

 

But it's done.  Mast tenons and planking up next..

 

 

Edited June 5 by Der Alte Rentner
added June 5 additional photo and comment

[Geoff Matson]

Looking good.

[Der Alte Rentner]

Before beginning deck planking, some housekeeping is required - namely the construction of the mast partners.  I started with the foremast:

 

a.  Set the belt sander at 97 degrees to facilitate a 3 degree tilt as specified on page 6 of the plans.

 

b.  Mark the sander table with reference lines perpendicular to the belt itself. 

 

c.  The lines are skewed to compensate for a poorly built belt sander.

 

d.  Sand the bottom of the mast.

 

e.  Use the Proxxon mill to create a 1/4" wide tenon in the center of the mast.  With a little bit of math, and by carefully zeroing out the gauges on the Proxxon's X and Y handwheels, I was able to very accurately cut the tenon.  A chisel was used to remove the rounded inside edge of the tenon.  

 

note:  the belt sander left very noticeable sanding marks, which I used to eye-ball the piece vertically in the Proxxon vice.  

 

f.  Correcting my error in not referring to the plan (I relied on the dimensions provided in the practicum), I added 1/32" shims to the mast partner opening for the foremast. This was necessary to accommodate the 3/8" mast diameter specified in the plan.  Hunt had his students use 7/16" dowel.  Does it matter? you may well ask.. It does, because the mast boot for the foremast has an inside diameter of 3/8".  The 7/16" inside diameter boot is for the main mast.  

 

g.  As luck would have it, the mast fit perfectly, right down to the 3 degree rake aft.  There's no photo, but I did cut a paper template, per Hunt's suggestion, to verify the result.

 

 

 

 

Working on the bottom end of the mast got me thinking about the 'rest of the story'. So, I looked ahead to Hunt's Rigging The Constitution, Chapter 1, to see what the top portion of the mast needed to look like.  That left me wondering how best to carve that end of the mast down to 9/32" square at the other end.  That in turn needed to be properly oriented with the tenon. 

 

So, I built a little jig to lock the mast's tenon end in on one side.  The height of the channel to hold the mast in place was dimensioned such that I could use a flat chisel to shave off the right amount on each side to net two 9/32" parallel sides.  I'll either find a way to attach the fixture to the Proxxon mill to cut the other two faces, or build another jig.  

 

For what it's worth, the jig only took a few minutes to construct out of scrap material lying around in my shop.  My thickness drum sander came in handy to dial in the correct height.  The hardest part was doing the math. 😉

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 23 by Der Alte Rentner
typos and additional commentary.

[Der Alte Rentner]

Oooh!  I hope I remember this when it comes time to finish up the masts.  - from XKen's build.

 

In looking at the Hunt's Rigging the Constitution Chapter 1, I was dreading the thought of building the "chafing fish" out of Styrene.  It appears that I won't have to!

 

June 20, Hmmm

Upon further reflection, and having just spent some quality time working with 1/16" x 3/32" planking as I begin spar deck planking, I'm wondering what tools or method XKen employed to achieve those clean angles "to match 90 degree surface".  I can't think of any way to hold or clamp a strip to be able to cut a precise angle.  

Edited June 21 by Der Alte Rentner
upon further reflection..

[Der Alte Rentner]

Since, I'm waiting for box wood for the deck planking to arrive from Modeler's Sawmill, I took a small diversion to prove the concept outlined above by finishing the top of the fore mast.

 

a.  I marked the relevant dimensions on the face of my jig and mounted it to the table of my Proxxon mill.

b.  Then lowered the mill to be flush with the surface of the jig.

c.  Proved to myself that the math and the setup was correct.

d.  Milled the front and back face of the fore mast to net parallel sides 9/32" thick. I had to place a shim under the cut out section of the mast before milling the opposite side.  The dowel material warped a bit with the first cut, so I had to prop that up.  

e.  To get the other two faces milled, I rotated the mast 90 degrees and secured it in place with shims.  Again, on the second pass, I had to place a shim under the previously trimmed side to support the mast while cutting the last face.

 

I repeated the steps above to shave 1/32" off all four sides to net the 7/32" square notch for the mast caps. Some tweaking with a chisel was required afterwards to attain the 3 degree angled shelf for the mast caps to rest on.  I did not glue these in place.

 

f.  The finished product.

g.  Test fitted the mast on Conny.  Looking good, I think.

 

a

 

I'll probably repeat this process for the main and mizzen masts when dealing with their respective mast partners.  I'll be a leg up when I get to Chapter 1 of Hunt's Rigging the Constitution - (next June?).

[Der Alte Rentner]

What went fairly smoothly on Wednesday, was a PITA today.  

 

I did knock off the two remaining mast partners, and cut the tenons at the bottom of the main and mizzen masts.  This time, I took a short cut.  Rather than place the mast partners where Hunt said to put them, I glued a piece of scrap wood to the underside of the framework between the bulkheads and more or less tacked it in position to nail the rake angle.  Once that was done, I glued the cross members to the fore and aft framing.   The masts now fit like a glove, and all sit at their correct respective angles/rakes. 

 

Then things went south.  In keeping with the process I used to on the fore mast, I built a jig for the main mast,  cut the fore and aft faces at the top to precisely 5/16",  rotated the mast, and milled the sides.   I have no idea how this happened, but these two faces ended up being 9/32" instead of the required 5/16".  To boot, I lost track of where the shelf between the round portion of the mast met the squared off section needed to be, resulting in a 3/16" gouge on the starboard side of the mast.  To fix this, I glued some scrap basswood to that side of the mast, trimmed away the excess and recut the offending face to net the correct thickness.  Long winded way of saying, two steps forward, one step back?  

 

I did learn that I didn't need the jig to square off the top 1/4" of the mast.  The vices with the Proxxon mill are short enough that I could simply clamp the square section down and mill away.  I am quickly learning to convert fractions to metric in my head.

 

And again, by going through this process now, I'm a leg up on Chapter 1 of Rigging the Constitution, when I finally get there..  

 

 

Fore mast still needs a slight adjustment where the round part meets the square section to allow for the 3 degree rake.  But the main mast is done.  

 

I just received the boxwood planking from Modeler's Sawmill.  So to get a sense of where the next steps are heading, I staged the hull..  When I see the contrast between the boxwood and basswood, I really regret that I didn't know at the start to buy better materials.  

 

 

Edited June 14 by Der Alte Rentner
corrected errors

[Der Alte Rentner]

Today I started work on planking the spar deck.  As usual, reality didn't quite jive with the Hunt practicum.  

 

I double and triple checked the width of the bowsprit hatch and, just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, I tried a little Photoshop experiment to see if I could spot the root cause of my problem.  (Hunt hatch on left and superimposed over mine on the right.  Nothing obvious.  

 

 

What is the problem, you ask?

I used the 1/16” x 3/32” stock, as specified on page 50 of the practicum and confirmed by the plans.  Yet, there seems to be a difference in the number of planks spanning the width of my hatches vs Hunt's.  Seven planks (precisely cut by Modeller's Sawmill) don't quite span the width.  I suspect that Hunt's stock may have been of the ilk as the typically off-sized material that came with my kit.   (Yes, Mustafa, I learned my lesson!  Next time I'll build from scratch.)

 

 

Solution? It might simply be to shave a small fraction from the sides of hatches so the bordering planks sit flush.  Whittling down matching carve-outs from the bordering planks would seem to be a waste of time.   

 

I'll go one thought further.  I'm asking myself, Self, why not plank first and cut out openings for hatches and masts afterwards?   (Actually, I may have an answer to that question.  It might be easier to position the cutouts for the masts by planking to them vs. trying to find the exact locations to drill(?) holes to accommodate them later.)  

 

Another thought. Should I stain, at the very least, the bulwarks and waterways before doing ANY planking?  I suppose I can postpone that decision a while longer, because the first round of planking won't approach the waterways anyway.  

 

By the way, I opted to use the side of a pencil lead to mimic the caulking used between the planks.  I could probably even skip that if I used Titebond no. 2 or 3.  This leaves behind a brownish seam which may suffice.  I'll experiment with that the next time I'm in the shipyard, which won't be tomorrow, since I'll be having a crown fitted over the root canal I had done on Tuesday.  Fun times.. 😁 (note the perfect teeth..)

 

Edited June 20 by Der Alte Rentner
typos

[GGibson]

1 hour ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

Another thought. Should I stain, at the very least, the bulwarks and waterways before doing ANY planking?  I suppose I can postpone that decision a while longer, because the first round of planking won't approach the waterways anyway. 

 

 

It may be different on the Constitution, but I've always thought staining after placement was best.  Someone with better experience may differ in that suggestion, though.  Looking great, however, Peter!  And good luck on those 😁...

[mtbediz]

7 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

 (Yes, Mustafa, I learned my lesson!  Next time I'll build from scratch.)

Yes Peter, building the model from scratch is cheaper and you have complete control.

Edited June 21 by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

12 hours ago, GGibson said:

I've always thought staining after placement was best. 

i would not want to get stain on the spar deck planking.  Even the gel stain, which can be applied very accurately with a brush, needs to be wiped off.  I'm not sure this can be done with enough care to avoid smearing.  I'll add that to my list of experiments after 😁.  Thanks.

[Geoff Matson]

I always used the plans or practicum as a GUIDE line. You will always have to make adjustments because of wood used, measurement, etc. I used a Byrnes thickness sander to make sure all my planking was the same thickness, this made finish sanding a lot easier.  I always test fitted everything first before committing to assembly.  I also used Bob's Practicum. Ir was a great help in construction. However, I felt the rigging part of the practicum left a lot to be desired. That's why MSW was big help. Being able to follow other builders logs and how they did things was a great help. I am amazed how one kit of the Constitution, can be assembled in so many ways and add so much detail. You are making great progress and look forward to your posts. 

[Der Alte Rentner]

In reviewing XKen's build log, I read that he used "black glue" to simulate caulking between deck planks on the spar deck.  I can't believe he would have used CA glue, which is all I can find online on a search.  Does anyone know of a regular wood glue in black?  Or did he just add black dye to something like Elmer's glue or Titebond?  Thoughts?

[JSGerson]

In Xken's Niagara log he said:

Quote

Made a test with the black glue experiment using white glue and Lamp Black; my first attempt I added too much Lamp Black which resulted in a weak glue joint. I added more white glue to the mix and then had a strong joint also a more of a darker gray than a true black. Lamp Black can be purchased at any paint store that mixes paint, I bought 1 ounce for less than a dollar.

So yes. he mixed his own.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

1 hour ago, JSGerson said:

Quote

Made a test with the black glue experiment using white glue and Lamp Black; my first attempt I added too much Lamp Black which resulted in a weak glue joint. I added more white glue to the mix and then had a strong joint also a more of a darker gray than a true black. Lamp Black can be purchased at any paint store that mixes paint, I bought 1 ounce for less than a dollar.

Expand  

So yes. he mixed his own

Jon, you are the MAN.  Thank you.

[JSGerson]

That's what this site is all about...helping others.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 6/21/2024 at 2:51 PM, JSGerson said:

That's what this site is all about...helping others.

 

Jon

I hope that's what I just did by updating my post 14, Jon.

 

 

So as to avoid sending you back there to see what I'm referring to, I'll recap here.

I just started planking the spar deck and immediately became aware of several missteps early on in the build, that have compounded to give me grief now.

 

When I constructed the bow framing, way back in Hunt's Chapter 2, I did not understand that spar deck planking needed to rest on the spar deck framing piece.  Compounding that with my error in not constructing the waterway to plan, I am now faced with the need to construct a pair of filler blocks to make up for both the height difference and the loss of deck planking real estate at the bow.

 

In retrospect, I think the spar deck frame pieces should have been made differently, sparing me the rework now.

 

These photos should make clear the hole I dug for myself:

 

1.  The problem today, showing the misshapen waterway, which resulted in the lost ledge to support the spar deck planks.

 

2. Clear 20/20 hindsight illustrated.  Photo P 2.4.1-10

 

 

3. Photo 4.4.1-1 from Hunt's Chapter 4.

 

4. How maybe the spar deck frame could have been constructed to avoid the whole issue?  Plan A (in red) gives you much more real estate for planking and to glue on the bowsprit hatch.  Plan B (black dots) would probably have been sufficient, but perhaps there's something I don't know now about why Hunt added the undocumented framing pieces that magically appear in Chapter 4.  

 

 

 

Edited June 23 by Der Alte Rentner
typos and removed duplicate photo

[woodartist]

This is a great catch, When I get back to Connie I will try it.

[GGibson]

16 minutes ago, woodartist said:

This is a great catch, When I get back to Connie I will try it.

Same plan for me, for when I start it! 👍

[Geoff Matson]

Isn't fun when you start with a kit build and end up using a lot o f scratch building skills. Just think how much your modeling skills have increased by just building one model. 

[JSGerson]

I've done so much scratch building on my model, that I almost feel guilty when I use a part provided by the kit. Case in point, the kit's cast metal stove stack I used. I really wanted to make my own, but didn't have any idea how to fabricate it with my skills and tools.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

6 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Case in point, the kit's cast metal stove stack I used. I really wanted to make my own, but didn't have any idea how to fabricate it with my skills and tools.

I was going to refer you to XKen's build, where I believe he made his galley stack from scratch.  But then I caught the limiter in your comment - "with my skill and tools".  That man had a lot of specialized skills and tools.  

[Der Alte Rentner]

Filler blocks made to span the gap from bulkhead A to the waterway at the bow.   They are actually tall enough that they're glued onto the bow filler blocks a little more than an inch below.  I tapered the top faces to facilitate the rise from bulkhead A to the waterway.

 

Then I began planking.  In my case, given the number of planks between the edges of the bowsprit and forward hatches, the pattern between butt joints  will be symmetrical about the centerline of the deck. 

 

 

The most useful tool in my arsenal is the Proxxon mill.  Using two vices, I had no problem dialing in the exact depth of the cutouts on the planks that wrap around the hatches.  To Jon's point earlier, I don't know how anyone can do this kind of fabrication well without the proper tools and techniques.  

 

 

 

 

I have noticed that the spacing according to the plans will result in my having to put more filler pieces into the framework to provide real estate for planks and hatches to find a home.  That will be next on the list.

 

Hey hey!  Studying Cookster's build log because he had some really detailed process on planking the spar deck.  And, what do you know, he too used filler blocks at the bow to accommodate deck planks.  Drat, I should have jotted down is post number.. I think this came from page 5 of his Constitution build.

Edited June 24 by Der Alte Rentner
tidy up the post, corrected typos, added Cookster's photo

[JSGerson]

I met Ken Foran and to watch him use a metal lathe is a thing of beauty. He's written books, made museum models on commission, etc. To duplicate his process, is out of my league, but it's fun to watch.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

36 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

To duplicate his process, is out of my league,

Mine too. 😁

[Der Alte Rentner]

Little progress today.  Part of the reason for this is that, once again, I didn't look far enough ahead a year ago.  This business of adding filler pieces between the bulkheads to have some material below the plank butt joints is driving me batty.  Looking back at XKen's build, he employed a "deck carrier" to facilitate planking the spar deck off the hull.   Now, as I recall, he didn't mention that he had to shave a 64th off the top of the bulkheads to account for the additional thickness of the deck carrier until later in the build when someone else asked him about it.  But with the benefit of 2020 hindsight, and multiple passes of studying his build, I think that was the right way to approach this deck planking.  Especially if you want to stick with some kind of planking scheme where you're not faking butt joints.  For what it's worth now,  I think I'll be embracing this false butt joint approach to get me past this stage.  

 

By the way, I thought planking the hull was tedious.  If I stick with Hunt's notion of tapering the planks, this will be much worse than the work on the hull.   Having taken a close look at the deck of the Niagara build that's been featured in the two most recent issues of Nautical Research Journal, I may opt out of this tapering the entire plank strategy, choosing instead to keep the planks parallel and have a few sharper tapers where the plank butts meet the waterways. 

 

I did take Cookster's approach and assembled small sections of the planking off the hull.  When edge gluing the planks, I do so on top of a piece of wax paper so that the squeeze out doesn't stick to my fixture.  It remains to be seen if this process will be helpful on longer sections.  I suspect it will be useless if employing the tapered plank approach.

 

Again, not much to show for four hours at the shipyard today, but such is life.  

 

 

 

Funny thing about this particular section of planking..

It's the section between the forward hatch and the galley stack hatch.  The reason I chose to do this off the hull is that I thought it would be easier to locate and cut out the whole for the foremast.  Guess what I forgot to do before I glued the section in?    I'll never tell. 🤐

 

Note the filler blocks between bulkheads C and D.  If you look closely, you'll see the butt joints just aft of the foremast that would otherwise be hanging over empty space.  Once again, my trusty Proxxon mill proved indispensable in carving out the notch for the galley stack hatch.  

Edited June 26 by Der Alte Rentner
added additional commentary

[Geoff Matson]

It sure is nice when things are working out and you can see your results and you progress. Everything is looking great and it shows the time and planning you are using to do the planking.

[JSGerson]

I am starting the main grating and only now have I looked closely at the laser cut piece. The individual 18 hatches ae not separated, yet your model makes them look (or actual are) individually set into the frame. Did you separate them, and if so, what method did you use? Any saw blade would reduce the material between the gratings after the cut. Yours appear nice and tight.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

Jon, I did not separate the grating from the laser cut pieces.  What you see is what you get with the model shipways kit. What I learned not to do, was to do any sanding on the detail laser etching.

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

I have been stalling on The Spar deck planking, in part so I could decide whether I'm going to paint or not. Obviously painting or staining the waterways first would make the most sense. So I've been experimenting with sample pieces of scrap Basswood.

 

Turns out the paint does not adhere well to basswood that has been finished with polyacrylic, as would be the hunt practicum procedure.

 

The photo on the left shows the results of applying some of that Bulwark Green over polycrylic, followed by a little sanding to get rid of the brush marks.  On that particular sample I did some light preparatory sanding on the patch on the right. Even that area did not hold the paint well.

 

A sample tile on the right was a piece of Unfinished Basswood.  The wood absorbed the paint, so sanding did what it needed to - removed the brush marks without much loss of color.  

 

I was doing this experiment to decide whether I could paint over a stained hull or bulwarks if I  wasn't satisfied with the look afterwards. Given the results of this test, I'm of the opinion that I would need to prime over the stained area to get decent coverage with acrylic paint.  

 

And I'm not forgetting the adhesion issue in gluing critical items to the hull and bulwarks. Best for those pieces to be glued onto bare wood.

 

So the obvious move would be to paint without first finishing with clear poly acrylic.  And to do that after the bulk of the critical parts have been affixed to unfinished wood.

 

Bottom line?  I believe I'm suffering from analysis paralysis .