USS Constitution by SUBaron - Model Shipways (MS2040) - 1:76

[SUBaron]

Welcome to my USS Constitution build log. This is my second wooden ship model. I completed the Artesania Latina 1808 Swift model a little over a year ago (which just reminded me to close out that build log). My first attempt was going to be this USS Constitution (1:76 MS2040) kit. Fortunately it was backordered (Christmas gift from my pop), because after previewing the somewhat limited pages of instructions available online - I realized that the build would need to be based almost entirely on the 8 or so architect style giant plan sheets. That was out of my league, so I thought it prudent to start with something a bit easier. I chose the Swift 1805. Having completed the Swift, I took some months to complete a "Mayberry Street Miniatures" doll house project with my daughter. And then it was time to begin the Constitution. 

 

To set the stage, I am an extremely novice woodworker. I had gotten in a bit over my head with my Swift project (especially the rigging), but was quickly able to work my way out of any problems with a lot of thought, creativity, and help from the great modelers on this site. For me, this hobby is a series of challenges to be solved, often requiring the learning of a new skill - and new tools 🙂. This build log will be of most interest to newer modelers, but may offer a few chuckles or familiar memories for the old(er) salts. Given the complexity of the model, the sparse instructive guide, and the 8 detailed build sheets, I chose to follow Bob Hunt's practicum (fancy term for instructions). I ordered Mr Hunt's "Sophomore Course: USF Constitution" (a CD with 12 Chapters), with a photo CD add on (about 1,000 pictures of all stages of the build). The practicum was exactly what I needed, unfortunately, it didn't contain anything pertaining to masting and rigging. So if you think you'll need help with anything above the deck, you should consider ordering Mr. Hunt's "Sophomore Course: USF Constitution, Masting & Rigging" (6 chapters and an additional photo CD). I've printed the first 3 chapters so that I'm able to look ahead. I also refer often to the sheet plans, as well as the supplied kit guide.

 

The kit itself is chock full of goodies. Though I'm a bit surprised at how small some of the cannons and rigging parts are - they seem to be significantly below scale. I inventoried the entire kit for parts, but found the effort to be surprisingly helpful in familiarizing myself with nautical terminology.

 

I'm not going to provide a run-through of the kit, but suffice it to say, I found it worth the money (even though it was a gift!). There are very few things you can buy today that will provide years of challenge, entertainment, and a beautiful result for under $600 (retirement is a long ways off, so I'm working on this after work, and between sports and school events). 

 

I'll be updating as time permits, which means my updates will usually be backfilling my progress. I look forward to any comments and suggestions! 

 

Cheers!

Andre

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 13 by SUBaron

[Geoff Matson]

Welcome to the group. The Constitution can be an overwhelming model. I think of our plan of working on an easier model to build your skills will pay off in the end

 

 

[SUBaron]

Thanks Geoff! I've been perusing your build log - you've done a magnificent job so far and I will no doubt learn a lot from you. Beginning my modeling journey with the Swift was more important than I could have imagined. I'm looking forward to the challenges of the Connie - Thanks for the welcome note!

[ccoyle]

3 hours ago, SUBaron said:

work calls

 

Darn work! I know how that goes. 😅

[SUBaron]

Assembly of the Center Keel Set is straightforward. The set is assembled by gluing a number of 1/8" thick laser cut parts which must be glued together to create 1/4" thick sections. I glued 1/32" basswood strips (leftovers from my Swift Build) to both sides of the Center Keel sections, to reinforce the joint. I utilized nearly my entire cache of clips, clamps and weights to keep the set parts from warping as the glue dried. I chose to use 5 minute epoxy very sparingly, and mostly utilized Weldbond wood glue. I transferred the reference, bearding, bulkhead and beveling lines from the plan sheets using tracing paper and heavy card stock. I primarily used a rounded curved blade and sandpaper for bearding and to cut the rabbet.

 

Attaching the Stem, Sternpost and Keel is also fairly straightforward. The practicum advised to attach the stem and sternpost to the center keel first, then shape, fit and glue the middle keel section. This was a fun process with few challenges. However, be sure to complete a tight fitment before, and as assembling the section. I had to utilize numerous grains of sandpaper to attain the tolerances I wanted (I wanted to limit the use of fill later on). I needed to utilize a shim to the final keel joint. Remember that this assembly will bear the weight of the model, so be sure to achieve the best true surface contacts for gluing. One note - I wanted to utilize dowels to reinforce this section to the Center Keel, however, I don't have a drill press and didn't want to rely on a pin/hand drill because there is very little room for error and I didn't want to weaken the section by drilling errant holes. I may need to address this dowel issue later when determining what type of stand to utilize for the model. 

Edited January 9 by SUBaron
Pics added

[SUBaron]

Bulkhead preparation presented the first serious challenges, mainly because I wasn't patient enough. The bulkheads require some beveling. I traced the bevel from the kit plan sheets, transferred them to the bulkheads and beveled them with a rounded hand blade. As I was testing the fit of the bulkheads, I realized that one of my keel sections (created by gluing 2, 1/8" halves), was slightly askew. This required extensive sanding of the 6 narrow bulkhead slots in the section - an effort that proved difficult. I used an inappropriate hand file and snapped one of the keel/bulkhead tabs. After some quick research, I found a 6" warding hand rasp (by Kutzall) was perfect for removing a somewhat significant amount of material in a delicate area (the Dremel was too aggressive).

 

Bulkhead Assembly. Two of my 1/32" basswood keel reinforcements were slightly impairing a bulkhead. I was able to make quick work of that with a Dremel attachment (note: use a facemask or the fine dust is not pleasant). There are 18 bulkheads and the fitment process was a bit tedious after the 5th or 6th one. However, this is a critical area. I found it best to check the fitment to a snug tolerance of every bulkhead, before gluing them in. Epoxy didn't work because it was too thick, making it difficult to align the brittle bulkheads to the reference lines, so I after the first two, I switched to Weldbond. Note: I noticed that several of my bulkheads began to unglue and split (they are made of a pressed wood) needing remediation with glue (applied with a needle applicator and clamped). After applying bulkhead A with epoxy, I noticed visually that it was off a bit. Even though the alignment testing doesn't show much of an issue, I suspect this will cause me some issues later when I prepare the bow framing. Lastly, the kit plan sheet showed an optional 3/16 x 3/16 bulkhead strut for rigidity. I cut those from the scrap-wood shell of the bulkheads. Best practices: Prepare all bulkheads in advance before gluing a single one (unless you are very comfortable with your brand of epoxy, use a strong glue instead). This includes aligning the bulkhead reference lines, preparing the fit to a 45 degree angle to the center keel, and laying a straight ruler along the bulkheads to adjust for gaps before gluing. Minimal gaps can be addressed later with shims or sanding.

Edited January 9 by SUBaron
Pics added

[Geoff Matson]

Looking good and a good job on your problem solving. 

[SUBaron]

23 minutes ago, Geoff Matson said:

Looking good and a good job on your problem solving. 

Thanks Geoff!

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 1/5/2024 at 2:36 PM, Geoff Matson said:

Welcome to the group. The Constitution can be an overwhelming model. I think of our plan of working on an easier model to build your skills will pay off in the end

 

I can confirm that this is quite the challenging build - and I too welcome you to the group.   Geoff's is a great build to reference, as are XKen's, Mustafa's and JSGerson's - among others.  I've been at it since July, and am finding the process enjoyable, if slow going (just finished the wales, which took two weeks).

 

I'm glad you have the Bob Hunt Practicum as a starting point.  It sure helps if you're coming into this project stone cold, which I did - if you don't count the Revell plastic kit I built about 45 years ago, but that was child's play compared to this.  

 

I wish you every success and look forward to following your progress

 

Best

 

Peter (aka Der Alte Rentner)

 

Edited January 13 by Der Alte Rentner
corrected typo - geez! I need to do that a lot. Twice today!

[JSGerson]

Welcome aboard! Looks like you are off to a roaring start. I look forward to your future posts.

 

Jon

[SUBaron]

Thanks Peter and Jon. I appreciate you providing some other Constitution resources. Jon, I have your build bookmarked because, being a strongly visual learner, I find your pictures particularly helpful. 

[SUBaron]

The Counter

I had some minor issues with figuring out the counter from the Practicum. What I needed was to some good pics. JSGerson's pictures were particularly helpful and I referred to them often. [Note: As I progress with Mr. Hunt's Practicum, I've found that his way of teaching and my way of learning differ. This is compounded by the pictures being of somewhat older/lower quality, making it difficult to confirm his direction on angles, bevels, etc. I'm the first to offer that this is likely because Mr. Hunt is teaching at/to a higher level, and I'm a solid rookie.] 

 

After drawing the lines needed to shape the counter, I utilized a curved cutting blade, a belt sander, and 80grit sandpaper for the initial rough shaping. I finished with a micro plane, and numerous hand sanders. Including a handy little Yellow one that comes with pre-cut strips of 80, 120 and 220 grit strips with Velcro for easy interchanging. As I was working on this, Micro-Mark was nice enough to have a sale on a hobby drill press, so I used that to drill the hole. I pre-drilled it with a small (approx) 1.6mm bit, then moved up to a little under the recommended size (I believe it was 5/16"). I utilized Jon Gerson's method of taping a small dowel to the opposite side of the drill hole to achieve the necessary angle. I did not however, have the same success, and I ended up having to shape the hole using the drill and a round file. Initially, it completely skipped my mind that it I likely should round the rudder stem. Square things don't often turn well in round holes. Lesson learned. After shaping the rudder stem it worked fine, albeit with a somewhat larger hole than necessary. 

 

I'm ready to glue the counter but am concerned that I don't have a good right angle between my counter and Bulwark R. It's close, but I'm not sure how much reshaping I want to do to achieve 90 degrees. Also, I have slightly less than 1" from the top of my counter to the top of Bulwark R (where the planks will lie). The Practicum states that this is very important. I could achieve this with adding a shim to the center keel portion that supports the counter (the shim is loosely placed, shown in the last picture), thus raising the entire counter to the necessary height, or I could add shims to the transom frames later on. I'm leaning toward the latter, but for no good reason, so any thoughts would be appreciated. 

Edited February 1 by SUBaron
Pics

[JSGerson]

I don't know why you had a problem with drilling the hole in the counter, your set up looks solid. You correctly drilled the hole before carving the counter's final shape. Also I noticed you did NOT make the same mistake I made which was not reducing the counter's thickness by 11/32". So you did good. Just be aware that just about everyone has had some sort of problems with the transom so don't be surprised if you join that club.

 

Mr. Hunt's practicum is a great guide for the novice and intermediate modeler, but his words are not gospel. I always check what other's have done in addition to Mr. Hunt's instructions. And, where I deviated from his lead, my build log usually indicates why. My build is a kit bash. I have added the gun deck interior and based my model primarily on the 2015-17 restoration. The kit (and therefore Mr. Hunt's practicum) is based on the 1927 restoration. so there are visual differences, specifically the removal of the top gallant rail and the addition the the open waist as seen today. As a result, I use the practicum as a guide and bounce around the chapters as I need them and supplement them with the plethora of build logs available for reference. 

 

This kit is chock full of sub-models, so enjoy and take your time.

 

Jon

 

[GGibson]

Nice start on your Constitution, SUBaron! I have been seriously considering adding the Constitution to my own shipyard, so have been following all of the above-mentioned build logs.  I'm pleased to add yours to that list.  Enjoy the work, accept the challenges as they arise, and remember that it is not a race, but a journey.  Have fun and keep up the good work! 👍

[SUBaron]

After consulting with Bob Hunt, I’ve decided to solve my counter problem by adding a shim to the center keel. The counter now sits 1” below the top of Bulwark R. I made it out of some scrap planks from my Swift build. 
 

I temporarily secured the counter, placed 2 transom frames (1 on each end), and confirmed 1” to the bulwark. I drew a reference line, then secured the counter with E6000 adhesive. The counter is now permanently attached. Moving on to the stern filler blocks. 

[mtbediz]

I have just seen your build log. Welcome to the group. So far your structure seems very stable and going well. I also have a Constitution build in progress, but I'm making everything from scratch using only the kit plan, not MS' kit. Like Jon, I chose to add the gun deck and all the details and make the ship as it looks today. I will follow your build with interest. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Edited February 2 by mtbediz

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 2/1/2024 at 10:24 AM, JSGerson said:

I noticed you did NOT make the same mistake I made which was not reducing the counter's thickness by 11/32

Jon,

This is news to me (I think), did I miss something? 

Peter 

[JSGerson]

In the practicum section 1.4.1, 3rd paragraph Mr. Hunt states: "After cutting the block to length, You will need to reduce it’s thickness to 11/32”." In your first two images of post #12, you drew a line on the counter then it appears your carved down to that line. Were you not reducing the block's thickness? I failed to do that by oversight so I ran into a problem on the gun deck.

 

Jon

 

Oops, I just realized I was responding to a SU Baron comment and not to you Peter.

Edited February 2 by JSGerson

[Der Alte Rentner]

26 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

In the practicum section 1.4.1, 3rd paragraph Mr. Hunt states: "After cutting the block to length, You will need to reduce it’s thickness to 11/32”." In your first two images of post #12, you drew a line on the counter then it appears your carved down to that line. Were you not reducing the block's thickness? I failed to do that by oversight so I ran into a problem on the gun deck.

 

Jon

 

Oops, I just realized I was responding to a SU Baron comment and not to you Peter.

Well that's a good news and a bad news situation.

 

The good news is I'm not losing my mind after checking my post 12 and seeing no references to the counter there. The bad news is,  nowhere in my build log do I mention that I reduced the thickness of the counter.

 

Can't wait to get back to the shipyard to measure. If that's a step I missed, I'll have to figure out how to fix it.  Thank you for providing the practicum reference. I do have the practicum with me on my laptop and I just checked to see if anything jogged my memory.  Sadly not, but I'm pretty sure I missed that Practicum note.  When will this come back to bite me in the backside?  

Edited February 2 by Der Alte Rentner
revised response

[ERS Rich]

Hi,

 

My build log, link below, covers building the hull with Bob Hunt’s practicum.

 

Good luck.

 

-Rich

Edited February 2 by ERS Rich

[Der Alte Rentner]

Evidently, I missed that step, and dealt with it by trimming the excess off the bottoms of the transom frames.  Man, that seems like a lifetime ago...

Looking at SUBaron's photos above, I'm left to wonder if that 11/32" trimming of the counter led to its being too high when mounted to Bulkhead R, resulting in the necessity  of adding the shim.  In my own build log, I noticed that I only had to trim about 3/64" off the bottoms of the transom frames to correct the oversight - not 11/32", which I would have expected.  I think the important thing is for the top of the frames to be flush with the bulkheads for the deck planking that will follow.  

 

Also, like Jon, I don't see how the hole for the rudder post ended up where it did.  The setup looks correct. I compared her photos to those in my build log and the location of the center point for the hole seems correctly placed.  Interesting.

 

 

My takeaway from all this is that SUBaron did a much better job of reading the Practicum than I did.  I must have just looked at Hunt's pictures and missed that little detail.   

 

Thanks to you both, Jon and Rich, for chiming in.  I'll be digging deeper into your build logs trying to avoid as many pitfalls as possible.

 

And to SUBaron, hang in there.  These things happen to everyone here.  Nice job so far.  Keep up the good work.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 3 by Der Alte Rentner
added photo from SUBaron's build log

[Geoff Matson]

I am also building the Constitution using Bob Hunt's Practicum. You really need to read each step and then think about it and then proceed. LOTS OF DRY FITTING AND FIDDLING AROUND TO MKE SURE THINGS FIT RIGHT.  I too, made mistakes and had to go back and redo some parts. I think we all find out a little mistake in part one can lead to a big mistake by the time you get step 10. However, I could not have built the Constitution with the kit plans. Bob Hunt's practicum really opened the door for my ship building. ERS Rich build log should help you out. The biggest problem about the Constitution is it takes a long time to build. As I built the Conny my modeling skills increased and I wish I had those skills when I started.  Have fun, make some sawdust, and remember it is only a hobby. 

[SUBaron]

On 2/2/2024 at 4:18 PM, JSGerson said:

In the practicum section 1.4.1, 3rd paragraph Mr. Hunt states: "After cutting the block to length, You will need to reduce it’s thickness to 11/32”." In your first two images of post #12, you drew a line on the counter then it appears your carved down to that line. Were you not reducing the block's thickness? I failed to do that by oversight so I ran into a problem on the gun deck.

 

Jon

Hi Jon - The reason for reducing the counter thickness becomes apparent in the last paragraph on Pg 26 when it states that the distance from the counter to the top of bulkhead R should be 1". I also found it in the subsequent Summary. Not having as much experience as you (or seemingly most folks around here), I read and try to follow the practicum more closely than most I suspect. I find the Summary sections to be especially helpful as they highlight the main efforts that should have been completed (with a handy little box to check). 

 

-Andre

Edited February 9 by SUBaron

[SUBaron]

On 2/1/2024 at 10:37 PM, mtbediz said:

I have just seen your build log. Welcome to the group. So far your structure seems very stable and going well. I also have a Constitution build in progress, but I'm making everything from scratch using only the kit plan, not MS' kit. Like Jon, I chose to add the gun deck and all the details and make the ship as it looks today. I will follow your build with interest. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

Thanks mtbediz - I've been following your build log and find it helpful and enjoy your work. At this point I couldn't imagine undertaking a scratch build, but you do learn so much as you progress. Thanks for dropping by!

-Andre

[SUBaron]

On 2/2/2024 at 5:15 PM, ERS Rich said:

Hi,

 

My build log, link below, covers building the hull with Bob Hunt’s practicum.

 

Good luck.

 

-Rich

Thanks Rich - I've been following your build and enjoy it. Nice work!

-Andre

[SUBaron]

On 2/3/2024 at 9:54 AM, Geoff Matson said:

I am also building the Constitution using Bob Hunt's Practicum. You really need to read each step and then think about it and then proceed. LOTS OF DRY FITTING AND FIDDLING AROUND TO MKE SURE THINGS FIT RIGHT.  I too, made mistakes and had to go back and redo some parts. I think we all find out a little mistake in part one can lead to a big mistake by the time you get step 10. However, I could not have built the Constitution with the kit plans. Bob Hunt's practicum really opened the door for my ship building. ERS Rich build log should help you out. The biggest problem about the Constitution is it takes a long time to build. As I built the Conny my modeling skills increased and I wish I had those skills when I started.  Have fun, make some sawdust, and remember it is only a hobby. 

Geoff - Sound advice!

-Andre

[SUBaron]

Stern Filler Blocks

 

The filler blocks have given me some issues, mainly due to my tools/equipment. I realized that my Scroll Saw maxed out at about 1 3/4", so I had to make several cuts to the 2x2x6 block provided for the fillers, with a Coping Saw (of course, I didn't have one, so off to the store). Between the Coping Saw and my Belt/Disk Sander, I was able to get to the approximate shape I needed for fine tuning. However, I'm having difficulty now determing when to finish shaping to achieve the proper angle to the rabbet. The Plans and Practicum discuss using the scale provided in the plans, but I don't think I'm doing it right. The fillers took a lot more hand sanding than I expected. I'm going to shape some more, then dry fit a plank. I can use a Dremmel sander for more fine tuning later.

I added a picture below of the counter with temporary transom frames to show the importance of reducing the counter to 11/32 to provide a flush transoms/bulwark transition. I’ll add the finer tuned fillers shortly. 

Edited February 9 by SUBaron

[Geoff Matson]

Here is a picture that might help you some. If I remember right, my finish filler block was about half the size of my initial cutout. Lots of sanding and fitting. I just sanded it down until I could get a test plank to flow along the bulkheads and fit into the rabbit joint. You cn see the tail of the filler block gets pretty narrow. Just take your time and be patient. It will all work out. Do not glue the block in until you have it right. (I learned that the hard way). 

 

 

[ERS Rich]

16 hours ago, SUBaron said:

Thanks Rich - I've been following your build and enjoy it. Nice work!

Thanks, I ran out of steam after thinking about the size after the masting and rigging, the case, and wondering where to put it in my house.

 

I’ll probably restart this project mid summer or fall, after I finish Hermione Lafayette and HMS Badger - which will give me square rig experience.

 

Cheers

[ERS Rich]

Had to redo these filler blocks a couple of times.  

 

Rasp for initial shaping, moving it fore and aft along the center of the piece to get the sweep up towards the counter.  Then a half round file.  

 

And constantly using the templates and redrawing pencil lines as material is removed.