HM Cutter Lapwing 1816 by iMustBeCrazy - 1:48 - PoB (mostly)

[iMustBeCrazy]

Well, it's been a long road getting here but I've laid the keel so to speak.

 

My Great Grandfather sailed as crew to Adelaide Australia aboard Lapwing in 1850, hence the interest.

I've been attempting to create drawings of her for some time https://modelshipworld.com/topic/23486-lapwing-1816-revenue-cutter/

and have reached the point where cutting wood helps me with the drawings and vice versa. So it's time for this log.

 

I will attach a PDF of the drawings here and replace the attachment with newer versions as I go along.

 

Lapwing Drawings V1.0.pdf Drawings, Version 1.0 incomplete but should make a hull minus the stern and counter. Please let me know of any issues.

First issue, moulds 2 and 4 have the labels swapped, 2 should be 4 and 4 should be 2.

Second issue, transom needs to be reworked

 

 

Meanwhile:

In the title I said 'PoB (mostly)', eventually there will probably be a PoF version and sometimes I will try that out in this build. I will also try a more simplified when I do something more complicated than needed for PoB.

 

Such as the keel.

 

I certainly overcomplicated the keel for this build, several pieces scarphed together, milled rabbet and a keelson that gets mostly cut away.

 

There are easier ways, delete the keelson and add it to the spine (the drawings now show this) or cut the rabbet out from the keel completely and add it to the spine. Both of these methods require some bevelling on the spine. I will add drawings later.

 

I could have sworn I took more photos of the keel construction but.........

 

Cutting wood:

Note: The 'False Keel' is now referred to as the Spine.

And test fitting.

 

End of first instalment. Thanks for visiting.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 25 by iMustBeCrazy

[oakheart]

Good progress Craig.

Nice to see it coming together.

 

Tim

[iMustBeCrazy]

28 minutes ago, oakheart said:

Nice to see it coming together.

Thanks Tim. Speedy is looking nicer every day.

[oakheart]

20 minutes ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

Speedy is looking nicer every day.

Yes thanks to loads of help from you. 

 

Tim

[iMustBeCrazy]

First, a couple of shots that I left out the other day.

 

The rabbet.

And tapering the spine, from zero at the bearding line to just under the thickness of the planking at the rabbets (keel and stern post).

 

Yesterday my band saw died (it was only an Aldi cheapie). Luckily I had planned for that and had a spare (same but cheaper, bought on sale) but I still had a lot of setting up to do.

 

The build restarted with the transom/s. I will be building two, as built and easier.

 

Easier first:

 

1st I cut out 2 3mm MDF transoms. Like the one on the right, the other bits covered by paper are the trims for both methods.

Next I made a 'raft' from 6.6mm x 1mm Huon Pine.

Glued (rubber cement) on the template and cut it out.

Glued the 'raft' and some trim I made earlier to one MDF transom.

Cleaned it up a bit (look at that grain, perfect size).

Ant took a gratuitous photo of the model.

It's not finished yet, more to come.

 

I've also done more work on the drawings, coming soon.

 

[oakheart]

40 minutes ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

look at that grain,

Just love that detail, wish I could get consistent quality wood in UK

 

Tim

[iMustBeCrazy]

Thanks Tim.

 

To finish off this transom a strip the thickness of the planking is glued to the edge of the transom.

When both sides are done a second MDF transom the same size as the first will be glued inside the first creating a step (or rabbet) so that the plank ends will but against the trim as in this mock-up.

[iMustBeCrazy]

I've been contemplating doing the centre section in real frames.

While doing said contemplation I realised I've been over thinking the 'as built' transom. It will be far easier now.

 

[oakheart]

3 minutes ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

doing the centre section in real frames

Would you leave it unplanked so you could see inside?

 

Tim

 

[iMustBeCrazy]

44 minutes ago, oakheart said:

so you could see inside?

That I think might be a problem with things like the false deck, but I'll think about it.

[iMustBeCrazy]

Here we go, a thing of beauty.

 

Pity she's wrong Somewhere along the line I've done something not good.

At the top where the transom meets the counter it should be 10ft wide (inside the planking) this one's 9ft 3inches.

 

Oh well, I was going to build another anyway.

[iMustBeCrazy]

Six hours later

 

While I wait for the glue to dry enough to sand it here's the other transom.

 

I posted above that I had already cut the trim pieces for this version but I still had to mill the rabbets, this was a pain. First I started milling the wrong corner, just a touch before I noticed but it will have to be patched. Second the bit kept grabbing the grain.

But I succeeded reasonably.

I milled (saw mill not mill mill) some timber for the transoms and fitted them with 'big' rebates. The wing transom gets mounted a little high as it gets a slightly curved top.

Rinse and repeat for the other three. A bit rough but they will be hidden and I've taken measurements for the drawings so future builders should do better.

You can see the milled rabbets, on the forward side for the hull planking and on the aft side for the transom planking.

Planked and awaiting sanding.

Disaster delayed

 

[oakheart]

7 hours ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

Somewhere along the line I've done something not good.

I know that feeling 😞

Seeing the mockup I now understand how it will work, as you said "pictures and words"

And It will work really well, I shall tuck away that idea for my next build......

 

Tim

[oakheart]

48 minutes ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

future builders should do better.

Don't count on that.

 

50 minutes ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

Planked and awaiting sanding.

That looks good, persistence is everything.

 

Craig, you are an example to us all.

 

Tim

 

[iMustBeCrazy]

11 minutes ago, oakheart said:

That looks good

Thanks Tim.

 

New v old.

You might check out Chucks Cheerful thread ( Page 5 ), first image shows a model cutter with a similar stern and over the next few pages Chuck shows how he did it on Cheerful.

 

[oakheart]

2 minutes ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

 

New v old.

 

Very interesting, apart from being wider the new version looks better to my eye with the plank in the center instead of a gap.

Thanks for pointing out Chucks @Chuck Cheerful blog, I have read that and several other builds by Chuck, he is a true master to follow.

Now he is working in film he may not talk to us mere motals 🙂

 

I spent nearly 20 years working as a professional model maker, producing props and special fx for stills, TV and film, it's a really high octane business to be involved in.

 

Tim

[iMustBeCrazy]

Well, hopefully third times the charm. Yep stuffed up again, the second one's too tall. So I've deleted all my transom drawings and have started agian.

Measurements taken from the plans. These are in full scale inches and model scale millimetres and the two heights above keel have been transferred to the model.

The other two measurements are the height of the transom, vertically as drawn and the actual height.

So the drawing must be stretched vertically by the ratio 47 1/8 divided by 44 1/8 (or 24.9/23.3).

 

The green dashed lines below represent the as drawn, the orange as stretched.

 

Then I have to work out the trim pieces and the rabbets. As the orange line now represents the transom inside the hull planking I need a new line 2" outside the orange line. So with the aid of the small pink circles, we get the pink line (this ignores the fact that the hull widens as it goes forwards).

This also gives the hull planking rabbet on the forward side of the trim pieces (between the pink and orange lines).

To get the width of the trim (6 inches) I use the big circles giving the dark green line.

And the small blue circles give the aft rabbet (light blue line) for the transom planking.

 

 

Oh what fun.

 

 

Edited January 12 by iMustBeCrazy

[oakheart]

6 hours ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

Oh what fun.

Ha, Ha..... that's why I keep dreaming of doing a ready made kit for my next build.

 

As you say 3rd time lucky. Your persistence is inspirational.

 

Tim

 

[iMustBeCrazy]

12 minutes ago, oakheart said:

Your persistence is

Required?

 

Anyway, I re-drawn a simple outline an test fitted it, looks ok.

I've also re-drawn the complex version and added a different simplified version.

 

 

[iMustBeCrazy]

Done!

 

Trims glued in place to the Aft piece then the Aft piece glued to the Forward piece.

This provides the rabbets without having to cut them.

Sitting in place.

And it fits. (provided it mates up with the counter).

 

[oakheart]

8 minutes ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

And it fits.

I like your solution, it saves cutting the rabbet which can be difficult to get right.

 

Tim

[iMustBeCrazy]

4 minutes ago, oakheart said:

it saves cutting the rabbet which can be difficult to get right

It does. I think I'll enhance the drawing with a couple of other views and this version will be the standard one. I'll leave the complex version and may use it in a full PoF if I go there later.

[iMustBeCrazy]

Sorry about the delays.

 

Basically I test fitted a wale and found that a straight plank just wouldn't work, I finally figured that the finer bow messed things up (compared to Cheerful) and that a curve was needed forward.

I did that and it fits nicely but I guess the rest of the planking will need similar. I also marked the wales on the drawings but when I made two new moulds the wale didn't quite line up with the marks, probably something to do with the fairing but the stem midships and transom are all good

with the wale just laying without any coercion. More on the wale when I get around to planking.

 

Now, Tim is building Speedy, a descendant of Lapwing and has distracted me (see the discussion in his log) so I've started building mine:

Just the coaming and doors for the moment, I forgot the obligatory 1 cent coin but the doors are about 15mm high and awaiting the glue to dry before sanding.

 

Edited February 13 by iMustBeCrazy

[iMustBeCrazy]

Well that's done for now, I'll decide whether to leave doors/lids open when I actually fit it.

 

[oakheart]

12 hours ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

I've started building mine

Looking good so far................

 

7 hours ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

leave doors/lids open

Nicely done, I think it looks good open, but you could make working hinges so you don't have to decide.

I can't decide which wood to use on mine.

Tim

[iMustBeCrazy]

8 hours ago, oakheart said:

I can't decide which wood to use on mine.

A mixture, or some stained some not? Part of the idea is to break up the 'sameness' of the decking.

[oakheart]

1 hour ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

A mixture, or some stained some not

I like that idea.

 

Tim

[iMustBeCrazy]

Initial drawings (Ver 1.0) added to post #1.

[oakheart]

1 hour ago, iMustBeCrazy said:

drawings (Ver 1.0)

I have downloaded and will digest over the next couple of days. Initial view looks good.

I assume they printout on A4 paper?

 

Tim

[iMustBeCrazy]

23 minutes ago, oakheart said:

I assume they printout on A4 paper?

Hopefully