USS Constitution by The Bitter End - Model Shipways - 1:76

[The Bitter End]

Ladies and Gentlemen!

 

Welcome to my attempt to redeem myself. Please jump ahead to post 16 to avoid the preamble and see the actual start of the build.

 

After having begun a Build log for my HMS Pegasus in 2019 with great enthusiasm life got in the way(everything from the daily challenges of being a farmer right the way through to falling through a warehouse roof and spending a long time recovering). This left a gaping hole in my progress log. My intention is to begin this Constitution build and record every annoying step from beginning to end. I like to think that it might help some of the modelers on here who are also beginners with a limited collection of tools and experience(Pegasus was my first build and is still not quite finished as I am waiting for parts).

 

I do enter into this build with a fair amount of apprehension. Literally the first word of this log brings up a question, the first of many. Should I be referring to this vessel as the Constitution or the USS constitution. My intention is to build her as she was in 1797 at which point she would have been the (frigate) Constitution...I think. Everything I have read about this kit tells me it will be a huge challenge, but I am hoping that with the help of the kind people on this forum and the bottomless well of knowledge contained within its build logs I will be able to create something worthy of a glass box. I have already had incredible help from @Der Alte Rentner so I am feeling cautiously optimistic.

 

My first big challenge is a decision on how to approach the hull, I think I will go with double planking. Due to my location and budget it is almost impossible to get hold of planking strips for the second planking that are worthy of creating an unpainted and coppered hull so i have decided that I will cut pear wood planking from the pile of pear trees destined for the fireplace. This in itself is a pretty big challenge but I have managed to extract some decent stock from the trunks and my early trials with ripping planks has lead me to believe I can cut stock with success. This does however lead me to wonder what the correct size stock to rip is? What I have read in terms of plank length is anything between 22ft and 60ft(values which seem too low and too high to me) and 12 inches wide. I have sort of decided to go with plank lengths of 35ftx12inches(+- 150mmx4mm at scale). If anyone has any suggestions on correct dimensions please let me know!!

 

This also leads me to another minor point. I created a little excel spreadsheet to convert imperial measurements both from the plans and information from the original ship to metric scale measurements. It is pretty simple but if anyone happens to need something like that I will happily send it through.

 

I think I will try and create a model that is structurally as true as possible to the 1797 Constitution but with a paint scheme that is more like the Belle Poule(which I believe was based on the constitution). Largely natural wood, perhaps a little staining and black paint with some ocher highlights. I like a somewhat more muted final outcome and I cant bring myself to paint or copper over the hundreds of hours it take to produce a decent double planked hull. Takingf a look at what is still an incomplete Pegasus model(as of 20 October 2024) on my other log will give you an idea of the style I like

 

I guess I should attach a photo of some sort to this post so for now I will simply be a closed constitution box containing many man many hours of work. Hopefully it is complete, I bought it for around 250 dollars off facebook marketplace.

 

 

I look forward to sharing this journey with you all.

 

Kind regards

 

Haiko(The_bitter_ end)

 

 

Edited November 15 by The Bitter End
incorrect title

[Pfälzer]

Wish you fun with this Kit 

[Nick 843]

Enjoy it!

[Nearshore]

Look forward to following you progress. I have been toying with possably building the same ship once I've completed the Bellona which i have been working on for the past 2 years. I am pretty far away from completing her so i still have plenty of time before i make that decision. Good luck and have fun building this amazing ship.

 

Cheers

Nearshore

[Der Alte Rentner]

8 hours ago, The Bitter End said:

I like a somewhat more muted final outcome and I cant bring myself to paint or copper over the hundreds of hours it take to produce a decent double planked hull.

 

A man after my own heart!  

 

Welcome aboard.  I think you will find the Constitution (USS or Frigate) an interesting challenge, especially since you're opting for the 1797 edition and departing from the norm, given the overall preference here for the black and white hull painting scheme.  By all means, showcase your woodworking skills!

From what I see of the Pegasus above, I think you'll do splendidly.  Looking forward to following your progress.   

[Marcus.K.]

As I am very much interested in the ships 1803 appearance and did some research on the older design - I would like to hire and come abord for your trip!

 

I am also curious about the quality of "the most accurate kit" - since what I see at the bow on the box´s pictures is for example not a Hercules figure head which should be there for the 1797 apprearance ... So how much do you plan to modify the kit?

 

Most important in any way: have fun !

[Knocklouder]

Good luck on your journey!!   ,  tagging along😊.   Bob M

[The Bitter End]

11 hours ago, Marcus.K. said:

As I am very much interested in the ships 1803 appearance and did some research on the older design - I would like to hire and come abord for your trip!

 

I am also curious about the quality of "the most accurate kit" - since what I see at the bow on the box´s pictures is for example not a Hercules figure head which should be there for the 1797 apprearance ... So how much do you plan to modify the kit?

 

Most important in any way: have fun !

Good Morning Marcus

 

I was thinking about this very thing just before you sent this message. I think "the most accurate kit" is a bit of marketing gymnastics. Its more or less a big box of planks with some vague suggestions about what to do with them. From everything I have seen this is going to translate to something quite close to a scratch build with a huge amount of modification.

If you take a glance at my Pegasus you will see that there was fairly little that wasn't somewhat modified and if i could rebuilt that kit i would have done far more.

 

I am going to do my best to do the kit some sort of justice but I cant make any promises just yet. If you happen to have any suggestions or see me going the wrong way please let me know!

 

Kind regards

 

Haiko

Edited October 21 by The Bitter End

[Marcus.K.]

Well ... reviewing the model kit itself in internet I found this statement:

Quote

Our kit is based on the 1927 Navy drawings, photographs and documentation used during the 1993-97 restoration. 

I guess I need to apologize - since the mentioned "1797" on the box most likely is only a reference to the frigates launch - while the kit itself may be a very accurate representation of the Lord-Restoring efforts. If you like the ship in those years ... 

 

On 10/20/2024 at 8:23 AM, The Bitter End said:

My intention is to build her as she was in 1797 at which point she would have been the (frigate) Constitution...

I am looking forward following your steps - and if you like I can provide some information, myths and rumors I gathered the last years (2 decades by now - although with huge gaps on engagement) - mainly with a lot of advice and hints by so many kind and knowing modelers in this and in other model-ship-forums (a BIG, BIG THANK YOU from here !!) 

We all know that the ships earlier appearance is a mystery - and that a lot of ideas and interpretations are billowing like fog .. and its hard to see the real shape of things.

 

So what are your sources so far? 

 

On 10/20/2024 at 8:23 AM, The Bitter End said:

Should I be referring to this vessel as the Constitution or the USS constitution. My intention is to build her as she was in 1797 at which point she would have been the (frigate) Constitution...I think.

I would advocate for the choice of "Frigate Constitution" if I am to decide .. and while reading this I notice that my previous "U.S. Frigate Constitution" may have been as wrong as a "USS Constitution" for those years. I just recently saw an old newspaper asking for volunteers to hire onto the ship - headline "Frigate Constitution". .. no U.S. .. no U.S.S. of course..  

[The Bitter End]

On 10/21/2024 at 2:00 PM, Marcus.K. said:

Well ... reviewing the model kit itself in internet I found this statement:

I guess I need to apologize - since the mentioned "1797" on the box most likely is only a reference to the frigates launch - while the kit itself may be a very accurate representation of the Lord-Restoring efforts. If you like the ship in those years ... 

 

I am looking forward following your steps - and if you like I can provide some information, myths and rumors I gathered the last years (2 decades by now - although with huge gaps on engagement) - mainly with a lot of advice and hints by so many kind and knowing modelers in this and in other model-ship-forums (a BIG, BIG THANK YOU from here !!) 

We all know that the ships earlier appearance is a mystery - and that a lot of ideas and interpretations are billowing like fog .. and its hard to see the real shape of things.

 

So what are your sources so far? 

 

I would advocate for the choice of "Frigate Constitution" if I am to decide .. and while reading this I notice that my previous "U.S. Frigate Constitution" may have been as wrong as a "USS Constitution" for those years. I just recently saw an old newspaper asking for volunteers to hire onto the ship - headline "Frigate Constitution". .. no U.S. .. no U.S.S. of course..  

Good Morning Marcus

 

I think you may be right about the kit being an accurate representation for the 1927 layout, I do forsee this being a problem and an adventure to try and get as close as possible to how she originally looked.

My "research" so far has only been reading scraps of information here and there, browsing through the constitution museum database and drawings, scrolling through logs and even asking AI for some information. I have been working on Pegasus so I have not yet had a chance to really get into proper research.

 

I would be enormously grateful if you would point me in the right direction on any of this information as one can easily get led astray with bad sources.

 

I look forward to having your input as I struggle along!

 

TBE

[The Bitter End]

I guess this I have finally begun work on my Constitution....in a way

 

I have decided that I will be double planking the Hull. I prefer the unpainted look to best showcase the unique element of this hobby which is hull construction from individual planks. I also have access to several thousand Pear trees which present a bit of a challenge but I am excited to approach it.

It was suggested to me by @Der Alte Rentner that I simply fill in between the frames and do a single planking over this(a great suggestion which will definitely save many hours of work) but I think I need the planking practice and I have the supplied timber from the kit so I will plank the hull as per the kit instructions and then plank over it with my pear wood planks...hopefully. If anyone has any advice on what to be careful for in this process I would be most grateful. I realise that I am making the hull thicker than was planned for in the kit so I'm anticipating some issues.

 

My research allowed me to settle on planks of 40ft by 12 inches(160mmx4.2mm at scale). this requires a staggering 95 running meters of planking by my calculations(assuming no wastage). The process requires me to cut out the straightest section of the tree with a chainsaw while avoiding sections with nails(nails are used on these trees to tie open branches to aid fruit bearing). I then rough cut the trunks to square on the bandsaw, square off 2 sides on the planer, rip 5mm planks on the table saw and then tun these planks into 2.5mm strips on the table saw with a thin strip jig built for the purpose. I then need to thickness down to 4.2mmx1.5mm(a process which I haven't quite figured out yet.

[Der Alte Rentner]

If you're going to double plank, you could skip the filler blocks, as you can do a lot of correction after the first planking.  That's what wood putty Is for.  

 

And as you mentioned, the practice is worth the exercise. Make the second planking as thin as you can, would be the one thing I would suggest that this point. But you have a long way to go before you start planking, so I'm looking forward to seeing your first photos. Good luck and welcome aboard.

 

[The Bitter End]

1 hour ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

If you're going to double plank, you could skip the filler blocks, as you can do a lot of correction after the first planking.  That's what wood putty Is for.  

 

And as you mentioned, the practice is worth the exercise. Make the second planking as thin as you can, would be the one thing I would suggest that this point. But you have a long way to go before you start planking, so I'm looking forward to seeing your first photos. Good luck and welcome aboard.

 

Thanks for the advice and welcome. I will definitely do exactly that, i think I will need as much time as possible to figure out how to get those planks as thin as I can.

[Der Alte Rentner]

I assume you're using a good resaw blade on a bandsaw to get your boards.  With a 1" resaw blade on my bandsaw, I can get really thin strips if wood as wide as 3 or 4 inches, depending on the hardness of the wood.  The key is to run the board you just cut a piece off through a planer or thickness drum sander to completely flatten the surface before the next resaw.

 

But how ever you make the boards, if you make the strips fairly long, a thickness drum sander is ideal for precise dimensioning.  I've got a 16" Jet drum sander and it has netted me perfectly dimensioned thin strips.  I had to run some of the wood that came with my Model Shipways kit through the sander to get them to uniform thicknesses.  

 

You might need to experiment to see just how thin you can go, but I'm pretty sure that you can easily produce stock for planking.  You might want to reach out to Mustafa for advice, as I'm pretty sure he makes his own strips too.

 

Well, you're off to the races.  Congratulations, and again, welcome aboard.

Edited November 14 by Der Alte Rentner

[The Bitter End]

On 11/15/2024 at 12:10 AM, Der Alte Rentner said:

I assume you're using a good resaw blade on a bandsaw to get your boards.  With a 1" resaw blade on my bandsaw, I can get really thin strips if wood as wide as 3 or 4 inches, depending on the hardness of the wood.  The key is to run the board you just cut a piece off through a planer or thickness drum sander to completely flatten the surface before the next resaw.

 

But how ever you make the boards, if you make the strips fairly long, a thickness drum sander is ideal for precise dimensioning.  I've got a 16" Jet drum sander and it has netted me perfectly dimensioned thin strips.  I had to run some of the wood that came with my Model Shipways kit through the sander to get them to uniform thicknesses.  

 

You might need to experiment to see just how thin you can go, but I'm pretty sure that you can easily produce stock for planking.  You might want to reach out to Mustafa for advice, as I'm pretty sure he makes his own strips too.

 

Well, you're off to the races.  Congratulations, and again, welcome aboard.

Hi again Herr Rentner!

 

I am actually doing the strips on a table saw believe it or not, it produces pretty good results but I will certainly try and get them neatened up with a drum sander as you suggest.

 

I have also only cut about 30% of the hull planking that I need so I might attempt the next batch on the bandsaw. I'll be spending the morning in the woodpile with a chainsaw tomorrow so I should have more wood to experiment on during the week if my schedule allows it.

 

I decided to get started on the hull this evening so...here we go....

Edited November 16 by The Bitter End

[The Bitter End]

I have finally begun this Build process in earnest. I began With opening up the box and going through all the parts, removing the small items from their packaging and transferring them to my small parts organizers. I make use of these units which have small sub boxes with individual lids which I absolutely love. https://share.temu.com/vMlcL3WUfmA (Please let me know if this link breaks forum rules and I will remove it). Next was a quick stock take and parts inspection. It has been mentioned in other builds but Utmost care must be taken when removing parts from their frames, I managed to break a keel section before it was even properly out of the box.

 

I will spare you all another set of photo of the box contents which consist of vast quantities of bass wood and a multitude of bits and pieces.

 

For now I have packed everything back in the box and just removed the 8 sheets which contain hull frame sections. I will begin by removing the central keel sections with a exacto knife and number 11 surgical blade(I bought about a million of them for next to nothing so I might as well use them). It is surprisingly hard to remove these sections without doing any damage.

I intend to leave the hull unpainted and planked in a second layer of pear wood so I will make the visible keel sections from scratch using the same. The keel sections below have been removed for use as templates for scratch making these parts(Hopefully)

Moving on to doing the glue-up on the portions which wont be visible once the hull is planked. I am doing the glue-up with titebond original. Alignment was done by gently hammering a standard toothpick into the alignment holes of the sections and then sanding them flush(hot tip -  you can save money by breaking the toothpick in half and using 1 toothpick for both holes )

 

I then placed the sections between 2 sheets of wax paper and pressing them between various boards that were floating around the kitchen.

That is it for now while I wait for the glue to dry and figure out how to make the keel sections

 

T.B.E.

 

EDIT!

 

I lifted the weights after an hour or so to clear any squeeze out with a scalpel before it completely dries... and noticed that the warping of the bass wood caused the seams to open on 2 of the pieces. I therefore forced some glue into these gaps and re clamped with office clips. The lesson here is so either be more aggressive with the weight on a flat press or go with clips from the beginning.

 

 

Edited November 16 by The Bitter End

[The Bitter End]

I have removed all clamps and sanded and scraped off all the excess glue and char. Nothing too notable about this process but it is worth mentioning that the wood provided in the kit is very delicate so it breaks easily and can easily be over sanded, especially at the edges, as a result I have had 2 glue back 2 broken sections indicated below as well as put in a bit of a filler strip where I had removed too much material during sanding.

I have also simply photocopied the plans to transfer the bearding lines to the false keel, My intention is to do this using carbon paper but I will still have to see if this actually works.

 

If anyone has any tips or pointers at this point on how to go about double planking the hull any help would be very welcome. When I transfer the bearding line I am working from the assumption that I will have to raise the bearding line by the thickness of the additional layer of planking that I will be adding....so far that is all that I have on the subject.

The rest of the day was spent cutting more pear wood in preparation for milling. Hopefully I am not being over ambitious.\

 

On an unrelated note, I have been looking for plans for the keel stem so that I might make my replacement stem in pieces as it would have been made in reality. I found plans from 1929 but they are significantly different from the provided stem pieces that I cannot really make use of them. I am not sure if that is because the kit plans are incorrect or if the 1929 plans are just a modern version of the stem but I am at a loss. If anyone has any suggestions or access to plans for a stem or era appropriate stem I would jump at the opportunity.

 

Edited November 16 by The Bitter End

[Der Alte Rentner]

In my humble opinion, if you have the kit, use the stem that came with it. I don't see an appreciable difference between the drawing you showed and the part in the box.

 

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 10/20/2024 at 11:24 PM, The Bitter End said:

Its more or less a big box of planks with some vague suggestions about what to do with them.

You've nailed it on the head! That's all these kits are. If I hadn't found this website and the Bob Hunt practicum, I would be completely lost.

[The Bitter End]

9 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

In my humble opinion, if you have the kit, use the stem that came with it. I don't see an appreciable difference between the drawing you showed and the part in the box.

 

 

In principle I do agree entirely. My motivation for making the stem from scratch is that I am leaving the model unpainted and a pear wood stem should be easier on the eyes than the basswood one provided. I also want to do it in sections to increase the chances that I can get caut the stem out of as uniform a piece of wood as possible, a challenging task with all the tiny knots in these trees. I am still talking a big game about doing this but It may not happen. The pear wood I have is presenting some significant challenges due to the incredibly cold winters and very hot summers where these trees grew, creating a very uneven wood density across the grain and this is exaggerated by the fact that they were farmed to bear fruit and not produce timber so there are plenty of knits to contend with....that being said please keep the opinions coming, I give them all serious consideration

[The Bitter End]

8 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

You've nailed it on the head! That's all these kits are. If I hadn't found this website and the Bob Hunt practicum, I would be completely lost.

I hope it stays that way, without your build log I would be completely lost too!

[Der Alte Rentner]

10 hours ago, The Bitter End said:

My motivation for making the stem from scratch is that I am leaving the model unpainted and a pear wood stem should be easier on the eyes than the basswood one provided.

Doh!   Of course, that makes absolutely perfect sense.  I can't believe I didn't remember that.  Go for it!

 

By the way, if it hasn't already come up, you'll also need to make planking for the spar deck.  

[JSGerson]

I just found your build log today. It looks like you are on an exciting, if not challenging endeavor. I have some additional US Navy plans of the stem that may (or not) help.

[JSGerson]

There is an excellent model of the 1797 configuration of the Frigate Constitution by Mark Antczak that were posted on Usetosail's log starting at post #556. Unfortunately, the original site these images were posted on, American Marine Models no longer exist there. I do have another set of 19 B&W images of a 1797 configuration model from the US Navy should you be interested. Hopefully these model will help you construct your model.

 

Enjoy the journey

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

1 hour ago, JSGerson said:

I just found your build log today

There you go, Haiko, you now have the attention of one of the most knowledgeable contributors on the subject of the USS/Frigate Constitution at this site.  

 

You'll not want for plans or pictures going forward.  😄

 

 

[The Bitter End]

14 hours ago, JSGerson said:

There is an excellent model of the 1797 configuration of the Frigate Constitution by Mark Antczak that were posted on Usetosail's log starting at post #556. Unfortunately, the original site these images were posted on, American Marine Models no longer exist there. I do have another set of 19 B&W images of a 1797 configuration model from the US Navy should you be interested. Hopefully these model will help you construct your model.

 

Enjoy the journey

 

Jon

Hi Jon

 

Firstly thank you for your input. That set of drawings of the stem definitely help. I ended up making the stem from a single piece of pear wood but I think I will cheat a bit and carve these divisions into the wood.

The images of the constitution you reference on used to sails log are absolutely beautiful and this is exactly the style that I am aiming for. achieving this is another story.

I would really appreciate your offer of additional drawings, it would be amazing if you could send them my way.

 

Thanks again

 

Haiko

 

 

 

[JSGerson]

Most of the US Navy plans that I have can be found at the USS Constitution Museum which are free to the public to download. I have collected a few more obscure plans from various other sources of the years. Should you need photos, I have accumulated thousands of images of the ship from the present day all the way back to 1857. Earlier than that you will have to rely on contemporary paintings for images.

 

Jon

[GGibson]

Hello Haiko!  I will begin following your Constitution build with great interest, as I have this same Constitution kit up on my shelf, waiting for my completion of the Santa Maria build I am currently working on.

 

I have been following the builds of @Der Alte Rentner, @JSGerson, and @mtbediz, among others, as Peter, Jon and Mustafa are all doing fantastic and I am learning so much watching each of their Constitution builds and the challenges each of them face (and conquer) in the process.

 

Not entirely sure how far out I am in beginning my Constitution build but will definitely add your build to my list of projects to watch.  Hope all goes well and look forward to watching!  Thanks for allowing me to tag along!

[The Bitter End]

15 hours ago, GGibson said:

Hello Haiko!  I will begin following your Constitution build with great interest, as I have this same Constitution kit up on my shelf, waiting for my completion of the Santa Maria build I am currently working on.

 

I have been following the builds of @Der Alte Rentner, @JSGerson, and @mtbediz, among others, as Peter, Jon and Mustafa are all doing fantastic and I am learning so much watching each of their Constitution builds and the challenges each of them face (and conquer) in the process.

 

Not entirely sure how far out I am in beginning my Constitution build but will definitely add your build to my list of projects to watch.  Hope all goes well and look forward to watching!  Thanks for allowing me to tag along!

Hi Gregg!

 

I am happy to have you tagging along, please keep an eye out for mistakes for me. I am also following these builds, I am truly amazed by the quality of the workmanship that exists on this forum.

 

I hope you start your log soon and we can struggle along together.

 

Regards

 

Haiko

[The Bitter End]

15 hours ago, JSGerson said:

Most of the US Navy plans that I have can be found at the USS Constitution Museum which are free to the public to download. I have collected a few more obscure plans from various other sources of the years. Should you need photos, I have accumulated thousands of images of the ship from the present day all the way back to 1857. Earlier than that you will have to rely on contemporary paintings for images.

 

Jon

Thanks again for this information. I have been looking at the plans in your link and they certainly are excellent food for thought. It is interesting to see the evolution of this vessel over her long history.

 

Perhaps you can answer a question for me with your greater access to information. I have the original deck planking at 40ft by 7inches length and width(thickness is not so relevant for me in this case. this scales to 2.3mm or 1/11" does that sound correct to you?