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

[The Bitter End]

45 minutes ago, Thukydides said:

I have been doing some research on the construction of the knee of the head and I was wondering where exactly you got this particular plan from. The only stuff I could find on Constitution is in the modeler resources (https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/discover-learn/modeler-resources/) and it didn't show the various pieces.

 

You are correct in assuming that many of these ships likely used more pieces than is typically depicted on models. In my build log I go through the history of English construction of the knee of the head and list all the contemporary examples I could find. I would like to add Constitution to the list if you can point me in the direction of the original source for the above picture.

Good Evening Thukydides

 

Thank you for your interest and input.

 

I Got the drawings from @JSGerson who tells me that the plans come from the US Naval archives. I believe he purchased a CD which was originally available from the same website which you reference above. Apparently it contains significantly more drawings than what one sees listed now. If one looks in the bottom right hand corner of the uncropped image(can be seen in post #42 of this log) the number "14705" is listed if you go to the link you shared you can see a drawing of the fore mast step with the reference number 14704 written in the same format as on the drawing I worked from, this makes me feel that the plan is probably as reliable as one can hope for such things.

 

 

I really appreciate your work and interest. I hope that you jump in if you ever see me doing something stupid. I am very inexperienced and I am always in search of help.

 

Haiko

[JSGerson]

Quote

I tried to follow the link to your German website but it says that I don't have permission to view these images. Must i sign up for the website to access them?

The short answer is yes, you must sign up, but it doesn't cost anything. You can also choose the language you wish to read it in. I did, and have had no problems.

 

Jon

[The Bitter End]

Again not a huge amount to share..

 

I transferred the reference line from the drawings provided to the bulkheads. I did this by extending the reference line with pencil, placing the bulkhead over the drawing and parking the edges of the line onto the part and then joining those 2 marks. The plans and the parts match up pretty poorly so I elected to use the cavities above the gun deck as my alignment reference.

 

I then sanded out the slot in each bulkhead with a small sanding tool made by gluing sand paper to a piece of aluminum that as floating around my workshop.

 

Next I inserted the bulkheads into the false keel, I found a certain amount of additional sanding was required to get the parts to fit and to get the reference marks to alighs between the bulkheads and the false keel. The photo below shows what the bulkheads looked like with only the reference lines matched up and no additional work done on the bulkheads. It is not hugely obvious but the alignment is pretty poor. Casting a careful eye over the "deck beams" shows that they are not all level at all.

 

I corrected this with the following 5 different approaches depending on the specific bulkhead in question. By looking down the length of the vessel and eyeballing the heights of the beams I adjusted as follows until they were reasonably ell aligned(I did not go for complete perfection as I am using a plywood carrier for the deck but i did get it fairly close)

1. rotated the bulkhead changing which side faced forward or aft, this actually helped alot

2. removed material from the bulkhead with a combination of a sharp knife and sandpaper

3. added some material to the top of the bulkhead in the form of a strip cut form a sheet of 0.5mm plywood.

4. tapped some of the bulkheads so that they came up slightly from their original alignment with the reference lines to align better at the deck level.

5. Some bulkheads were fine as is and required no adjustment.

 

The slight but pretty essential correction can be seen below.

 

I will now move onto removing char and rough faring the bulkheads before gluing them in place

 

TBE

[The Bitter End]

As I am about to move onto the faring can anyone perhaps tell me if I need to remove additional material to account for the fact that I am adding an extra layer of 1.5mm planking. I cant quite decide if it makes sense to add another 1,5mm of faring on the bulkheads or if the additional width on the bearding like and rabbet will be sufficient

[Der Alte Rentner]

That is an excellent question.  My thought is that it might be very difficult to shave a precise 1.5mm off of the bulkheads.  There will be more "fairing" after your first planking.  So, some of the material you wish to pare will come off at that time.  I  can't think of any real downside to having a smidge more material on the planking, as long as you allow for this in the rabbets.  I would leave the bulkheads as they are. 

 

You're moving along at a pretty nice clip.  Congrats.

Edited November 28 by Der Alte Rentner

[mtbediz]

On 11/27/2024 at 9:08 PM, The Bitter End said:

As I am about to move onto the faring can anyone perhaps tell me if I need to remove additional material to account for the fact that I am adding an extra layer of 1.5mm planking. I cant quite decide if it makes sense to add another 1,5mm of faring on the bulkheads or if the additional width on the bearding like and rabbet will be sufficient

I don't know why you need an extra layer but If the issue is aesthetic requirement maybe instead of the 1.5 mm second layer, you might consider adding a 0.5 mm veneer, as many modelers do.

Edited November 29 by mtbediz

[The Bitter End]

On 11/28/2024 at 9:25 PM, mtbediz said:

I don't know why you need an extra layer but If the issue is aesthetic requirement maybe instead of the 1.5 mm second layer, you might consider adding a 0.5 mm veneer, as many modelers do.

Thank you for the suggestion. I am definitely going to look at this as an option. I am really struggling to get decent planking using my methods and your suggestion might just be the answer.

 

Kind regards

 

Haiko

[The Bitter End]

Hello all

 

I am still doing some its and pieces but the season has begun and finding time to get work on conny done has been a challenge. I have mostly just been doing research when I have the time. This has lead me to the following question...

 

Is there any good reason to do the waterway before the decking?

 

the way I see it its going to be a challenge to get all those plank ends and edges to line up flawlessly(even with the carrier I am planning on using.) Why not just deck first and then do the waterway and the gunnel planking after that? Am I missing something or is there some other bit of structure that will conceal this potentially shoddy edge? Looking at the build log of @Der Alte Rentner and his excellent summary of the decking approaches on the various build logs I saw that only  unegawaya seems to have done his waterways after decking but I cannot find his log.

 

Please help!

 

TBE

[JSGerson]

Click here for unegawaya

One of the reasons the waterway is installed first is because that's the way the actual ship was built (see cross section plan). I see no reason you couldn't plank first then add the waterways second for a model. You would have to modify the waterway cross section to account for the planking under it.

 

Jon

 

Edited December 8 by JSGerson

[Der Alte Rentner]

21 hours ago, The Bitter End said:

its going to be a challenge to get all those plank ends and edges to line up flawlessly

I agree with the Jon that it doesn't much matter the order of assembly here.  For what it's worth, I didn't find it that difficult to line up the edges and ends.  Perhaps because I chose to taper the planks aft of amidships, therefore requiring very little tweaking with a sanding stick to fit.  

 

On the veneer front, I'll suggest again that, if you have access to a band saw with a good resaw blade, you can easily  make your own veneer.  In the past, I've made my own as thin as two mil, but could have gone thinner.  For the purpose I put it to, I thought I'd rather have a bit more material available to sand at the finishing phase of that project.  

 

These photos are of an older version of the humidor, which I gave away as a gift, where I probably went 2 mil plus. In the more recent version, which I made for myself to use as photo boxes, I measured the thickness of the zebrawood veneer.  It's 1.5 mil.  Ironically(?) I forgot to photograph the photo boxes..

 

 

[The Bitter End]

On 12/8/2024 at 7:12 PM, JSGerson said:

Click here for unegawaya

One of the reasons the waterway is installed first is because that's the way the actual ship was built (see cross section plan). I see no reason you couldn't plank first then add the waterways second for a model. You would have to modify the waterway cross section to account for the planking under it.

 

Jon

 

Hi Jon

 

Thanks as always for the response. I know this is besides the point but that is actually quite an attractive drawing. After having taken a look at this and considered the fact that the vessel was in fact built this way as well as the input from Der Alte Rentner I think I will install the waterway first and do my best to get a nice neat join.

 

Does one of your drawings perhaps indicate how the waterway was jointed? I intend to leave the waterway unpainted so I would like to show that detail if possible.

 

Cheers!

 

TBE

[The Bitter End]

3 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

I agree with the Jon that it doesn't much matter the order of assembly here.  For what it's worth, I didn't find it that difficult to line up the edges and ends.  Perhaps because I chose to taper the planks aft of amidships, therefore requiring very little tweaking with a sanding stick to fit.  

 

On the veneer front, I'll suggest again that, if you have access to a band saw with a good resaw blade, you can easily  make your own veneer.  In the past, I've made my own as thin as two mil, but could have gone thinner.  For the purpose I put it to, I thought I'd rather have a bit more material available to sand at the finishing phase of that project.  

 

These photos are of an older version of the humidor, which I gave away as a gift, where I probably went 2 mil plus. In the more recent version, which I made for myself to use as photo boxes, I measured the thickness of the zebrawood veneer.  It's 1.5 mil.  Ironically(?) I forgot to photograph the photo boxes..

 

 

This box is honestly incredible. I think I really need to brush up on my work. May I ask what kind of blade you are using for this? I don't want to be that workman that blames his tools but my delta rockwell bandsaw is somewhat long in the tooth, it might be time to get a new saw too or at the very least take a close look at the bearings and setup.

 

On the waterways I think I will do them first as you have done and just be very cautious about the planking. I also took a closer look at the carrier method used by Xken and I see he begins with a cardboard template, That approach will definitely give me more confidence to create an accurate result.

 

Regards

 

 

TBE

[JSGerson]

I didn't find any additional detail on the waterways other than this 1927 version of the midsection section which just states "solid waterways" & "white oak," with a clear image of the waterways cross section. As for the joints, they are probably some sort of lap joints. but any detail would be perpendicular joint lines and those be barely visible on bare wood. Your model would get the same visual effect from a simple butt joint. I think any effort to make them more prominent, would render them out of scale and not help the model. 

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

4 hours ago, The Bitter End said:

May I ask what kind of blade you are using for this? 

It's a one and a quarter inch resaw blade, with three teeth per inch. I bought it when I bought my Laguna bandsaw nearly 20 years ago. Geez, time flies!

 

If you have cleanly sanded or planed faces, you can shave wood almost paper thin. It's a fantastic tool.

 

That resaw blade is not presently on the bandsaw, in case you're wondering about the photos below. I needed a thinner blade for the tricky work on the bow and stern filler blocks.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 9 by Der Alte Rentner
Added comment

[The Bitter End]

On 12/10/2024 at 1:18 AM, Der Alte Rentner said:

It's a one and a quarter inch resaw blade, with three teeth per inch. I bought it when I bought my Laguna bandsaw nearly 20 years ago. Geez, time flies!

 

If you have cleanly sanded or planed faces, you can shave wood almost paper thin. It's a fantastic tool.

 

That resaw blade is not presently on the bandsaw, in case you're wondering about the photos below. I needed a thinner blade for the tricky work on the bow and stern filler blocks.

 

 

 

 

Thank you! I will be doing my best to order a suitable blade. All the blades I have have significant offset so they create a very ugly cut. That almost looks like a meat blade, so I may be a big of a cowboy and see if I have one which will fit on my rockwell and try that before ordering.

 

TBE

[The Bitter End]

Hello all

 

A bit of information for those that are interested. I contacted the USS constitution Museum on the advice of JSGerson to enquire about the appearance of the Constitution figure head after the damage she sustained damage during a collision with the President in 1804 and before she had the soon to be headless jackson figurehead installed...This was their response.

 

"After the Hercules figurehead was destroyed, a simple billethead was put in place. This is detailed on pages 116 and 117 of A Most Fortunate Ship by Tyrone G. Martin (Naval Institute Press) and also on his website The Captain's Clerk at this link: https://thecaptainsclerk.com/speaks/book06.html "

 

The above url leads to a great little website full of additional information.... https://thecaptainsclerk.com/

 

I hope this was of some value to someone out there.

 

TBE

[The Bitter End]

This is all a bit delayed so I will endeavor to recall what was done when. I took some photos as I went but its all a little murky. If anyone has any questions or needs more photos please let me know. 

 

Stern filler blocks and counter.

 

I began with the stern counter. I did this by making a copy of the plans and sticking it to the provided timber of the appropriate size and then sanding back to the cutout, then making the location of the rudder hole and drilling it out. It is mentioned in the build log of @Der Alte Rentner that the plans dimensions for the stern counter create a counter that is slightly thicker than it should be. In my case this was something like 3.2mm(excuse my french) too thick. I considered slimming down the stern counter to account for this but decided against it as I felt it would have moved the relative orientation of the hole for the rudder in an awkward manner so I decided to keep the counter the original thickness. This actually worked out fairly well for reasons I will explain later. When fitting the counter I ensured that the rudder had decent clearance through the hole before final glueing.

Next up was to shape and install the stern filler blocks. This was again a process of copying the plans and then glueing the relevant portions onto the correctly sized blocks then slowly working back to the cutout line with my belt sander. I then used the provided template strips to bring back the shape until it matched the countour lines suggested. Once this had been installed with the help of some elastic bands and a couple of clamps there was more sanding required to get everything to flow correctly. Unfortunately I did not take the amount of photos I should have but i think its all pretty straight forward.

TBE

[The Bitter End]

Moving on to the transom.

 

Once the stern counter had been installed and the first of the transom pieces held in place it became obvious that there was an issue with a measurement or two. The transom pieces protruded above the edge of bulkhead "R" this would need to be addressed. As stated earlier I elected to not make the stern counter thinner but rather modify the transom pieces to correct the issue. The approach I took was designed to address both the misalignment of the transom and the incorrect angle of the transom. I took an image of the stern gallery and overlayed a protractor onto the image to determine the correct angle for the transom which turned out to be 70 degrees...see below....

 

This is a happy coincidence because removing the offending material from the top and bottom of each transom to get them flush with bulkhead "R" translated into a 70 degree transom. Its a bit hard to explain but hopefully the images of the pencil lines below will show what I did to correct the issue. I then cut away the relevant material above and below the pencil lines, re cut the notches for the cross planking and obviously forgot to take a new photo.

 

To glue these in place I again copied the plans and stuck the cutout onto the stern counter, then makes the transom positions with a pencil and glued them down while measuring their spacing at multiple locations to ensure they were square.

 

 

As you can see the extensions are grossly misaligned, I like to think this is mostly the fault of the kit but I guess I may have played a role in that too. I remedied this by spraying the offending extensions with Propranolol based hand sanitizer and then clamping a slightly flexible sanding block made of wood to the transom to create a nice smooth curve. I was pretty happy with the result.

 

Installing the beams was pretty straight forward. I had however cut the slots slightly wider than needed so you can faintly see that there are infact 2 beams in each slot to make up the extra space. Once this was all in I sanded the faces flat so that everything was nice and flush. The last part of the stern for now was to add filler blocks to the port and starboard sides of the transom. Be careful to not over size these and allow for the "wings" which are go behind the stern galleries. I like to do her stern in the 1812 style with 7 windows and a more curved taff rail. Hopefully this can still be achieved with this layout of transoms and some finagling.

 

Post addition...once the stem and stern were complete I also added support blocks between the bulkheads cut from a random pine plank I had lying around the workshop. A simple matter of measuring the distance between bulkheads at the false keel and then cutting a matching set of blocks to fit the gap. The result wasn't terribly pretty but I know that this will all be hidden. It might not have been the worst idea in the world to cut these blocks with great accuracy and install them while installing the bulkheads an the glue was still wet. In this photo you will also see there is reinforcements on ether side of the space for the 3 masts, again nothing fancy, just some off cut wood glued either side of the gap while ensuring they do not protrude above the false keel and interfere with the masts.

 

TBE

 

 

Edited December 15 by The Bitter End

[The Bitter End]

Bow filler blocks

 

 Just the usual copying of the plans, gluing them to the blocks with rubber cement and then sanding back to the lines with the belt sander. As with the stern fillers I used the contour strips provided to help with shaping(see useless photo below).

After the basic shape had been formed I then cut out the profile for the notches in the filler blocks to accommodate the knightsheads(apparently this is a misnomer of sorts but I's sure you all know what I mean. These notches were cut with a combination of cheap chisels from temu and some sharp number 11 scalpel blades. It did require some fiddling to get everything correctly sized for a nice fit but I got there in the end. I did pass the block over a flame to burn away some of the messy standing grain that is common with this type of wood after the carving was done.

 

Nothing special with the knightshead timbers except that 4 strips that will ultimately edge the bow gun ports were lined with a thing strip of pear wood as I am still hoping to avoid painting this model if possible this can just be seen in the last photo of this post on the starboard side. I made them up with the usual copying and gluing then sanding method. You will also notice that i left the profile of the upper supports square and did not cut them away. This will later provide support for the spar deck when It gets installed. It is worth noting that this was not entirely correct and I had to later cut some of these pieces away to allow the bowsprit to fit

These parts were then fitted and fared until all was reasonably well positioned for something which will later be hidden under planking.

TBE

 

 

 

 

Edited December 15 by The Bitter End

[The Bitter End]

Bowsprit fitting

 

Just a quick post on the bowsprit. In order to get the waterways to fit correctly and be snug up against the bowsprit I needed to do a temporary fitting of the timber. This item will probably be discarded in the end as there is an old plum tree in my garden with a dead branch that is begging to be turned into masts for this project but we shall see. To do this one must cut a tenon at 25 degrees into the end of the bowsprit and in my case cut away the knightshead timber support that I made over size. I had noticed earlier in the build that there was some misalignment in the bulkheads which meant that I needed to cut away a not of bulkhead A to allow the bowsprit to lie straight. This also meant that I need to make my tenon slightly narrower so that i could shift the base of the bowsprit slightly to starboard to get everything lined up nicely.  The bowsprit in place will appear in my next post. the images below just show that I id this cutting process in essentially 2 steps.

TBE

[The Bitter End]

Waterways and planksheer

 

The waterway process was pretty simple. I just cut stock the the size suggested on the plans from a pear stump then cut away the portion of the waterway that was going to make contact with the bulkhead extension until it sat nice and flush along its length. I then marked the toe of the stock with a 1.5mm strip of wood and the top of the stock with a 2.2mm piece of wood. This created 2 pencil lines which i could just taper between to create the profile of the waterway. I hope this makes sense, i realise its a pretty shoddy explanation. The process of shaping the waterway was greatly helped by the application of the hand sanitizer mentioned in a previous post. It really helps with the hand carving component

 

In order to make the curved section I marked out the waterway with a pencil on the plans then cut out this profile and glued it onto a suitable plank after which I cut out the shape on a bandsaw and fine tuned it on the belt sander. The pieces were then marked using the same technique and installed with the rest of the waterway and steamed for bending to fit correctly. I also made a little modification to my lathe to create a sanding disc that could neaten up the faces of the waterway and make better butt joints.

 

The final step for now was installing the planksheer. It was incredibly difficult to cut 2.38mm square strips on my full sized table saw but with some sanding I got the stock pretty close. This stock was then cut to length, steamed and shaped to produce the final result which can be seen below.

 

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to get your bulkheads and extensions properly leveled and aligned. do the extra work or you will end up with a wavy planksheer and waterway. I am going to have to fill in some gaps when it comes to the first row of planks and hopefully this hides the defects.

 

TBE

 

P.S.

 

After writing this post i decided to steam loose the planksheer and waterway where it dipped then force a wedge(a chisel) under the low point and allow the timber to dry. This means that in those places the waterway no longer makes contact with the bulkhead but is at least running straight. Due to the fact that I am using a plywood carrier for the deck I think I can live with this compromise. I have included a photo below of what this minor modification achieved. I fear only the most OCD amongst you will notice the difference. It is still not perfect but I can accept it knowing that alot of this will be hidden by future work and it is a reasonable price to pay to use this pear wood.

 

Edited December 15 by The Bitter End

[The Bitter End]

I am about the start planking the gunnel(I dont even know if this is the correct term). Can anyone tell me if there should be visible caulking between these planks? I know its a strange question because the original vessel was obviously painted but suggestions would be appreciated.

 

TBE

[mtbediz]

Very nice progress my friend. What part of the ship do you mean by gunnel?

Edited December 15 by mtbediz

[The Bitter End]

4 minutes ago, mtbediz said:

Very nice progress my friend. What part of the ship do you mean by gunnel?

Mustafa! Thank you for the encouragement. I am making vary good use of your log to help me along with this build.

 

Below is the portion I am referring to. The portion above the planksheer. I hope that makes sense

 

Regards

 

Haiko

 

[mtbediz]

12 minutes ago, The Bitter End said:

Mustafa! Thank you for the encouragement. I am making vary good use of your log to help me along with this build.

 

Below is the portion I am referring to. The portion above the planksheer. I hope that makes sense

 

Regards

 

Haiko

 

I call it upper hull. I think there is no need for caulking, I have never seen anyone doing it. I just add caulking to the deck planking.

[Der Alte Rentner]

5 hours ago, The Bitter End said:

I am about the start planking the gunnel (I dont even know if this is the correct term). Can anyone tell me if there should be visible caulking between these planks? I know its a strange question

I've never seen that spelling for gunwale before, but turns out it's a legit alternative spelling. You're referring to the planking at the top of the hull, working your way down toward the wale.

 

I haven't seen anyone at MSW put any visible caulking between these planks. Oddly enough however, for the deck planking people do attempt to simulate caulking. In reality I'm guessing there must be caulking between the planks on the hull to keep water out.  No?

 

I would think that since most people sand, apply putty, then send some more, and then paint the hull black, no one is concerning themselves with this issue. In my experience, I glued the edges of all the hull planking. As carefully as I prepared the planks, there was still much trimming with a chisel and some finish sanding. In the end I couldn't see any glue seams. I don't think I'd worry about it if I were you.

 

By the way, you are working away a quite the pace there. At this rate you'll be done by the end of the year.. Kudos on what you accomplished so far.

 

Edited December 15 by Der Alte Rentner

[Der Alte Rentner]

5 hours ago, The Bitter End said:

It was incredibly difficult to cut 2.38mm square strips on my full sized table saw

I cannot stress enough the value of a thickness drum sander for situations like this. You can get fairly close with a saw, then run the parts through the thickness drum sander for final dimensioning. It's a shame that the Byrnes company no longer makes theirs.  I've had my Jet drum sander for about 15 years for my woodworking hobby and with proper setup, I can dimension with amazing precision.

Edited December 15 by Der Alte Rentner

[The Bitter End]

7 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

I've never seen that spelling for gunwale before, but turns out it's a legit alternative spelling. You're referring to the planking at the top of the hull, working your way down toward the wale.

 

I haven't seen anyone at MSW put any visible caulking between these planks. Oddly enough however, for the deck planking people do attempt to simulate caulking. In reality I'm guessing there must be caulking between the planks on the hull to keep water out.  No?

 

I would think that since most people sand, apply putty, then send some more, and then paint the hull black, no one is concerning themselves with this issue. In my experience, I glued the edges of all the hull planking. As carefully as I prepared the planks, there was still much trimming with a chisel and some finish sanding. In the end I couldn't see any glue seams. I don't think I'd worry about it if I were you.

 

By the way, you are working away a quite the pace there. At this rate you'll be done by the end of the year.. Kudos on what you accomplished so far.

 

Good Morning Peter

 

Thank you for your input, I think I will skip the caulking as per your suggestion. I had the exact same thought about caulking the hull planking as you did, its a strange quirk in a way that everyone caulks the deck but nothing else. For all we know I will have to paint the hull regardless but let us see.

As for the use of the term gunnel, I should probably have checked the terminology, I worked in the oil and gas industry before I became a farmer and we used the term gunnel, along with alot of other vernacular that would not have impressed my mother.

 

I am continuing my search for a reasonably priced hobby drum sander but it is roving to be a challenge. I even made an attachment for my belt sander that should in theory function like a thicknesser but it grabs the piece of wood and shoots it past the belt before it can do much....very frustrating.

 

Kind regards

 

Haiko

[Marcus.K.]

Well, I think that has a reason: while the decks usually never were painted and the discrepancy between wooden planks and caulking dark brown, nearly black was easy to recognize, it would - on the other hand - be hard to see that different color on black painted ships hulls. And even where there was an ockre paint: that paint would most likely been painted over those caulking gaps. Although I admit, that one may doubt the paint would stick there a long time ... 

 

But again to the decks: there you would have this frequently "washing"  with "holystones" - a process which frequently would make caulking more prominent to the eye - while the hull was only washed by seawater... 

[The Bitter End]

21 hours ago, Marcus.K. said:

Well, I think that has a reason: while the decks usually never were painted and the discrepancy between wooden planks and caulking dark brown, nearly black was easy to recognize, it would - on the other hand - be hard to see that different color on black painted ships hulls. And even where there was an ockre paint: that paint would most likely been painted over those caulking gaps. Although I admit, that one may doubt the paint would stick there a long time ... 

 

But again to the decks: there you would have this frequently "washing"  with "holystones" - a process which frequently would make caulking more prominent to the eye - while the hull was only washed by seawater... 

You make an excellent point. I guess in this case its all fantasy anyway because as you said everything would have been painted in reality. It probably makes the most sense to just do what looks best to the eye.

 

TBE