Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted (edited)

Upper deck (2nd hull)

 

1/7

 

The anatomy of Alert 1777 the deck is drawn in such a way that it's impossible to accurately determine the board thickness (meaning the boards are different).

By calculating the width and dividing by the number, I figured the overall board should be slightly thicker than 4.5 mm.

I'll also be doing this with the center board between the boards, rather than the center board in the middle (both are correct).

 

I also made four weight boards. They'll be a different shade of pear and 5 mm wide.

 

Alert1376.thumb.jpg.24f5009827a08a1b31ed4647178f41d7.jpg

 

1 - Main board (4.5 mm), made from the first shade of pear.

2 - Power board (5 mm), made from the second shade of pear.

3 - Waterway, made from the first shade of pear.

 

Alert1377.thumb.jpg.906a42eceb222da6b03f4d1aa8f99bff.jpg

 

After sanding, I coated all the pieces with Danish oil. I applied a very thin layer diluted 1:1 with artist's solvent and immediately wiped it off with a napkin.

 

Alert1380.thumb.jpg.9c247f2092f5b82ced9ba999d5653d59.jpg

 

I did this in order to select the best specimens and to remove fragments with discoloration and defects, such as these:

 

Alert1381.thumb.jpg.09c6f193cc0062ecdbe6c75f82f20e66.jpg

 

Here are the two deck colors close up.

 

Alert1382.thumb.jpg.5a4017fcc062289406e8607822ff6330.jpg

 

I sorted out all the best specimens and laid them out in the order in which I would glue them.

 

Alert1383.thumb.jpg.b3c1f068477e089fd2fe12e7188fd243.jpg

 

To visualize this, I cut a hole in a sheet of paper in the shape of a deck.

 

Alert1384.thumb.jpg.14d36b89179bed89ba5ac5fc5647fb53.jpg

 

Alert1385.thumb.jpg.18dc6fb459f41b4e0deba47b6abfd2c9.jpg

 

Pear color combination on deck and sides.

 

Alert1386.thumb.jpg.841991a68511a7b02547e5974e137a77.jpg

 

Alert1387.thumb.jpg.13bf5bd1bf676c0b830fe0fd4c41216d.jpg

Edited by serikoff
Posted

Upper deck (2nd hull)

 

2/7

 

Waterway and Deck Planking

 

November 2025

 

Alert1584.thumb.jpg.f8c46fa2c38d65e1522034c6bd3e01f9.jpg

 

Red - deck boards,

Turquoise - first part of the collapsible waterway,

Purple - second part of the collapsible waterway,

Orange - sideboard,

Brown - spirketling.

 

The idea is this: first, I'll secure the deck boards, then the first part of the waterway. Then, I'll make the second part of the waterway and secure it so I can glue the boards to the inside of the sideboard.

 

Alert1585.thumb.jpg.b223d2acec587c9765d9a97a68432b6d.jpg

 

Alert1586.thumb.jpg.2baba6f01342ed7dd91085f75e00c5a0.jpg

 

Alert1587.thumb.jpg.d7a9b87028581bf6857fe6da3a860344.jpg

 

I made waterway blanks using the first hull's template. I'll make them parallel to the deck planks.

 

Alert1588.thumb.jpg.efb6cd678e71647eb3fa69295431efa1.jpg

 

Alert1589.thumb.jpg.4a64a976be2d14dbd151101cfc6b8325.jpg

 

Alert1590.thumb.jpg.d7dbdefc254d3b90be0825706272ca0a.jpg

 

Alert1591.thumb.jpg.ecaa4bb3d99d2de870b327fa84d10bd1.jpg

 

Alert1592.thumb.jpg.6b73f2807a18acece4be4abb6fe23509.jpg

 

Alert1593.thumb.jpg.4ce1da25d06cf4f78ba264949d90b2a2.jpg

 

Alert1594.thumb.jpg.ea266332106a8e68a4874c6b59de1488.jpg

 

Posted (edited)

Chapter 6.

 

Gratings and Gangway

 

________________________

 

This post is for those who are interested in learning...

Today I worked mostly in Blender. For those unfamiliar, it's a 3D modeling program.

I'd like to share a little advice.

Before marking out the deck, let alone nailing and cutting holes, it's essential to calculate everything! This will avoid problems later when something doesn't line up or overlaps.

How I do it:

1. First, naturally, you need to build the deck and finish it. In my case, I have two (one skeletal, the other planked. Therefore, I need to prepare two sets of gratings: a fully assembled one and just the frames).

2. Then you need to calculate the positions and sizes of all the fittings on the deck, nail lines, board joints (I try not to make joints right away, but glue whole boards along the entire length of the deck), and especially gratings and hatches.

3. When making the gratings: the most important thing is to calculate the number of longitudinal and transverse grating pieces and avoid making mistakes.

4. You need to make the grating first, and then build a frame around it. Don't do it the other way around, making the frame first and then trying to fit the grating into it. A ±1 mm deviation in size won't be noticeable if you see the frame is slightly larger after gluing the gratings, but reducing the grating to fit into the frame will definitely be noticeable due to asymmetry or thin outer edges.

5. Then, using the already made frame (with grating), mark the deck. Even if you find you've gone slightly beyond the required boundary (say, a beam), it's not a problem; you can shift the nailing line so the nails are at the correct distance from the frame. It's worse when the nails are already in place, but the frame is either far away from them, close to them, or even overlapping the nails. The same applies to other elements on the deck, especially the joints between the boards. If you need to move the nail line, you can also move the joints between the boards. However, if there are already joints, moving the nail line will result in artifacts and overlapping joints or misalignments. Again, no one will notice if the entire nail line and joints are misaligned without visualizing the beams under the board, but nailing that isn't in a single, straight line or joints that don't hit the nails will be very noticeable.

6. Then, nail along this marking and do a final sanding to ensure everything is level, and only then cut the holes for the grates and hatches.

7. After that, I'll install the deck in place, glue the waterway, and even then, I won't glue all the deck parts (gratings, hatches, etc.) in place, as work on the ship will continue, and to avoid damaging anything, fixing them will be done last. It's better to make everything disassemblable, so you can always try on any part, but still be able to remove it.

_____________________________________

 

It took me three days to create the guide, which I'll post in the next post. Although this is for my cutter, Alert, or more precisely, its two hulls, all the techniques are applicable to other sailing vessels as well. One thing to keep in mind: to implement all of this, you'll need a Proxxon MF 70 milling machine.

Further on, I'll be posting how-tos of what I modeled in 3D, but I won't include these diagrams in the descriptions; they'll remain here in one place for you to understand the step-by-step process. If you have any questions, I'm here. Let's go...

 

 

Edited by serikoff
Posted

Front grating

Note: The X-axis (red line) is the deck axis (in the photo, from right to left is from fore to stern). The Y-axis (green line, top to bottom) is from larboard to starboard. The Z-axis is the height. In short, the interface menu is at the front of the ship. (The exception is the gangway, where it's the other way around.)
 

CutterHMSAlert177711.thumb.jpg.735e59a0b793da6a543eeafc897124f4.jpg


1.1 - Blank: The wood fibers runs along the green line. The blank dimensions should be calculated based on the following steps; they will provide clear routing boundaries.
1.2 - The dimensions of the side grille pieces should also be determined after understanding all the subsequent steps.

2.1 - Routing grooves with a 1 mm cutter at 1 mm intervals.
2.2 - Routing in the same way, either simultaneously or remotely, but the groove depth should be 0.5 mm.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177712.thumb.jpg.9afba66c57b8d12cbe89947cf5c008cd.jpg


3.1 - Milling grooves with a 0.8 mm cutter at 0.8 mm intervals (of course, it's easier to do 1 mm, but in my case, that's the format and quantity specified in the drawings). Groove depth: 0.5 mm.
Note: It's better to mill across the grain first, then along it, that is, the opposite of what's shown in the photo. I decided not to redo it. This will reduce the risk of chipping.
3.2 - Length of side rectangles = interval + 0.5 mm (this is the depth of the grating's insertion into its side).

4.1 - Slats that are inserted into the longitudinal grooves (in my case, 0.8 mm thick).
4.2 - Length of protruding part = interval + 0.5 mm (as in point 3.2, and this will apply to all gratings below).
4.3 - The transverse side pieces of the grating are turned 90 degrees and glued to the base of the grating.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177713.thumb.jpg.bb38e71de07706b4e9395fa196c9f74e.jpg


5.1 - The longitudinal side pieces are secured to the base in the same manner. When secured, the transverse pieces (4.3) are trimmed to the length of the interval (less 0.5 mm).

6.1 - After the entire grating is assembled, its upper surface is aligned to a single plane. The lower surface is then trimmed to the desired thickness and, if desired, profiled to accommodate the deck curve.
 

 

 

CutterHMSAlert177714.thumb.jpg.993467a9fd12b217f8ea3b08cf6f6268.jpg


7.1 - The grating with the frame. It will be installed on the deck, which is covered with planks.
7.2 - After securing the grating to the frame, the upper surface is profiled to fit the deck's curve.

8.1 - The grating frame. It will be installed on the deck as a "skeleton."
8.2 - The connection of this angle is described below, as is the profiling of this frame to fit the deck's curve; it differs from the assembled grating.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177715.thumb.jpg.7876361ff9b3e36e1f0a1212eef9f300.jpg


9.1 - First, mill the first plane on the front and rear parts, as shown in the photo.
9.2 - Then mill the second plane.

10.1 - Then glue the frame pieces (4 pieces) together.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177716.thumb.jpg.f2ac112edd2a1d20154a8fc8d1ea88f2.jpg


11.1 - Afterwards, they are given the deck profile (as specified in 7.2).

12.1 - In parallel, two more parts are profiled to the desired deck curve and glued in place at the mark to the depth of the lattice.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177717.thumb.jpg.2cf967250509fdd21ba99625f637ff1c.jpg
 

13.1 - Straight grooves for the grating are milled into the side frame pieces. For the version where the gratings will be assembled with the frame, for simplicity, a straight groove for the grating can be milled around the entire perimeter of the grating.

14.1 - This ensures a proper connection not only on the inside but also on the outside of the grating frame.

 

Posted

Anchor rope grating (hold)

 

CutterHMSAlert177721.thumb.jpg.efa90c8b592e47e2035042b84aabf596.jpg


20.1 - Route across the grain (along the Y axis) with a 1 mm cutter at 1 mm intervals.
20.2 - Then along the grain.

21.1 - Insert the 1 mm slats.
21.2 - The protruding edges of the slats and base should be equal to the interval + 0.5 mm to allow for immersion into the side grating pieces.
 

 

 

CutterHMSAlert177722.thumb.jpg.36514ff3abdd45473f8c294c5d8706a8.jpg


22.1 - Installing the front and rear grating sections as described previously.

23.1 - Installing the side grating sections.
23.2 - A tricky spot for the anchor cable. To make things easier, you can simply remove the excess. If I do the correct version, I'll show it in the review when I'm making it.
 

 

 

CutterHMSAlert177723.thumb.jpg.62b5751bf1e79cb685a481a524803a82.jpg


24.1 - Installing the side frames with milled joint grooves. (See also 26.1)

25.1 - Installing the front and rear frame sections with joint grooves.
Then the grating and frame are profiled to fit the deck curve (see 7.2 in the previous description).

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177724.thumb.jpg.62523340e078ca4cb3a61f39fed74ef9.jpg
 

26.1 - Grooves are made in the side sections of the frame before securing the grating.

27.1 - Locking strips are secured to the front and rear sections. (In the simple version, the grating rests on them, and after assembly, the entire structure is profiled to follow the curvature of the deck (see 7.2).
27.2 - In the complex version, the entire structure is first profiled without gluing the frame and grating together, and only then is the curved strip glued to the frame profile.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177725.thumb.jpg.e895ed9bd3ebd3ae834fac2a5bfd5b87.jpg


28.1 - Profiled grille assembly with frame.
 


 


Rear grating

30.1 All steps for the rear grating are identical to those for the two gratings described previously. The only difference is that the rear grating frame is significantly shorter and thinner, but the connection remains via grooves (see image 3).
 

CutterHMSAlert1777131.thumb.jpg.717c06574cda16d66a6947ef083e5302.jpg
 
CutterHMSAlert1777132.thumb.jpg.1e5681d5bcee996457dd7d8ead6d67be.jpg
 
CutterHMSAlert177733.thumb.jpg.9ea72d1bb7699889703f3509964c658f.jpg
 
Posted

Skylight
 

CutterHMSAlert177741.thumb.jpg.5e9af95ec4ebecefd43f43a11cfdeca5.jpg


40.1 - Base: acrylic (plexiglass). 0.8 mm grooves are milled into it at 2.5 mm intervals.

41.1 - 0.8 mm slats are glued into these grooves. Their edges protrude by 0.3 mm; they will be recessed into the side sections of the structure.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177742.thumb.jpg.eb1055df51f03217634728a877aa1804.jpg


42.1 - Mill 0.8 mm cross grooves at 2.5 mm intervals (including the slats).

43.1 - Glue the 0.8 mm slats into these grooves, also extending 0.3 mm at the edges.
To create a profiled structure, before attaching the cross slats, bend the base to the desired angle and glue the slats along this angle. After gluing, the slats will fix this angle. To achieve this, perform step 44.1 first, then 43.1, so that the front and back edges also bend to the desired angle.
 

CutterHMSAlert177743.thumb.jpg.025b0f1ee535731524d9fdd85172f78e.jpg
 

44.1 - Attach the front and back pieces to the base.

44.2 - Then glue the side pieces (the principle is the same as described previously, but the depth is 0.3 mm).

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177744.thumb.jpg.d89f1d4ab14695e9fdaf28caecdb763f.jpg


45.1 - Skylight with Frame. For complex profile shapes, the frame must be prepared as described above (see 9.1-14.2).

46.1 - Skylight Frame (see 9.1-14.2)

Posted

Gangway

Note: The ladder is accidentally rotated 180 degrees, so its front part is facing left!
 

CutterHMSAlert177751.thumb.jpg.6d5681e3cb9612b448a9356bcd78b38f.jpg


50.1 - Front frame part with milled grooves for connecting to the side parts (51.1)
50.2 - The rear part is first milled along the plane for part 54.1.
50.3 - Then the end groove is milled for connecting to the side parts (51.1)
50.4 - The middle part is divided lengthwise into two halves (not shown in the image; to understand the principle, see 54.2 and 55.1)

51.1 - Side frame parts with grooves for connecting to the front and rear parts. Gluing the frame.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177752.thumb.jpg.50fab66012d599941fab66a9df0461ff.jpg


53.1 - Frame profile for deck curvature (see 7.2)

54.1 - Second section of the rear wall, previously profiled for deck curvature along with 53.1.
54.2 - A similar section is also attached to the middle section of the frame (not shown in the image; this was previously discussed in 50.4).

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177753.thumb.jpg.10c2b65daf235dffe0eebfc5d81ea956.jpg


55.1 - Routing grooves for the boards on the side frame sections. To simplify the process, this routing can be done along the entire perimeter (both the back and middle sections).

56.1 - Filling the space between the grooves with slats longitudinally.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177754.thumb.jpg.cf5db9babfb63386d14b148b57aa3aab.jpg


57.1 - Installing the lid mechanism guides.

58.1 - Installing the mechanism hinges. For simplicity, the hinges can be glued to the housing. For a sliding lid, the hinges are glued to the lid.

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177755.thumb.jpg.fbfe8cc6f366ff3fd556215b28224da1.jpg


59.1 - Transverse fixation of the lid boards. The boards are bent to the frame profile, glued separately, and then glued to the hinges if the lid needs to be movable.

60.1 - Gangway frame for the "skeleton" body

 


 

CutterHMSAlert177756.thumb.jpg.ba84b6e0392209b1b2d734f06c71e498.jpg


60.2 - A partially retracted lid with no lower deck (the lower deck is painted black, and only the ladder is visible through half the opening).

60.3 - A fully closed lid (the simplest option).
 



I hope you found this information interesting. These calculations apply not only to this model but to others as well; the key is to understand the logic, and the numbers can be substituted for any drawing and scale you need.

Posted (edited)

Rear Grating.

1/4

 

Since I'm building two hulls at the same time, all the gratings and ladders will be in duplicate. Below, I show step-by-step the grating frame for the first hull.

 

Alert1689.thumb.jpg.f81eb4a51bacc82848fb7e596477c04e.jpg

 

Having calculated the distance between the beams and the carlings, I cut out a groove for the connection.

 

Alert1690.thumb.jpg.078635de726f30c89adf032a8dd47538.jpg

 

 

I assembled and glued it with liquid CA. I cleaned the inside corners of the board with a scalpel to remove any glue. This is important!

 

Alert1691.thumb.jpg.510a911ef9aa8329cc26fb557809ed34.jpg

 

Then I sanded the surfaces to a thickness of 3 mm on both sides so that the joint remained in the center.

 

Alert1692.thumb.jpg.913abf5293df555b62727affa704f4e2.jpg

 

Afterwards, I sanded down the protruding edges with a machine.

 

Alert1693.thumb.jpg.9d06be518866f5eed3347975be395254.jpg

 

Then I reduced the thickness to 2.3 mm, and with this the joint still remains in the center.

 

Alert1694.thumb.jpg.3bfb94ac642b54cd89a4d16e16dfda53.jpg

 

I didn't profile the deck because it's completely invisible at this size. And since this grating was walked on while steering, I doubt it was curved (it would be practically straight or have a very slight curve, and this particular one).

 

Alert1695.thumb.jpg.abde2406aab5c00883d18771cc8c277b.jpg

 

Then I glued the stoppers for the grating, first the side ones and after cutting them off, the front and back ones.

 

Alert1696.thumb.jpg.13e88b6194e54354b8a09322cc4c5307.jpg

 

After cutting off the excess stoppers and sanding the bottom surface, I sanded the entire frame with 1500 grit sandpaper, lightly smoothing the corners and edges.

 

Alert1697.thumb.jpg.ce3946fd576d28f69b0043cba2a1e5ba.jpg

 

Although this is the simplest of all the gratings and frames, it is also the smallest, so it is not so simple.

 

Alert1698.thumb.jpg.8901328879bfa74c07040756be8810b8.jpg

 

Alert 1699.jpg

 

Alert 1700.jpg

 

Alert 1701.jpg

 

I haven't drilled the holes to simulate the mounting bolts yet; I need to figure out how and what works best, but overall, the first part is ready. As a reminder, the hull "skeleton" will only contain the frames for the gratings, but there will be no gratings. This was done to avoid blocking the lower deck and to clearly show the structure of the frames beneath the gratings.
 
 
I have nothing against the kit (it's pretty good), but here's a visual comparison of the frame from the kit and the anatomy.
 
20251225_185108.jpg.5d8a3cb9fa82310df3a6411691d6b465.jpg

 

Edited by serikoff
Posted (edited)

Rear Grating.

2/4

 

The frame for the first hull is ready; now it's time to make the grating and frame for the second hull.

All work was done on a Proxxon MF 70 milling machine.

I filmed a short tutorial; I hope someone finds it useful.

Since the grating is not simple and has complex side sections, we need to start with those.

 

Alert1702.thumb.jpg.84d2bf95e6e5c62a0d8f042fed0af0cb.jpg

 

I secured both pairs of these pieces against the glued-on strip, and placed another strip between the pairs to separate one pair from the other.

A 1 mm router bit is the width of the strip and the width of the gap between them.

 

Alert1703.thumb.jpg.229f5cf5f546e367b3fcbfb1a16c20fc.jpg

 

For beginners, it's important to set the zero. This will allow you to make two full turns to move the dial by 1 mm. Without setting the zero, it will be difficult to maintain consistent movement. To set the zero anywhere, hold the handle and rotate the black cylinder with the numbers to zero.

 

Alert1704.thumb.jpg.450bd5f114d4b2911b253e5cf8a106eb.jpg

 

For my grating, I needed to make 5 and 8 passes.
Then sand the lint off with 600-grit sandpaper.

 

Alert1705.thumb.jpg.b2536bc956bc157b7d8c1210f1fbf4c2.jpg

 

Passes in the main part (base) must be made gradually (preferably 0.5 mm per pass to avoid breaking the cutter).

 

Alert1706.thumb.jpg.ffadaf13c496cfcd87f234cc49409e6b.jpg

 

To create a complex grating, you need to understand the principle of the sequence of work.

 

CutterHMSAlert1777131.thumb.jpg.a78d8dab7040cb130f70e05c54acd6d0.jpg

 

The idea is to leave 1.5 mm strips along the edges so that 0.5 mm of them fit into the side pieces. This needs to be taken into account when milling the grooves.

 

Alert1707.thumb.jpg.d811a95adcca646027b372014aa7b64d.jpg

 

This is one of the most important points. I recommend studying all the material before your first attempts.

 

Alert1708.thumb.jpg.bfeacae9793c5ea1f1c73d2b4ec26da0.jpg

 

For future fixing of the side parts, I made free space around the perimeter.

 

Alert1709.thumb.jpg.575864398fa9ef452e2adfc6fb94ca97.jpg

 

Before milling perpendicularly, you need to fix the zero again by running the milling cutter along the edge.

 

Alert1710.thumb.jpg.df988cd80fff01414847ef3aeafaa31b.jpg

 

I first go across the grain halfway for the longitudinal slats, and then along the grain the entire depth. And again, at 0.5 mm per pass, so that not a single tooth breaks off.

 

Alert1711.thumb.jpg.dcf7a28aa322f5b613be959e9b486908.jpg

 

At the end, you can carefully remove lint and dust.

 

Alert1712.thumb.jpg.d4a182352644dc0f9bc36746f9b9353c.jpg

 

After this, you can glue the slats, leaving more than 2 mm at the edges.

 

Alert1713.thumb.jpg.c37b5f02721618de629e9d6a939b8ac3.jpg

 

I use very thin CA, not PVA. I like that it penetrates by capillary action and bonds parts that are already firmly in place. It also creates a thin, fine line of glue to visualize the joint.

But be sure to apply the glue only to joints and areas that will be sanded, and avoid surfaces that can't be cleaned.

Edited by serikoff
Posted (edited)

Rear Grating.

3/4

 

Alert1714.thumb.jpg.97e502c79cda573fbf6822e6848871aa.jpg

 

Then I cut the ends of the glued slats so that 1.5 mm remained.

 

Alert1715.thumb.jpg.7d631176cac8ee42f20925bc91b82af8.jpg

 

And I glued the front and back parts to these edges with liquid CA at the joints.

 

Alert1716.thumb.jpg.b3c8c9e80e0ccd59f9ddc456b8581d73.jpg

 

I cut off the excess height.

 

Alert1717.thumb.jpg.0fabdf4b212f822dd43b0eab421dfa51.jpg

 

Before fixing the side pieces, you need to pre-cut the edges of the front and back so that 1 mm remains (but later I noticed that you need to leave 1.1 mm).

 

CutterHMSAlert1777132.thumb.jpg.8a22be00373bd905a54da10e4249c7d7.jpg

 

Alert1718.thumb.jpg.7922f28c836a689e51cb6328d47c8156.jpg

 

Afterwards, you need to trim off the excess material from the top and sides to level it.

This completes the grille (I'll show the result in Part 3).

But this particular grille has a thin frame and can be installed right away.

First, I glued the side frame pieces...

 

Alert1719.thumb.jpg.c6843aa61a72d715771f791d33157441.jpg

 

cut to length...

 

Alert1720.thumb.jpg.92bf380b87d248ef60894e3f070ab41c.jpg

 

and glued the front and back parts of the frame and cut them to length.

 

Alert1721.thumb.jpg.135eb9c5da44434a2b1425cbc4c715cf.jpg

 

Finally, I smoothed the top surface with a face mill and separated it from the base...

 

Alert1722.thumb.jpg.1541ae1cb3418be9900fea63c6b7d510.jpg

 

... sanded the edges with a sander.

 

Alert1723.thumb.jpg.182fca3365b2142d8811703bc3c10c2c.jpg

 

Finally, you need to cut off the base (the lower surface) and profile the upper surface if necessary. In this particular case, the grating is almost flat.

 

Alert1724.thumb.jpg.774f371d4dda4506ad36839b169c4c66.jpg

Edited by serikoff
Posted (edited)

Rear Grating.

4/4

 

But during the manufacturing process, I realized the grating was a bit wide, so I decided to cut the frame and trim some of the side pieces. I'll show you a few more things while I'm at it.

I initially cut a groove to fit the grating into.

 

Alert1725.thumb.jpg.f10eff552c5e31a3eb127bb5f3a68703.jpg

 

I installed a grating there, glued the side stopper with CA gel and cut off the side part of the frame and part of the side piece.

 

Alert1726.thumb.jpg.c47549413d30afa9ff97640719fd014d.jpg

 

After that, the grating fit the frame perfectly (for the first case).

In terms of width...

 

Alert1727.thumb.jpg.1de603306dfaedc82cdb0c34b51198dc.jpg

 

...and in length.

 

Alert1728.thumb.jpg.8b790b3157612f189c4118ed49099101.jpg

 

Then I turned the grating over, secured it and cut off the bottom plane (base) so that the grating became see-through.

 

Alert1729.thumb.jpg.6b034de991a56bdfa7de75f4d1a9e1a7.jpg

 

After sanding with a flat surface and 600-grit sandpaper, here's the final result.

From the bottom:

 

Alert1730.thumb.jpg.548cd06c4134ee4601009fbf19739d63.jpg

 

... and from above, together with the frame (it’s from the first hull):

 

Alert1731.thumb.jpg.f496c4d6115dd0586f5e4898a34f7157.jpg

 

Alert1732.thumb.jpg.6c61b737e450a7e35f8b2f023b32c247.jpg

 

Alert1733.thumb.jpg.e3a195b4234968f1b3d1b8d58631d50b.jpg

 

Alert1734.thumb.jpg.6024ddbc1b0a552472394b2e8ecd1b8d.jpg


As you know, I am building two hull s in parallel, and in the photo above, the frame is for the first hull, and the lattice is for the second, and now I need to make a frame for this grating.

 

CutterHMSAlert1777133.thumb.jpg.0960b63c669e4ec559c8115d971a786a.jpg

 

Alert1735.thumb.jpg.a9d3a2a11c9c5fd12463855cfa20f5bf.jpg

 

Since the grating and frame on the second hull will be one piece, you need to glue the side parts of the frame first, cut them flush, and then glue the other two and also cut them flush.

 

Alert1736.thumb.jpg.999700481b31e336a761e934d68a34c5.jpg

 

Finally, lightly round off the edges and corners with 1500-grit sandpaper (very lightly).

This resulted in two sets:

 

Alert1737.thumb.jpg.e1488633a1b6bb0da3a6cc6706191766.jpg

 

On the left is the frame for the first skeleton hull and on the right is the frame with a lattice for the second hull.

 

Alert1738.thumb.jpg.ac06ecefcfe13c14d7772d02fee3dc25.jpg

 

The photo above visually shows which part of the grating will be visible and on which hull. The idea is to show two options...

...and these two options are completely finished, hooray.

P.S. Today marks a year since I bought the Alert kit. I started building the model in March, but I experienced the joy exactly a year ago...
 

Edited by serikoff
Posted

Main Hatchway.


1/4
 
Alert1739.thumb.jpg.7d335e5405662c0c5f907d732659d4d2.jpg

Many of the steps involved in making this grating are exactly the same as the previous one, and I'll only detail the differences.

The side pieces are also milled to a depth of 0.5 mm using a 1 mm diameter cutter. The only difference is that the front and back pieces are different, so an additional spacer is added.
 
Alert1740.thumb.jpg.f2a9e3f5828d34c2d6c09002294f6ad8.jpg

The main part (base) of the grating is also milled in a similar way (first across the grain), but the only difference is that the cuts are made at different depths (so that an arc is formed (it will become clear later why this is).
 
Alert1741.thumb.jpg.62b09f706841ad8640a637e2bd611385.jpg

Then cuts are made along the grain to the full depth.
 
Alert1742.thumb.jpg.a2f11447c8c342ba46257982039d4fe7.jpg

To make the hole for the rope, I removed a few teeth.
 
Alert1743.thumb.jpg.c7b145fc412f446e221542c619a17574.jpg

Then longitudinal slats are glued onto liquid CA.
 
Alert1744.thumb.jpg.0de98dd11587756e4fd3bd738bdeb917.jpg

And they are cut off so that 1.5 mm remains.
 
Alert1745.thumb.jpg.d97730d2bb23dcccf2cdd96b0fbeebfb.jpg

Then I glue the side parts of the grating, first the front and back, trim them and then the sides.
 
Alert1746.thumb.jpg.50711217ee6f97f698ba7da301f0380e.jpg

After leveling the surface...
 
Alert1747.thumb.jpg.4a06326145ff621d2a91a021ffee4bd8.jpg

... I milled the surface to form an arch. That is, I cut off 1 mm more on the sides than in the center and gradually decreased the depth.
 
Alert1748.thumb.jpg.2cec1f62c6b2bd5e56b0fecc9c7aaad0.jpg

I'll polish the surface after securing the frame, and the grating is almost ready. But again, the grille work isn't finished yet.
 
Alert1749.thumb.jpg.b3bc39c7a8ae4e62ef5bdbb4c30f0f21.jpg
 
Alert1750.thumb.jpg.09e310b772fc797b2d684bc8aba00cfa.jpg

 

Posted (edited)

Main Hatchway.


2/4
 
January 2026
 

The grating is ready, now it's time to make a frame for it.

 

Alert1751.thumb.jpg.2f73956e735222c73b8d8f8edc191aff.jpg

First, I milled grooves for the grating into the sides of the frame.
 
Alert1752.thumb.jpg.b9d7936bcd241a48a41da2cc517534d8.jpg

Then I cut off the bottom of the grating base on the sides so that I could glue the side parts of the frame.
 
Alert1753.thumb.jpg.bf70e9ffcc209083fb8d3c321f263c24.jpg
 
Alert1754.thumb.jpg.f520e6092196f331432fc3e28072e4cd.jpg


And after fixing, I cut off the rest of the lower part of the grating.

 

Alert1755.thumb.jpg.36fc0ac2e7c45cdced1ea4899f08bdae.jpg

Then I made a deflection profile with the same cutter and sanded this plane.
 
Alert1756.thumb.jpg.15efe1ae5feae5f0b9419e1b92c2c663.jpg
 
Alert1757.thumb.jpg.4b833fd2eaf2aee2f99aa065ec3c752c.jpg
 
Alert1758.thumb.jpg.f5057be2df0c5699f1256940ac5b5b2e.jpg

After that, I secured the structure and made grooves in the side frame pieces for the other two.
 
Alert1759.thumb.jpg.a04a27bde53d4cf94d47e7119390f65a.jpg

I made the grooves by pressing the router bit against the edge of the grating to catch the flatness, and I used the same technique for the other two frame parts. I secured all the parts with drops of CA gel; this is convenient and secure, and it's also easy to remove later.
 
Alert1760.thumb.jpg.bf42c65b4211da7c8b5567500577dc22.jpg

After gluing the frame pieces together, I partially shaped the arches of the front and rear of the frame.
 
Alert1761.thumb.jpg.b4477862edfb88a8f85643a1b745d395.jpg

Then I sanded the bottom surface.
 
Alert1762.thumb.jpg.8b480afea35bd7ebef52c499b584fb53.jpg
Edited by serikoff
Posted

Main Hatchway.


3/4
 

Afterwards, I cut and sanded the ends.
 

Alert1763.thumb.jpg.c24106ee07657fcd9089a95f89cb34a4.jpg

Then I glued the inner parts of the frame and sanded them level.
 
Alert1764.thumb.jpg.464d27a9cd3b9e327a127b412c681470.jpg
 
Alert1765.thumb.jpg.ce1219b9dcd4a35cfe7b0acff00d7650.jpg

Finally, I sanded the top surface with an arc.

And here's the intermediate result, viewed from below:
 
Alert1766.thumb.jpg.ec316c658c97c0ffd761b1e5f020cf5f.jpg


...and from above:

 

Alert1767.thumb.jpg.db4221190813d9b10e1f1f900eb4a5b8.jpg
 
Alert1768.thumb.jpg.e331171c69f493513d8a88be0bd41e73.jpg
 
Alert1769.thumb.jpg.2b8e5fd1d0fd9cb28b31c6c949dcdda5.jpg


The hatch work isn't finished yet. I'm still figuring out what and how to make the frame bolts and how I'll nail the grating, but overall, the hatch for the second hull is almost ready. Next up is the frame for the first hull.

Posted

Main Hatchway.


4/4
 
The final stage is creating the frame for the first body.

First, I make grooves in the "table" attached to the machine. I insert the two side frame pieces into these grooves and glue them with drops of CA gel. Then, I mill the groove in both pieces at once with a 2mm router bit.
 
Alert1769a.thumb.jpg.0e729657fe0a5b3e7c6f849a681984fa.jpg

Then I mill the side pieces so that they can be joined to the other two pieces.
 
Alert1770.thumb.jpg.84d7aa4c9266d7cb8c11dbd80b9acd9a.jpg

I make the same groove in the front and back of the frame.
 
Alert1771.thumb.jpg.8d04fab6f34e4057a8e63bcc468acdb8.jpg

And now you can put them together and check the fit.
 
Alert1773.thumb.jpg.acde3cdf94ed8972cecd1b0aba859bd9.jpg

Then I profile the front and back of the frame...
 
Alert1774.thumb.jpg.4b7652afc84df26061d0bcb48bc61ba7.jpg

... and I glue everything together at a 90 degree angle using liquid CA.
 
Alert1775.thumb.jpg.79c8a9a8d7f20bcfab1077466757dcfe.jpg

I glue the entire joint so that after sanding the glue line is visible for greater visualization.
 
Alert1776.thumb.jpg.2aebd55bed08342a0ba182d1e91992f7.jpg

I sand the plane and the ends.
 
Alert1777.thumb.jpg.6ea6e63de2ed33735fb7a8096d2a310b.jpg

Then I sand the top surface, giving it an arc shape.
 
Alert1778.thumb.jpg.55806e3b10b86e8fd378bd102125b23c.jpg

The photo above shows how the frame sections are connected. I plan to add imitation bolts at the joints in the future, just like where the bolts used to secure the frame to the beams and carlings. Finally, I've finally secured the front and rear grating stops.
 
Alert1779.thumb.jpg.78c65436d287e52b85285f53cfc35a7e.jpg

On the side parts of the frame, the grille lay on the side parts of the frame themselves, and at the front and back, the grille was held in place by stoppers.
 
Alert1780.thumb.jpg.9bbbc504c1257fc7f2675fe79d3016d4.jpg

Well, here is the intermediate result (if you don’t take into account bolts and nailing).
 
Alert1781.thumb.jpg.e93ac384cd7dd0f6813fcec19134d87a.jpg

On the right is the frame for the first hull, and on the left is the frame with grating for the second hull.
A little macro:
 
Alert1782.thumb.jpg.a44fa2808ce79cabe5bc92877058a56d.jpg


Well, this is how they will look in height on the hulls.

 

Alert1783.thumb.jpg.fc59c4f530d675d0b5666f81f702a5d3.jpg

On the left, the frame stands as if on beams and carlings, and on the right, the deck board will cover part of the frame and it will be lower (visually).
 
Alert1784.thumb.jpg.347d7980080fb0194722ccab698a5e61.jpg
 
Alert1785.thumb.jpg.6312c4a386baf09499add2fa34e13938.jpg

Now it's the turn of the last (front) grating, it's even more difficult there, so don't miss it. 
 
Posted (edited)
Fore Hatchway.

1/4

 
Alert1785a.thumb.jpg.9147f47ec073c2998a5f2e496b5b65b8.jpg

Each grating on this ship has its own unique characteristics. I was very interested in thinking through every detail to ensure I could implement them all in wood. I've mentioned this many times before, but even before I started work, I designed all the gratings in a 3D program.

In the anatomy (photo above), you can see that the grating is square, but has a different number of horizontal and vertical slats. To achieve this, I calculated that the width of the smaller slats is 1 mm, and the width of the larger slats is 0.8 mm.
 
Alert1786.thumb.jpg.d32d1fd155af23f32a61d6c53e281234.jpg

In order to mill the base and side parts of the grating at the same time, I made a jig and fixed the side parts in the prepared grooves using CA gel.
Alert1787.thumb.jpg.ab0ea98e195306d85daa76781eaf58b2.jpg

After that, I reset the height. That is, I leveled the entire surface with a face mill and set the Z-axis on the router to zero.
 
Alert1788.thumb.jpg.0fbffce3d8ddd7b4b66dd4e965ca731e.jpg

And here I made a mistake... for the first time ever. I expected it to happen sooner, as there are so many different points and places where mistakes can be made, but I only made a mistake on the third grating.

The mistake was that I needed to leave 1.5 mm on the side, but I immediately started routing with a 0.8 mm margin.
 
Alert1789.thumb.jpg.6c540c7b70fc2ae04a885f3fd094e656.jpg

But since there was some material left on the other side, I cut out the required 1.5 mm fragment, tore it off and glued it in place of the one that I had mistakenly made smaller; before that, I had cut off this smaller fragment.
 
Alert1790.thumb.jpg.7dcc31aaaec868f29b87b15309841453.jpg

The end result was this:
 
Alert1791.thumb.jpg.ab55c0900446cccd75e5a7fcd8b2ec08.jpg

Now I changed the cutter to 1 mm and began to make grooves to the full depth with an interval of 1 mm.
 
Alert1792.thumb.jpg.b8d8902a0d5f8dae892dfa5fd700a9c8.jpg
 
Alert1793.thumb.jpg.5d64f359822a91af866e8cbabd4dea0f.jpg

After polishing and removing the lint, I glued on 0.8mm slats and cut off 1.5mm on the sides. I glued the slats at different heights because I also made the cuts at different depths, just like last time, so I could sand them along the arc later.
 
Alert1794.thumb.jpg.248a2156ea1faa7fa4cf6c429f0758a0.jpg

Then I glued the front and back pieces and after trimming the edges I glued the side pieces.
 
Alert1795.thumb.jpg.0b2583f98572dedb79bee1de0db1c326.jpg

As a result, after cutting off the edges, I got this result:
 
Alert1796.thumb.jpg.d55c4a5588b790c3f50303216187349d.jpg

And after separation from the slipway, it looks like this:
 
Alert1797.thumb.jpg.821bfe0cf2678303e4f69bd467495602.jpg

I liked the result, but something else was disappointing... I accidentally drilled all the way through the frame and hit the alignment table. (Oh, it happens.)

Finally, I cut off part of the base from the bottom of the grating, and after that, I'll be able to profile it, but that's for the next part. For now, here's what I got:
 
Alert1798.thumb.jpg.239b08a96f0dddfff245466b836f5daf.jpg
 
Alert1799.thumb.jpg.5f42156bed86f4757d09a5f1d438b564.jpg

I haven't decided yet whether I'll build a single structure—a grating and frame—or a removable grating. I'm thinking of mounting the grating on the frame at an angle using supports, since the sailors used to walk through this opening (there was a ladder there). So, in theory, I'm thinking of making the hatch partially open, but I'll see if that's feasible.
 
Edited by serikoff
Posted

Fore Hatchway.

2/4

 

So, let's continue with the front grating.

First, we need to make it arched at the bottom.
 

Alert1800.thumb.jpg.93cf71c86223fd3758e698a72afe6cdd.jpg
 
Alert1801.thumb.jpg.95dc585a1b7863b778e8ff426ba9b8f9.jpg
 
Alert1802.thumb.jpg.864aa6ff67ea0e96d281a7b5d271b110.jpg
 
Alert1803.thumb.jpg.3e3bfcadb6311e79a7ef3512e8970c04.jpg


I'll round the top surface later, but for now I'll make the frames for both hulls at once.

I'll mill all four parts (the front and back of the frame for both hulls) first flat, then along the edge to assemble the frame.
 

Alert1804.thumb.jpg.ac179a9a42090b10610665c71573404c.jpg
 
Alert1805.thumb.jpg.b2fc94e606bce9efe5bcdf5cc5d21a0a.jpg


Then, using the width as a guide, I measure how to mill the side parts of the frame (for both hulls at once).
 

Alert1806.thumb.jpg.a49f00f50dc1ce24c65b7c8be0178928.jpg
 
Alert1807.thumb.jpg.d232f9d69f18e6621d3c8ffc27e2b920.jpg


When all the parts were ready, I glued them together with liquid CA.
 

Alert1808.thumb.jpg.09568eaa5afd8436148f4869bb1e4f1b.jpg


After that, I used a sander to cut off the excess on the sides.
 

Alert1809.thumb.jpg.845c5b6a2636d4dd42aaa29ce12350ed.jpg

Posted

Fore Hatchway.

3/4

 

Now it was necessary to trim the sides in the side parts and it remains to fix the two parts (but this is in the next part), but for now this is the result I got when I inserted the grating into the frame.
 
Alert1810.thumb.jpg.a1956f33f2c8cb4e57ceee98b8dfd1f4.jpg
 
Alert1811.thumb.jpg.cf97b2aecf1a65ebce7f9d71ef6a7a0f.jpg
 
Alert1812.thumb.jpg.eae58b8f827110556776b4ae34f2886d.jpg
 
Alert1813.thumb.jpg.54eb94f83a0d54715a7606fc5a1cc540.jpg
 
Alert1814.thumb.jpg.35adc074cee24cf232092ff5d5500631.jpg


Besides that, there are two parts left to glue to the frames, but they still need to be given a semicircular shape, but more on that in the next post.

 

Final touches on the gratings. First, I cut off the excess with a router and then sanded down the arc shape.
 

Alert1815.thumb.jpg.a8f48a1238a86fdbe34144e266ff5508.jpg
 
Alert1816.thumb.jpg.67165772531e43ecb5de742c25afff71.jpg
 
Alert1817.thumb.jpg.f52758c895dbc09bb89de1c6421b7ba7.jpg
Posted

Fore Hatchway.

4/4

 

Then the final pieces had to be made. It's difficult to explain here, but the photo should make the process clear.
 
Alert1818.thumb.jpg.d650369c39207764d97d992cb33fb114.jpg
 
Alert1819.thumb.jpg.4b44e649d72dd6f2eb9ad77e482e5ebd.jpg
 
Alert1820.thumb.jpg.5c55c12aca47982d8ea5f6cba5c19c2f.jpg
 
Alert1821.thumb.jpg.3e678946e9dbdc2630ac0be6189f2a3d.jpg
 
Alert1822.thumb.jpg.2ccfdcbdb1cd5377dcc607da437af3cd.jpg
 
Alert1823.thumb.jpg.2475e5c29dce28ecc2eeea036207b687.jpg
 
Alert1824.thumb.jpg.12354c5df34e8ceec38b80ce81113382.jpg

The end result was one frame for the first hull, and another for the second, with a partially open grating and supports. Since there's a staircase there, I decided to do it this way to show both the staircase and the internal structure of the ladder.
 
Alert1825.thumb.jpg.a0400e57264dd7d4989ee877000bdc40.jpg
 
Alert1826.thumb.jpg.ec5cf47897eedb89dd556dc3eb675880.jpg

Nelson, as always, inspects the construction progress... 
 
Alert1827.thumb.jpg.9adb0e3479aeaf89f95020e1e9f0c861.jpg
 
Alert1828.thumb.jpg.3652c9fc714a89d4574ee2075fc5c2d0.jpg

Well, almost all the gratings and frames are ready, but! I still need to nail the joints and fake bolts... I haven't decided how I'll do that yet (I'll have to see some samples), but the gratings are 90% ready...
 
Alert1829.thumb.jpg.07ba3a29d96855b8d871e03857b76de7.jpg
 
Alert1830.thumb.jpg.d3d0952ea76b10db163a47a09f829a6b.jpg
Posted

Gangway (companionway to after platform)

1/4


One of the most interesting parts, not as complicated as the previous ones, but there are still some manufacturing challenges. I plan to make the doors slide and be able to be either closed or open, but that's for the next part. In this one:
 

Alert1865.thumb.jpg.2f85dee57066538f4fcc2fe16fc92542.jpg


I still make two copies for two ships, but as everywhere there are some differences, but for now everything is unchanged for the two variants.
 

Alert1866.thumb.jpg.c8cdcc519ec5d4bc7e29ab3b67fbef61.jpg
 
Alert1867.thumb.jpg.de8be7275e4378d56b7c81098033fe69.jpg
 

I milled with a 3 mm cutter (for speed), the depth was 1 mm and this is important.
 

Alert1868.thumb.jpg.cec15a34f5e492a1efd2087c245c32c3.jpg
 
Alert1869.thumb.jpg.68b5014b398ce9d62aa524d48081d571.jpg
 
Alert1870.thumb.jpg.e951475225d975eae0a1274f375b2975.jpg
 
Alert1871.thumb.jpg.73c917098bfbcc65ebf3290a2d7056e0.jpg
 
Alert1872.thumb.jpg.1c2771ea8fb55461954c4c4a794c39c4.jpg
 
Alert1873.thumb.jpg.0af1b5b376213d6294c9198b48c936e6.jpg
 
Alert1874.thumb.jpg.30ac3ce3ac36d7433ee6e854876186bf.jpg

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...