USS Constitution by usedtosail - FINISHED - Model Shipways - scale 1/76

[_SalD_]

Nicely done Tom, and I like the combination clothespin-toothpick clamping device.

[GLakie]

Very nice Tom! Were you going to partially plank over the beams, leaving one side or the other open to the gun-deck, or expose the whole area? 

[usedtosail]

Thanks Boyd and Sal. Your Bounty and Syren builds, respectively, are coming together very nicely.

 

Thanks George. I am going to plank around both sides of the main hatch, but leave the hatch open except for the skid beams inside. I am going to have the launch being towed behind when I mount it, so you will be able to see the gun deck through the main hatch. That's my plan for now anyway.

[usedtosail]

I got into a groove last night so made a bunch of progress. I finished shaping each beam and clamped them in place so I could draw a centerline on each one. Now I have a reference point for adding the carlings to support the hatch coamings.

 

 

I then marked the locations of the carlings by measuring out from the centerline, and used a 1/8" end mill bit in the drill press to cut the slots for them. I set the depth of the cut by placing the bit so it just touched the beam, then set the depth stop of the drill press to .09". I could then just replace each beam in the vice so it was just touching the end mill and line up the bit using the XY table. I had to switch the beams to the other side of vice for the opposite cuts, and I found it was faster to just loosen the bolts holding the vice to the XY table and move the vise then to rotate the table all the way over. I did two beams at a time this way so there was less switching from side to side.

 

 

I then used a small chisel to square off the backs of the cuts as best I could and clamped the beams back into place. I cut smaller pieces of wood for the carlings and fit them in the slots. Here they are in place but nothing is glued down yet.

 

 

 

Not as good as you masters of POF are doing, but since these joints will be planked over I am OK with them. I will have to work on my technique if I do ever try my hand at open POF construction, though. These pictures give you an idea of the size of the hatch I am adding, which is quite a bit wider than the hatch on the current ship and ME plans. This hatch size came out of the AOS book.

 

I still have to work out how to support then front and back coaming pieces of the hatch, as these are between frames. I will probably add another piece, like a long ledge, between the carlings between those beams, with a little extra toward the front and back to support the ends of the deck planks there. I also have to figure out how I want to finish these beams. I am thinking of painting all of the beam sections that will be planked over off white on the sides and underneath to match the paint on the gun deck side planks (ceiling?), and stain the sections that will be exposed in the open hatch with oak stain. The order of construction and staining/painting still needs to be worked out.

 

[GLakie]

Wow! You're going like gang-busters Tom. Must have had an extra strong pot of coffee last night. 

[usedtosail]

Thanks again George, and also thank you folks who have hit the Like button.

 

So, after some deep thought (OK maybe not so deep) I decided to add whole beams at the ends of the main hatch coamings, mainly because these need to have the same deck round up as the other beams, which means the coamings will need to sit on something curved. So, I made two more beams using sheet wood, then separated the beams into those that will be stained, which are the ones that are seen in the hatch, and those that will be planked over. I stained the center of the stained beams, then masked off the ends. I then painted the ends of those beams and the whole length of the other beams on three sides with off white paint, to match the paint I used on the gun deck sides. I did not paint the tops of any of these beams, as they will be planked over. When the paint dried, I installed all of the beams. I adjusted them for height so I was able to not have to do any fairing once the beams were installed.

 

 

I then added the beam supports under all these beams. I had made these up a while ago on the lathe from dowel, but I made a few more just in case. I have never had good results trying to stain dowel, so I mixed up some paint to try and match the oak stain, and painted all of the supports.

 

 

When they dried, I trimmed them to fit under each beam, two supports per beam. I was originally going to add them at the junctions of the beams and the carlings, but since this hatch is so wide they would have been too close to the guns. So, I moved them inboard a bit. I also did not put any under the two extra beams I added because they would have been right behind a gun. it was a bit tricky getting them to line up and be straight in all directions, and I had to remove and reglue a few before I was satisfied with them.

 

 

After this I added all of the carlings, which I also painted on three sides with off white paint, and I attached the monkey rail to the beam behind the main mast. I had to add two supports behind it to get it the right distance from the main mast. It was still in clamps last night so no picture of that yet. I also soaked two lengths of 1/8" square basswood and clamped them to two of the old beams to get them to the round up for the ends of the hatch coamings. They may spring back too much, but if they do I will bend them to a greater curve tonight.

[GLakie]

You've been busy Tom!  You're doing a marvelous job on her.

[Guest Tim I.]

Tom,

 

Just catching up on your log. Your gun deck is looking great. Good idea on salvaging and re-using the beams. 

 

- Tim

[usedtosail]

Thanks George and Tim, and the likes.

 

I made up the bottom strips for the main hatch coaming from some square wood strips, using lap joints at the ends. The cross beams that I bent to the old frames stayed at the right curve after I removed the clamps. I stained the coaming pieces and glued them onto the carlings and cross beams, using lots of clothes pin clamps to keep them tight to the carlings. I glued the starboard side piece on first, then after it dried, I glued the other three pieces on.

 

 

Here is how they came out. You can also see the monkey rail and main bitts in this picture too.

 

 

I then cut some smaller strips to place on top of these, which will be flush with the inside edges. I stained them last night but have not attached them yet. Here is a preview of how they will (should?) look.

 

 

I have also been adding supports to the beams and edges for the other spar deck coamings and planking. I have never planked a deck that wasn't on a solid surface, so I wanted to make sure I have solid supports for all the beam ends. I am going to be planking around the coamings like I did on the gun deck, so needed to have supports to glue these to before planking.

 

 

 

I have the deck arrangement of hatches I want for the spar deck, so I will be building those coamings next. I am also thinking of adding a rectangular sky light to the stern end of the deck, as in the AOS, and not the octagon shaped one that is on the ship now. Although, somewhere I read that the 1812 version did not have any skylights, but I didn't write down the source of that. The hatches will be the same as on the current ship, except for the larger main hatch. I am not sure if I will put the grating behind the bow sprit or leave that a solid piece of wood. I am leaning toward using a grating though.

 

What do folks think of this deck arrangement plan? Thanks.

 

 

[Guest Tim I.]

Tom,

 

Firstly, it looks beautiful! 

Secondly, I think the deck configuration will be fine as you have planned.

As for the deck planking. If you are concerned about the gaps in the deck you could insert spacers. I use balsa spacers flush with the deck so I can plank the deck on a flat surface. I like using the balsa for this, as it is forgiving and easily shaped if you need to bring it down some to match the curvature of the deck beams.

 

- Tim

[GLakie]

She's going to look beautiful Tom. I do have a question though, about the upper strips on the main hatch being flush with the "inside". Wouldn't they need to be flush with the outside providing a ledge or rabbet for the hatch-way gratings to set on, or do they just set on the deck-beams?

[usedtosail]

Thanks guys.

 

Tim - that is a good idea using balsa to fill between the bulkheads. I am going more piecemeal but I may use that for some of the bigger areas.

 

George - I am going on the assumption that this main hatch did not have gratings in 1812, but just open skid beams, which again I read somewhere but did not write down the source. I may be completely wrong about that. They probably would have covered this hatch up with something in a blow, however, maybe canvas?

[GLakie]

I think you're right about that Tom. After looking at these two pics of a 72" version of the 1797 config, that's exactly what I'm seeing.

[usedtosail]

Oh, thanks George for the pictures. You had me second guessing myself. Especially since I glued those on last night before I saw your first reply this morning.   I really appreciate your help and for keeping me honest, so to speak.

[JSGerson]

GLakie - Are there more images the "72" version of the 1797 config."? I'm always looking for more sources to use when I finally start my attempt at the MS Constitution model. That probably won't be be for a year or two at the rate I building the Mamoli Rattlesnake. Is that model yours? It looks gorgeous.

[GLakie]

Tom, the whole reason I mentioned anything at all was because I was under the impression you were going for the 1812 version. So then I took a look at the pics I had found someplace when browsing, and noticed the open-hatchway was indeed the way it was.

 

I wish it was my model, but sadly, no. But I do have another 6 pics of her. It is magnificent. Jim Byrnes is also building a contemporary version of the same era. I'll try and locate the site I found these at.

 

 

[JSGerson]

Now that I see more of the model I recognized it as a 1797 version built by Mark Antczak at 1:48 scale. The site is at.shipmodel.com

Edited June 18, 2015 by JSGerson

[Guest Tim I.]

This model of the Constitution was built by Mark Antczak in 1:48 scale. A beautiful piece to reference. More information on Mr. Antczak can be found here: http://shipmodel.com/artists/mark-antczak

 

- Tim

[GLakie]

Thanks guys! That was where I found it!  I'll stop looking now! Definitely a beautiful piece!!  

Edited June 18, 2015 by GLakie

[usedtosail]

Ok, now I get it. I did use some of that model's transom design, as you may have noticed, but certainly not all those windows. Five was hard enough.

 

Yep, I am trying for 1812 version, so anything you can find helps a lot, even if I at least know how mine differs from known information.

 

Thanks to all.

[GLakie]

Those pics are supposedly how she looked when launched Tom. It was just a few years before it was changed by some accounts, but to what is the $60,000 question. There's no definitive info beyond that. I'm looking into acquiring copies of 3 separate sets of plans depicting her in the "as launched" era, to reference when I start mine. Been told OK, so it's just a matter of waiting for the cash flow to build up after I complete my workshop. 

[usedtosail]

George, you must be chomping at the bit to get started. I can't wait to follow along. So you are going for the as launched look? That should look really nice.

 

More progress on the spar deck furniture. First off, here is the completed main hatch coaming. i like how it came out.

 

 

 

 

I have been working on the other hatch coamings and started with the one around the bow sprit. I decided to go with the grating on it and here is how it came out. I have a little more sanding to do on it before staining it.

 

 

 

 

I used a 1/8" end mill bit in the drill press to cut the groove around the top. Once this was set up, it worked really well. I have left it set up so I can do all of the hatch coamings in the same style. I used a small round file in the groove to give it a more rounded profile.

 

I cut out the individual pieces for those other coamings and used the same set up in the table saw for all of them to cut the lap joints. These pieces are just laying on each other for now. I still have to clean up the lap joints and glue them together. Most of these will have gratings on them, but the first hatch behind the main mast will be open with a ladder running down to the gun deck. This opening is over the part of the gun deck that I added, so it will provide another view port into the gun deck. It was almost as if I planned it that way  (but I didn't; just got lucky)

 

 

 

A few chores and Father's Day activities this weekend, but should have some quality time in the shop too.

 

Happy Father's Day to all you Dad's out there.

Edited June 19, 2015 by usedtosail

[GLakie]

Looking fantastic Tom. You're going to end up with a real beauty when it's done. Hope mine turns out half as good. And yes, it bugs me more than you know, but I'm committed to doing this the way I've already started, and can't change-up now. Every month brings me that much closer though.    You have a Happy Father's Day too!

Edited June 19, 2015 by GLakie

[CaptainSteve]

Beautiful work, Tom.

[usedtosail]

Thanks to George and Steve for the encouragement, and the likes. They all mean a lot.

 

I finished building all the remaining hatch coamings for the spar deck, using the supplied gratings. There is a good side to those gratings where the holes are nice and square, whereas the other side is not so good. Of course, the first few grates I installed I put in the wrong way and had to replace them later. Luckily I had a lot of grating material to work with since I did not use it for the main hatch.

 

 

And here they are after the first coat of oak stain. I was going to use some Pre-Stain on them before I stained them but my Pre-Stain had about 1/4 inch of what looked like foam rubber on top of it, so I didn't want to risk using it. They did come out a bit blotchy so I am hoping a second coat will help, maybe with some sanding before.

 

 

One of those coamings includes the platform for the galley smoke stack. I cleaned up the supplied metal stack with some files and sand paper. I was not sure if it would come out well because the metal had some pitting on it, but after priming and a first coat of weathered black paint, I am liking it.

 

 

Finally for today, I wanted to show off my new favorite sanding tool. I found this in a hardware store in New Hampshire. it has hook and loop on the block and the paper and comes with three grades of paper, so I can change paper instantly.

 

 

The true sander also was used quite a bit in making the coamings, especially to keep the edges of the grates and other wood filler pieces square.

 

 

 

[GLakie]

Those gratings are looking sweet Tom. I'm gonna have to remember that "good-side bad-side" thing about them.

[usedtosail]

I finished up the hatch coamings, giving them a second coat of oak stain, which evened the color out some more. Here is how they came out, along with the kit supplied smoke stack.

 

 

I then test fit them to the supports I added previously. I have to make the supports for the rear one a little closer together as  it is balanced right on the edge.

 

 

 

Next up was the fore mast pin rail. I am using the kit supplied rail which has a lot of holes in it for belaying pins. I am not going to fill all the holes with pins, though. I thought that I would end up making my own rail, as this one looked kind of flimsy, but it stayed together through all the sanding and handling, so it gets to be used. I made the five supports for the rail on the lathe, using square stock which I rounded in the center. I then used the drill press to drill the holes for the simulated sheaves. I could only get two sets of sheaves on each support instead of the three shown on the plans, but at least there is something there.

 

 

 

To attach the rail to the supports, I wanted some sort of mechanical connection because the last thing I want to have happen is for the rail to come loose during rigging. I thought of pins but then saw these nails with a nice small head, so I experimented with drilling holes through the rail and into the support for the rails. You can see the pieces I experimented with in the top of the last picture. This looked pretty sturdy even without any glue, but my method was to drill the five holes in the rail, making sure they were centered in each area of the rail, then drill holes in the tops of the supports, but not for the full length of the nail. I then put wood glue on the top of the supports and CA on the nail shafts and placed them together, then gently tapped the nails home with a small hammer. I am hoping to be able to cover the nail heads with rope coils, or at least a little brown paint to blend them in. But the important part is that the rail is very well connected now to the supports.

 

I had previously made the bitts for the fore rail when I made them for the main rail, but they did not work out for the fore rail, as the sheaves were right where the fore rail attaches to them. So, I made two more using the plans from the kit, with a single sheave in the middle. Here they are dry fit with the rail. I used wire in the bottom of these through holes in the support around the mast to hold them in place. These will be planked around when I do the planking, but the rail supports will sit on the planking. I did add wire to the two outer supports and the middle support to help attach these to the deck when I get to that point.

 

 

I then made an attempt at the snatch blocks on either side of the bitts. These are a bit too thick, I think, so I will try thinning them down in place after the glue dries or rebuild these thinner.

 

 

No work in the workshop over the holiday weekend, but I will be back at it next week.

 

 

[GLakie]

More amazing work Tom!  Nice job on making the stanchions. They look much better than the kit-supplied ones.  Have a great week-end! 

[thomaslambo]

Very nice work Tom.

 

FYI - I also use the Gator sanding tool, I love it's soft grip and overall size....definitely one of my favorite hand sanders. 

 

I also use assorted sanding sticks for hand use and lathe work....and ran across this great deal.  It's an assorted package of Sanding Scraps at a fraction of the cost of most sanding sticks that go for as much as one dollar per stick.

 

 

 

Left of box is the Gator hand tool, below on the right and left are more expensive sanding sticks.  All the sanding sticks in the box is the assorted 5 oz bag of Craft Sanding Scraps for $4.99.  Which I often cut down to the size needed. 

[HIPEXEC]

Nice work!