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

[popeye2sea]

Hi Tom,

 

Do you know when the restoration on the Constitution is scheduled to be completed?  I remember in 1997 there was a major restoration.  Is this the same type of work being done?

 

Your model is looking fantastic!

 

Thanks,

Don

 

The refit will hopefully be done in June.  They are on track so far and they want to have her back in the water before the arrival of the tall ships this July.

 

Regards,

[usedtosail]

Thanks for the update popeye2sea. I will have to make a point of getting down to see her this summer.

 

And thanks for the encouragement popeye the sailor. Wow - 2 popeyes in one post.

 

We stayed home this weekend so I had a bunch of time in the shop yesterday and this morning. I finished the topmasts and am in the process of making the topGallant/royal/skysail masts. I was going to do something different than the MS plans, and make separate topG and royal masts, like those shown in the AOS book. But then Tim I sent me the 1817 sail plan, which clearly shows a  single mast for all three, just like the MS plans. I did use the dimensions from the 1817 sail plan which are slightly longer than the MS plans show. Nothing like having to make the case even taller. It is going to be a behemoth anyway so why not a bit taller?

 

I made this jig to hold the square stock as I planed the octagon profile into the masts. It was fine for the shorter lower masts but these topG masts are pretty long. I did manage to work them with it, but I am going to make a longer version sometime for future builds.

 

 

Here are some in progress shots of the main topG mast in the lathe. I worked in sections between the octagon sections, starting with the top first, since this area had to be reduced a lot. I wasn't sure if the basswood would hold up to being thinned so small, but I had no problem. I did support the top end of the mast in the tail stock, which turned out to be a bonus, since when I took the mast out of the lathe, I had a small block of wood on the very top to make a truck out of. I mostly used fines and sandpaper outside the lathe to make it. After doing the top section, I turned the mast around in the lathe and turned the lowest round section.

 

When that was done. I turned the mast around again and did the middle section. I found that flat metal file worked great for removing large amounts of wood. I didn't dare use any cutting tools on these masts, just files and sandpaper. I have trouble with pieces this thin breaking when using cutting chisels.

 

 

 

So here is what I have so far -the spanker mast with boom rest, the main and fore topG/royal masts, and  all of the topmasts. I still have the mizzen topG mast to do, then the crosstrees and trestle trees.

 

 

 

[alde]

Nice lathe work. It looks like delicate work.

[vossiewulf]

Tom, might want to try one of these (they even have one finer if this isn't fine enough) when doing the masts on the lathe. I haven't used them for specifically this purpose, but I have a different Iwasaki file and have used it very successfully for similar things. Unlike normal files, these teeth are milled with some kind of fly cutter in a circle the center point of which is maybe a foot beyond the handle of the file. So the teeth are also curved forward, and this file properly used will take shavings instead of dust and I'm guessing a fine or extra fine might leave a polished-looking surface much better than sandpaper unless you go out to like 2500 grit.

 

Iwasaki 8" Extra Fine Side Float

 

 

[usedtosail]

Thanks Al. As you will see in this post, I have more lathe work to do.

 

Vossiewulf - thanks for the tip on the float. I will have to look into getting one.

 

I am such an idiot! I made the four topmast sheaves last night which attach to the sides of the top of the topmasts and as I held them up to one of the masts, I realized I had made the tops of all three topmasts round and they should be square! ARGH!!!!

 

So, I get to remake all three of them. And here I thought I had made such good progress over the weekend. Oh well, at least I had a lot of practice.

[vossiewulf]

Thanks Al. As you will see in this post, I have more lathe work to do.

 

Vossiewulf - thanks for the tip on the float. I will have to look into getting one.

 

I am such an idiot! I made the four topmast sheaves last night which attach to the sides of the top of the topmasts and as I held them up to one of the masts, I realized I had made the tops of all three topmasts round and they should be square! ARGH!!!!

 

So, I get to remake all three of them. And here I thought I had made such good progress over the weekend. Oh well, at least I had a lot of practice.

 

Are they going to be painted? If so cut them off, make new square tops, drill matching holes on each side and glue with dowel or better yet carbon fiber rod Even if you're not painting should still be doable, get matching grain pieces and get a good nearly invisible glue joint, that is perfectly possible with just two square (angle not shape) ends to glue together. It will be made all the more invisible by the change in shape, we expect grain to change when the shape changes significantly.

Edited February 1, 2017 by vossiewulf

[usedtosail]

Thanks vossiewulf. I had thought of that but I was not sure I could get the new tops to line up nicely, especially centered on the old mast. Making new topmasts is not that hard - I remade the mizzen topmast last night. Now that I have the process it goes quickly. I have wood for the main and fore topmasts coming, which should be delivered today. If not, I will rip down a wider piece and make them from that.

 

I did use your suggested technique on the mizzen topG/royal mast. The sky sail portion was slightly bent to one side, but very noticeable, with no lines on it that I could use to pull it into straightness while rigging. So, I got brave and cut it off, bore out the octagon section just under it, and filed off some of the bottom of the sky pole so it fit in the hole, I glued it and lined it up before the glue set, and now it looks straight over the whole length. 

[Fright]

Tom - your work (and pictures) are excellent! In going back on your posts, I extend my condolences to you and family with the loss of your father. People continue on with every thought and memory. I look forward to your work ahead!

[usedtosail]

Thanks so much Robert. 

 

OK vossiewulf, you saved me some work. When I got home tonight I thought I'd give your method a try. I had nothing to loose since I was going to remake the topmasts anyway. I cut off the round sections, drilled holes in a piece of square stock and the topmasts for a piece of dowel, filed in the tenons at the top of the new square section and glued them on. I made sure the square section at the top lined up to the square section at the bottom and the new part was lined up lengthwise with the rest of the mast.

 

 

 

Overall, I think they came out pretty well. The joint is hard to see and will be covered by the topmast trestle and cross trees, and this part will be painted black to boot. I think they will be pretty strong with the size dowel I used, too. Thanks for the advice.

[vossiewulf]

Thanks so much Robert. 

 

OK vossiewulf, you saved me some work. When I got home tonight I thought I'd give your method a try. I had nothing to loose since I was going to remake the topmasts anyway. I cut off the round sections, drilled holes in a piece of square stock and the topmasts for a piece of dowel, filed in the tenons at the top of the new square section and glued them on. I made sure the square section at the top lined up to the square section at the bottom and the new part was lined up lengthwise with the rest of the mast.

 

Overall, I think they came out pretty well. The joint is hard to see and will be covered by the topmast trestle and cross trees, and this part will be painted black to boot. I think they will be pretty strong with the size dowel I used, too. Thanks for the advice.

 

Beautiful! Both how they look and that you got there with the shortest route possible. Glad I could help

[usedtosail]

The mast top factory is in full swing.

 

 

I started with the trestle and cross trees for the three masts, and added the bolsters and sheaves for the jeers. I thought I would stop there but decided to make the upper parts of the tops too. I started with the laser cut sheets and cleaned them up, then added the timber along the aft edges for the rails to fit into.

 

I traced the forward edges of these pieces onto some 1/16" sheet and drew out the shapes for the forward edge pieces. I cut these out roughly with an X-Acto knife and sanded them to almost final shape. I glued them to the sheets and will finish sanding the outside edges later.

 

 

 

These are supposed to be only 1/32" high, but I am going to plank these tops on the top and bottom sides, because pictures of the tops in the instructions clearly show the planking. After planking with 1/32" strips, these edge pieces will be exactly the right height. I used straight 1/16" wood strips for the side pieces.

 

 

Here are the trestle and cross trees resting on the masts.  I can now start painting the masts, mast coats, and tops.

 

 

I am going to make the holes for the fids in the topmasts larger so I can fit a 1/16" square fid into them. The way they are now the fid would look too small to me to hold up these topmasts. Another thing I did was to add small strips of wood inside the trestle trees at the foremasts, because the trestle trees had to be pretty far apart of fit over the bands at the tops of the masts. These strips give the topmasts some better support so they aren't so floppy.

Edited February 9, 2017 by usedtosail

[HIPEXEC]

Your Connie is looking good!

[vossiewulf]

Tom if you don't mind me asking, how do you use the 1-2-3 blocks in ship building?

 

And the latest looks great too.

[husky1943]

Tom, I have really enjoyed looking at your work on her.  I'm not sure which I admire more; your masterful wood working skill or your mastery of organization. 

 

Ciao for now

 

Rob

[usedtosail]

Thanks Rich. I am enjoying following your Syren/Argus build too.

 

Jay - I use them mostly for weights, but I do use the sides during glue up to get a true 90 degree angle. I have also used them to hold masts as I am working on them. I inherited them from my brother, so it keeps him part of the build, too.

 

Rob, thank you. I try to keep things organized because I really hate clutter, but it slowly creeps back in until I have to stop and take care of it. if you look closely though you will see a lot of stuff on the work surfaces that just wants to accumulate.

[popeye the sailor]

very  well done on the mast tops and trees Tom  

[usedtosail]

Thanks Popeye. With all these snow days I was able to put some quality time into the build this weekend, and still had time to take the admiral out for a Valentines Day dinner on Saturday night, between storms.

 

I have been planking the mast tops, both the upper and lower sides. It was a little tricky around the hole for the jeer lines, but I think I finally have them all.

 

 

 

 

I have to clean up some planking on the mizzen top but the glue was still drying when I took the pictures.

 

I have also been painting the masts, coats, and caps. Three coats of either black or white. White for the lower masts, trestle and cross trees, and tops is next up. The topmasts, mast coats, and caps are all ready to go, although I need to add some hardware to the caps.

 

 

 

 

 

I made the two metal rollers that go on the backs of the fore and main caps from some brass strip that I bent into a U shape, and drilled holes in the bottom of the U for a nail to hold it to the cap, and two holes in the sides for a piece of wire to fit in. These are really small so I did not get any pictures while making them. I will say that I used the mill to drill the holes and it was a whole lot easier than the drill press. I only broke 1 bit in the process and that was my fault.

[vossiewulf]

Repeating other folks, they look great Tom. I'm planning to use this build log for when I get to my Constitution, and I hope I can do someewhere close to as well.

 

My workbench top will never look that neat however

[usedtosail]

My first post to the new site - how exciting!

 

I continue working on the masts and mast tops. I test fit the tressle/crosstrees to the masts and adjusted the cheeks so they sit square. I had to file out some of the tresstle trees on the main mast to get them to fit over the bands on the black parts of the lower masts. I also test fit the spanker mast to the mizzen mast and made some adjustments.

 

 

 

For the topmast fids, I bought some 1/16" square brass rod that I cut to length and will blacken. I had to file out the square holes to get them to fit, but they look better than wood to me. For the topG masts fids, I filed down some smaller round brass bar to a square shape.

 

I made the rails for the mast tops. The plans say to use 1/32" square wood for the rail and the supports, but if you have ever worked with that small basswood, you know it can break by just looking at it so I didn't want something that fragile. I started turning down some dowels to a smaller diameter, but in the end decided to just use round brass rod for the supports and 1/16" square basswood for the rail. These will all get painted white with the tops, but I won't permanently attach them to later in the build. The supports are glued into the rail but not into the top yet.

 

 

I used the mill to cut the slots for the topmast deadeyes along the sides of the tops. I needed to support the tops from underneath so the bottom planks weren't pushed out by the mill bit, and I used a wood strip to clamp the the top without damaging it.

The only problem I had was that I milled five slots into all the tops, but the mizzen top should have only 4, since the rigging plans show it with only 4 deadeyes. Luckily I caught this after only milling one side, so I was able to fill the extra hole and put 4 slots into the other side. Since these will be painted, this little mistake will be covered up (shhhh).

 

I am going to start making the topG crosstrees. These look interesting to make because they are bent, and they are all a different size. I reproduced copies of the plans for these at all the different sizes and will use those to guide the bending. I bought one of those hot air soldering stations, so I will try bending with just heat using it for these. Stay tuned for that.

 

It is interesting with the new site that there is no longer a Preview post button. It looks like what you see in the editor is what you get. These pictures look huge here, but we will see how they look when I post this. (Edit - they still look huge in the post. I wonder if there is a way to scale these?) Have a nice weekend everyone.

Edited February 24, 2017 by usedtosail

[Guest Tim I.]

An exciting milestone to be stepping masts. Looking forward to seeing your fighting tops on your model!

 

TIgoe

[rwiederrich]

Wonderful job..for sure.

 

Rob

[vossiewulf]

Ditto congrats on closing in the milestone, she looks great.

[Burroak]

Tom your ship is impressive.

[usedtosail]

Thank you TI, Rob, Vossie, and Greg. And for those who hit the like button.

 

It has been a while since I updated this log. I have been doing many small jobs that just seem to keep taking my time from the larger ones, but I am getting close to start rigging. I have finished building the mast tops, topmast tops, and topGallant tops and painted and/or stained them. I still need to add the blocks and other bits of hardware to them so they will be ready to install. I tried using heat to bend the crosstrees for the topG masts, but they were so short it didn't work out well. I ended up cutting them from sheet stock and finished shaping them with files. I will have pictures of them tomorrow, as I forgot to bring them with me today. 

 

I made fids for the topmasts and topG masts using square brass rod that I blackened. I also blackened the travellers I made for the jibbooms and gave them a coat of Dullcote lacquer so hopefully the black won't rub off too much onto the stained jibbooms. I did give the stained parts of the masts and booms a coat of wipe on poly, too. I started to make collars for the bullseyes that go on the fore and main masts for the stays, but only had 1 1/8" bullseye left, so I found some dowel and started making more from it on the lathe. None have come out great yet, but I am getting the process down better so I should have some better ones soon.

 

Sorry for no pictures, but I'll get some up here soon.

[rwiederrich]

Don't feel so bad about the frequency of log entries or time spent on the model......I work in stints.....times of rapid progress and times of inactivity.  Currently I'm in the latter.  Too much family things prevent model work.

 

Love your build and look forward to further entries.

 

Rob

[vossiewulf]

Tom, important thing is it sounds like you're making good progress. Last time I checked none of us paid for tickets that said you owed us pictures  You'll get to putting them up when you can.

[shipmodel]

Hi Tom - 

 

Your Connie is coming along very nicely.  Really clean work on the tops.  

 

One quick suggestion - if you are planning to install crowsfeet from the tops to the stays, you should drill the holes now before installing the tops.  It is a real bear to get them drilled neatly afterwards.

 

Will we see her in New London at the Joint Clubs Conference at the end of April?

 

Dan

 

 

[usedtosail]

Thanks guys. Actually, some exciting things have been going on so I am not too upset about lack of progress. Last weekend we moved my daughter into her first home. She bought a nice condo which is so much better than the apartment she was in. Of course, I have been working off her to do list last weekend and she already has a pretty big one for next weekend. We stayed home this weekend because I needed a break. Been able to work on the Connie but the basement is pretty cold today, so have to work in shifts. This morning I am making the collars for the fore the main masts.

 

Dan, I am so glad you reminded me about the crows feet. They would have been a feature of the ship in the 1812 era, so I should add them, right? At the beginning of the build I wasn't sure but now I have to decide. So you have convinced me by your reminder to add them. I will drill the holes for the them before adding the tops. I think they will make a nice addition to the model. UNLESS - someone tells me they wouldn't have been on the ship at that time.

 

And no sadly I will not be attending the conference in New London this year. I have yet to make it to one and I am so close, but that weekend is always birthday weekend here - we have 5 birthdays in my wife's family that fall within that week, including myself and my two kids. Big family party every year on that Saturday.

 

Here are the pictures I promised. Here are the topmast tops in progress. I made copies of the plans at each scale for the six different topmast and topG tops, then cut them out as templates for the curved pieces, which I cut out of sheet stock. The notches on the trestle trees I cut on the mill.

Here are the topG tops after staining them. These are pretty small and fragile.

And here are all the rest of the tops and various mast parts after painting. On the mast caps, you can see the metal sheaves on the ends that I made out of brass sheet and some brass nails. The hooks on the topmast tops I made from wire. There is netting under the mast top rails, which is just brown tulle glued to the stanchions. The bottom row are the bullseyes I made, the fids, and the traveler rings.

Here's a close up of the tops and caps.

Finally for you other Connie builders, when I was adding the head details I forgot to add these bullseyes and eyebolts for the jib stays. It was a little harder to add them now, but not too bad.

I'll have more progress to show later of the mast collars. Thanks again all. You make this fun.

[shipmodel]

Well done, Tom - 

 

Sorry we won't see her, or you, in New London.  On the other hand, you could bring the whole family to see the models.  Only $5 to view about 100 quality entries by builders from Boston to Philadelphia. 

 

Happy birthday to all

 

Dan

 

 

[vossiewulf]

Looks really nice and clean Tom