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

[CaptMorgan]

Awesome build.  And beautiful pictures.  I have been following along for a couple of years or so.  I have learned a lot.

Many thanks for posting everything for all to see and learn....😄

 

[usedtosail]

Thanks Steve. I really enjoyed documenting the build with this log, as it made me really think critically about what I was doing. I think the model came out better because of that, as well as the great advice I received along the way.

 

A couple of final pictures for now. This is the dust cover I made from corrugated cardboard poster boards.

That front cover can be opened as it is hinged at the top so I still have access to the model if I need to take measurements or show it off (ha ha).

 

The ship will stay in here until the actual case is made in the Spring. In the mean time I am in the process of designing the case and will start a new model soon - the Panart Santa Lucia Sicilian barge. I'll start a build log for that shortly.

 

[Landlubber Mike]

Amazing!  That last shot looks like it could be taken off the box cover!

 

Looking forward to your barge build!

Edited December 5, 2018 by Landlubber Mike

[popeye the sailor]

you could add a mural inside........just kidding     now you have an idea of how large the case will be.........easier to figure out a suitable place to display her    awesome!

[ScottRC]

Your idea using cardboard and making a cover is making me wonder why I didn't think of that.  I have a 1/96 Constitution on my workshop shelf that is 98% complete and waiting for funds to build a case for it.  I will put our idea to work this weekend.  

[surfcurran]

On 2/11/2018 at 1:48 PM, usedtosail said:

Thanks Jonathan. I certainly have learned a lot from other logs. I know your ship will come out beautifully.

 

Here are the pictures of the fore studding sail brackets on the real ship. These pictures were taken in 2008. First the whole fore channel, then close ups of the three brackets, starting at the front.

Now for some important information from my shipyard - I have fired all the sail makers. I can't believe what they wanted me to add to the model. I was not happy with the way the mizzen topsail was coming out, so I made the decision to not add any sails, either full or furled, to the model. I would rather not have any then have them detract from the rest of the build. Now I can get on with hanging the yards, and maybe finish this ship this year.

 

Which leads to the other important news. The shipyard, along with the rest of the house, will be moving this summer. My wife is retiring at the end of this month and I will retire in July/August. We are putting the house up for sale in June and moving up to Newfound Lake in NH once the house sells. I have to figure out how to move the ship without damaging it, as well as the other ships I have built. Also, I will have to pack up the workshop and set up a new one there. I already know where it will be going, so I have started making plans for setting it up this Fall. I will be a bit busy getting our house here cleaned out and ready to sell, so that may impede some progress on the build over the next 6 months or so.

 

Progress continues with getting all the blocks, strops and slings ready to hang the yards. I have also started rigging the halyards for the jib and flying jib, tying the ends to the stays.

The plans are a bit confusing and are in slight contradiction to Bob Hunt's practicum.  It looks like there were no main lower (course) studding sails, only fore lower studding sails.  But there are no measurements in the table on page 6 of the plans for the fore studding sail booms that attach to the fore lower yard.  Anyone have any data for this?

[popeye the sailor]

non wood related,  but Revell included them in their 1:96 Connie and United States.  however,  I don't believe they supplied the booms that swing out from the hull.  I would have to check the kits.....I have them both.

[usedtosail]

I think I read that the main stunsail booms are stowed inside the ship. I have the plans put away but I will try to see where I got the dimensions for the fore boom.

 

While waiting for glue to dry on the Santa Lucia build, I made up a 1/10 scale model of the case I am going to build. This was useful to see the proportions of the case and some of the construction techniques I will need to build the full size one.

I have ordered the acrylic for the full size case through my brother in law, who owns a machine shop. They are cutting each of the pieces for me so I wont have to deal with large sheets that need to be cut.

[MEDDO]

Now that you <finished> that case you need to get going on the model that belongs in there 😁

[popeye the sailor]

you ought to build a tiny boat to go in that case.........it looks really cool!   

[usedtosail]

Hmm guys. Now you got me thinking...maybe someday I will.

 

[usedtosail]

So I pulled out the plans to check on the studding sail booms. They do show the dimensions for the fore boom on sheet 6:

Maybe you meant the main boom, which they do not show. In the Anatomy of Sail Constitution book, which is not always the best reference for this ship, they show two sail plans, with the 1800's version showing the main studding sails, and the modern sail plan with just the fore studding sails. So I guess you could go either way.

[silisurfer]

Great job on your Constitution! I've started to to work on my topmasts and am scratching my head over 2 things. One, are the round sections of the  topmasts tapered from the bottom octagon section to the area where the cheeks/trestle trees are? The plans don't seem to indicate it and Bob Hunt's practicum says they are not tapered. The other thing is how did you get the mast cap over that "shoulder area"? I know that the cap would have to go on before the cheeks were glued on, but isn't the shoulder area still larger than the mast cap hole? I'm making my masts from square stock and using a proxxon lathe.

[usedtosail]

Thanks. I am pretty sure I tapered that section but only slightly. I made the shoulder small enough to fit through the mat cap hole. It looks bigger on the plans I think but the difference is hard to see now

[xken]

Tom, congratulations on a  great build! Now on to the next one.

[kirill4]

Great job, and beautiful model !!!

Merry christmas and a happy new year!!!

[ShipWrong]

My date with destiny, I pick this up this wed/thur from the ups store

 

thank you for this treasure trove of information

[usedtosail]

Thanks Ken and Kirill. Ship, good luck with your build. I do hope you will be starting a build log here. Ken once you passed me your build log was very valuable to me.

[usedtosail]

So this is a supplement to the build log which is a build log of the case for this beast. I was going to wait until Spring to build this, so that I could run the table saw outside, but I managed to arrange the shop so that I can make the case inside and still have room for the table saw.  I ordered the plexiglas panels for the four sides and the top back in December. These are 1/8" thick. I will be making frames for the front, back, sides and top panel, but first I worked on the display board. This needs to be 24" wide, so I could have made it up from a few wide boards, but at Lowes I found this made up board that is already 24" wide.

I started by adding the guide boards that the front, back and side panels will be attached to at the bottom. These are just 1x2 poplar boards that I split down the middle. I used a battery powered nail gun to attach them to the display board, which I have to say I was pretty impressed with. The nail heads are very small and not very noticeable. I will also be using a pretty dark stain for the case which will make them even less noticeable.

With the base done, I then started making the front and back panels. I stared with these because if I screw up any of the frames I can cut them down for the sides. First I cut all the frame boards to length. Those blue panels behind the bench are the plexiglas panels.

I had a pretty crappy old small Craftsman table saw that I knew wouldn't be up to this task, so while at Lowes to get the wood I was going to buy a small portable table saw that looked pretty good. Right next to that one they had this Hitachi portable saw that was much beefier and precise. It was originally about twice what I was going to pay for the smaller one, but it was marked down to only about $30 more than the smaller one, so after a bit of thought in the store I bought it.

I am really happy with it. I had that small shop vac that is perfect to stick underneath it, but the hose was too small for the fitting on the saw. After searching online there was no adapter that would work, even though there were a bunch that claim to but when you look at the dimensions the outside diameters were too large to fit in the hole. So I chucked a square piece of 1x4 into my lathe and made one, which works great. I also bought a switch that you plug the saw and the vacuum into so that the vacuum goes on automatically whenever the saw starts up. So far that is also working great but there is some question on the longevity of these switches, so we will see how long it lasts. I can also use this set up with my other power tools, like the router table.

I am in the process of cutting lap joints into the ends of all the frame boards for the front and back. Once that is done, I will then use a router table to cut the slots in the boards for the plexiglas panels to fit into, then assemble the frames around the plexi. Stay tuned for pictures of that step next.

[gerty]

Beautiful model & terrific work !  Congrats ! 

[usedtosail]

Thanks Gerty. Your Willie Bennett looks really nice.

[usedtosail]

I have all the pieces for the front and back panels cut with half lap joints and a routed channel for the Plexiglas. Here is the front dry fit together to test if the depth of the channels are deep enough.

So far so good. I will be cutting the pieces for the side panels next.

[usedtosail]

I used a Cognac stain on the frame pieces for the front, back, and side panels, and the display board. It has a nice reddish color that matches the table I will be putting the case on.

I also put two coats of Tung Oil Finish on these pieces when the stain dried. I have started assembling the side and back panels and should have them attached to the display board in a few days.

[usedtosail]

I have assembled the top, back, and sides. I used brass screws to hold the half lap joints together after gluing them. They came out sturdier and squarer than I anticipated.

I then nailed the back and sides to the display board and each other. I am assembling the case on the table that the case will sit on when done, so I don't have to move it later.

I am now in the process of making the top.

 

 

[kmart]

Tom  

 

Looking case is looking awesome

and Massive!!!

 

couple of  questions

 -How did you secure the pexi in the panels.  I see you have a channel.. bu I did you use some sort of adhesive to keep in place?

 -How will you get the model in the case when she is done.

          I'm guessing one panel will be hinged or removable?

 

 

K

[usedtosail]

Thanks for the likes.

 

K - the plexiglas panels are just loose in the channels, no adhesive. Once the panels are set on edge the Plexi doesn't seem to want to move. I suppose if it got breezy in the room they might rattle, but I have made previous cases like this and have not noticed that. The front panel and top panel will just be secured with screws, so I can put the ship in from the front, then screw the front and top in place. The top needs to come off so I can lift the ship high enough to set it on the cradle in the case. I could have secured the cradle to the ship but I like being able to separate them.

[usedtosail]

Here is the top almost completed. I made the back frame a little wider than the other frames so I had room to add the LED strip. It has an adhesive backing that stuck to the top very well. I created a groove in the back of the case for the wire to fit into, so when I add the top it will go over the wire. There is a control box that dims the lights and turns them on and off, which will hang down in the back of the case along one side. Adding the top to the sides is the next step.

[popeye the sailor]

shaping up to be a very nice case Tom   

[usedtosail]

Thanks everyone. Well, now I can say this project is really finished. Here she is in her new home.

I am really happy the way the case turned out. My full size woodworking skills leave a lot to be desired, but this project I tried to be a lot more precise.

 

One thing I did over the last few days was to remake the cradle. I had originally made it a few years ago using 3/16" walnut for the supports. In all the moving they suffered a few dings and breaks that looked terrible, so I took them off the base board and remade them in 1/4" walnut. I am much happier with the result.

That's it for this project. Thank you all who have followed along through the journey. I have certainly learned a lot and I much appreciate those of you who built this model before me so I could learn from your experiences. I also hope this build log will prove useful for those who build this model in the future. I would highly recommend the experience. Just make sure you have a big enough place to put it when finished.

[Stevinne]

Very nice. I've been dropping in on the build over the last couple of years and was very impressed by your work. The display cabinet looks great.