Greek Bireme by bensid54 - FINISHED - RADIO

[bensid54]

Since my last post I replaced the pins with #8 screws with a bit of a shank on them this seems like the final go with that design. Next I started making 88 oar alignment dowels and gluing them in place two at a time so the epoxy can set before doing the next two in line, should have those done in the next two days I hope. The picture shows the start of my oar dowels.

[Omega1234]

Hi Ben

 

Great to see your update because I was wondering how you were going.

 

It's good to see that you're progressing really well. Won't be long to go, now.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[bensid54]

I don't always post what I do on this because there is a lot of hit and miss, so when I think I have something worthwhile then I post. It has been an obsession to get this done and I don't want to make any mistakes because I plan on long term fun sailing this ship. Thanks Patrick I'm glad to see you still taking an interest in my build!

[Omega1234]

Hey Ben

 

Hell yeah - I'm still interested in your build! Why wouldn't I be; particularly as yours is the only RC version of this type that I've seen on MSW since I joined. So much so, that I'm keen as mustard to see your ship underway; as you must be too.

 

Needless to say, then, I always look forward to your updates.

 

 

Cheers and all the best

 

Patrick

[captainbob]

We're all interested in this build.  You have quite an engineering task going and you're doing a fine job of it.  We are anxious to see the final design working in the water.

 

Bob

Edited May 1, 2015 by Cap'n'Bob

[bensid54]

Thanks Bob it's been baby steps all the way but once the oars are where I want them it should go much quicker after that.

[mtaylor]

Ben,

 

Show us the good and the bad.  Even the bad is useful.  

 

The only other motorized galley, as such, that I've seen here was AEW's but it was a sailing galley.. static only.  Still, what you're doing is vastly interesting.

[bensid54]

Thanks Mark and thank all the rest of for opening my eyes about how many are following this thread.

[BenF89]

I concur with Mark, Bob, and Patrick. As an engineer myself, I know the value of documenting failures - otherwise, we'd all keep doing the same dumb things, like flying DC-10's or neglecting eddy vortices when building bridges in windy straits (Tacoma Narrows...which, incidentally, I drive over every day to get to and from work, so I'm especially glad they figured that one out.) There's actually a very good book all about the important role failure plays in design, called 'To Engineer is Human' - I'd highly recommend it even if you have a layman's interest in design and engineering. Judging by the thought and quality going into this build, you've got more than a layman's interest, though!

 

Ok, I'll get off my soap box now. 

[bensid54]

Well Ben I've been pulling wrenches for the last forty years so all the mechanics on my ship I've seen used on one machine or another over that period of time. My task was how to marry them to all work together, and from my experience I've never actually seen the racetrack concept being used but after a lot of head scratching I came up with that idea and it was nice to see it actually worked. Although I will admit I did redesign the steering column under warranty for a major truck maker to stop it from pounding out the steering box the next year this manufacturer implemented my design in all their trucks that required it, I think I've blown my own horn enough there's more I could tell you but I'm already too long winded and sorry if this was starting to sound arrogant or boastful but it sure was starting to look that way to me.

[bensid54]

In the one picture it shows the alignment dowels installed on the port side, now I've been informed they are called "Tholes" so of course the whole time I'm making and installing them I was singing "I'm a Thole man" by the Blues Brothers. The oars were moved to the maximum in each direction for each side to properly fit the Tholes  so the spacing would be correct and the oars won't bind. In the other picture you will notice the oars are deeper at the stern than they are at the bow, that's because I reduced the spring tension too much and now with the weight of the oars they are pulling the rack up into the spring loaded slot of the drive discs too far. Once I pull the motors and idlers out to repair this problem I will also have to repair the racetracks to make them work smoother with the increased spring tension, I hope this will be the last adjustment in this department. 

[mtaylor]

That was so bad it's good... wish I give you more likes for the "Thole man"...      :D  

Edited May 3, 2015 by mtaylor

[Omega1234]

Hi Ben

 

Not only is that a nice update on your progress, but I also now have you to blame because I can't get the Thole Man out of my head! I swear if I go to bed still singing it.....

 

All the best!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[bensid54]

Lol Patrick and Mark I know what you mean I can get a song stuck in my head for a whole day. I remember when I was driving forklift on graveyard shift of a fish plant it was a twelve hour shift and the job of the women there was to pop the heads off the herring and squeeze the eggs into one chute and the waste into another all night long. So for fun I came by one of the Girls and sang I'm so tired by the Troggs, well needless to say by the end of the night the girls within earshot of my singing were ready to kill me come morning.

[Omega1234]

Hah! Nice story, but it seems you haven't learnt your lesson because you're doing it to us now!

[bensid54]

Sorry Patrick hopefully some day I'll grow up.

[Omega1234]

Hah! That's what my Admiral says to me! Anyhow, it could be worse, I could be singing a Brittney Spears song....

[BenF89]

Patrick - that would be worse. Much, much worse.

 

I'm not sure whether this is fortunate or not, but the Blues Brothers were just before 'my time' (timelessness of their work notwithstanding....) So, I seem to have avoided the curse of having their song running through my head. Of course, generational timing doesn't prevent me from having Gordon Lightfoot running through my head anytime I look at my yet-to-be-started model of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  

 

But, at least it's not Brittney Spears.... 

Edited May 4, 2015 by BenF89

[bensid54]

My all time favourite Lightfoot song, better do a build log on that one! I have a hull in the attic waiting to become a freighter or something of that nature so maybe I could get some tips from your build log Ben.

[bensid54]

Removed the drive disc idler on the port  side and the motor drive disc too. The spring length has been a balancing act from the start, initially I used the full length of spring but found that was too much stress on everything else plus put too much strain on the motor too. I cut them shorter, bits at a time until I thought I had it right then as you can see from my previous post pictures they were not strong enough to raise the oars the way I want them once it was all together. Now the springs are 3/8" longer than before and that looks like the sweet spot I need. In the one picture you can see the short one that didn't have enough push beside the one I'm using now which is 3/8" longer.

[bensid54]

One picture shows the drive disc bearing and sprocket bore which due to my poor machining the sprocket bore was .001" oversize, so I trimmed a 1/4" long piece of .001 shim stock and made a press fit for the bearing and took the slop right out of that part. The other picture shows the idler axle which thanks to my machining was also .001 too small so out came the shim stock again for a quick fix, now there is no idler slop and no deflection caused by a stronger spring in the drive disc. 

[BenF89]

My all time favourite Lightfoot song, better do a build log on that one! I have a hull in the attic waiting to become a freighter or something of that nature so maybe I could get some tips from your build log Ben.

 

Doing a build log for that one is next on my list. I just need to make sure I can finish my current project by my deadline (I'd like to have it done by my daughter's third birthday, about a year from now; at the latest by her third Christmas)

 

P.S. - glad to see you're working out the final kinks and glitches!!

Edited May 4, 2015 by BenF89

[mtaylor]

Off by .001"... really?  And that's "sloppy"???   Sorry, I think it's damned good (pardon my French).  I wish I could hold that tolerance. 

[bensid54]

Thanks Mark but it's all related to size, something this small can behave badly with a combined slop of .002 when that is the point where the movement and load is highest and it ends up looking a lot worse than what it is. Working out the kinks has taken the majority of my time it seems because I've made and remade several different parts more than a couple of times over.

[bensid54]

I've used screws threaded into the oar racks to secure the oars to lock the screws in place after the final adjustment I take a needle type applicator and pour this fluid into the screw bores. The solvent in the picture actually dissolves the plastic so it runs around the screw threads, sets and locks the screws in place.  

[bensid54]

This is what the oar ports look like now, I may fill in the empty spots later. Starting on the oar rack for the other side, this part of the build should go fast because I've got the bugs worked out of the other side. I sat today and fiddled with the radio settings and I have them close to balanced but I'm sure that will be a work in progress once it's in the water. I will get a video of both sets of oars working very soon.

[Omega1234]

Hi Ben

 

Looking good. Out of interest, what's the freeboard and is there a high risk of water entering the hull?

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[BenF89]

I echo Patrick's question, now that I think about it. Would be really disappointing to have a Mary Rose or Vasa on your hands.

 

[Also, now my marine accident investigation twitch has been tickled, and I wonder how many of these Greek and Roman ships were lost because of downflooding through the oar ports....how many ships sank before they figured out the right place to put them? Uh-oh, looks like I'm not going to get anything productive done today... ]

 

That said, I have a feeling that with models, it's generally harder to make them draw enough water, rather than have a freeboard too low. The ratio of structural and internal weight to hull volume gets wacky as scale drops.

[bensid54]

Very good questions you two, the freeboard is about 3/4 of an inch I will adjust the top speed so the splashing will be kept to a minimum, the oar cycle should be tight enough to reduce flinging around of water and the oars will be just above level at the highest point of their cycle to hopefully reduce water from streaming in the hull from the oars. One more thing I will do is glue a small barely visible square of wood on the underside of the oars to create a drip barrier and hopefully the water will drip off there. The drip barriers will have assistance from the oar mechanics because at one point in the oar cycle above the water level the oars get a small but sudden quick movement due to an imperfection in the racetrack and hopefully this will knock off any water drips. If all of the above doesn't stop water ingress then I will make a foam barrier for the oars to slide into. Any suggestions regarding something I missed or overlooked would be greatly appreciated.

[BenF89]

Sounds like you've thought it through; what is the scale you are working in again?