American Cutter LEE by torpedochief - Revolutionary Era Battle of Lake Champlain

[torpedochief]

I like this ship! It only sailed in one battle. It was miles from salt water. It was not well built, not for lack of desire but due to being built in an ad hoc shipyard by folks who really did not know what they were doing. She was built as fast as possible. She was a weapon in an arms race with British forces in Canada. The crew; brave as they were had no where near the training to even sail the ship, much less take her into battle.  There were not enough guns. The guns they did have were varied, and there was precious little powder to train with.

 

All the above is the reason I want to build this ship. Those people embraced the cause of Freedom. Although they knew little of ship building, they did it. The crew with everything against them took her to battle with the most professional navy on Earth at the time. They did not win the battle. LEE was forced ashore and abandoned, however her actions along with other hastily build ships tied up the British long enough for the Americans to gain needed  time to prepare and rearm.

 

So those are the main reasons I chose this almost forgotten little cutter. This is my first ever Plank on Bulkhead model, so the learning curve looks more like a corkscrew.

 

I found the plans for the LEE in SHIP MODELING FROM SCRATCH by Leaf.  The plans called for a model that would end up at 16 inches. Don't have that much space and the Admiral even has eyes on my shipyard.......Oh no!  So I scaled the plans to produce a model at 11.9 inches no counting the bow sprit.

 

Now if I can figure out how to put captions on the pictures I'll get you the 411 on my build.

 

Oh almost forgot.  Island Belle is next in line now. I have been assigned a great mentor by the Nautical Research Guild.  I was getting to comfortable with solid hulls and I need to step it up!   

 

 

Looks like I am not that bright. I don't know how to put captions on the pictures So after sizing the plans, the first thing I did was build a ladder out of teak. I don't know why. However it did give me the chance to introduce some of you to a great finishing product, that is also great for tools!  Renaissance Wax was developed by order of the Queen for the British Museum. This stuff really means it when the say a little goes a long way! It goes on smooth and hardens instantly. then a soft buffing brings out beauty in wood like you never thought possible. On tools it lubricates and protects. I use it not only in my scrimshaw but on my band saw table, Scroll saw table, and sander. Make anything move friction free and protects the surface to boot.

 

With the ladder done and waxed I next traced the false keel and bulkheads on parchment and then laid them out on my 1/8 ply.  With the false keel cut I reinforced the area where the Main Deck goes to the Poop. This was done since the weight of the aft end is more and the center of force is higher. That adds up to a snapped part if you are not careful. I  also cut the mast step.

 

When the bulkheads were cut and trued I test fitted them. The last Bulkhead tapers way thin near the keel.  I cut a channel on each side so the thickness of the bottom of the bulkhead and the thin ply of the keel would work  out.  First try was close but a little off the mark which I corrected by widening to one size and shimming so the fit would be snug.

 

The model will be left natural wood as a tribute to those who built her.  I fashioned the Keel, Stem and Stern Post from walnut. The scarf joints are not correct on purpose, again to indicate the haste the ship was built in.

 

I next cut slots into the Keel and the false keel to receive wooden "Tabs" these assured alignment and gave me a very tight bond and providing my surface area for the glue.

 

Oh Yea!! Those little brass planes you see. I picked those up at Harbor Freight $10 for the three. Let me tell you, these things are just wonderful to work with, and too look at.   

 

Once dried I proceeded to try cutting rabbets. I ground down the tip of a #11 blade. I made a line along the keel and a bit at a time removed the wood. Three hours later and with 600 grit paper to smooth it out the rabbets were done.  SCORE!!!

 

Next I trued the bulkheads and using my FAIR A FRAME (Which I do not care for in the least,) I glued in my bulkheads. Oh no first timer here... gonna be a disaster! Nope. Everything went in square! How I did that I will never know and most likely  will never be able to again.  I strengthened the bond with four small piece of bass wood where the bulkhead transverses the false keel.  Using such small ply I beefed the whole frame up by using 1/4 basswood. I alternated the how the supports met the bulkheads to spread any stress while planking and what ever time and humidity can do to my little boat.

 

All for now my sisters and my brothers .     

[Chuck Seiler]

Don,

 

    Welcome to the fray.  My gunboat PHILADELPHIA is in the water and Mike's (Mike 41) Row Galley WASHINGTON is fitting out at Ft. Ticonderoga.

Edited June 25, 2014 by Chuck Seiler

[mtaylor]

Don,

 

Looks to be a fascinating project.  I hope you don't mind if I follow along.

 

On your posting problem, have a look here:  http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/540-how-to-add-pictures-in-your-posts-and-pms/   I hope this helps.

[Mike 41]

Hi Don,

 

It looks like you are off to a great start. I will be following your build.

 

Mike

[torpedochief]

Hey Shipmates,

 

Having login trouble on my laptop keeps telling me I have not entered a username. So I will be using my phone to continue LEE's build log. Got lots done and I have been trying some ideas of my own. Deck is planked in maple. Ok let me see how to post pictures with my phone. Uhhh no I am a potato head. Ok back to try the laptop.

[MEDDO]

I don't know if you use it but internet explorer 11 has some major problems with this forum.

[torpedochief]

Hello Again,

 

Sorry for the delay. Had computer problems. LEE is coming along nicely. I have the maple deck in place. To make assembly somewhat less difficult. I made the top of the bulkheads removable. When I am ready I just slide the key into a slot and glue.

 

The entrance to the great cabin is planked in cherry. The door is lemon trimmed in walnut.

I have the windless turned. I also took a stab at building a gig for the ship. Not looking to bad. If it turns out I will build one in lemon and walnut.

 

I am now in the process of drilling the deck for the trennels. I will use bamboo for the dowels.

 

I woul like to have the great cabin interior visible through the windows. However I have not a clue what it sould have looked like.      

[torpedochief]

Hey Shipmates!

 

Still at it. Tons o stuff going on round here. Sorry for the delay.

 

Okay now LEE is moving along slow but sure.  I made my first grating from walnut and cherry. I found a 4 inch table saw and I used the blade kerf and a small rip fence to make the slats. Turned out nice, not perfect but nice.

 

  As I was fairing my frames.....ugg, I would take breaks and build this or that for the ship.  I went with an older style windless as LEE was built hastily and by folks who did not have all the proper tools. I turned the barrel from maple. The pawls are of walnut as are the supports. I made the rings by sawing thin slices of brass tube then sanding to the proper size.

 

Although there is no record LEE may have had a small boat.  I almost went with a canoe but found no evidence of any involvement of local Native Americans. I did do some looking in to boats built around that time. This is an educated guess as to what it might have looked like. Fast to build and able to navigate shallow waters.  I used thin cherry to build up a bread and butter hull.  The keel, stem, and stern post are of Walnut and the interior is maple, as are the oars. Again I wen to brass tube to make the oar locks.

 

More to come my friends!!  Having a blast.  I think once LEE is built I will have acquired the needed skill to attempt a kit,,,,but we shall see.

 

 

Chief Going Deep!!     

   

[mtaylor]

That is a nice looking ship's boat.  Do you have pictures of its construction?

[Chuck Seiler]

Don,

   What is the scale on this?

[captainbob]

Sorry I missed this in June, but I'm here now.  Like the penny it gives us an idea of how small you're working.

 

Bob

[torpedochief]

Brother's and Sisters,

 

Sorry for the long delay. Life gets in the way of ship building. Hate it when that happens!  LEE is going slowly, but I think that is okay. I read in Anatomy of Nelson's Ships that the author took 12,000 hours to build the Victory.

 

I have the hull almost ready to plank. I have been extra careful in the fairing of the bulkheads. Planking scares the jibbies  outa me, so I am polishing that cannon ball to the extreme.

 

I also have been wrestling with the transom and counter. It has taken five attempts but I now have it done correctly. I am still doing some looking but I think the stern of the plans is not correct. If I were building a framed model the plans for the counter would not work as the last frame would be too thick. In the bulkhead version I was able after a few tries to move the bulkhead to make the counter work. At least that is my findings. I found an old book  NAVIES OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION that shows a color plate of the "LEE, " that features the stern as the way I built it. However the rest of the plate is nothing like the LEE in Mr. Leaf's book.  I bit the bullet and carved my fillers from bass wood instead of balsa. I want all the advantages I can get.

 

I did take a break and gave building a cannon a try.  This is by no means a finished ready to fight cannon. It is just me trying my skills with the Dremel lathe, and making a template. Not to terrible for a first ever try, however the guns of LEE will be much better, (I hope.)  I also took a better picture of the Windless I built

 

I get such a charge out of all the projects I see going on. You folks are all top shelf!  Oh by the by, if anyone is interested I have a way of making Poor Man's Photo-Etch Parts, for less than $40.

 

Ok time for me to get back to writing the "Great American Novel."  Yeah Right.

 

Chief