Battens lay naturally, but wait'll you see this!

[Don Quixote]

What the heck am I doing wrong here? Those battens lay as naturally as can be!

 

I'm happy with the battens aft.

 

And yes, I know I have some fairing to do. That's as far as I got in fairing when I said ??? Some of that is shadow (the BHD's are actually white) and too much is me.

[dgbot]

Your battens should lie naturally but that is not an iron rule.  It gives you a base line to start.  The end result should also look pleasing to the eye as well.  This will help to insure that your planking is running true.  That one batten should be repositioned in the bow to even things out. 

If you have 5 strakes at the mid section then you want 5 planks at the bow.  Especially on the first run.

David B

Edited August 12, 2014 by dgbot

[druxey]

Please read the various tutorials on planking on this site.(That's why they are there for you!) They will answer most, if not all, of your questions. In addition to the second batten near the bow, the lowest one should not rise as far as you have it at present. The garboard plank should not rise up the bow. 

[russ]

Here is a hint on how the battens might ought to run. This is the best I can do given the photograph angle etc.

 

Russ

 

 

planking runs.pdf

[dgbot]

Druxey's advice is spot on.  Go through the tutoriols.  Plus what model are you working on.  This would also help in that there might be a build log of it.  And if there is go through it.

David B

[JerryTodd]

It's your avatar.

[Dziadeczek]

I would reposition your battens, perhaps like this:

 

 

 

 

[Don Quixote]

I like this a lot better. Some kinda optical illusion at play aft... They're nice too. *I* think!

[russ]

That looks better. You want the strakes to run along the curve created by the wales. That means that you do not want to have the planks at the bow sweeping upward too much. What you have seem to be better.

 

Russ

[Chuck Seiler]

Shouldn't you wait until the garboard strake is in before you insert your battens?

Edited August 16, 2014 by Chuck Seiler

[russ]

I think that is a matter of personal taste. The run of the planks is guided by the wales and he can start with the upper belt or the lower belt. I would do the upper belt first, but that is just one way to do it.

 

Russ

[Chuck Seiler]

That's true, but the area to be planked is defined by the wales on top and garboard strake on bottom, not keel.

[russ]

Chuck:

I have not heard it put that way, but as I said, it is an individual thing. I have never put the garboard on first. It all depends on what you are used to doing and comfortable with. I plank the upper belt, then do the lower belt and finish in the middle. Some like to go from the wales down or from the garboard up. So long as you can make sure that the garboard does not creep upwards too much along the stem rabbet, it makes planking the rest of that area a lot easier.

 

Russ

[Chuck Seiler]

Yeah,  I have had problems with the stem creep.  I learned alot from BobF's Longboat build.

[Don Quixote]

Sorry if my terminology is incorrect, I have to google and write down what's port and what's starboard. BAD memory combined with lack of experience.

 

At any rate, I'm starting at what I call the "top", just below the gun ports and sweeps, and working towards the keel. The plans absolutely do NOT match the measurements described. I'm planning to use the garboard plank to either take up slack, or make room for my - I assume - many mistakes.

 

Since I just bought one of those temper-pedic memory foam mattresses for my wife, I'm hoping many of my mistakes this year will be forgiven. Like spending so much time here in the man cave on the computer and my ship:)

[WackoWolf]

Port is on the left looking towards the bow, and starboard is on the right looking towards the bow. A simple trick is "port is spelled with 4 letters and left is spelled with 4 letters" that trick always help me when I work at the shipyard. Now looking towards the aft it is the other way around.

[kenr]

I always use

Is there any " port wine left "

Which reminds me its time for a drink

The sun is over the yardarm here in Melbourne

 

Regards

Ken

[Doreltomin]

Actually I also had some trouble with port and starboard, simply because in my own language we use the French terms (babord and tribord).

 

However some time ago I learned the English terms come from Viking times: "starboard" is in fact the "Steering-board" as the Viking ships were always steered with an steering oar put on the right side of the ship.

 

So if they had the steering oar always on the right, they landed always with the left side on the quay, so this was the "port" (harbour) side. As simple as "bonjour" (which is "Good day" in French).

 

And, by the way, the story goes that "babord" and "tribord" comes from mid 19th century when the French had several floating batteries used as depot ships. Each battery had the name "BATTERIE" and the number below, written with big white letters going all over on the round stern. So if you were looking from the left side, you would see "BA.... ". If you were looking from the right side, you would see "....TERIE". So this is from where they got the names "BA-bord" and "TERIE-bord"

 

As with your strakes, you should start with the first under the wales put parallel to it, then go down and taper the strake at the stem and at the stern as you see it necessary. Keep in mind that with the real thing they did never have straight long planks the size of the whole ship. Instead they used several shorter planks put in line for every strake, and as need arose, these planks were curved to make the proper round of the bow. Good luck with your planking!

[jud]

Is the larboard side where the Port is kept?

jud

[mrjimmy]

Hey......

 

Port = Left (looking toward bow of ship).  Each word has four letters.

 

You will remember from now on.

 

Si

 

Sorry for the redundancy; I posted this before I got to page 2.

 

Edited August 16, 2014 by Uncle Si

[JPett]

Ahoy JB   

 

I am no pro but I did have a similar issue. It took me quite a few hours to get this right. I think it ran into weeks. 

 

I made some templates and checked my work, You can use the bass wood that the bulkheads came from or if your plans show the bulkheads, use them to make cardboard templates.  I also downloaded some manuals from the Model Expo site for solid hull kits which rely heavily on using templates. 

 

If you have over sanded this is very easy to correct. 

 

I would also suggest using thinner battens. 1/32 x 3/32 basswood bends much easier and does not need to be soaked like the planking will. 

[Don Quixote]

 

Is there any " port wine left "

LOL! That'll stick with me. Is there a part of the ship I could use a Mloody Mary to make easier? So far they're making things difficult.

[Don Quixote]

or if your plans show the bulkheads, use them to make cardboard templates.

JPett, I'm not clear on what you're talking about. I now satisfied with my faring job, you're right, sanding too much seems to be no problem. A small dose of wood filler and problem solved. I'm ready to start planking now. Here's what I'm doing. BHD H is the widest part of the ship and BHD is the stem. The wale to the 1st batten is .75", while it's .58 at the stem. Difference of .17. I divided that by the 8 BHD's and come up with an average reduction between BHD's needs to be .021. Or am I shooting, smoking or snorting?

[JPett]

Ahoy JB  

 

I hope you don't mind me addressing you as JB. 

 

I can not see any laser burn on the edges of your bulkheads. I was just suggesting that before committing to planking you check the shape of your bulkheads and make sure you have not changed them. It is simple to do and can save you a lot of aggravation 

 

Are you measuring for the plank widths 

[Don Quixote]

 

Are you measuring for the plank widths

I've laid the planks down on every part of that ship. Far as I can tell there'll be no dips or bumps. I did sand too far a number of times, but wood filler is getting to be my friend.

 

And speaking of measuring planks, that's what brings me here today. The width of these planks are varying from .098 to .104. Supposed to be 3/32, but they're closer to 7/64. Nothing else in the kit that comes closer unless I go to a greater thickness. I imagine I'd do more damage than good trying to adjust it. I'm trying to select planks that are around .101 and that seems to be the average.

 

Anyway, reason I'm here this time... I need to reduce 3/32" planks to half that over a 6" length. I seriously don't want to sand that. I tried pinching the planks between 2 pcs of wood and clamping it in my vice... My belly chance of that!

[dgbot]

If you have a small table saw this would be fairly easy.  I own both a Preac and a Byrnes.  If not what I used to do to keep my fingers from getting cut was to make a fixture using the back of a hacksaw blade  or you can use a straight edge.  The plank would be clamped under the blade. I would then take an xacto knife or a fine toothed razor saw and trim the edge off.

David B

[JPett]

Ahoy JB

Here is what I used 

 

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/45-rattlesnake-by-jpett-model-shipways-ms2028-scale-164th/?p=5884

 

The third image shows my "plank cutting tool" 

 

Its made from some electrical hanging brackets I found @ Home Depot. Cost with the hardware was around 3 bucks 

 

As for your planking measurements I tried that way and wish you luck. What ended up working for me was this 

 

http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/Lining%20Off%20your%20hull%20for%20planking.pdf

 

I used battens instead of the string but the using the little strips of paper and marking off the planks on the hull worked for me. Its tedious and slow but you'll make up the time when you plank. Beer and Netflix is how I got through it. 

 

Good luck

[Don Quixote]

JPett, nice looking project. And I like the planking pdf, thanks a bunch. I wonder how a chalk like would work to mark each band.

 

dgbot. Can you show me a pic of that? I can't imagine how to clamp a 3/32" plank to a straight edge. Especially if one end is to have only 3/64" held down. Again, my lack of experience rears my sexy head. I want to make sure we're talking about the same thing.

 

Clamping in place would indeed be ideal, because I surely can't hold it in place myself.

 

But I tried. And I always get the bump you see in the 2nd pic because it always moves.

Edited August 19, 2014 by JustBlowinInTheWind

[dgbot]

Since I am not in my workshop I cannot give you a picture.  Basically I took a flat piece of die board from work and put a ledge on it with a stop on one end.  The ledge is just a shade thicker than the plank.  I would put the plank agianst the ledge and the stop.  I would then put a straight edge over that and clamp it down.

The straight edge was clamped down using wing nuts.  The drawing above gives you an idea of how I did it.  Kind of a pain but it did a lot of work at one time.  I do not even remember if I still have it.

David B

[Don Quixote]

Hmm... I think I get it. I'll do some playing around, thanks.