HM Cutter Cheerful 1806 by Chuck - FINISHED - 1:48 scale - kit prototype

[rtropp]

Chuck,

Thanks for all the information.  I now understand how to bend the planks to fit the curves rather than trying to puzzle them into place.  Now I just need to remember this when I do my next build.

 

Richard.

[GuntherMT]

 

As a side note....I added the drop plank and the first two strakes in the first belt before I lined off the hull.  It just made it easier to do the lining off.  Thats why you can see them in the picture while I lined out the hull.

 

Thanks for all the details Chuck.  The only thing that I'm left unclear on - was the drop plank and it's buddy (i.e. the first two strakes in the first belt) included in the 20, or extra?  I think if I understand everything they are included, so there are 20 planks including these and the garboard, correct?

[Chuck]

Yupp it was included.   Just like the original draft I posted.  But I knew they were all 3/16" planks at the center of the hull so it wouldnt effect that.   So adding them before lining out made it easier to visualize the eight remaining planks in the first belt.   

[Maury S]

Thanks Chuck.  It's all about learning techniques that work.  I've never edge bent a plank before, but since I'm working from your Cheerful plans, and have seen how well (and easy) you make it look, this will be my first.

Great discussion!!!

Maury

[Guillermo Madico]

My two cents

Everything could be scaled down except for the wood grain.

The real ship builder could bend the plank a lot easier than the modeler does, because the grain in the modelers plank is 50 times the scale of the real thing. Any oak or maple grain in a real ship will be impossible to reduce to sale. Even boxwood scaled up to real life dimensions will translate into a grain not suitable for planking. It probably will be like building a ship of the line out of bamboo.

The modeler works around those limitations and Chuch has found the best way to do it (having tried all of the above and never being happy with the results)

I say more cutting and less plastering makes the modeler more proud of his work

Edited March 3, 2015 by Guillermo Madico

[ASAT]

One other observation and question Chuck, I know from your builds that you use CA to fasten your planking - but your progress shots always look so pristine.... I also use CA but my hulls look like they are diseased with splotches, pencil lead and bits of my fingers glued to them until I sand them down - how do you keep your hulls so clean? Is there a certain applicator you use to control the glue? Or is it your technique? 

 

Lou

Edited March 4, 2015 by ASAT

[Guillermo Madico]

The picture above seems to show The Charles Morgan with lots of drop planks.  It actually shows the lines of coper plates in the middle of the whaler restoration. The picture bellow shows Charles Morgan in bright sunlight after coper plates and paint were removed. Both pictures could be found at the Mystic Sea Port Museum with a lots more of contemporary real scale ship building and planking with modern and not so modern tools. Really nice stuff.  

 

PD I beleive the gentlemen in the picture are part of the restoration crew 

Edited March 7, 2015 by Guillermo Madico

[Chuck]

Lou,

 

Basically I just sand the heck out of it to remove any CA that may have absorbed into the wood.  Using Boxwood is also an advantage as its dense.  The glue doesnt absorb very deep at all.  So I am not afraid to sand the hull very smooth and thin down the planking.  Typical planking is not a scale 3" thick.  In fact,  the topside planking above the wales on Cheerful was only 1.5" thick.   Its actually noted on the planking draft.  So using 1/16" thick strips is way out of scale.  This is why I actually used 3/64" thick strips and then sanded them down considerably after I was done which thinned them down to about 1/32" or so.   This way you get to the nice clean wood that is blemish-free.

 

FYI....The wales were 4" thick and the bottom planking under the wales was 2.25" thick as noted on the original planking expansion.

 

Chuck

[ASAT]

So do you sand them as you install each strake or do you put a few on and then sand them together? i guess it really doesn't matter but It doesn't look like the planks you have already installed need any more sanding, or will you do a final sand after you have completed the planking? Or is it you don't post a picture until what you have done is looking pristine?     Your "in work" models always look so awesome, I thought maybe I was doing something wrong.....  

 

Lou

[Chuck]

I sand a little bit after every four or five planks.  Then I apply one coat of wipe-on-poly.  It helps to keep it clean with the wipe on poly.  Then after the entire side is planked....its sanded down and finished again.  Then once again after treenailing.

[Chuck]

Just finished planking the port side.  I added the stern post.   Now to treenail the port side and add the molding...   It feels good to have it all planked.  It will feel even better when the treenailing is done.   I was getting tired of seeing the hull without its stern post.  I think it really makes a difference at this point.   At least from the starboard side.

 

 

 

 

 

[michael mott]

Chuck your planking work is outstanding! I hope I am able to get closer to this standard on my next hull.

 

Michael

[GLakie]

Love that stern shot. The square-tuck and hull side planking blend in beautiful with the stern-post.

[Trussben]

She's a beauty Chuck.

 

Ben

[cog]

Chuck,

Next build I must try your planking method. It looks ... astonishing

[Chuck]

The port side is done and treenailed. I also made the horse shoe plates for the stem and keel plate at the stern.  These were laser cut from laserboard.  I painted and glued them on.  They have little holes cut through them as you can see.  The beauty of that is after gluing them with yellow glue and placing them on the model....a little bit of glue seeps through the holes and forms a nail head.  But if you dont want to do that,  you can drill through the holes with a #78 bit and insert some 28 gauge wire as bolt heads.  ....Or   just leave it as is.  I will be drilling and inserting the wire as bolt heads later on.  Also all of the fancy molding is in position that I want to add at this point.   Now its time to thin down the bulwarks inboard.  FUN ....FUN!!! 

 

Chuck

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bear]

Hi Chuck

 

When will you add these little jewells to the parts for sale on the Cheerful? 

 

Just finished the treenailing on my Royal Caroline this weekend. I also have all of the Cheerful parts cut out and sitting in a drawer with all of the other parts for it in my Syren tool box just waiting for me to start on this build.

 

Keith

[Chuck]

Yes indeed!!   This will be used for the port lid hinges as well.  I may add them this week just to see how they work.  But it will be a while before I add them to the store.  I want to include a few other elements like the gudgeons and pintles.   Thats a little ways off yet.  Sort of a metal-works package.   Most of it anyway.  But there will be some brass used where extra strength is needed.   That wont be included with this.

 

Chuck

[KenW]

I just wondered after seeing your latest - How will you be creating the hole for the rudder?  I realize you will need a hole, but what is your technique?

Thanks.

Edited March 25, 2015 by KenW

[Chuck]

You are referring to the rudder port?.......No special technique really.  I will just drill a pilot hole as large as my preferred needle file.  Then I will slowly enlarge it to shape.   Its interseting to note that the stern post should have extended through the counter as well.  I designed it so another small piece will be glued inboard to fake it.   No one will ever know.  In fact it will look like you have the tightest planking joints around the stern post to allow it to pass through so nicely.

 

Chuck

 

[Stuntflyer]

I just came back from the monthly SMSNJ meeting in Millburn, NJ. This was my first time there and I cannot say enough about how nice it was meeting some of its members there, including Chuck. Take my word for it, Chuck's build log photos as good as they are don't really show how beautiful this build really is.

 

Mike

Edited March 25, 2015 by Stuntflyer

[Chuck]

Wow...you made it home pretty quick.  It was a pleasure to meet you in person Mike.  Thanks for the kind words. 

[augie]

Those laser cut horse shoes look much nicer than photoetch.  Great piece of work.

[kees de mol]

I dont know what it is but when I see this I just want to touch it, want to know how it feels. Looks very good!

[amateur]

thought I was the only one.....

 

Jan

[Maury S]

Chuck, I assume your horseshoes and butterfly pieces let-in to the keel.  It looks great.

Maury

[Chuck]

Maury, Thanks,  but ....No,  not at all.  Whats the point of that?   In reality they were let into the keel by about half their thickness.   At least according to Lavery and Goodwin.  Its a detail that wont be seen at all and its a difficult task.  These are just glued right on.  They would still stand proud of the surface of the keel and stern post.

 

Goodwin states that the fish plates and horse shoe plates were about 1" thick and let into the wood by 1/2".  They were fastened with copper bolts from one side through to the other.   

 

What did they do later when hull's were plated?  There is no real source as to how it was done.  It makes sense that they would simply let them into the wood by the full thickness. But I have never found any hard and fast source about it.  They werent let in completely on the Victory and she was plated.  But I would like to add two points.  Just so folks know where my head is at with such minutia.  I get asked a lot about some of these details and this is actually one of them.

 

I have no record that Cheerful was actually plated anyway to add another complication.  I imagine at this time most ships were but I am not sure if it was reserved for larger vessels only.  I have never seen a period cutter model plated and havent read that in general they were not, saying that I would not have plated this model anyway.

 

In addition,  that is such a small detail that I am not real worried about it either way.  When I weigh the pro's and con's..even the best model builders have trouble doing this.  I have seen some attempts by the best and it still looks sloppy to me. I applaud them trying but in reality dont understand why they would even try.  I would rather bend a bit on the accuracy here if its actually the case and opt for a cleaner crisp look.  Something that was regularly done by contemporary ship modelers.  Not every detail has to be executed.  Just my thoughts as I look for another excuse not to make any more rope today.  So please excuse the longer response as I procrastinate a bit more.  Sometimes I laugh softly to myself when I see the level of detail some builders insist on trying to put on their models.  Just my opinion.

 

Having said that.  I made the mistake of adding up the number of treenails on this hull.  Its about 6500.   I drilled 6500 holes.  So although I am a bit crazy as most non-modellers tell me,  I think there are even a few others that have gone a bit further off the deep end.   I am not there yet.

 

So Maury..... long story short.  Thats a ride on the crazy train I am not willing to take just yet.   But knock yourself out and give it a try.

 

Chuck

[Chuck]

Working on the port lid hinges.

 

Same material for the straps.  The hinge part is made using a micro brass tube that is .7 mm O.D. and .5 mm I.D.  To cut these you must take care.  You just cant use a nippers because it will crush the tubing.

So as shown below,  you insert a piece of 28 gauge wire in the tube.  Then take a sharp #11 blade and just roll it over the tube and it cuts a nice crisp piece perfectly.  Be sure to bend the wire on the end and it will actually catch these little suckers.  They are cut as long as the hinge straps are wide.  Thats microscopic.

 

 

Then you use CA to glue these tube sections onto the ends of the laser cut laserboard hinge straps.  Its easiest to do this with the straps hanging over the edge of a block of wood.   You can hold the strap with your finger while just the end hangs over the block.

 

 

Dont be shy with the CA.  Use a light drop on the end to secure it.  Then add two more drops as successive coats after each dries.

 

Turn it upside down with just the tube hanging over the block and you can sand the hinge strap into the tube so it wont be seen after painting.  Holding the strap under your finger prevents the strap from bending.  Its not as strong as brass.  Once its glued to the port lid it wont matter.  It will be plenty strong as only the tiniest portion will stick out above the top edge of the port lid.  To small to bend.

 

To paint them.  place them on the wire so you can paint without having to hold them.

 

 

Then ....small "L" brackets are made from 28 gauge wire which will create the hinge pin and secure the lid into the hull.   Thats it!!!

 

 

These will be used for the stern port lids.

 

 

 

 

Chuck

 

 

[GLakie]

This looks like such a fun build, now I'm having second thoughts about starting the other one, in favor of this one. So confused! 

[dvm27]

Well, plating would certainly hide the beautiful planking on your hull. I do like it on clipper ships though. For the record, all navy ships were to be coppered as of 1783 (despite the issues with the underlying bolts corroding them, destroying many hulls). But I can't speak to the practice during Cheerful's build 23 years later. It was a struggle between the bean counters decrying the cost of coppering the fleet and the Captains extolling the virtues of faster ships and longer lives for the hulls.