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

[druxey]

Looking sweet, Chuck! 

[Chuck]

Thank You...

 

In preparation for planking the deck,  I added the waterway/margin planks.   For my purposes here I talk about them as two separate pieces.  First the wider margin plank was created with scarf joints next to the bulwarks.  I used card stock to make templates first.  There are three lengths as shown below.  This required a lot of tweaking until I got it right. Then the templates were traced onto a 1/16" thick sheet of boxwood and cut out.  The deck planking will be 1/16" thick.   

 

 

I spent a lot of time carefully shaping the scarf joints with a #11 blade and some needle files until they were a nice clean and tight fit.  Then they were glued onto the deck area.  The back edge needed to be beveled so I could get a tight fit against the bulwarks in many areas.  Particularly at the bow.  A pencil darkened the seam of scarf joint just like the hull planking.  Eventually the deck planking will be nibbed into these margin planks.   

 

 

 

 

When finished, I added the waterway on top of the margin plank.  It was a 1/32" strip that was slowly sanded to become a 1/4 round.  I basically sanded off one corner edge and rounded it off.  It was glued on top and the seams between the pieces were carefully lined up with the scarf joints.  So again three lengths were used.  This way they look like they were done as one piece.   These thin strips also needed to be beveled to fit tight against the bulwarks.  The bulwarks are unfortunately not at a nice 90 degree angle to the deck so the bevel was an absolute necessity. 

 

 

 

Now its time to start building the hatches, coamings and gratings and skylight.   Then I can plank the deck around them.  I cant wait until thats done,.  After this step its just about the small details...and that is a lot of fun.

 

Chuck

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up, Chuck.  She's really looking first class.

 

John

[GLakie]

You're a true artist Chuck!  Splendid looking joints! 

 

Cheers

[bear]

Hi Chuck

 

Great job,you would have made a great Toolmaker back when I started back in 1971. Now days they use Wire EDM's for this kind of work on steel. Back when I started it was a band saw, band file and files. All layout,cut to the line and fit.

We had one customer pacific Saw,who made large circular and band saw blades for the lumber industry around the Pacfic Northwest. We made punches and die's that were the shape of the curf cutout of the blade tooth-where the chip is formed and curled. We would get just a tracing of the out line on onin skin paper,and have to match it with a punch 3" high and a die section-bottom 2" thick out of D2 tool steel. Then we made up the set with only .002 clearance between them all around.

By band sawing first,band filling,hand filling to finish with. These teeth cut out's were on average 3" across-not small at all. Good way to really learn a trade.I did them every week for years. Too many to count except that I know how mant there were-11.

 

Keep up leading us to the near perfect ship model Chuck.

 

Now back to my cannon making for the Mary Rose.And this damn hot weather here in Troutdale,Oregon 101 today!

 

Keith

[GuntherMT]

Those are fantastic looking joints Chuck!

[druxey]

Adroitly accomplished, sir!

[Remcohe]

This is so great to watch, beautifully executed. You could have fooled me if you said its was made out of one piece.

 

Remco

[Chuck]

Thanks guys for the kind words.  

[aliluke]

Beautiful work Chuck. Every time I see this model I know I have to attempt it one day - it is a stunner.

[Chuck]

Thanks,

 

Today I started making the coamings for the hatch gratings.  There are three,  but only two need coamings.   The main hatch is shown here.  The second smaller grating will be just aft of the windlass.

 

The gratings were made using the Syren grating kits with camber already built in them.

 

 

Then the coamings were built up around the finished gratings.  Too often I see folks build the coaming following the plans and then when it comes time to add the grating it wont fit.  Sometimes you end up with holes along the coaming or have to shave down the grating too much to fit it into the coaming.  By building the coaming around a finished grating I wont have this issue.  Now my grating may end up being a hair larger or smaller than the plans but that is less important than having it look correct.  We are talking about maybe .025" larger or smaller...thats acceptable.

 

 

The coamings were made with the usual lap joints.  Note the fore and aft sides have a roundup.  These coamings are 1/4" high.  Others will be less and not as thick...they are all different but for the two gratings the coamings are 1/4" high x 3/32" thick.  But dont forget that the planking will go around them so only 3/16' will be above the planked deck.

 

Then a right angle jig was used to round off the corners except for what will be the bottom 1/16".   The jig is 1/16" thick which will be the same thickness as the planking.  I added a strip inside the coaming on the port and starboard sides to create a lip to support the grating as well.  

 

 

 

To finish it off I softened the hard corners all around the top edge of the coaming.   I may or may not paint the coaming red and leave the grating bright.  But I dont know yet.  I have seen Cutter models done both ways.   There will be a lot of other deck fittings painted red so I dont want to go overboard... .  Tomorrow I will make the coaming for the smaller grating behind the windlass.

 

 

 

Chuck

[Rustyj]

That's looking so nice Chuck. I can't wait to build her.

[Mirabell61]

Chuck,

 

laser cut gratings and coamings look great...

 

Nils

[Chuck]

Thank You very much,

 

Today I decided to build the skylight.  There are many shapes and sizes shown on cutters.  This matches the original draft but I imaging any similar would do.  I decided to make this a mini-kit.  All of the parts are laser cut from boxwood, laserboard and acetate.

 

 

First I doubled up two parts to form the "lip" I will need to build this thing.  There are some funky angles on the skylight  because after its built the fore and aft sides must be vertical.  So it was a challenge to say the least.  This was done for the sides and the window frames.

 

 

Then the window frames of the roof were beveled on the top and bottom edges.  This was very important so they would fit together tightly in the next step.  I used an emery board.

 

 

Rather than complete the frame and then add these on top,  I decided to build the roof first.  I tried a first prototype the other way and it was hard to get all of the angles correct and doing it in this order solved the issues.  The two halves of the roof were glued to one of the sides as shown.  It helped to keep the whole thing squared up and interestingly this made it easier to build..  

 

 

Then the other side was added and finally the two port and starboard side pieces beneath the window frames.  This finished the initial framing.  I know I am going to paint this red so I filled even the smallest cracks and sanded it afterwards.

 

 

Finally a coaming was added around the skylight frame.  This coaming was not as thick or as high as the coaming for the main hatch.  Because it was going to be painted I didnt bother with lap joints.  Note how the skylight doesnt sit flush on the ground.  It is lifted off the coaming by half of the width of the timbers.  This helps keep the decorative etched molding nice and neat with equal distance all around it.  The fore and aft sides were done first.  Then port and starboard.  The corners were rounded with the right angle jig like the coamings for the main hatch to finish it up. Then it was painted red.

 

 

Finally the laser cut acetate windows were dropped in position along with the skylight window frames.  The later was cut from very thin laserboard and painted to look like boxwood.  None if these items are glued to the deck yet.  I am waiting to finish up the companionway next and then I should be ready to start planking the deck around these elements.

 

 

[GLakie]

That's a nicely made skylight Chuck..  You said you made a kit out of it, so does that mean it will be available for purchase, along with the other additions to the Cheerful? 

 

Cheers 

[Chuck]

Yes it will be....Probably not for a week or so however.

[Jim Lad]

Beautiful detail, Chuck.

 

John

[KenW]

Great work, as usual.

In the last photo, has the coaming for the smaller grate been added?

[Chuck]

There is none.  Its actually a small scuttle.  The grating is flush with the deck planks and just sits on top of the beams.  That is going to be glued down right where it is and planked around it.

 

Chuck

[Chuck]

Some notes about the companionway that I will be building next.  It is a typical companionway.  They are all similar.  Some have a more sloped top.  But I drafted the profile shown on the original draft which was pretty square.  I am sure you could alter it to suit and it would be reasonable and OK. 

 

But one thing I noticed that was different from contemporary models and not consistent.  Some Companionways did in fact have a coaming while other did not.  Some had wide coamings that stuck out as i built for the skylight.   But I decided to model a coaming that way for the skylight on the assumption that some were portable and could be lifted out and replaced with a simple grating for air circulation.   But the Companionway is different.  My plan shows it with a  thick coaming but I may model it without as in the example provided (Second drawing and photo).  This way anyone building her can have more visual info and can decide which they want to choose.  I guess you can say the image below still shows a coaming but it is just not wider than the companionway which I have seen in other examples.  There are such a wide array of different configurations it can get confusing.

 

I welcome any discussions about it.

 

Chuck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chuck]

I forgot to show the image of the Rogers model which was "zero" help.  The companionway is basically shown as a giant solid red cube with smooth sides.  

 

You can see the lower and flattter skylight though.  This is at odds with the original draft.  But I wonder why so little detail on that cube....

 

Chuck

 

[GLakie]

It sure doesn't look like very much time was spent on any of the deck furnishings, but maybe it's the end result of a restoration to the model. 

[mtaylor]

I would suppose that companionways on some ships could be removed and sent below for air circulation or as part of clearing for action but I have no evidence.

 

I'm thinking that they're like the roundhouses (cabins) that appear on some ships on the quarterdeck.  On French ships, they're supposed to be very temporary except for one on certain frigates and that was the one for the captain.  Around 1790, IIRC, they banned them totally.

[KenW]

Well, I favor the (Second drawing and photo) companion way; with a coaming that is just not wider than the companionway. 

Just my two cents.

Cheers.

[Chuck]

I agree ken....

 

The six deck elements that I needed to complete before I started planking the deck are now finished.    

 

The companionway was pretty straight forward.   I used 1/32" thick strips glued together edgewise to make the sides and top of the companionway.  I darkened the seams before gluing them up with a pencil.  I knew they would show through the transparent red paint and add a nice visual detail.

 

The hinges are laserboard with small lengths of tubes used to simulate them.  They are not working hinges though.  Each side of the companionway was built in one solid piece and assembled like a box.  The hinges were glued on afterwards.  I have omitted the coaming as was seen on the photo from that contemporary model.

 

The last deck element to complete was the coaming where the stove stack will go.  That was pretty straight forward as well.   I just followed the plans.  The height and width for all of the coamings on these six elements varied so Careful attention was needed.  I had to build this last one twice after making the coaming too high.  I need to look at my plans more often!!!

 

Chuck

 

 

 

 

[GLakie]

That companionway is much more interesting to look at than the other one in the picture.  Very nice! 

[Chuck]

Deck planking has started.  

 

Just a quick note about the two styles of deck planking.  There were the times when deck planking was straight and nibbed into the waterway.  Most are familiar with this style.  I in fact drafted the plans for Cheerful this way.  However,  I believe that the earlier style was still in practice at this time and probably both were used.  More like a transition period.  In my opinion up to possibly 1820 or even later. This second style would be where tapered and hooked scarf joints were used.  No nibbing into the waterway.

 

I have decided to use the second style as the first is so common.  You see it all the time.    I find this more pleasing to look at as the planks are curved.   Straight planks are to harsh in contrast with the curves all over the rest of the model.  Folks can choose which method they prefer.  I did use the scarfed method on the Confederacy but I simplified it with straight planks.  In reality the planks would have tapered and curved a bit at the bow and stern.  Like this below.   

 

 

Also note the curvature of the planking on this contemporary model.

 

 

After gluing the six deck structures in position,  I drew reference lines for where the deck beams would be located.  This will become important later.  Then I planked down the center with one strake (3/16" wide).  I followed that with 2 on either side of that one.  These were straight-non-tapered planks.  Then I started lining off the deck much like I did for the hull planking.  Although in hindsight,  I should have probably tapered these 5 center planks as well.  See the contemporary model image above.  But they are already done, so I am moving on....

 

First I measured with a tick strip in 3/16" increments at the deck's widest point.  The beam reference line on the forward side of the main hatch.   This showed that I still have ten deck planks to put on each side.

 

I used blue tape in thin strips to separate the deck into two belts both port and starboard.  The inner belt on each side has 6 planks....the outer has four.

 

I manipulated the tape until it curved nicely from bow to stern.  Remember these are not straight deck planks.  The curve is not very drastic.   But it has to be taped out so you can visually check the symmetry port and starboard.  Once I was happy with it,  I traced the inside edge of the tape to define each belt.  I removed one strip of tape in the photos below.  Note the curve of the blue tape still on deck.

 

 

Then, just like I did for the hull.  I used my planking fan and tick strips to divide the deck up at each reference line for a deck beam.   This will show me how much taper I will need in each deck plank.  Its just a matter of measuring the total distance at each deck beam and transferring it to a tick strip.   Then you take that tick strip to your planking fan and divide that space into six equal parts.   Then you come back and transfer those ticks to your deck beam reference line.

 

All of the planks in this inner belt will be cut flat on the ends with no scarf joints yet.  I find that on most contemporary models there are only a few scarf joints.... as opposed to modern models where the builder uses way to many.  I have always seen just two or three and on the rarest of occasions four hooked scarf joints against the waterway.  Most people start way too early and end up with too many of them and it looks very busy.  This is also true of just plain nibbing into the waterway.  In addition,  by curving and tapering the planks it actually reduces the need for that many of them.

 

 

 

Thats it for now as I continue to use tick strips to define the width of the planks at each deck beam location.  Then I will start cutting more wood.  

[Jim Lad]

Just catching up, Chuck.  She continues to grow into a really first class model.

 

John

[Chuck]

Thanks John

 

The beauty of lining off the deck is that it allows you to create a great plan of attack.  If you connect all of your tick marks you will have a really good idea of how it will look.  If it needs adjustment then just sand it off and start over.  You can do all of this before you lay one deck plank.  Imagine if you just wing it and have half the deck planked...you are sunk.  Lining off the hull first helps you avoid this.

 

I will do this at the stern next and then start cutting wood. 

 

Now if you were just going with straight planks nibbed into the waterway,  would you need to line off the deck like this?  Maybe not.   But I think it is worth the extra work.  And keep in mind you want have to cut into your waterway and risk a cutting error with a bad joint while nibbing.  That takes a huge amount of time and careful chisel work.  So its pretty much a wash as far as the amount of time and effort goes.  

 

 

 

The contemorary model of a cutter shown below also has tapered and scarfed deck planks vs. nibbing.   You can see the tapering very clearly here.

 

 

Chuck

 

 

[GuntherMT]

Looks nice.  I'm going to pretend that instead of using those contemporary models when making your decision to go with hook & scarf rather than nibbing, that you are just copying my build.