Swift 1805 by giantdog - Artesania Latina - first build

[giantdog]

still plodding on.

I've not given up 

 

 

pre-bent and dry fitted

 

 

Pretty much simply continuing as I've done with the previous planks.

 

 

 

It's at times like this I wish I knew what on earth I'm doing.

 

Edited November 13, 2014 by giantdog

[themadchemist]

Even when you haven't a clue what your doing, Pretend and others won't usually know.

 

BTW, your doing a GREAT job faking bewilderment. It does feel that way though so the emotional feel isn't fake, but technically the 3rd photo of the shaped plank to a beauty and shows the hint of magnificence to come.

 

All and all, it's just a, another plank in the Hull.....

[Grimber]

As Keith said so far its looks like your doing well at it.  Way better than my planking job.

[giantdog]

Thanks guys, just flying by the seat of my pants. Reading and re-reading your logs and copying, so it's all thanks to you.

 

Not looking too bad so far and pretty happy with the line the planks are taking.

I'm trying to go for no 'drop planks' (is that the right term?) i.e. each plank runs the whole length of the hull.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2014 by giantdog

[Grimber]

Looking very good.  I will give you a heads up ( well ahead of time ) that when you get to sanding and shaping you will need to thin down the 1st planking around the stern end where the keel and stern post will later attach as it will all be too wide and won't sit flush with those parts.  I'd take those 2 parts out and measure them and keep it in the back of your mind when your shaping.  And you will have to also compensate for the 2nd planking thickness when thinning as well.

 

I didn't do this on mine and when sanding it to get it close I got the the 2nd planking so thin I could see through it in spots to the 1st planking.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Grimber

[themadchemist]

With the thinning you did back in post #78, the stern keel line should be thinned sufficiently that you have very little thinning to do. Nothing like I did.

 

You pictures are illustration a beautiful planking job and really nice fit. You question on the "no dropped planks" would be correct, but actually it would be strakes as in a real pilot of approximately 50 foot, it would be impossible to find 50 foot planking and each strake would be made of several shorter planks, but as your not having to eliminate a strake due to spacing, we typically say "no dropped planks". It was also a goal of mine on my build and as it appears, your planking is going together much better than mine, based on the clinkering effect your getting, but that is all fixable with scraping and sanding.

 

The question is.... the 1st planking is going to look so good, your not going to want to cover it.

Excellent planking giantdog.

 

By the way, give those giant canine an extra hug. My wife's sister had tragedy the last 2 months and lost all 3 of her dogs to age and health issues. Love them while you can. I know my two are getting extra spoiled this weekend as I mourn for their cousins. Its crazy how deep they get in your heart. 

[giantdog]

Looking very good.  I will give you a heads up ( well ahead of time ) that when you get to sanding and shaping you will need to thin down the 1st planking around the stern end where the keel and stern post will later attach as it will all be too wide and won't sit flush with those parts.  I'd take those 2 parts out and measure them and keep it in the back of your mind when your shaping.  And you will have to also compensate for the 2nd planking thickness when thinning as well.

 

I didn't do this on mine and when sanding it to get it close I got the the 2nd planking so thin I could see through it in spots to the 1st planking.

I thought about that and am hoping that the step I took in post #78 will help this problem.

I thinned the false keel down from 4 mm to 2 mm to reduce the amount of sanding I have to do.

 

I cheat and read everyone's log then use the information I find, taking a bit from here and a bit from there then have a go at apply the lessons learned from you guys.

I spotted that adivedog (I think it's in his log) he mentioned he had an issue with the false keel being too wide and I couldn't see anyone else had thinned there keel down. So, I took a leap of faith and went for it. Fingers crossed it pays off in the end.

 

I'll keep you posted.

 

Thanks for the supportive posts, I love how yours is coming along. 

Building these babies is rather addictive.

[giantdog]

With the thinning you did back in post #78, the stern keel line should be thinned sufficiently that you have very little thinning to do. Nothing like I did.

 

You pictures are illustration a beautiful planking job and really nice fit. You question on the "no dropped planks" would be correct, but actually it would be strakes as in a real pilot of approximately 50 foot, it would be impossible to find 50 foot planking and each strake would be made of several shorter planks, but as your not having to eliminate a strake due to spacing, we typically say "no dropped planks". It was also a goal of mine on my build and as it appears, your planking is going together much better than mine, based on the clinkering effect your getting, but that is all fixable with scraping and sanding.

 

The question is.... the 1st planking is going to look so good, your not going to want to cover it.

Excellent planking giantdog.

 

By the way, give those giant canine an extra hug. My wife's sister had tragedy the last 2 months and lost all 3 of her dogs to age and health issues. Love them while you can. I know my two are getting extra spoiled this weekend as I mourn for their cousins. Its crazy how deep they get in your heart. 

Thanks for the very kind comments Keith, I'm really pleased with how it's coming on.

I'm taking 2 days to fit reach individual plank, one day to spill and dry fit. One day to final fit.

 

Please extend my deepest sympathies to your sister-in-law from this side of the pond. Dogs really do break your heart, they take a piece with them when they go but that's ok because your heart is that bit bigger for having them in your life.

I am taking mine to the pub now for a couple of beers and shall raise a glass to your sister-in-laws beloved dogs.

 

The pub I go to dates from the year 1135.

[divarty]

She looks great, you have some really top notch symmetry between the two sides.

[giantdog]

She looks great, you have some really top notch symmetry between the two sides.

thank you 

[giantdog]

this is a great kit for a beginner or the more experienced wishing to add scratch detailing to the model. 

I'm loving building it.

It's taking all my efforts to build as is but I'll see if there's any extra I can do when I get top side.

The thread inbetween the planks seemed to work well so I'm thinking I'll do that on the main deck.

[giantdog]

Steady progress, I'm currently in the middle of an intensive promotion course at work so struggling for time at the moment.
My Swift is my treat at the end of the day if I've got enough course work done 

 

 

Edited November 29, 2014 by giantdog

[themadchemist]

Congrats on the promotion.

don't you just hate all that studying

 

She's coming along really well. I like that steel rule/rubber band rap job to get the pull-down force on the stem end while shaping. Having those lower decks comes in handy. I couldn't have done that on the older kit. Nice innovation. I wish more people showed the shaping and clamping process, as for me it was always a fun and interesting challenge to figure out just how to restrain the plank while drying... and the method changes as you work around the curvature of the hull. I used some pretty crazy methods. The pins are a good idea, I couldn't bring myself to put holes in the planking, but as she's 2nd planked and now knowing how well dilute glue and sawdust filled those holes, it would have made life a lot easier

 

Its nice to have some build time, kind of like a desert at the end of the day... that is if you don't get lost in it and look at the clock and it is way later then you expected. I feel many focus too much on the pace of a build and not enough on the FUN aspect. Forcing your self to build in order to make a deadline turns building from play time to work time. Never let it stop being FUN.

 

Hopefully once your settled into the new position, your life will get back to normalcy.... if such a thing exists in todays world. 

[giantdog]

Thanks Keith, right at this moment the promotion feels more like a curse than a blessing 

 

I'll recap how I'm going about shaping the planks on the next one I fit.

I've been thinking about the holes when pinning in place and you're right I don't want hole in the 2nd planking.

I have a cunning plan which I wish I'd done on the 1st planking.

 

As I've done in a couple of places already, with the 2nd planking I'm going to put the pin 'next' to the plank not through it.
I'm pre-drilling each pin to prevent splitting the bulkhead.
By putting the pin next to the plank not through it I'm hoping the pin itself will hold the plank up against the previous plank while the plastic head of the pin will hold the plank down.

If you look at the nearest 3 pins in this photo that's exactly what I mean.

 

 

I'll try this method on the next plank so watch this space. 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2014 by giantdog

[divarty]

Just a quick tip on your proposed method of putting the pin into the bulkhead instead of through the plank.  When the plank is wet where it presses up against the metal it will indent on the softened plank, slip a small shim in between pin and the plank and it will keep the plank safe.  She's looking good so far, congrats on the promotion and I agree with Keith, take your time and enjoy the process, boat building shouldn't require schedules or milestones, it should only require dedication to making her look good when you actually get time in the yard.

[themadchemist]

I used a sealing iron on the thin stuff and it shaped so well that the glue was about all the clamping needed.

I would narrow it, then glue it into the stem rabbet I'd scrapped in between the stem/keel and the hull, This help simulate that interface.

I'd glue about a 1/4" to a 1/2" down. Once it was dry, I'd wet it with a brush and shape it with the sealing iron, so that it lay against the adjacent plank. The heat really done a number on that thin stuff and you can make it lay so tight that you have to pry it off to apply the glue.

[Grimber]

looking nice.  yes the 2nd planking is much easier to work with.  very thin and flexible, doesn't take much to hold them in place.

[GuntherMT]

I've just been using Tite-bond Original wood glue, and holding the planks in place until they hold when I can't get a clamp in place.  If you spread the glue very thin on both sides of the bond and let it 'tack' first, then press it in place with firm pressure, it bonds in place about as fast as medium CA.  I'm planning to do the entire 2nd planking on the AVS like this without using any tacks/nails at all (time will tell if it works as well as it did on the bulkheads).

[HIPEXEC]

Nice build.

[giantdog]

Hi Guys, I hope everyone is having a Happy Holidays.

Just got 2 weeks off work and rubbing my hands together for lots of building when my mother fell and broke her hip at the tender age of 82, so I'm currently living with her whilst making trips home.
Actually managed to get a plank fitted today so hurrah.

[giantdog]

Well, it took a little while longer than I first thought but I've finally got the first layer of planking finished, hurrah!!
It's my first build and as such my first attempt at planking, my goal was to try and have no stealers or drop planks.
The main thing I regret is pinning through the planks to hold in place while the glue set, but once I'd thought of pinning next to the plank I managed a more appealing look. As this is the first layer I can live with it.

What do you guys think? 
What could I have done better/differently?

Edited February 16, 2015 by giantdog

[giantdog]

I think the next step for me now is to give the hull a light sand to identify any areas that require filling to get a nice 'line' but it doesn't look too bad.
I'll plank the deck next using thread between the planks as I did with the lower decks.

Does that sound about right?

[giantdog]

So, I've started to plank my upper deck using the same laying in of thread between the planks to simulate the chaulking.

Edited March 2, 2015 by giantdog

[dgbot]

I think you are making the caulking to wide for the scale. Nice idea but go thinner. My advice would be use the line as a spacer and after the deck is planked and smoothed put it in. That way you will have a neat look.

David B

[giantdog]

I think you are making the caulking to wide for the scale. Nice idea but go thinner. My advice would be use the line as a spacer and after the deck is planked and smoothed put it in. That way you will have a neat look.

David B

I have to agree with you David, I can't find the thread I used for the lower decks which was much thinner.

I've been undecided about this thread but you've confirmed my thinking and I think I'm going to remove the planking and start again.

 

Thank you for your input.

[mcpwilk]

I use thin black paper between the planks to give the tarred oakum effect.

 

Mike

[giantdog]

on the lower decks I used 0.1mm black thread which when scaled up gave a chaulk of 5mm (baring in mind I'm not going for total scale accuracy).

I need to get to the shops and buy some more I guess. Goodness knows what I've done with it.
I'm just in the process of removing the planks.

[giantdog]

Ok, moving forward.

I removed all the laid planks and sanded smooth. I thought about the black paper route but the curve of the deck kinda threw me, sooo.

I went back to the thread idea, I bought some 0.1mm and I've used that technique.

Edited March 22, 2015 by giantdog

[giantdog]

really struggling to get the bulwarks sorted, I'm reading every build log I can find lol.

[divarty]

Wish I could help but all I can really say is you've done a beautiful job up to this point so just keep on trucking, I hope you find something in another log that helps you out.