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Bluenose I - YuanQuin 1:72 - Loracs (in progress)

@Peter Voogt, thanks... greatly appreciated.
@Rob444, Greeting, I build it... pretty simple to make. Simple pieces of hard wood, a few holes and an aluminum bar glued on top (all from the hardware store). It is nice as a holder, as well as to taper strips lengthwise with a mini planer. The extra brass rods keep the boards aligned (mostly, better if you place a piece of wood the same width at bottom if you want more precision). The screws and t-bolts do the rest. Here the components...
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I don't have much anything in terms of power tools (no room). However, for making small jigs, this Japanese saw guide (Z Life Saw or similar) is fantastic. Perfect straight and square cut all the time. I just cannot live without it anymore. Five years old and still cuts hardwood like butter.

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Loracs said:
@Peter Voogt, thanks... greatly appreciated.
@Rob444, Greeting, I build it... pretty simple to make. Simple pieces of hard wood, a few holes and an aluminum bar glued on top (all from the hardware store). It is nice as a holder, as well as to taper strips lengthwise with a mini planer. The extra brass rods keep the boards aligned (mostly, better if you place a piece of wood the same width at bottom if you want more precision). The screws and t-bolts do the rest. Here the components...
View attachment 551485
Click to expand...
Thanks so much looks like my next project~
 
The captain relocated my shipyard to a larger open space. After nearly 3 years, I lost my building dock at the dining table, which frankly is great! Taking few days to explore the new possibilities... I'm a happy camper and the captain is please too. Will be back to the build after a brief detour.
 
Completed relocation: having space to work is quite nice. I can still use my custom T-Bolt table that I built 2-3 years ago and just drop a large cutting mat on top if I want a flat surface to work on. I am still missing a 46 inch adjustable height table... waiting for black Friday sales. Overall, I like it... plenty of storage, already 2/3 full tho.
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Congratulations on your new shop. Can't go wrong with adequate space and lots of storage for your creations. Your story of building on the dining room table reminds me of a widowed friend of mine who also built on the dining room table after his wife passed away. He always used to say to me that "his wife would be rolling over in her grave if she seen what he was doing to the dining room table". He has since passed away also, and I always wondered if she was putting a beating on him in the afterlife.:eek:;)

Jim
 
a classic that will never go out of style... As a new builder, all those logs on the bluenose mean that I could not pass.
 
Frames: Just completed the first 20 frames. Now is a good time to give a short summary of my process, which is very slightly different. It is obvious but the first few steps in the assembly are quite important. The "knotch" need to be well aligned/flat on both sides of the frame to ease assembly to the keel and keelson. In addition, the parts need to be straight with each other to avoid too much deviation as you progress.

1) I started with a small rig, a flat piece of wood where I glued a spacer. The fit is very tight. In addition, the small spacer is taped all around so it does not get glued to the frame. The pieces are fitted flush using another insert. Check the alignment at the back so the two pieces are flat vertically on both side (using forcep or blade).

2) I only use the right side of the plan, I find it easier. I glued the assembly above to the plan using three very small dots. Note: the assembly is upside down (when comparing to the plan) at this step. I use hide glue so it does not stain the wood. Tack glue is likely another option.

3) The next two pieces are then glued in place, checking that the parts are flush vertically at the inside of the frame. Note: they will be slightly staggered at the outside of the frame. Once dry, I removed it from the plan, cleaned up the stuck paper and finally flipped it again (upside down) according to the plan.

4) The last parts are then glued. As always, I check both alignment to the plan and that the parts are flush vertically on the inside of the frame. That's it, done...

The following illustrates the assembly. This works for me... but your mileage may vary.

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Frame: Progressing steadily through the frames, currently at frame 36. The first 10 were fun, the next 15 you home-in on your technique and then you start counting how many are still to be done.

Few tricks for future builders.
1) Pay particular attention to the junction between 2 pieces. If you are off a little, early in assembly, it could translate to a large deviation later with the longest pieces. I made adjustments as I progressed, correcting as I went.

First, I make sure that there is no dry glue at the interface. A small scraper is great for that, far more rigid than a blade.

Next, I square the pieces using a small manual sander... very slowly - 1/2 turn at a time. Because the laser cutter cuts in a V-shape - it often does not sit flush. At the same time, I will look at the alignment with the plan and adjust the junction (sometimes at an angle, just a hairline) so it is well aligned.

2) I apply glue to both parts using a small brush... to minimize any excess and good spread on both parts. A nice feature of hide glue is that although it is initially slippery (allowing adjustment), applying pressure for 5 sec or so grips the parts tightly... no need for clamps.

As a bonus feature: it never clogs the small needle tip bottle, even if left open for 15-30min. It was a constant trouble with regular wood glue. I'm a big fan of hide glue... will not use anything else now.

Another 20 to go... and counting.

Setup of the workstation.
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Dry fitting (the long arm) and adjustment.
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Hide Glue and brush
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Frame: Frame assembly is finally completed. Fairing/tapering turned out to be easier than expected. I knew that I wouldn't be great at fairing completely free-hand, so I built a small support table that can be tilted. It's something simple but quite effective (see pictures).

I faired the frames at ~80% (not quite reaching the sanding line), leaving a little bit for the final sanding step once the ship is assembled. Pear wood is harder than it seems, you go thru sanding paper fast.

Nothing is perfect though.... frame 38 cracked but could be repaired.
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Reminder for later.
 
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Loracs said:
Frame: Frame assembly is finally completed. Fairing/tapering turned out to be easier than expected. I knew that I wouldn't be great at fairing completely free-hand, so I built a small support table that can be tilted. It's something simple but quite effective (see pictures).

I faired the frames at ~80% (not quite reaching the sanding line), leaving a little bit for the final sanding step once the ship is assembled. Pear wood is harder than it seems, you go thru sanding paper fast.
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A big step, removing all the char from the frames and give them the ‘starting bevels’, Loracs. The frames are looking nice. Now the fun begins.
Regards, Peter.
 
Peter Voogt said:
A big step, removing all the char from the frames and give them the ‘starting bevels’, Loracs. The frames are looking nice. Now the fun begins.
Regards, Peter.
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Indeed, it is nice to think about and move to the next step of the build.

Now that I know that the tilting table is working for me... I'm making a new one in hardwood. It will last longer.
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Bracing bolts: I really like how many added bolts to each frame, it adds some "dimension". Although I'm not a huge fan of simulating nails/bolts due to the amount of work involved, I decided to try it out regardless on this build.

First, a small tool to help me out. I saw something similar in a video by Olha Batchvarov... a guide to marking nails. I have expanded on this idea by tracing a grid on a plastic sheet (a small square) using a 0.1mm scriber. Useful for marking the frame for drilling.

Drill at 0.60mm and insert 0.62mm semi-hard brass wire. It's a tight fit... no need for glue. It will take a while though, a perfect set-up to develop much needed patience.
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Loracs said:
Frame: Frame assembly is finally completed. Fairing/tapering turned out to be easier than expected. I knew that I wouldn't be great at fairing completely free-hand, so I built a small support table that can be tilted. It's something simple but quite effective (see pictures).

I faired the frames at ~80% (not quite reaching the sanding line), leaving a little bit for the final sanding step once the ship is assembled. Pear wood is harder than it seems, you go thru sanding paper fast.

Nothing is perfect though.... frame 38 cracked but could be repaired.
View attachment 558022View attachment 558023View attachment 558024View attachment 558025

Reminder for later.
Click to expand...
Cracked frames; still haunt me...
 
@Peter Voogt, greeting. I have a quick question: what width planks are you using for the bottom ceiling?

I figured that the lower and upper decks are with planks of 3mm width x 1 mm thick (simply looking at what is provided in the kit). Is the ceiling planks 4mm x 1mm like the outside (supplied by the kit) or the same than the decks?
 
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