Good morning. My swear barrel has been emptied and my little challenge completed.
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Building this jig was a mission. Took about 12 hrs. The issue is the slots are all just too small and you have to sand each one open so the corresponding joint fits in….
Then the pictures on the instructions don’t give a sequence of which sections get placed in the base when. Get this wrong and some of the other “stantions” don’t fit in place later. So you have to remove what you did and redo after more head scratching . Removing these is a mission because I kept the joins tight so it all will be super strong when done.
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Anyway it is almost done, very sturdy and my center timbers fit in perfectly.
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I put pins all around the upper section so elastic bands may be attached to keep the frames tights against the upper slots.
Cheers Grant
Hey Grant.
Your "shipyard"building JIG is awesome. I had the same issues with having to file all the slots. Have you glued in the parts ? I remember that I left the area of the stern unglued so I could take it apart when needed. Can you remove the keel structure from the jig at this time, or is it fixed ?
Here are some tips based on my experiences when I did this build. I am not as accomplished a builder as you are now, and this kit was way above my level back in 2020 when I started it, so please take that into account.
1) I remember having difficulty seating the frames on the keel slots...I didn't do a good enough job fitting each frame on to the keel-some sat deeper than others-If I had to do it all over again I would spend a LOT more time dry fitting each individual frame to the keel outside the jig, making sure that each frame sits at the same and correct height on the keel. It is a lot harder to do this inside the jig.
2) Having said that, the bow and hawse pieces as well as the stern need the jig for support. The bow is a solid compact tight structure (BTW, yours looks great ! )that doesn't need a lot of support to be b built-only after it is built..(it is built outside the jig anyway) However, it is the stern that gave me a lot of trouble. The stern needs a lot of support to be built correctly. My opinion is to build the stern inside the jig, but have some of the beams removable as you build it.
3) Remember that the location of the decks inside the hull is a real challenge with this build. Your swear barrels will be full. You may need extra barrels. The problem is to mark the location of the deck clamps. Again, a lot harder to do inside the jig. I would mark each frame with the location of deck clamp before it is glued on the keel. Some other kit makers have a system of matching holes in the jig where you slide a straight edge athwart the frames to locate the deck clamps. If I was doing this again, I would spend a lot of my time measuring this. I had to tear apart my deck clamps a couple of times, and my deck placement still didn't come out perfect.
Another problem related to this was that the plan showed a line, but was it corresponding to the level of the deck ? or is the line the top or the bottom of clamp? or the top of the deck above the frames with planking on ?. Super important to define that. Bryan had the same problems.
I will be really interested and watching how you solve this.
In reality, the CAF model is "harder" than the Dockyards because you need a lot of experience to figure out like deck placement etc., whereas the Dockyartds model seems to have all this stuff figured out for you.
Alex R
There are at least two well know modelers/ authors that just do a simple beveled cut and don't even bother putting a ledge on which the carling would rest in actual fill size construction. Two guide cuts with chisel or razor saw and one simple cut with the chisel or forget the side cuts and apply a few strokes with a narrow (1/8") pillar type Swiss file (which has no teeth on the edges) and done. The file is actually easier to control (for me at least) and I have
Hey not to worry, you're going to do great!
