HMS Druid P.O.F. - Unicorn Models by Donnie [COMPLETED BUILD]

I have now dressed up all the Beam work for the lower floor. These images just show where I have DRY FIT the parts. Nothing has been glued.

NOTE: the instructions have you installing the beams first, then installing the longitudinal strips. This just is not right. All of these parts have SLOTS and must be lined up correctly.

If you try to install (glue) the beams onto the support strips, even using the plans and NOT the longitudinal strips, then it is a guessing game and then when you start to install the longitudinal strips, some beams might be off just a slight (like .25mm) just enough so that parts will NOT INTERLOCK.

The best solution: Lay the beams ONTO the Beam support strips without gluing first. Then (glue) and install the longitudinal strips as the STRIPS interlock making sure that the Beams and strips are all aligned. THEN the Beams can now be permanently glued to the Beam Support strips. The entire structure will now shift back and forth as it is now all one piece.

I did lay the structure over the plans, and it does seem to fit exactly to plans, but I do not want to glue my Beams onto the supports just yet.



DRY FITTED FLOOR STRUCTURE

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There is a SUB Floor at the Bow. Pay attention to the SPACING of the beams as they are NOT equal distance.

EDIT: The measurements here for the CARLINGS need some adjustment and as it turns out, I had to make NEW carlings from scratch in order for this lower sub fore flooring to fit as it should. Please see the next post on the REAL measurements I made.


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Paul
yes, there is interior fairing. I did the best I could. They did NOT include any reference lines for the interior fairing - only the exterior did the laser engrave the reference lines. Most of the interior fairing that you can (might) tell is done at the stern and bow.
 
You are working so accurate - Great to see your work in these informative photos - Many Thanks for showing us these details
 
These two Carlings are the real measurements that I came up with to make the floor fit correctly. YOUR BUILD might differ !!! These are scratch built from some scrap pear from kit and used a MILL to make the cut-outs.

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It is an optical illusion as it looks like the floor is pointing downward. But actually, that is NOT the case. The structure has a very slight UPWARD tilt to it.

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I would like to move the foremast "step" aft about 3 mm. The Mast Step really needs to be dead center of aft of that square opening.

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Hi Donnie!

I hope the draftsman of the plan has drawn everything correctly! (See: enlargement from your construction plan).

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According to his drawing, the mast base is a little behind frame 2. The deck beam above it on the right is exactly in front of frame 4. So the mast foot is almost exactly under the square opening in the middle?

Best regards
Thomas
 
Yes, @Thomas Marocke , you are correct. I did try to achieve that exactly (in the dry fit),,,,so it must have moved slightly out of position when I glued it down. I had to remove the dry-fitted Mast Step part and perhaps when I put it back, I did not put it back exactly where it should go... However, there is one piece "M1M" that glues onto the sub-floor deck beams and then I started to mount 2 1 x 4 deck planks.

Upon installing the M1M part, and matching its location to the plans, it seems things line up exactly as they should. The Mast Step is glued in now and will be nearly impossible to remove - so, since the alignment is ok, I shall leave it alone.

I am finding that it does not take much to distract me and then I make a big mistake.

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Donnie,
I love your work. Your ST project is what inspired me to getting the same ship and try and follow your lead. Now you're onto PoF projects and it is no surprise to me your work just as clean and precise.

But what I really appreciate is the time you take to explain how you did what you did and why. Also, to point out to others potential pitfalls so that others won't fall in. I know this takes, sometimes, as much time as it took to execute the task.

Thanks for taking the time to help the rest of us who follow you.

Cheers,
Ken
 
Thank you all for the comments. Certainly appreciated. I wish I could remove those spacers at the bow. They are really not attractive and takes away from the looks of the subfloor.

Onward with planking the Deck #2 subfloor. It is completed. The dark strips at the fore of the deck are using 1.5 x 1.5 mm Dark Walnut. The strips were pre-bent. Then I tack glued one end and let it dry. Afterward, I worked my way around gluing as I went along. This was easier than trying to glue in the entire piece at once.

Also included is an image showing the I am constructing the other part of Deck # Main Floor on another level surface. I am using a protractor to make sure things are square. I have already tested to see if this structure can be installed inside the frame like it is and it can be. NO NEED to build this inside the ship. This is much easier. The picture shows the Floor upside-down waiting for the glue to dry.


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I am dry fitting Deck #2 Floor Beams. It comes in two major pieces. The two halves will be glued once the alignment is right. I made a total mess of trying to simulate treenailing on that subfloor and wished that I had left that alone. However, just about 80% of that sub-floor will NOT be seen anyway when the Deck #1 is installed.

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Donnie, I see you don't like the spacers look. I agree.

I see that you have glued a wood strip all along the deck, that serves as a support/guide for the deck(s) you are adding.

That strip, that is glued at each frame is, in a certain way, replacing the spacers. I meant, if you remove the spacers now, or when all the deck is in place, "will the frames (ribs) need the spacers to stay in place ? "

Cheers
Daniel
 
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