Position of the dead-eyes in the channels.

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Good evening or good day, wherever you are,

I am in the throes of installing the dead-eyes into the channels on the Endeavour and affixing them with plates to the hull. I am concerned about getting the angle right in respect of the face of the dead-eyes. Should the faces of the dead-eyes in the channels follow more or less the angle of the rigging to the masts or should they be at 90° to the surfaces of the channels or to the hull respectively? The instructions in the kit are not helpful in this respect.

Many thanks for your response in advance.
 
I do think that the Dead Eyes will 'follow' the tension of the lines and therefore the (upper and lower) Dead Eyes will have an angle that is consistent with the angle of the Shrouds. The angle is not much is the reason they often look at 90° of the channels, but this is not the case.
I would dare to say that the angles of the Dead Eyes could be from 76° to 80°. Yes, I am referring to the Dead eyes that are mounted right there at the Channels would have this angle as well.

A very basic side view illustration:
deadeyes.jpg
 
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I can confirm the words by Donnie completely - definitely the same direction like the shrouds. With this system the tensile forces inside the shrouds are taken over into a pressure force against the channels - therefore the channel is usually made out of a solid and thick timber.
If the deadeyes would have a different angle like the shrouds you would produce not only tension, but also torsion
 
Here's an approach I recently explained in the Rocky Mountain Shipwright's newsletter, Scuttlebutt:

deadeyes and channels.pngMartin Jelsema devised two jigs to fashion chain plates and lanyard rigging for his Harvey. This is his narrative:

“Since the Harvey is a large scale (1:50), severely raked topsail schooner, the placing of the shrouds, deadeyes and chain plates meant that each unit was of a slightly different length and angle. To make sure the deadeye/ lanyard arrangements were parallel, and the chain plate nails were parallel with the channels, II made two jigs.

“The first picture shows the seven components of the chain plates. I captured pins between two cards where the deadeye bottoms were parallel, and a bottom set where the pin would be placed on the hull (second picture). The third picture shows an assembled chain plate and a second being assembled. Only the long link varied for each unit.

“The last photo shows the thin plywood jig for lacing the lanyards to uniform lengths. After lacing and securing the lanyards, they are painted with a clear varnish to make them stiff and easier to handle.”
 
Here's an approach I recently explained in the Rocky Mountain Shipwright's newsletter, Scuttlebutt:

View attachment 183120Martin Jelsema devised two jigs to fashion chain plates and lanyard rigging for his Harvey. This is his narrative:

“Since the Harvey is a large scale (1:50), severely raked topsail schooner, the placing of the shrouds, deadeyes and chain plates meant that each unit was of a slightly different length and angle. To make sure the deadeye/ lanyard arrangements were parallel, and the chain plate nails were parallel with the channels, II made two jigs.

“The first picture shows the seven components of the chain plates. I captured pins between two cards where the deadeye bottoms were parallel, and a bottom set where the pin would be placed on the hull (second picture). The third picture shows an assembled chain plate and a second being assembled. Only the long link varied for each unit.

“The last photo shows the thin plywood jig for lacing the lanyards to uniform lengths. After lacing and securing the lanyards, they are painted with a clear varnish to make them stiff and easier to handle.”
I like those jigs. Thanks for sharing.
 
Thanks very much for the detailed and very helpful response I received concerning the position of the dead-eyes.

I more or less set the angle of the faces by tying a thread onto the mast at the position where the lines would meet at the trestletree, having set each mast provisionally into situ. This way I set the angle of the faces by pulling the thread taught and comparing the angle with each dead-eye and adjusting the bend in the plates accordingly. A final tweak of the angle may be necessary, though, once I start threading the lower shrouds around the mast and back down.
Whether this is a good way to do it, I don't know, but I believe it will work for me.
 
Here's an approach I recently explained in the Rocky Mountain Shipwright's newsletter, Scuttlebutt:

View attachment 183120Martin Jelsema devised two jigs to fashion chain plates and lanyard rigging for his Harvey. This is his narrative:

“Since the Harvey is a large scale (1:50), severely raked topsail schooner, the placing of the shrouds, deadeyes and chain plates meant that each unit was of a slightly different length and angle. To make sure the deadeye/ lanyard arrangements were parallel, and the chain plate nails were parallel with the channels, II made two jigs.

“The first picture shows the seven components of the chain plates. I captured pins between two cards where the deadeye bottoms were parallel, and a bottom set where the pin would be placed on the hull (second picture). The third picture shows an assembled chain plate and a second being assembled. Only the long link varied for each unit.

“The last photo shows the thin plywood jig for lacing the lanyards to uniform lengths. After lacing and securing the lanyards, they are painted with a clear varnish to make them stiff and easier to handle.”
Pretty crafty, Friesian!
 
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