Fantastic scratch work as always, Nigel! I found this picture to be helpful as a newbie when trying to learn all the nautical terms for the deck support structure.
View attachment 398869
So, you'll be placing gun carriages and beams simultaneously, as you work your way aft?
Super work Nigel! I especially your crisp clean edges on the inner works openings. How do you achieve such clean edges.
I don't have hundreds of razor knife blades, but I re-sharpen them often on a sharpening stone. (I'm too cheap to buy lots of blades.) However, once re-sharpened, the behavior of the knife blade as it cuts is different. It is no longer as sharp as a new blade so you cannot push it through material as easily, but if you drag the edge across the wood, it cuts like a micro-saw, and cuts well, albeit with a bit more friction.Thanks Ken, sharp Scalpel blades and lots of em. I use possibly 5 types and buy each in boxes of 100 at a time
What do you have for morticing, Nigel? Can you show us a picture of you morticing tools? I have a small Lindley jog boring machine from 1964 that is made to drill precise holes for tooling, but doubles as a light mill. Making very small square holes in things is something I have to do with a drill and needle files by hand, and it's hard to be precise using that method.With no drawings or internal layout of the original, an element of educated guesswork and "winging it" are required.
Twin support posts did not work around the Hawse bits so I have opted for central supports with a beam that sits under the deck beams on the ships centreline. This runs from foremast to the first Capstan position. Whilst there is no Capstan on this deck, the shaft from the one above passes through the deck above and into the main deck acting like an axle.
The beam was notched to take the bottom of the deck beams and mortices milled to take the uprights. The beam is slightly curved to match the deck sheer. The cutting mat squares help in ensuring the posts are vertical as the beam rises 5mm over it's length to suit the deck sheer.
The posts are overlong to be trimmed to suit the sheer of the deck and heights of the beams above.
View attachment 399096View attachment 399097View attachment 399098View attachment 399099
What do you have for morticing, Nigel? Can you show us a picture of you morticing tools? I have a small Lindley jog boring machine from 1964 that is made to drill precise holes for tooling, but doubles as a light mill. Making very small square holes in things is something I have to do with a drill and needle files by hand, and it's hard to be precise using that method.
So you do finish them by hand also. The teeth on square files are beveled off a tiny bit, so yeah... you have to use the triangular file.I just used the MF70 mill with a 1mm cutter. The radiuses are removed with a small triangular file, not a square one, you won't get sharp corners with one of those
He's probably parched. The non-functioning pumps account for his expression...Thanks Marc and he has been stuck in a drawer for ages
Thank you for orienting the rings perfectly. You and I would be mates if we lived near one another ...The subassembly has been given a coat of matt poly and is now bonded into the deck. I have started added eyebolts and rings to the hatches. As well as gluing the eyelets (Caldercraft photo etched ) into holes in the timber, I have applied a diluted dot of Mig Ultra glue to the ring to stop it rattling about. I will also varnish over these when I apply the final coat to further lock them in position.
View attachment 401719View attachment 401720View attachment 401721