• Ships of Scale has incorportated an extra level of security when you log In. Please follow on-screen prompts to acknowledge that you are not a robot via a "Check Box" or a "Pictorial Check Box Puzzle". This is needed due to higher level of AI Activity Security.
  • SUBSCRIBE TO SHIPS IN SCALE TODAY!

    The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
    Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.

    NOTE THAT OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL BE July/August 2026
  • Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
    As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.

USS Constitution 1:70 Scratch

Sorry about cluttering up your build log again, Mustafa.

To answer Jack's question, if the cheeks with the kit had an angle, it was pretty hard to see.

20260910_145843.jpg

Since I've been making all of my parts out of boxwood, instead of using the Basswood parts that came with the kit, I did not use the kit supplied cheeks.

I traced their shape onto boxwood and fabricated my own. I made sure of the angle then.

My question actually stemmed from my opinion that in the plans themselves, that cheek did not appear to have any angle. Looking at other pages of the plans, I saw that crosstrees were indeed angled in the same way as the fighting tops across the board, as Mustafa observed.
 
It is unclear to me what is going on with this mizzen mast cap - specifically, the number of and composition of any blocks attached to it. I see that you're using an eyebolt on either side - presumably to attach the blocks for the yard lifts. Are there any other eyebolts needed? I may have been a little hasty in capturing this particular cap between the cross trees and the fids.

Page 6 of the MS kit plans state that, "Caps have some eyebolts not shown here. See rigging plans". But, the rigging plans don't shed much light on what's happening on this mizzen cap.

In this case you're attaching two blocks via hooks. I've noticed that for the blocks on the bottom face of the caps on the main and fore masts, your blocks are lashed to the eyebolts. If there are more eyebolts and blocks on this cap, where are they? and how are the blocks attached?
Thanks

1789140022192.png
 
Der Alte Rentner said:
It is unclear to me what is going on with this mizzen mast cap - specifically, the number of and composition of any blocks attached to it. I see that you're using an eyebolt on either side - presumably to attach the blocks for the yard lifts. Are there any other eyebolts needed? I may have been a little hasty in capturing this particular cap between the cross trees and the fids.

Page 6 of the MS kit plans state that, "Caps have some eyebolts not shown here. See rigging plans". But, the rigging plans don't shed much light on what's happening on this mizzen cap.

In this case you're attaching two blocks via hooks. I've noticed that for the blocks on the bottom face of the caps on the main and fore masts, your blocks are lashed to the eyebolts. If there are more eyebolts and blocks on this cap, where are they? and how are the blocks attached?
Thanks

View attachment 635081
Click to expand...
Hi Peter, these are the blocks on the mizzen mast cap. The blocks on the sides are for the lifts, while the blocks attached underneath the cap are for the truss pendants.

I also added an eyebolt on the aft side of the cap, but I can’t remember what I intended it for. I’m away from my computer right now, so I can’t check my notes, but I believe I added that eyebolt to attach a block for the spanker boom or gaff.

20260428_174206.jpg
 
Thank you so much for that picture. So, I have a few more eyebolts to attach to the mizzen cap. It looks like the same basic setup as the ones for the four and main caps. Perhaps minus two eyebolts on the bottom. I was looking for a hint of whether or not that eyebolt on the aft end is necessary on the mizzen. But I'm going to play it safe with the "better to have it and not need it" than "need it and not have it".

Thanks again
 
Der Alte Rentner said:
Thank you so much for that picture. So, I have a few more eyebolts to attach to the mizzen cap. It looks like the same basic setup as the ones for the four and main caps. Perhaps minus two eyebolts on the bottom. I was looking for a hint of whether or not that eyebolt on the aft end is necessary on the mizzen. But I'm going to play it safe with the "better to have it and not need it" than "need it and not have it".

Thanks again
Click to expand...
I’d like to point out that the blocks underneath the cap are double blocks, as they are clearly visible in the photo.
 
Aha! I see that the blocks used for the truss rigging are tied on to their eyebolts, but the ones for the lifts are attached via hooks. Is there a reason for that?

This picture, taken from the MS plans,
suggests that those two blocks may be tied on versus hooked on as those on the side of the cap are. So that probably answers my question.

20260912_091902.jpg

The only reason I didn't delete this post is that I wanted to point out that perhaps that pully/sheave/roller(?) on the aft end of the cap receives the topgallant stay from the mizzen - the mast aft of the main. Given that there's no mast aft of the mizzen, I'm assuming this is not a requirement for the mizzen cap. likewise for the eyebolts for the mizzen topsail braces.
 
Last edited:
Mizzen topgallant braces:

In my research on which components I need on the crosstrees and mast caps, I was looking at the differences in construction of these parts on the different masts. I am currently working on the foremast crosstree and was wondering where in the plans these blocks on the main's lower crosstree were.

1789483522619.png

Lo and behold, on page 7, the MS plans show this:
20260915_093440.jpg

Digging into the Hunt practicum, I had to consult the last chapter, where I found this.
20260915_093650.jpg

This suggests to me that there's one double block hanging between the trestle trees. Not two double blocks attached to the aft end of the trestle trees. I'm further assuming that, since there are only the two braces, one brace goes through the port side of this double block, and the other goes through the starboard side of the same block.

Where did you find the documentation to support your two block scenario? Since the braces are running rigging, is it even necessary to include them here? The same question applies to the fore topgallant and topsail braces - which seem to be attached to the topmast stay and topmast preventer stay. Those will be interesting to rig. That's the detail immediately to the right of the area circled in red on the plan above.

I don't think the pair of double blocks belong on the aft end of the main trestle trees. And if you don't plan to include sails, I doubt even the lone double block hanging between the trestles will be needed.


Also, looking back to the previous post on mast cap detail, I see that two of the blocks on the aft end of the mast cap are for the mizzen topsail braces. Once again, are these needed if one doesn't plan to include the running rigging for sails?


Again, sorry to clutter your build log, with these questions. If, going forward, you would prefer I direct message you instead, don't hesitate to ask.


P.S. I did not post this question at MSW - to keep at least one of your build logs uncluttered.. :cool:
 
Last edited:
Der Alte Rentner said:
Where did you find the documentation to support your two block scenario
Click to expand...
Hi Peter, Usedtosail (Tom) answered your questions in your build log on MSW. The mizzen royal yard brace lines are also going to these double blocks. :) So, there should be two double blocks if you plan to add all braces.

Peter, I’d prefer if you asked your questions here, it’ll be enlightening for the other friends as well. And please know, I’m never bothered by your questions.
 
Last edited:
With the mizzen royal yard in place, all the yards are now mounted on their respective masts. I have now started working on the brace lines.

I began with the main and fore topsail yard braces. The standing end of the main topsail yard brace is secured to the mizzen preventer stay. The line then passes through a single block at the end of the yard, returns and passes through another single block attached to the preventer stay, before leading down to the deck and being secured to its designated belaying pin.

The fore topsail yard brace was rigged in a similar manner.

20260918_123950.jpg

20260918_124409.jpg

20260918_124651.jpg

20260918_124604.jpg

20260918_124119.jpg

20260918_124241.jpg

20260918_124050.jpg

20260918_124340.jpg

20260918_124040.jpg

20260918_124827.jpg
 
I read your post above no less than a half dozen times. And I'm having a hard time reconciling what you wrote with what I'm seeing in the MS plans.

I checked my other resources and am still not exactly clear on what's going on.
In the plan (below), it seems that the main topsail brace is going through two blocks at the mizzen end. One block seems to be secured to the to the mizzen preventer stay, as you outlined above. The other block seems to be secured to the mizzen topmast stay.

20260918_140956.jpg

I assume I'm looking at the mizzen crosstrees here. If so, Is the tan knot the standing end of the main topsail brace secured to the mizzen topsail preventer? And I assume then that the single block to the right of that knot is the port side main top sail brace returning from the main and heading downward to a pin rail location. But to what is that block attached? And how does this reconcile with the (miserably rendered?) MS plan?
1789760729775.png
 
Last edited:
Der Alte Rentner said:
I read your post above no less than a half dozen times. And I'm having a hard time reconciling what you wrote with what I'm seeing in the MS plans.

I checked my other resources and am still not exactly clear on what's going on.
In the plan (below), it seems that the main topsail brace is going through two blocks at the mizzen end. One block seems to be secured to the to the mizzen preventer stay, as you outlined above. The other block seems to be secured to the mizzen topmast stay.

View attachment 637570

I assume I'm looking at the mizzen crosstrees here. If so, Is the tan knot the standing end of the main topsail brace secured to the mizzen topsail preventer? And I assume then that the single block to the right of that knot is the port side main top sail brace returning from the main and heading downward to a pin rail location. But to what is that block attached? And how does this reconcile with the (miserably rendered?) MS plan?
View attachment 637572
Click to expand...
Yes, Peter, the MS plan is really terribly drawn. I tried to make it clearer and easier to understand, as shown in the picture.

In the MS plan, the topgallant yard braces overlap with the top yard braces, which makes things confusing. There are two brace lines for each yard, one on the port side and one on the starboard side. However, the MS plan only shows one of them, using the notation P/S to indicate that there is one on each side.

20260919_033831.jpg
 
So both the standing end and the single block are secured to the mizzen preventer stay? I'll need to have another look at the full plans. It seems to me then, that there's a port and a starboard side to the preventer stay as well.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top