The Ship Model Forum

ThreeBs wrote:

I have run into something of a conundrum. I Am getting to the point where I will be installing the cannonades on the spar deck. However, the Chapelle plans for the Columbus show a gun port height of 3 feet, whereas all the plans I have seen of 32 pounder cannonade show a height if about 3'8" from the bottom of the casters to the top of the max diameter of the barrel. Chapelle's book also shows a cut away view of the gundecks of the Delaware that give a much higher gun port dimension for it's spar deck cannonades. I have made all of my cannonades as you can see from previous photos, but, Once I cap the spar deck gun whale, the cannonades I made will not fit. I suspect that the plans of the Columbus spar deck gun ports is incorrect, and, I believe I will deepen the gun ports to fit the cannonades I made, What do You guys think?

It's been a while since I have worked on U.S.N. early sailing warshps, but what plans are you using on this build? Not being at my workshop, I can't say which Seagull plans I have, but memory seems to recall they are in fact COLUMBUS (but could also be OHIO). I too, have all the Chapelle books and in my opinion, his knowledge of these ships is fairly accurate. Keep in mind that the ships used different sizes of scantlings and were not set in stone much like todays steel warships.

I will look this week when I'm back in my shop for the Seagull plans I'm referring to as I think that they have a small detail section that shows the deck spacing and also the corresponding gunport which would give the scaled size & clearances needed. The USN at the time these liners were built did not have one size fits all approach. For example, NORTH CAROLINA was of a different class (and thus dimensions, etc) than COLUMBUS and may have had different requirements for her ports even though using the same size carronade. My understanding of this is that various carriage designs were incorporated, not just one. Certainly, CONSTITUTION's carronades would not have fit in a ship of the line and vice versa. Carriages were made for the specified ship, thus requiring a gunport made for that particular carronade assembly.

Hope this helps,

Hank

Edit - I did find a list of Seagull Plans by William Crothers and the one I cited is COLUMBUS (1819) - I'll check this over for you and if any info regarding the gunports/carronades is useful I'll post next week.

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Going over the spar deck plans for the Columbus, I noticed two things I have not seen on any other ship plans I have viewed. There are scuttles and a cistern on the spar deck. Now, I have a rough idea of what each are and the purpose they serve. However I am stumped on how they would appear on this deck, Is the cistern covered with a wooden lid? Canvas? Metal? Is the cistern itself made of wood as the barrels are, or is it tin or thin sheet iron? Maybe even copper? The scuttles, are they a ventilation shaft? A tube or pipe affair? Or just a grated opening to allow air flow and fixed as opposed to a removable grate? Any info would be appreciated, and as soon as you can as I will be "making" them soon.

I have searched on line for a set of Cother's Columbus plans with no luck, if they are not available anymore i would appreciate someone telling me so, so I don't continue to waste my time searching the net for them, thanks. The plans I am using are the Chappelle plans from the Smithsonian via Maryland silver company. I am going to try to post a few more photos here too, I just put the carronades in to see how they would look, I am contemplating a couple of long gun bow chasers. Doing ladders now, one of my least favorite items to build on a model ship

The ladders do look very sharp! ==> gpood and accurate work!



Jim Baumann

ThreeBs:

Going over the spar deck plans for the Columbus, I noticed two things I have not seen on any other ship plans I have viewed. There are scuttles and a cistern on the spar deck. Now, I have a rough idea of what each are and the purpose they serve. However I am stumped on how they would appear on this deck, Is the cistern covered with a wooden lid? Canvas? Metal? Is the cistern itself made of wood as the barrels are, or is it tin or thin sheet iron? Maybe even copper? The scuttles, are they a ventilation shaft? A tube or pipe affair? Or just a grated opening to allow air flow and fixed as opposed to a removable grate? Any info would be appreciated, and as soon as you can as I will be "making" them soon.

I'm looking at Crothers COLUMBUS spar plan as I write this and don't see any scuttles or cistern - where are these located?

I'm PMing you as well with further info as to the carronade question you raised (sill dimensions, etc).

Hank

There is a small scuttle at the bow where the bow sprit enter the deck, the is a half moon shaped cystern at the bow as well. I have posted photos of the area in question.

That is a lot of carronades.

MB

Just photos to show I am not sluffing off need 28 of these for columbus mast pinrails and railing on poop deck, making a little more than doubl that as I will need at least that number when I make the USS United States

Wow! Your wood working skill is superb and the model is coming along really fast! I just wish I had your skill! Looking forward to more progress! These sailing ships are really beautiful too!

Aop

I made the ships wheel spokes 3/64 or 1.5mm too long! Have to recarve all 20 of them! This took me 5 days working about 1.5 hours a day to get them all the same size, I forgot about the center round piece being 3/32nds in diameter, allowed for 3/64ths! Hate when I mismeasure like that. Other wise I bought a drill press, as I keep getting my block holes and pin rail holes crooked with the dremmel tool on a vertical stand, the drill press is much, much more precise. Finally able to get my cathead triple block slots straight on both sides! Photos coming.

UGH broke the shaft on my mini saw! 350 bucks to replace!

finished the wheel spokes, now I will make the handles and put the wheel assembly together. I just need to file the pin rail posts down to size and then the mast and side pin rails can go on. I still need to do some carving on the tumble home steps, but, that wont take long. I know it looks like I have way too many pin rail posts, but, remember, some are for the United States I am building after this. The Poop deck rail and carvings are going on soon. I need to make 12 real slim posts for the railings for the ladders from the poop deck to the spar deck yet, a ladder for each side to go down from the tumblehome stair entrance and 2 for the gaps in the bow going down to the head grating. I am also carving the head rails and making the grating and toilets for the bow. Lots to build, and when done all goes on. Hope to have all the spar and poop deck funiture done and installed by Haloween, then the chain wales go on and I make the deadeyes and chains.

another photo

Have to return the saw I just bought, a screw on the torsion gear was lose allowing the blade to spin free. Good news for once!

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I am going to purchase a mini band saw with the money I saved not needing a new saw. I buy my boxwood and pear wood in 2"x2"X20 inch blocks and dont really have a good way to cut them down so I can rip flat stock on my mini saw. Need a few fine toothed saw blades, and I know this is dumb, but the "kerf" is the thickness of the blade right? Not the diameter of the saw hole in the middle?

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no, i get it, although i was aware that the teeth angle out from the "base" of the saw blade, and I suspected what you said, just needed it confirmed thanks for taking the time, appreciate it!

Here are a few photos of ongoing work, I jump from one project to the next as the project gets to tedious and I start to lose focus, I put it down and work on a different area until that get tedious, and so on. rather than razor blade scrape the moulding on the head rails, I make thin outer strips and glue them to the inner strip first rounding the top edge. did the same with the cathead support used thin strips of wood and then filler to make the cracks go away, that is the yellowish color you see on the side of the support. The posts inside the ships wheel took me ages! I have the hands holds ready to glue on, will be posting finished wheel in a few days I hope.