Ok! I was asked to post pictures to compliment a quick and dirty how-to on scribing deck boards. Instead of hijacking the other build thread, I'll just start a new one here. Disclaimer (isn't there always one?): This technique is not mine. I borrowed it from another web site someplace that I cannot find anymore and added a couple personal touches. If I find that web site, I'll post the link and give credit to the person that came up with this. Disclaimer 2 (heh): This might get ugly. Not only am I clueless on how to post pictures in the forum, but my photo editor is broken and I couldn't resize the pictures. Hopefully, they don't come out too big ... Off we go!
Ok. Maybe this will work ... [image got corrupted - keri morgret] These are the basic tools I use to scribe boards into a wood deck. A metal ruler, mechanical pencil, hobby knife, and a "Zona" saw. I think Xacto makes the saw too. The saw is available at most hobby stores.
We'll assume that you have already outlined the area where you want the deck boards. Draw a centerline lengthwise down the deck. Next, measure and mark in 1/8" increments on each end of the deck starting from the centerline. The next two pictures show how. [images got corrupted - keri morgret]
Next, line up the ruler on the hash marks, take the saw, and cut the grooves. On light ply, it takes three passes on each line for a good groove. I don't know how many passes it will take for aircraft ply. Just try. By the way, I like the saw over a knife blade. The saw cuts a square bottomed groove that seems cleaner and takes the pencil lead very well.
Lengthwise groves are cut. Notice that the middle boards are diffrent widths. That was a mistake! I was rushing to get this done and messed up placing the ruler.
Now comes the tricky part to explain. The board ends are marked in two rows, alternating boards. It looks somewhat like this: ____________________________________________________________________ __|__________________________________________________|______________ ________|___________________________________________________|_______ __|__________________________________________________|______________ ________|___________________________________________________|_______ __|__________________________________________________|______________ On my Richelieu, the two rows were 1.5" apart. Each set of rows was spaced 8" apart. This looked ok, but no doubt it was not to scale. So, if you want scale dimensions, look it up!
Switching to the knife, cut grooves into the end marks. Why the knife? It's easier to handle than the saw and does not tear the wood between the long grooves.
Now for the fun part that starts to make things look good. Pencil in the lines! A mechanical pencil works great here. You don't have to stop to sharpen it, and the lead is thin enough to reach the bottom of the groove. It normally takes a few passes to get the line nice and dark.
And there we are. All the lines are drawn. Looks pretty good, though you can really see the accidental widths on those center boards. Heh. All that's left is a light sanding with 180 grit sandpaper, blow (not wipe) the dust off, and a few coats of varnish.
What you end up with is a nice looking simulated wood deck with texture and lines that will not smudge or wipe off. This is a quick snapshot of my Richelieu's deck. It's a little messy at the moment while the ship is being reworked, but once it is cleaned up it's a pretty sight. So if you are tired of a simple painted deck, try making a simulated wood deck. It doesn't take long to do and adds alot to the ship. [image got corrupted - keri morgret]
God I love this stuff. Yup my Tennesee is going to have a planked deck and so will my Tirpitz/Bismarck.. I still haven't decided..oh what to do. Stokamoto
Nice write-up Mike. Looks great. I have heard others that scribed the deck planks, then hit the wood with varnish (dark). Then just sanded off the top varnish, and left all of the lines. Sounds like a little more work than the way you did yours. Mikey
Nice work Mike Thanks for sharing all that great stuff with us. I told you I have all the tools and getting ready to start my planking work.
Mike Did we ever discuss if boards could be set up like long bricks or hardwood floors? Is the way you did it the way ships were laid out years ago? Starting the floor boards. Ron
It should be measure in inches and multiply times 144(scale) divided by 12 gives you the feet of whatever.
I never researched scale board widths or lengths. The how to where I learned the technique said that 3/32" board widths were close to scale. I kept it to 1/8" just to keep it simple to measure. As for the lengths, someone suggested the double row stagger was scale during a battle last November. No idea if it is true or not. Again, I'm not a purist, just want it to look kinda scale and nice. There has to be some captains out there that know the answers to the scale dimensions question!
