Ribs are cut! Also got the bow keel. The stern keel is a bit more tricky, as I have to mill a slot for the stuffing tube and install that, so that will wait until next Saturday. And now, the stuff you've been waiting for. Pictures! Over halfway done with the ribs: Stacks of ribs: Gosh, that's a lot of ribs: Just to give you an idea what it will eventually look like: One complete set of ribs. Nice lines, huh?
Just got back from a good day's work. While I worked on the superstructure for my cruiser (and the turrets for you, Tugboat), Kotori continued on the transports. Today he made the stern keel. You guys are going to nut when you see what he did to help with the prop shaft and stuffing tube. Unfortunately, we forgot to bring the memory card for the camera, so there are no photos of us working. We'll take some tonight and post them for all to see.
All right boys and girls, I made some good progress yesterday. The task of the day was to build the stern keel for each ship. This presented an interesting challenge, because I also had to get the stuffing tube installed through the keel. I have seen plenty of people turn the keel on end and try to drill a hole, but every time its been a disaster. I had to do something different. I partially cut out the keels, then one by one stuck them in a milling machine and cut a slot for the stuffing tube. The result was great: the keels are still sturdy, the stuffing tubes will go in straight and smooth, and with the keels done I am finally able to start test-fitting various components. And now, without further ado, the photos! The keels! Note the slot cut for the stuffing tube, slightly angled to better fit the motor later on. Here is a basic test assembly. I have not notched ribs 1, 5, or 6, so those have not been included. This shows the basic size and layout of the ship, especially the islands at the bow and stern. And here are a few components I may be using. Of special note is the pump. The WWCC restricts transports to one pump, 1/4" outlet, no maximum GPH. The pump shown is a standard pump used in most battleships, capable of surviving 5-6 large holes below the belt or at least one large rip. If the transports' agility can't save them, then the bilge pump will (for at least a few shots). Since the superstructure will be hollow, its OK that the pump sticks up above deck level. And now a test assembly, borrowing the superstructure from my brother's cruiser. This is just to give an overall idea what the ship will look like in the end. The center island is 3 layers of 1/2" balsa plated with 1/16" ply, as is the aft deckhouse. The structures from my brother's cruiser are not the right shape for the PUMA, but they demonstrate how I will construct the superstructure.
Does your wife know you're using her expensive Corian countertops for boat work? Looks really good! (the boat, I mean)
These are going to be great looking ships! Very well thought out. Keeps the pics/ build report coming!
Brief update: I have installed the stuffing tubes in the keels. Sorry no photos, there's a battle tomorrow (EEK! Only 2 minutes until today!) but its looking good. I will putty and sand them soon. The stuffing tubes are interesting. Because they are so short, I made them small-diameter brass with no bushings, and drilled a small oiling hole near the end of each one. The motors I will use are very torque-ey and draw very little current (stall at 2 amps from a 7.2v NiCD) so I'm not worried there. I also spent a good hour evaluating various equipment layouts and figuring out how each would affect the building. By the end I had located the optimum location for motor and steering servo, but I need to get further along before final positioning on pump and batteries. I also discovered a mistake in rib #6 (nuts, I thought I had made all my mistakes already!) so I re-cut those to the correct dimensions.
I spent some more time working on the boats today. This time I didn't do much, just notch ribs 1 and 6 and put together the bow and stern islands. Most of the time was otherwise occupied repairing my cruiser's bilge pump after a nasty hit to the water-detection circuit. Anyway, the photos! Here is the stuffing tube installed in the aft keel. I spent a long time figuring out what angle would give me the best placement of my motor before choosing this one. All it needs is putty and sanding. Four hulls lined up and well under way: These are seriously single-handed boats. You can launch 'em with one hand, run 'em with one hand, possibly even repair them with one hand (although I wouldn't try it!) Wow, this looks almost as busy as the shipyards that made Liberty Ships during the war. All I need is a few cranes in the background and a bunch of welders on the frames and voila:
The boat's looking good. I thought it would be harder to build a balsa ship than this looks. The Corian counter top that probably cost as much as your kitchen doesn't look bad either.
Hey folks, don't think that Carl and I have forgotten these ships and neglected the thread. We've been a bit busy keeping current ships repaired and ready for battle. We have the Annual WWCC Axis and Allies Campaign Battle coming up this weekend. I have been working on the minefields that form the cornerstone of the Axis plan, as well as putting the final layer of paint on my ship before I have to let her go and pray Davey Jones doesn't get his slimy hands on her pretty skin. Once the battle is over we can get back to work. Donanton, the ribs, keel, and subdeck are plywood. Only the outer layer, or skin, of the boats will be balsa. It takes a lot of work to make it look so easy. Carl spent his apprenticeship at Neal's garage fixing up an old Scharhorst, and completely replaced the guts of the Spahkreuzer as a journeyman, and scratch-building these transports is his graduation to being a master shipwright.
Perhaps I shouldn't have said "It takes a lot of work to make it look so easy." It's true, but once you learn the basics of building the hull, you will run into the same problems you would with a fiberglass hull. Where do I mount the pump? How do I mount the cannons? What motors do I want to use? How do I install the prop-shaft? Carl and I have spent some time learning how to build boats with a more experienced club member who lets us work in his garage and use his tools. Learning how to scratch-build wooden hulls is actually a lot of fun and very rewarding. It really appears to be a lost art with so many fiberglass hulls and plastic kits, and I am glad that I am mastering it. To make things easier, Carl CAD modeled a transport called the Mehoshi Maru that is very similar to the Puma. You could build that ship using the Puma as a guide. If you are really interested, I can send you the full size plans. Low resolution examples: http://www.westernwarshipcombat.com/gallery/CAD-Mehosi-Maru Eric
Hey Eric, I was perusing the pics of your KGV... Do you know that the top flag means "I require assistance?" LOL!
Armon: Like I said at the top of the page, my brother and I haven't forgotten these boats. We've just been a bit busy, what with pounding the Allies into the dust on Sunday and competing in a Gunnery and Maneuvering event on Monday. We'll get back to work on them next Saturday. Tugboat: I meant it to spell out WWCC, but it seems I used the wrong flag for the second one, which is supposed to be Substitute 1. The first flag is both the letter W and a request for medical assistance. I was only borrowing the ship when I added the flags, and she has since been sold to another member. Once these transports are complete, I am considering flying one of these four flags: B, F, J, or M. Any one of them would be amusing to those who understand. Donanton: unfortunately, the ship was modeled in the Student edition of Solid Edge v17, which will not save into a format usable by other CAD programs. Also, due to computer problems, neither my brother nor I have the program any more, we only have the plans you see there, though with much higher resolution. We are looking into getting a new CAD program.
I'll be awaiting those cad drawings. I'll need a target for the USS Washington I'm leaning towards building for my first ship.
FINALLY! More progress today. I cut out the insides of the ribs today. Now they actually look like ribs! I'll assemble the hulls next saturday, install the full-length keel, and select planking material. No balsa wrapping with fiberglass for me, I want no synthetics in these ships at all. Just metal, wood, and a little bit of glue to hold it all together. Don't worry guys, photos coming soon.
