Extending the Quarter Deck

While building the beakhead, I was also working on extending the Quarter Deck - the one area of the ship where I hadn't previously laid the planking.  The extended deck will stretch out to cover the capstan (seen in this older picture).

The first step was to build the two front walls.  This was done the same way as the deck bulkheads - cutting out the laser cut shapes, planking them, trimming the excess and staining them.

Glued in place:

Adding 2 beams on which the deck will sit - one across the front of the existing bulkhead, and one across the front of the new walls.  These were cut slightly longer than needed (a millimetre or two), so when they were in place they would curve slightly.

Adding a strip between the 2 walls.  The previous strip ran across the width of the ship on the front of the walls - this additional strip is glued to the back of that one and fills the gap between the walls.

A couple of knees in place, as well as some trim work on the outside of the wall.  The plans only called for one strip on the walls (the inner ones, by the knees), but I added the others to cover the slight gap at the bottom of the walls.

The laser cut decks:

The decks cut out and laying in place.  They are a little wide, as the next step is to notch them out to fit around the stanchions.

 Notching out the templates:

One of the templates sitting in place, with some strips of planking on top (checking to ensure it was level going from the back part of the deck to the new area - I had also done this at other points of the construction previously):

 

Both templates in place; the gap will be covered up later.

 

 As you can see from the planes, this deck will also have a hatch and some grating added (the grating was so they could remove the capstan if ever needed).

A tracing of the plane, which I lay on the new deck to get the rough spot where these features will sit. 

 

The markings transferred to the deck. 

Before starting on the actual decking, I created the waterways, notching them out around the stanchions.  On the other decks, the waterways were added after the decking had been laid, which was before the stanchions were added.  Since the stanchions are already in place, the instructions said to use a thicker strip of wood to simulate the waterways, rather then try to cut out the decking and the waterways later.

A couple strips of decking sitting on the deck against the waterway.  Because the wood for the water ways was twice as thick as before (and twice as thick as the decking), the overall heights are the same as the other decks. 

Staining the waterways (Ipswich Pine): 

Gluing them in place: 

 Building the hatch:

 

 

The trimmed hatch and finished grating sitting in place: 

Laying the decking, using the same staggered pattern I had used on the main deck (the hatch and grate are not glued down at this point - I'm moving them into position when needed to ensure I've cut the deck the correct lengths):

 

 

 

  

 

The decking all in place (a waterway will be added at the front once everything has been stained):

The stained deck:

 The hatch, grate and waterway glued in place:

 

The hatch still needs to have the handles added, but I'll do that a bit later...

 

 

 

With the decks all done, I next drilled the holes for the various masts.  These won't be added to the model yet, but it is easier to drill the holes now before I start adding a few more of the deck features.

 

A bit of string held in place to make sure the holes are in the centre of the ship - you may have noticed when extending the Quarter Deck that I cut out the rough hole for that while laying the decking.  I didn't do that for the other decks, but I should have...

 

 

I didn't actually take any pictures of drilling the holes, but you'll no doubt see them in some of the next posts I do.

 

The masts below are all the correct heights (give or take a few millimetres), but the 2 in the middle will actually extend probably half-again as high when they are done (they will each have a second mast added to their tops).  I will also need to play around with the rake (angle) of each mast when I'm attaching them later (e.g., the one behind the bowsprit is at too much of an angle here) - there is enough play with the holes I drilled that I should be able to get them at the correct angles.

 

Before doing anything else with the masts, I need to finish up some additional work on the outside of the ship (add channels, catheads and chesstress), as well as on the decks (pin rails, knight heads, kevels, ladders, pumps, the ship's boat, etc.).

 

I've already done and attached some of those (all of the outside work, and I've built/stained the knight heads), and am waiting for the kevels' glue to dry as I type this, so that should all be in the next post.