Cross Section Case

The model for which this case has been built has been detailed in other posts on this blog.  My concern over the years has been keeping dust off of this model.  The case that I built is made of mahogany with an amber shellac finish.  The plexiglas panels are 1/8 inch thick and sit in channels cut into the framing supports.  The cabriole feet set the case up a bit and add some elegance to the design.  Soft felt padding was added to protect surface that the case sits upon from damage.

HMS Triton Frigate Cross Section Build Log - Conclusion

Here are the final photos of the completed model, I hope that you enjoyed following along with the steps of its construction.  This model received a Gold Award at the Midwest Model Ships and Boats Competition.

HMS Triton Frigate Cross Section Build Log - Part 2

 Once the frames were complete and held together by the hull timbers, the hull was removed from the building jig and the floor members were installed.  The curved pieces are knees and added stability around areas where the masts went through the ship and were connected to the keel.  A large number of precision joints were needed to hold all of these floor members together.  This is how they were done.

 

 First a rabbet was cut into the piece to be fitted and this was then cut to length and a square was used to make sure that everything laid true.  Lines were scribed to show where the corresponding relief joint needed to be cut.

 An X-Acto knife was used to score the joint.

 A fine chisel was used to cut the joint.

 And the joint was cleaned up.

This is what the finished product looked like.  Now repeat this many times till finished!

HMS Triton Frigate Cross Section Build Log - Part 6

Next the hull on the completed side was coppered to the waterline.  This was used on ships to prevent fouling and preserve the hull.

 Thin strips of self-adhesive copper were trimmed to size and a miniature T-square was made from brass.

 A ponce wheel simulated the nail heads for the strips.

 The T-square allowed perfectly straight scores that indicated the ends of the individual copper plates.

 The ponce wheel simulated the final rows of nails.

Each completed strip was then placed on the hull for a convincing result.

HMS Triton Frigate Cross Section Build Log - Part 1

 This is a log of the building of a 1:48 scale cross section of the British Frigate Triton from 1771.  The highlights of this model's construction will be outlined in this series of posts.  The plans for this model were originally posted on the ModelShipWorld forum.  The model is made of cherry, holly, brass and sheet copper.

 The first step was to build an assembly jig so that the individual frames of the hull can be precisely aligned.

 The frames are made up from individual timbers, just like the full sized ship.  These members form two layers (double frame) that together make for a very strong structure.  This is a photo of the cut out members of one frame.

 This is what the frame looked like when glued together.

Here is the completed frame along with the keel section and false keel. The keel has indexing pegs on its upper surface to make for a stronger joint with the frames.  The little white dots on the frame are treenails (pronounced "trunnels")  They are little wooden pegs that hold the members of the keel together.