Building using body plan stations

T

tomphev

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Hi folks. I've just started working on a new kind of plan to me. It's a plan for a Sea Griffin and was drawn up by Jim Pottinger at 1:35 scale.

The problem I'm having is learning how to use the body plan stations to build the bulkheads. I've watched a Youtube clip and can see how to photocopy, fold then cut out each profile, but I'm finding that I cannot figure out where the top of the bulkhead line is i.e. the deck. I've tried measuring across the plan view to determine width and also measuring up from the keel at the appropriate station. What I'm finding is that the measurements don't seem to want to match! I've just had another go for a couple of hours to try and work it out but have again come away frustrated.

So my hope is that someone somewhere on this forum has also had to learn how to build such a model at one time ( :)) and may be able to point me to a video, or article or something at all that could help me get underway with this lovely model.

Thanks folks for any help, and yes, I do have some hair left..but not much!! LOL

Tom Phillips
 
tomphev said:
Hi folks. I've just started working on a new kind of plan to me. It's a plan for a Sea Griffin and was drawn up by Jim Pottinger at 1:35 scale.

The problem I'm having is learning how to use the body plan stations to build the bulkheads. I've watched a Youtube clip and can see how to photocopy, fold then cut out each profile, but I'm finding that I cannot figure out where the top of the bulkhead line is i.e. the deck. I've tried measuring across the plan view to determine width and also measuring up from the keel at the appropriate station. What I'm finding is that the measurements don't seem to want to match! I've just had another go for a couple of hours to try and work it out but have again come away frustrated.

So my hope is that someone somewhere on this forum has also had to learn how to build such a model at one time ( :)) and may be able to point me to a video, or article or something at all that could help me get underway with this lovely model.

Thanks folks for any help, and yes, I do have some hair left..but not much!! LOL

Tom Phillips
Click to expand...
G'day Tom, could you attach a couple of pics of the plans so we can see your problem,

best regards john,
 
tomphev said:
Hi John. I've attached 3. Just ignore the coloured lines. I was trying to make sense of which one was the decking therefore the top of the bulkhead. :)

Tom

View attachment 381621

View attachment 381622

View attachment 381623
Click to expand...
Hi tomphev, see if I understand YOUR problem correctly.

20230627_161515.jpg

20230627_161519.jpg

20230627_161515.jpg
356220909_3466047383683585_1228089034866788460_n.jpg
 
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Yes I think so. I've photocopied the plan stations, folded them at the centre line and then cut them with scissors them opened them to get a plan for the bulkheads. The thing is, I don't know which line at the top of the plan stations to cut to. I seem to get variations in measurements either across the plan view or alongside the profile view. I'm just not sure which measurements are the ones that I should take as the absolute base.
 
tomphev said:
Yes I think so. I've photocopied the plan stations, folded them at the centre line and then cut them with scissors them opened them to get a plan for the bulkheads. The thing is, I don't know which line at the top of the plan stations to cut to. I seem to get variations in measurements either across the plan view or alongside the profile view. I'm just not sure which measurements are the ones that I should take as the absolute base.
Click to expand...
Excuse me that I can not understand (translator)well Your ?

20230627_161506.jpg
 
Oh yes. Probably right. I guess being down here at the bottom of the world it's not so common to have so many languages with which I'm not at all familiar. It's quite cool really isn't it with modern communications making the world so small.
 
Frank is right with his markings showing where the deck is etc, so depending whether they are showing the frame lines or the actual ship lines is the question, and it looks like they are showing the actual ship lines then you will have to allow for the deck planks or ply deck, my worry is that you say the measurements are not matching up, I am currently building a Steam Drifter from Pottinger plans and have had the same problems, see pics and explanation below,

260.jpg
So I photo copied the plan of the stern area, which I thought came out OK,

261.jpg
next I folded it in half down the middle line and cut it to the outside line,
so that when it is opened up you should have an exact copy of each side,

262.jpg
But when I opened it up this is what i had, you can see on the right side that it does not match the left side see where the X's are, so be careful
when using these plans, you can also see the planks on the deck are different widths,

These are three pics that show the discrepancy in the plans, also earlier on in the build I had trouble with making my frames match up, so it might be that your plans are the same,

here is a link to my build on SOS if you want to have a look,


Steam powered wooden Drifter trawler, Formidable LT100, 1/20 scale by neptune

While I was on ebay I also came across these little saw blades, I used to buy them from Mitre 10 hardware store but they stopped selling them, they are slightly smaller than the proxxon blades, the proxxon are 85mm x 1.7 mm, these are 76 mm x 1.2mm, they cut beautifully, The Worx 76mm x 1.2mm...
shipsofscale.com

 
neptune said:
Frank is right with his markings showing where the deck is etc, so depending whether they are showing the frame lines or the actual ship lines is the question, and it looks like they are showing the actual ship lines then you will have to allow for the deck planks or ply deck, my worry is that you say the measurements are not matching up, I am currently building a Steam Drifter from Pottinger plans and have had the same problems, see pics and explanation below,

View attachment 381631
So I photo copied the plan of the stern area, which I thought came out OK,

View attachment 381632
next I folded it in half down the middle line and cut it to the outside line,
so that when it is opened up you should have an exact copy of each side,

View attachment 381633
But when I opened it up this is what i had, you can see on the right side that it does not match the left side see where the X's are, so be careful
when using these plans, you can also see the planks on the deck are different widths,

These are three pics that show the discrepancy in the plans, also earlier on in the build I had trouble with making my frames match up, so it might be that your plans are the same,

here is a link to my build on SOS if you want to have a look,


Steam powered wooden Drifter trawler, Formidable LT100, 1/20 scale by neptune

While I was on ebay I also came across these little saw blades, I used to buy them from Mitre 10 hardware store but they stopped selling them, they are slightly smaller than the proxxon blades, the proxxon are 85mm x 1.7 mm, these are 76 mm x 1.2mm, they cut beautifully, The Worx 76mm x 1.2mm...
shipsofscale.com

Click to expand...
That's really helpful. Maybe I'm not getting old and fodder yet. I reckon I'll just settle on one st of measurements, probably the body station lines and go from there. Thanks heaps for your input. Tom
 
Thanks folks for your help. It's helped me to get 'over the hump' and take the next step.
 
One suggestion on height of bulkwards on side of ship it make them taller than needed when cutting out, like many Plank on Frame designs, then after you get the side planks started the height can be cut down as needed. Easier than adding back after the fact.
 
Looks like you have some pretty good advice on your specific plan already, but there are some videos on this page that might help. The project is quite a bit larger than yours but the basic techniques are still valid.

You will always have some errors where things don't quite match when translating from plans to physical parts. Unless your project is documenting something for a museum or something like that I wouldn't worry too much about it. If 2 parts won't come together as you hoped, just look at the parts, and the plans, and adjust the parts in whatever direction (add or remove material from one or both) so the altered parts best match the plans.

historicshipmodel.com

Historic Ship Models by Jarod Matwiy

historicshipmodel.com historicshipmodel.com
 
Thanks Jarrod. I'll check out those videos. I'm sure they'll be a great help.

Tom
 
Hi again mate. I just looked at your videos. WOW! I think my build is a little less complicated. LOL

They were very useful in further showing how the bulkheads are drawn up. I appreciate that. Thanks.
 
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