They've all been discussed at great length, but some recent research has me questioning myself.
When modeling my current project 1:20 Scale Victory and Constitution Guns to determine spacing of treenails I used information from Longridge's The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships to determine a 4' spacing for rows of treenails, and 20' long deck planks for four-step butt planking, or 16' for three-step (He mentions using both on the model, but I used 3-step). In 1:20 scale, I used 60mm spacing (47.24" in full size) with 240mm long planks (15.75'). I like the look, and am happy with it. Please take a look if you like and let me know your opinion.
Now, I've decided to put the 24-pounder from the USS Constitution in a separate case of similar but shorter design, and started some research to determine its treenail spacing. I always assumed treenail spacing would match the main deck beams under the deck. I noticed on the USS Constitution Museum's Modeler's Site that deck beams are spaced as little as about 4.5 feet to over 6 feet. I also noticed there are 1 or 2 ledges between each deck beam. Not as large as the deck beams, but still substantial, and they do support the decking planks. Would those ever have deck plank joints or treenails in them? Or only in the deck beams?
Anyhow, I went back and checked further on the Victory's beams, using McKay and McGowan. The middle gun deck, for example, has deck beams spaced at roughly 4.4 to 5.7 feet, and most of these have 3 ledges between them. Again, would treenails and joints be only over the deck beams? Or sometimes the ledges? I'm referring to open, continuous decking areas where all are available, not around hatches and other constructions which limit length and end of plank.
On my model, I imagine I can get by with just making the spacing a bit larger on the Constitution deck than the Victory, or even just keep it near the same. That assumes they both use only the main deck beams. I've used 8" wide planks on the Victory (which McGowan specifies and Longridge's 3/32" in 1/48 scale works out to 9"), and plan on 12" wide for the Constitution, which the above site's drawing appear to indicate.
Anyhow, all these extra deck supports just had me wondering how things were done, so I figured I'd ask you, the experts!
When modeling my current project 1:20 Scale Victory and Constitution Guns to determine spacing of treenails I used information from Longridge's The Anatomy of Nelson's Ships to determine a 4' spacing for rows of treenails, and 20' long deck planks for four-step butt planking, or 16' for three-step (He mentions using both on the model, but I used 3-step). In 1:20 scale, I used 60mm spacing (47.24" in full size) with 240mm long planks (15.75'). I like the look, and am happy with it. Please take a look if you like and let me know your opinion.
Now, I've decided to put the 24-pounder from the USS Constitution in a separate case of similar but shorter design, and started some research to determine its treenail spacing. I always assumed treenail spacing would match the main deck beams under the deck. I noticed on the USS Constitution Museum's Modeler's Site that deck beams are spaced as little as about 4.5 feet to over 6 feet. I also noticed there are 1 or 2 ledges between each deck beam. Not as large as the deck beams, but still substantial, and they do support the decking planks. Would those ever have deck plank joints or treenails in them? Or only in the deck beams?
Anyhow, I went back and checked further on the Victory's beams, using McKay and McGowan. The middle gun deck, for example, has deck beams spaced at roughly 4.4 to 5.7 feet, and most of these have 3 ledges between them. Again, would treenails and joints be only over the deck beams? Or sometimes the ledges? I'm referring to open, continuous decking areas where all are available, not around hatches and other constructions which limit length and end of plank.
On my model, I imagine I can get by with just making the spacing a bit larger on the Constitution deck than the Victory, or even just keep it near the same. That assumes they both use only the main deck beams. I've used 8" wide planks on the Victory (which McGowan specifies and Longridge's 3/32" in 1/48 scale works out to 9"), and plan on 12" wide for the Constitution, which the above site's drawing appear to indicate.
Anyhow, all these extra deck supports just had me wondering how things were done, so I figured I'd ask you, the experts!
