Work continues

The gap at the bottom (really, the top) aside, the notion is to alternate,
from-left and from-right, where the overlapping piece is. From what I've
gathered at some model-making fora, this is as viable a way to bring the
planks together at the bow as slicing them at an angle and bringing them
in for an exact fit. We'll see how it goes.

I've hammered home just a few more planks since my last post; pictures at right. Much of the time otherwise spent planking the frames has been taken up by my new puppy. Go figure.

I am discerning, just from these few planks, some shaving/trimming tricks for next time. The top-most planks, for example, are on a piece of sharp curvature on the underlying frames; giving the plank a more trapezoidal cross-section would give it a tighter fit against its neighbors.

There are some rough ends at the bow (see picture at right) and stern. Once the frame is totally planked, the entire thing will be filed down. That will eliminate some of the rough ends, plus the pin heads.

Soaking the planks in water for a few hours really does bring out the
wood's malleability. These planks are hewing to the appropriate curves
as necessary.

A few new tools have arrived: debonder in case of gluing accidents, plus some goo to assist with the water-based decals that'll be part of my next model. I did also order a proportional divider, but the pressure clamp to keep the arms in place is insufficiently snug; it's going back to the seller.