I know planking can be done many ways and this is not my first time, however I haven't done it in at least 8-10 years. I have built 4 ships that were all double planked. I used a book that I bought with my first kit Atersania Latina's Swift. The book was "Ship Modeling Simplified" by Frank Mastini. I followed his planking techniques exactly as he laif them out. I had so much fun building it and I wanted to do more rigging, that my second kit was the Enterprise. Again I pretty much followed his planking technique. However I bought 2 other books to use for reference, Ship Modeling from Stem to Stern, that doesn't really cover planking too much, and Ship Models from Kits, that's basically the same as Mastini. Since I'm about to try again with a pretty simple Swift-like hull kit I wanted read up before I got the kit. I read and re-read the tutorial offered on this site and got thouroughly confused. It's nothing like what I did before. Then I did some research elswhere and it seems there are a variety of techniques but most are simialr to the totorial I doan't understand, not the technique I used from Mastini.
I went and looked at the lits I've planked. The first one looks good from my point of view, but I can see that the planking would not be "realistic" like some of the more technical examples I read about. My "stealers" are like what they describe, and some of my plank shapes aren't right. But My joints are all very tight, and each plank fits very well.
My second kit had the more rounded nose, but after looking at that kit the planking I did on it more acurately resembles the planking decribed. I really didn't use many stealers on that kit, most were full planks, just tapered a little at both ends, no odd shaped ones, and again very tight fitting. I was and am happy with it.
So my question, do I take the time to learn how everyone else does it, using formulas and I guess the more common/tradtional or more accurate way, or continue to use Mastini's method that now seems to look like an "introductory" type method or abbreviated method? Or does someone know of an explanation to the better method that is easier to understand? I feel now like I did it all wrong before, and I do want to improve, not continue to use bad methods.
Tim

 

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[QUOTE=Tim]
My second kit had the more rounded nose, but after looking at that kit the planking I did on it more acurately resembles the planking decribed. I really didn't use many stealers on that kit, most were full planks, just tapered a little at both ends, no odd shaped ones, and again very tight fitting. I was and am happy with it.

Tim that is the way it should be. When you are happy with it. There are many ways and none are the "correct" and non are "in correct", if the builder is satisfied. The way you describe, "tapered and tight fitting" is the goal. Especially if it is the first layer of two layers of planking. Only the final layer need be as perfect as you can get it.

It is a Hobby, not a test of man-hood as I'm afraid many of us look at it as. ;o)

Tom

 

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I agree Tom, I take up hobbies, and I have many of them, to please me! I hate competition and refuse to enter constests for any of my hobbies. I've also made the mistake of trying to turn my hobbies into profit, that totally zaps all the fun out of it for me and more often than not ruins the hobby for me.
That being said, I guess I'm trying to come to some comprimise that would allow me the enjoyment of building AND the pleasure of knowing that an experienced model builder could look at my work and say "this guy knows what he's doing". I don't like to make too much work for myself in anything I do to take away enjoyment or create undue stress. But at the same time I don't want to take so many shortcuts that I don't achieve quality.
Take for instance Music, I love to play and record, that is where I probably spend the majority of my free time. That is the one hobby that I have that sometimes does profit monetarily, however I don't seek it. I play guitar mostly, but I'm a better drummer than guitar player. I don't play in any bands at the moment, my hectic and often long firefighter schedule doesn't lend easy to it. But when I started playing drums for a band, semi-proffesional I had never taken any instruction, it was supposed to be just a temporary solution, but I ended up "picking" it up well enpough and quick enough that I ended up playing regular with the same band for 6 years. Many years later when I wanted to get serious about my hobby I took formal lessons to learn the "correct" way to play and to un-learn my mistakes. I eneded up with a compromise, some things were just to hard to unlearn, but the things I did learn greatly enhanced my abilities. So that I guess is my goal herre with planking. I'm trying to find a happy medium. My problem right now is that I really only understand the simplified method, and I'm having trouble understanding the more complicated level. I guess I'm asking for "other" sources other than the ones I've mentioned that just might open the doors to understanding the more common planking method. Does that make sense?

 

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Tim check out this tutorial, very good. And there are others there too you may want to check out.
Tom

http://modelshipworld.com/phpBB2/hptintro.php 

 

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I did find and printed this article just before I posted this question. Thanks for the lead. After reading it though I'm still confused about the calculation method after reading this one as well. Does anyone know of a good explanation in any of the modeling books?

 

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OK, I'm a firefighter and work 48 hr shifts. I just got home from this last shift. While on duty I had some free time and did a little studying and now I'm having a hard time "making up my mind"!
I re-read (several times) the planking article on this site (the 4 part one), the Article suggested above from the Model Ship World site, Mastini's chapter from Model Ships simplified, and the chapters on planking from "Period Ship Models fom kits" and Model ship building from kits.
I understand the "complicated" method of calculating planks and their tapers etc..finally.
The kit shows planking VERY similar to the way the AL Swift kit was planked, (according to instructions, they also have very similar hull shapes), BUT I know that this method of planking is not close to correct as far as accuaracy goes. They plank from the deck line down and the keel up meeting in the middle with a final plank (or two that is "football" shaped spanning only the middle section of the ship. However the methods illustrated more closely resemble the method described in Mastini's Book.
Some articles say NO "stealers" all planks should run full length, but it seems that most builders do in fact use them, so I find this way of thinking off as well. I think I can find a happy medium between them both to make me "happy".
But what I'm "pondering" is what does the majority of hobby shipbuilders do? I consider as others on this site do Mastini to be a "master", but after reading the other books and articles his methods described are WAY off. I've build 4 ships using his methods and I was looking today at the dates they were completed, my first two, The Swift and the President were built over 20 years ago! They both still look great and have held up remarkably. Mastini uses the pointed steelers, the football shaped planks, breaks most of the "rules". Also he describes amethod of attaching the planks using a combination of CA, white glue on the edges of each plank, pre bends the wet plank with an electric bender, and basically "irons on" the wet plank to the hull, Especially the 2nd layer! That is how I built my previous ships.
Do others like myself build their ships that way? I know there is no right/wrong, but I would like to be better after each kit. So far I've used the same technique with satisfactory results, gotten better at THAT method, faster with THAT method, but now feel like I was not doing it right. I guess what I'd really like to know is how do MOST do it?
That's where I'd like to be.

 

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