So then, filler blocks for the forward bulkhead cheeks, and the afterward transom buttocks. These are four roughly thumb sized curvy chunks carved from blocks of basswood. They fill the space between the last bulkhead on either end and the rabbet-notch, where the plank butts will be fitted later. They provide a smooth transitional surface to ease the planking over the radical curves near the far ends of the hull. I don’t think they actually exist in a real ship.
I’ll do the fine sanding after gluing the forward filler blocks into place, and then carve some notches for the forward knightheads and timberheads. At the stern, I’ll glue the filler blocks into place and begin work on the transom-counter area, building up what will turn out to be the captain’s cabin with stern windows, etc.
The filler plug was the first object I’ve ever carved, and I found it very hard to make the initial cut. Visualization. Chisel there, razor saw here. The Dremel was invaluable—by far the best money spent so far on this project. Once I got it roughed out, however, the other three were much easier. Seeing the picture in your head is important for this sort of work, but even then, cutting into the wood feels like a bold stroke— I was a man of action making a well thought out move.
It’s worth noting that after a couple of false starts on this project I decide to do a bit more research before cutting and gluing stuff. I really wanted to apprehend the whole vision of the ship as a machine of science rather than a floating plug of buoyant material. I’ve read Master and Commander three times, read other people’s build logs, picked through journals and gone over the kit plans and instructions countless times. I can really appreciate this complicated structure for what it is: a complex and beautiful travelling machine.
Bearing in mind the materials used in the “Golden Age of Sail”, i.e., wood, rope, canvas and a surprisingly small quantity of metals, it is a miracle of interdependent, balanced forces:
• The force of the human and cargo mass pushing down and out, gravity trying to force everything aboard to the bottom of the sea through the--
• hull planking, made springy via bending under steam and heat, pushing out and down into the—
• Keystone-like keel, its solid strength supporting the--
• Rigid framework of the “ribs”, anchoring the--
• Wales and bulwarks, anchoring, in turn, the—
• Stays and other rigging, holding up, through sheer tension and counter-tension, the--
• Masts and spars, and the wrenching forces placed on them by the--
• Huge Sails of every size, filled with moving air.
Now place this machine in an environment where:
• The ship is flung violently on a dynamic surface subject to the whims of weather;
• Endless pushing and pulling by currents and tides of planetary scope;
• The power of the wind varies from zero to hurricane-force gales, ripping at the masts and spars;
• 32-pound cast iron balls striking at the hull at 1600 fps;
• And almost everybody of the European age of sail steering the vessel was incapable of swimming.
• Pan-global expeditions lasting several years without the resources of a shipyard
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