Thread: HMS Sirius WIP - 9yo daughter's school project

Firstly, that's just gorgeous! Secondly, it's really impressive, in its execution, the attention to detail and scope of the project. Congratulations to your daughter, it looks marvellous.

Great job!

The mainmast sails were sewn this morning before school (Harmony Day, hence the Mexican outfit , and I missed posting pics of anchors and barrels, even though I mentioned them.

We also wanted to see what it would look like "on the ocean", hence the blue background 'arty' pic

Cheers,
Andrew

Originally Posted by arose62

My daughter has a "British Colonisation" project for Year 4, and chose to make a model of a ship from the first fleet.

As it's her project, I've kept my input to suggestions, bandsawing out the blanks, and a touch of mast tapering with a plane.
Mel did the glueing, sanding, staining, cut out the sails, stained them with Mum's used teabags, sewed them onto the spars, drilled the mast holes, painted car seat beads as barrels, and bent the split pins into anchors.

I've taken some progress pics, just so she can prove it's her work, but I think it's starting to look pretty impressive, so I thought I'd post the results so far...

I'm not sure of the scale - we started from an old scrollsaw plan for "Sovereign of the Seas", just to get the hull and sail proportions reasonable, then she's been googling for pics and info on HMS Sirius.

Cheers,
Andrew (on behalf of Melanie)

Top job Mel it looks just grand
Andrew I think I might be able to get Mel a start at Forgacs Dockyard Newcastle
colbra

Just as well you have WIP photos. I suspect many a teacher would not believe the work had been done by a year 4 student. Great work.

What a top effort for a 9yr old, a budding woodworker extrordinar.
Well done Mel and good job to the photographer, Andrew for the WIP photos.
Keep up the good work, mel.
Andrew, you might be purchasing another set of tools for Mel's woodshop....
Looking forward to the next projects.
Cheers, crowie

Hi arose62 ,

Your daughter Mel has done a excellent job .
I can't wait for her next project .

Cheers Graham .

Well, my daughter Mel has finished her project, and has her accompanying 2 minute speech down pat.

She really, really wanted ratlines (maybe because our pet rat died the other day ??), and we started out down the path of a jig to knot up the rope ladders, but I was dreading an all-nighter to get a huge number of fiddly knots done in time.

Then, Mel thought of using the old flyscreen which had recently been replaced. Cutting skinny triangles of flyscreen beats the socks of trying to make scale ratlines (and I think that job may have ended up with me, diluting the project ownership).

Anyway, 'tis all done.

Enjoy the pics.

Cheers,
Andrew & Mel

Very good, I hope the teacher gives TOP marks for such a great job.
Well done Mel.
10 for design, 10 for craftsmanship, 10 for effort, 10 for presentation.
Love the imagination; a split pin anchor.
Keep up the good work.
Cheers, crowie

In the excitment of the build, Mel raced to hand in her Sirius model, and discovered that she was a week early

So, the Sirius came home, and went back into dry dock. She sat that way for a couple of days, then this afternoon Mel was reinvigorated and wanted to add more detail.

Some more (random) rigging was first.

Next, she wanted more detail on the deck:

Not much woodworking in this - more crafty.

One raid on Mum's button jar, one raid on Dad's box of little brass bits, and Mel had cannons, a bucket, some coils of rope.

Hatches are cut from the webbing that held bed slats in position.

The chain on deck is for the cattle - according to her research, some of the cannon were moved into the hold, and cattle were brought from South Africa to Australia on deck.

The rear was embellished with a bit of braid from Mum's sewing box, and looks quite appropriate, IMHO.

In a wild departure from historical accuracy, the Sirius was equipped with two "swivelling cannons" on the rear deck, which apparently were accompanied by shouts of "Exterminate! Exterminate!" when fired

OH&S requires lifeboats and oars.

Raiding Mum's button jar, and my box of brass bits provided the makings of a capstan, and a ship's wheel in progress.

We talked about drilling some holes, and having a bit of brass tube poke out as a cannon, but I like her final solution to the cannon flaps - most closed, but a few showing the tip of the muzzle.

Can't wait to see these mounted on the model!!

Cheers,
Andrew