R-34 scale model project... Measuring and cutting out the ring disc formers

The next step was to pin the vertical keel blank directly over the work plan board so I could start assembly of the model. Then I took one of the half horizontal keel blanks and glued it on the axial line of the vertical keel at a 90 degree angle. After that I started to make the former discs. I  did this by measuring the radius of each ring number on my reference drawing with a good metal compass with a ball point pen mounted in it, instead of a pencil. Pens draw easier on balsa wood than a pencil does, with alot less point pressure. I transferred the setting on the compass and drew the circles onto the balsa, cut them out using an X-acto knife with a # 11 blade in the handle, and labeled each disc with its corresponding number on each quarter of the disc. This is because each complete disc must be cut into quarters for fitting in between the horizontal and vertical keels. The mid ship ring discs were pretty much all the same size. As you got towards the nose and the stern of the model, they got progressively smaller.

 Building it on the plan board like this, you can only start out building the right side of the hull, at first.

Above picture shows me putting a disc quarter in place. Sometimes, even after precisely measuring the rings on the plan, the discs still would not fit right. They would sometimes be too big or too small. I would have to either remove material from one of the flat edges, if it was too big, or add a straight shim to one of the flat edges of the quarter disc if it was too small. All the edges of the discs must be even with the edges of the keels for the shape of the overall hull to not be "lumpy".

The rest of these images show the progression of the making and installation of the quarter ring discs to the keels of the half-hull.

This bottom picture shows the completed port side keel and former assembly, with the starboard horzontal keel, and remaining quarter ring discs laying on the table in the ziplock bag, waiting to be assembled on the other side of the hull once it is unpinned and removed from the work plan board.

Jim.