A nautical themed table to hold a ship model.

johnpombrio, member

11 users recommend

A nautical themed table for a wooden model of the USS Constitution that I bought.

That a real block from EBay (as was the ship- the RedSun store sells these beautiful wooden ships)

I believe that this was my first (and 147th) half lap joint after 25 years of woodworking!

The working ropes including the homemade belaying pins.

A nautical themed table for a wooden model of the USS Constitution that I bought.

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A nautical themed table for a wooden model of the USS Constitution that I bought. The table has a hatch cover, standing ropes, working ropes, a block and belaying pins.

The rigging actually holds the table together as I have used unglued Festool Dominos to hold it in place. The top and the top rails are made of quited maple, the legs ar teak. A teak oil finish. I found the block on E-Bay.

As I did not want to actually TAR the standing ropes, I dyed the rope black (ever boil rope? yep, my first too). I hedged my bets and put a couple of blocks to attach the top to the legs just in case someone actually pulls OUT the belaying pins and lets the rigging collapse.

I tried to keep the details sparse and the finish minimal as would be found on a working ship.

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Comments (8)

Rich67 writes: Hi There John,

I was actually more interested in the boat. I build these types of ships as a hobby. Have a few. Cheers Rich
Posted: 10:04 am on October 26th

johnpombrio writes: Thank you Ed. Funny that you should mention balance with this piece. The dimensions were dictated more by the function than by deliberate intent. Table height of course is easy, and the top was built with a hatch in mind (say for a ladder going down or an attic hatch). The legs were a completely different matter. I was going to center the cross rail that holds the belaying pins on the leg but then realized that a standard length of belaying pin (15 inches) would have to be built into place and could not be removed! This also would have brought the block up higher under the table top. By lowering the cross rail, I solved both issues and indeed, helped the look of the table.
Strange when even a table requires the form to follow the function.
Posted: 10:12 pm on September 15th

johnpombrio writes: To Old Shavings,
I had to laugh. At 60 cents a foot for the rope, I did not want to cut any more off! Actually, on a working ship, there would always be extra rope coiled over the belaying pins. Think about it, you pull the belaying pin out and you have 2 feet of rope to hold onto a whipping sail? Nah, you need the 10 foot or so for the hands to help hoist. When fully snugged up, there will be a ton of rope left over (see the link below)
I like the way the coil looks. To me, it looks like it is ready to be used, to be grabbed onto. This is one time when symmetry is not the way to go. Mind you, on the other side of the table is the standing rope (the fixed, tarred rope on a ship). That IS symmetrical and evenly balanced, as it should be.
http://www.infobritain.co.uk/Portsmouth_Historic_Dockyard.htm
(notice the hatch cover leaning on the side of the deck rails- SLIGHTLY larger and thicker than mine is)
Posted: 9:58 pm on September 15th

Ed__Hobbick writes: In fact, very nice, now that I look at it some more.
Posted: 8:03 pm on September 15th

Ed__Hobbick writes: Nice work, nice nautical table, nice balance.
Posted: 8:02 pm on September 15th

OldShavings writes: The truly original pieces are scattered on this gallery. Few are as original and yet traditional as this marvelous project.

Even though I like this table, I have to ask: is that coil of rope essential? It seems to stick out a bit and draw attention to itself as the expense of the table. (A petty observation about a fantastic table.)
Posted: 7:13 am on September 15th

johnpombrio writes: Thanks!
Heh, I have been on the USS Constitution several times and I make sure to bring my bicycle helmet with me. Those lower deck beams are LOW!
I also had a couple of season passes to Mystic Seaport here in CT. The Charles Morgan is a fine ship to see a true working sailing ship. They even furl and unfurl the mainsail on a regular basis. It's nice to spend as much time as I want checking out how they built and ran the ship.
The best part is to see the woodworking that went into building a wooden sailing ship. All the joints are massive and built to take stresses that would splinter any joint I have ever made. If you are lucky, they may be building or restoring something in the cavernous workshop barn. Well worth the trip.

Posted: 12:11 pm on September 13th

CMaxNavy writes: John,
Fantastic piece! I'm an old salt (25 years Navy) and I greatly appreciate the theme you pulled together to honor the Navy's oldest and still commissioned ship! If you get the opportunity to visit Old Ironsides, ask if you can pull the trigger on the 0800 morning cannon shot! They'll even give you the 40mm casing after the shot! CDR Maxwell
Posted: 10:59 am on September 13th

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