Making hull templates from plans?

If you're planning to do a plank on bulkhead (or frame) style model, make a copies of the half breadth plan and glue them to plastic card, posterboard (my preference) or foam core. 

Cut the copied plans to a set height above the highest point shown on the plan; you want this cut to be at perpendicular to the plane center line.  Then cut the plan down the centerline.  Next cut plan to the line that indicates the widest station (or bulkhead), this is your bulkhead template. 

On your "good" material for making bulkeads, use a square along one edge and draw a series of lines at least twice the width of the various station - these will become bulkhead centerlines.   

Take your bulkhead template, and line the centerline edge to the centerline you drew on the good material; align the top edge with the edge of your good material.  Trace along the outside edge of your template.  Flip the template over, like turning the page of a book; and align the top and centerline edges again.  Trace the outside edge of your template.  Take your template, and cut along the next station line, and repeat aligning the centerline and top edges and tracing out the bulkheads.  Now cut out your bulkheads and attach them to the keel or your building jig, and plank the model.

vonBerlichingen wrote:

Hi, this is probably a very basic question, but I have not found all that much in the way of clear instructions. How can one make hull templates from a set of plans? Photocopying the plans once for each template, and then cutting a different template from each copy seems like one obvious approach. The paper templates could then be mounted on and reinforced with plastic card. What are some other ways? vonB.

That is one method.   I've used that.  Take the half-breadth plans and attach them plastic card.  Cut to shape then attach them to the elevation plan at the indicated station locations.  Be sure to account for the thickness of the plastic card that is the elevation plan.    Account too for the thickness of any skinning material.

Other options involve the sets of lines from the waterline plan and the buttline plan.  Both involve the bread & butter method.  Mark and cut lifts of the plan (waterline of buttline) using a  wood or other material of desired thickness.  Bass wood or Linden wood as it is known in Europe is good because it is fine grained and cuts and sands well.   Glue the lifts together, stacking them up like you would making a sandwich with bread & butter.  Carve and sand the lifts to shape.  Use the half-breadth lines to check your progress.