Is there a rule for thickness of formers

[doctormax]

Just wondering this, is there a rule of thumb that should be followed for thickness of formers on ships depending on size.

[Darwin]

Doctormax, I don't think one exists....but, if I were making the rules, I would say 1/16 inch of former thickness per foot of hull length. Since for very large models, this makes for thicker formers than I would prefer to cut with hand tools, I would consider going with a different material (like foamboard) to give the strength needed with less thickness. That's just one builder's opinion........

[dansls1]

Wilhelmshaven waterline models use standard card for formers and are pretty strong with no additional backing on the formers - so I suppose it depends on a lot of factors (size, scale, full hull or waterline, design method, spacing of formers, etc).

[Moshe]

Originally Posted by doctormax

Just wondering this, is there a rule of thumb that should be followed for thickness of formers on ships depending on size.

I do not know of any rules, except this one. If a former has a slit in it, where another former is to be inserted, than the thickness of the first former, should not be greater than the width of the slit in the second former. Otherwise, they will not fit.

[doctormax]

thanks all that is a great help really i was stuck wondering about how to do the formers just i was looking at a model size discription for building a wood model and it was five millimeter thick for the formers i suppose that was for using the pins that wood modelers would use.