The planking of the ship is one of the most tedious but rewarding processes. By laying each of the individually cut slats in place, the model starts to come to life. The stern area was probably the most difficult part to plank, and I had to heat and sometimes steam my planks to shape them. The wood used was apple. The deck, which is made of maple, was ultimately glued down in the same manner, with a time consuming but important extra step. I rub a charcoal pencil along each edge. This represents