Bristol Pilot Cutter by michael mott - 1/8 scale (POF)

[michael mott]

Good morning Druxey thanks I knew you would appreciate that.

 

Jim, here is the Step by Step as promised.

1) I have mounted a small Jacobs chuck in the three jaw on the Myford, but any small chuck would suffice this could also be done with files in a dremel or similar rotary tool.

 

2) I set up a very fine 60 degree cutting tool for this work (this cutter I use to cut threads normally) taking a .010" cut make the first cut to reduce the diameter. The dial on my cross slide reads 90 on a dial that reads  from 0-100

 

 

3) The second cut is .020" the reading on the dial is 0 my dial does mot compensate for the full diameter so when I move it from 90 to 100 or 0 (back to the beginning) it removes .020 twice the amount on the dial because the material is being removed on the circumference so there is .010 gone on the opposite side to the cutter as well.

 

 

4) The next cut was moved to 5 taking another .010" off.

 

 

5)The next cut was dialed in to 10 so another .010" taken off. I shifted the cutter out and back on this final diameter reduction to ensure that the cutter was not deflecting the screw away from the cutter at the same time it was reducing the diameter these cut are all done by moving the carriage back and forth by using the carriage hand wheel and taking the feed very slowly. I have a carriage stop so that I cannot run into the chuck.

 

 

6)The cutter was left to the chuck side of the screw head and the dial on the cross slide set to 20 thereby moving it .010" toward the body of the screw this was done with the chuck rotating because the tip of the cutter actually engages with the shaft of the screw a fraction, the carriage is then slowly moved away from the chuck cutting the tiny bevel, this is approx 40 degrees or so to suit the angle of the small beveled cutter that I am using as a countersink. Once the cutter is as close to the end of the flat reduced section. (basically the junction between what is left of the rounded portion of the top of the round head screw, and the reduced diameter, The cutter is retracted.

 

 

 

 

7)The carriage is then moved away from the chuck and a final tough up is done with a #4 cut needle file.

 

 

7) This is the result. not perfect but sufficient for what I need.

 

 

I hope this is helpful.

 

Michael

 

[pwallace2]

On 11/5/2018 at 2:35 PM, michael mott said:

I have struggled with the whole radio control issue but have decided to free sail her like the old pond yachts. I am not going to sail her a lot just enough to know that she sails.

It's an old trick but is you tie a string to the bow and launch perpendicular to the wind you can let the boat sail aways and then tug the string and force a tack. 

 

If the boat gets away you happen to have a handy recovery line ready to go. Just make sure there is no surface traffic to run over the line and tangle. 

[popeye the sailor]

awesome progress Michael.......she's look'in really good   

[Jim T]

That's a great tutorial Michael.........thanks. Makes a nice looking screw. I have a Sherline lathe with a collet chuck that would work great for this kind of operation. I think that's what I like about this 1/8 scale..........making parts like this is feasible.

 

Jim

[Bob Cleek]

Having owned a smaller, but similarly rigged boat, a Laurent Giles Vertue, for many years, I'm quite familiar with the same infernal roller reefing gear you have so beautifully recreated on your model. Like most who have inherited the gear, I ultimately "bypassed" it and rigged slab reefing. I realize that you aren't going to be facing the full-scale challenges of the system and it is appropriate to, if not practically characteristic of the pilot cutter type, but I'll mention that the biggest problem with the roller reefing system is that it really requires at least two skilled crew to get it to work as intended. One crewman has to turn the crank while simultaneously lowering the throat and gaff peak halyards in coordination therewith, while the other has to tend the leech of the main, maintaining tension on the leech as it is rolled such that the sail rolls evenly on the boom without naturally creeping towards the gooseneck and making a dog's breakfast of rolling the canvas on the boom, and, unless there be three aboard, tend the helm with a foot at the same time! Some of the difficulty with all that can be minimized if the boom is tapered, with the larger diameter aft, so that it takes up the sail evenly, allowing for the greater length of the leech at the aft end and the shorter length of the luff at the narrower end of the boom. Without the taper of the boom accounting for the sail shape, the reef is rolled in, the end of the boom will droop progressively, ruining the set of the sail, even with the gaff peaked higher, and in some cases even to the point that the boom becomes so low as to foul deck fittings or, God forbid, the helmsman's head.  Of course, the builder must give some thought (and arithmetic) to calculating the degree of taper so it matches the proportion of the luff and leech lengths. On some rolling booms which were not tapered, I've seen six or eight tapered battens fastened to the boom to create the taper necessary to accommodate the shape of the sail. Additionally, although reef points would seem superfluous with a roller reefing rig, some also install these, with reef points long enough to be tied around the boom and rolled sail, to avoid the inevitable stretching which quickly impairs the shape of sail as originally cut when it is routinely reefed over time. This is, of course, much less of a problem with modern synthetic sailcloth than it was with cotton canvas back in the day.

 

Still and all, it wouldn't be a pilot cutter without that roller reefing gooseneck fitting and a beautiful job of it you've done, to be sure!

[michael mott]

Thanks for all the visits and kind remarks and for all the folk who added a like for the work.

Bob Thanks for your observations on the shortcomings of the roller reefing. I have read elsewhere of the difficulties encountered with actually using this system of reefing. And as you also pointed out I will certainly not be dealing with the same issues.

As I indicated in an earlier post my own personal preference is for a loose footed sail, which I have on my full size gaff rigged sailboat.

This is a model and it was certainly fun building the roller reefing and the comb cleat, of course the model will be spending most of its time being looked at rather than sailed. The real fun and challenge is putting in all the lines and blocks etc on with real sails all functional. One of the reasons for raising the pin rail was because I was having difficulty easily cleating off lines with my fingers, I need to be able to belay them without tweezers.

 

Michael

[rwiederrich]

Michael..your work is fantastic......Love the large scale.

Makes use of the mill and lathe a bit easier.

 

Rob

[michael mott]

Thanks Rob.

I did a little test this afternoon to see how the boom fitting would work with the mainsheet set up.

in the vertical position

 

then rotated

 

 

a couple of fun shots

 

 

I need to finish up the companionway next.

 

Michael

[rwiederrich]

On ‎11‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 9:46 PM, michael mott said:

Hello Mark I think that I will be OK on the roller reefing, I had not used any lubricant at all when I first put it together.

 

I worked on the rail for the top of the boom today. After yesterday's dodgy try out with the mini mill I opted for a more tranquil method and made up a shaped sanding stick it was a much faster and safer option. this rail is 36 inches long and only 5/32" by 1/4" in cross section. I used the big mill vice to do the clamping.

 

 

 

I had to change the paper once it is 220 grit.

 

Next up was to file down the end of the boom to fit the rolling main sheet fixture.

 

 

I used one of the drafting templates as a guide for getting the end reduced and round.

 

 

 

the next shot is fuzzy but shows the end fitting in progress the rod in the center is 1/8th diameter with some surplus 3/8 sealed ball races slipped into a 3/8 hole bored into the end of the boom with a forstner bit  guided by a collar jig. then a brass retaining collar to keep the wood together sort of like a chisel ferrule.

 

 

The rod spins like a top.

 

Michael

I see a little railroad action going on against the wall there...*O* scale possibly?

 

Your work is impeccable.

 

Rob

[michael mott]

Good Morning Rob,

Yes you caught a glimpse of one of my other passions. The track you see up against the wall is indeed "O" gauge track. I also have a fair bit of "HO" and more 45mm gauge track. like this.

 

 

 

But Not to hijack my own thread.

I can talk about my interest in model live steam railways and other model railway stuff in shore leave if you are interested.

 

Michael

 

 

[Kurt Johnson]

Mike, You have too many nice toys and are too far away for a playdate! It’s not fair!

 

Kurt

[rwiederrich]

Yes..I do have a sharp eye.  Model trains are my 4th passion too.  Telescope making, and furniture making are in there too.

 

I'd love to engage in a discussion in the non ship forum......

There is a live steam outdoor railroad in my town and it is amazing.

 

I wondered what *Other* contraptions you might be making in that very nice modeling machine shop....

 

Rob

Edited November 9, 2018 by rwiederrich

[druxey]

Michael! That isn't 0-gauge live steam, is it? It reminds me of Emett's Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch railway.

[michael mott]

Rob I will put something together. Druxey no it is 30mm to the foot scale which makes 45mm(1 3/4") gauge the equivalent of 18" gauge at 1:1.

 

Michael

Edited November 9, 2018 by michael mott
spelling

[Jim T]

I would definitely like to see more about your railway. Looks like you know your way around landscaping and gardening as well.

 

Jim

[michael mott]

I worked on the topmast today and that led to reading up on the topmast shrouds and so a cross tree was made out of some fine grained Pine.

 

the first picture shows the new spreaders for the topmast shrouds.

 

 

When I machined the hole for the bottom sheave to set up the hoisting rig I did not get the hole right, it was too long ans off centre so I cut a new stick and decided to cut in the sheave slot before shaping it. screw up #2 I made the slot the same length.

 

 

I embarked on stick #3 this one from some really nice clear spruce I got the bottom sheave done correctly and then started to shape the topmast.

 

 

Using the drafting template for roundness once i got close to the diameter I needed, I began the task of final fitting in order to reach I rolled over the other bench as a platform to stand on.

 

 

This made the fitting easier.

 

 

The topmast has to rise up high enough for the sheave to clear the bolster and leave enough room for the fid. There were a lot of fitting trials befor the sheave cleared. and I seemed to have a problem nearing the finish, then it occurred to me that I was hitting the ceiling because I had left the topmast a little longer. One i removed about 1/2 inch from the top I was able to hoist the mast high enough.

 

 

Feels a bit precarious working up so high.

 

 

 

and an overall shot of the days work.

 

 

That's all for now

 

Michael

[mtaylor]

Looks great Michael.   I think you need a shorter bench or maybe a hole in the ceiling as that looks like a tight fit.

[Bedford]

I guess the sky is not the limit after all the ceiling is!

 

That's an unusual problem to have in the model workshop.

[BANYAN]

Exemplary work as usual Michael; looks great.  Only three goes, you must be a master   I usually need many more.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[michael mott]

glad I'm not having to get paid for this, I would be working for nothing. I have spent almost two days mucking about with making strops and thimbles for a block or two to hoist the topmast I will need to do a bunch more work on the main mast to fit sheaves and fittings for attaching blocks. I will also need to do some more shaping so that the rope doesn't bind when going through the bolster fitting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The thimbe in the rope was spiced some time ago so I did not have to do it. the rope and shackles are temporary so that i can sort out the shape and where to lay the fall.

 

Michael

[SJSoane]

Michael, it looks like the full size boat. Remarkable craftsmanship!

[druxey]

Looks terrific, Michael. Take care when working aloft!

[Mark Pearse]

HI Michael

 

looks amazing, & ever less space to do it in... 

What is the function of the line that runs through the sheave at the bottom of the topmast - & why it does the run through the bottom sheave? 

 

thanks, Mark

[Bedford]

2 hours ago, Mark Pearse said:

HI Michael

 

looks amazing, & ever less space to do it in... 

What is the function of the line that runs through the sheave at the bottom of the topmast - & why it does the run through the bottom sheave? 

 

thanks, Mark

It's to raise and lower the top mast

[BANYAN]

Excellent quality work Michael; it looks very life-like (you must've needed a 'bosun's chair' to get at those top blocks  )

 

cheers

 

Pat

[michael mott]

Thanks for all the visits and likes they are appreciated.

Mark, Steve answered your question for me. The one thing I do have to do to finish the topmast shape, is to make the transition from the square section to the round section much more abrupt, at the moment it is too long and the rope binds there only needs to be a short section where the rope lays in a groove to prevent the square section from binding. 

 

Needing some more blocks and working at different ways to produce a block that will be easy to make and economical in terms of time and materials. It is fun to explore new styles and ways of doing things. back in 2013 I made some blocks this way. using some 1/8" x .025" strip if my memory serves me correctly. The wood was maple and the sheave about 3/8ths diameter.

 

 

I had been looking at the pictures in this catalogue under these blocks.

 

 

and at the time I had not sorted out how to achieve the metal rounded top on them. Fast forward to this week, and having looked at all sorts of wonderful work of rigging parts by Ed Tosti, who uses copper for many of his fittings. I woke up with the idea that maybe I could use copper for this rounded top instead of brass. So I took some heavy copper wire approx 1/16th diameter and annealed it, then flattened each end. this looked promising.

 

 

I cut a few more lengths and flattened the ends leaving approx 1/2" in the middle that was still round This time I flattened the ends in a single squash but needed to anneal it a few times to get it thin enough .020" the next picture shows the sequence to make these new blocks this time the wood is South American boxwood or Castello I cut some strips that were 5/8" wide by 3/32" thick then I stripped off a 1/8" strip from it. the wide section had a 1/8th x .025" trough cut down the center. they are just visible on the left side.

Beginning on the right side 

1) wood blanks cut from the strips, sheave cut from 3/8 brass rod bored out to .054", and flattened copper.

2) the wood has been glued together with Tightbond III glue, the copper as been folded by hand around a 3/32" steel rod.

3) the copper was pinched in the vice with a slab of 3/32" brass filler between the flattened ends and the 3/32" steel rod as the guide for depth.

4) the copper was slipped into the slots in the assembled block, and then drilled through with a .046" bit this hole was then opened up gradually with the tapered reamer which was held in a small three jaw chuck to save my fingers from getting blistered from twisting the small knurled handle of the reamer.

5) after the hole was drilled the copper was pulled out again and the elipse template was used to draw the shape of the block, which was then cut out with the jewelers saw.

6 is the final block after using a holder to sand and shape the individual blocks.

 

 

This is the small holder made from the same stock thickness as the layers of the block.

 

 

And finally three of the blocks they are not identical and I am OK with that as I make more they will become more consistent.

 

 

Michael 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2018 by michael mott
place images

[druxey]

Nice internal strops, Michael!

[paulsutcliffe]

Beautifully done Michael 

[BANYAN]

Stunning!  very nice blocks Michael.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Bedford]

Mate, you never stop raising the bar!