ChrisLBren

Great tutorial - Im still stuck on these on my LGV build - which has spacers between the extensions as you know makes it more complex.  Nice work !!!!

Nice work - personally I would go with a shellac - my favorite finish - either a blonde or garnet if you want darker.  Its so easy to apply and you can make you own mixture using flakes and alcohol.  

Still struggling with this decision.  I personally believe the Taig Mill is better than the Sherline - our late friend Jim B steered me that direction.  Im not sure about the lathe though.  The Taig Lathe is half of the price of the Sherline however the Sherline gets better reviews online and has DRO.  Hard call - I did sell my Proxxon MF70, Preac Saw, and Unimat to help pay for this purchase.  The other route I could go is buy a wood lathe and the Taig for metal work which could be less than the price of the Sherline.  

I will probably buy the Taig with the Power feed and long bed to compliment the Taig Mill.  I  While Sherline has more accessories, Taigs tools are just more robust and solid in my opinion and can be customized with after market parts. 

I may end up keeping this one - I love my Taig but for smaller parts it may make sense to hold on to it.  

This one looks to be sold as well !

Looks like its sold to another member on the forum !  If anything changes I will let you know

Hi Group,

As I use my Taig Mill exclusively, this is another tool that needs a home.  Works great, however for larger scales - 1/36 and above its a bit small for my needs.  Any offers are appreciated via PM

Hi Group,

Selling my first table top modeling saw - the Preac.  It works great, especially for those wanting to get into scratch building/kit bashing.  In fact I built my entire scratch build Chucks Confederacy using it.  Please PM me if interested.  I use my Byrnes saw exclusively, and this one is collecting dust.  It could use a good home.

Hi Group,

Great tool I purchased off another modeler on this site and never set up.  I am buying a Taig Lathe to compliment my Taig Mill and thought I would offer this one up to a collector.  It works great - just needs some clean up.  I am not sure if the second motor works.  These tools do fetch a decent price on ebay so only serious offers please via private chat.  Thanks !

Hey Group 

Any ideas/tips ?  I love my Taig Mill and want to equip it with a DRO.  There are several Chinese kits out there.  Just curious if anyone here has experience with these or installing one on a Taig.  Thanks.

Thanks guys - I can get a nice Taig lathe for my purposes around 700 with the power feed function and same collets the Mill uses.  I also really want to find a good DRO for my Taig Mill.  Thats the one advantage Sherline has over the Taig by offering that option as an install in my opinion.  

Hi Group,

I purchased an Emco Unimat 3 with an extra motor and milling attachment a few years ago from a fellow member and never set it up.  Last year I purchased a Taig Mill and love it - its sturdy and powerful with a long bed.  It was ready right out of the box without any modifications and has been used extensively on my Le Gros Ventre build.

I am considering selling the Unimat on ebay and buying a new metal lathe - not only for ship building but also to turn wooden pens for clients.  I am leaning towards another Taig  However I am curious about the Sherline as I have heard its a terrific lathe.  I am new at wood and metal turning so want one thats a good intro model I can grow with.

Thanks for any opinions here.

Nice work Chris - I know what you mean Ancre plans.  They are so accurate - I made the same mistake leaving too much fat on the stern part assemblies on my Le Gros Ventre build and after a half dozen failed attempts I learned - the more accurate your parts are to the plans including the bevels/bias - the better the results.  And less sanding !!!

Chris

No dovetails for me on the wing transom.  They're not necessary and posed way too much of a risk when creating that part - and now even riskier now the assembly is complete !

Thanks for the advice on the extensions Mark.

Thanks everyone - I will attempt the hawse extensions next.  Im just trying to wrap my head around the approach and understanding the plans here.  I believe one must plane the blanks to the proper angle first, then cut out the pattern.  The biases are then added once the pieces are in a jig that depicts the tops of the extensions and their positions on the curve.

Good morning Group,

After some spending some time in the doldrums, I have restarted Le Gros Ventre and spent the past month working on this assembly.  I probably built each part a half dozen times...

Decisions, do I begin the installation of the frames or tackle the other really tough part of the build, the hawse extensions?

Love it Chuck - so simple but effective !!!!

Great advice and gorgeous model !!!!

Hey Group,

I am wondering if there is a full proof way to avoid this.  I am notching pearwood using a mill and sometimes experience chipping on the cut. Right now my mill is set at a high speed at 10000 RPM and I am using new mill bits.  Do I need to reduce speed here or just making many small passes at a time for each notch ?  

Thanks !

6 minutes ago, Jaager said:

Tung oil will go over a shellac base, so you have burned no bridges.

If you do not wish to wait for pure Tung oil to polymerize naturally

Sutherland Wells offers a variety of already partially polymerized Tung oil - and now they have 4 oz sample sizes that will not break the bank.

https://www.sutherlandwelles.com/original.html

Thanks for the tip Jaager - I just want a full proof finish on a fully framed model other than poly or tung - I may try some darker shellac flakes and or a wax finish to try to achieve the look I want with my pear wood.  Stand by for some more tests.

So far after two coats of 1lb blonde shellac on some scraps Im not happy with it - I think I will mix up to a 2lb cut.  Its almost a "non finish" at this point after buffing in between coats with steel wool.  

I do like the pure tung oil finish better at this point however dont want to give up yet.  I also understand many modelers use a wax finish as an alternative.  I am a fan of more natural finishes than a poly finish.  

Any tips are appreciated as always.

Hi Group,

I bought some blonde shellac flakes at Rockler to experiment with on Black Friday.  I am wondering for those of you who use this finish what sort of cut rate you use.  Many recommend a two lb cut rate however I wonder if this is too thick.  I created my first batch at a 1lb cut rate and would rather build up a finish than lay on one that is too thick.  

Any advice is appreciated !

Chris

That model looks terrible in my opinion - a bastardized attempt at accurate construction.  Build the Caldercraft model or Chris's design with Amati if it ever sees the light of day

Look forward to it Mic !  Welcome back