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usedtosail

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Everything posted by usedtosail

  1. usedtosail
    I glued the frames to the keel using Lego blocks to hold them perpendicular to the keel. Remember that the keel is balsa wood and very thin in places, so much care was taken in this process. I was able to get them all on without breaking the keel so I was very happy. The next step was to glue two chine strips to the frames. I pre-bent the forward ends of the strips so there was no tension on the frames because with that balsa keel it can be bent very easily. I first put the keel in the clamp to help keep it straight, then glued the strips to each frame one at a time and at the same time, so I could check the straightness of the keel as I went. I used medium CA glue so that I could hold them by hand instead of clamping them. After about an hour I had them glued to all the frames. I also experimented with making some bevels for the instrument panel from aluminum round stock on the lathe. Here is my first attempt compared to the decal that is supposed to represent the dash. The outside diameter matches the decal when measured but the bevel looks too thick so I will try making them thinner.
  2. usedtosail
    Really beautiful, Doc. Great job.
  3. usedtosail
    Here are all the frames with the thickness pieces added. Next is to add them to the keel, which has the pieces that hold the pedestals glued on.
  4. usedtosail
    Excellent job on the lashings. Those are tricky to do. Your boat is coming along beautifully.
  5. usedtosail
    Thanks all. It was a fun boat to make.
  6. usedtosail
    Here is what the contents of the kit look like. The instructions seem good and pretty straight forward. I am also using the book shown as a guide, even though it is not this kit that they use in the book. I forgot to mention that I am making this as a static model so no RC components. The laser cut sheets are either mahogany for the pieces that show or balsa for the frame structure. I have not used balsa before like this so it is going to be interesting. The fittings are urethane and look pretty bad. One if the blades on the prop is deformed, for instance. I bought some chrome spray paint so maybe they will look better after they are cleaned up but I will most likely try making new metal parts instead. Another problem you can see if you look closely at the top mahogany sheet is that the deck planks are laser printed onto the deck. This would be fine except that there should be white caulking between the planks, like the picture on the book cover shows. I may try cutting the deck planks out of the deck frame and plank them with the caulking. The supplied decals are stick on, not the kind you soak in water, so we will see how they work out. I haven't done any plastic modeling since I was a kid so some aspects of this kit are out of my comfort zone, but it will be fun learning.' The kit supplied a flimsy plastic display board, but while cleaning the workshop I found this piece of oak that I will use instead. At least the supplied pedestals are wood. The first steps are to add thickness pieces to the frames and gluing them to the keel. I have pics of that later.
  7. usedtosail
    And now for something completely different. My wife gave me this kit for Christmas a few years ago. Since we live on a lake in New Hampshire it seems obligatory to have a wooden speedboat on display somewhere, so this will be it. I'll show box contents in the next post.
  8. usedtosail
    Thanks Popeye. Here is the model in the case ready to be delivered to my son.
  9. usedtosail
    I have the case just about finished. I assembled the panels then attached the back to the two sides. I put some 1/4" square pieces on the base board to hold the cover in place then removed the plastic and cleaned the inside surfaces of all the Plexiglas. I then attached the front to the two sides, then the top to all the sides. I need to attach the cradle to the base board and it will be ready to put the model in.
  10. usedtosail
    I bought this mill a few years ago new and have used it a few times but now it has been sitting idle in the workshop for a while and I'd like to offer it for sale. The mill comes with 6 collets and originally 3 bits, but I am down to 2 as the 1/32" bit broke. I also have a drill bit holder, the machine vice, and the dividing attachment. New these add up to over $500 USD but I am asking $350 USD for all. I will ship this anywhere in the US, and may consider shipping to other countries if the process is not too difficult. I will provide my phone number via PM if you want to talk about it. I do have a Paypal account so I'd like to use that for any potential sale. Ask questions here or via PM. Thanks so much.
  11. usedtosail
    I have been working on the case all week, since buying the wood last weekend. The base board is an edge glued pine board that I bought at Lowes. I used a small round over bit in the router to round over the top edges. The cover will be made from 5 panels of plexiglas framed in 3/4" by 1/2" poplar frames. I bought a few 1x2 poplar boards and ripped them down to 1/2" on the big table saw. I used a dado blade on the the saw to cut lap joints into the ends of each frame. I made a mortice jig for the router and used it to cut the slot down the center of one side of each frame piece for the plexiglas to fit in. To avoid splitting where the cut goes into the lap joints, I only cut to about 1/4" from the lap joints. I then used the mill with the same router bit to finish the cuts on each end. I bought a sheet of plexiglas at Lowes that I cut into the panel pieces on the big table saw using a saw blade for plywood. I am now in the process of sanding the frame pieces. Here are the some of the frame pieces on the base board.
  12. usedtosail
    Thanks EJ and Peter. I am giving this model to my son to put on his fireplace mantel as he bought his first house last year. We will be celebrating Thanksgiving there this year for the first time, so the next generation is stepping up, which is nice. Thanks for all the likes too.
  13. usedtosail
    Thank you all.
  14. usedtosail
    As promised here are a few better pictures. I will put these and more in the gallery too.
  15. usedtosail
    Thanks Fernando. This was a fun kit and much different than any other models I have done. It is now completed. Here is a quick pic but tomorrow I will set up the back drop and take some better ones. I still have to make the case so I will still have a few more entries on this log. Thanks for all the great advice and interest in this build. One thing I forgot to mention, but anyone building this kit in the future you should know that the supplied line is very inadequate. I ended up making my own for mist of the lines and used four different sizes.
  16. usedtosail
    I finished the main sail and attached it to the lanteen yard along with all the lines and blocks. I then passed the two yard halyards through the block at the top of the mast. I then had to seize two blocks to the end of the line for the yard halyard tackle. I will seize the tackle lines to the blocks next then set the yard to the right height and tie the control lines to keep it in position. I am getting close to the end now. Once the yard is in position I will take measurements for the case. I should be starting to build the case by the end of next week.
  17. usedtosail
    Thanks Fernando. It makes sense to keep the tiller from flopping around. I am still not sure why blocks are needed except to make it easier to adjust the heading? I have finished installing the shrouds and the jib sail. I was able to loop the excess shroud lines around the belaying pins a few times and used some Dulcoat lacquer to hold them in place while I hung an alligator clip as a weight. When I removed the clips the coils stayed in place nicely, so I don't have to make separate rope coils for these. The jib lines all end at cleats on the deck, so after I tied these off to the cleats I brushed on some lacquer to hold them and later cut the lines at the cleats. I made separate rope coils for these and used them to cover the rope ends. You can see one of these coils on the port cleat in front of the mast. The other coils are still drying so not installed yet. I am also getting the yard ready for the main sail. I added the blocks to the yard and some of the sail furling lines. I have the main sail cut out and ready to sew the seams and seam lines so I should have that ready to go tomorrow.
  18. usedtosail
    I sewed the seams on the jib sail today and was pleased with the result. I then drew light pencil lines on the back of the sail where the seams are using a piece of manila folder material that I cut to the width between seams. I then used the sewing machine to sew the seam lines. Here is the completed sail. I am really happy with it so now I will make the main sail the same way. I have also started rigging, first with the shrouds on the mast. I have the tackle lines rigged but not tightened yet. I also am in the process of remaking the single shroud on the starboard side because it was noticeably shorter than the rest. Here is another curious feature on this boat. There is a tackle on the starboard side of the rudder, and just a line on the port side. I am really not sure why a tackle is needed or what this rigging is supposed to accomplish. If anyone knows please let me know. Maybe it is just a way to hold the rudder without having to man the tiller?
  19. usedtosail
    I experimented with sewing the sails using a sewing machine that my mother had back in the 60s. The thing works great after all these years and just needed a little cleaning. I even found the manual for it on the Singer web site. I am going to make the jib first and see how it comes out. I started by using the template to mark the sail on the fabric. I went around the marked line with anti fray solution and cut out the sail after it dried. I cut it out larger than the actual size and folded the edges to size, using a steam iron to hold the folds down. It worked pretty well. Next I will make the cringles on the bolt rope, then try sewing the seams with the bolt rope in them. If I don't like how they come out I will make a new one and glue the seams closed instead. But first my wife and I are going for a bike ride on this beautiful Fall afternoon.
  20. usedtosail
    I finished the lanteen yard so it is ready for the sails. I remade the yolk piece because the kit supplied piece was about .5mm thick. This one is 2mm which is what the plans show. I fixed all the wrappings with Dulcote Lacquer. In the past I have used thin CA but I am trying the get away from it for fixing knots and the lacquer seems to work well so far. And it dries nice and clear. For the sails I have made two patterns from the plans. The jib is shown full size on the plans but the main sail is shown at 1:3 reduction, so I had to enlarge it on the photo copier and stitch the parts together. Not too hard to do since there are so many straight lines on the sail plans. I want to make the bolt rope out of one piece of line so I made a really long line on the rope walk for the main sail. In my new workshop I have a really long counter that I can run the rope walk on so I can make lengths about 6 feet now. Now I need to decide how to represent the panel lines on the sails. The instructions say not only to sew them but to make them very prominent, which goes against everything I have read about model sails. I will probably just draw them on the fabric like I have done in the past. I finished up the deck furniture except for the oars which I am still painting. I put the boat onto the cradle I built for it (no more socks to have to look at) and glued down the barrels, capstan bars, boat hook, grill cover, bucket, and hatch cover. I also glued the tiller to the rudder and hung the rudder on the gudgeons. I also added the eyebolts and belaying pins to the rails. I used a smaller diameter brass rod for the pins than the 2mm diameter pieces that came with the kit. They looked too thick in my opinion. So now its sail making and rigging. I have also started drawing up the plans for the case I will make for this model.
  21. usedtosail
    Thanks Fernando. I installed the mast and added the block and tip. It really rakes very much forward. In the second picture you should be able to see the brass sheaves in the block. I made the three dowel pieces of the lanteen yard and glued them together. I tried using wood clamps to hold them together but they kept rolling out of alignment so I used these magnets on a sheet of metal which held them nicely. There are other pieces that get attached to the yard which I will add when these dry. There are also wraps of line around these dowel pieces that I need to add too. In the mean time I have started making the two oars. Soon it will time to make the sails - the kit supplies material to make them but it is a bit thick so I may use some thinner cotton that I have left over from the Constitution build (the sails I never added).
  22. usedtosail
    I know if you use Stay Brite solder it will blacken in the blackening solution. There was a resent discussion on MSW on blackening techniques especially after soldering.
  23. usedtosail
    I finished up the bow sprit today and started the mast over the weekend. Here is the bow sprit installed with the brass strip that holds it down to the deck. You can also see the anchor and anchor line that I added. The anchor came from the kit but the line is extra I had from another kit. The supplied line looked more like twine than rope. I used some white glue and weights to get the line to hang a little more naturally. I used my lathe with a steady rest to hold the dowel while I tapered it. I gave the dowel a coat of wipe on poly and painted the block and tip white. I turned the tip from a chunk of boxwood earlier today. I am now working on the lanteen yard, which consists of 3 dowels tied together, with 2 of those tapered. These are rather long so I tapered them in sections using a sharp file instead of a cutting tool.
  24. usedtosail
    Thanks Popeye. That's a good question. I am not familiar with these boats at all so I am just going by the plans.
  25. usedtosail
    I attached the bulkhead hooks to the hull by gluing them and adding a couple of nails. I also made the other hooks on the hull that are used to pull the boats up on the beach. I tried using the supplied brass round stock for these but I could not get the bend to look right. I had some aluminum round stock that was about the same diameter so I used that instead. It bent much better and blackened nicely. I attached these with four nails each after milling the flats and drilling the holes on the mill.I cleaned up the two anchor pieces and am in the process of painting them black. I also started working on the bow sprit. I started by milling two flats on the end of a dowel, then milling a matching slot in another short piece of dowel. I rounded the end of that piece and flattened the bottom to sit flat on the deck. I then switched the mill to the lathe and tapered the bow sprit with a tenon on the thin end to attach the block. I am in the process of making the blocks for the bow sprit and mast. The bow sprit block has a single sheave and the mast block has two sheaves. I started with rectangular pieces for each of them and first milled the slots for the sheaves. I then turned the pieces 90 degrees and drilled the holes for the sheave axes. I put the mill back into the lathe configuration and used the cutting tool to round the corners off, then a file and sandpaper to round the outside end. For the inside end I used the angle of the cutting tool to roughly cut the taper, then I removed the piece from the chuck, cut the block off the blank and finished rounding the end by hand. I squared up the ends of the slots with a small square file. I am sure there are a lot of you guys that can make these with hand tools but I am very happy to have a mill/lathe to make them. I still need to paint these blocks, add the sheaves, and make the tip of the bow sprit to complete it.

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