Landlubber Mike

Thanks everyone!  I'll keep an eye out on for how it handles drilling and cutting.  It seemed to do ok on the quick test planks I cut on the table saw, though I noticed it did have a tendency to chip the wood at the entry point of the saw.  At the current thickness of 1.5mm, it seems to hold up ok.  Getting it down to 0.5mm was a different story though, as it curled, cracked, etc.  I'll probably try to keep it at a width no less than 0.75mm.
 
Gregory, love the model, very nice!  I too am a fan of natural wood.  And good eye on those sample planks - I do believe I cut them across the grain with the small sample piece I cut off the sheet.

This company also offers dyed veneer sheets as well.  The colors looked really nice.  A potential option if one wants to avoid paint.  I know some kits come with dyed strips (my Corel Unicorn kit, for example, came with strips already dyed black).
 
https://sveneers.com/wood-veneers/dyed-wood-veneer/
 
Given the flexibility, seems like this kind of material is a great option as opposed to fighting wood that doesn't want to bend.  One issue perhaps is that these veneers are normally on the thinner side.

I picked up some cherry veneer from Woodcraft a few months ago.  One of the packets is the typical reddish color, the other is almost a golden orange color when oiled.  I'm thinking of using the latter for the upper hull and decking of my La Renommee build which contrasts nicely with the dark walnut I picked up from Crown Timberyard - here are some pictures:
 

 
Is there any issue with using "veneer" material for models?  The stuff I bought is very flexible, almost like thick paper.  To give some idea, I sanded it down in my Byrnes thickness sander and it started curling around the roller at around 0.5mm.  I'm used to wood that you have to heat/soak etc. to get bends, but this stuff is almost too flexible.  What I can't tell is whether the sheets are crimped with micro-cuts to help with flexibility or not.  Seems like I can sand out the machining marks to get a smooth finish so I'm tempted to use it as it's the color I have been looking for.
 
Any tips or experiences with using similar products?  Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything before laying down the first deck planking.  Thanks! 

Hi Mike,
 
Thanks. With that counter I'd make one curved cut first then find I didn't have a straight reference point for the next curve, so I'd redo it, forgetting about yet another curve in another plane. I swear this thing is from the fourth dimension.
 
I've had that protractor for years, but I don't actually use it all that often. I don't think it's especially accurate, (it was quite cheap) but it seems to be just fine for this application.
 
I've been over John's build log many times as well as his photos which are a valuable resource. There are some very minor differences between the photos and the plans, so I'll have to make some decisions when I get a little further along. Thanks for your offer. I may have to call on you to clarify something that is just out of camera range in John's pictures.
 
David 

That was the other thing I forgot. The Curling. It was terrible when using PVA, it would just roll up in a circle. Had to use CA no other choice. Laid it down about three inches at a time workingbthe CA under with a toothpick.

Thanks everyone!  I'll keep an eye out on for how it handles drilling and cutting.  It seemed to do ok on the quick test planks I cut on the table saw, though I noticed it did have a tendency to chip the wood at the entry point of the saw.  At the current thickness of 1.5mm, it seems to hold up ok.  Getting it down to 0.5mm was a different story though, as it curled, cracked, etc.  I'll probably try to keep it at a width no less than 0.75mm.
 
Gregory, love the model, very nice!  I too am a fan of natural wood.  And good eye on those sample planks - I do believe I cut them across the grain with the small sample piece I cut off the sheet.

Thanks everyone!  I'll keep an eye out on for how it handles drilling and cutting.  It seemed to do ok on the quick test planks I cut on the table saw, though I noticed it did have a tendency to chip the wood at the entry point of the saw.  At the current thickness of 1.5mm, it seems to hold up ok.  Getting it down to 0.5mm was a different story though, as it curled, cracked, etc.  I'll probably try to keep it at a width no less than 0.75mm.
 
Gregory, love the model, very nice!  I too am a fan of natural wood.  And good eye on those sample planks - I do believe I cut them across the grain with the small sample piece I cut off the sheet.

Hello All,
Thank you all very much for checking in, comments, likes etc. I have a bit of progress to report. The keel is assembled, bulkheads added, mast slots readied and bow blocks and counter installed.
 
In the past I've been a bit negligent about preparing the slots for the masts at this early stage, but this time I've looked after it and I think it will pay off. I added shims to the slots to hold the masts more or less at the proper angles. It's a lot easier now than trying to measure the angle when the deck is filled with furniture etc. which is my usual m.o.
 
The bow blocks were easy enough to do, but for some reason I had a hard time with the counter. I normally have no trouble reading and understanding the plans when they are showing in two dimensions how something will look in three dimensions,  but some reason I couldn't wrap my head around how this one was supposed to look. It took a couple of tries, but I think I now have an acceptable result.
 
The stern blocks are almost finished and ready to add.
David

Being a fan of natural wood, I like to use veneer for variety and contrast.  It also facilitates spiling if that is your thing..
 
Here is a sample of a work in progress.

 
 
With reference to your comment on flexibility, your sample planks above, appear to have been cut across the grain.
That would certainly impart a flexibility that might not be desirable in some situations.
 
 
 

If the veneer is rotary cut - most is - it will tend to curl, particularly when dampened.

Master Korabel kits use all veneer wood, while it make things easy as far as attaching ceilings and hull planking it splits just looking at it, will rip out very easy with a drill. It looks great just be very careful when attaching parts to it that require drilling or cutting. Others may have had different experiences. This is mine.

I bought a 4 foot by 18 inch roll of Swiss Pear veneer a while back hoping to use it to plank small boats. it looks like it would be perfect for that.

Hi Mike - I used cherry veneer to plank the lower hull on my present build & it came out great. My only issue was cutting strips off the veneer sheet without a wavy edge.  I got a strip cutter from Micro-Mark that worked pretty good after changing the blade from a pointed one to a rounded one - the pointed blade wanted to follow the grain while the rounded one didn`t. A metal straight edge clamped down on the veneer would probably work also.  I did have to cut spiled planks for the bow area - as flexible as this stuff is,It still doesn`t like to edge bend. Obviously, the underlayment needs to be very smooth - any little bumps or dips will show.  The best part is - a package of 4 sheets from my local wood store is only about 15$ US.  
 
Mark

This company also offers dyed veneer sheets as well.  The colors looked really nice.  A potential option if one wants to avoid paint.  I know some kits come with dyed strips (my Corel Unicorn kit, for example, came with strips already dyed black).
 
https://sveneers.com/wood-veneers/dyed-wood-veneer/
 
Given the flexibility, seems like this kind of material is a great option as opposed to fighting wood that doesn't want to bend.  One issue perhaps is that these veneers are normally on the thinner side.

I picked up some cherry veneer from Woodcraft a few months ago.  One of the packets is the typical reddish color, the other is almost a golden orange color when oiled.  I'm thinking of using the latter for the upper hull and decking of my La Renommee build which contrasts nicely with the dark walnut I picked up from Crown Timberyard - here are some pictures:
 

 
Is there any issue with using "veneer" material for models?  The stuff I bought is very flexible, almost like thick paper.  To give some idea, I sanded it down in my Byrnes thickness sander and it started curling around the roller at around 0.5mm.  I'm used to wood that you have to heat/soak etc. to get bends, but this stuff is almost too flexible.  What I can't tell is whether the sheets are crimped with micro-cuts to help with flexibility or not.  Seems like I can sand out the machining marks to get a smooth finish so I'm tempted to use it as it's the color I have been looking for.
 
Any tips or experiences with using similar products?  Just want to make sure I'm not missing anything before laying down the first deck planking.  Thanks! 

The following is my build log for MarisStella's Liburnian Novilara. MarisStella has recently re-designed this kit somewhat and has added new instructions and step by step drawings to help guide you through the build, it also still comes complete with detailed plans.
 I do not have pictures of the box opening as it did not arrive in a box as such but I can assure all material is of top quality and up to the usual high standard MarisStella has set for itself.
 I would rate this kit as a junior plus or possibly even an intermediate .
The hull is single planked as is the deck (no plywood), planks are all walnut. Keel and bulkheads are laser cut from plywood and posed no problems fitting together. One of the many features of this kit is the partial carving of the figurehead. MarisStella does supply the pieces for you to get the basic shape but the final shaping is done by hand which proved to be lots of fun.
 Rigging is fairly basic, however quite different from the ships of later years. For instance rather than shrouds there are three back stays on either side, no rat lines to tie!! There is also a sewn sail included which adds to the rigging but is not that difficult to install.
 Overall this was a real enjoyable build and I would recommend it to anyone, especially for those who are looking for something a little different from the normal battleship and want a completion in a relatively short time.
 I hope you enjoy the build even though I am lacking detailed pictures as I was not planning on doing a build log. If you have any questions please feel free to ask, and all comments are always welcome.
 

Here the two piece keel has been put together, bulkheads installed and the rabbit cut. The spacer blocks are included and can be left in or taken out after fairing and planking have been completed. There really is no reason to remove them as  they will not be seen after deck planking is done. Notice the extra bulkheads at the bow and stern, this is one of the improvements on this kit.
 

Just a close shot of the bow and my not so good rabbit😁
And the stern area
 

Planking has begun using 1.5 x 5 mm walnut planks. the top planks at the bow are left till a little later in the build. Planking is relatively easy with not too much twisting and bending involved. Each plank after the first two top ones require tapering.
 

As I mentioned most planks require tapering and I later corrected the rise at the stern
 

Planking finished, not yet sanded. Here is where I am lacking pictures, the bow is now completed and I wish I could have shown you the process
 

Waterline masked off and ready for painting
 

Showing the waterline painted with a few coats of wipe on poly
 

Making of the oars
 

Each of the 30  oars consists of five pieces, although not shown here there is one more piece that goes into the end. It is hard to see but after gluing the blades on filler is used to fill the gap where joined to the dowel.
 

Oars sanded to shape and given a paint job. This is far as my artistic abilities go!!
 

Bulwarks painted and oars completed.
 
Thanks for checking things out, see you soon

This will be my log on building the 17th Century Battle Station based on plans by Jeff Staudt. This was a joint effort by three of us to develop this model and they are Mike Shanks, Doc Blake and myself. Doc did all the milling work on the wood, Mike supplied the expertise and skills on the cnc and laser machines and I did the turnings and whatever metal work that was required. The model is not entirely historically correct, however, does make into a nice model for display. We did do some minor changes to the plans and things, such as the grates, we did a little out of the norm but it was all out of fun and experimentation.
 Doc Blake has a log already started here so if you haven't visited his yet you may want to as his has a more detailed description of the process. His writing skills are much more advanced than mine, I am finding that with everything else with my body and mind the writing skills are also slipping away. I am not using spell check for single syllable words yet but I am sure it is not too far in the future!😉
 I must also apologise ahead of time, I did at one time have extensive pictures of what I have done(such as turning the cannons) but seem to have misplaced them. If I do ever find them I will post, in the meantime I will continue beating myself.
So let's start:

Here is a rare shot of one half of my shipyard, I say rare as it is never this clean. I am starting my build a little different while I wait for parts to come from Mike, I will be doing the cannons and carriages first.
 

 
Another rarity, and that is a picture of the cannon turning. Unfortunately I have none of the actual brass cannons being turned. With the 1/2" brass rod being over $30/ft I made several ( around 😎 of these first out of wood first, carefully documenting all steps and measurements.
 The process I finally used was to first drill the trunnion hole on the mill move to the lathe mount in chuck face the blank and drill out the bore. From this point on it is a good idea to not remove the blank from the chuck until completion. Next is to set the angle of the headstock then start turning as per the determined steps and dimensions. 

 
Here are some pictures of Mike's laser and cnc machine. I had the opportunity to visit Mike this summer in North Carolina to see these in action, they are just incredible what they are capable of. Mike's wife has a home business called "Well Written Gifts" where they are etching everything from wine glasses to cutting boards and numerous other items, to watch these in action is a real treat.
 

 
Mike sent some prototype carriages to try with the wooden barrels
 

 
And here is the final result, there are two different sized barrels both on the same sized carriages, not historically correct I'm sure but will work for this model as that is what the plans called for
 

 
Now for the real thing, cut from boxwood
 

 
Here I am drilling the quoin for the handles
 

 
And drilling the axles
 

 
Drilling the back bed that supports the cannon, this should be drilled completely through
 

 
And drilling the front support, which also needs to be drilled completely through. I did not realise until too late but I should have only drilled halfway through then flipped it and completed the drilling, these tiny bits tend to wander.
 I am at my max fifteen pics so I will be right back!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I appreciate the voices of support for SeaWatchBooks. As a lot of you know I am a one man band; sort of leader of the band. I have processed thousands of your orders over the years along with managing authors, editors, designers, computer graphics experts, fulfillment service people and my print management crew. Somewhere in this semi controlled confusion something goes wrong. We try and fix it with various degrees of success. 
But as long as there is a good supply of duct tape and a hank of bailing wire I think we will be able to keep most of you happy.
Thanks for your patience
 
Bob Friedman

Soon, patience, soon. Book two will be on third rates.
 
Bob Friedman

Nice choice David, it’s a great subject and a nice kit.  Looking forward to following along.  

Ciao a tutti, grazie tantissimo per il supporto che date, siete troppo gentili.
 
Hi everyone, thank you very much for your support, you are too kind.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Un Saluto
 

Ciao e grazie a tutti, adesso arrivano le coste più difficili....
Hello and thanks to everyone, now the most difficult coasts arrive....
   








Un Saluto

Ciao e grazie a tutti.
Altre foto.
Hello and thanks to everyone. More photos.
   

 

 

 

 

 

 
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Ciao a tutti, continua il lavoro per realizzare le numerose coste....
 
Hello everyone, continue the work to realize the many coasts….
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Un Saluto

Ciao e grazie a tutti, in queste foto ho realizzato le sedi delle coste sulla contro ruota.
 
Hello and thanks to everyone, in these photos I realized the seats of the ribs on the counter wheel.
 




Un Saluto