Jack12477

Bob I used a chisel and snapped them all off to cut them.
 
Build part 10
 
The MDF is removable and is slotted tightly between the MDF square supports like this.
 

 
The keel glued up, there is still some shaping to do on it, and I liked the fact that it balanced by itself like a sculpture.
 

 

 
Michael

With all the molds glued to the build board it must have been fun cutting down through it all to install the MDF.  Good job. 
 
Bob

Pete the three pieces of mahogany that form the stem, stern and the plate that the lead bolts to will be joined with a couple of knees basically that is how The keel appears to me made in the port Hadlock picture here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nwswb/5640427809
 
Michael

Looking Good Michael, I am seeing that Herreshoff profile, how do plan on making the Keel? 
Happy New Year
 
Best Regards,
Pete

You seem to have solved a lot of problems with the central 'spine'. Now you have a complete set of moulds you can crank out as many hulls as you please. Nice going, Michael. A very happy and healthy New Year to you and Judy,

Bob Patrick and Mark, thanks for the kind remarks, and thank you too All who visited and pushed the like button.
 
build part 8
 
Well things have a habit of creating little issues that need to be sorted. first I began shaping the stem and forward section of the keel
 

 
Then after placing it on the molds something just did not seem quite right.
 

 

 
A lot of measuring and revisiting the drawings there was some errors in the alignment of the keel parts. to solve this I needed to rework the way I am putting things together and so I cut a sheet of 1/4 inch MDF to act as a central support for the keel this way it will be exactly as the lines profile. It meant cutting the stations in half and removing the 1/4 inch from the middles but I was also then able to check that both halves matched properly as well.
 

 

 
A bit more fettling before I get to the planks. I need to cut some notches for the frames and the glued plates to slip back in.
 
Michael

Hi Michael
 
Watching your work is a true study in precision, care and forethought. Now those are lessons I'm yet to get a handle on, but thankfully there's lots of MSW members, such as yourself, that I can learn from.
 
Nicely done!
 
Cheers
 
Patrick

Build part 7
 
A bit more work on the keel plate.
 

 

 

 
I will need to add the supporting plates before I fix the keel to the frames.
 
Michael

build part 6
 
A little more work shaping the stern post, I have a whole new appreciation for those members who cut and shape the hawse timbers and the rebates in the stern and deadwood of the larger ships of the line.
 
This is a lot more difficult than it looks on all the other build logs I have looked at.
 

 

 

 

 

 
These first fittings are an eye opener to the complexities of the shape of the keel and stern on these little boats.
 
Michael

Have a great vacation!

Very nice Sal,
Mine is going slowly. lots of rework and it helps to review yours and the others as I go.
Happy New year,
Richard 

Really nice work on the masts Sal. Enjoy your time in Florida. It's a great time of year here.
 
Bob

Looking good Sal!  Have a great vacation! 

Small update.  Finished putting the iron bands on the masts and installed the front fish and bibbs.
 

 
 
This will be the last post for a while as the shipyard will be shutting down for a couple of weeks. I will be spending time with the family in sunny Florida on vacation.
 
Happy New Year everyone and thank you for all the likes.

Thanks for the very informative post.  It clears up some important things.

Very nice, Mark. Now, you may want to add a Hurst..... .wait a minute, we're talking about light speed?   May the Force be with you. Have fun and be safe.

Cool stuff Mark!  Fuzzy dice also helps with getting more out of the "top-end". 

:D      You're right Druxey.  I forgot about the zoomie stripes adding 10% to the top end.    

An interesting soup-up job, Mark. All you need now is some go-faster pinstriping!

Background:
Well, not all K40's are created equal. So I'll put this up with caveats and the "gotchas" that I found.  I hope that this will be of value to someone.   At this point in the market, the prices are dropping and quality is getting better.   Do some shopping, read the reviews.  Ebay has great prices but... and it's a big "but".. there's hidden costs such as duty, import broker fees, and getting it shipped from the port entry to your door.  There's also "service" which seems from reviews to be non-existent.  I'd suggest looking for a dealer in the country you are located.
 
The MM Laserknife, is basically an upgraded K40 with a better power supply, a safety switch to kill the beam if the lid is opened, and better quality control than the run of the mill Chinese K40.  As is, it worked pretty good for what I've been doing with it but I wasn't exactly pleased trying to cut thicker woods.  For example, 3/16" boxwood was very problematical, but 3/16" cherry was pretty good.
 
Hindsight being what it is, I would have bought a totally different unit for around the same price and gained cutting size and power out.  But... <shrugs shoulders>... see the first paragraph for caveats.
 
So.. off I went into "UpgradeLand"...
 
Previously, I upgraded the lens from the small 12mm lens to a better grade 18mm lens with the same focal length.   This produced a finer beam at the wood but I did loose the ability to re-focus by moving the lens.  I worked around that by setting p the z-table so I could move it up and down to compensate.  
 
So far, so good... but still, I wasn't happy with cutting the thicker bits and harder species of wood.  I realized it was either buy another machine or upgrade this one... upgrade is/was the lower cost alternative.
 
Doing the homework:
I researched tubes and couldn't find a 50W that was up to snuff with a good price.  I did, however locate a 45W that had a good price and the company does provide good service.
 
The tube in the machine is called a 40W.  Reality... it's about a 35W at steady-state.  The 45W I selected pumps out 45W steady-state.  It is however longer (730mm vs. 1000mm) and bigger diameter (50mm vs 55mm).  
 
There is a 60W available that longer than the 40W (naturally) but also has a higher power requirement so it's out.  I saw some 50W tubes but I'm questioning if this isn't more marketing hype like labeling the K40 as a 40W machine.  The power requirements and tube size were smaller than those for the 45W I bought.   Puzzling to say the least.
 
First thing to check was power supply... the old tube needed 15kV at about 12mV.  The new one needs 15kV at ~18mA max.  MM uses a 220 VAC input (using a transformer) which outputs 20kV at 20mA.  This was good as PSU's are pretty pricey.
 
The next was water pump...  The new tube needs 10L/minute flow.  The MM pump is rated at 50L/minute.
 
Then there's the mounting... a hole will need to be cut in the case and an extender installed.  The mounts themselves would require modification to accept the bigger size. 
 
I ordered the new tube, extender, and about 12 feet of 6mm silicone tubing.  I bought 100% silicone caulking/sealer from Lowe's.
 
The tube I received was tested the day it shipped at 45W output using 15mA of power and metered at 18" from the tube end.  Yippee.... stated wattage is actual wattage.  In the K40 world, this is pretty iffy. 
 
The Upgrade
 
I took several photos of the unit before removing anything.  I also marked the place where the output of the tube was located for reference.
 

 
I removed the wiring, cooling hoses, and then the tube.  I also removed the rubber mount pad from the tube mounts.  Note that different K40's can have different mounts depending on manufacturer.  Mine were metal and looked like an old style hose clamp in some ways.  But they did/do give me the wiggle room for upgrading.
 

 
The actual upgrade then started. First steps were to cut the hole and mount the extension. I cut the hole, put the new tube in place and checked everything.  I then removed the tube and mounted the extension.  There was a problem with the mounting holes for the screws.  The hardware didn't match the drawings but I was aware of this from reading on the support forum where I bought the parts.  I had to make my own template.
 
One note... do make sure to completely remove any metal chips from cutting and drilling.  If one gets into the wrong place, you can have sparks, fire, etc. and end up needing a new power supply at a minimum.
 

 
I shimmed the mounts using foam carpet tape and several pieces of thin cardboard to get the tube close to where it needed to be.  I went back during alignment and re-seated and adjusted these mounts.
 
The tube was installed and the wiring connected by wrapping the bare copper around the post.  These can't be soldered as the seal for the post to glass tube will melt.  I stuck on a piece of 6mm silicone tubing and filled the tube with silicone compound.  This made for a good connection and also insulation as one doesn't want 20kV sparking about.
 
I replaced the old cooling hoses with new at this point.
 

 
The unit was then "tested" by first firing up the water pump, rotating the tube to remove any air bubbles (due to the way they're made, they really only work well in position for this).
 
I also began the alignment procedure as this is critical. 
 
The cutter now looks like this from the front

 
The first step was shimming the tube to be level from end to end and then using thermo paper (cash register receipt) and very low power, getting the beam dead center on the first mirror.  I locked down the tube and re-checked.  Then I did mirrors 2 and 3.  A bit fussy with checking at the near points and far points of travel but it must be done.   I then locked everything down and re-did the alignment tests. 
 
Post upgrade evaluation:
 
I've not cut anything worthwhile yet, but I have done a bunch of testing.  The first after alignment was to check the focus.  I'm still spot on without having to change my table shims except when I change wood thickness.
 
The kerf is thinner and on 3/16" boxwood the "V"ing of the kerf is much, much less.  This is with a bit less power (amperage) and faster speed.   Misson accomplished.
 
Next will be when I get some time is to thickness a 1/4" boxwood plank and see what happens. 
 
My total cost at this point is around $2500 including original machine, new lens and lens mount, new tube and the extension.   This doesn't include a GFI protector, the cooling water and bucket, or the hole saw for the drill.
 
I'm not an expert but I've learned a lot with this. 
 

Remco... I hope I manage to be around long enough to, one day, find the courage to build a POF model.  If that time does come, I am confident that this Kingfisher log, along with EdT's beautiful "Young America Extreme Clipper", will be my primary references....
You guys are true masters, demonstrating skills for every modeler in the world to strive to emulate.
 
For most of us, however, you guys make us feel like a high school runner setting out to run a four minute mile.  Even for those blessed with a bit of God given talent, achieving that level still requires an inner effort I can only admire and appreciate even greater than the end product itself.
 
I solute you sir.
 
Dave

Fantastic craftmanship.

Nice work with the gun deck Ken, and congrats on the new additions to the family! 

I started with card stock patterns of the gun deck. I have added comments to the pictures to be self explanatory.  












 
I hope all had a great holiday season. We had the best gift of all; our son and daughter-in-law are having twins in June.

Thank you, Mark, I am happy with the way the wood colors turned out. I try and use as many different woods as possible.
 
Thank you Patrick, No update today, before I can do the deck, some sanding will be required and its been about 10 degrees Fahrenheit and snowing outside 
 
Thank you Piet
 
Best Regards,
Pete