Keith_W

Sorry to hear, Cathead. Why don't you try this: brush a diluted 80:20 PVA to water solution over the gaps. Wipe off the excess with a damp cloth. Wait until the glue goes tacky, then sand. The sawdust will clog up the PVA and create a filler the same colour as your wood. 

No work today. Hit the workshop after dinner. Before I knew it ... it's 4AM!!! In any case, made some nice progress. 
 

 
All planking below the waterline is done, and the hull sanded down. It is smoooooooth. 
 

 
I made a decision to stop all work above the main deck level and complete planking below the waterline first. This was because I knew I had to invert the ship and did not want the delicate structures above the MDL to be vulnerable. As you can see, this planking is unsupported. The planking above MDL survived ... until I inverted it to sand the bottom. Because this generates so much dust, I do it outside. CRACK, the inevitable happened. 
 
I was never happy with the planks above the MDL anyway. I will rip out both sides and start again. 
 

 
I also made a start with the gunport lining. I am not sure of the shade of red I have chosen (Vallejo Flat Red). To me it looks a bit like lipstick. I have a more dull red in my cabinet (Admiralty Models Red Ochre) which IMO is too dull. I might persist with it for now. 

Hi Greg, I do have some fancy toothpicks which I picked up from a thrift store. It did not occur to me to stiffen them with 50/50 PVA prior to turning - thanks for that idea. My efforts at turning toothpicks thus far have been extremely disappointing. The wood does not hold a sharp edge, has too many fuzzies, and splinters too easily. I think I must have turned 10 of them before I got on which was remotely acceptable. Given that I will need about a hundred of these, I do not fancy trying to turn 1000 toothpicks to get what I need. I'll see if your idea works, otherwise i'll go with my beads. 
 
Since you asked for an update, here it is. But first, let me show off a little addition to the household: 
 

 
I love it when the postman brings me something other than bills! Particularly exciting when it is big, heavy, and comes from the USA! What's inside? 
 

 
Why, it's a BYRNES TABLE SAW!!! So shiny, i'm in love! 
 
The purchasing process went by without a hitch, except for the website going down when I tried to place the order. I rang them the next day and spoke to Donna. She was really apologetic. Order placed, money sent, saw is mine! 
 

 
The second layer planking has almost reached the keel. Why so slow? 
 

 
This is because I have cheaped out and i'm using the kit supplied second planking material for all planking below the waterline, which will be painted white. This meant splicing the kit strips with the pear strips I bought from Hobbymill. I should be able to reach the keel sometime this week. After that, lots and lots of sanding. Then I will line off the gunports and start the second planking upwards. 

Sorry to hear, Cathead. Why don't you try this: brush a diluted 80:20 PVA to water solution over the gaps. Wipe off the excess with a damp cloth. Wait until the glue goes tacky, then sand. The sawdust will clog up the PVA and create a filler the same colour as your wood. 

No work today. Hit the workshop after dinner. Before I knew it ... it's 4AM!!! In any case, made some nice progress. 
 

 
All planking below the waterline is done, and the hull sanded down. It is smoooooooth. 
 

 
I made a decision to stop all work above the main deck level and complete planking below the waterline first. This was because I knew I had to invert the ship and did not want the delicate structures above the MDL to be vulnerable. As you can see, this planking is unsupported. The planking above MDL survived ... until I inverted it to sand the bottom. Because this generates so much dust, I do it outside. CRACK, the inevitable happened. 
 
I was never happy with the planks above the MDL anyway. I will rip out both sides and start again. 
 

 
I also made a start with the gunport lining. I am not sure of the shade of red I have chosen (Vallejo Flat Red). To me it looks a bit like lipstick. I have a more dull red in my cabinet (Admiralty Models Red Ochre) which IMO is too dull. I might persist with it for now. 

No work today. Hit the workshop after dinner. Before I knew it ... it's 4AM!!! In any case, made some nice progress. 
 

 
All planking below the waterline is done, and the hull sanded down. It is smoooooooth. 
 

 
I made a decision to stop all work above the main deck level and complete planking below the waterline first. This was because I knew I had to invert the ship and did not want the delicate structures above the MDL to be vulnerable. As you can see, this planking is unsupported. The planking above MDL survived ... until I inverted it to sand the bottom. Because this generates so much dust, I do it outside. CRACK, the inevitable happened. 
 
I was never happy with the planks above the MDL anyway. I will rip out both sides and start again. 
 

 
I also made a start with the gunport lining. I am not sure of the shade of red I have chosen (Vallejo Flat Red). To me it looks a bit like lipstick. I have a more dull red in my cabinet (Admiralty Models Red Ochre) which IMO is too dull. I might persist with it for now. 

No work today. Hit the workshop after dinner. Before I knew it ... it's 4AM!!! In any case, made some nice progress. 
 

 
All planking below the waterline is done, and the hull sanded down. It is smoooooooth. 
 

 
I made a decision to stop all work above the main deck level and complete planking below the waterline first. This was because I knew I had to invert the ship and did not want the delicate structures above the MDL to be vulnerable. As you can see, this planking is unsupported. The planking above MDL survived ... until I inverted it to sand the bottom. Because this generates so much dust, I do it outside. CRACK, the inevitable happened. 
 
I was never happy with the planks above the MDL anyway. I will rip out both sides and start again. 
 

 
I also made a start with the gunport lining. I am not sure of the shade of red I have chosen (Vallejo Flat Red). To me it looks a bit like lipstick. I have a more dull red in my cabinet (Admiralty Models Red Ochre) which IMO is too dull. I might persist with it for now. 

No work today. Hit the workshop after dinner. Before I knew it ... it's 4AM!!! In any case, made some nice progress. 
 

 
All planking below the waterline is done, and the hull sanded down. It is smoooooooth. 
 

 
I made a decision to stop all work above the main deck level and complete planking below the waterline first. This was because I knew I had to invert the ship and did not want the delicate structures above the MDL to be vulnerable. As you can see, this planking is unsupported. The planking above MDL survived ... until I inverted it to sand the bottom. Because this generates so much dust, I do it outside. CRACK, the inevitable happened. 
 
I was never happy with the planks above the MDL anyway. I will rip out both sides and start again. 
 

 
I also made a start with the gunport lining. I am not sure of the shade of red I have chosen (Vallejo Flat Red). To me it looks a bit like lipstick. I have a more dull red in my cabinet (Admiralty Models Red Ochre) which IMO is too dull. I might persist with it for now. 

..As I had expected..,
at last, I'm finally able to present an update.
 
The ST kit includes 2 ship boats, so I continued with building the second one.
The build method I used for the second one is pretty much the same as i used for the first one.
 
Mainly because of the experiences/practice I had with building the first ships boat, this one was pretty straight forward and without too many problems.
 
I decided to post a photo sequence of the progress so far, the pictures should speak for themselves..
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
So this is "status quo" after removing the template.
this time I could remove the body without destroying the template.
 

 
You also might notice that this boat is a bit different in shape, therefore I’m planning to add some other details to it.

Hello my friends
 
a little update today. I work on the yards at the moment - and within with the running rigging. It is a pleasure for me to see the ropes grow and to understand how the ships were sailed long time ago. I prepared the yards on my lathe and stained them with a mixture of dark walnut (ca 70 %) and oak tree (30 %). I have attached the anchors... the ship turns more and more into a complete model. I think I have about 3 or 4 weeks (my vacation is done now... not so much time to build anymore) to finish the Royal Caroline. All in all it will be about 9 months (!) to do the ship...
 
Today one of my next Projects arrived: The kit of the Friedrich Wilhelm zu Pferde was delivered
 
Wish you all the very best
 
Cheerio
 
Max

Hi Greg, I do have some fancy toothpicks which I picked up from a thrift store. It did not occur to me to stiffen them with 50/50 PVA prior to turning - thanks for that idea. My efforts at turning toothpicks thus far have been extremely disappointing. The wood does not hold a sharp edge, has too many fuzzies, and splinters too easily. I think I must have turned 10 of them before I got on which was remotely acceptable. Given that I will need about a hundred of these, I do not fancy trying to turn 1000 toothpicks to get what I need. I'll see if your idea works, otherwise i'll go with my beads. 
 
Since you asked for an update, here it is. But first, let me show off a little addition to the household: 
 

 
I love it when the postman brings me something other than bills! Particularly exciting when it is big, heavy, and comes from the USA! What's inside? 
 

 
Why, it's a BYRNES TABLE SAW!!! So shiny, i'm in love! 
 
The purchasing process went by without a hitch, except for the website going down when I tried to place the order. I rang them the next day and spoke to Donna. She was really apologetic. Order placed, money sent, saw is mine! 
 

 
The second layer planking has almost reached the keel. Why so slow? 
 

 
This is because I have cheaped out and i'm using the kit supplied second planking material for all planking below the waterline, which will be painted white. This meant splicing the kit strips with the pear strips I bought from Hobbymill. I should be able to reach the keel sometime this week. After that, lots and lots of sanding. Then I will line off the gunports and start the second planking upwards. 

Hi Greg, I do have some fancy toothpicks which I picked up from a thrift store. It did not occur to me to stiffen them with 50/50 PVA prior to turning - thanks for that idea. My efforts at turning toothpicks thus far have been extremely disappointing. The wood does not hold a sharp edge, has too many fuzzies, and splinters too easily. I think I must have turned 10 of them before I got on which was remotely acceptable. Given that I will need about a hundred of these, I do not fancy trying to turn 1000 toothpicks to get what I need. I'll see if your idea works, otherwise i'll go with my beads. 
 
Since you asked for an update, here it is. But first, let me show off a little addition to the household: 
 

 
I love it when the postman brings me something other than bills! Particularly exciting when it is big, heavy, and comes from the USA! What's inside? 
 

 
Why, it's a BYRNES TABLE SAW!!! So shiny, i'm in love! 
 
The purchasing process went by without a hitch, except for the website going down when I tried to place the order. I rang them the next day and spoke to Donna. She was really apologetic. Order placed, money sent, saw is mine! 
 

 
The second layer planking has almost reached the keel. Why so slow? 
 

 
This is because I have cheaped out and i'm using the kit supplied second planking material for all planking below the waterline, which will be painted white. This meant splicing the kit strips with the pear strips I bought from Hobbymill. I should be able to reach the keel sometime this week. After that, lots and lots of sanding. Then I will line off the gunports and start the second planking upwards. 

Hi Greg, I do have some fancy toothpicks which I picked up from a thrift store. It did not occur to me to stiffen them with 50/50 PVA prior to turning - thanks for that idea. My efforts at turning toothpicks thus far have been extremely disappointing. The wood does not hold a sharp edge, has too many fuzzies, and splinters too easily. I think I must have turned 10 of them before I got on which was remotely acceptable. Given that I will need about a hundred of these, I do not fancy trying to turn 1000 toothpicks to get what I need. I'll see if your idea works, otherwise i'll go with my beads. 
 
Since you asked for an update, here it is. But first, let me show off a little addition to the household: 
 

 
I love it when the postman brings me something other than bills! Particularly exciting when it is big, heavy, and comes from the USA! What's inside? 
 

 
Why, it's a BYRNES TABLE SAW!!! So shiny, i'm in love! 
 
The purchasing process went by without a hitch, except for the website going down when I tried to place the order. I rang them the next day and spoke to Donna. She was really apologetic. Order placed, money sent, saw is mine! 
 

 
The second layer planking has almost reached the keel. Why so slow? 
 

 
This is because I have cheaped out and i'm using the kit supplied second planking material for all planking below the waterline, which will be painted white. This meant splicing the kit strips with the pear strips I bought from Hobbymill. I should be able to reach the keel sometime this week. After that, lots and lots of sanding. Then I will line off the gunports and start the second planking upwards. 

My kit room has been tidied and prepared for the new build. It won't look as neat as this for another three years. Let's go!!! 
 

 
The room has been re-arranged with the power tool bench behind me, and the main modelling table in front of me. All I need to do is turn around to have access to power tools. The desk by the window is where I will do all the Dremelling. Not pictured is my new shelving unit where all my tools, paints, and glues are neatly stowed away. Also not pictured is the clipboard where the plans will be displayed. 
 

 
The main modelling table with the modelling lamp. You can also see my handheld vacuum which is vital for keeping the peace in the household. 
 

 
The tool bench, from (L-R): Sherline 4410 Lathe, Byrnes Disc Sander, Proxxon MF70 mill. 
 

Thanks Denis, but I already have the disc sander. The thickness sander is in the mail. About the only Byrnes piece I do not have is the rope walk. 

Hi Greg, I do have some fancy toothpicks which I picked up from a thrift store. It did not occur to me to stiffen them with 50/50 PVA prior to turning - thanks for that idea. My efforts at turning toothpicks thus far have been extremely disappointing. The wood does not hold a sharp edge, has too many fuzzies, and splinters too easily. I think I must have turned 10 of them before I got on which was remotely acceptable. Given that I will need about a hundred of these, I do not fancy trying to turn 1000 toothpicks to get what I need. I'll see if your idea works, otherwise i'll go with my beads. 
 
Since you asked for an update, here it is. But first, let me show off a little addition to the household: 
 

 
I love it when the postman brings me something other than bills! Particularly exciting when it is big, heavy, and comes from the USA! What's inside? 
 

 
Why, it's a BYRNES TABLE SAW!!! So shiny, i'm in love! 
 
The purchasing process went by without a hitch, except for the website going down when I tried to place the order. I rang them the next day and spoke to Donna. She was really apologetic. Order placed, money sent, saw is mine! 
 

 
The second layer planking has almost reached the keel. Why so slow? 
 

 
This is because I have cheaped out and i'm using the kit supplied second planking material for all planking below the waterline, which will be painted white. This meant splicing the kit strips with the pear strips I bought from Hobbymill. I should be able to reach the keel sometime this week. After that, lots and lots of sanding. Then I will line off the gunports and start the second planking upwards. 

Hi Greg, I do have some fancy toothpicks which I picked up from a thrift store. It did not occur to me to stiffen them with 50/50 PVA prior to turning - thanks for that idea. My efforts at turning toothpicks thus far have been extremely disappointing. The wood does not hold a sharp edge, has too many fuzzies, and splinters too easily. I think I must have turned 10 of them before I got on which was remotely acceptable. Given that I will need about a hundred of these, I do not fancy trying to turn 1000 toothpicks to get what I need. I'll see if your idea works, otherwise i'll go with my beads. 
 
Since you asked for an update, here it is. But first, let me show off a little addition to the household: 
 

 
I love it when the postman brings me something other than bills! Particularly exciting when it is big, heavy, and comes from the USA! What's inside? 
 

 
Why, it's a BYRNES TABLE SAW!!! So shiny, i'm in love! 
 
The purchasing process went by without a hitch, except for the website going down when I tried to place the order. I rang them the next day and spoke to Donna. She was really apologetic. Order placed, money sent, saw is mine! 
 

 
The second layer planking has almost reached the keel. Why so slow? 
 

 
This is because I have cheaped out and i'm using the kit supplied second planking material for all planking below the waterline, which will be painted white. This meant splicing the kit strips with the pear strips I bought from Hobbymill. I should be able to reach the keel sometime this week. After that, lots and lots of sanding. Then I will line off the gunports and start the second planking upwards. 

Hi Greg, I do have some fancy toothpicks which I picked up from a thrift store. It did not occur to me to stiffen them with 50/50 PVA prior to turning - thanks for that idea. My efforts at turning toothpicks thus far have been extremely disappointing. The wood does not hold a sharp edge, has too many fuzzies, and splinters too easily. I think I must have turned 10 of them before I got on which was remotely acceptable. Given that I will need about a hundred of these, I do not fancy trying to turn 1000 toothpicks to get what I need. I'll see if your idea works, otherwise i'll go with my beads. 
 
Since you asked for an update, here it is. But first, let me show off a little addition to the household: 
 

 
I love it when the postman brings me something other than bills! Particularly exciting when it is big, heavy, and comes from the USA! What's inside? 
 

 
Why, it's a BYRNES TABLE SAW!!! So shiny, i'm in love! 
 
The purchasing process went by without a hitch, except for the website going down when I tried to place the order. I rang them the next day and spoke to Donna. She was really apologetic. Order placed, money sent, saw is mine! 
 

 
The second layer planking has almost reached the keel. Why so slow? 
 

 
This is because I have cheaped out and i'm using the kit supplied second planking material for all planking below the waterline, which will be painted white. This meant splicing the kit strips with the pear strips I bought from Hobbymill. I should be able to reach the keel sometime this week. After that, lots and lots of sanding. Then I will line off the gunports and start the second planking upwards. 

Hi Greg, I do have some fancy toothpicks which I picked up from a thrift store. It did not occur to me to stiffen them with 50/50 PVA prior to turning - thanks for that idea. My efforts at turning toothpicks thus far have been extremely disappointing. The wood does not hold a sharp edge, has too many fuzzies, and splinters too easily. I think I must have turned 10 of them before I got on which was remotely acceptable. Given that I will need about a hundred of these, I do not fancy trying to turn 1000 toothpicks to get what I need. I'll see if your idea works, otherwise i'll go with my beads. 
 
Since you asked for an update, here it is. But first, let me show off a little addition to the household: 
 

 
I love it when the postman brings me something other than bills! Particularly exciting when it is big, heavy, and comes from the USA! What's inside? 
 

 
Why, it's a BYRNES TABLE SAW!!! So shiny, i'm in love! 
 
The purchasing process went by without a hitch, except for the website going down when I tried to place the order. I rang them the next day and spoke to Donna. She was really apologetic. Order placed, money sent, saw is mine! 
 

 
The second layer planking has almost reached the keel. Why so slow? 
 

 
This is because I have cheaped out and i'm using the kit supplied second planking material for all planking below the waterline, which will be painted white. This meant splicing the kit strips with the pear strips I bought from Hobbymill. I should be able to reach the keel sometime this week. After that, lots and lots of sanding. Then I will line off the gunports and start the second planking upwards. 

I think I might have come up with a solution for the balustrades. As you know, the kit does not supply any. It is difficult to source balustrades which are the right scale, most aftermarket balustrades seem to be rather large and out of scale. 
 
Solution? Visit my local bead shop. 
 

 
These beads are 1mm in diameter! You can see them compared to the tip of my mechanical pencil, which uses 0.5mm lead. Thread a few of these on wire, fix with superglue, and they look OK when painted. Yes, I know it looks disturbingly like poo, or maybe meatballs on a stick, but that was the only shade of brown I had in my cabinet! 

They have beads in all shapes and sizes. I think I will go back and see if they have any square ones. 

This will surely beat trying to turn out dozens of these little bastards on my lathe. 

Hi Greg, I do have some fancy toothpicks which I picked up from a thrift store. It did not occur to me to stiffen them with 50/50 PVA prior to turning - thanks for that idea. My efforts at turning toothpicks thus far have been extremely disappointing. The wood does not hold a sharp edge, has too many fuzzies, and splinters too easily. I think I must have turned 10 of them before I got on which was remotely acceptable. Given that I will need about a hundred of these, I do not fancy trying to turn 1000 toothpicks to get what I need. I'll see if your idea works, otherwise i'll go with my beads. 
 
Since you asked for an update, here it is. But first, let me show off a little addition to the household: 
 

 
I love it when the postman brings me something other than bills! Particularly exciting when it is big, heavy, and comes from the USA! What's inside? 
 

 
Why, it's a BYRNES TABLE SAW!!! So shiny, i'm in love! 
 
The purchasing process went by without a hitch, except for the website going down when I tried to place the order. I rang them the next day and spoke to Donna. She was really apologetic. Order placed, money sent, saw is mine! 
 

 
The second layer planking has almost reached the keel. Why so slow? 
 

 
This is because I have cheaped out and i'm using the kit supplied second planking material for all planking below the waterline, which will be painted white. This meant splicing the kit strips with the pear strips I bought from Hobbymill. I should be able to reach the keel sometime this week. After that, lots and lots of sanding. Then I will line off the gunports and start the second planking upwards. 

Given that I paid for my DVD, I feel no guilt grabbing all the videos from that site. I recommend "Save From Net": 
 
http://en.savefrom.net/user.php
 
Some of you may be wondering about the legitimacy of this browser extension. Well, I did a google search for it and it appears to be clean. It also got past my virus and malware scanner on my PC. Just a note - it does not appear to work with versions of Chrome above v35. I used Firefox to grab the videos. 

I think I might have come up with a solution for the balustrades. As you know, the kit does not supply any. It is difficult to source balustrades which are the right scale, most aftermarket balustrades seem to be rather large and out of scale. 
 
Solution? Visit my local bead shop. 
 

 
These beads are 1mm in diameter! You can see them compared to the tip of my mechanical pencil, which uses 0.5mm lead. Thread a few of these on wire, fix with superglue, and they look OK when painted. Yes, I know it looks disturbingly like poo, or maybe meatballs on a stick, but that was the only shade of brown I had in my cabinet! 

They have beads in all shapes and sizes. I think I will go back and see if they have any square ones. 

This will surely beat trying to turn out dozens of these little bastards on my lathe. 

I think I might have come up with a solution for the balustrades. As you know, the kit does not supply any. It is difficult to source balustrades which are the right scale, most aftermarket balustrades seem to be rather large and out of scale. 
 
Solution? Visit my local bead shop. 
 

 
These beads are 1mm in diameter! You can see them compared to the tip of my mechanical pencil, which uses 0.5mm lead. Thread a few of these on wire, fix with superglue, and they look OK when painted. Yes, I know it looks disturbingly like poo, or maybe meatballs on a stick, but that was the only shade of brown I had in my cabinet! 

They have beads in all shapes and sizes. I think I will go back and see if they have any square ones. 

This will surely beat trying to turn out dozens of these little bastards on my lathe. 

I think I might have come up with a solution for the balustrades. As you know, the kit does not supply any. It is difficult to source balustrades which are the right scale, most aftermarket balustrades seem to be rather large and out of scale. 
 
Solution? Visit my local bead shop. 
 

 
These beads are 1mm in diameter! You can see them compared to the tip of my mechanical pencil, which uses 0.5mm lead. Thread a few of these on wire, fix with superglue, and they look OK when painted. Yes, I know it looks disturbingly like poo, or maybe meatballs on a stick, but that was the only shade of brown I had in my cabinet! 

They have beads in all shapes and sizes. I think I will go back and see if they have any square ones. 

This will surely beat trying to turn out dozens of these little bastards on my lathe.