Thistle17

Superb work and outcome. What a joy to see her come to life. I still have an itch to do a small boat such as yours. Have you ever thought of writing an article for Wooden Boat. You may know they even have a "offspring" for Small Boats. Joe

Bob I just discovered your build log of Essex. Just beautiful! I have opened up my 2015 version of this kit from Model Expo today to get ready for a display/demo at one of our local museums. I too plan a bit of bashing of this kit as I just don't like basswood for many modeling applications. Sam is a member of our local group and has been enlightening me on the research aspects as well as modeling. You give me inspiration and drive to continue the journey. Joe

Thank you Valeriy, not having built a model with an epoxied hull, I did not appreciate that factor as well. I always learn from others on this site. I will follow your work and eagerly learn. We have a member in our group who builds military watercraft of this era and I have alerted him to your log as well. Joe

I am just catching up to this build and find it fascinating and your execution is superb! When Druxey asked the above question I recalled Mowll's work in Ship In Scale; (Nov/Dec 2014, p12-25) using the same method. Your answer now clinches my thoughts about this method. Given that you can apply laser machining to the keel halves it, further makes sense to me. This as you show enables the bulkheads to be linearly and perpendicularly placed accurately. If indeed the keel half's are twisted from their plane datum one can compensate for the problem by selecting wood orientation. Oh to have access to such a technology! Joe

Here it is nearly 11 months later and I am now working my Cheerful model. I have to admit that my planking results have left me wanting better results. So for the 2nd time I have ripped off the boxwood planks P & S above the wales and have started. In spite of what I said above, I used CA glue prior as I did not wish to wait for the set time of PVA. So here is the question; if one wishes to remove old planking and refit new what is the recommended way to treat the frames prior to reapplication of new planks with CA? I have sanded the bulkheads and removed any noticeable traces of surface CA. What I have been wondering is, should I wipe down those bulkheads with a good dose of acetone fist? I hesitated since I intuitively think, maybe erroneously, that I will dilute the CA that remains and it will seep further into the bulkheads. As a postscript I will add that on the 1st and 2nd plank removal that the planks did seem positively attached to the bulkheads with just prior sanding. What I am worried about is long term adhesive integrity. Joe

Mike the planes from Veritas are great for many tasks. For example when I am tapering planks I put them in a hand made wooden holder, proud of the holder surface and use the block plane to trim the planks to a predetermined width. I always leave the line marking the trim point and sneak up on the final dimension via trial. The shoulder plane can be used on concave surfaces if you cant the plane to the direction of travel. The shoulder plane is also good for cutting rabbets as its blade runs right up to the plane side. The chisels are good for close in trimming and I have even used them for cutting off planking from longer stock. These are all examples there are many more. In any case for any tool you need to hone the blades. Out of the box they work but not as well as after honing. I keep a piece of leather close by and hone the blades frequently while working with just a few passes with a honing paste. Lee Valley has Happich Simichrome Polish. Joe

You give me hope and inspiration at the same time Rusty. As you know I am still working on Cheerful. Or should I say struggling with Cheerful. That planking above the wales is hard to do and your build (observed up close) sets a standard for me. The hope comes from yet more experience with my planking. I have ripped the starboard planks off for the second time and will start again. So when you relate your set backs it just strengthens my resolve. Joe

Do come aboard Kortes. I think if you may have already realized what a rich source of model building techniques, projects and general information sharing there is here. I was just thinking of my early experiences with the NRG some 40 plus years ago. I was a newbie and was intimidated by the works of others at the NRG Symposiums and even ran aground with some less friendly members who were not willing to share. That is not the case here by any stretch of the imagination. Also do share some pictures of your work. Joe

Rusty in the back of my mind I have been thinking this build could be a good topic for a future meeting. Also I would like to entice others within the group to do a group build as this is not only a classic but is such a good vehicle to understand so many aspects of model ship building without a long term engagement. Next meeting maybe you could expound on your impressions of the project. Joe

W4LKR this seems to be a recurring problem on many kit models. I have kept the sub floor of the bulkheads and the false keel in the correct plane to not complicate the hull shape. I then add material to the outer portion of the bulkheads to enable matching up to the rabbet line. It is then a matter of fairing the hull through sanding using a batten sighting procedure to bring the hull fair. Joe

Alan they call it "good old yankee ingenuity" on this side of the border. What do they call up there? Clever work. Joe

Welcome to this forum Dan. If you haven't already get in touch with Kurt Van Dam of the Nautical Research Guild you have some of the finest modelers in the country from that area. Joe

Of course Lou the most obvious place to look right under my nose. Thank you. Joe

I have heard good things about this product. However I have found that the availability can be a problem. For instance in western NY there are few places to purchase them. If you are lucky enough to have a retailer you may find they keep a minimal selection. If anyone has a good source of the colors please let us all know. I would like to try them out. Joe

Since I last entered this thread on tools I purchased a new tool. One can never go wrong with measuring tools and I am sure all would agree this is one category that we use continuously in one form or another. I have come away from the "dark side" finished the Atlantis ABS plastic hull and model and have re-entered the realm of hull planking (on my Cheerful) I have had to do a good deal of plank measurement and retrim. I have a number of calipers, both dial and digital. I find them useful for many tasks and I have been using them to trim boxwood planking for the Cheerful hull. I find that they can be a bit clumsy when measuring with one hand holding the plank and the other the calipers. Zeroing in on the measurement and then removing it to measure further along can be a tad cumbersome. Recall of the measurement often is a repeated process. I happened on a tool I had seen before but had never thought that useful. It is the iGAGING Snap Thickness Gauge. I thought I would give it a try after arguing with myself..."Really! You don't need another tool!" It was just about $30 with shipping so it was not going to break the bank. Here is what I really like about it: 1. It is easily a one handed tool. 2. It has a flat headed measuring anvil that easily slides along the plank to measure thickness. 3. It has a HOLD button that retains the measurement when the device is withdrawn from the object 4. Here is what I really liked...it has an ABSOLUTE button that measures difference from whatever one chooses as a reference on the part. 5. It's accuracy is supposedly +/- 0.0015 inches 6. It has a ball anvil to replace one of the flat anvils that improves access in tight spots. The 0 to 1 inch range for the work we do does not seem a problem, at least not yet. It did not come with directions which I found odd but is easily mastered after about one minute of playing. I measured it against my dial and digital calipers and it was right on the mark. Like calipers you do have to be deliberate in placement as one can measure the trapezoidal effect of inaccurate placement. I always look at the reviews on line and the most disparaging comment was life. Now I have found if these units are kept in a humid environment they can indeed give flaky results. So a word to the wise. Put them in a sealed plastic bag if it is to reside in such an environment. Joe

Tom I seem to be on the same trajectory as you regarding transitioning from full scale woodworking to model ship building although I cannot bring myself to let go of the shop tools just yet. Nonetheless, ship modeling is such a pleasant way to while away the hours. The 'rub' is your 'mind's eye always seems to raise the bar on the quality of the work product. So it is a never ending pursuit especially around this august body! Welcome to the group. Joe

Splendid work Rusty! Always a treat to see your work. Would be nice to see it up close and personal at one of our meetings. You are an inspiration to us all. Until we can take another picture I will post it on our web site in the gallery. Joe

You may also consider Alaskan yellow cedar it too is a beautiful wood that has minimal grain and machines beautifully. Read Syren's comments on his building of the Medway Longboat. I have grown to love this wood and it is cheaper! Joe

Brian can you supply a bit more info before one responds? For instance what is the lumber size (finished ) you need? lengths? This material is relatively expensive so you are well advised to have the proper staring point in terms of saw blades etc if you plan on milling yourself. Joe Joe

Hmmm. I believe I am looking aft towards the stern, am I correct? If so that curved metal works shown do not show up on the Patriot Point Mark I. I will confer with our member who has the archive of photos they sent to see if we can respond. I have not seen tha configuration before. We just heard from a member of the 720th MP Army Battalion, 180th Company which gave fire support to the 458th Transportation Company that had PBR's. He alludes to the many in-country mods that were made to these craft. Hence in my opinion the "as built" craft didn't hold up over time. Joe

CapnMac82 thank you for the input. After a tumultuous summer I think we will be back at the build with more intensity. One of our modelers did convert the scale 50's to a' handed' version. I will pass on your input to the team. In the mean time here is a picture of the nearly completed 50's he came up with. We managed to complete the skinning of the transom and now are concentrating on fairing in the bow and getting it ready to skin. Hope to have some supporting photos soon. Joe

Simply lovely! Making your own tools can be just as satisfying as the modeling. I made the Lie Nielson inlay tools a short while back in part because of cost but mostly for the challenge of creation. They are a joy to use as I am sure you are experiencing.. Joe

I do not think you will be happy with staining bass wood. It is just too soft and any glue residue will pop. If you are fixed on a wood like treatment you might experiment with a wiping varnish/oil tinted instead. In any event try it out on some sacrificial stock first. Joe

I may not add any wisdom to this thread but I have made some observations over some 40 plus years of woodworking and modeling. A kernel of thought started some 30 years ago when I witnessed an Irish cabinet maker visiting his daughter. He had to repair a Period High Boy chest he had made for her sometime past. He had a basket of tools; a saw, chisels, a couple of planes and measuring tools. He had to remake a drawer that was damaged. His repair was outstanding with this basket of hand tools. He is gone now but I still marvel at his skill. Over time that memory has influenced my purchasing of tools more and more. I began observing what tools I used the most. It wasn't the gee whiz tools. It was the basic tools in measuring, shaping, trimming and the like. I do have a decent shop of power tools and I have to admit I have and love my Byrnes, Sherline and Lee Valley products and use them frequently. But by and large it is the basics that get used over and over. Don't get caught up in that fever. Joe

This isn't the last word on which kit but do visit this site for possibly more "insight". Joe http://historyofmassachusetts.org/uss-constitution-model-ship-kit/