davec

Frank - many thanks - this is really helpful - 1/16 in a few minutes is what I am looking for.  Preac takes around 10-20'. The two grits sounds like a nice feature, although I have been doing OK without it. 
 
Dupree - agreed that Jim Byrnes makes awesome tools, but so did Charlie Files at Preac.  Big thing I am sorting out is whether it is worth the $ to upgrade a tool that works mostly adequately. 
 
My wife is talking about getting back into her doll houses, which will up the amount of milling I need to do, and sounds like I can justify the new machine.  I like milling the wood, but time spent passing pieces of wood through the sander is time not spent actually building the model.
 
Just saw that the Byrnes website is closed to new orders until January 1.  Will probably go ahead and order when they reopen, and will post the difference between the two machines in case I'm not the only one still using an old Preac machine.
 
Happy holidays!
 
Dave

Frank - many thanks - this is really helpful - 1/16 in a few minutes is what I am looking for.  Preac takes around 10-20'. The two grits sounds like a nice feature, although I have been doing OK without it. 
 
Dupree - agreed that Jim Byrnes makes awesome tools, but so did Charlie Files at Preac.  Big thing I am sorting out is whether it is worth the $ to upgrade a tool that works mostly adequately. 
 
My wife is talking about getting back into her doll houses, which will up the amount of milling I need to do, and sounds like I can justify the new machine.  I like milling the wood, but time spent passing pieces of wood through the sander is time not spent actually building the model.
 
Just saw that the Byrnes website is closed to new orders until January 1.  Will probably go ahead and order when they reopen, and will post the difference between the two machines in case I'm not the only one still using an old Preac machine.
 
Happy holidays!
 
Dave

Flags finished....
 
Arrived yesterday - None the right size of course.  Nothing is ever that easy right?
No problem.... I scanned them all and printed onto paper.  Re-sized each to fit,. then used white paper glue to fold the two matching sides together.
After 80% dry, I played around with getting the appearance of being slightly lifted by a light breeze.

Working on the ID Plaque now, which will put the wraps on this build.
 
Good day for having a cold one to celebrate.

 
Dave
 

 

 

 

LAUNCH FINISHED....
 
I guess we're running out of road very rapidly here.  The launch is now sitting in place on deck.
 
After cleaning up and adding the oar locks and stern post, the launch is ready to be staged in place.

 
The cradle is about as simple as they come.....  The oars are quite thin and very delicate around the grip end.

 
The rudder somewhat tricky getting the pentles and gudgeons to match up .... and the tiny anchor shaped from a piece of scrap pewter.

 
All staged on deck....

Really strange feeling this morning, coming to the ship yard for coffee at 6:00 am as usual.
The clean tidy work bench just blew me away!
 
It's like a ship yard just waiting for something to happen'
 
 

The most convoluted main mast ever! Also the hardest part of the build for mine. Pontos completely replaces the masts anf adds a radar set.
 
I'm not entirely satisfied with the alignment but this is as good as it's going to get.

Frank - many thanks - this is really helpful - 1/16 in a few minutes is what I am looking for.  Preac takes around 10-20'. The two grits sounds like a nice feature, although I have been doing OK without it. 
 
Dupree - agreed that Jim Byrnes makes awesome tools, but so did Charlie Files at Preac.  Big thing I am sorting out is whether it is worth the $ to upgrade a tool that works mostly adequately. 
 
My wife is talking about getting back into her doll houses, which will up the amount of milling I need to do, and sounds like I can justify the new machine.  I like milling the wood, but time spent passing pieces of wood through the sander is time not spent actually building the model.
 
Just saw that the Byrnes website is closed to new orders until January 1.  Will probably go ahead and order when they reopen, and will post the difference between the two machines in case I'm not the only one still using an old Preac machine.
 
Happy holidays!
 
Dave

The log is not abandoned, just a very slow building due to an upcoming Christmas and everything related to it.
 
Notches lined up:

 
Whoopsie, forgot that wings are at an angle. Argh, redoing this piece again from scratch.

 
Two curved things are in place, one to go and then I can fair it nice and flush:

Mike,
 
I think Russ means the bore length, not the bore
 
The handles of the tools had to be long enough to reach into the entire length of the bore plus have enough length for a sailor to hold with two hands.  With the gun run all the way in, there was not enough room to get the tool into the barrel unless it was taken outside the hull, presumably through the gun port.   The sketch describes it better than I can put in words.  The gun has a 9 foot barrel and the beam is 40 feet on a 70 gun ship of 1706.  The handle of a tool is shown extending outboard of the hull.
 
Allan

Young America - extreme clipper 1853
Part 190 – Framing the Fore Top
 
It was nice to get back to some pure – well almost pure – woodworking on the tops.  There will be ironwork involved, but not in this post.  The first picture shows the first step, pinning the 9" x 9" crosstrees to the drawing.
 

 
Pins were placed in holes that are centered on the slots that will pass the deadeye straps for the topmast shrouds.  They are conveniently located to index the pieces.  In the next picture the 9" x 18" trestletrees have been mortised and fitted.
 

 
The port trestletree is being glued, held down by pin clamps.  The next picture shows the basic framework positioned on the hounds.
 

 
The spacing of the members provides just sufficient clearance to go over the masthead bands.  The top framing is temporarily wedged forward of the mast to check and adjust the level on the top face of the hounds.  The top is aft-heavy.  The next picture shows the rim being formed.
 

 
This was made in a two piece laminate to facilitate bending and minimize spring-back after the two dried pieces were glued.  The rim is shown on the drawing in the next picture.
 

 
The lap joints in the trees have been cut in this picture.  In the next picture the laps have been cut in the rim.
 

 
Indexing holes were drilled in the rim before the joinery was done.  Finally, the assembled framing.
 

 
Next, planking and triming out the top.
 
Ed
 

I think you made the best argument for the thickness sander by stating "I have the tablesaw, disc sander, and ropewalk, and are extremely happy with them." 
 
Dupree

I use my Byrnes thickness sander all the time, and have had no trouble reducing a stack of wood billets by over 1/16" in a matter of minutes.
 
Besides the strength of the motor, a big advantage to the Byrnes unit is being able to use two different grits on the machine.  I use the rough grit for most of the wood removal, then use the smooth grit for finishing the billet.
 
I wouldn't consider having any other thickness sander.

I picked this one up a few years ago - one of my BONUS finds at the STRAND, here in New York.  I still go into the store, on the regular, because I know that one in twenty visits will unearth a real gem!  This is really a great book for the quality of the illustrations, the story of each model's provenance, and what it is to have the luxury to collect these truly fine works of art.

Hi Denis and Brian -  Many thanks for your responses. No question about the quality of the Byrnes tools.  I have the tablesaw, disc sander, and ropewalk, and are extremely happy with them.  The Preac tools are also great.  I'd been thinking that I would upgrade when the Preac sander ran into problems as they are no longer made, but my table saw and sander are looking like they will last forever. 
 
What I'm trying to sort out is whether the bigger motor on the Byrnes thickness sander is worth the expense given that I already have a functional Preac.  When you use your Byrnes sander, can you remove a moderate amount of wood in a single easy pass?  I cut my billets on a 10" table saw, which isn't particularly precise, and I go a little bit on the thick side in case it leaves deep saw marks.  This can make the final thickness sanding require a lot of passes (I'm guessing at these numbers but probably around ~.005-.01" per pass going quickly or .01-.02" going really slowly for 3" wide boxwood). Can the Byrnes take off more in a single pass without binding?  I've been advised that trying to retrofit the Preac with a bigger motor would not be a good solution. I'd really like to be able to take off .02-.03" in a single pass until I'm close to final dimension, then able to go slowly and more precisely until final size. 
 
I also know there is the microlux planer as an option, but I've been happy thickness sanding, and the planer is a lot more expensive than the Byrnes thickness sander.
 
thanks!
 
Dave

I mill my own wood and have been using a Preac thickness sander for 10-12 years.  I have been happy with it, but keep looking at the Byrnes.  Main difference is that the Preac has a 1/8 hp motor and can only remove a little from a 2.5-3" wide boxwood billet on a single pass without binding (does a little better with woods that aren't quite as hard).  Not a big deal when I am only sanding one or two pieces of wood, but it turns sanding more than that into an afternoon project in itself.  The Byrnes has a 1/3 hp motor.  Will the bigger motor make an appreciable difference when sanding compared to the Preac?
 
thanks!
 
Dave

Hi Denis and Brian -  Many thanks for your responses. No question about the quality of the Byrnes tools.  I have the tablesaw, disc sander, and ropewalk, and are extremely happy with them.  The Preac tools are also great.  I'd been thinking that I would upgrade when the Preac sander ran into problems as they are no longer made, but my table saw and sander are looking like they will last forever. 
 
What I'm trying to sort out is whether the bigger motor on the Byrnes thickness sander is worth the expense given that I already have a functional Preac.  When you use your Byrnes sander, can you remove a moderate amount of wood in a single easy pass?  I cut my billets on a 10" table saw, which isn't particularly precise, and I go a little bit on the thick side in case it leaves deep saw marks.  This can make the final thickness sanding require a lot of passes (I'm guessing at these numbers but probably around ~.005-.01" per pass going quickly or .01-.02" going really slowly for 3" wide boxwood). Can the Byrnes take off more in a single pass without binding?  I've been advised that trying to retrofit the Preac with a bigger motor would not be a good solution. I'd really like to be able to take off .02-.03" in a single pass until I'm close to final dimension, then able to go slowly and more precisely until final size. 
 
I also know there is the microlux planer as an option, but I've been happy thickness sanding, and the planer is a lot more expensive than the Byrnes thickness sander.
 
thanks!
 
Dave

Hi Like Brian I have the Byrnes thickness sander, table saw and disc sander.
 
I would not consider any other make after using them.
 
Denis.

I mill my own wood and have been using a Preac thickness sander for 10-12 years.  I have been happy with it, but keep looking at the Byrnes.  Main difference is that the Preac has a 1/8 hp motor and can only remove a little from a 2.5-3" wide boxwood billet on a single pass without binding (does a little better with woods that aren't quite as hard).  Not a big deal when I am only sanding one or two pieces of wood, but it turns sanding more than that into an afternoon project in itself.  The Byrnes has a 1/3 hp motor.  Will the bigger motor make an appreciable difference when sanding compared to the Preac?
 
thanks!
 
Dave

Little update....
 
started with the aftmast shrouds (no ratlines on yet), and some of the "fences" on the aft boatsdeck. The boatsdeck, seawards of the boats gets no railings later on...
Nils
 

 
shrouds are spaned with M1 turnbuckle screws
the remaining two of the 6 turnbuckle screws on each side will take up the aft mast backstays (when the ratlines are on the shrouds) 
 
 

 
divding the aft boatsdeck with fence-like barriers, to prevent passengers from going the the boats area (without railings)
 
 

 
The first third and the last third are almost done, now the mid section has to be further built

Mast Partners.  I've reviewed the details of mast partners from TFFM.  I'll use the same basic layout, adjusted to fit between the deck beams.  That involves locating where the mast passes through the deck.  I used the gantry again to line up a temporary mast (square section at the largest diameter is at the partners). Allowing for a very slight rake, I now know where the hole in the partners needs to be.
 

 

 
Picture pasted in MS Paint looks crude, but you get the idea.  There are some odd angles to where the cross chocks meet the carlings and the partners will be visible, so special attention needs to be paid.  The hole will be rounded and a bit larger than the mast to allow for wedges.
 
Maury

Not much to say so I will let these photos say it all - port and starboard Tubs fitted.
 
OC.

Back before the "Great Crash" of MSW I had built the Triton cross section. I had a pretty robust build log to go along with it where I detailed just about every little step of my build. As it turns out, a friend of mine had actually saved about 95% of it and it has been sitting on my hard drive for quite some time. I haven't been on here much at all the last couple years but I saw my wood list made it's way on here and has hopefully helped a few people. It got me thinking that I would be good to get the build log out there to help others, also. I am going to try to start parsing it out in posts over time starting from the beginning going step by step, but I also have no problem giving out the .xps file to anyone currently building who doesn't want to wait (just be warned it is 180 pages long and includes a lot of fluff you would have to wade through!).

-Chad 
 

 

 

 

 

The knees are in place for the first four beams.

 
If I keep going fore to aft with the beams, I think I have to get the mast partners drawn up and installed.  I have the layout of partner pieces from my Echo Section build.  Seems a reasonable place to start.  I'll pull more info. from Yedlinsky.    Lining up the hole with the mast step needs to be done, so a temporary mast needs to be set.
Maury

Thank you, for all the kind words and "Likes". I've decided that building a wooden boat from scratch is similar to a game of chess. Planning ones move as far out as possible is key. With that said, i would love some recommendations on how to blacken brass.
 
Thanks,
Chris