qwerty2008

Blocks on mediaeval ships were somewhat different to those we are used to on later vessels. For example this is my concept of a double block with the pulleys set in-line instead of side-by-side
 

 
I have installed the backstays first while holding the mast with temporary forestays much as seen in the Trombetta illustration. This sketch I believe was made while the mast was being set up.
 
this shows the use of hearts for the backstays
 

 

 

 

 
Cheers
Dick

Soon I believe, I will be able to begin the last carvings.

Jack next time I am in the city i will check out what the Michaels has. there is also a hobby shop close as well.
 
Deon I will give the canopy glue a look.
 
Thanks for all the likes
 
While waiting for the other boat to dry I had one of those moments where I fitted the skylight to the low raised cabin roof. I kept looking at the junction between the two halves of the original cabin, and picked up a chisel and a razor saw.....
 
The went out to the shop to the big bandsaw...
 
before
 

 
after
 

 

 

 
I will need to rework the hatch area but I like the overall design better, it feel a little more elegant and less boxy.
 
Michael
 
 
 

I use the Harbor Freight mini planes. Besides sharpening my complaint would be that they are rather unpleasant to use due to sharp corners. I rounded the corners off with the Dremel, now they are much nicer to use.
 
 
 
Lextin.

The last method for centering a square part is quite precise.
If you put it  in a lathe collet it will be even more precise.
This is how it is made in jewelry.
Jewelers can teach us a lot of technics.

To turn the axle for a square, there is no need to use the 4 jaw chuck. 
You just need to insert the square axle in a brass tubing. To be able to apply pressure  without deforming the brass tubing, 2 cuts in line are enough.

Continuation + some jigs  for repetitive operations.

Thanks again for all the positive feedback.
 
I gave the skylight parts a quick coat of Tung Oil last evening and am pleased with the results.
 

 

 
Today i shall see about the hinges and the other internal hardware and the Lexan.
 
Michael

John, Pete, thanks for following along and all who have visited and liked what I am doing.
 
In order to be able to set in the Lexan after every thing is varnished I needed to be able to fix the cleats with the bars afterwards, fortunately I had some very small brass flat head wood screws, I purchased them from Lee Valley
page 203 they are #0 x 1/4
Step 1 was to make a small self centering awl for transferring the hole position to the cleat. I used a bit of 3/16 steel hex stock I had on the rack.
 

 
after they were marked I used the same awl to make the indent larger for the #60 drill
 

 
the next pic shows all the tools for setting the holes.
 

 
I did have to countersink the frames so that the screws had enough purchase on the cleats I did this with #33 drill just twirled it between my fingers.
 

 
seems to hold well enough.
 

 

 
one down three more to go 

Druxey, Bob, Ian, Steve, thanks for your positive comments, and all who pressed the like button.
 
I finished rough sanding the four lights and am starting to work on the cleats with the bars that protects the Lexan.
 

 
after cutting the cleats they were drilled with an .046 drill to accept some 3/64th brass rod 3/8 scale size.
 

 
the cleats were then given an initial shaping, by stacking them on foundation with 2 sided tape to sand them
 

 
after assembling the first one the bars looked a bit small so I up sized them to 1/2 inch (1/16) but did not want to re-drill the holes. after cutting the copper tube to length I inserted some 1/32 brass rod in each end and gave the tube a gentle squeeze with some round nosed pliers to hold the rods in place.
 

 

 
I am thinking that the copper looks better anyway.
 
Michael

Thank you all for the positive feedback.
 
Here is a Step by Step of the preparation of the light frame for the skylight. The way of working at the computer desk is different that in the workshop in that I am only able to use small hand tools at the desk. With a little preparation a high level of accuracy can be accomplished with simple tools.
To be fair I started with a few strips that were prepared in the shop on the table saw.
 
the first task was to cut the profile to length, using the square vice that I use a great deal for both machine work and hand work. the design of the vice is almost the same as this one with the exception that mine has a dovetail slide and I made it myself as an apprentice 52 years ago.
 

 
Next the lengths are squared up using the shooting board hooked onto the edge of the desk with a sanding stick instead of a block plane.
 

 
The sanding stick has the sandpaper set in such a way that the sandpaper cannot wear away the shooting board by removing a strip from the bottom like this.
 

 
I have a number of these sticks made from scraps of dimension lumber such as 2x4 the section varies depending on what I have available but I like to keep enough material so that is stays flat and square on the board. a little candle wax keeps them well lubricated on the bottom. I also generally use both sides each a different grit. I mark the ends for quick reference.
 

 
To cut the 45 degree corners on the top and bottom rails I just clamped a steel 45 degree square to the shooting board.
 

 
The way I use the board is to shift the work out a little so that I can see how much will be sanded off like this you can see there is a gap close to the stop.
 

 
After sliding the stick back and forth a few strokes the stick ceases to cut like this
 

 
Rinse and repeat as much as needed to remove the require amount, this works much faster that one would first think, I use this method far more that a powered sanding disk.
 
The next task is to cut away the areas on the vertical sides this is done by transferring the angle to them from the top and bottom rails then cutting away the waste with the jewelers saw.
 

 
The cut pieces were then cleaned up with the square file that has 2 edges polished smooth as safe edges this is one of my favourite files.
 

 
then they are ready to be glued up.
 

 
Michael
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Thanks for all the positive feedback.
 
After gluing the case together the ends of the channels needed a little more work in the way of small extensions so that the water doesn't just trickle down the side and ends. This was accomplished by taking a small strip of mahogany, and milling a groove the same as the channels then shaping the outside curve to create a cup like extrusion.
 

 
This end was then rounded with files and sandpaper Oh and i had some help
 

 
these were then cut off with a jewelers saw and glued to the appropriate locations.
 

 

 
The side channels were a little more tricky to cut, and had first to be sanded to the same angle. I did this by placing the cup shaped piece on the side of the case and finishing the end with the sanding block.
 

 
Cutting these off was done slowly with the jewelers saw with my finger underneath the end to act as a support, As the blade neared the bottom of the curve I used a micro back and forth motion  until the cut parted off the pieces.
 

 
these were then glued to the sides
 

 
After all the extensions were glued and set they were cleaned up with some 400 grit sandpaper.
 

 
The top bar was then shaped with a block plane and files and connected to the case with a couple of brass woodscrews from below.
 

 

 

 
Next the hinged lights need to be made and fitted.
 
Michael

Thanks David and for the likes that other posted.
 
Last pic for today of the centre beam roughed in.
 

 
Tomorrow I will glue it together and finish the top edges.
 
Michael

Greg, thanks, regarding the Black and white, I saw some really fantastic black and white photographs of some early farm equipment on another model forum and thought about how rich many of the old black and white reference photographs were. The thing that I like most about them is the great depth of focus they had, even when blown up on the screen the details seem to remain really sharp. 
I wonder if that has anything to do with the difference between the old silver nitrate verses the modern digital processing. or possibly smaller  F stop and longer exposures.
 
The one thing that I do like about our new cameras is the ability to shoot in color or black and white, and the capability to delete and shoot again without having to send the film away and then be disappointed that 6 of the pictures were either too dark or too light or blurry.
 
Michael

Thanks Pete. Patrick yest the great thing about building in this scale is being able to pretty much follow the full size practices.  I think that in many ways it is much easier especially with regard to material selection. One can get away with the out of scale grain in some places because of this.
 
Michael

Thanks everyone for the very kind comments and for all the likes.
Yes I'm happy that the boys have great families and that they are both happy with their work.
 
Back to the skylight now.
Today I cut the dovetails for the corners, not as clean as I would have liked but acceptable for this one.
 
First the backsaw for cutting the pins
 

 
followed by the jewelers saw to remove the waste
 

 
all the pins cut
 

 
next the side boards were marked to receive the pins
 

 
these were cut out with the jewelers saw and cleaned up with some needle files
 

 

 
After the main frame carcass was dry assembled the ends were filed down with a safe edged square file, I like to sit the assembly on a sheet of sandpaper which grips the whole thing from sliding around without resorting to a vice or clamps.
 

 
next the sawn rebate needed to be slanted so I sloped the side of a heavy sanding block (1 1/2 inch stock) and carefully sanded down the edge to the angle.
 

 
Next will come the middle divider channel.
 

 
Michael

Thanks one and all for all the kind comments and congratulations
 
Here is the gang in the style of who's on first
 
My eldest son is holding my new granddaughter who was born to my youngest son and wife, right in front of me is my eldest granddaughter, born to my eldest son and his wife next to my eldest grandson who is a brother to the youngest granddaughter behind his cousin who is who is the nephew of my youngest son who is behind my third oldest grandchild.
Oh I have no idea who the thin guy in the back is.
Michael

A little more work this evening, I milled the half round water channels into the bottom half of the top beam composition, this beam appears to be made of the lower channels and a curved top part that accepts the hinges and forms the top radius.
 

 
the middle channel on each side will get tennoned in when the sides are dovetailed to the ends.
 
Off to Calgary tomorrow morning to see my new granddaughter who was born on the 16th of October.
 
Michael

Grant thanks for the vote of confidence. All those who added likes thanks for following along.
 
I laid out the skylights on the forward part of the cabin roof and realized that I needed to change the length a little to take advantage of the beams underneath.
I first marked out the hole with some blue masking tape and used a sharp #11 to knife along the ends to cut through the very top fibres the fir tends to be a little brittle and I did not want to upset any fibres during the cutting with the saw.
 

 
I cut from the ends to the middle because of the size, this made it a bit easier to handle I did break one blade cutting the piece out.
 

 
I used a 3 inch wide piece of aircraft ply with some sandpaper glued on with some double sided carpet tape as a large file to clean up the cut edges, making sure to only put pressure on the stroke towards the inside or bottom.
 
the opening is now 36" wide by 50" long. Time to add the inside framing.
 

 
Michael
 
 

Mike, Nils, Druxey, and John thanks for the positive feedback, and another thank you for all who added a like.
 
I spent a fair bit of time today looking for the gaff crane to fix to the mast before setting it up, went through all the possible hiding places all the bins and containers that I had stored various parts. Then it dawned on me that it was attached to the gaff with the halliard shackle and blocks.
 
I needed to rearrange the room a little and removed the sewing machine brought in the rolling base from the shop after changing the top for a slightly smaller one.
 

 
It is a good job that our ceilings are all ten feet.
 

 
Fiddling with the shrouds for the bowsprit seemed to take forever.
 

 
Now she is beginning to look like a cutter again.
 

 
Michael
 
 

Chippy? Patrick, Nils, Steve, and Grant, thank you for your encouragement, Thanks to all who added a like.
 
Today I painted the posts and knees for the winch, I used some "Polly Scale" model railroad  Reefer White, it has a nice dull sheen to it not quite flat and not gloss. I left the side that the chain winds on plain wood, it will get some linseed oil on it a little later.
 

 
I have also begun re assembling other pieces of critical hardware in order to put the mast back up. After a year I am having to do a little deep remembering..... you know how that goes. I am struggling with the issue of do I colour the brass or leave it brass. I am tempted to mostly just let it naturally tarnish, with those elements that would normally remain bright because of their normal use.
 

 
While waiting for the paint to dry I also embarked on an organizing journey of 3 1/2 years of pictures of this build and set up some new categories for the folders, so instead of them being in just date order folders I am grouping the photographs into the relevant areas of the construction elements.
 
A few of the folders for instance; Blocks, Frames,decks, mast and spars, painting, etc once they are relocated into the general categories it will be much easier to find specific images instead of searching through the dates.... did I make that in May 2013 or was it Feb of 2014 if you get my drift.
 
Michael

Well finally the cutter is back in the foreground of my mind, I have moved the boat into the house and have set up to work on her over the winter.
 
The first task was to deal with the cabin which was bothering me.
 

 

 
so now I can think about finishing the side walls.
 
Michael

Thanks for all the positive comments and other feedback.
 
I made a start on the hinges, they are cut from .010" brass sheet. scales out to roughly .078 which is 14 gauge sheet. which seems reasonable enough.
 
the strip was annealed by heating to red and then quenching in water, I could have let it cool down on its own and would have the same result.
 
then it was folded over on itself in the milling vice with a length of .032" steel rod to support the rounded portion after the fold was nearly complete I set the folded metal so that as the vice squeezed the brass it pushed the steel rod upwards to form the full round, similar to what we do when we wrap a piece of paper around a dowel and then pinch it to become tight our finger slide a little as the paper closes together.
 

 
A couple of pieces were cut off using the jewelers saw with a #7 blade the finest I have. The notches were filed out with needle files with some brass .032 rod inside as support.
next I used the jewelers saw to cut off the folded flap close to the rounded portion, in order to lessen the flex of the blade I shortened the throat of the saw to  approx  3 inches.
 

 
 
Once all the rest are cut and assembled I will use the drill press to drill and countersink the holes. Just 7 more to go.
 

 
Gee the close ups are brutal they show every flaw.
 
The pieces were assembled and then squared up with a 6 inch  #4 flat file 
 
Michael
 
 

Hi Lextin
 
I wish I had things worked out as well as you, when I was your age! Any plan is a good plan.
 
All the best.
 
Patrick

You have a good plan, Lextin.