Chuck

As I mentioned earlier...I am just a beginner with carving. But to get this group started, allow me the opportunity to describe the 4 basic cuts or techniques I used to carve the crown cipher and the other designs. This is what I covered with my local club before we undertook the actual carving. Because the pieces are so small, I used Playdoh to demonstrate the four cuts we were going to start with. It allowed us to demonstrate in larger scale so everyone could see it. Once I am done with cut one....please do reply and let me know if this method to describe the cuts translates well enough for the web. If you guys think this is a good method I will delete your replies and continue with the remaining three..... So let me begin. To start here is an exampled of the same cipher on a contemporary model. It very plainly carved. And its gilded. Here is my first try also gilded. When you download and print the design patterns here scaledecorationschart.pdf You will notice on the crown design below, that I added some lines and arrows....the short red lines indicate where we have stop cuts...to be explained later. The dark vertical lines show the wood grain. The arrows indicate suggested direction for slicing the laser char from the sides of your carving. Either with a # 11 blade or chisel. I used a #11 blade. I recommend you indicate the grain direction on the enlarged designs before you begin...and also draw in where you will place your stop cuts to establish depth....and arrows to indicate what direction you will slice and carve in. Its just good practice and a great exercise before the wood shavings start flying. As you can see I only did this for some of the cuts on the crown cipher......feel free to fill in the others on your design sheet before you begin. Note the left leg of the monogram. It has an arrow in green. This is used to demonstrate the importance in cut direction with your chisel or blade. The playdough piece below represents this same part of the crown cipher. Notice the grooves I added to represent the wood grain. When you are slicing with your chisel or blade....I watched everyone in my club group begin. It is logical that everyone would start with the design right side up.....and start with this leg of the design. The goal when starting is just to slice away the laser char from the sides of the piece. Most started slicing off small shavings in the direction shown below. I did this also. Its seems like the obvious way to do it. But guess what happened? The blade caught on the grain and either split the leg off entirely or creating a large chip along the grain direction which ruined the piece.....time to start again. Can you see how this would happen? Some also decided not to slice or chisel away the char as they were shaping the edges. They decided to scrape it off with the edge of the #11 blade. Not only did this make a horrible noise...I wouldnt recommend this approach. It leaves a dirty and rough surface that wont take a finish well. It just doesnt look good. Since we are trying to learn carving its best to try cutting or chiseling. Very tiny thin shavings....dont try to remove too much. This takes time to do. Its very delicate work. Instead Slice in the other direction as shown below. This may seem obvious to most but it is well worth mentioning. This completes the first type of basic cut used on these pieces. Its real beginner stuff but hopefully useful. Analyze your piece for the wood grain and its direction and pre-plan the direction of your cuts to avoid splitting and ruining your piece. You can do this ahead of time by drawing arrows on your printed design sheet. Let me know guys if this way of explaining the four basic cuts works....if it does....I will continue on with basic cut number two.....the stop cut. God I love the smell of playdoh!!!!!! Chuck

Download the pdf here of the carving blank designs. It shows the designs actual size and also enlarged for clarity. The crown monogram is the easiest in my opinion and I recommend you start with that one. You will notice some red lines and arrows on the PDF.....They represent the wood grain and also a cheat sheet for deciding what direction you should slice in and where your stop cuts are located.... A more detailed explanation will follow and be placed in the pinned techniques......topic very soon!!! scaledecorationschart.pdf

I carved my pieces using only a #11 blade. I also tried a few micro chisels from Flexcut. They worked really well. I only really used the "v" shaped one. The important thing is to keep them very sharp.....as soon as the #11 blades got a little dull I threw it away and got a new one. I havent done any rotary carving because I dont like the look of the pieces after using the bits. Too rounded for my tastes but only probably because I dont know how to do it correctly. I also like the feel of the blade vs. the rotary tool. But guys, please discuss your tools and approaches here and hopefully we will have a few that will try rotary carving. Chuck

I am far from being an expert at carving in wood. This was my first attempt and it seemed to work really well. I am sure some of you will have alternative methods for mounting your carving blanks. The Queen's cipher is probably the easiest of the designs to start with so I recommend starting with those. To mount the blank, I used a thicker 1/8" or 3/16" thick piece of scrap wood (not included with the blanks). Its cherry and is hard enough to take a beating. I would imagine softer woods are not the best to use and probably should be avoided. The base was cut just a little larger than the piece being carved. It was glued on with a childs glue stick. This glue is easy to remove and cures permanent and strong....but will easily be treated with rubbing alcohol when the time comes to remove it. Dont be shy with how much you use. You want this piece secure. These are fragile pieces at 1/32" thick. Take special care with the areas that would be prone to breaking like the bottom tails for the letters. The glue will dry hard but also flatter. If some squished out its not a problem because you can easily scrape it away while carving. Because the designs are so thin it will have a tendency to curl when wet with glue. To solve this problem I sandwiched it with another small scrap piece and clamped it to dry. I let it dry overnight before starting to carve it. To remove the piece after you are done...I literally just filled a small plastic container with 90% rubbing alcohol and dropped it in. I let it fully submerge in a 1" deep bath for about 3 hours. It actually fell right off the base without any trouble. Feel free to share other ways here or in your logs when you start one. I would NOT recommend trying to carve these blanks without mounting them to a base. They will just break apart in the first 2 seconds. Chuck

Please feel free to post any books, publications or articles you may have read and recommend. If you read something that you will think can help others learn about carving or miniature carving please place it here.

This group area was set up to allow folks to experiment with relief carving as a group. Share ideas, techniques and advice. Laser cut carving blanks have been made available for those of you interested in using them. If everyone uses the same design it will be easier to share ideas and comment about them as a group. But it is not a requirement. Feel free to join in with the group if you would rather carve a different pattern and design. I would ask however that you refrain from using more advanced subjects like figureheads and fully "in-the-round" subjects as it is beyond the scope of this group at this time. To purchase a set of carving blanks CLICK HERE You will notice a few "pinned topics" at the top of this group area. These pinned topics were set up as an area for all to discuss those related subjects. If you have a question or comment related to them please post within those topics so everyone can easily find them later. Other than those pinned topics, we ask that you only create a mini-carving log of your own. Please title it similar to the example listed below. "Chuck's carving log" or maybe "Chucks first attempt at carving" It will work just like any other build log. This forum should not have any topics in it other than the properly named "carving logs" and pinned topics. Should you want to ask a question or post something, make sure it is posted in either a log or one of the instructional topics in the tabs above. Dont start a new topic. If for whatever reason you guys feel there is a need for a new instructional topic because your discussion doesnt relate to the ones already there....just start another one in the "tutorials and discussions" tab. You know the drill....this basically works like all of the other group project areas. See the other tabs above in this group area that have all the tutorials and instructions!!!! Feel free to ask any questions about this group here. All questions and comments are appreciated and very helpful.

Coming soon....

If you have questions, comments or recommendations for carving tools and wood choices please post them here. The carving blanks for this project are only available in boxwood to start...but with enough interest...maybe we will try some others. Feel free to elaborate here.

Post your methods and questions here on how you mounted your blanks or remove them after you are finished.

Your ears must have been burning. I am hoping to make a whole bunch of carving blanks.....package them up.....and send them to Kurt. Hopefully he can add them to the website so you guys can buy them. I didnt write anything like a "how to carve" but after having the workshop I dont think we will need that. I will just start an area where folks can share their experiences while trying to carve the blanks. I will post a few words about what we did in the workshop and how some of the guys chose to approach it. Then we can just talk about our own attempts once you guys get them. Here is what they will look like. They are very simple...Not very large....typical ship model-like decorations....they basically are the blanks for my barge prototype. They will be laser cut from 1/32" thick boxwood. As far as tools, I used primarily a #11 blade although I also used a flexcut mini chisel forsome aspects. The "v" shaped kind. I am sure everyone will have there own preferences. But its a few weeks away....at least.

Yes I did....right out of the package. These Albion tubes are so thin-walled there is no need to anneal them. They are very soft and pliable. Just a few light taps on each side is all you need. As you can see in the photo they start out much longer and after you tap them they get thinner because they stretch so easily. Yet when completed they are still stiff enough that they hold their shape real nice. I dont worry about making them perfectly the same width or length. It goes so quickly that it takes about a 1/2 hour to make several dozen. Then as I need them its easy to find a bunch that came out the same if that is what is needed. I used 1.5 mm tubes for these.

Thats funny and thank you. But like everyone else, I am always just learning more with every project. I do however pride myself in doing as much research as I possibly can. It usually only leads to me second guessing myself. But than you for the kind words. Chuck

Mark , your guess is as good as mine. I actually think most ships were like this..... but because of Steele and a few other rigging texts that focus mainly on frigates, people have found comfort in being able to say its correct. But just because one or two contemporary texts write about particular methods however, it sometimes still doesnt match what you see on contemporary models with original rigging or even many contemporary drawings or other not as well known texts. You see so many contradictions. I believe its fair to say that you can use what you find in a contemporary rigging source but you shouldnt get so comfortable or insistent that its the correct and only way it was done. For each time you read or find another so called contemporary example....you will ultimately find two more that are completely different but just as plausible. I think when it comes to rigging there was a lot of experimentation and different methods that were acceptable. As an example.....the bobstay on a cutter after 1800. I have seen them with tackles set up with blocks. I have seen them with deadeyes and a lanyard. I have seen some with no bobstay at all. With regard to the bowsprit guys....the same is true. Some have a lanyard between thimbles and an eyebolt as I show it. Others have it set up with blocks and a tackle while others also use deadeyes. Its nuts. But its comforting in that nobody can say that you are wrong. Just different!!! See below for the variations in bowsprit guys on contemporary models. The surly model in the thomson collection is different than these two which are different. I have a few others not as close up that show no lanyard or tackle but simply hooked to the eyebolt at the bow. Its crazy stuff. Not all are original rigging either but many are. So to everyone building the Cheerful...feel free to choose between the many examples available. I can only select one. And I will never pretend that its the one and only correct way.

That is the Winchelsea on the cover......its a nice coffee table book. Lots of photos. Chuck

Thanks guys....Yes indeed, the hooked guys are on eyebolts already shared by seized blocks. It was very common on Cutters. Take a look at some contemporary models. There are many variations but you would be surprised how much they crammed up there. I have a bunch more but these photos give you a good idea of just how many different variations I have found. To post them all would make your head spin. You hardly see two that are the same. Picking one version to use was the hardest part. Some cutters had no bobstay....others have no topmast stay....the treatment of the forward braces was also interesting but represented in as many varied way as I could find models to look at. These smaller vessels are not as well documented and there isnt any one source to use as standard starting point. Its all over the the place. In fact, I have changed my mind so many times because you find yourself second guessing everything. Chuck

Thank You The bowsprit guys were also served their entire length. Thimbles were seized into the end of each. I used .025 brown rope for these. There are two of these and both were made at the same time to ensure they came out the same length. As mentioned earlier I am using dark brown for the standing rigging. The forward end have hooks fashioned from 24 gauge black wire. This is hooked to the eyebolt at the bow. The other end has a lanyard that stretches across to an eyebolt in the hull. Chuck

The bobstay was rigged today. I used a length of .025 dark brown rope that was served its entire length. A 3/16" single block was seized to one end while the other end was placed through the hole in the stem. That end was seized to itself as shown in the photos. The bobstay tackle was set up with .012 light brown rope. The running end of the tackle being brought inboard and belayed to the pin rail at the bow. I did not glue the belaying point at all. It is simply fixed on the belaying pin by using a simple twist of the loop around the pin's bottom. I will leave the running end a bit long for now as with all of the other lines. This line may go slack depending on the tensions from other lines etc. So not using any glue until much later (if at all) will give me an easy opportunity to loosen it at the belaying in and re-tension to suit. This will be extremely important when I turn in the deadeyes for the shrouds and set up the backstays. Once the backstays are rigged it has a tendency to make the aft shrouds go a bit slack....being able to re-tension is a huge factor so no lines will be made permanent until much later if at all. The rigging is not pulled to tight at this point. Just enough tension so it doesnt go slack. I see so many models with teh rigging so tight it causes big issues. I have restored many models that were 100+ years old and the lines were never glued permanently. This made fixing them and re-tensioning so easy that I have decided to give it a try on my models. Just pull out the belaying pin and the line is free to be re-tensioned.

Thank Druxey Today I also mass produced a few dozen thimbles in various sizes and thicknesses. I used thin wall brass tube from Albion. They were 1.5mm and 1.2mm and 1.7mm in diameter. I have no idea which will be used where yet but making a bunch now will save me from having to stop while rigging. Blanks of various thickness were cut and then I used the blunt punch shown to shape each end and flare it. Just a few light taps will do it. Then you can blacken them or even paint them whatever your preference is. You can see one blank before I used the punch on it in the lower left hand corner. You can see teh difference between the others pretty clearly. Chuck

Rigging has begun. I still havent made the long guns at the bow but I figured I needed to break the ice and at least add the blocks to the tip of the bowsprit. There are 4 blocks. Two singles and two doubles that are 3/16" long. I am using dark brown for standing rigging and light brown for running rigging. Next up will be the bobstay with tackle and then the bowsprit guys. It has been a long time since I rigged a model. I figured why procrastinate. In some cases, these blocks are hooked to the ringbolts. But I am just seizing them. There are so many different configurations used on Cutters from this time period. And yes...I am using all Syren blocks and rope of course. Its a brutal close up photo but it looks fine in actuality. Onward and upward as they say.

There are also many "chain" laser cutters out there. But you most likely have to use their available materials. see here http://www.ponoko.com/laser-cutting and https://www.pololu.com/product/749

I am willing cut small jobs when the time permits. I would encourage folks to contact me for availability. For example, right now I am swamped and couldnt possibly take a small job for laser cutting and have one such custom job on my to-do list. I just wont get to it til early next month at the soonest. If time isnt a factor then please let me know what you need. Provide me with either a Corel Draw file or a DXF file of the parts. I can talk you about specifics and the need to always have to adjust the drawings after I get them. They will always need to be adjusted for the kerf of the cut depending on what type of wood you choose. If you want the stuff sooner, You can contact National balsa. They have an excellent laser cutting service and I used them all the time before getting my own equipment. But they will only use the woods they have in stock. Basswood, Maple, Cherry and lite ply.....amiong a few other things. See here for the custom laser cutting services at National balsa http://www.nationalbalsa.com/laser_cutting_s/8.htm You would probably have to double your $2000 estimate for getting a laser cutter of your own the needed software and accessories. That is if you want to cut anything thicker than 1/8" basswood with accuracy and a decent cut. Chuck

Very nice Chris

They were drilled out on a drill press first with a normal bit (round). Then I just took a #11 xacto blade and notched out the corners by eye to square them off. They are 1/16" square. They are not square all the way through. Just deep enough that after painting you would think they were squared up all the way through. They are square only about 3/64" deep into the hole. Thanks for the kind words guys. Chuck

To make the bowsprit....start with a square stick of boxwood 5/16" x 5/16". The inboard section will remain square. The outboard side is rounded off and tapered. There are three square holes on the inboard sides. But these start out as round holes made on the drill press while the entire stick is still square. There is also a sheave on the outboard end. The holes for this simulated sheave are also drilled while the stick is square. Then the outboard end is measured and marked for the 7-10-7 ratios to make it an octagon. From an octagon it is then made round. There are many way to do this. Mini-plan...files...by hand....then rounded off on a lathe or even chocked in your hand drill. Then I made it round...in my hand drill...and taperred it to match the plan while doing so. Once that was done...the simulated sheave on the outboard end was detailed. I used a #11 blade to connect the holes and carve it out a little. Then mini-files were used to round off the simulated sheave. Later I will darken it with pencil. The three inboard holes need to be made square...again there are many way to do this. I decided to just use my #11 blade to carefully square off the corners. The inboard portion will eventually be painted black. The outboard end also has a metal band with four eyes around it. This was made from paper. You could use art tape or even brass if you wanted. Again there are so many choices. It was painted black and weathered so it looked differently than the wood elements painted black. Then it was mounted in the hole at the bow and the fit tweaked. Once it looked good, the bowsprit step was slid onto the inboard end. You wouldnt be able to slide the bowsprit in position if the step was already glued in place. So this is a bit tricky. But soon after I was able to get it all in position and glued securely. Then I touched up the paint and cleaned it up. Next up the long guns can be positioned....but I am unsure of I will add them. They will look very crammed in there. I will have to contemplate that for a bit.

Yes just start a new one and I will delete your old one. All of the photos are missing anyway. So be sure to upload them using the photo upload button on the site when you make each post rather than host them elsewhere. Chuck