Chuck

Thank you

I love my sheerline. I made my old style blocks by hand using it. I was able to make twice as many blocks per hour and sometimes more by hand. But that meant I had to sit in front of a machine to make 2000 blocks. For you….just making them for one model would be a walk in the park and I would also make them hand if that was all I had to make. I agree with you that is the way to go for a guy just making blocks for their own models.

Yes that is it exactly. The issue with the bits are the quality. Even buying expensive bits they are not centered or not sharp. Yes the tricky part is zeroing it out and getting everything all lined up. Its tricky. Whats even trickier is the fact that no two cnc machines are alike. There are slight variations between my two machines and no amount of calibration will sync them up. So each machine needs different files slightly tweaked to help line everything up. If you are off by the tiniest fraction you screw up hours of work. The jigs need to be perfect. The machines need to be perfectly “homed” with each bit change and flip. It takes practice…especially on those tiny 2mm blocks. Ball nose bits dont work on blocks this tiny. They break instantly and blocks fly across the shop. For these tiny blocks the best bit is by far a “V” engraving bit with a 10 degree angle. Remember we are only talking about wood that is 1mm thick and you are only milling through half of it with each pass. Engraving bits are great for them. But even expensive “V” bits are crappy. I have to trash half of them before I find one that works. Nothing worse and more destructive than an off-center dull engraving bit. Even the so called expensive bits are junk. So I now buy them 30 at a time and throw away half of them. Many have the tips broken right out of the box new. I test them all in the spindle and if they wobble I toss them. Larger blocks and parts are different. Those need roughing passes to remove the bulk of material before using the smaller bits.

Thanks Justin….there were so many failures you didnt see. I know my way around a laser pretty well and can push it to its limits. But it isnt ideal for many applications. The cnc machine I admit I am still clueless about. I managed to fumble through it and take what I know from laser production and just apply it to coming up with production approach on the cnc. The cnc machine is not a very expensive version. Its a simple 3018 like so many of you guys have as well. I have two now and they cost about $450 each. A far cry from the $5000 a decent laser costs. you can do some really good stuff with these entry level cnc machines. The learning curve should take 6 months to a year but i have figured out how to make decent blocks in just 3 weeks. its all about the correct bit/endmill and speed and depth of cut rates. A ton of trial and error really and a willingness to screw up and waste wood…time…and broken bits. I am sure I can refine it as I learn more. A look at a failed experiment….Notice how slow it is. I can make the absolute perfect rigging block but it would take 4 hours to make 42 blocks. Using the laser and the cnc and simplifying it….I can make the ones you see in that photo at a rate of 100 blocks per hour or so depending on the size. Multiple passes….changing bits with each pass and flipping the board to repeat on the other side. Its actually fun learning….and failing too. IMG_0344.MOV

I have been combining both types of mfg and these 2mm blocks have the sheaves laser cut and then the blocks are cnc milled to shape after the fact. This gives you the precision for small detail as well as the clean milling on even the smallest parts. I just took these pics with my phone so they are a bad pics but I found if you use bot CNC and a laser it produces the best result in a fraction of the time.... These are just 2mm long if you can believe it. They were really hard to make and it took many failed experiments to get to these. And here is a shot of some larger single blocks along with those tiny ones using the same exact process. These are some pretty tiny examples. I am refining the process as I gain more experience as well. The issue with just a laser is all the char which is very problematic. This gives you the best of both worlds and really cuts down on the cnc time which takes forever. CNC is very very slow. .

She is a beauty....its looking fantastic. The color of the wood against the red and black really looks great.

Looks great Rusty. It was so good to see your Winnie in person yesterday. It looks even better up close. Glad to see you back at it. Chuck

The kit log forums for the appropriate period would be best. looking forward to the log.

Looking good Jim.

It depends but rarely did they do so. They could have but there isnt much room up there. It was not usual. Chuck

Just a quick update...I wanted to get the caprail all finished before the show this Saturday. It really finishes it off. Just like along the quarter deck, the cap rail is laser cut for you for the bow. The outboard edges were rounded off and each section was painted off the model. Then the forward-most pieces were glued on the model. Then a laser cut spacer (looks like a small pointed arow) the width of the catheads was used to help position the next longer piece on both sides. This is an important step. Its easier to widen the slot later and not so easy to make it smaller so be cautious here. Than the hance caps were made as before. The two halves glued together so we have a nice wide piece. The hance caps were shaped and sanded for a snug fit. Then care was taken to eliminate any seams between it and the cap rail. I am happy this is completed and I can move to the deck now. I will add the margin planks next before starting the coamings just to get them over with.

Nicely done!!! Its really looking great. Slow and steady.

Chapter 8 monograph Chaptereight.pdf And dont forget your templates which can be found in the posts before this.

Wonderful progress

Yupp….fun times. It looks great.

I would lower the forward end of the templates just a bit more.....

That looks very good Ben.....

Ben….that looks so nice. I really beautiful planking job. Folks who are not building the winnie should know that this hull is so much bigger than it appears in photos. That is quite a achievement on a hull that size.

Oh my that is awful. We came out ok with just a minor roof leak. But that lioks awful. I hope you guys are doing ok. chuck

Beautiful progress!!!

That looks really good. Its nice to see a cheerful in the darker woods. It looks great. You did a nice tidy job of the square tuck!!!!

There is no scientific method for the garboard. At least not for me. This is where your eye and subjectivity comes into play. Once a hull is lined off with tape or string you can view the model from various angles to check the placement of the garboard. chances are you will know right away if your garboard is wrong because you wouldnt be able to run your tape or string without noticing a problem. Look at Bens Winnie hull all lined off with string. He tweaked them so many times to get to this which is how he found the proper placement and shape for the garboard. The issue is that most folks dont take the time to do this with tape or string. But look at what this method gives you. A perfect roadmap for planking.

Thank You.....

Nope… We will add the margin planks next but then we will need to make the coamings for the hatches. Then it will finally be a good time to plank. Chuck

Here are some timely images of the rail and how complex it will be. This is why proper planning is important with the placement of those square holes in the cap rail. There are three levels of the rail including the caprail. Most models for kits wouldnt attempt a rail like this...at least I havent seen one. So we need to go slow and double check all positions. This is very important because of the placemnt of the swivel stocks....qdeck cannon....channels etc. The second rail or middle rail is narrower and the very top rail is super thin. Its actually the same thickness as the timberheads. We wont be adding the rail yet because it will be delicate and get in the way when we are fitting out the qdeck fittings. But the caprail placement is important now so it wont haunt you later. We wont be adding the railing until chapter ten. Chuck and our interpretation below...