michael mott

looking for the jig for the jewelers saw I found the chap who I was looking for, William Robertson designed a special holder to cut dovetails and other joints with a jewelers saw, i am still looking for this jig but in the meantime enjoy his amazing work. I think we could all use a set of these tools. Michael

Perhaps a jig something like this one could be built adapted for cutting miniature joints. Michael

Mark the last shot looks very architectural, the hull is looking quite fine so far. Michael

Looking great John, enjoy your holiday. Michael

Chuck, tidiness is a relative term, your place looks like a surgery compared to mine at the moment. Michael

Thank you for the update Doris, both on the model and your work. I hope your future prospects improve your work situation. Your models are very inspiring, and show how much can be done with humble materials. Michael

Shihawk, there are some very thoughtful and wise comments regarding the saw and various other tools so far in this thread about your question, that fact that you asked the question leads me to think that you are not sure yet. Greg's post outlining the difference between making something by hand or with machine tools, speaks to a few issues; First his choice to reject an item made with hand tools for an item made with machines. His reason he liked the accuracy of the latter better. Second, he cited the difference in time that each item took to make. The hand made item took longer than the machine made item. Third, the difference in the number of tools used to make the item, four machine tools, disc sander, lathe, drill press, table saw. versus one power tool and a hand tool, Dremel, chisel. Now to my point, all tools require a degree of comfort for you to be able to use them to their greatest advantage, this takes time and practice regardless of the tool, power, machine or hand. As you continue to develop your skills (this is a lifetime activity,anyone who disagrees is lying) you will come to a point where you decide how you want to continue working, because each tool has its advantages and disadvantages, and only you can make that choice as to how you want to proceed. A final comment about quality of workmanship, many of the cherished models in the museums were made without electricity, that is the ultimate beauty of a hand tool. Michael

Larry this comment really made me laugh, because it pretty much mirrors my own world vis a vis the closets, and I basically have all the tools I will ever need, except of course when I find a new tool that I don't really need. Michael

Jack, thank you for your answer. michael

Thank you for the link Gaetan. Michael

Greg the recipe is great, and the wonderful thing about it is that you can make substitutions without spoiling the final product, provided that you use quality ingredients michael

The pictures are great, how are they photographed ? are the shot with a curved white backdrop. or is there some form of masking done? Michael

No, there is only your text asking the question. Michael

Gaetan, the pictures look like they were taken in an art gallery, The cases with the tools are a great touch, can you tell us more about the event. Michael

There is no video link Michael

A lot of great looking details Bob. Michael

Looking at the thickness and size of the centre board, I would think that filing up a piece of brass wold be the best. perhaps a small piece of brass railroad rail, some of the older H0 track was brass before nickel rail became standard. Michael

This is the beauty of this forum there are so many differing views about the work and materials that we use. "but you're doing a disservice if you suggest someone expend time, effort and funds on an effort which is inherently fruitless." Steve this is your opinion and not the point I was getting at. "I do not know how fruit trees grow in Canada, or for that matter Australia, but I grew up in New England and had a business when I was in college pruning local orchards." Precisely a thought that crossed my mind, different localities produce very different resultant growth, I have a small piece of your run of the mill Spruce, except that it is far from it it is only 4 inches in diameter and has over three hundred rings, because of where it grew. "If everyone shared your view on kiln dried hardwoods, good luck finding a nice piece of furniture" Steve this is not my view, I was simply quoting James Krenov to share a different point of view regarding the way wood is used. "I admire everything you do, especially with metal work, but few have the machine/wood shop you have." Thanks, I am very fortunate to have collected over the last 50 plus years the tools I have, and to have worked in the commercial model-building business. "I stand by my opinion that harvesting useable timber from a 3 inch log is, most likely, a waste of time, effort, and money." I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one. "Below is a picture of how heart and sap wood can vary in a log." A great picture to illustrate the variability of heart and sap wood structure. Regards Michael

Steve, that is really impressive, lowering the gaff on my maria is not as easy as it looks and to see your 3 gaffs lowered on the model is amazingplus the fact that they are also an integral part of the sheeting out of the topsl's. brilliant work. Michael

The planking is looking great Rusty. Michael

Well respectfully Steve I have to disagree with your assessment. Depending on whether the tree branch grew slowly or fast the sapwood could be quite thin, and there are always opportunities for small blocks of wood on our models. There is a great satisfaction knowing that you looked after preparing the wood. The difference between air dried pear wood and Kiln dried pear wood is significant to quote James Krenov (Google him if you are unfamiliar) "I don't get kiln-dried wood because I think that kiln-dried wood has been killed. This is not a pun,but a fact. The process of saturating wood with steam and getting it all wet, cooking it, you might say, is a chemical process that changes and dulls the color of the wood, and the fibers are affected so that wood which has been kiln-dried feels different to me. Its got a different ring, a different texture; it isn't clear and fine. Its like a poorly developed photograph--one that was taken well but just didn't come out. besides, kiln-dried wood is brittle. many people don't realize these truths because they have never been close enough to real wood, beautiful wood in its natural state. They've seen veneered surfaces; they've lived with wood second hand, and they are just not aware of the richness that is to be found in individual pieces, logs and planks." Not everyone sees wood quite the way Krenov sees it, but I find his way of looking at it rather refreshing. Please do not misunderstand I am not suggesting that Jeff's wood is inferior far from it, all I am trying to suggest is that there can be wonderful benefits to working with a small piece of wood that you prepare for yourself. This tiller made from a very small branch of White Lilac is what I mean, and the curved piece of cherry was cut from the wood around a knot. So Louie definitely coat the ends of the wood with wax melt some paraffin wax (sort used in cooking) in a pan and paint the ends with it leave it for a few years in a cool dry place. or cut it up into sections slab or quarter sawn and sticker it as already suggested. Regards Michael

The screws look good from this distance, what type are they flat head or square drive (Robertson) Seriously the model is looking great Joe. Michael

Beautiful workmanship Karl! Michael

She is coming along very well Altalena. Jasco that is a great looking model. Michael

The jewel looks like it is perfect for the task. Michael