michael mott

Kevin, your videos and explanations of the changes that you have made to correct the errors you pointed out were very informative. I have not watched all of them all the way through yet, but from watching all the way through the first one, I learned a lot, your casual and honest approach is so refreshing. I shall enjoy the rest of the videos at a leisurely pace. Thank you for taking the time to prepare them. Michael

Congratulations Vaddoc, you have done a wonderful job on this yacht! making all the rigging working as you have done is not for the feint of heart, it increases the amount of detailing and work that a static model does not have to contend with. A clever way of measuring the profile with the tooth pics as well. Michael

The shot from the bow really shows how extremely narrow this yacht was. She looks very nice in the daylight. Michael

Keith your work on the interior reminds me of what DeWitt H. Parker said in The Principles of Aesthetics In Thinking of the beauty of architecture, we are all to apt to consider the exterior exclusively, forgetting that the inside of a building , where we live, is even more important practically, and is capable of at least as great an aesthetic effect" Wonderful work on the cameo of the insides! Michael

Massive!! That's not Massive this is massive 😮 Michael

Hi Martin the hull is looking rather sharp no pun intended. There was an article in Wooden boat quite a few years ago now that featured the development of the yachts of the era that your model is taken, I think that Vanity was one of the most extreme of the narrow yachts. I am wishing in may ways that I had not begun my own cutter at 1/8th scale your 1/16th scale seems so much more manageable regarding the space required for working on. I look forward to the rest of the build. Michael

I had a very busy couple of days with no modelwork, yesterday I let Maria Go, it was a bit of work getting her out of the garage and onto the trailer. She went back to the chap I first got her from. I have no idea what will happen to her now. The chapter that was Maria and all the trials and tribulations that went with refurbishing the old sloop are now going to be fond memories. Today as I waited in line to take something to the Eco station here in Edmonton after a 1 hour crawl to the pay booth My car broke down and I had to be pushed out of the way because I was blocking the entrance for everyone. A second 1 hour wait for the tow truck. So then spent the last bit of the afternoon tidying up the garage and sorting wood. There was progress before all this though. I finished the mortises and tennons and dry assembled the frame then began cutting out the axleguards out of some .051" cold-rolled steel. I did one per day they took 2 1/2 hours each to cut with a #5 jewelers saw blade the blades only cut about 2 inches before wearing enough that to push them further they break. After cutting they were drilled out then had to have a double bend put into the top section this took tree tries to get right, bending then flattening it out again. After I figured out the technique it was plain sailing, the cutting did not get any faster or easier though. They actually get bolted to the inside of the sole bars and I will use the guards as templates to drill the holes through the wood. Just one more guard to make then all the other odd little bits of metal Nuts and bolts. Time to rest now it was a troublesome day today. Michael

The term yellow cedar is a bit of a misnomer it is actually a cypress. although it does cut and plane and smell a bit like cedar It is a beautiful creamy wood and I am going to plank the Launch "skipjack" with it. Michael

Nice builds Larry, and for a great cause as well. Michael

Agreed! Michael

Vaddoc Frustrating days can really test one's mettle! You are doing a fantastic job and the effort is most certainly worth it. Not long now it looks like you are on the home stretch. Michael

Nice crisp woodwork there Keith. Michael

Just went through the build KP very nice indeed, I am reminded of the tulipwood  Hispano Suiza. I do believe that Gerald Wingrove built a model of it. Your model of the bently fit up there with the best. Michael

Thanks everyone for the likes and kind comments. A little progress . I had to make slight adjustment to the long side timbers due to a conversion compounding error they were about 7/64th too long, so set them up next to the centre beams and made the adjustment on the one end before cutting the cross member timbers. then cut the mortises in them and proceeded to do the same with the buffer beams. first shot is of the mortises being chopped out for the cross beams. next the four timbers in the buffer and then fitted I now take my hat off to all you folk who frame up the decks of your three deckers.... they would have to take me away in a straight jacket, I honestly do not know how you manage to do those decks as neat and clean as they are. It is very humbling indeed. Michael

In order to maintain my sanity I have taken a break from the foam and started to build the standard gauge wagon that I am going to use to replicate the scene with the wagon on top of the little 18 inch gauge trolleys. I am using a bit of salvaged old growth clear fir that came from a soling paneled door. You could also say that I am practicing cutting the mortise and tenons that so many of you execute with such precision in the deck framing that many of the wonderful builds have. The sequence pretty much speaks for itself. first though I did a quick practice. And finally some blank tyres cut from some 2 3/4 x 1/4 solid drawn tube for the wheels that need to be machined to thickness and profiled . Time to some tea. Michael

OK, Magyk I can do. Michael

Problem is you would also need to charter and aeroplane as well because Keith lives in the south of England. Michael

Keith your work continues to put a big smile on my face, it is such a delight to watch this yacht take shape. Michael

Happy Birthday Gary, beautiful work as usual. Michael

Just found your build Jim wonderful simply wonderful! I shall follow along now. Michael

Today I finished the rough filling up of the ground round the track on the outside of the works. The loco is running a little rough so I will need to sort that out. Michael

Excellent! Great looking modern wood block. My toes feel better already. Michael

Ken, the Crewe works had a very extensive 18 inch gauge system in many of the buildings they used a flat steel bar for track bolted directly to the floor, and outside they used a lot of 30lb rail which was quite a bit smaller than the main standard gauge rail. They really were two totally independent systems. My model is just a cameo of the types of things that could be seen in the works around the turn of the 19 to 20th centuries. I don't have enough time during the next 30 years which would take me to 102 to do the research and build a really accurate model, especially if I want to finish the cutter and launch as well. Michael

Hi JD, I just finished going through you entire build. What a lot of patience you have, I am fascinated by your build board having the curve of the sheer. That seems to be a great way to go, unconventional but great, as the shape is always there and apparent. your bead work is lovely. I shall follow along as well. No doubt I will need my magnifying glass to look at some of your work. Michael

Your model certainly look like it will last many hundreds of years mark. Michael