michael mott

Bob thanks for those kind words. here is a link to a one man art show I had a few years ago.
http://s5.photobucket.com/user/my30mm/library/artshow%20dec%2005?page=1
 
David Thanks for dropping by.
 
A long time ago I was given a block of Lignum Vitea, it is tough as nails but slippery, due to the oils within the structure of the wood.
 
First I made a dowel
 

 
Then indexing along I cut the grooves for the shrouds and lower brackets.
 

 
Then a different form tool to round the edges
 

 
there is no sanding the finish is just from the tool.
 

 
Next the blank was cut into smaller blanks with a jewelers.
 

 
Then a small brass split chuck was made to hold the rough blanks
 

 
The shaping tool for the face
 

 
First one
 

 
I am really impressed with the way this wood turns on the lathe.
 

 

 
Now I need to sort out a jig to drill the holes. That rope does look like old hemp rope.
 
Michael

I managed to get one of the chainplates roughly shaped today it is mostly tapered with a parallel section below the spacing block. I thought a decorative flourish works for the bottoms.
 

 

 

 
The screws are 1 inch long 4x40 brass machine screw.I need to reshape the head to get rid of the slots.
 
Most of the day was used up collecting some firewood and helping a friend move some steers and Heifers.
 
Michael

Thanks, Sherry
 
A test to see how to make the top of the shroud chain plates. the first test was a bit rough.
after fretting out the shape on a scrap piece I annealed it then curled the loop with some round nosed pliers the taper could be longer 
on these pliers.

 
silver soldering
 

 
The loop is a little too small and I overheated the metal, also I should have closed the loop a little better the joint was not good.
 

 
Second test with a larger  and wider loop
 

 
ready to solder the small piece if silver solder is wet with the Vigor liquid flux.
 

 
soldered
 

 
cleaned up with emery and steel wool
 

 
Checking the look, I think I will taper the plates down to the wooden standoff rather than have the cut shoulder.
 

 
Tomorrow I will make the loops on the chainplates.
 
Michael
 

Goose-neck Part 2
 
continuing on this picture does show the roller reefing that inspired my version.
 

 
the worm was held in place with two retainers that were filed up and bolted with 2x56 round headed machine screws, the shaft through the worm is 1/8th diameter filed square at each end, so the the reefing can happen from either side.
 

 

 

 
The part of the goose neck that is fitted to the mast was inspired by one from Cockwells web site .
 
The first step was to machine up the block to mate to the boom(this needed extensive fining to allow the boom to swing when I mated the two parts together) the top and bottom straps were silver soldered to the block this also annealed the bands.
 

 

 

 
I used this same technique for the base step band.
 
The soldered and formed piece. ready for clean up, .. files, emery paper , steel wool .
 

 
Final assembly
 

 

 
end of roller reefing
 
Michael
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tim, Bob, Daniel, Carl, Druxey, thank you very much for taking the time to look in and share your thoughts.
 
Mark, The Mast step was pretty straight forward I annealed the .062 brass wrap around piece first(heat to red then let cool)then folded it around the wood first by using a small clamp to hold the strip evenly in the centre of the strip. once it was u shaped then clamping across the sides and finishing the wrap. The bottom edge was cleaned up on a sheet of 240 emery paper carpet taped down on a flat board of MDF.
I then silver soldered the wrapper to the base sheet with the lowest melt temp easy-flo solder ( I forget the temp)
 
The clean up was done with sanding sticks and the hole was slotted by clamping in the mill vice and using a 1/8th 2 flute end mill cut the slots which entailed rotating to do the stern abd port and starboard sides. The relief on the bow or clamping side was fretted out with a jewelers saw.
 
a final clean up with medium steel wool.
 
Here are some step by step pictures of the roller reefing and the goosneck.
 
The roller reefing was inspired by a photo on the web and I cannot remember the site so I cannot show the photo.
I had a worm drive in the scrap box and needed to make worm gear to match (loosely) so I stuck the worm into some Milton Bradley mock up clay(auto-body design clay, plasticine would have worked equally well) to see the angle to rotate the vice. I have the mill vice sitting on a 12 inch rotary table on the mill. then using a 30 tooth clock gear out of the scrap box  as an index I used a 1/16 end mill to rough cut the teeth.
 

 

 
The worm was relieved at each end to leave just a few turns in the centre.
 

 

 
The end of the boom was drilled out by using a bushing jig that was turned up on the lathe.
 

 

 
Next the goose-neck piece for the boom, this was machined from a 1 inch cube of brass and had a 3/8 drill rod shaft soldered in with soft solder.
 

 

 
The section slide into the boom the boom was held to the gear with a piece of brass tube machined down to the right diameter from a 3 inch brass 3/4 inch plumbing nipple. the boom was chiseled to accept the brass tube-like sleeve the gear was attached with brass machine screws. and the boom with #1 wood screws.
 
End of Part 1
 
Michael
 
 
 

First question, in the back of my van and onto a trolly with bicycle wheels the mast will be an easy take down.
 
Second question The ceiling in my shop slopes from 8 feet at the north wall (where the mill is) to 12 feet at the windows overlooking the lake.
 
so no problem in either case.
 
Popeye thanks for the kind words.
 
Carl here is the modified mast step. the openings will not create any capillary now.
 

 
Also began working on the set up for the shrouds.
 

 

 
I am going to roll the top of the chain plate to create a loop for the deadeye shackle. the scale size is 2 3/4 x 3/8 metal strap.
 
michael

Harvey Russ, Bob, Elia, Salty, Mark, Overdale, Popeye. Thank you all for your kindness
 
Well because it is snowing pretty hard right now Cricket was definitely out..... so I opted for a test paint of the cover boards and a re-coat on the bulwarks.
 

 
It turned out looking quite reasonable we thought,
 

 
so after it dries we will give it a second coat and see how it looks.
 
Michael
 
 

Alfons thank you for your kind remark.
 
A little milestone today i finished the scraping of the deck and then a polish with some Medium Steel Wool
 

 

 
The deck is smooth enough now that it shines in the right light. I can see the stanchions reflected in the deck, so I am pleased with the overall finish of it, I won't put any oil on it until the structures that need gluing have been glued down.
 

 

 
Now I am able to work on the cockpit and cabin structures.
 

 
The main cabin sides are beginning to come together I set the curve of the cabin roof and tapered the length from 12 to 8 scale inches from stern to bow. It just feels better somehow.
 

 
an overall shot I had to use a strap at the bow to stop the hull from sliding around in the cradle while I was scraping
 

 
Michael

It was this comment John that prompted  me get involved with this!
 

 
Daniel, I hear  what you are saying with regard to the smaller scales.
 
Popeye, Sometimes I think I am dreaming too. Thanks for the compliment.
 
Michael
 
 

Dida, Carl thanks for your compliments.
 
Germanus, thank you for your comments regarding the history of the block making. eventually I will get the different methods sorted out. When it comes to making an accurate model of a boat in a set time period, say 1600 or 1800 or 1900 then I hope to have the different methods and types clearly understood form my own building point of view.
 
The reason for trying out the bearing sheave was twofold to see if I could do it. also because this will be a working model I want to reduce the friction.
The next type of block will be one that has the metal strop on the outside. then I will try the type with the strop on the inside. I do have a billet of Lignum Vitea so I will also be experimenting with it.
 
As regards the groove that you mention the sheave is larger in diameter than the wood at the bottom so there is no contact with the wood by the running rope.
 
As the model will be representing a Classic Bristol Cutter that has been converted to be a pleasure craft and upgraded with the modern looking classic hardware, I can have some fun and play.  besides Mini Me is not as strong as I am and he wanted the blocks to be easy on his hands
 
Just made some 1/8th inch scale rope diameter is .0148" inch which is close enough to .015"
 


 
 
Michael

John you mean like this.
 

 
I also did a better job on the splicing after revisiting the eye slice that Remco did.
 

Longridge talks about passing the rope through a flame of a spirit lamp to get rid of the fluff, it is amazing what the camera sees that i can't.
 
I had fun with the 4 inch block it has a working sheave but I couldn't find my jar of miniature bearings so opted for a simple shaft through the brass.
 

 
I will do a little more experimenting with the strops, once i get it all figured out I will be able to set up some jigs.
 
Michael

Karl, Bob, Druxey, Remco, John, and Mark, thanks for your kind words. the next step is much more difficult that I thought it would be. Making the loop of rope and then fitting it to the block.
 
This is the second attempt not any where near that way I would like it to look.
 
Any suggestions ?
 

 
Michael

John, Thanks for the info.
Sherry, that you for your kind words.
 
Today I took a break from the treenailing and had a bit of fun with some English Boxwood that I purchased in 1972 it was a small log billet about 24 inches long by about 3 inches in diameter.  Now I know why people use boxwood for model shipbuilding. What a lovely wood to work with.
 

 
1) a small piece cut off the billet

 
2) made a slot with a shortened zip bit that I ground the tip to cut like a fly cutter.


 
3) fretted out an oval with the jewelers saw

 
4) machined up a sheave out of brass and pressure fitted it to the ball race and did some final shaping of the boxwood

 

5)assembled the sheave with a piece of 1/8th brass rod that is a press fit
 

6) added some 1 inch diameter rope which is 1/8thinch  in 1 1/2 inch scale
 

7) tomorrow I will figure out how to attach the blocks rope for attaching to the boom.
 
This was a lot of fun, all the blocks will be made this way. luckily it is not a fully rigged 3 master or I will be 100 before this "tub" gets finished.
 
Michael

Frank thanks for you kind comment.
 
John, I have no Idea what I am going to use it for I just tried it out. What would left hand rope normally be used for?
 
Today I put the rope machine away so that I can concentrate on the boat. I drilled out the holes for the treenails and started to glue them in I decided to use the ordinary carpenters glue without colour.
 

 

 
A slow task but somebody has to do it , It is good to be building again.
 
Michael

Carl thanks for the link, neat stuff.
 
Sinan, thanks
 
Elia Glad you like the rope I have been practicing today.
 
I made some more rope today with the machine horizontal, both RH and LH .
 

 
All made from embroidery thread
 

 
The 3/8 rope is 3 strands
The 1/2 inch is 6 strands
The 1 inch is 12 strands
 
more pics of the rope walk mod on the tools thread.
 
Michael
 
 

Ron glad you are enjoying this.
Daniel thanks.
Sherry, yes that was a fun movie.
Mark, well we needed some bigger rope, so this evening I fixed the bug in the rope walk and made this new 3/4 inch rope for such tasks. as rappelling.
 

 

 

 
Michael
 

Ok here are a few pics showing the relative scale of the pilot cutter.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
It was tough going through the shrinking machine but I managed to stay calm. Normally I am 6 foot 2 inches here I am at 9 1/4 inches tall.
 
Michael

Håkan, Thanks I am thinking I could probably build the real thing in the same amount of time.
 
Michael

Mark Thanks.
Remco, Thanks I am pretty pleased with it myself.
 
I did a little more work on the cockpit walls today.
 

 
The groove is visible for the gasket around the walls.
 

 
Chiselling out the corner blocks to create the rounded corners.
 

 
The shaping is in the first stage so that I can fit the floor plate.
 

 
Michael

Well that certainly was a bit of a shock.
 
I will not try to rebuild everything back to the begining but here is a brief overview of from there to here.
 
This pilot cutter is based on some plans that were published by MAP
(Model and Allied Press) back in the early 70's and those plans were actually
based on the fishing smack CK482. Those of you who have seen the build in the past
will already be familiar with what I have done so far.
 
The model is

LOD 63 inches

LOA 84 inches

Beam 18 inches

Draft 10 1/2 inches

My intention is to sail this model here are a few pics of the build





The frames are Jellutong, and the planking on the hull is Cedar.





 
The roller reefing is custom built around a worm gear on hand.

The mast is Clear Fir and the boom is Spruce.


 


The deck is double planked the lower planks are white pine glued and treenailed
into place the top planks are clear Fir the caulking is coloured Carpenters
glue the top planks will also be treenailed in place.
 
The cockpit surround is Honduras Mahogany as is the forward hatch and the cabin
sides.
 

 
The underside of the
cockpit coaming the walls will drop into the opening 2 1/14 inches and there
will be a gasket around the edge of the deck under the coaming. The cockpit
will be fixed into the hull with a couple of brass machine screws then a teak
floor grate will cover those. this way I can access the rudder controls and
keep the water
 

 
I have learned form this experience to back up everything and am now building my log in MSword and posting to the site.
 
It is great to have the site back.
 
Michael
 

While it is great to have some fun on this site, I really appreciate the scholarship that is so evident in many of the logs, what a great use of sharing knowledge for the benefit of the rest of us..
 
Michael

I have added a few more planks. This planking is far more stressful that when I planked up the cutter, because on that hull it was all strip planked and on this hull I am trying to follow the real planking as best as I can, so it is a little bit slower going.

 

 

 
Michael
 

It has been a busy couple of week but I wanted to be able to drill small holes with very small drills in metal using the 3/32 shank and 1/8th shank drills.
After looking around at what is available I decided I would build my own.
 
It went through a number of iterations during the build
 

The first version had a round quill but i was not happy with it so went for a square one with a dovetail slide.
 

The other thing i was not happy about was the mistake of putting the rack at the front, this created an issue of direction so added a second pinion, needless to say is was beginning to feel like a rabbit hole that was getting deeper.
 
This is the current state of the press the motor is a 9v dc one and seems to have enough Jam for the tiny drills.
 

 

 
I have been drawing it up as a design build and making the changes as things change.
 
Michael
 
 

Greg Thanks you are too kind, But I have to admit looking at Gerald Wingrove's tooling was my inspiration. it still blows me away that he made all those machines design build in 9 weeks.
 
I couldn't wait to go to town so stole the 1/2 inch travel dial of my magnetic base.
 
 

Since the quill doesn't really need to travel any further than that before adjusting the whole thing on the pillar anyway it seemed like a good idea.

 
I found a reject toolmakers clamp part and butchered it some more to make a tab for the dial to mate against. I had an odd bit of aluminum that was already bored 1 inch with a set screw so substituted the steel one for a brass thumbscrew to make adjusting it easy.
 

 
So now it is good to go .
 
Michael

Riccardo thanks, 
the quill control is now sorted and the thumb-wheel works a treat.

 
and raised a little
 

 
Next up another dial, which will have to wait until I head into town again.
 
So Mike yes it is now a micro Mill/Drill.
 
Michael