jml1083

I just received a number of sheets of wood from Jason at Crown Timberyard and decided to make some measurements of the thicknesses. 
The sheets were clearly marked in plastic packages and looked very smooth and neat. They were two inches wide except for one four inch wide piece of holly that he had included for my evaluation. The latter had streaks of grey in various locations but might be interesting when used for deck planking. It also was very smooth.
The Swiss pear sheets are excellent with very uniform grain distribution. A couple of the boxwood sheets, however, had some distinct grain stripes but certainly not obtrusive. All in all I am very pleased with the appearance. 
 
I took three samples to measure (I will do the same with the others later). One is a sheet of Swiss pear at a nominal 1/8 inch thickness. The other two are Castello boxwood at 1/4 and 1/32 inch nominal thickness. Hence it covers the range of sheet thicknesses I ordered. I probably should have included the 1/16 inch thick holly, but that comes later.
The results are shown below.

 
The 1/32 inch piece is a bit on the 'heavy' side, but overall the thickness measurements are within 
a nice tolerance.

Ahoy Mates
Thats getting to a tolerance that is only seen in ground steel stock.As far as ship model building what do you think of the tolerances shown above?
 
As a tool and die maker it's nice to see this kind of consistancy in the wood sizes. I always use my dial calipers in my building of models. Using them to measure to make sure that the frames-bulkheads are on center to the keel and level to the deck.
 
I use them since it is just how I worked on die's and tooling. 
 
What is the expectations of the ship modelers here on this site when it comes to wood sizes? Please let me know just how close you want the dimentional wood,and do you carry that into your building practices in wooden ship model building?
 
Keith

Well, on eBay "Museum Quality" usually refers to over-scale models lovingly hand crafted by well paid Philippine artisans (@$50/month) who have been extensively trained for at least two weeks and who use walnut and other exotic over-scale woods, cloth and real brass cannons (one size fits all ships). At least this was the case in 1976 when I visited a ship model "factory" there (actually a combined Nepa hut and Sari-Sari store).
 
Seriously, there are many modelers on this site who build museum quality ship models but it is hard to define precisely what makes them so. You just know them when you see them.  A study of The American Marine Model Gallery website http://www.shipmodel.com/index.php will provide numerous examples, as well as the costs of such models. 

Beautiful work Greg and a belated Happy Birthday!

Thank you George. An you are indeed correct - Echo cross-section is a great first time scratch building project.

Hi Mike,
 
It was great meeting you last night at the Ship Model Society of New Jersey meeting. Your work on the Mayflower is meticulous. Using boxwood in place of basswood where the wood will be seen really adds to the overall impression of it being a quality build. You have a real eye for detail. I look forward to seeing you at future meetings and watching your Mayflower evolve.

Hi Mike,
 
It was great meeting you last night at the Ship Model Society of New Jersey meeting. Your work on the Mayflower is meticulous. Using boxwood in place of basswood where the wood will be seen really adds to the overall impression of it being a quality build. You have a real eye for detail. I look forward to seeing you at future meetings and watching your Mayflower evolve.

Thanks for these bios and mug shots, Toni. Now I understand why Mark's name is 'MarcusBotanicus'!
 
Thank you also to the lady and gents for serving on the Board of the NRG.

William M. “Mike” Lonnecker. 
 
I am a retired engineer with a degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME) from the University of Kansas. I worked in Texas and California as a Program Manager and Project Engineer in the Defense and Aerospace Industry until retiring in 2002. I currently reside in Poway (San Diego) California with Sandy, my wife of 44 years.
 
My interests have included woodworking, flying sailplanes, sailing, hot rodding and modeling all types of “vehicles”. I have been a student of design, modeling and building projects since completing my first plastic model car at age 6 or 7.  I now prefer to work on 1: 48 scale ship models of the late 18th century and am building my fourth ship model, The FLY, using David Antscherl’s Swan series of books.
 
I am a member of the San Diego Ship Modelers’ Guild and serve as Guild Master (President). I am also an active member of the Ship Modelers Association of Fullerton (SMA) and, of course, am a Director of the NRG where I am also chair of the mentor program and am currently mentoring one member. I enjoy sharing my modeling and machining skills with other modelers and regularly give demonstrations at club meetings and invite other members to my shop to work out difficult problems or aid new modelers with their projects.  My MSW screen name is Mike.
 

Toni Levine
 
Like so many of us, I started building models when I was a child.  The first model I remember building was a Monogram F6F-5 Hellcat which was originally given to my brother but it seemed that the “girl” had more aptitude for this than he did.  My first ship models were small Scientific carved hull models which I built during high school.  Model building was then shelved for several years while I completed my education (BS and MD from the University of Illinois) and residency training (Northwestern University).  My first plank-on-bulkhead model was Peregrine Galley by Mantua.  It is my only model built with a full coat of sails.  Over the years, my projects progressed from out-of-the-box kits to kit-bashing and finally scratch building.  My current project is Atalanta, a Swan-class sloop built in the fully framed style popularized by David Antscherl. 
 
I have been a physician since 1980 and specialize in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat).  Like so many of us, my career prevents me from spending much time building ships.  I am a member of the Nautical Research and Model Society of Chicago and have been a member of the NRG since 1989 and a Director since 2013.  I live in the Chicago area with my husband.  My other interests include gardening, water gardening and home brewing.  My MSW screen name is tlevine.
 

Phil Roach
 
I have practiced law since 1988 and have had a private law practice in Bonita Springs since 1994. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1985 and then attended Campbell University School of Law where I received my Juris Doctorate (J.D.) degree in 1988. Following graduation I moved from my hometown of Fayetteville, N.C. to become a full time resident of Southwest Florida. I belong to the Collier County Bar Association and the Florida Bar. I have been married to my wife Marina since 1988 and we have two children, Nicholas and Elizabeth.
 
I am an active member of the Rotary Club of Bonita Springs Noon and am currently serving on the Board of Directors. My prior service to the Club includes holding the position of President, Club Rotary Foundation Committee Chairman and I have served on the Board of Directors for various terms over my more than 20 year membership in the club.
I am also an active member of the Southwest Florida Ship Modelers’ Guild and I currently hold the position of President. I also served as liaison to the Nautical Research Guild for the Regional Conference previously held in Fort Myers, Florida.
 
I enjoy American history and its maritime heritage. My modeling interests are sailing ships and lately, that interest is gravitating backwards in time to vessels of the Revolutionary War period, vessels of the Colonial era, and the vessels of exploration of the North American Continent. Although my full time practice of law forbids me from modeling as much as I would like, I very much enjoy the research.  My MSW screen name is roach101761.
 

The Board of Directors of the NRG has decided it would be a good idea to let our members know a little about ourselves.  As you will see, your current Directors and Secretary come from diverse backgrounds and have varied interests.  Some of the names you will recognize, others you will not.  Even if a name is unfamiliar to you, please know that this is a hands-on Board and each Director contributes a substantial amount of time and sometimes money to the Guild, time that would otherwise go towards our passion of model ship building.

fortunately I havent had time to finish those last five strakes so I just took some pictures.
 
Here is a staight plank as if I were going to place it on the hull.  It could be at the bow or at the stern.   Most beginners would try to force this into place and the top edge of the plank would lift off the hull and not sit flush against the bulkheads.  Some fight with it using pins and clamps and it gets messy.   Holding it without bending like shown reveals the gap .  Note the widest point of that gap.
 

 
Mark this location as the center of the gradual curve you will need.
 
 
In the next picture,  after bending,    you can see how nice it fits and how it is flush against the bulkheads.  No forcing needed.  Its a perfect fit.    Note the dot I marked on the plank for the apex of the curve or the widest part of the gap..You could use the compass method or the tape method to find the exact curve,  but I prefer to eyeball it like this.   Visually its easy to see the curve after a little practice.   I always over bend slightly.
 

 
Now all I have to do is bevel it a bit and darken the seem as I did in the video and glue it on.

Just watched your videos Chuck and saw you have a natural talent for teaching. I got a handle on everything you explained. Oh and by the way, I agree. ASAT's a very funny guy. 

I am fortunate to be a member of SMSNJ and was at the tech session.  And I thought the the whole key to planking the lower hull was the plan.  Take enough time to get the plan right.  The size of each plank at each bulkhead is critical.  After that, Chuch makes it look easy.
Cheers.

Fabulous, Chuck. It's a pretty simple technique to do but not live in front of twenty guys! Your club is lucky to have a mentor like you.

Part two was just some questions and answers.  But I was a little rushed.   Usually we dont have enough time to devote what is needed for the whole presentation.  But here it is anyway.
 
I am not sure if it adds anything more to part one.....but here it is.   Its hard to hear the questions being asked.   Most of the conversation in the middle revolves around someone asking me about a hull with many drop planks and or stealers as described in another authors practicum...just putting them in wherever and whenever.  Hopefully that will make the audio make more sense.
 

Looking good keith!!!  
 
One of the guys taped my planking session at my club meeting.  Its freaky to see myself on a video like this.  No laughing.   But It shows how I taper and cut a plank to match my plan from lining out the hull.   I wish the camera was behind me but I hope its still worth posting.
 

 
Chuck

Oh.. it won't go to press until Monday?  Here I was all set to ambush the mailman tomorrow. 

Echo update #8 is completed and posted on our website http://www.admiraltymodels.com. My version below shows the stock framing package on the port side and the fully fitted out version in progress on the starboard side.. Please keep in mind when ordering the framing package that it is the complete framing only. The fitting out instructions are free of charge and posted on our website every few months. We are hoping to develop and sell a fitting out package in the near future complete with laser cut deck beams, gun carriage and other details. Stay tuned.
 




 

I drilled the mounting holes using my mill to make sure they were centered and plumb, then tapped them.  I then started installing the bulkheads to the spine.  I clamped the spine plumb in a make-shift jig and then glued and inserted the dead-flat bulkhead (pattern facing aft) and clamped it square to the spine.  After about 20 minutes of drying, I can move on to the next bulkhead, working away from dead-flat.
Maury

Lead the way Maury...
 
Bob

I had some time to do some metal work.  The rhodings are bearings that support the chain pump axle.  You can't install the cisterns 'til you line up the axle between the bitts and the top of the cistern.
I started by lining up the 1/16" tubing on top of a 1/32 x 1/8 strip of brass.  I silver-soldered the pieces together for about 2".  I then used regular solder to fill in the gap and create a single piece.  The regular solder is much softer and melts quickly (way too much solder went on).  I had a lot of filing to do to bring it into shape.  Once I was happy with the cross-section shape, I cut off 1/32" slices to make the rhodings.  A 1/32" brass rod (axle) fits into the tubing.  A really good learning exercise with soldering.  I blackened them (1:8 dilute Blacken-It), but they came out pinkish, not black.  Maybe the apple cider vinegar I used to prep them.  Anyone have this experience?   I'll re-try with white vinegar and see what happens.
Maury

A scalpel handle is the only thing for scalpel blades. Tip: use a pair of pliers when changing blades: it's much safer than fingers!

Phil,
 
I use scalpel blades and scalpel handles.  I've had my current scalpel handles for many years.
 
Just a tip - don't buy from a surgical supply house - they charge like wounded buffaloes; some hobby shops sell genuine scalpel blades and handles, itherwaise you can get them a bit cheaper (for the same product) than at surgical suppliers by going to a veterinary supply place.
 
John