Julie Mo

Spoken like the true perfectionist. It's a condition with which I too am afflicted. But your perfectionism shows wonderfully! As I looked through your photos, the attention to the most minute detail is what stood out most to me. Beautiful work, Bruce!

My thoughts exactly, Keith. The solid wood piece I made obviously didn't fit the boat properly but was an exact duplicate of what was supplied in the kit. Of course, I have made a modification with the solid wood keel but even shaping it to meet the rudder wouldn't work because the rudder is simply too short. I'd sand right down to the frame. The frame had already been modified to accept the solid wood keel. I need to make a new rudder. I was playing around with the mahogany veneer yesterday. I cut a piece off the roll and started cutting planks. Next was the trial run to see if what is in my mind's eye translates the same in the real world. Immediately I noticed how much lighter the veneer was, even after coating it with mineral spirits. I think I can work with that, though. I'm okay with the keel being a different tone but I have to be careful not to introduce too many different tones. That could be a disaster. Visually, the grain looks to be fine regarding scale. The veneer has a rough surface, like what would happen after wetting a wood. Once sanded smooth, it should look much better. The joints also need to be cleaned up so they butt up tight. I've done very little veneering in my life but have been interested in getting more serious after seeing many of the veneer projects featured in Fine Woodworking articles over the years. Yesterday I did some reading and video watching. One thing common in all the articles and videos was the use of hot hide glue. Hide glue is very forgiving to work with but appears to set up reasonably fast. If you make a mistake, just heat up the wood to loosen the glue. Hide glue has been used in instrument making for hundreds of years and holds up wonderfully. So I'm considering using hide glue on the 2nd planking. There are some other ideas floating around in my head but I'll save those for another post...

I have a couple of Grr-Rippers and use them all the time on my full-size table saw. I have probably ripped to about 1/8" thickness, maybe less. One possible problem with milling the smaller parts required in model building could be with the thickness of the narrowest "guide leg", I'll call it. It's 0.235" wide. One of the big benefits of the Grr-Ripper is it straddles the saw blade enabling you to guide the wood through on both sides of the blade. This prevents the piece wedged between the fence and blade from shooting back at you. If you want to use that feature for ripping planks, for instance, the planks have to be at least as wide as the guide leg, almost 6mm. You could take the Grr-Ripper to the table saw and rip one guide leg thinner. It's all plastic with a rubber foot and designed not to damage a saw blade. If modified to meet the needs of model makers, I could see the Grr-Ripper as a very useful, and safe, tool.

One of the things about the Endeavour kit I don’t understand is why make the centerboard functional but not the rudder? Most times the model will sit on a stand and the centerboard will never be seen or even appear to be functional. The rudder, however, will be accessible to anyone who can touch the model. The Endeavour kit provided two (2) pieces of plywood that must be glued together to make the rudder. The instructions showed the finished rudder to be glued to the hull after the plywood laminate was shaped and planked. So why not just make the rudder out of a solid piece of wood? I went to my stock and picked out what I thought was mahogany. I took it to the bandsaw and rough shaped it and then continued the shaping on the spindle sander. I realized pretty quickly I had taken a piece of Jatoba. They make floors out of this stuff. It’s commonly called Brazilian Cherry in the flooring business. It’s pretty hard stuff. I finally got the shape to something visually close to what a rudder should look like. And then set in the need to make it functional. Since I probably shouldn’t try to drill straight through the rudder and try to create a post, I drilled in from the keel and used that point to drill at the other end of the rudder. I drove a small nail into the upper end (bottom in the picture) of the rudder and cut it and filed it to a point. From the bottom of the keel I drilled a 1/16" hole at the angle of the rudder. This is about as far as it goes now. Some more shaping will be required. I also need to find a brass or copper nail for the bottom of the rudder. And there is a chance I'll be making up another one in genuine mahogany if the jatoba doesn't match wood tone with the keel wood. Today the veneer came. I got the chance to unroll it and inspect it. It is very high quality veneer and the fumed etimoe is gorgeous! Even if it doesn't work out as planking, I have plenty of projects to use it on.

Mike40, your post very closely runs along the same line as my thoughts about building that first model. Like you, my earlier days of working on any kind of project were all about finishing as quickly as possible so I could see the results. That may be why some new modelers jump in with great enthusiasm but quit all too soon, completely frustrated. We all admire work that shows experience, skill and patience. All require time. If one does not allow for that time, one will most likely be disappointed with the end result. Just by allowing oneself double, or triple the time one expects (or even more) to finish a task or the complete model, one could dramatically increase the chances of being both pleased and proud of the end result. I completed the 1st planking on my first model maybe two weeks ago. I would love to get the 2nd planking done but I will not begin that step until the hull is truly ready to accept the 2nd planking. I have the hull sitting on my workbench and at the end of every day I sit down and view it from every angle, inspect the lines and closely examine every inch of it. Then I work on making it as perfect as I can because once that 2nd planking goes down, you are married to it. It is so thin there is little room for any serious fairing. I don't know if this will be my last model. I do know I will be looking at it for the rest of my life when it is complete. And I know I don't want to have any thoughts like, "I wish I had spent a little more time on..." Martin, based on the one and only model kit I have bought, I will say the instructions leave a lot to be desired. My kit was about $450 and I thought that was a lot of money. If it was $1,000, I may never have bought it. But of all the things to cut back on, it would seem the instructions should be the last cut a manufacturer would make. I'm just thankful there are first class forums like MSW, with its substantial brain trust, to help guide newbies like me through the process. The manufacturers should count their blessings.

I've never done anything substantial with veneer. All the articles I have seen use vacuum bags. Another big expense. Thanks for showing me there is another way.

Here you go, Joe! Merry Christmas! Mujingfang 14-piece Miniature Ebony Japanese Plane Set If you get them, let me know how you like them. Julie

Jay, beautiful work! What substrate did you use to glue the veneer to on your desk? I'm planning on building a stereo cabinet that can hold the weight of vinyl LPs. I've been thinking of either sandwiching MDF to 3/4" plywood or making torsion boxes with 1/4" MDF on the top and bottom and hardwood on the sides. This would be for the shelves. As for the model, when the veneers arrive I'm going to see if any of it has the grain I need to match scale. Obviously, when seen as a single sheet, the grain would never work, but when cut into 2mm strips, it just may.

My first stab at marking the waterline was with this It worked well enough but I didn't secure the hull from rocking. The bow is 15/16" higher than the stern so I placed spacer blocks and shims under the stern but failed to secure the hull making the marking of the waterline a bit tricky. For the final marking, I'll secure the hul.

Allan, yes, I missed the chisels. I have two full sets. But I didn't use them much at all for the 1st planking. When I did, I used the 1/8" chisel to clean out any glue squeeze out I missed in initial clean up but that's about it. I'm sure they will come in handy as I move along but so far I really haven't reached for them much. When Christmas rolls around I'm going to drop a few hints in hopes Santa leaves me one of these: For those who enjoy using planes, this looks to be a nice addition to the modeler's tool inventory.

Good point. I hadn't thought of the scale of the grain. I have a thickness sander but it's for full sized lumber. I've taken it to about 1/8" but that's about it. All those Byrnes tools look really cool but I'd have to sell my "big version" tools to be able to afford them. But it would be nice to say goodbye to lugging 4x8 sheets of 3/4" plywood around. I ordered the veneer. I have a few woodworking projects I plan to use them on. Hardwood down here is so expensive it makes going into veneer more practical. I'll see how the veneers scale. One type I bought was fumed etimoe. It's almost black. I was thinking I might be able to use that for the deck caulk. It scales to about 3/4", which is a little wide but I don't know if that would be noticeable. I've been looking into getting into veneers for years. This could be my springboard to actually start doing something.

Thanks, Brian. I did some looking around on Castello boxwood. I saw some pieces with interesting tone and grain. But I didn't find any that was mahogany-like in color with the thicknesses close to what I need for the 2nd planking. All of my milling tools are for standard size lumber. There's no way anything I have could mill to the thickness needed for planking. But I will keep Castello boxwood in mind for future projects. Thanks again.

I'm not happy with the wood Amati supplied for the 2nd planking. The grain, character and color just don't make my heart skip a beat. I love pretty woods. I need my heart to skip a beat. I went looking for something that makes my heart skip a beat and maybe found it. It looks like they stock some very nice veneer woods. The veneers are 1/42". That works out to 0.024". The wood Amati supplies is 0.019" so I get a whole 0.005" to play with. They have some interesting quarter-sawn mahogany I was looking at using in place of what Amati supplied. Light QS Ribbon QS Regular QS I'm pretty sure the ribbon is sapele. I have never bought from them but they do take pictures of the actual veneer they have. All the quality online hardwood stores do that, so that's a good sign. Please comment on the ups, downs and any problems that could be encountered going this route. Thanks, Julie

Wow, Patrick! Just wow! I just found your log and saw some of the pics at the start. I thought, "How in the heck is he going to pull off this miracle?" Now I know. Very impressive!

I'm kind of a Festool nut. They are probably the most expensive tool you can buy for the type of tool you need or want but they are very high quality and last forever. Festool addicts like to say, "It only hurts once, then you enjoy it for life." I've never regretted buying quality tools but I have regretted buying cheap tools. Should this message put you over the edge and you get into trouble for buying the Byrnes, this member will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck, Boyd.

First time builder about to start the 2nd planking, so take what I suggest accordingly. Tools I used most for the frame assembly and 1st planking are Modeler's rasp Violin plane Push pins Titebond I & II X-Acto knife with lots of blades Needle rasps Steel ruler Magnifiers (strong cheaters or a dedicated headpiece) 5mm mechanical pencil Crescent Xcellite miniature cutters Spokeshave Shop-made fairing tools PSA sandpaper rolls from 80 to 240 grit Sheet sandpaper from 120 to 180 grit Spring clamps Tools I bought but never or rarely used: Amati action cutter Amati master cut Amati fast clamps Amati contour sander Amati electric plank bender I may use some of the tools later on but most are of an inferior quality and they don't draw me to using them. EDIT: Since a picture tells a thousand words: On the far left, to the left of the sanding tools, are the tools I bought for making the model but have not used or hardly used. The rest I've used mostly or more often. The rifflers came into play because I made a modification. The spring clamps were used some but not as much as rubber bands and push pins. The grey-tipped spring clamps can crush the planking. The larger black clamps popped off angled areas. The angle-tip brush I used for spreading glue on the planks. I will be looking into Ibex mini planes or maybe mini planes from Japan Woodworker. I prefer using planes over rasps and rasps over sandpaper. And I'll use card scrapers before sandpaper, if it's practical.

Before I begin the 2nd planking, I have to get the solid wood keel right. The correct way to have done this would have been to build the keel into the skeleton, before the first plank was laid. But the solid wood keel idea didn't pop into my head until after the 1st planking was almost done. Next time... And there may be a next time just so I can do this right. I worked this morning and some of last night getting the solid wood keel shaped correctly and closer to scale. I'm sure any seasoned pro knew it was WAY too wide before just by looking at it. Here's where I am now... From the side profile, the keel is still to thick but I'll shape that after the 2nd planking is done. Another idea thrown in the trash is using different woods to define the waterline and other places that would normally be painted. As I was experimenting with angles to lay the 2nd planking, I realized no wood boat planking would ever be laid at an angle on the hull except for at the waterline, where it would be parallel to the water. That change in plank orientation would weaken the hull. So I'll run all the planks at the same angle and paint the waterline in after.

As I'm checking options on the 2nd planking, Luke Skywalker comes in and starts showing off.

You may find yourself falling in love with lacquer, Keith. You can lay on 4-5 coats in a day, sometimes more. You don't need to sand until it needs flattening or smoothing. The solvent in the lacquer melts the new coat into the existing coat. And the finish can be stunning. I wet sand to smooth then buff with wet Micro Mesh from 1500 to 12000 and can get a glass finish. And repairing is a breeze because of the melting properties. Much easier than poly. On the negative side, you do need good ventilation. You have to allow the solvent to gas out before sanding and buffing, usually about 7-10 days. And you can't put it on thick or it runs. One other thing, if you waxed the finish, all the wax must be removed before repairs or refits.

As I was fitting the next laminate, I realized I had to sandwich a tapered laminate in between the previous and next pieces. This was necessary to meet the profile of the centerboard. If you look between the pink bands you can see where the tapered piece begins. I had to feather it to paper thin and still it left a gap. This will vanish in the finishing steps.

The more things change, the more they stay the same... or something like that. Working on the mahogany keel, I was suddenly struck with serious apprehension about painting the bottom. I'm working at the centerboard section, building it up in layers. After the glue dries, I trim the laminates. My love of natural wood, I fear, won't allow me to paint over what I plan to be a very pretty mahogany keel. Now I'm wondering if maybe I mill some pieces of different toned wood to create the waterline and other detailing of the hull. I could mill Gabon ebony or maple or some other contrasting wood and use that instead of paint. I really hate painting over pretty woods.

Keith, do you ever use lacquer? No waiting for it to dry. And no need to sand between coats. Since I discovered its positive qualities in lutherie, I have become quite a fan. As for boats, I only know of one (full-size) boat that had a lacquered hull. The owner had 10 coats applied to the hull before she was splashed and pulls her every year to keep the finish up. No bottom paint for that beauty, just frequent cleaning. BTW... Nice metal work! Wish you lived closer.

This always boggles my mind. Working with parts that can get lost behind a strand of hair? Yikes! I certainly admire the skill it takes but I cannot even fathom what it would actually be like doing the work. Kudos to you, Igor! I humbly bow.

I just finished reading Endurance by Alfred Lansing. It's a reprint of the original written in 1959 and tells the story of the Antarctic expedition of Ernest Shakleton and his 27 man crew . It was a little over 50 years ago that I read Shakleton's Valiant Voyage, a 98 page quick read by the same author. That book stuck in my head because it was the first book I read that I couldn't put down. but I remembered little else. When I ran across the reprint of Endurance, I had to pick it up and see if it was as good as the short version. It was better. Anyone who wants a refresher of this amazing story or if you never read the story, I strongly recommend it. For much of the book, my jaw was open in disbelief. It kept me up into the wee hours reading because I couldn't put it down. I've read a number of stories of the sea that told about man faced with the fury of nature - In The Kingdom of Ice, Voyage For Madmen, Fatal Storm, Gathering Wind - but this book more often had me wondering, how on earth did these men survive? And all of them did, which may be the most remarkable thing of all.

The last few days have been spent on the house but my thoughts have been with the next step in Sláinte. Yes, I have decided to rename the boat and I'm going to make it in honor of my dad. His sailboat was named Sláinte and on her I cut my teeth sailing. I am looking to beginning the 2nd planking but will deviate from the instructions quite a bit. First of all, I am going to paint the bottom. All my experience with sailboats says the bottom must be painted or yee will be scrapin' the like the bejeesus to get rid of them blasted barnacles. Next change will be to make topsides varnished wood. But rather than following the plans, I am going to go in this direction I will run the planking somewhat similar to the blue lines I drew on the hull. I decided to place personal aesthetics over historical replication. I don't plan on entering this in any contests.