Julie Mo

Hello Julie,
 
I've got the modelbuilder's blues ... My Dolphyn is on hold for a number of reasons, one of witch is the instructions are very poor English and scant, or Eyetalian, which I cannot read, and google translate makes a dung heap of the translation. The other build fell, and I need to do some repairs. I tried a few times but each time they didn't stick. Depressing ... Furthermore, life has a tendency to pop up when you don't need it to. Fortunately no children, so no excuse there.
 
However, I do not want to quit, so I try to motivate me building other things, like a largely PE based Fokker dr1, home improvement which has been delayed to often, and whatever else I can find. I know I'll come back to those two models. After all, it took me merely 3 years to finish an ini mini tiny scratch build I started as an aside ...
 
Don't quit on your Endeavour, put it on hold but don't loose it out of sight, you've done a very good job on her! Besides, what's MSW without you!
 
Cheers

Hi Julie,
I call it Model Ship "Paralysis."
Don't worry, it will pass.... Had the same with Pen Duick in the past couple of weeks, Dredging myself out of t, then, my Glasses Frame broke.... (Lucky I have a spare pair that I can see, sort of. )
 
Ditto Richard, life does get in the way. (And, my sentiments also, your Endeavour looks far to good, pause, but for Gods sake, don't stop now!! )
 
So much of a beautiful work of Art to let it go....
 
(Re:-Pen Duick "Struggles.)
 
Cheers....HOF.

Yes. 
 
My build has been very slow the last few months. Some of that is procrastination, the rigging on the plans I have is much simplified and I want to get it more accurate but I've a lot to learn and absorb first. Other things, work, 2 kids, etc. get in the way (but not in a bad way).
 
But the nice thing is that's a hobby. Unlike having a kitchen redone, one can take a break for a day, a month, a year. I don't have a deadline and it's small enough that I can just to put a cover over it to keep the dust off. 
 
The process has not completely stopped though. I can still find time to be on this site, do a little bit of model work for 15 minutes some evenings. I also filled my need for some larger woodwork over the holidays by building a new mini-work bench for the model.
 
And if you find that you want to give up completely - well that's not such a terrible thing to do (although I really hope you don't - your Endeavour looks too nice for that).
 
All the best (especially with the house).
Richard.

I think it's been a month since I last worked on the model.  Time flies when you're busy.
 
I gave myself a break today from the kitchen project... well... kind of.  I made a couple of material trips to pick up much needed items.  I also bought some landscape lighting that I temped in.  The void Christmas lights created had to be filled.
 
Anyway, by the end of the day I got the bug to lay some planks.  I have to admit for as much as I enjoy working with hot hide glue, I have let the fact it has to be heated deter me from the occasional quick trip to the work table to lay a plank or two.  For some reason that mental block wasn't there tonight.
 
But what was unusual was that feeling I previously had of pure enjoyment working on the model has diminished.  I found myself asking why I was even doing this, with all I have on my plate now.  My neighbor across the street recently bought a Hinkley 36 and he asked me today if I would be willing to make some mahogany built-ins for his fenders.  I was excited about the prospect of getting back to woodworking!  But I am just at that point with the kitchen where I can see light at the end of the tunnel.  We have lived in a construction site for over a year now and I'd love to live a more normal life, at least for a while.  There's always a new project on the horizon.
 
So here I am laying some planks on the model and wondering why I am even doing this.  Has anyone else felt this way?  I really want to see the finished results but I am worried all the other things going on will cause dust to build on what was once a passion.

I think it's been a month since I last worked on the model.  Time flies when you're busy.
 
I gave myself a break today from the kitchen project... well... kind of.  I made a couple of material trips to pick up much needed items.  I also bought some landscape lighting that I temped in.  The void Christmas lights created had to be filled.
 
Anyway, by the end of the day I got the bug to lay some planks.  I have to admit for as much as I enjoy working with hot hide glue, I have let the fact it has to be heated deter me from the occasional quick trip to the work table to lay a plank or two.  For some reason that mental block wasn't there tonight.
 
But what was unusual was that feeling I previously had of pure enjoyment working on the model has diminished.  I found myself asking why I was even doing this, with all I have on my plate now.  My neighbor across the street recently bought a Hinkley 36 and he asked me today if I would be willing to make some mahogany built-ins for his fenders.  I was excited about the prospect of getting back to woodworking!  But I am just at that point with the kitchen where I can see light at the end of the tunnel.  We have lived in a construction site for over a year now and I'd love to live a more normal life, at least for a while.  There's always a new project on the horizon.
 
So here I am laying some planks on the model and wondering why I am even doing this.  Has anyone else felt this way?  I really want to see the finished results but I am worried all the other things going on will cause dust to build on what was once a passion.

I think it's been a month since I last worked on the model.  Time flies when you're busy.
 
I gave myself a break today from the kitchen project... well... kind of.  I made a couple of material trips to pick up much needed items.  I also bought some landscape lighting that I temped in.  The void Christmas lights created had to be filled.
 
Anyway, by the end of the day I got the bug to lay some planks.  I have to admit for as much as I enjoy working with hot hide glue, I have let the fact it has to be heated deter me from the occasional quick trip to the work table to lay a plank or two.  For some reason that mental block wasn't there tonight.
 
But what was unusual was that feeling I previously had of pure enjoyment working on the model has diminished.  I found myself asking why I was even doing this, with all I have on my plate now.  My neighbor across the street recently bought a Hinkley 36 and he asked me today if I would be willing to make some mahogany built-ins for his fenders.  I was excited about the prospect of getting back to woodworking!  But I am just at that point with the kitchen where I can see light at the end of the tunnel.  We have lived in a construction site for over a year now and I'd love to live a more normal life, at least for a while.  There's always a new project on the horizon.
 
So here I am laying some planks on the model and wondering why I am even doing this.  Has anyone else felt this way?  I really want to see the finished results but I am worried all the other things going on will cause dust to build on what was once a passion.

I think it's been a month since I last worked on the model.  Time flies when you're busy.
 
I gave myself a break today from the kitchen project... well... kind of.  I made a couple of material trips to pick up much needed items.  I also bought some landscape lighting that I temped in.  The void Christmas lights created had to be filled.
 
Anyway, by the end of the day I got the bug to lay some planks.  I have to admit for as much as I enjoy working with hot hide glue, I have let the fact it has to be heated deter me from the occasional quick trip to the work table to lay a plank or two.  For some reason that mental block wasn't there tonight.
 
But what was unusual was that feeling I previously had of pure enjoyment working on the model has diminished.  I found myself asking why I was even doing this, with all I have on my plate now.  My neighbor across the street recently bought a Hinkley 36 and he asked me today if I would be willing to make some mahogany built-ins for his fenders.  I was excited about the prospect of getting back to woodworking!  But I am just at that point with the kitchen where I can see light at the end of the tunnel.  We have lived in a construction site for over a year now and I'd love to live a more normal life, at least for a while.  There's always a new project on the horizon.
 
So here I am laying some planks on the model and wondering why I am even doing this.  Has anyone else felt this way?  I really want to see the finished results but I am worried all the other things going on will cause dust to build on what was once a passion.

Looking awesome, Keith!  Just one question, are those charts I saw up to date?

Thank you John.
 
Immediately in front of the deckhouse is a square box which on the plans is referred to as the "gas box". On top of the gas box are stowed 3 demountable gratings. The use of the gratings isn't immediately apparent but I wonder if they form part of the companionway.
 
I find that small boxlike features are most easily formed on the mill and this is the approach I took with the gas box. By slotting out and inserting the frame features i can get a reasonable representation of the panelling.
 



 
The grating construction followed the fairly standard approach taken on other MSW builds. In this instance the gratings are small and I decided that hole sizes of .040" square were as small as I could go and still maintain definition. This scales somewhat larger than on the original.
 
Planks were thickness sanded to .080" before being slotted .040" deep by .040" wide. They were then glued in a sandwich using PVA. Finally .060 wide gratings were sliced from the sandwich - 3 in total.
 






 
 
 
 

A couple more deck features have been developed
 
Just aft of the deckhouse is a rather complicated little structure referred to on plans as the engine hatch.
 
The hatch is composed of 5 separate elements. On the port side is a sliding hatch leading to a set of ladders. On the starboard side front is a deck hatch and immediately behind this is a skylight (not yet made). To the rear of this is another low hatch. On the deck to the rear of the sliding hatch is a panel for the sailing instruments. The sailing instruments are obviously a retrofit since Altair was originally constructed. The whole of the hatch has the feel of being designed by committee.
 




 
Towards the stern is a small structure called the steering hatch. Quite a nice little box.
 



 
 

I find that time flies by and many jobs get in the way of boat building. Never the less I have made a bit more progress. Many of the skylights are now in place (but not yet glued). The mushroom vent for the galley skylight is made and as per the original it opens vertically by means of a screw. Most of the skylights are part finished with the window frames painted with poly, the bodies however are only sanded as yet.
 
I also assembled and glued the side walls of the deckhouse and fitted the roof (not yet glued). I was pleased with the accuracy with which it came together.
 








 
 

Good point, Roger.  I never even looked at the widths.  It seems their only real advantage is being able to get into tight spots. 
 
However, if you don't own chisels in those widths this would be an inexpensive way to get them.  The same width chisels in their full size versions would run you $234.00 US, as opposed to $39.50 for the mini chisels.

When I purchased L-N modeling and violin planes I thought that was as small as I was going to get in good quality hand tools.  I recently received a Lee Valley Christmas catalog and in it I saw they have miniature hand tools.  The mini chisels use their high quality PM-V11 steel.

 
Has anyone tried any of these mini tools?  If so, what do you think?

Good point, Roger.  I never even looked at the widths.  It seems their only real advantage is being able to get into tight spots. 
 
However, if you don't own chisels in those widths this would be an inexpensive way to get them.  The same width chisels in their full size versions would run you $234.00 US, as opposed to $39.50 for the mini chisels.

Good point, Roger.  I never even looked at the widths.  It seems their only real advantage is being able to get into tight spots. 
 
However, if you don't own chisels in those widths this would be an inexpensive way to get them.  The same width chisels in their full size versions would run you $234.00 US, as opposed to $39.50 for the mini chisels.

I had considered a darker wood for the transom, Keith, but I am planning on applying a decal with the name and hailing port.  I tried to put a decal on dark wood on the head of one the guitars I built but the dark wood overwhelmed it.  No matter how light I made the letters, the decal created always came out partly transparent and got lost in the darker wood.
 
There is really only one part that bothers me.  Right at the rail, where the transom and hull meet, the planking is somewhat rounded.  But once mineral spirits are applied, the rest looks better defined.

I'm a bit hesitant to create a sharper edge because I don't know how much wood is left.  I probably need to stop fussing over it and just move on.  Perfection can paralyze one if taken too far.
 
 
hof00, thank you for the compliment.

Harry, I must have been reading your mind.  It seemed nothing I did could create the definition I hoped for,  I think the problem is the lines of the planking hid some of the definition.  So I just winged it.
 

 

 

 
I applied some mineral spirits and that did bring out some more definition but I don't think I will be able to get the definition I had hoped for unless I cut in a darker plank to define it.  Doubtful...

Wasn't on mine, but I just bought one

Is this bench plane on anyone's Christmas list?!
 
https://www.classichandtools.com/acatalog/New-Veritas.html

One way to get these miniature tools on Santa's radar is to add his email address to the Lee Valley email updates. The mini-tools are one of the featured items on the main website!

Those are nice little tools ,but the handles need to be regular size in order to get proper leverage and manipulation. Lee Valley does make nice stuff.

Maybe Santa is telepathic !  After all he does know if you've been naughty or nice ! Right ! ;) ;)

I don't know how you do it, Buck.  Amazing!  And not once did I see 6' 3" Becky lending you a hand.  Tell her to stop powdering her nose and get in there and break a nail or two. 

When I purchased L-N modeling and violin planes I thought that was as small as I was going to get in good quality hand tools.  I recently received a Lee Valley Christmas catalog and in it I saw they have miniature hand tools.  The mini chisels use their high quality PM-V11 steel.

 
Has anyone tried any of these mini tools?  If so, what do you think?

No one has asked me for my Christmas List yet.  The mini tools are the only thing on it.  I was taught it's inappropriate to "accidentally" drop your Christmas List.   
 
The big day is closing in and my diabolical mind has run out of list dropping ideas.