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tkay11

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Everything posted by tkay11

  1. tkay11
    Thanks, David. Takes a bit of the mystery out of grinding the tools. I'd seen exactly that second video about turning a cannon and that was what gave me the idea to try it on my lathe. Do you have any idea of the speed he was using on the lathe? It seemed quite fast to me. I was also thinking that the hand-held watchmakers gravers I've seen on eBay might be already sharpened and so give me an idea of how to use them. Would that be right? Tony
  2. tkay11
    Makes sense, Jud. Thanks. I suppose you'd need long arms as well. My arms are only about 60cm long and I need to keep my eyes fairly near the workpiece to make sure i can see what's happening down there. But I suppose the hands wouldn't have to go all the way to the end of the handle. Joking aside, I get the message. Mechanical advantage and control! Tony
  3. tkay11
    Yes, thanks, David. The Sherline sounds like a great machine from all that I have heard on the forum. I had been thinking of casting them once I'd managed to make a good master (even though there are only 8 on the Sherbourne). That's yet another on the long list of skills I am eager to learn. Tony
  4. tkay11
    Very interesting comment, Jud. I note that watchmakers lathes can be powered in a number of different ways -- which would allow for the very slow turning speeds. My Proxxon turns at 1,000 rpm at its slowest speed, so that looks as though it would be far too fast. As a matter of interest, why the long handles (3ft)? Tony
  5. tkay11
    Thanks for the advice and suggestions, David and Nigel. I've ordered ebony along with the boxwood and will be interested to see how it all turns out. I'll keep the ideas about brass turning until a future date when I can treat myself to a bench grinder. In any case, it's always good to improve basic skills at the wood lathe to the point at which I can be satisfied with the skill. Tony
  6. tkay11
    Hmm. Thanks, Nigel. I've been looking at Workshop Heaven for the boxwood. I've also been thinking of Castello Boxwood. I hadn't considered ebony, but it's another good idea for me to consider. Isn't ebony dust rather poisonous? Or am I being over-cautious? I could easily order boxwood and ebony to see how I got on with them. Tony
  7. tkay11
    Thanks, David. They look like the tools suggested at the Sherline site for making by hand. Do you use a bench grinder to sharpen them, or do you use something like Wet & Dry paper glued to a smooth surface (as in the Scary Sharp method)? Tony
  8. tkay11
    Thanks, Bill. That's a good idea about the paste filler. and primer. I think I'll do that. After a bit of web searching, I found a nice link on the Sherline site about making and using watchmaker's gravers. It's at http://www.sherline.com/gravers.htm. It links to a page that shows how to use the Sherline T-rest with a graver. Unfortunately, though, it looks as though the business of buying a bench grinder and a stone to do all the sharpening and shaping required seems to put this idea out of my reach. I think I'll be sticking to the boxwood. Tony
  9. tkay11
    Thanks, David. I'd be very interested in the photos if you can get round to it once you're back in Chicago. I had a feeling that I'd have to end up grinding my own, so if you have any links on how to do that I'd be grateful. I found that even with the wood very light cuts give the best results -- and it was so satisfying I am rather hooked on the idea of doing more lathe work. (I had bought the lathe mainly for yards and masts, but was delighted to find I could do quite fine work on it). Tony
  10. tkay11
    Ok, Antony. I think I'll keep my head. Nice idea about the gilding, though. I had seen it, and that was what made me think of the boxwood. My guns are going to be black, so a coat of paint is all I really need. My problem was with the pear wood that I had -- the finish was just too grainy. It's possible that the wood I am using is not quite the right type of pear wood (it was from pen turning blanks sold on eBay), so that's why I'm looking around. Of course it's equally possible that it's my technique that is at fault. I've seen a video of someone using a watchmaker's lathe with a graving tool to turn cannon from brass, so that's what gave me the idea of using my own lathe. I presume it's just the type of cutter that's important -- rather than the lathe itself. But I'm all ears to any advice! Thanks for the very prompt reply! Tony
  11. tkay11
    I have a Proxxon DB 250 wood turning lathe, and am comfortable with using the Proxxon set of turning chisels with it. I have just learned to turn cannon with it using hardwood. However, I can see that for really good results I should either use boxwood or brass. If I try to turn brass rod on this lathe, could I use the same chisels, or would I have to grind some down from HSS stock -- or even use watchmakers HSS rod or gravers? I'd be grateful for any advice on this. Thanks Tony
  12. tkay11
    I've just bothered to do the calculation on the weights. According to the weights given in the AOTS book on the Cutter Alert, a 3pdr cannon would weigh 394 Kg. A 12pdr carronade would weigh 292Kg. I have no idea, though, of the forces associated with each. Tony
  13. tkay11
    Nice discussion, Gregor. As Kester says, these cutter kits are a delight to play around with, experiment on and learn in whichever area you care to explore. Would the 12-pounder carronades have had more recoil etc than 3-pounder cannon and so have put more stress on the deck and bulwarks? I see the diameter of the carronade 12-pounder shot was 4.4 inches as against 2.774 inches for a cannon's 3-pound shot, so at scale that would be 1.75mm, which is nearer to the 2mm shot I currently have to use. I think I'll stick with the cannon, though. I decided to cut the gun ports to the rail as shown in the NMM plans. That has made the fitting of the cannon much easier as it was the height of the top edge of the port that was proving difficult. I would have thought 3-pounders wouldn't have been too heavy. It's a great pity that the barrels in the kit are the equivalent of 3.5 pounders at 1/64 scale. As you'll see fairly soon, I've re-done all the carriages to the scale of a 3.5 pounder in order to save myself buying or searching for the exact size barrel, and as a result they just fit the modified gunports. Now if they had been 3 pounders, I reckon they might have fit perfectly. Tony
  14. tkay11
    Transom surround? No. 18th Century telly for those long sea trips. Tony
  15. tkay11
    Yes, lovely details. I look forward to the pictures of your progress of your build up to this stage. Tony
  16. tkay11
    Interesting research. I look forward to the finished swivel guns. Fun, isn't it! Tony
  17. tkay11
    There's always Jotika at http://www.jotika-ltd.com/Pages/1024768/index.htm. They've been very good whenever I have dealt with them. There's a plus in that they provide the spare parts for the Caldercraft kits. Will cut wood to size too. Tony
  18. tkay11
    It's great that you have the determination, Jan, to see this kind of challenge through. That's part of the fun/pain of the hobby. There are lots of challenges like this. The pain is in not getting it right first time, second time, third... . The fun is when you hit on the solution, and that's when the quiet little smile comes to your face as you look on your little win and move on to the next challenge. Far better than computer games in which you just succeed at a certain level then move on to the next -- but have nothing solid or tangible left to look at or admire. Tony
  19. tkay11
    I had thought CMB announces availability for each article -- there are many times when I have looked for something on their site and it says 'not currently available' or words to that effect. When I bought the Sherbourne, it was because their site said the Lady Nelson was out of stock, so I rang and asked if there would be anything similar that they had in stock. I was very pleased with their advice to buy the Sherbourne. It may be that with wood they don't advertise stock levels, though. Tony
  20. tkay11
    I don't know if you're referring to Rex Boocock's articles which are posted in the downloads section. The first of the series details Photoshop and AutoCAD importing. It's called "CREATING NEW SHIP DRAWINGS FROM EXISTING IMAGE FILES - PART 1". Re-sizing in both is very easy. Tony
  21. tkay11
    The holes are for the swivel gun posts (part 33 on the 3mm walnut strip) and the timberheads (part 36 on the 2mm walnut strip). Page 4 of the manual (Deck fittings) tells you to look at Plan Sheet 2 for reference. You'll find that the timberheads and gun posts have slightly different bases which helps you identify which piece goes into which hole. In terms of fixing the rail, it probably helps to pin as well as glue. I think I pinned mine, but can't remember. Tony
  22. tkay11
    Looks very neat. Well done, Jan Tony
  23. tkay11
    I'll add my voice to the chorus of requests, Joe. Tony
  24. tkay11
    Just a notice to you all: I'm off travelling for a week. I've been following the log with interest, so if there are no comments from my end, ye'll know why. I look forward to catching up when I get back. Tony
  25. tkay11
    That's much better! Thanks, QA! Tony

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