tkay11

That's brilliant, Bob! I hadn't seen that tutorial before. Many thanks! Tony

I am not sure that the FET has bad reviews. I think it's more that the Byrnes machine is very much better in probably every way. Jim's blades are better. I should imagine its fence is very much better engineered than the Proxxon's and that there are a lot of other differences. It's also about twice the cost of an FET if you buy in Europe because of the added shipping ($175 to the UK), VAT at 20% (on the combined value of the machine and the postage) and handling charges by the carrier. I would certainly like to have a Byrnes saw, and if I were in the USA there would be no contest. However, I am quite happy with the FET. I am beginning to understand how to obtain really accurate cuts with it and there are lots of modelers on this forum and in the European model forums who use it and report on it very happily. For the £350 I saved by buying it, I will be able to buy a micro mill and a disc sander (though I'm still thinking about these as I can't afford that yet). The FET has allowed me to explore easier ways of cutting wood than by hand, and I have obtained precision cuts that would have been very hard if not impossible for me to do by hand. But of course I should imagine the Byrnes saw would be even better. The only 'fault' I have found so far with the Proxxon is the fence which is fiddly to adjust. That just means it takes slightly longer to adjust. I don't know if that helps. I am sure others who have had experience of both saws will chime in here! Tony

Nice comments, Alex -- especially about the bandsaw. I hadn't realised before just how useful a bandsaw is. Just on the clubs: I was thinking they might be a way in to handling machines with someone who knows. I was at the Model Engineering Exhibition at the Alexandra Palace in London in January, and it was fantastic for me when one of the exhibitors invited me to make something on his lathe. Those few minutes did far more to stimulate my interest and provide some understanding than a host of words, pictures and descriptions. I'm one of those people who need the 'hands on' experience as well. There's no denying the huge value of the expertise on this site. I have learned a lot from it. It's just that there's often a lot more that people take for granted in their explanations (as a result of their familiarity with equipment) and it's often the tiny details that make the difference. The article posted by Mark is one of those rare articles that really do seem to go to the very basic first steps which are invaluable for beginners such as myself. Tony

I don't know if this is old hat for everyone, but following a recent discussion on table saw problems, I was researching the different waxes people use for their saws and blades. I came across the following site called 'Waxing Philosophic' which discusses the various waxes, their mixtures and their solvents. Tony

Really nice touch, that brass rail. And your hatch covers are much better dimensioned than mine and the covers nicely rounded. Excellent work! The ship's boat was often towed. There are many models with it shown separately or with a length of rope towing it. I don't know yet what I'll do about that. Tony

You'll see a lengthy discussion about it in Dan's build of the Vulture. It's under the topic 'Rudder Coat'. I think 'Blue Ensign' has done it as well on his build of the Pegasus kit. Tony

I think your tiller is just fine. I attach the drawing from the Anatomy of the Ship book on the Cutter Alert which is supposed to be about the same period. The tiller points upward and is slightly curved, so don't worry! Imagine a figure standing on the deck (you can draw a scale figure on card, 26mm high) and see where the hand might lie. That will tell you how realistic it is. As to what they did with the rudder if it fell off, well, there are probably a few jokes in there. Maybe another thing to think about is a leather cover that protects the hole through which the rudder is placed. Other modellers on this forum have pointed out that very few model kits include mention of this, but clearly it would be important to stop seas coming in through that opening. I'm still undecided about whether to attempt that! Tony

Just finished reading the article on the site referenced by Mark (Cutting Scale Lumber on a Table Saw, Tips and Techniques). Really excellent! Thanks again, Mark. Tony

Yeah! That's a neat idea. Seems like you two (Michael and Mark) think alike. Thanks for the link as well, Mark. What pleasure there is in these little excursions and experiments! I look forward to hearing more from you and anyone else looking at this. Meanwhile I'll do a bit of experimenting on my own. What is interesting is that when I cut two parallel grooves 0.5mm deep and 0.7mm apart, using my 0.6mm wide blade, the grooves remain perfectly parallel. In case you're interested, I'm doing that because I'm still experimenting with ways of making blocks without using a mill, following the classic way of making them. Thanks Tony

Excellent thoughts, Michael. I have been noticing exactly that behaviour when I measure the front and back of the cut. I even see it happening as the wood goes past the blade. So even though the fence is locked tight and parallel to the blade, it still happens. It can lead to up to a 0.4mm variation over a 10cm length. I saw your stop when you first posted, but forgot about it, not thinking about the significance. I'll study it now and see if I can set one up. I can't envision your 1/8" parallel strip idea. Is the idea that the wood comes up to the strip and then is pushed away from the fence? Thanks again for your expertise and experimentation! Tony

Very good comments, Michael, Mark and Harvey. This thread has been really interesting. As Harvey has noted, it has been exploring different aspects. We have the 'wobbly blade' strand, the 'fence' strand' and the 'fit for purpose' strand, all interlinked. The point about being trapped by convention is really nice, along with the problem of differences of interpretation. However I had thought that for ship modelling the thin blades with low kerf have specific function: to provide thin slits in wood at a small depth. My personal interest in using them, for example, is for gratings, slicing small (e.g. 4mm x 0.5mm) planks to smaller widths, making accurate cuts in very small pieces, cutting slots to hold slivers of wood and, in the absence of a mill, making shallow grooves. That's why I felt I had to buy more than one thickness of the thin type. Because of my lack of experience with saws, I may have gone over the top in this regard, but I'm now confident that I have the range I would like. Part of the problem for tyros such as myself is that it's hard to find resources that explain all these aspects of using a saw before we plunge in and buy them. I really liked Michael's suggestion of joining up with a model engineering society. I should have thought of something like that before buying a saw! I have not had any problem at all with the 80mm 1.6mm kerf tungsten carbide blade provided with the saw for cutting at a depth of 20mm or so. I bought 25mm thickness oak and pear pen turning blanks to experiment just to see what the saw could do. I also found 18mm solid oak floorboards left on our street which are extremely hard. The tungsten carbide blade cuts through all these with ease. So it is an easy job to cut down the larger sizes using this blade and using the smaller width blades for the smaller work. The discussion of the blade capabilities has clarified the problem Harvey brought up in the first instance, so now I'm looking forward to future discussions about how best to modify the fence! It's not that I can't cut to a specified width with the saw. It's more that it's extremely fiddly with back-and-forth readjustment. So it's become more of a challenge than a necessity to look for ways of improving the fence to make our lives easier. Even without a further modification it's certainly a whole lot easier than trying to do it with a hand saw. I see it as part of the process of learning to work with the tools we have (even though in this case I gave up on the hand saw rather quickly!). In order to avoid the problem of jumping in without knowledge, and following Harvey's thought, I'll now be buying 'Using the small lathe' which is available on Amazon in the UK at a very reasonable price of less than a tenner. [Edit] The reason, of course, being to prepare myself and to think through the value of having a lathe. And sorry for intruding, Harvey, with comments that may have been superfluous to your original interest! It's just that I am delighted when we have a thread that illuminates so much. Tony

Nice choice! Much envy from me! I look forward to hearing how you get on! Tony

OK, so I started searching for reports on the Accuriser. Here's what someone said on a classical guitar forum: "I received the Accuriser II accessory fence for my MicroLux mini table saw today. The idea is great, but I am quite disappointed in the quality, lack thereof. The advertising claims 0.001" accuracy, so I expected a precision machined part, but it is actually just some stamped and bent metal, looks cheap, and doesn't work very well. It is difficult to slide into position, has lots of play so who knows where true square is, and the securing knobs are unpleasant to the fingers." Of course, classical guitar players are sensitive about their fingers, but this is the only comment I found so far! I'll probably turn up more thoughts as I continue to explore. Tony

Sorry, Harvey, what I meant about Jim's blades is that they are the same size (1/2") arbor as those sold by MicroMark. Both his and MicroMark's need an adapter for the Proxxon which has a 10mm arbor. Jim doesn't make the adapter, and the only place I could find an adapter from 1/2" to the Proxxon's 10mm was MicroMark. So the choice is to get everything from MicroMark to reduce postage and Royal Mail costs, or to buy the adapter from MicroMark (cost = $6 + $18 postage + VAT + £8 Royal Mail Handling fee) and the blades from Jim. Either way it's expensive. As to the fence, so far all I have been able to do is to ensure the fence is square to the blade when clamped (fairly easy to do by loosening the nut at the base of the fence that links it to its tail piece) and to press down on the fence very firmly against the table (horizontally and vertically) when tightening the fence to the adjustment screw which should already be clamped. [Edit] Just an addendum about clamping the fence. Before locking the adjustment screw to the table, because that too has some play, it is important to hold the fence firmly against the table as well and then to lock the adjustment screw. After that you can ensure the fence is square to the table by holding it firmly and then locking it. I am sure someone like Mark Taylor who knows this saw far better than I do will make some more learned comment! Ideally we could develop some kind of Accuriser fence replacement, but that only works on the Proxxon FSE saw and I haven't seen anything on the market that does the same. Part of the problem is the fact that the back end of the table on the FET saw has no ledge on which to hold a fence firmly. I think one could be made from aluminium and glued to the back. If that were done it might be worth looking at the exact dimensions of the Accuriser to see if it would fit the length of the FET (or ensure at least that the new length of the table would be the same as for the FSE). I hope that makes sense! Tony

I've been through the same process as you, Antony. The arbor hole size with Jim's saw blades is the same as that of those sold by MicroMark, but he doesn't sell an adapter (I had emailed him and asked). Clearly his blades are better. I trawled through various European sites to find an adapter but the only one I could find was that supplied by MicroMark. So I bought two of the blades and the adapter from MicroMark. Be prepared to spend £14.93 to the Royal Mail for handling and duty, $6 dollars or so for the adapter, and $22 dollars or so per blade and $18 for shipping. That's pretty expensive all in all. The adapter itself could easily be made on a lathe, if you have one. I don't, unfortunately. I like my FET saw. The only thing is trying to make a better way of clamping the fence. Tony

A very nice tiller, Gregor. Hmm. I think I might re-make mine following your example. You also have a very nice finish to the wood. [Edit] oh, and I just saw the last picture. Someone told me in MSW 1.0 that the rudder pendants may not have been used for this type of cutter when I asked the same question after reading Zu Mondfeld. I can't remember the details, but I didn't go ahead with trying to make them. Tony

That's very helpful, Michael. I hadn't thought of model engineering groups. I'll look into that this weekend. Thanks a lot! Tony

That's a wonderful demonstration as well of the uses of a lathe, Michael (in addition, that is, to your very useful experimentation). I do so wish I'd had some training on machine tools. There used to be lots of adult education classes in the UK that taught those skills, but I can't seem to find any at the moment. It's a pity because I am sure there are lots of us who come to modeling and see the wonderful possibilities with machine tools, yet either have to jump in and buy, say, a lathe or a mill, and struggle to pick up the skills and the knowledge of what extras to buy and how to work with them, or just stand at the sidelines and watch with a certain amount of jealousy. I bought a couple of books on lathe and mill use but what is needed really is the hand on experience an apprentice or engineer would have. I know this is a bit off topic, but do you (or anyone) have suggestions of the best way for novices to learn -- other than trial and the multiplicity of errors? Tony

Thanks, ZyXuz, I hadn't noticed the archive section. Excellent work! And if you were able to look closely enough at my face, you'd see I'm winking. But the resolution of the image doesn't seem good enough for that. Tony

Thanks for reminding us, Hubert. That's exactly what I've been practising over the last couple of weeks. It's taking time, though, to achieve consistency so that the blocks all look the same size and shape. And I still can't get the grooves for the strops right. But it's certainly been worth the effort and I feel confident I'll get there in the end! I still might experiment with making a drum as a tumbler to put on my drill as others have done. Many thanks for your excellent site, which continues to give me inspiration on how to do things without expensive machinery. I love it! Tony

Thanks a lot, Per and ZyXuz. It's great to have comments like yours as it helps me find other builds from which I can learn and (b)logs I can add to those I 'follow'. @Per: I wish I'd seen the details of the T37 build. I have grandchildren and when they're old enough I'm thinking of building some boat like that for them. Actually, I say 'for them' but I have a sneaky suspicion that I'd be the one hogging the time with it. @ZyXuz: I enjoyed the idea of a switch in a barrel! You certainly crack along at a good speed with your build. Very enjoyable. But I notice the blog only starts on day 15. I suppose that's something to do with the blog being limited to a certain size. I was wondering how you had made the bombard shot so I presume that was part of the earlier blog. Tony

Very interesting. That would also explain why it works much better on thinner sections. Tony

I'm still working out how best to use my Proxxon FET. I reckon the comment about it being underpowered is correct as I find it is very sensitive to the combination of thickness and density of wood. To get round it I slice the bigger blocks (25mm square)into blocks about 5 or 6mm square using the large cross-cut blade with the wide tungsten teeth -- this just seems to chew through anything without a problem. I then cut those blocks into smaller blocks using the 80 tooth 'super cut' blade which has a kerf of about 1mm, and it's only after that I use the slitting blades. I'm still learning, but so far this seems to work quite well for me with oak, apple and pear. The other thing I do is to wipe wax from my Liberon wax stick over the blade and make sure it's clean. That seems to help quite a bit as others have already said. The problem I still struggle with is working with the combination of locking the longitudinal stop and the guide with the scale markings. Once I lock the stop to the guide I find it a bit unpredictable when locking the stop to the table. This makes it fiddly to achieve an exact distance from the saw. Unfortunately the solution for another Proxxon saw using the Accuriser is not available for the FET. So if anyone can provide advice on this I'd be glad. Tony

Great to see another Lady Nelson build. There used to be more on MSW 1.0. It was my first choice as a first build, but it was out of stock at the time and I went with an almost identical Sherbourne that I'm in the throes of making. I'm looking forward to following your log. Tony

Thanks for looking in again, B.E., an for your kind comment. I'd been wondering whether you would do your pinnace from scratch. I see you're after Chuck's plans, so I look forward to see how you do it. These small boats are a real joy unto themselves -- it's a delight to hold such a small and light little shell in the hand. In fact it's been the most rewarding and delightful part of my build so far even if (or perhaps because) it took such a long time to plan and to build. I continue to enjoy your Pegasus build very much indeed. Lovely skills you have. It made me think of buying a mill as well, but I'm putting it off until I get my head around the basic stuff! Tony