Haliburton

Hello again! It feels like a while since I last updated. I had a while where I couldn't fit much if any build time in anywhere. Now, though, I have finished the bowsprit rigging and have started work on the fore mast. The rigging was done with the fittings unpainted and I painted them afterwards. That way the paint didn't peel or rub off while I got the lines on. It is not perfect, buy I think by the last line I kind of had the hang of it (pun intended ). After painting, I hand tapered the lower fore mast. I used my squishy sanding block from say back when I was sanding my hull. I filed the notch on the top for the last cap and glued it in. I then added the 'iron' bands on which are made of striping tape. I also glued in the eyebolts. The mast is stained, but the painted parts will be painted after all the structural work is complete. Anyway, here are the pictures!
 

Until next time!

Hi Pierre, look at the thread "Purchasing wood strips in North America" recently started by Worldway in this forum. I listed some vendors and contact info (which I have not used yet). Worldway used one and seems to have had a positive experience.

I asked them if they could provide 6mm thick veneers and he said no problem.  Tonight I took my calipers to them and they average between 0.5 and 0.7 mm.  So I have no problem with that at all.  They should hopefully work out fine for me.  Now i just need to find a way to make 5 mm wide strips out of them.

Thanks for the update Worldway, was the thickness what you asked for?

Thanks for the update Worldway, was the thickness what you asked for?

Just to update, I received my veneers from A & M Wood Specialty and would like to comment on them.  I had asked for 5 sqft of Sapele and 5 sqft of something equivalent to Ramin.  What i received was 8.2 sq ft of Sapele (in amazing condition).  I also got 4.3 sq ft of obeche.  It was splintering on the edges and ends but for the amount i needed i realy could have worked with it.  However, I guess because of the condition, he also sent me 5.4 sq ft of maple.  So for paying for a total of 10 sq ft of material (at $1.50 / sf) i ended up with 16.9 sq ft total.
 

 
I would definitely recommend this company.

Hi Worldway, you are most welcome, and thanks for letting me know about your good experience with them, I may give them a try too! - Scott

Hi Worldway, you are most welcome, and thanks for letting me know about your good experience with them, I may give them a try too! - Scott

Hi Worldway, you are most welcome, and thanks for letting me know about your good experience with them, I may give them a try too! - Scott

Haliburton, I took your advise and contacted A & M Wood Specialty.  Very nice to deal with and very helpful. I ended up buying 5 sq ft of Sapele and 5 sq ft of (equivalent to) Ramin. Both were $1.50 / sq ft. They were really helpful and didn't seem to have a problem with small orders.  I do tend to think though that the minimum is 5 sq ft.  They are shipping it to me on UPS for a flat rate cost of $20. which is reasonable because for me to go there and back would take 4 hours plus a tank of gas anyway. Thanks for your help

Really impressed with the kit quality!
The laser cutting is super accurate, the kerf is minimal:

 
All bevels are pre-marked, so you just follow the lines:

 

 
The ply is good, very uniform, no defects, middle layers are not falling apart:

 
Super impressive for the $95 kit. It is the quality you would expect from the $400-$500 range.
Frames are inserted into clear slots in the base board, that ensure perfect alignment.
Notches in the frames and keel are a bit too tight, so all notches and all parts require some filing to fit. That was a bit unexpected, and too tedious for my daughter (so far), so I spend some time filing.. Meh, boring task
 
But there is a steady progress

 

 
End result of the first two modelling sessions:

 
The "building board" is, apparently, a permanent part of the hull (lower deck), the upper parts would be installed on top of it. Interesting idea!

Time for a small update. Second planking is progressing nicely, albeit slowly on the starboard side. The castello boxwood is really nice (and easy to work with), and so far it looks like only a minimum of fine sanding will be needed to finish the surface (yay!). The walnut below the black strake will be part of the sub-wale, which is only half finished at the moment. 
 
Anyway, not much more to report at the moment.
 
Andy
 
 

I was in busybee tools in Mississauga and they gave a list of local wood suppliers. I havn't been in touch with any of them at this point, but as they are all in Southern Ontario you could ask them what they can do for you. The contact info and websites are listed below. For our American friends, your dollar goes quite a bit further up here!
 
The Wood Shed
Smithville, Ontario
905 957 3933
woodshedlumber.com
 
Exotic Woods
Burlington, Ontario
905 335 8066
Exotic-woods.com
 
A&M Wood Specialty
1 800 265 0624
forloversofwood.com
 
Peacock Lumber
Oshawa, Ontario
905 725.4744
peacocklumber.com

I was in busybee tools in Mississauga and they gave a list of local wood suppliers. I havn't been in touch with any of them at this point, but as they are all in Southern Ontario you could ask them what they can do for you. The contact info and websites are listed below. For our American friends, your dollar goes quite a bit further up here!
 
The Wood Shed
Smithville, Ontario
905 957 3933
woodshedlumber.com
 
Exotic Woods
Burlington, Ontario
905 335 8066
Exotic-woods.com
 
A&M Wood Specialty
1 800 265 0624
forloversofwood.com
 
Peacock Lumber
Oshawa, Ontario
905 725.4744
peacocklumber.com

My preference including eating is to stand up. Reloading, leather work and tooling, bench work in the shop or working with tools in the shop all are done standing.
  Reminds me of an old Truck Driver question.
What is the first thing a truck driver looks for after leaving his truck? Most look for a place to sit down. Watch, it's true.
jud

Hello again! I have finished the launching ways, traveler, and wheelhouse. Next up is the cockpit, wheel, and companionway. The wheelhouse is a block of wood that has been shaped and painted. The blocks are given their color with a minwax stain pencil, by rubbing it on them, and then rubbing them between my palms, spreading the "stain" all over the blocks. The traveler is a piece of wood with a slot carved into it, glued to two wires for legs. I only have a couple pictures right now, but here they are.







 
Until next time!

Haven't got a lot done on the ship since Hurricane Matthew came through. Things are still bad here in North Carolina. People have drowned. Farms are lost. Livestock lost. Many homes flooded. Been letting some family over to get showers. But I have been working a little.
 
Started constructing the 2 cannon. Tried to figure out how to sand the laser cut wheels provided all the same. Played with a few ideas & came up with this. Found an old piece of guitar string left behind by our son a few years ago. The wheels screwed snug on the wrapped wire & held just enough to get them all uniform. I achieved this by rolling them all on sandpaper with my fingers. it rounded them up without taking too much off. Painted them while they were still on the wire (didn't pain the sides). Test fitting them on the partially built carriages.
 
 Jesse 
 

Thanks! I'm fortunate to live only an hour away from their store so will drop in!

WackoWolf, any particular chisel set at Lee Valley that you recommend?

Thanks! I'm fortunate to live only an hour away from their store so will drop in!

I finally received my Mare Nostrum kit yesterday.  It was nicely packaged and, as far as I can tell, damage free.  I carefully opened the wrapping and inspected the items sent.  The manuals don't look to be the best but I think I can work with them, besides there are a lot of previous builds here I can consult.
 
Not wanting to waste any time I set out to install the bulkhead frames on the false keel.  My first dilemma was to find a way to do this so they are at 90 degrees to the keel and horizontal.  I borrowed an idea which I found on this site that used Lego blocks.  They worked very well.
 
Also, I used two spring clamps on the bottom of the keel to support the structure.  They will do until I can find a more suitable mounting fixture.  I am certainly open to suggestions. 
 
So far I have been using a very good carpenters glue.  I feel that the joint will be stronger than using CA glue (I hope I used the right acronym).  The carpenter's glue I am using has a high initial tack and sets in 25 minutes.
 
I plan to take my time on this build and not rush things (like I tend to do that at times).  If nothing else, this will be a learning experience for my next build.
 
​I'm looking forward to your comments (both positive and negative), your encouragement and your advice.
 

 

Greetings
 
I have glued my model onto the wood base as seen below. Quite happy with how it came out.
 
Next is to glue the glass case over the model.

Well, final net added and the flags, came up OK,.
 
Amazing what a difference is in size, the Varyag from 1899, the Emden from 1906;
 

 
Finally parked in the shed

For this thread I will define crossover tools as tools made for one purpose but are useful in model making.  Please feel free to share your own finds.
 
I get catalog updates from a luthier supply outfit.  While browsing through their latest catalog, I saw a number of items that could be useful in model making.  Here are a few:
 
Fineline applicator

 
Angled head vise

 
6" saw blade with .023" kerf and 5/8" bore (I used this recently on a jobsite tablesaw for cutting planking.)

 
Ibex mini planes (5 sizes)

 
Drill press sanding station

And there are others, all available at StewMac.com. 

Well I've been working on the Cruizer from Caldercraft for a while now as you can see from the photos attached. I've had some personal computer issues that have prevented me from starting the log until now. 
 
I plan to make some modifications and changes to the kit to try to make it more accurate. Some of the planned changes:
 
Copper plate bottom Replace supplied long guns with carronades Change some wood including maple for deck, and various other boxwood pieces, more for work-ability than show as most things will be painted. Revise deck fitting/structure plan and head structure Come to some type of conclusion on raised fore and aft platforms as were seen on many of the class Change the name-there are lots to choose from in this class! Replace line and blocks with Syren products There is a fair amount of information, and a great thread here on MSW about the class:
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/1036-cruizer-class-brig-sloops-of-the-royal-navy/
 
It has been a bit of a challenge determining some of the things I want to do with regard to the above changes, mostly due to lack of documentation, so that will make the journey interesting. I'll have to make a name decision shortly, as it may have bearing on some of the modifications I wish to make. 
 
So...without further ado this is where things stand currently. She is planked all around and bulwarks have been primed. You may be able to notice that there is a wide variety of wood on the hull. As usual, the Caldercarft walnut outer planking was very splintery. I thought it would be fine, as it would all be painted, but that was not the case. I actually used the kit Tanganyika deck planks below the wale, which worked quite well surprisingly. Way down towards the keel I had to use some 3mm wide walnut as i didn't have enough of the Tanganyika. Again no biggie, it will all be under paint and copper. I used the same 3mm wide walnut above the wales. I can't remember where it came from, but it's actually good quality. The transom and wales were done in boxwood, as was the stern trim.