Haliburton

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. 

As promised,

Sorry for never updating this thread. After two years, I still love it! I use it all the time except when cutting very thin strips less than 1/8" when I use push sticks. I'm a lot more comfortable using my Byrnes saw, but my fingers are well worth the cost of the Grr Ripper. I never got around to building a sled, but haven't felt the need for one with the Grr Ripper.

You can get a 1/8 inch replacement leg.  That's .125" wide...at least it WAS until I started using it on smaller stuff.  Now mine is .06 wide at the bottom.  :-)

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.

I just purchased one!  Delivery next week.

Thanks, guys. Went to the Micro Jig website. Will be spending some time there later. :D

Hi Greg - I've been following along on your build for a little while. This is top notch work! I wondered what tools you use for photo-etch bending. I have some small bending pliers but wondered what else you use and find helpful? Thanks

Hi Ken (Canute) I actually found the link to the modelshipworld site using a google search! I'm not tech savvy enough to be able to reproduce the link to the thread I unearthed but now that we've got Landlubber Mike's confirmation on this thread along with Chuck, there's no need! I see there are multiple gripper models and an additional deflector that can be added. If you go to the micro jig website you can see the options. Thanks Landlubber Mike for updating and Chuck for your comment. I think I will be picking one of these up, right after I get my Byrnes saw that is!

Hi Ken (Canute) I actually found the link to the modelshipworld site using a google search! I'm not tech savvy enough to be able to reproduce the link to the thread I unearthed but now that we've got Landlubber Mike's confirmation on this thread along with Chuck, there's no need! I see there are multiple gripper models and an additional deflector that can be added. If you go to the micro jig website you can see the options. Thanks Landlubber Mike for updating and Chuck for your comment. I think I will be picking one of these up, right after I get my Byrnes saw that is!

Hi Ken (Canute) I actually found the link to the modelshipworld site using a google search! I'm not tech savvy enough to be able to reproduce the link to the thread I unearthed but now that we've got Landlubber Mike's confirmation on this thread along with Chuck, there's no need! I see there are multiple gripper models and an additional deflector that can be added. If you go to the micro jig website you can see the options. Thanks Landlubber Mike for updating and Chuck for your comment. I think I will be picking one of these up, right after I get my Byrnes saw that is!

Since posting I found a separate thread where it looks like Landlubber Mike gave the micro-jig gripper a thumbs up while using on his Byrnes.

Was there ever any update on experiences people have had using the micro jig GRR-Ripper with the Byrnes table saw?

Since posting I found a separate thread where it looks like Landlubber Mike gave the micro-jig gripper a thumbs up while using on his Byrnes.

Since posting I found a separate thread where it looks like Landlubber Mike gave the micro-jig gripper a thumbs up while using on his Byrnes.

Hi Greg - I've been following along on your build for a little while. This is top notch work! I wondered what tools you use for photo-etch bending. I have some small bending pliers but wondered what else you use and find helpful? Thanks

Well said probablynot. I will be one of those who will be embarking on a first build and plan to document my progress here. I've read through all the comments and believe that being able to share the journey of a build (with all its challenges and rewards) with this supportive and engaged on-line community is the best way to encourage individuals starting out. Let's face it, we are all geographically dispersed and it can be hard to find people locally that share this interest - so this on-line community makes this hobby so much less isolating.

Well said probablynot. I will be one of those who will be embarking on a first build and plan to document my progress here. I've read through all the comments and believe that being able to share the journey of a build (with all its challenges and rewards) with this supportive and engaged on-line community is the best way to encourage individuals starting out. Let's face it, we are all geographically dispersed and it can be hard to find people locally that share this interest - so this on-line community makes this hobby so much less isolating.

Well said probablynot. I will be one of those who will be embarking on a first build and plan to document my progress here. I've read through all the comments and believe that being able to share the journey of a build (with all its challenges and rewards) with this supportive and engaged on-line community is the best way to encourage individuals starting out. Let's face it, we are all geographically dispersed and it can be hard to find people locally that share this interest - so this on-line community makes this hobby so much less isolating.

Well said probablynot. I will be one of those who will be embarking on a first build and plan to document my progress here. I've read through all the comments and believe that being able to share the journey of a build (with all its challenges and rewards) with this supportive and engaged on-line community is the best way to encourage individuals starting out. Let's face it, we are all geographically dispersed and it can be hard to find people locally that share this interest - so this on-line community makes this hobby so much less isolating.