gjdale

A great reminder about being able to devote time and attention to anything other than "mindless" tasks in the shipyard Rusty. This is the reason I rarely get anything done during the working week - I'm usually brain dead by the time I get home, so unless it's a coat of paint on a minor part, then the shipyard remains closed. Sorry for your need to re-do, but the results speak for themselves.

Just delightful Karl. What marvellous photography too!

Gotta agree Sjors, nicely done with the symmetry on the wales.

Having had the same issues and having tried all of the advice above, including an email discussion with Jeff Hayes, I decided to try adding an extra piece of fence to the front half of the high fence. I used some aluminium flat bar, drilled and tapped some holes in the existing high fence and screwed it on. The additional fence extends from the front of the table to approx the centre of the saw blade. The theory is that this will allow extra clearance on the back half of the blade, without the need to offset the rear of the fence, which should make setup a lot simpler. I discussed this with Jeff before leaping in, and he agreed with my theory. I've yet to have a chance to test the completed modified fence, but will post here when I do if that will help folks.

Lovely work Mark. I'm intrigued to see the development of your figurehead.

Very nice Mark. She's certainly coming alive under your hands.

Very nice Augie. Isn't it a privilege to use Jeff's timber? Don't think of it as a "scrap" box, but more of a "spare stock" box for making smaller parts!

More delightful work Bob. Your work always looks so crisp and clean. You are setting a very high bar with this one!

Well done with the re-re-re-re-do Sjors! Well worth that extra effort and I'm sure you're pleased with the result.

Nice work David - just need a couple of Cutters to hang from them now.

That's one very pretty lady Wayne! Looks like you are doing her justice, and taking her out for such a scenic photo shoot is bound to please her. She is certainly very photogenic! Looks like both the builder and the photographer have earned their keep this month.

Thanks Mobbsie, Yes the Cutters are only 25 ft actual length, which translates to 85 mm at scale. That's 10 mm shorter than the Pinnace, although they are wider in the beam.

Moving along nicely Sjors. Filler is my friend!

Thanks Sjors and Brian. Always a pleasure to hear from you two gentlemen. And no Sjors, it won't be taking three years for these little suckers!

Thanks Alan - the isopropyl alcohol itself wasn't too fiddly (it's just applied with an old paintbrush). The difficult part was applying just enough pressure with Exacto blade to separate the softened glue, without breaking the extremely thin stock. Patience was the key, and working very slowly, giving the alcohol time to work, lifting a little, applying more isopropyl, and repeating. The whole isopropyl thing is one of the first lessons I learned here at MSW. It's probably still the most valuable!

Thank you very much Sjors, Mobbsie, Bob, Augie, Lawrence, Leanne and Jim for your kind remarks, and also to all of the "likes". A little more progress to report: Ship's Boats continued: Among bits and pieces for the Pinnace, I have cut out the frames for the two Cutters. Here is one set: Meanwhile, back at the Pinnace, the next job was to install the Keelson and Gunwales. I used 1/32" x 3/64" boxwood strips for each of these, bending the gunwales using my usual water and steam iron method: Then it was time to install the stringers for the footwaling. I used leftover bits of 1/64" x 1/16" Holly planking stock for these. The footwaling itself is made up of the same material. After darkening one edge with a pencil, I edge glued 9 planks together: After a bit of fiddling getting a paper pattern to fit, I transferred this to my pre-prepared footwaling stock and carefully shaped it using the Byrnes disc sander. This was a somewhat delicate operation, noting that the stock is only 1/64" thick. The notches were then marked and cut with the trusty Exacto knife: This was then set aside to be fitted a little later on. The interior of the boat was then given a light coat of white Gesso. This is to help with the painting - it is sort of an undercoat and will ensure the paint grips over some of the excess glue that could not be removed. The next job was to make the cap rails. I used 1/64" thick Boxwood sheet stock for these. A paper pattern was made to provide the approximate shape and the cap rails then cut out. When I say "cut", it was more a case of sanding than cutting. I used a combination of Byrnes disc sander, Oscillating spindle sander, and hand held rotary tool to achieve the aim. I deliberately cut these over-size so that they could be shaped in situ. In this next photo, you can see the white Gesso applied to the interior, as well as the oversize cap rails tack glued in place. The port cap rail has received some partial shaping in this shot: This shot shows again partial shaping of the cap rails, but also gives a good sense of the long, narrow, sleek form of this particular boat: And finally, here are the cap rails in their final shape. By tack gluing them in place, I was able to sand them to a very good fit. I used a combination of sanding sticks and rotary tool with stone polishing attachment to achieve this. I'm quite happy with the way these have come out - they are flush with the gunwale on the interior, and have just a tiny overhang on the exterior. Once I was happy with the shape of these, I had a rather nerve-wracking time with some Isopropyl Alchohol and an Exacto blade to unattach them again. Once again, they will be finally fitted at a little later stage, but needed to be made now. The interior of the boat has now been given it's first coat of yellow ochre paint, while the cap rails have been painted black. The next job (once the painting is completed) will be to fit the footwaling and then the risers for the thwarts. In between waiting for paint to dry etc, I will start assembling the framing for the two Cutters.

Mike, I agree with others who have said that using the tick strip method, you should be using a different strip for each bulkhead. Each strip is the total length for that bulkhead divided by the number of planks for that bulkhead. Clearly then at the bow there will be at least one fewer planks. The planking fan / grid helps you get the spacing of the tick marks for each bulkhead, and this is what will produce the taper. The general rule for tapering is to taper to no less than half the original plank width. That is when drop planks come into play, although from the logs I've seen for this kit, that shouldn't be necessary in this case. Hope this helps.

Nice Ben! That simple jig really is a great solution to a tricky problem. Thanks for showing us the detail of both it's construction and use.

Hi Mark, Interesting choices for your display. I'm also going with a seamless case. As for angle, while I like the idea of a slipway to provide some angle, my gut is telling me that anything more extreme would look a little odd. It would certainly be unique though! As they say, "Catain's Choice", (with the Admiral's permission).

Congratulations on finishing the guns Bob - quite a milestone. The capstan looks terrific too - your usual impressively high standard.

Daryl, You will find several in the Articles and Downloads sections of this site. Here's a link to the relevant page: http://modelshipworldforum.com/ship-model-materials-and-tools.php

That's a very handy tip and your photo Ben, makes it that much clearer for those of us who are "spatially challenged"!

Nice job on the "Chook Hilton" Leanne! Good to see the shipyard back in operation and some planking action happening.

I can see and hear it now Alan. "Step away from the tool store Sir!" "I said step away from the tool store!" "Step away from the tool store and no one gets hurt!"

That sounds like it could be an expensive visit Alan "No darling, I'm just going to look!"