bartley

A great review by Olha.  Shows all the capabilities of the saw well.
 
But don't copy Olha's technique for ripping!
 
The plank should follow the billet slowly off the end of the table but if you notice in Olha's demonstration of ripping a 2mm plank, the plank disappears backwards.  This is kick back, and could be dangerous.
 
Why is it happening?
 
Because we are ripping our planks between the fence and the blade we must impart some lateral pressure before the blade to keep the billet against the fence.  Many of us do this with a block of wood.  Olha uses her hands.   I don't have a problem with that but toward the end of the cut she uses her other hand to guide the billet through.  When you do this it is very difficult to avoid lateral pressure.  There is no riving knife on this saw (which minimises the chance of kick back) but Jim has cleverly built in an offset to the fence after the blade to negate kickback.  However, if you apply lateral pressure after the blade you override his engineering  and close up the cut which will always cause kickback.
 
The first thing to note about kick back is that it is fast (too fast for the camera here) and is probably 80 mph or so  with this saw.
 
Secondly, the plank may be going straight back but, in the classic case of kick back, the unsupported timber catches on a tooth on the back of the blade and rotates as it moves up the blade then flies off the top of the blade nearly upside down and, in this case, to the right because Olha is left handed.  So it could be flying towards where she is standing. Being small and light  it probably wont do much damage unless it hits her in the eye!  So wear your safety glasses Olha.
 
How can this situation be avoided?
 
Use a push stick close to the blade to push the billet straight through.  Don't apply any pressure aft of the blade.
 
Otherwise its a good video Olha/
 
John
 

A great review by Olha.  Shows all the capabilities of the saw well.
 
But don't copy Olha's technique for ripping!
 
The plank should follow the billet slowly off the end of the table but if you notice in Olha's demonstration of ripping a 2mm plank, the plank disappears backwards.  This is kick back, and could be dangerous.
 
Why is it happening?
 
Because we are ripping our planks between the fence and the blade we must impart some lateral pressure before the blade to keep the billet against the fence.  Many of us do this with a block of wood.  Olha uses her hands.   I don't have a problem with that but toward the end of the cut she uses her other hand to guide the billet through.  When you do this it is very difficult to avoid lateral pressure.  There is no riving knife on this saw (which minimises the chance of kick back) but Jim has cleverly built in an offset to the fence after the blade to negate kickback.  However, if you apply lateral pressure after the blade you override his engineering  and close up the cut which will always cause kickback.
 
The first thing to note about kick back is that it is fast (too fast for the camera here) and is probably 80 mph or so  with this saw.
 
Secondly, the plank may be going straight back but, in the classic case of kick back, the unsupported timber catches on a tooth on the back of the blade and rotates as it moves up the blade then flies off the top of the blade nearly upside down and, in this case, to the right because Olha is left handed.  So it could be flying towards where she is standing. Being small and light  it probably wont do much damage unless it hits her in the eye!  So wear your safety glasses Olha.
 
How can this situation be avoided?
 
Use a push stick close to the blade to push the billet straight through.  Don't apply any pressure aft of the blade.
 
Otherwise its a good video Olha/
 
John
 

A few people have asked me what power tools I use.  I have to confess to living in the dark ages a bit as the only power tool I own is my Byrne's saw which I now could not live without, though I do have access to a mill via a mutual arrangement with a fellow builder.  Here is part of my basic tool set:
 

 

 

A great review by Olha.  Shows all the capabilities of the saw well.
 
But don't copy Olha's technique for ripping!
 
The plank should follow the billet slowly off the end of the table but if you notice in Olha's demonstration of ripping a 2mm plank, the plank disappears backwards.  This is kick back, and could be dangerous.
 
Why is it happening?
 
Because we are ripping our planks between the fence and the blade we must impart some lateral pressure before the blade to keep the billet against the fence.  Many of us do this with a block of wood.  Olha uses her hands.   I don't have a problem with that but toward the end of the cut she uses her other hand to guide the billet through.  When you do this it is very difficult to avoid lateral pressure.  There is no riving knife on this saw (which minimises the chance of kick back) but Jim has cleverly built in an offset to the fence after the blade to negate kickback.  However, if you apply lateral pressure after the blade you override his engineering  and close up the cut which will always cause kickback.
 
The first thing to note about kick back is that it is fast (too fast for the camera here) and is probably 80 mph or so  with this saw.
 
Secondly, the plank may be going straight back but, in the classic case of kick back, the unsupported timber catches on a tooth on the back of the blade and rotates as it moves up the blade then flies off the top of the blade nearly upside down and, in this case, to the right because Olha is left handed.  So it could be flying towards where she is standing. Being small and light  it probably wont do much damage unless it hits her in the eye!  So wear your safety glasses Olha.
 
How can this situation be avoided?
 
Use a push stick close to the blade to push the billet straight through.  Don't apply any pressure aft of the blade.
 
Otherwise its a good video Olha/
 
John
 

A great review by Olha.  Shows all the capabilities of the saw well.
 
But don't copy Olha's technique for ripping!
 
The plank should follow the billet slowly off the end of the table but if you notice in Olha's demonstration of ripping a 2mm plank, the plank disappears backwards.  This is kick back, and could be dangerous.
 
Why is it happening?
 
Because we are ripping our planks between the fence and the blade we must impart some lateral pressure before the blade to keep the billet against the fence.  Many of us do this with a block of wood.  Olha uses her hands.   I don't have a problem with that but toward the end of the cut she uses her other hand to guide the billet through.  When you do this it is very difficult to avoid lateral pressure.  There is no riving knife on this saw (which minimises the chance of kick back) but Jim has cleverly built in an offset to the fence after the blade to negate kickback.  However, if you apply lateral pressure after the blade you override his engineering  and close up the cut which will always cause kickback.
 
The first thing to note about kick back is that it is fast (too fast for the camera here) and is probably 80 mph or so  with this saw.
 
Secondly, the plank may be going straight back but, in the classic case of kick back, the unsupported timber catches on a tooth on the back of the blade and rotates as it moves up the blade then flies off the top of the blade nearly upside down and, in this case, to the right because Olha is left handed.  So it could be flying towards where she is standing. Being small and light  it probably wont do much damage unless it hits her in the eye!  So wear your safety glasses Olha.
 
How can this situation be avoided?
 
Use a push stick close to the blade to push the billet straight through.  Don't apply any pressure aft of the blade.
 
Otherwise its a good video Olha/
 
John
 

A great review by Olha.  Shows all the capabilities of the saw well.
 
But don't copy Olha's technique for ripping!
 
The plank should follow the billet slowly off the end of the table but if you notice in Olha's demonstration of ripping a 2mm plank, the plank disappears backwards.  This is kick back, and could be dangerous.
 
Why is it happening?
 
Because we are ripping our planks between the fence and the blade we must impart some lateral pressure before the blade to keep the billet against the fence.  Many of us do this with a block of wood.  Olha uses her hands.   I don't have a problem with that but toward the end of the cut she uses her other hand to guide the billet through.  When you do this it is very difficult to avoid lateral pressure.  There is no riving knife on this saw (which minimises the chance of kick back) but Jim has cleverly built in an offset to the fence after the blade to negate kickback.  However, if you apply lateral pressure after the blade you override his engineering  and close up the cut which will always cause kickback.
 
The first thing to note about kick back is that it is fast (too fast for the camera here) and is probably 80 mph or so  with this saw.
 
Secondly, the plank may be going straight back but, in the classic case of kick back, the unsupported timber catches on a tooth on the back of the blade and rotates as it moves up the blade then flies off the top of the blade nearly upside down and, in this case, to the right because Olha is left handed.  So it could be flying towards where she is standing. Being small and light  it probably wont do much damage unless it hits her in the eye!  So wear your safety glasses Olha.
 
How can this situation be avoided?
 
Use a push stick close to the blade to push the billet straight through.  Don't apply any pressure aft of the blade.
 
Otherwise its a good video Olha/
 
John
 

Patrick,
 
I have only just discovered this great build.  Congratulations.
 
Just to add a little to your history:
 
The reason that the Pelican was renamed was that Drake's sponsor was Sir Chistopher Hatton whose coat of arms included a golden hind.  Hatton's home was Hatton Gardens in London, now the site of the famous diamond dealer and where, in 2016, the largest robbery in British history took place.
 
John
 
 

Patrick,
 
I have only just discovered this great build.  Congratulations.
 
Just to add a little to your history:
 
The reason that the Pelican was renamed was that Drake's sponsor was Sir Chistopher Hatton whose coat of arms included a golden hind.  Hatton's home was Hatton Gardens in London, now the site of the famous diamond dealer and where, in 2016, the largest robbery in British history took place.
 
John
 
 

Yes indeed Kurt, boiling Sparex (which is incidentally an expensive packet of sodium hydrogen sulfate) could be dangerous because once dissolved it is sulfuric acid.  It is quite dilute initially but if it becomes concentrated by boiling it will produce oxides of sulfur (chemically SO2 and SO3). These are dangerous gases and if inhaled could cause permanent respiratory damage.
 
John

Justin,
 
Yes, disposal is always an issue.  I am a professional chemist and so disposal is part of our trade.  Sparex once dissolved is essentially sulfuric acid. So to dispose of it you should pour it slowly into bicarbonate.  It will fizz so do it slowly.  Once the fizzing stops the Sparex is neutralized and you can dispose of it down the sink,  The blackening solution is another matter.  This, when fresh, is selenious acid.  When you use it it is converted to black selenium metal  and copper sulfate That's the blue colour.  But you cant neutralise or destroy the selenium. or copper.  So a spent solution contains selenium in one form or another and copper sulfate.  Neither of these is too good for the environment but you only have small quantities.  You shouldn't dispose of it down the sink so absorbing onto paper and burying it is probably OK.  Over here we can take such things to a toxic chemicals disposal site.
 
John

I actually posted this elsewhere but it is probably more appropriate here.
 
This is an example of a blackening problem which others may have experienced without knowing the reason.
 
These belaying pins were sold as being brass so on the right I used my usual technique of treating for 5 min with sodium hydrogen sulfate then blackening.  Even after about 1 min the result was poor.
On reflection they were very shiny so were probably lacquered. So on the left the treatment was: - rub with steel wool, soak in acetone for about 1 min, 5 min in sodium hydrogen sulfate then blackening. After only for 10 sec the result was excellent.
 

 
Incidentally, Sparex is just a very expensive packet of sodium hydrogen sulfate. So if you have access to the chemical itself it is much cheaper
 
John
 

A few people have asked me what power tools I use.  I have to confess to living in the dark ages a bit as the only power tool I own is my Byrne's saw which I now could not live without, though I do have access to a mill via a mutual arrangement with a fellow builder.  Here is part of my basic tool set:
 

 

 

Glenn,
 
Veritas do make a sharpening guide especially made for their micro chisels.  I also have their mini block plane and spoke shave.  They are all excellent tools and have all the characteristics of their full sized tools. I use am a hand tools person .  Jim's saw is the only specialised power tool I own.
 
John

Glenn,
 
Veritas do make a sharpening guide especially made for their micro chisels.  I also have their mini block plane and spoke shave.  They are all excellent tools and have all the characteristics of their full sized tools. I use am a hand tools person .  Jim's saw is the only specialised power tool I own.
 
John

Post 34: Cannon Carriages
 
A bout of arthritis has kept me away from the workshop for a while but I have now made some progress with the gun carriages.  I am using Chuk's kit and a jig similar to the one he describes:
 

 
I constructed a trial carriage some time ago and I found it difficult to to drill the holes for the iron work reproducibly so I decided to drill all the sides before
assembly
 

 
 
and then I thought why not install most of the ironwork before assembly as well?
 

 
So here are a set of assembled carriages:
 

 
John
 
 
 

Post 34: Cannon Carriages
 
A bout of arthritis has kept me away from the workshop for a while but I have now made some progress with the gun carriages.  I am using Chuk's kit and a jig similar to the one he describes:
 

 
I constructed a trial carriage some time ago and I found it difficult to to drill the holes for the iron work reproducibly so I decided to drill all the sides before
assembly
 

 
 
and then I thought why not install most of the ironwork before assembly as well?
 

 
So here are a set of assembled carriages:
 

 
John
 
 
 

Post 34: Cannon Carriages
 
A bout of arthritis has kept me away from the workshop for a while but I have now made some progress with the gun carriages.  I am using Chuk's kit and a jig similar to the one he describes:
 

 
I constructed a trial carriage some time ago and I found it difficult to to drill the holes for the iron work reproducibly so I decided to drill all the sides before
assembly
 

 
 
and then I thought why not install most of the ironwork before assembly as well?
 

 
So here are a set of assembled carriages:
 

 
John
 
 
 

Post 34: Cannon Carriages
 
A bout of arthritis has kept me away from the workshop for a while but I have now made some progress with the gun carriages.  I am using Chuk's kit and a jig similar to the one he describes:
 

 
I constructed a trial carriage some time ago and I found it difficult to to drill the holes for the iron work reproducibly so I decided to drill all the sides before
assembly
 

 
 
and then I thought why not install most of the ironwork before assembly as well?
 

 
So here are a set of assembled carriages:
 

 
John
 
 
 

Post 34: Cannon Carriages
 
A bout of arthritis has kept me away from the workshop for a while but I have now made some progress with the gun carriages.  I am using Chuk's kit and a jig similar to the one he describes:
 

 
I constructed a trial carriage some time ago and I found it difficult to to drill the holes for the iron work reproducibly so I decided to drill all the sides before
assembly
 

 
 
and then I thought why not install most of the ironwork before assembly as well?
 

 
So here are a set of assembled carriages:
 

 
John
 
 
 

Glenn,
 
You have clearly solved the problem of fabricating a moulding cutter now but for the record, and perhaps for a later build, this is an escapement file which I used to cut my profile.
 
This is a round one but other profiles are available. The widest part on this one is 1 .5mm and the tip is 0.4 mm - very delicate but with care, especially on brass, very narrow cuts can be made.
 


Cheers,
 
John
 

The continuing saga of the belaying pins!
 
I can make boxwood ones down to close to 1 mm in diameter at the lower end but for me consistency is the problem If I just had to make one I would be quite happy but 20 odd? I am not sure I have the patience or the skill.  Here is a pic of mine versus the commercial ones:
 

Post 33: Pin Rails
 
I have constructed the pin rails from 3/64 strip as suggested by Chuck.  He makes his own pins from 3/64 square strip but I found that my skill s could not match his especially making 20 odd all the same! so I opted for commercial brass ones.  Clearly they will need some further treatment - blackening, or maybe painting to llok like wood:
 

These fit tightly into a 1mm hole and seem to be about the correct scale.  .  Here I need some advice Chuck because  they are only 8mm long and do not extend far below the pin rail.  I have some 12 mm long ones but they need a 1.2 mm hole as you can see in this mock-up:
 

The tops also look a bit more "authentic".  What do you think Chuck?  I am worried about the consequences of the short ones when it comes to rigging them.
 
John
 

Post 32:  The Winch
 
The winch was constructed as per the plans.  The posts were made from 5.6 mm square stock (7/32) and the cross beam from 4.75 mm Square (3/16).  The tops of the posts were shaped in a similar manner to that fused for the timber-heads (knife and needle file):

The roller was tuned on my homemade lathe to a diameter of 4 mm and the bolt heads were simulated with 24 ga blackened wire:

Micro-tubing was used for the winch handles.
 

 
John
 

Post 31: Bowsprit
 
I am in the process of constructing the remaining deck furniture - Windlass etc.  However, I decided to make and trial fit the bowsprit so that I can avoid maneuvering around the deck fittings. I turned this from 5/16 square stock as suggested by chuck.  I drilled three 1.5 mm holes while the stock was still square and also the holes for the sheave at the tip
 

I then turned this on my home made "lathe"

The board at the end has a Roller Blade bearing.  I actually have two of these and on longer jobs I position one about half way along to add extra support.  I find this works pretty well and is cheap!
 
Of course I had to enlarge the hole in the bow to fit.  Initially, I did this with drills of increasing diameter but this led to tearing of the timber so in the end I did most of the work with a round file.  Here is the fitted bowsprit:
 

 
John
 
 

Glenn,
 
I am always a bit reticent about providing any advice here as I am a rank beginner at this game.  However, for what its worth here is a picture of my scraper and the result.  I think I used the one on the left or something like it.  I made about 10 of them in the end.
 


 
The few tests that I did with yellow cedar gave very indistinct results and it was only when I used boxwood that I could obtain a satisfactory profile.  I also stuck the strip to a glass plate on my bench with double sided tape to stop it moving. I found that several light strokes were best until the profile was established and then I could be more aggressive.
 
 
 
John