reklein

A rule of thumb is three teeth on the thickness of cut. To few and there will be tear out,too fine and the blade won't be able to remove the sawdust quickly enough and binding may result. For your thicknesses Olson makes a crown tooth blade that cuts cleanly on both surfaces of the wood.

Now that I think about it I saw a guy here who turned a big Grizzly brand drill press into a lathe by laying it on its side. He was turning real wooden wagon hubs. Theres more to this story but I'll leave it at that.

Good thread I always wondered why you cant mill with a drill press. Now I know. I've had enough working with a drill press to know what you guys are talking about. I also know you need some fast RPMs to mill wood cleanly. So anyway. Thanks for the info.

initially you need to find a freind with a bandsaw to cut up your big beam into workable size pieces. maybe buck it into 2 5' long and then slice the wood into 1'' planks. Maybe leave one piece as a block in case you want to carve something. I had some 4'x8' red cedar that I carved into some very handsome native half model canoes. Then with your one inch planks go down to your modeling sized planks. After each slice with the bandsaw Id run the rough cut board over a planer to get one good flat side to work from. Also plane your stock block each time for the same purpose. After doing all this sawing you find out why precut modeling wood is so expensive. Cut you modeling planks from the one inch planks through the one inch thickness. You probably dont need Thin sheets. I'll try to get on here later with some picks. You have a very valuable piece of wood there my freind. How did you come by a piece of wood like that?

That's what I was thinking that it remains quite rubbery but it grabs really fast. I've peeled the cured glue off my yogurt tops I use for my puddle holders. I usually put my glue in a puddle on a yogurt top then apply with a toothpick or paperclip. Aleenes could very well be PVA. Somebody on this forum in the last couple of months wrote a pretty good description of how glue works, riight down to the molecular level. Very informative ,but my old head which is already full of crap doesn't remember much of the info..

I like paper models ,mostly planes and ships. I have a kit for a period wooden sailing ship but havent a'ttempted it. I also have a collection of other kits both planes and ships. If anyone looks at Pintereast one can find a multitude of plans and down loads for paper sculptures. Much fun.

OK, little add on heree. I was thinking paper modeling. For wood I'd stick to the PVA s. No pun intended.

Good stuff actually. Once you start using it store it upside down as its very viscous and pours slowly. Turn it right side up after the work session. Keep in mind it grabs quickly and is not very repositionable.

Welcome to modelship world. I'd reccommend getting right to work on those kits. Try not to be distracted by other kits that come up,although thats much easier said than done. The next 15-20 years will pass in a flash. I'm 75 so I know about the passing of time. Have fun,do your research , and gitter dun. Bill

Keep in mind that straight planks don't bend that well edgewise. As you get to the lower half of the hull they require more edge bending. As you edge bend them ,they start to twist or open up on the bottom of the plank. That is where spiling comes in. I make a light card pattern to the shape needed and the cut the proper shaped plank. They usually come out sorta crescent shaped. Look up spiling on google and see if that might help.

There is an informative article in the current Model Railroader magazine on the use of a resistance soldering machine. Its by Alan Gartner a recognized expert in model railroad electronics. 

Marcus.if you need black nails look for model railroad track nails or for square ones, model railroad spikes . Just clip the heads if you like. Its OK to use model railroad stuff on ships. I won't tell anyone.

Fiebings black leather dye will get you the ebony look in a wood much easier to work. You can cut it with 91% alcohol. I have used it quite a bit in my model railroading hobby.

Another solution would be to display the model in front of a mirror,or ,at least be able to walk around the display.

Take a picture of both sides,print them out, then compare the pics side by side.

Maybe get a big chunk of basswood ,or Limewood if you will and carve a half model and mount it to a board. then add the gunports and other detail.

You still need a set of plans for the hull,but that would simplify your model. you could also build the hull with lifts of individual boards if no large stock is available.

I think this might be a good tool for placing photo etch railings.

One thing I've done in recent years to facilitate the use of optivsors o r other such devices has been is to raise the height of the work bench. Much like a jeweler does.

Keep in mind that one can but a lot of fancy strip wood for the cost of a band saw, sander,and planer.

Welcome aboard mate. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a new obsession. Sounds like you may have an aptitude for modeling since your already turning pens.   Bill in Idaho

Looks like a great idea. I like the way you tested the idea Masa. Consider driftwood on a sandy beach all nice and smoth and rounded. If you try sand I would recommend a nice sharp sand rather that beach sand. Sand from a crusher perhaps. Some aquarium sands may be suitable.  Bill in Idaho

Another use ,not related to ship modeling, is for making cedar bark baskets. In the spring the native women would strip the bark from the tree in long strips running up the tree. They would then process it into strips about an eighth of an inch wide and carefully coil them into boxes and saved for later weaving into long lasting Baskets.     Bill

The above pic was taken in Sitka Alaska where an acquantance of mine is currently carving this for the National Park Service. It is indeed Yellow cedar.

Bill

James H, Thanks for the reply,you've confirmed my suspicions. I know about the solutions and I have them ready to go.. Theres a lot of decal work on a carrier deck and it sounds like you have experience.