Heronguy

My mill is just mounted on a cheap piece of "shelving".  Laminate surface  is easy to wipe down.  I added rubber feet.  I have to move the front one as I've moved the mill onto a roll around tool that is a bit narrower.

I mounted my lathe and mill on laminate MDF as Doug just showed; nice surface for cleaning up. And after previously experimenting with tools in drawers, I more recently tried mounting them all on the wall, where I could see them all. I prefer this method now.
 
Mark

My mill is just mounted on a cheap piece of "shelving".  Laminate surface  is easy to wipe down.  I added rubber feet.  I have to move the front one as I've moved the mill onto a roll around tool that is a bit narrower.

My mill is just mounted on a cheap piece of "shelving".  Laminate surface  is easy to wipe down.  I added rubber feet.  I have to move the front one as I've moved the mill onto a roll around tool that is a bit narrower.

Lot's of choices as usual!  
 
I have a 2000 mill that I bought 2nd hand and have not seen any need to consider the "8-axis" adjustments.  As you point out with a tilting table already in your accessories it is even less likely to want the additional "axes".  I have read that the re-alignment of the mill after rotating the head has to be done carefully which adds to the time to make the changes.
 
My mill is inch version as well but I have just ordered the metric leadscrew (and the 18" table) so that it will be compatible with the 17" metric lathe also on order.  I have also read opinions that support the longer lathe (see John Earl's comments for one).
 
I would have accepted the recommendation to add DRO option except that the mill I purchased is CNC and that pretty well removed the need for DRO.  I've chosen the CNC lathe package as well.
 
If space is not too much of an issue I think having both the mill and the lathe will be an advantage to avoid reconfiguration of a single machine. 
 
 

Lot's of choices as usual!  
 
I have a 2000 mill that I bought 2nd hand and have not seen any need to consider the "8-axis" adjustments.  As you point out with a tilting table already in your accessories it is even less likely to want the additional "axes".  I have read that the re-alignment of the mill after rotating the head has to be done carefully which adds to the time to make the changes.
 
My mill is inch version as well but I have just ordered the metric leadscrew (and the 18" table) so that it will be compatible with the 17" metric lathe also on order.  I have also read opinions that support the longer lathe (see John Earl's comments for one).
 
I would have accepted the recommendation to add DRO option except that the mill I purchased is CNC and that pretty well removed the need for DRO.  I've chosen the CNC lathe package as well.
 
If space is not too much of an issue I think having both the mill and the lathe will be an advantage to avoid reconfiguration of a single machine. 
 
 

Lot's of choices as usual!  
 
I have a 2000 mill that I bought 2nd hand and have not seen any need to consider the "8-axis" adjustments.  As you point out with a tilting table already in your accessories it is even less likely to want the additional "axes".  I have read that the re-alignment of the mill after rotating the head has to be done carefully which adds to the time to make the changes.
 
My mill is inch version as well but I have just ordered the metric leadscrew (and the 18" table) so that it will be compatible with the 17" metric lathe also on order.  I have also read opinions that support the longer lathe (see John Earl's comments for one).
 
I would have accepted the recommendation to add DRO option except that the mill I purchased is CNC and that pretty well removed the need for DRO.  I've chosen the CNC lathe package as well.
 
If space is not too much of an issue I think having both the mill and the lathe will be an advantage to avoid reconfiguration of a single machine. 
 
 

Sherline makes conversion kits for the mills and lathes to change them between inches and millimeters - a lot cheaper than buying a new machine.
Kurt

I agree with all of Doug's comments. I have the 8-axis Mill and have never found the need to set it up as such, the Tilt Table and Rotary Table as well as a few other bits and pieces have removed the need to use the extra axes.
 
I also have the long-bed lathe, and I rarely use the extra length (I shape all my masts and yards by hand - it's actually a lot easier once you know the technique ). The long-bed lathe is useful in so far as the extra length allows you to move the tailstock well out of the way when setting up longer pieces that won't go through the centre hole.
 
I have both machines fitted with DRO (an absolute MUST HAVE in my opinion), and both share the one Readout box. Changing from one machine to another can be done in about 30 seconds.
 
In regard to your "Inch" Mill - about all you would need to change are the leadscrews and handwheels. I'd say this would be considerably cheaper than buying a new mill even if you got a really good price for the old one.
 
Cheers, Danny

Oops! I tried to vote Marisstella for best plans having spent a few hours going over them this week.   I must have hit Bluejacket by mistake - I have no experience with Bluejacket so my vote is not informed!

On with some rigging.  
 
I figured that stays should be pretty substantial so I rigged with some .035" rope.
 

 
but decided it looked way too heavy so I cut them off and redid them with some .025.
 
Much more to my liking.

Alexey,
 
The last segment in the video (how to make hooks) was for me wasn't it? 
 
I have the new version and it works well.  After the 1st try failed I held the threads near the weight while they twisted (to avoid them intertwining) and all worked well!
 
Nice job Alexey.
 
 

Alexey,
 
The last segment in the video (how to make hooks) was for me wasn't it? 
 
I have the new version and it works well.  After the 1st try failed I held the threads near the weight while they twisted (to avoid them intertwining) and all worked well!
 
Nice job Alexey.
 
 

added video
 
 
(How to remove unnecessary attached files to the post???? )

Dear friends,
I proud to present next version of rope making machine (video to come soon):
https://shipworkshop.com/products/tools/vr-31-rope-making-machine
VR 3.1 Rope making machine
(HD adaptable rope making machine. Former Ropewalk "Prosak")
What's new:
VR = Vertical ropewalk. New version of former ropewalk "Prosak". No need to reassemble for 3- or 4-stranded ropes. Can be secured on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. HD adaptable. Can be transformed into HD (Horizontal Design) machine. Not yet available. There are notches on the machine that will help to mark screw holes for securing the machine.
Here is user's manual:
VR31.pdf
 

Hi 
the planking job is know on its way, and as always the fun part is first or not😨
 
Svein.erik 

Pushing on with the little boats.  I won't use either for the PdN build but I'm taking each a bit further.  
 
I'm now convinced that I can build a Model Expo ship's boat (and I have a kit on order to prove that conjecture).  I think I've made enough mistakes on the one's 2 I've built so far that I'm running out of goofs to try out .
Here's where  the "prototype" is at the moment.  This one is the 2nd-planked version. 

 
The original Model Expo boat that I was building last year has also come along.  I decided to use some boxwood strips that came in a package of miscellaneous pieces from Crown Timber yard for the planking.  it was nice to work with boxwood - it was my 1st experience with it.  I won't bother taking this little build any further.

 
 
The Dusek's ship boat side project came together pretty well - the planking was a bit more challenging that I hoped so I'll end up filling and then painting the outer hull.  I still recommend the kit if you want a little break from other builds.  There is still a few details to finish on this build.
 

Pushing on with the little boats.  I won't use either for the PdN build but I'm taking each a bit further.  
 
I'm now convinced that I can build a Model Expo ship's boat (and I have a kit on order to prove that conjecture).  I think I've made enough mistakes on the one's 2 I've built so far that I'm running out of goofs to try out .
Here's where  the "prototype" is at the moment.  This one is the 2nd-planked version. 

 
The original Model Expo boat that I was building last year has also come along.  I decided to use some boxwood strips that came in a package of miscellaneous pieces from Crown Timber yard for the planking.  it was nice to work with boxwood - it was my 1st experience with it.  I won't bother taking this little build any further.

 
 
The Dusek's ship boat side project came together pretty well - the planking was a bit more challenging that I hoped so I'll end up filling and then painting the outer hull.  I still recommend the kit if you want a little break from other builds.  There is still a few details to finish on this build.
 

Pushing on with the little boats.  I won't use either for the PdN build but I'm taking each a bit further.  
 
I'm now convinced that I can build a Model Expo ship's boat (and I have a kit on order to prove that conjecture).  I think I've made enough mistakes on the one's 2 I've built so far that I'm running out of goofs to try out .
Here's where  the "prototype" is at the moment.  This one is the 2nd-planked version. 

 
The original Model Expo boat that I was building last year has also come along.  I decided to use some boxwood strips that came in a package of miscellaneous pieces from Crown Timber yard for the planking.  it was nice to work with boxwood - it was my 1st experience with it.  I won't bother taking this little build any further.

 
 
The Dusek's ship boat side project came together pretty well - the planking was a bit more challenging that I hoped so I'll end up filling and then painting the outer hull.  I still recommend the kit if you want a little break from other builds.  There is still a few details to finish on this build.
 

I have this kit on the shelf. Show me the way!

I have this kit on the shelf. Show me the way!

I have this kit on the shelf. Show me the way!

I have this kit on the shelf. Show me the way!

Bravo Mr. Mike !  You see, it was not so hard to do ... We never ask too much from the modeler  :):)  but it is not too easy as well ... Bravo once again ...
Regards, Zoran

Some hard core sewing today and I've finished the bolt rope. While it could always be better, honestly I'm real happy with it considering it's my first try at this. There are a lot of How-To posts here regarding bolt ropes. They seem to boil down to just a few methods. On the restore I recently finished I actually just glued one on. It was OK but that was a very small boat. Another method has you sew the rope on by repeatedly running the thread thru the rope then the edge of the sail. I believe this is how it is done in real life, however the rope did not hold up well after sticking a needle thru it so I abandoned this. A similar method - and the one I used - is running the thread over the rope and into the sail edge. This worked a lot better.
 
Sewing was very tedious but not overly difficult. Trajta has a big sail making this task seem more intimidating. This is also a "by hand" task. Even if I knew how to use a machine it would not help here.
 
The goal is easy enough - attach a rope around the edge of the sail. Here's some photos. I did my best to keep these in sequential order but the first few were taken while I was still hemming so don't get confused.
 

 
I used a regular needle and fly tying line. The 6/0 line gave a combination of strength and near invisibility. Similar to hemming I did not thread thru the eye and run the end back out to the other end. I just threaded and tied it off at the eye.  Then a big granny knot at the other end.
 

So pick a corner to start with. Lay the rope up against it and put in several anchoring stitches. Be sure to leave about 1" hanging out as extra. You will need this when you have stitched all the way back to this corner. I started out using the kit rope for the bolt rope. As mentioned above it did not hold up very well for me when I was trying to run a needle thru it. I tore that out and tried some Syren 0.35 rope. This did somewhat better but I quickly decided that sewing thru the bolt rope was not necessary. I could have gone back to the kit rope but I already had the Syren out.
 

Getting away from the corner and moving across the edge. I tried to catch just the very edge of the sail with the needle. Sometimes only 4-5 threads. A lot of repitition working to the next corner.
 

The first corner. Things get a little dicey now.
 

I pretty much held the rope in place and stitched around the corner. Then stitched backwards a bit and forward one more time to reinforce the corner. Corners are where the material wants to fray. They are also the "junction" of the hems being folded over so you are sewing thru as many as 6 layers of material.
 


 

Finished up and ready to work down the edge to the next corner.  Back to the grind.
 

A few notes. I kept the stitches about 2mm apart. Less would have been better but also more time consuming. More and the stitch starts to show more. Right before starting the next stitch hold the thread down with a finger so you can see where the last stitch came out and figure where the next one should go.

I don't remember my rope terms but you can see how it is laying here. By working my stitches from left to right the thread lays in the same direction as the strands in the rope. When you pull the thread tight it wants to worm itself into the rope making it almost invisible. Had I stitched right to left the thread would lay across the grain of the rope and would have been a lot more obvious.
 

It would be darned near impossible to start with a piece of the fly line long enough to get all the way around the sail so plan on using 3-4 pieces. Of course that means stopping one and starting another. At the determined stopping point run the needle under a few top threads and begin to pull thru.
 

Run the needle back thru the loop and pull tight. Repeat this a couple of times. Then cut.
 

The second corner is just like the first. Stitch that similarly and continue down to the last corner. Now it gets interesting.

The idea here is the same as the other corners except that you have 2 ropes to stitch.

Wrap both ropes around the corner and just stitch like crazy. Around the corner, out about 1/2", back the opposite way about 1" and then back one last time. Terminate the thread as shown earlier and trim the rope ends.
 

And there you have it!   If I drank I would be after that.

A few close up shots. As usual the camera shows all. Those stitches are not nearly as visible with naked eye.

Hope this helps someone down the road.