flying_dutchman2

I like this. We moved from Byrnes tools to shop vacs. This thread would be better titled..... "Can I live without power tools, including high-end power tools." I have a cheap, light shop vac and have been looking for something more quiet. I like the ones that both Mark and Gorge have. Further research is needed. Like rtropp, I have also rigged my power tools to fit the hose of the vac. Something else. Without my knowledge, at the NRG conference this year, my wife talked to several wives of modelers and asked about the Byrnes tools. (she likes the quality and would use them as well). They told her that most of there husbands used hand tools and some power tools. The power tools were also rigged to perform different results. Meaning one power tool could do the same job as 2 or 3 different power tools. None of them had any Byrnes tools. Mostly tools from Lowes, Home Depot and the like. Conclusion....... I can do without them. Marc

I am doing my first scratch build. Dremel and a scroll saw are the only power tools I built with and the rest is all hand tools. Today I built a fence for my SSaw and I cut out the keel which is 4mm x 4mm x 347mm. After the third try it looks good and straight. A table saw would do this job in less steps, but it did work. Also the SSaw has so many options when it comes to types of blades. What I like about the SSaw is that it is very versatile and have gotton great results with that for all types of projects. I did order 3 Japanese saws. After reading the comments and researching these tools I was sold. Will get those after Christmas. You can buy sanding strips for the SSaw but I just fold a 1" x 5" piece of sand paper and put it in the clamps of my SSaw and sand on a slow speed. It is a slow process but there is much more control. The drill press can be used for accurate drilling but add a sanding drum and you have a sander. Like someone said. There are many power tools but which one will you "really" use and which one stays in the box. With my SSaw I create bowls which is really cutting the wood on an angle. Then glue the pieces together, sand, stain/oil and voila you have a bowl. Buy a lath and you can do the same thing. With one block of wood. Same results and no seems as it is one piece of wood. The seems give it character. Marc

I just did a quick search on eBay on band saws. Starting around $80.00 to a JET band saw for $1600. I am selling my entire vintage model railroad collection (Marklin-German) and with that profit I will invest in some of the above. If some one does pay more than what I ask, a Byrnes tool will be ordered. Those portable band saws look funky. I wonder how you would get the same results as the regular one. No need to explain. Marc

I should have been more clear at what I said. Table-Band saw would be a band saw that I could screw into my work bench or put on top of a table that has wheels. I would be using this to rip wood (the amount of wood I come across is amazing). I would use it mainly for ship building and what I can't do on a scroll saw. Thanks for the links Marc

Japanese saws. Any recommendations for cutting hard and soft wood. Like any blade I am assuming it has to do with TPI (teeth per inch), the more there are the finer the cut. Brand name. What is good and decent? I understand that "you get what you pay for". I usually spend more towards the top notch than the cheap stuff. Band saws: Last club meeting there is a member who has a table band saw. He likes it and does everything with it. Told me that of I have the money invest in one. Anyone on this thread have one? Recommend a brand? Any advice is appreciated. Marc

Bob, Thanks for the information. Since reading this thread I have researched Japanese saws and I am seriously thinking of getting one or two. What I see around the NET there is so much you can do with it. Marc

Again, Thank you for this explanation. You are very knowledgeable on this subject. I know I will post more questions on this thread. Last paragraph. I have used a Scroll saw for about 4 years and I have done so much with it. I improvised on creating fences to get a straight cut. It works but have bin thinking and looking at band saws. I also need to research a milling machine. Need to understand all it can do. Marc

Now that is delicious fruit as well. Yesterday it was dry and cold (I do all this work outside as it gets rather dusty in the garage, even if the shop vac is attached to the tool) I followed your advice from sanding the edges of the scroll saw blade and it works like a charm. Did some fret work and purposely designed some tight corners and it came out clean. Thank You. Still researching a band saw and a table saw. This is what I want to do. Make straight cuts. Which is where both tools are good for but with a band saw you can do curves as well. I don't rip wood, I buy "ready made" and I have numerous sources for that and eBay is a great place to get that as well. I saw that rope making machine up close at one of our club meets and it does the job. Then I see Chuck at the conference using an off the shelf drill and does a great job as well. I purchase all my rigging material from him. Best choice I made. Marc

Yes, he does. At the NRG Conference in St. Louis he showed a proto type of one of those little tables that has a small sanding band sticking out. (I can google it, but I am lazy). He will probably sell the table and you can hook up your Dremel with a sanding bands attached in the vertical position. Only the newer Dremel Tools will work. My 10 yr old one will not. His tools are made of quality materials, does what you want it to do and aesthetically pleasing to the eye. No short cuts to make the tool. Marc

That is so cool looking. The lines look good. This ship is going to be finished in no-time. Beautiful. Marc

Today my daily mail from Woodcraft wants me to buy a Laguna 14-12 Band saw & get a FREE industrial floodlight for only about $1100.00. For that amount I can purchase a couple of Byrnes tools. :-) Marc

My wife used to do lots of woodwork and I inherited the router & router table & planer/jointer (both from SEARS and older models). I use the router all the time and over time have purchased all types of bits to see what the cuts look like and which ones will be useful for me. The planer/jointer is a scary machine. Long flat metal table with a big cylindrical cutting blade. I tried it outside after reading all the safety and instructions. Held the wood down hard with a 2 by 4, slowly fed it over the blade and when it came to the edge of the stock it shot forward into the yard. Tried it a couple of different ways but in the end there were pieces of stock in the yard. I do not get the jointer part. The instructions say little about that. Looked at all sides, can't figure it out. Something else. Was watching a YouTube vid on 3D ornaments (the end result was a very thin piece) and the person used a "Flying Dutchman blade - scroll revers FD-SR no 5" measured at: 5" x 0.037" x 0.015", 13 TPI , 7 Rev. Marc Very thin blade and cut very smooth.

I tend to do this and have to catch myself that I am in no rush. The other thing I read in a scroll saw magazine is that once you have attached your template to the wood is to use clear packing tape and cover the whole piece of wood. The tape lubricates the saw and I have noticed there is less sawdust. Blades I use most of the time are Skip Tooth-12.5 TPI, and Crown Tooth-16TPI. For fret work I use Spiral - 41TPI and Reverse Tooth-28TPI. All Olson blades. I will look for the Double Skip tooth blades. Will do the rounding of the blade and thank you Roman for the education. Marc To other readers on this thread, my apologies for going slightly off-topic.

I have done this somewhat with the Utrecht. I took the main frames and they were to far apart so added some more and now all of them are 26 mm apart. I may just add some more where the bow is or make it a solid bow. Like Bill said, you decide. There is no exact way. Marc

Twister; I checked out your built of your 1:28 Scale J class yacht 'Enterprise' (R/C). That is a slick boat. Love the lines. I'll be following that one. I purchased a Soling 1 meter R/C boat from one of my club members who was no longer able to build models. Is it scratch? Where did you get the plans? Marc

George; Thanks for the info. The limitations on the throat I can live with. I have a simple scroll saw from Skill (just under $100), use it for fret work, create puzzles, and always try new things. Have built a fence for it as well. I like the idea of what you can do with a 1/8 blade. Question: Are the blades for the band-saw, especially the 1/8th pretty rigid. Sometimes with the scroll saw the blade is on a slight angle if I push too hard so the edge is on an angle. I would like to research table top band-saws. Are they sturdy enough that they don't vibrate of the table or work bench? What other suggestions do you have if I invest in a bench-top band-saw? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Marc

This has got to be one of the best threads on tools I have ever read and that means not only MSW but everything on the NET. All suggestions made by members on different type, make and models I have written down and will research each of them thoroughly (except the Byrnes tools). I have learned a lot here and the different suggestions on why a band saw and not a circular saw. I use my scroll saw for just about everything. I do have a question about band saws. Can you do curves with a band saw (like with a scroll saw)? For example when you cut out frames? THANK YOU Marc

At the NRG conference in St. Louis, I drooled just by looking at the Byrnes tools, thinking, I gotta get that saw. Now I am home and building my first scratch boat, thinking I don't really need one...... yet. The scroll saw, dremel, router and router table and hand tools go a long way. Maybe next year. There is always being creative and improvising. I made a disc sander from my tool sharpener. I use the router to make grooves in the square dowels for the display case. Marc

These are the original frames that come with the plans from Emke. no. 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 4.5, 5.5, 6.0 and 6.5 This is where I added some frames so all the spaces between the frames are 26mm. no. 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0 and 6.5 Then for the heck of it I decided to add more frames and the spacing's between each frame is 10mm This looks like a "big-gap POF. Too many frames as well, if it not going to be a POF Conclusion: the Utrecht will be a POB with a total of 11 frames. So far I have cut much wood and becoming very proficient cutting along the lines of the template. I enjoy this practice. Any questions and/or comments are always appreciated. Marc

What follows are pictures of my colossal mistake.

Hans; You may already checked these links but they have description of color themes. http://www.ancient.eu/trireme/ http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/war/Trireme.htm http://www.talismancoins.com/catalog/Greek_Trireme_Sailing_Ship_2.jpg https://www.google.com/search?q=colors+used+on+a+Trireme+480+bc&biw=1425&bih=738&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=dbaBVPXLFIO8yQSMqYDQBg&ved=0CDsQsAQ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth-century_Athens Marc

Just an update. After looking at both the book from Ab Hoving and Gil McArdle I am going to scrap the building of the Utrecht by McArdle. I am following the Emke plans. I am better in mm than inches (I was born with the metric system). Also, the bulkheads in Emke's plans are easier to understand and how to form the boat. The McArdle book will help with the pictures of what the model should look like. I will attempt to do the carving and I am a bit nervous about this. I see such beautifull work such as the "Prins Willem by Michiel". If there is a problem I can order the pieces from Chuck as he has the master molds. I call it a hybrid POF/POB built. I have the bulkheads from Emke and added some more in between to shorten the distance of the gaps between the main bulkheads, get a more even flow of the lines and try to prevent the wobbling of the planking. I had that problem with the Bounty but that was also before I learned about this site and how to avoid that problem. (pictures will follow) When I decided to do the Utrecht as my first scratch I had grand ideas to follow this as a POF. I got a bit overwhelmed so I retracted some ideas and after my mistake re-thought of what to do. I feel comfortable that I can do what I am going to do. Furthermore, with following Emke's plans I set myself up to built more of the Dutch models he drew in CAD for the future. Start small and move to big and more intricate and as always I am sticking to Dutch ships. Marc

There is a movie by the name of 300:Rise of an empire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300:_Rise_of_an_Empireand they use trireme's as well. One of the trailers they show how they built a model and the replica (in Greece) they used. Very interesting. In the movie they show lots of details of the ships. Marc

I am a bit late and I am sitting in the back row on this one, but did bring my binoculars. Beautiful built, well detailed and love the wood you are using. Marc

Beautiful carvings. I also like the background, so Dutch looking. Marc