grsjax

Sorry about the long delay getting back to my build log. Had problems with my back and ended up in the hospital. Recovery from the surgery took longer than expected. Almost back to normal now and will start posting some pics soon.

If you have a lathe you can use it to mill parts. A milling attachment for a lathe is a lot cheaper than a mill and can do most of the milling necessary on a model. Here is a link to one for a Taig lathe sold by Little Machine Shop https://littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1956 There are milling attachments for most lathes on the market so you shouldn't have a problem finding one to fit yours.

Can't see the pictures.

This is called a slip roller or rolling mill. The MicroMark item looks pretty cheaply made from aluminum. For a few dollars more you can buy one on amazon that will be much stronger and produce better results. Some of them have rollers that can be changed for use with different size tubes. One thing to think about is that the rollers will flatten wood strips to some extent. one example https://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Machine-Combination-Jewelry-Tabletting/dp/B07G7ZCCSZ/ref=pd_di_sccai_6/143-4564824-7564258?pd_rd_w=ORekI&pf_rd_p=c9443270-b914-4430-a90b-72e3e7e784e0&pf_rd_r=DVFFA5K61C6HG1PNPCA5&pd_rd_r=1679c72e-430e-4e18-8f4c-0b448bac5f51&pd_rd_wg=t3d30&pd_rd_i=B07G7ZCCSZ&psc=1

For anyone interested in the indigenous boats of the world this is a great blog. http://indigenousboats.blogspot.com/

I needed some small turnbuckles for a model and ran across a vendor called Harbor Models https://www.harbormodels.com/ . They mostly sell parts for RC ships but they had just what I needed, 5/16" long working turnbuckles in brass. Dimensions: M=M1 O=8mm (5/16") L-min=13mm (1/2") L-Max=18mm (23/32") D=1.8mm (1/16") f=.7mm (1/32") Price seems pretty reasonable at $2.75 for one or $26.90 for 10. Shipping was fast.

Using a hollow ground planer blade in a table saw you can cut pieces as thin a .04" thick. A zero tolerance insert and a precision fence is required. Using a sliding table is better. Still have a large kerf but for some common woods that isn't a big problem.

Looks like a good drill press but does it have heavy duty quill bearings able to take a side load during milling and does it have a solid or hollow column? Both of these issues are going to be important in doing any kind of milling.

The same eBay seller makes a sliding table for the Dremel saw.

Depends on the scale. For small scales I go down to 320. Larger scales I use 240.

Taking a short break to do my taxes. Uncle Sam gets testy if I am late with my tribute.

On ebay https://www.ebay.com/itm/Historic-American-Merchant-Marine-Survey-Volume-1-ship-boat-blueprints-plans/363317650834 Not mine, just thought others here might want to take a look at this.

I have never had a problem with the Dremel locking pin. I have a couple of older model tools and perhaps they were built better than the newer ones. I also have a Dremel cordless 7.2 volt tool that works very well. I like the adjustable speed of the Dremel. Mine goes from 5000 to 35000rpm giving a good working range for different uses.

Finished putting the frame together The process of building the frame was pretty straight forward. Clamping was a challenge for some of the stringers as there is very little room to get a clamp in. Ended up using mini bulldog clamps and pieces of scrap to get everything set. Only ran into one issue and that was with the sponson rail (part 12) it is a two piece part that meets in the middle at the bow. It wanted to flex slightly into a shallow peak instead of making a smooth curve. This is a problem that can be solved by placing a short piece of stringer on top of the battens at the bow and gluing the top batten to it. The below picture shows the fix. Next up is sanding all of the mating surfaces smooth and some initial paint work on the side rails and cockpit.

Time to get down to building this model. First step is to build up the basic ladder frame that is the foundation for everything else. These are the parts of the frame. The transom and frames attach to the side rails. The assembly is almost self aligning but care has to be taken that everything is straight before gluing things up. First step is to glue the transom (6) to the transom frame (5) and frames 2 and 3 together. Next the frames are attached to the rails. The notches in the frames are cut so that a minimum of sanding is needed to get things to go together smoothly. The addition of the 3 bottom battens and a couple of stringers and the basic frame is complete. I did make a mistake here. Although the notches all fit perfectly it is necessary to make sure that each frame is fully seated in the rails when you glue them. I failed to check this so had to go back and unglue a couple of frames and reset them. This is one reason I prefer PVA glue to CA. Much easier to correct these mistakes. One thing I think would have been a small improvement is beveling the aft end of the rails. They fit fine as is but they actually join the transom frame at a slight angle and a bit of beveling would have made a better joint.