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grsjax

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Everything posted by grsjax

  1. grsjax
    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.
  2. grsjax
    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.
  3. grsjax
    The same eBay seller makes a sliding table for the Dremel saw.
  4. grsjax
    Depends on the scale. For small scales I go down to 320. Larger scales I use 240.
  5. grsjax
    Taking a short break to do my taxes. Uncle Sam gets testy if I am late with my tribute.
  6. grsjax
    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.
  7. grsjax
    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.
  8. grsjax
    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.
  9. grsjax
    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.
  10. grsjax
    The kit consists of 5 sheets of laser cut wood, 2 of mahogany veneer, 2 of 1.5mm plywood and 1 of 3mm basswood (I think it is basswood). There is a 19 page booklet of instructions with numerous photographs. This is one area where I think there could be an improvement by adding some detail drawings. Not a big problem but it would make a few things a bit clearer. There is also a display stand of laser cut 3mm ply and a small bag of additional small parts and decals.
  11. grsjax
    The seaflea is a 10 foot class A hydroplane. Osborn Models, mostly known for model trains, used to produce a line of static and RC model boat kitss of which this is one. I also have their 1:24 scale Miss Canada III and Mirror Dingy models which I hope to do build logs on in the future. Derek at Osborn Models has been a real help and tells me they have a few of their kits still in stock so if you are interested contact him at dosborn1210@rogers.com. I think he should start up production again but that is just my selfish desire to build more of these interesting boats. The kit is overall is excellent. There are few things that could be improved but in general I think this is one the best small kits I have seen. The laser cutting is very good and the innovative use of laser cut parts including some profile carving using a laser cutter to produce the outboard motor is excellent.
  12. grsjax
    Ok, did some digging and found the reference. It was actually under Albatross/Swallow with Dapper Tom mentioned as an additional kit based on the same lines. Reference is NRJ vol 29 pages 90 and 91 and pages 133 through 135. Hope this helps.
  13. grsjax
    Not sure but it was quite awhile back. I remember there were a couple of letters to the editor about it.
  14. grsjax
    Depends on what finish you are going to use. If tung oil is going to be the finish than it should work to fill the pores as well. If you plan on painting the wood than you need to find a compatible filler to use.
  15. grsjax
    Getting back to mouldable plastics. The chemical name is Polycaprolactone. Put that in the search area on Amazon and it brings up a lot of products. 8oz (224 grams) for US$10 is about the best deal I see there.
  16. grsjax
    Cool the steel in sand.
  17. grsjax
    Blacken and then paint. I find that blackened brass holds paint better.
  18. grsjax
    I don't use a lot of CA glue so I wasn't to surprised when I found that my bottle of CA had gone bad. Off to wally world to get some new glue. Looking through their rather meager offering in the glue section I found a bottle of "DAP Rapid Fuse all purpose adhesive" On the bottle it says Bonds virtually everything and sets in 30 seconds. It was cheaper than some of the other glues so I decided to give it a try. Took a couple of basswood scraps and spread a small amount of the glue on them and put them together. Had about 10 or 15 seconds to move the parts around then it grabbed hard. Let it set for a few minutes and tried to separate the wood. It was as solid as a rock and dried clear and hard. It is a super glue but has a very low odor and is easy to work with. Better than other CA glues I have used.
  19. grsjax
    I use two old wooden desks for work benches. They provide a work surface at a convenient height when sitting and the drawers on either side are great for storing tools and materials. I have a home made shelf that attaches to one of the desks to provide additional space.
  20. grsjax
    Here is an interesting video on making your own micro chisels.
  21. grsjax
    One advantage to having double planking is that it gives a beginner a chance to learn proper planking techniques without to much worry about botching the final result. Planking the first layer allows for mistakes that can then be covered by a second layer with less chance of mistakes. The key is to try to plank both layers the right way. Not just slap on the first layer and cover it with wood filler.
  22. grsjax
    hypodermic needles of various sizes are available. Cut teeth on the edge and use it to drill through a piece of wood of the correct thickness. as you drill one the previous one is pushed up the tube. BTW drill into the end grain to get stronger treenails. This method is easy but slow as you have to stop every few times to clear the needle.
  23. grsjax
    Could you post some pictures of the treenail maker and and explanation of how it works?
  24. grsjax
    No.1 Brigentine No.2 Ketch The last two I am not sure of.
  25. grsjax
    Getting back to chisels. Are Ramelson chisels good?

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