grsjax

What do you get for the high cost of  the monthly installments.  I saw the instruction PDFs on the website but not much about the actual packs of parts.  How many packs do you get each month?

It looks like there are 12 packs - 96 installments at 8 packs a delivery hence the high monthly cost. NO magazines, just the PDF downloads.
Here's a link to the finished version on thier modelspace forum, what they call an Official Build , of only 3 builds
It's done by a subscriber and is itself a modified build.
Hope this helps.

If you are just starting out, this combo can't be beat: Airbrush Kit

My two cents …
1) it depends how well maintained the drill press was/is
2) I don’t think that age matters as long as the drill press wasn’t abused 
3) well I guess you find out later. Unfortunately you can measure the concentricity on eBay. You have to trust the seller.
4) I guess that is with every machine you purchase a concern. Maybe you should buy some parts while they are available, like belts. On the other hand what kind of parts do you need with a drill press? I have a Proxxon for over 20 years now, without any issues. I am guessing you don’t use it every day anyway.

On the other hand you get a set up like in the picture below for roughly $300 new. Which in my case was from the point of accuracy sufficient (for my needs).
 
Hermann
 
 
 

The steam bent construction  that Bob describes was used particularly in Downeast New England to produce cheap serviceable working craft.  The famous Friendship Sloops were built with steam bent frames toe nailed into the keel without floor timbers.
 
The picture below of me “supervising” my father building an L. Francis Herreshoff H-23 sloop back in the late 1940’s illustrates a major reason for using this building process.  It reduces and simplifies the lofting required.  Instead of lofting each frame, bevels, etc. only the major longitudinal structural elements, the transom and some widely spaced moulds need to be drawn.  It likewise simplifies construction.  It is POB construction in 1:1 scale.  The ribbands and moulds were of course later removed.  Unlike the Friendship Sloops, Herreshoff did specify that each frame be fastened to a sawn floor.  This particular boat took my mother and father and sometimes me cruising in all kinds of weather on Lake Erie and was still being sailed by a different owner into the mid 1960’s.
 
Howard Chapelle was a proponent of adapting traditional working craft designs for affordable pleasure boats.  His early work was done during the Depression.  By adapting this construction method to the Pinky hull form he produced a boat that could be built by amateur builders like my father.  This does not mean that someone did not take Chapelle’s design and loft it for sawn frame construction. It also means that your choosing to build this model with sawn does not make it less authentic.
 
Roger
 

I've seen lots of drifts in my day and I've never seen one that was "a longer bolt with different diameter sections... ever. They are just "big nails" without heads or even sharp points to speak of. (Often one end will often have its sharp edge hammered round so it won't hang up when being driven.) They are  driven into a tight hole in pairs at opposing angles. It's the opposing angle of the fastening that keeps the joint from separating in tension. They were a very common type of heavy fastening method in the days of wooden ships.
 
Below: A piece of a shipwreck with nails and a drift rod through it.
 

 

 
Sunken hulk with numerous iron drifts in structural timbers revealed by decay of the surrounding wood. The large number of drifts driven into large vessels was the reason they burned worn-out ships for their fastenings back in the old days. There was a serious amount of scrap metal in those old wooden ships. 

In machine work, a "drift fit" describes class of fit between a shaft and hole.  At least it did while I was active in shop work.  I can't recall the tolerances, but a considerable amount of force was required to achieve a drift fit.  Descriptive terms for other fits include: loose, running, drive, shrink, etc.  It looks like these terms have been replaced.  Now fits are separated into classes identified by Roman numerals.
 
I will guess a "drift" in this case was a galvanized iron rod, driven in an undersized hole and held by friction, rather than by clenching or with a nut. 
 
In these times, a drift is a tapered tool, a wedge essentially, used to remove a tool held in an arbor by a taper fit.

Greetings John,
Depending on how much work you might want to do, I've used aluminum rod and tube to make railings, stanchions, cleats, ladders, masts and booms. One can find very small diameter tubing, and I also used both the aluminum wire and pour spouts from salt containers. The two images attached show my results using these materials. I used CA to glue the parts together. For the mast and boom I squeezed the tubing carefully, with another smaller brass tube inside it, to obtain the oval shape.
Hope that helps!
Anchor's A Weigh!
John Fox III

Is the cat part of the kit or is that an after market addition?

Well, the next step is the simulated rope weaving on the hull.   The process began with placing a strip of tape along the hull so that I could mark where the holes would be drilled.  There are two rows of holes, each row being offset by 1/2 the distance between the holes.  Then came the drilling process.  I used a hobby knife with a sharp blade to make a small starter hole at each marked location.  I then used a dremel rotary tool to drill the hole.  There were a bunch.  I next wove the bow and stern with two strands passing through the holes.  The instruction booklet did a good job illustrating how this should be done.  Next I wove the top and bottom rows along the length of the hull.  Again, it was two strands passed throught each of the holes.  This was also well illustrated in the booklet.  Finally a single, small diameter strand is woven between hull length threads.  I used two pins to raise the upper and lower ropes in order to be able to pass the lighter thread.  One tip in the process.  I dipped the end of each thread in thin CA and waited a few seconds for the ends to become very stiff.  This made it much easier to weave thru the holes.

Apparently the guy that was selling upgrade parts for the Dremel table saw on eBay no longer does.  However I found a website that still carries these parts.
https://www.radicalrc.com/category/Table-Saw-Dremel-Accessories-492

Apparently the guy that was selling upgrade parts for the Dremel table saw on eBay no longer does.  However I found a website that still carries these parts.
https://www.radicalrc.com/category/Table-Saw-Dremel-Accessories-492

Apparently the guy that was selling upgrade parts for the Dremel table saw on eBay no longer does.  However I found a website that still carries these parts.
https://www.radicalrc.com/category/Table-Saw-Dremel-Accessories-492

I recall reading with some surprise that Hahn did indeed use those blades back when he built his models "in the days of wooden chips and iron men." Finish wood was a lot less dear and more widely available back then, as well, so the kerf width wasn't so much of a consideration. The depth of cut on those Craftsman blades was 1 and 1/4", which probably explains why Hahn devised a jig to cut the pieces for gluing up his frame blanks... that was as wide a sheet stock as he could get. Interestingly, on the other side of the pond in Hahn's time, Gerald Wingrove was cutting his strips on the table saw attachment on his Unimat SL. 
 
I checked those Craftsman plywood blades out on eBay. I'm not so sure about buying used circular saw blades on eBay. With the high tooth count, I expect the saw sharpening shop would charge a bit to sharpen one. I expect they didn't get a lot of "mileage" out of one cutting plywood, which can be hard on an edge. I'll have to check, but I may even have one in my stash in the shop, inherited from my father decades ago. Delta and others currently make comparable high-tooth-count, (relatively) thin-kerf plywood-cutting blades, some less expensive new than the used ones on eBay. StewMac makes a 6" "fret-slotting table saw blade" with the outer 3/8" or so  of the edge hollow ground down to .023", but its depth of cut is very limited. That puppy will set you back around $150.00. https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/saws/fret-slotting-table-saw-blade.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping&utm_campaign=2021-03-gp&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1pyCBhCtARIsAHaY_5fEdm8TK9oqsPrp2m7Lu8AeI0SXQvFi4cnuQ9byVdTiKgVLVwa3EIoaApVqEALw_wcB Freud has a 10"x80T thin kerf "Ultimate Plywood and Melamine Blade" with a 3/32" kerf for around $75.00 on sale. https://www.amazon.com/Freud-Ultimate-Plywood-Melamine-LU79R010/dp/B000GJTIIK
 
I have a 1950 Craftsman/King Seeley 8" tilting arbor table saw that was my father's. It gets little or no use these days, since I have a Delta Unisaw and a Byrnes saw, but when it was all I had, I got a lot of use out of it. I still have all my fingers, no doubt due to my Guardian Angel working overtime. I always feel using it is a bit like playing with a pet rattlesnake. (Not that I don't feel the same about the other saws, though less so with the Jim Saw.) The fence on the Craftsman is very fiddly to set up and keep set and with the relatively small table, I have to set up infeed and outfeed roller supports for stock of any length. I have a good selection of molding head cutters for it, though, and I occasionally use it for that. Someone who had the smaller Craftsman tilting table saw with a thin kerf, high tooth count, blade for it wouldn't go far wrong, if they had a fence that didn't drive them crazy. What's scary about  these "widdowmakers" is that there is the tendency for the work to slide "downhill" when sawing with the table tilted, but that can be compensated for with caution and a jig if you need it. It's just that with a 3/32" kerf, cutting 1/16" strips will cost you more in sawdust than you're getting in stripwood, which is okay for some, I suppose. Everybody's mileage differs.
 
 

Here is  my saw, as a WIP, and as it was setup for some work on the old (original) stand - I haven't tried it but I think this will take an 8" blade without mods.:
 
I had two 10" Craftsman saws, both on one stand I built, and bolted together for "free extensions",  I had extensions outside those two as well, and the fence guide setup for continuous use) - I never used it as this little guy was just handier to pull out for the ripping and finger joint work I was typically doing.  So I sold that off and  recovered the garage space.    
 
I also have an earlier Atlas built 8" from 1937-41, that can take a thicker Dado setup.  The little guy can hold 3 carbide blades (slightly staggered) and that's my finger joint setup.  The 8" will take the larger dados,  and is a tank and also has the tilting arbor.  
 
 

The 1950's era Craftsman 8" table saw is a better "old 'arn" option. They don't make 'em like they used to. The 8" saw is a fixed table with a tilting arbor. The smaller "Companion" tilt-table model was originally their "second best" line below Craftsman. The tilting table gives many concern regarding safety of operation. 

At first I was going to try the Yankee Hero, but after more research, i ended up getting the Lowell Grand Banks Dory!  Here i go!

I believe that the old Delta saw that grsjax mentioned above was  a 14in saw.  These were the industry standard in the 1980’s and if you can find one it should meet your needs.  These saws can be upgraded with new tires, new guides, a new tension spring and if necessary a larger motor.  Many of these improvements are designed to fit the Delta saw.  I don’t know if anyone makes a bandsaw with an integral motor, one that is directly connected or geared to the saw.  If so, I would avoid it in favor of a belt driven tool.  With a belt driven tool, you can easily change the speed of the blade , increase motor HP, or replace a dead motor. 
 
Roger

I would assume that "finished" means that you are done working on the model and ready to display it.

I have a WEN 10" bandsaw that is great.  Not the largest or most powerful but it does everything I need at a price point a lot lower than most.  Another option if you can find one is an old Delta 12" bandsaw or one of the numerous copies of this machine.  Very heavy and solid.  I had one for years but had to get rid of it when we downsized and I no longer had room for big power tools.

I have a WEN 10" bandsaw that is great.  Not the largest or most powerful but it does everything I need at a price point a lot lower than most.  Another option if you can find one is an old Delta 12" bandsaw or one of the numerous copies of this machine.  Very heavy and solid.  I had one for years but had to get rid of it when we downsized and I no longer had room for big power tools.

I add my vote to what Chuck  recommends. 
I fought with a 3 wheel bench top for way too long. 
I went an increment further with a Rikon 10-353.  It is 3HP.  It has also about doubled in price since I bought it.
A 14" bandsaw with more than the minimal powered motor is what is needed for serious resawing. 
Any bench top bandsaw will struggle with real resawing.  The blade on an undersized and underpowered machine is likely to wander or bow in the cut.  The loss of wood to misshapened cuts is significant. 
If you are serious about this, a benchtop machine is a ticket to frustration and regret,  the very definition of false economy.
 
I would not call any of this an investment, but if you buy a big boy machine you can always haunt the kit forums and when a post about "where to I find wood strips?" comes up from someone stateside, you could always try doing a deal IM  if you have the time.   You can also obtain wood species that are not available any other way, if you are young enough.   Apple, ornamental species of Pear, Hornbeam, Hophornbeam, Dogwood, Hawthorn, etc.   You may find wild Holly that is not snow white - but the yellow and Blue mold infected wood is perfect for our uses.  And besides,  the color of the much desired snow white stock does not match any wood that was used for actual ship building.  Sugar Pine and Basswood is about as close to white as any shipbuilding wood could get.
 
@Chuck  If you have not done this already,  if your blades do not last as long as you wish and a carbide blade costs more than you want to pay, a Lenox Diemaster 2 Bi-metal blade is likely more cost effective.   It lasts many times longer than a steel WoodSlicer - a tad more kerf and a tad more set - but the much longer lifespan more than compensates.
https://www.bandsawbladesdirect.com/lenox-diemaster-2-bi-metal-band-saw-blades
a 9' 7"     1/2"x0.25" 4tpi   is $51.12

Progress

CAF is, so far, the only legal (ie. non pirated kit manufacturer), based in China. I ordered two kits from them, and while it took a while, received both well packed and in good shape. Their kits are high quality.

Clean with a clean, fairly stiff, stainless steel brush.  A light coat of oil will keep the files from rusting.  Wipe off with alcohol or acetone before using to remove the oil residue.