grsjax

You might want to back track a bit and get the Model shipways Lowell Dory Kit as a place to start.  It is the first model in their Ship Wright series and guides you step by step thorough the process.  The Norwegian Pram is the next in the series.  It will take you further along the path to mastering wooden model building. 

I really didn't want to come back to this rabbit hole again.
 
If the blocks must be perfect, the ropes also must be perfect. Before I began making 1mm blocks, I made appropriate ropes using my customized ropewalk. I won't comment on the details of rope now, and will focus on making an 1mm block. Here are today's goal and ropes I made for the blocks.
 


 

The 4th rope is the thinnest rope I can mass-produce at a low cost. However, it is painful to build the rope, so I don't use it for "fun builds".
 
Under 0.10mm is a really pricy world. 0.001mm silver wire isn't economical. I have Veevus 16/0 and Uni-caenis 20D mono-filaments, but they are not rope. I'll use these ropes only, so the hole size of the blocks is bigger than 0.13mm.
 
 

(Source : https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/boxwood-rigging-blocks.php )
 
Next. What kind of block should I make? There are thousands of different types of blocks.
 

This is a common single block of HMS Bounty. (AotS book, p107) The hole size (black circle) is approx. 25mm or 1 inch.
 
I made the single block in three different sizes. (2.00mm, 1.00mm, and 0.80mm)
 

It is digital carving time.
 

It took 5 hours... I'll print it tomorrow... zzz

During my working career, I saw a number of these Jarmac saws in use at model ships operated by large engineering firms (Bechtel, Fluor, etc.) to build models of industrial installations.  The saws were used to cut plastic scale pipe and structural shapes to length.  Ripping would not have been required.  In the case of piping, the fittings all had sockets cast into the ends.  The cut length was slipped into the socket and glued so the length of the assembly could be adjusted slightly before gluing.  End play of the blade was therefore not a problem.
 
Roger

Did a bit of web crawling and found that the Jarmac is available from a number of vendors.  Don't know if it is still being manufactured but seems to be plenty available.  This one seems to be the "deluxe" version.  Tiny motor but apparently fairly reliable.  Motor can be upgraded with a new motor with the same form factor but twice the power.  Going to mess around with it a bit and then pass it along.

Anyone know anything about this table saw?  I picked it up recently and there is no brand name or indication of where or who made it.   Looks well made and solid.
Sorry about the upside down pictures.  I am not real good at graphic editing.

Did a bit of web crawling and found that the Jarmac is available from a number of vendors.  Don't know if it is still being manufactured but seems to be plenty available.  This one seems to be the "deluxe" version.  Tiny motor but apparently fairly reliable.  Motor can be upgraded with a new motor with the same form factor but twice the power.  Going to mess around with it a bit and then pass it along.

Did a bit of web crawling and found that the Jarmac is available from a number of vendors.  Don't know if it is still being manufactured but seems to be plenty available.  This one seems to be the "deluxe" version.  Tiny motor but apparently fairly reliable.  Motor can be upgraded with a new motor with the same form factor but twice the power.  Going to mess around with it a bit and then pass it along.

Did a bit of web crawling and found that the Jarmac is available from a number of vendors.  Don't know if it is still being manufactured but seems to be plenty available.  This one seems to be the "deluxe" version.  Tiny motor but apparently fairly reliable.  Motor can be upgraded with a new motor with the same form factor but twice the power.  Going to mess around with it a bit and then pass it along.

Anyone know anything about this table saw?  I picked it up recently and there is no brand name or indication of where or who made it.   Looks well made and solid.
Sorry about the upside down pictures.  I am not real good at graphic editing.

Put shrink wrap tubing on the ends of those clamps.  Wont come off.

There`s a copy of that book at the University Of Chicago library:
https://catalog.lib.uchicago.edu/vufind/Record/4862288
Doesn`t seem to be far from Don`s place of residence.

It is available from various used book sellers but isn't cheap.  About $170.

It is indeed.
 
Dan, here's a few more clues:
 
https://www.arbeitskreis-historischer-schiffbau.de/mitglieder/modelle/roemerschiff-victoria/
https://roemerschiffe.de/victoria/
 



 

Looking at the last shot I see the midships moulds look to be arcs and the other moulds use the same arc rotated.
 
Taking the above and adding it to This:

Gives:


Certainly not 100% right but perhaps 90%? It doesn't include the bow or stern either.
 

Side wheelers don't do it for me, I think it's because they're at the start of the transition period. I'm much committed to the 1870-1900 time period but I'm beginning to have my doubts about another long term commitment. If you're in to side wheelers it looks like a great kit.  

This might be a long shot, but has anyone bought this model of the Fridericiana Alexandrina Navis, a reconstructed 1st century Roman boat used on the Danube River?  The Friedrich-Alexander-Universität
Erlangen-Nürnberg built and sailed this boat in 2016 and they now sell a kit of it:
 
Kit - Roman boat of the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (fau-shop.de)
 
I'd prefer to just get the plans and any other documentation that comes with the kit as the kit materials appear to be plywood and I wouldn't build a model from that.
 
Just thought I would check here to see if anyone's got any experience with this.  The subject is very interesting!
 
 
Dan
 

Coming Soon!!!
 
I really dont know why I havent offered these already...Oh well
 
I will be making a ton of bulkheads with doors for Speedwell really soon.  They will require many hinges.  The usual "H" and "L" type hinges we use on models.   So I have designed three sizes which should fit most scales.  They are 9/32" and 7/32" and 3/16" tall hinges.   
 
You get 21 hinges "L type" 
You get 45 hinges "H" type"
 
These should be available in a few days.  They are all black laser board and will come in very handy.
 
I dont have a picture with these in use yet but soon.  The closest I have is the Bulkhead door but it uses a unique version for the top curved hinge.  But you get the idea.  The bottom hinge is one of the "L type hinges".  It is the larger size in height for this scale but its all relative.  
 

Some used on Mike's Winnie...although these are adjusted slightly but you get the idea.
 

 
 
 
 

I'm taking a break from my other build-log (Gjøa)-- a little diversion in smaller scale, of a unique craft that caught my eye recently.  I first saw this type of vessel in the Historic American Merchant Marine Survey publication of ca. 1984; scale drawings of the "Okahumkee" and its later counterpart the "Hiawatha" are in the Survey.  I was interested in building one the moment I saw them.   The State Library and Archives of Florida has the HAMMS drawings (3 Pages, retitled) on their web-page (public domain): https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/337722  Here is the inboard section, which also will show the Inboard wheel: 

Yes, a little odd looking; Historical descriptions tend to agree. 
Here's a postcard showing sister-ship (of sorts) "Hiawatha":
In beginning, I used paper board to make the hull. While 82' long, this steamer is essentially a huge skiff, with only slight dead rise aft of the wheel slot.  This paper hull will get a veneer planking. 

Getting ready to cross-plank the bottom:

Below: The hull planked bottom, sides and top.  The wheel casing is positioned, with the wheel behind it.  An inboard sternwheeler is perfect for any builder dreading making the wheel . . . . but I made it anyways, albeit poorly. 

Will leave with another historic image (Public Domain, courtesy of  State of Florida Library and Archives):

 

What I like about my toolmaker's vice shown earlier is that it has two rabbets in the jaws that allow you to clamp shorter parts without the need of parallels.
 
Talking about parallels to prop up shorter material in a vice: I often use pieces of drill-rod instead - it's a lot cheaper than sets of parallels.

Hello!
 
This would be my first build log, as recommended by Mark Taylor in another forum section, when asking about the Disarmodel Whaleboat, 1:40 scale.
 
I really have no open box pics at the moment, but I can get some later and upload.  It is indeed a very nicely packaged kit, all of the wood tightly grouped, as well as a small plastic box with the smaller parts inside.  There is a nice poster of a top-view of the assembled whaleboat, and last, the instruction booklet.
 
This is where the fun begins...  instructions are basically quick comments per each step, and not that many pictures to help a novice builder.  There are no plans whatsoever, so for those looking a kit with a nice instruction/print set, this is not for you.
 
In the other hand, the frames are nicely laser cut, but delicate...  they have a very thin veneer, so to speak, that will eventually come loose, so there will be sections that you will have to fill in, as these frames become part of the structure of the boat (think of huge ribs).  Assembly was pretty straightforward, with 2 thik additional pieces for bow and stern that you will have to fair, along with the frames, in order to install the planks.  The keel per se is delicate in a couple of places, so you have to be delicate when sanding/fine tuning the fairings on frames.
 
Now, onto the first pics...  first planks, port and starboard.  Not glued in place...  the planks were lightly wet, and installed so they take form...  not sure if I will form the hull, and prepare ribs in lieu of the kit frames...  still thinking if going this way!  And sorry for the background, but my worktable was too cluttered with other stuff that I have to clear!
 
 
As soon as I have a bit of progress, will post more info/pics...  duty calls, have to work, pay the bills!  
 
All feedback greatly appreciated!
 
 
 

If I could squeak one in before closing....
 
The Hart Line "Okahumkee"-- an inboard sternwheeler that plied the Ocklawaha River from the 1870s into the 1920s.  This steamer, and its later-built sister-ship "Hiawatha" are both documented in the Historic American Merchant Marine Survey, and many fine historical photos of each exist.   This links to many photos of the Okahumkee, and on one of the three pages there are pages from the HAMMS Survey: https://www.floridamemory.com/find?keywords=Okahumkee (The "Hiawatha" [and other steamers] is also on this web-page).
 
Here are two Plates from the Florida Memory (State Archives and Library of Florida) page, (Public Domain):

...And a couple postcards of the similar "Hiawatha" from my collection: 

Lastly: Here's a model from the 1890s of another Hart Line Steamer in the US Postal Museum:
https://postalmuseum.si.edu/object/npm_0.052985.271
 
(Full disclosure: I am currently building a model of the "Okahumkee"). 
All the best, 
Harvey
 
 
 

For my fourth build after finishing the modelshipways series. I am going with the Palamos by Occre.  It seems like a fairly good beginner build, I like trawlers and I managed to find it on clearance for $75.
 

 
It appears that the boat isn't modeled after any particular fishing boat (at least as far as I could find) but rather is a general representation of fishing boats seen around Palamos Spain.  I like the clean wood colors of the Occre model, but it looks like the real fishing boats were all painted bright colors.  I am a bit torn on if I should paint the hull or leave the nice looking wood.
 

 
Opening the box everything looks to be in good shape.  There are 3 pages of 1/1 model scale drawings and separate instruction and photo reference booklets.  There is also a paint chart that isn't photographed.  I was planning on doing a parts inventory, but the way the parts list is labeled and references the instruction booklet photos, it would be quite time consuming and difficult.  Upon comparing it to my previous builds, there are only a few sheets of wooden parts but all of the planking is with strips rather than laser cut strakes. All in all, it looks fairly well organized and should be a good build.
 

Getting started the first thing I noticed is that OcCre's plywood sheets are much tougher than the basswood I was used to from previous builds.  It was very difficult to cut the pieces out using a #11 hobby knife blade.  I swapped out a number #17 blade and it was much easier.  I had some minor damage before switching to the new blade.  Always make sure pieces are cutout well and do not try to pop them out.  I did find the chiped off piece and glued it back in.
 

 
After getting the spine and bulkheads removed and dechared it was time to make sure everything was symmetric and flat.  For the bulkheads I traced each one out, cut out the paper trace and folded them along the center line.  Anything that didn't line up mostly right would be shaped to match.  Everything was very symmetrical.  Anything that was slightly off I attributed to tracing/cutting errors or something that would fix itself when faring the bulkheads. 
 

 
As for the spine, it wasn't quite straight
 

 
I didn't want to soak the plywood part because I was worried about de-laminating it. I clamped it to the edge of the table, used a brush to wet one side then used an iron to apply heat.  I then repeated on the other side.  I let it stay clamped down for a couple of hours and after removal it was looking quite a bit better.
 

 

 

 
Dry fitting the bulkheads onto the spine, everything fit pretty well but there was a little bit of play.  I'm sure removing the char inside the slots helped cause that.  They squared up pretty easily and should be dry and ready to continue by morning.  The structure is resting vertically in the vise because there wasn't room to grab it by the bottom of the spine. 
 

 

 
 

Looking forward to your survey results!
 
james

I started Ranger a month or so ago whilst stuck staying in a hotel for a fortnight’s business trip in one of the UK’s less attractive locations.

Made a start, but not a lot of progress and then back on the shelf once home whilst finishing Grecian.
 
This will be my sixth fishing boat from Vanguard and the last of the Vanguard fishing boat range. They are a lovely range of kits. Ranger at first glance seems very similar to the others in terms of being exceptionally high quality, very well designed, superb instructions and an excellent prototype build log on MSW. 
 
Ranger is similar in length (both hull and overall) and also width to Erycina, but has a much higher single mast to carry a great deal of sail area as her purpose was not to do the actual fishing but return the catch from the fishing fleet back to port as quickly as possible. Her lines, whilst longer, are not dissimilar to those of Saucy Jack. 
The MDF skeleton of bulkheads, keel and deck is wonderfully over engineered as usual to give a very robust framework with no risk of warping. Hull was faired, but the curves on this one are very gentle and do not require a lot of sanding. 

The only thing to note is that the slots in this construction do need a gentle sand to get them to fit properly. I have been spoilt on other Vanguard builds being able to do this initial construction without any sanding, I suspect it’s the norm for most manufacturers. I did, stupidly, try and force a couple of the bulkheads on snapping both a bulkhead and the keel itself - an easily avoidable mistake. They’re all glued back together fine now. 

Lower stern counter went on well without soaking. Just clamped and glued with PVA. 
Deck clicks in as usual into the helpful slot at the bottom of each bulkhead ear. 

Then the bulwarks fitted, as per the instructions with a small nail at the bottom, clamped and glued with PVA, although no glue above deck level as the eats will be removed. Again, no need for soaking due to the gentle shape. 


Once both sides done, time to start the planking. There’s tapering at the bow but not stern. 

Only a few planks in, but so far this has been the easiest boat to plank. I think Chris or Jim promised this in the instructions or build log! 

That’s all I did whilst away. Will restart construction shortly. 
 

Specs said the shaft turned in a brass sleeve.  I assume that means the spindle but I could be wrong.  Be interesting to take one apart and see how it is made.