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Cleat

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Everything posted by Cleat

  1. Cleat
    I looked at many Mississippi build logs to get an idea how others made the railings, I estimated a range of railing heights. I measured the angle of the steps (60° from horizontal) and made a couple measurements on the full-scale drawing to create a stick drawing of the railing. (I’ve discovered the full-scale drawing varies a bit from what I build). I printed my template and tested the fit to determine changes; I used it as a guide to form a railing with a piece of the brass wire with pliers. I adjusted the brass wire test piece to best fit the stairway. I revised my drawing, test fit a new print, and used it to revise the brass test piece again. Repeat as needed. I considered how I was going to make six railings the same. I think the easiest way is to print a template and use pliers to form the wire to match the template. I decided to make this an opportunity to use (learn) my hobby CNC machine; I took the drawing and turned into a file to use a spindle router to route the pattern into a piece of wood. The jig was helpful but you still form the wire with pliers to match a template. I drill 1mm holes to anchor the top of the railing. I added dimensions to my template drawing: Check fitting the railings. I see the forward pair are a little low, I pushed the wire in too far and you can see it below the floor.
  2. Cleat
    The stairways were tricky for me. The stairway sections included in the kit are delicate and I broke pieces. Rather than glue the broken pieces together, I have an option to make pieces from scratch so I decided I could use the practice. I also ran out of step material and had to make more. I made a pair of step runners with my hobby cnc machine. It was a straight forward process and everything worked as expected, then I discovered I routed the step slots to the wrong angle. I corrected my drawing and that started a fiasco making a new stair runner file. I’m learning CAD/CAM/CNC processes and it took me time to troubleshoot my process. I eventually cut what I wanted – it was educational. Test fit. I broke the 1 mm bit that routed clean (broke it during troubleshooting - bummer), my other 1 mm bit was a different style and made a rougher cut (hard to clean). Aligning the steps and the runners was tricky because I had not been consistent where I cut the pieces to length; when the steps were aligned the runners were not. I had to file the ends of the runners to get them even. I added 2mm sepeli wood to the 3mm stair runners on the other stairways so I did the same with the short steps.
  3. Cleat
    I got a Bridge City mini block plane with depth skids (HP-8). It looks scrupled; the best part is that the sides can be adjusted to set the height of the plane. The plane is about 4” (100 mm) long, with a working width of 1.25” (33 mm). Recently, I was running out of 1 mm thick material for steps. I had 1.5 mm material so I set the mini plane to 1 mm height (using some 1 mm material) and planed the 1.5 mm material – it works fine. And it looks cool.
  4. Cleat
    I got a device to straighten the brass coil for the stairway railings, I’m working out how it works. I’m trying to determine measurements for the railings. I want to make a template to help the railings be consistent.
  5. Cleat
    I left off making steps but I ran out of 1mm wood. I picked up a bag of assorted hobby wood (basswood) at Menards and found pieces 1.5mm thick. I had picked up a cool little hand plane last winter where you can adjust the sides to set a height. It took three passes to get some 1mm wood (the tool works fine). I had a lot of breakage with the stair runners, I had to assemble pieces for some of the runners – that was tricky to try and align the stair supports. I stained the steps and added a trim piece on the runners (like I did on the spiral staircase). I realized I needed to make one more, short stairway – I might be able to kludge together another short stairway. But I’m thinking about plan B; I’ve been learning my CNC machine and I think I’ll try making a new piece (just to practice with the machine). I found the wheelhouse crest I lost last spring (it was surprising where the missing piece managed to hide). I installed the wheelhouse and remembered that I attached the rear door piece backward so the platform & stairway goes off the other side of the stateroom. I discovered the wheelhouse stairway is a couple steps taller that the deck stairs.
  6. Cleat
    I hadn't thought of adding figures to the model. What scale are they?
  7. Cleat
    Nice pictures. You get a pretty good depth of field.
  8. Cleat
    I noticed the knot you tied in the picture showing the side railings and I'm wondering how you tied that, what kind of knot is it. Your anchor looks like it is two knots (dark & light rope). I had strung the rope on my build last spring before my build went on hiatus, I'm not sure what type of knot to tie. (I hope to get back to my build in a couple weeks).
  9. Cleat
    I hope mine turns out as nice as yours.
  10. Cleat
    I bought a Createx 6-pack of basic colors because my local art supply shop carries the brand. With the 6-pack I can mix most any color I want (except brown - I haven't figured that one out). I mix small quantities of paint just to fill the airbrush bowl and I try to write down how many drops of each color I mix; I've discovered that I might need to mix the same color again if my first batch isn't enough or I have to touch up later.
  11. Cleat
    One of my hobbies is pen tuning. I discovered two new hobby knife kits. Both kits are available in chrome, gun metal, and brass. The classic hobby knife uses #11 X-ACTO blades. The bolt action hobby knife uses #65 Excel blades. The classic hobby knife has a cap covering the blade and the cap can be stowed on the rear post. The bolt action hobby knife extends and retracts the blade using a rifle style bolt lever. I got both kits from PSI (Penn State Industries).
  12. Cleat
    I'm learning the Genmistu 31018 Prover (has a laser and a router). The laser configuration is easier to learn. For the router, I've been trying several open source software (CAD/CAM/controller control). I got it to work but I still have stuff to learn. I started writing myself a manual to document how to do various procedures. Mine has a working area of about 6x10 inches (260x155 mm), I'd prefer a bigger working space but I have limited space and I think this setup is good for learning hobby CNC processes (Genmistu offers an expansion kit to make the 3018 into a 3040). I wrote controller manuals for industrial CNC machines so I know the basics and G-codes.
  13. Cleat
    I thinned it with mineral spirits. I cut up an old bed sheet into small pieces of cloth and used one to wipe the finish on; I apply several thin coats to build up the finish.
  14. Cleat
    I started with a Badger airbrush and a small California Air compressor (both are quality inexpensive products). I'm not an artist, I don't make fine lines. I want to paint stuff with a color I can mix, I use my airbrush more like a small spray can of paint. There is a learning curve to figure out air pressure, paint thinning, and cleaning the airbrush.
  15. Cleat
    I have the Rikon 10" bandsaw and I like it. I haven't had any problems with it and I've had mine for many years. I consider it a general purpose tool for a hobbyist. (I have several Rikon products). The fence is pretty basic, it works but I'd prefer something better. I use a magnetic fence now. And it doesn't do very well for resawing (you need to go real slow). I have a Jet mini wood lathe and I like it, but I had to replace the clamping disk for the tail stock.
  16. Cleat
    The ladders are tricky for me and I only made the short ones so far. I ran short of the step material so I need to find more. I like the dark wood trim detail around the stairway opening.
  17. Cleat
    Your build is looking great. What kind of glue did you use for the white railing installation. I like the brass railing on the short stairs, it is a nice addition. It looks like you pinned the 1st deck railings; I've been debating if I want 2 or 3 horizontal railings (yours looks good).
  18. Cleat
    Those speakers are an experiment. I have open baffle speakers (speakers on a board) in my garage and they sound good, they hang from the ceiling and need to be a couple feet from a wall to disperse the sound. But the desktop application sounds very bad. I'll try something out but I suspect I'll have to make boxes for better sound.
  19. Cleat
    Your build looks great. Your craftsmanship is impressive - it is a level I hope to achieve some day.
  20. Cleat
    I built Estes rockets when I was a kid (decades ago) - fond memories.
  21. Cleat
    Much of it is fun but there are frustrating parts where I don't know how to accomplish a task (forum logs are helpful for that) or my skills are lacking. There is satisfaction when I complete those frustrating tasks.
  22. Cleat
    Thanks for the reference, it will be helpful. I have the Sainsmart 3018 Prover and I've bookmarked a few reference pages for my upcoming tasks. I bought Lightburn to control the laser (best software for that), and I've tried three, free controller software for the router (I haven't picked a favorite yet).
  23. Cleat
    Last fall I bought a hobby CNC machine. It can be configured with a laser or a spindle (router). I got it working but I realized I need to do some tuning, a bunch of testing, and some additional setup chores. I chose to work on my riverboat instead. Now I need to complete some tasks including documenting my processes so I don’t have to relearn the tool every time I use it. I tested it using the same file with the laser and the router configurations: One of my test pieces will be a sign for the riverboat. Since I live in Minnesota (the source of the Mississippi river) I’m calling my riverboat the Headwater King.
  24. Cleat
    I’m taking a break on my riverboat. I share my workbench with other hobbies and I want to work on them and prepare for my summer projects in the garage. I’ve made good progress and don’t want to rush it. I’ll be working on it less frequently. I’ve also made some unforced errors. I accidentally knocked the wheel house off the top deck, the four black crests broke off and I can’t find one of them – three pieces were within a couple inches of each other but the last piece got legs. It seems a good time to clean the workbench and I still can’t find the missing piece (I’ll have to go through a pile of old computers next to my workbench to continue my search). I noticed I don’t have enough stock for the stairs. I’ve assembled some short ones and I’m not happy with my work, I want to redo them. I disassembled one of them and I’ll be able save the stringers. I also need to determine how much material I have for the railings on the bottom deck, other logs mention the kit has a limited amount of 1.5 x 3 sapelli wood. I wonder where I might look for hobby wood stock.
  25. Cleat
    I installed some of the railings on the second deck and the columns on the bottom deck. I only did the side section on both sides of the boat so I can leave access to the stairways. I had a feeling that my railings might not be as precise as the drawing and I was right. I aligned the first column with the drawing at the front of the structure. As you can see, the last column I installed is off from the drawing (I’ll have to figure out a way to fudge the discrepancy). I used 2mm pieces to set the height of the railing assemblies. When I tried to glue the first railing string, I discovered how delicate my assemblies are. A few of them fell apart when I handled them too much. I choose to install the columns on the second deck straight up to make the process easier because I was figuring out an installation process. I angled the columns on the lower deck as shown in the drawing. For the other side I angled the columns on the second deck but the columns on the lower deck had to be straight up (there was no offset); this told me the decks aren’t centered.

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