Cleat
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Everything posted by Cleat
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I have a benchtop drill press in my garage but I wanted something smaller for my hobby room. I looked into the Vanda-Lay drill press because it makes use of my Dremel tool, I also got side tracked with the various configurations. I ended up getting the Vanda-Lay Acra Mill with the drill press and X-axis configuration. The quality is good although I replaced the drill press springs with stronger springs from a hardware store. Once I assembled it, I realized I probably wouldn’t want to remove the Dremel tool so I had an excuse to get another one. I customized mine with a couple wooden tables & sacrificial piece to cover the metal plate and I replaced a couple set screws with thumb screws. As shown, I'm using it with a burnishing bit for leather working.
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Sorry for the late followup. Learning more about planking would help. That was the most frustrating part for me, I didn't understand why the straight planks wouldn't follow the contour of the bow. (I did the planking kit after the Crist-Craft kit, I learned more - and made more mistakes which helped me understand how planking works).- 36 replies
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- chris-craft 1956 capri
- dumas
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During my first build I was frustrated using toothpicks to apply glue. I was at Rockler's and discovered mini glue brushes and a glue keeper for my next built - I really like these silicone tools (I use larger ones in my garage). When the glue drys it is easy to remove from the keeper and brushes. I typically just put a small dollop of glue for the task (much smaller than the picture), wipe any glue from a brush (wet/semi dry/dry), and repeat. The keeper shown is the top of a larger container.
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I completed the kit. I wish I knew then what I know now when I started the kit. I had hoped for a better result – I expected a better result. But I learned a lot. One of the things I learned is that I want/need more practice at ship building. I had some goals. I wanted to how much I could bend and twist the wale board without a splice. I avoided making a slice on one bulk head to see how the planks look uninterrupted. I also wanted experience working with small pieces (I still haven’t mastered tweezers), I’m used to working with ¾” stock and I knew it would be a challenge working with small stock. I cut some barn wood to size for the black embellishments shown in the kit, I took the opportunity to try a sequence of different stain colors just to see how the color changed. I didn’t think my joints were that bad; when I sanded the hull I think that I probably made an angled cut – something to be aware of the next time I cross cut with an Exacto knife. I had used wet/dry sandpaper with saw dust and finish in the past with good filling results, but that was with darker wood. I practiced some scarf slices (z-splices) to make a base for the trim piece. I made the trim piece one piece from bow to stern like the wale board. I wanted to see how much I could bend the stock I made – I found the limits. I broke a piece off on my first attempt and didn’t have any stock to try again. I made a piece to splice in but the color was too different. So I went with the look of side trim of an old car. I purchased a river boat kit for my next winter project. I had reviewed a couple build logs before I bought it. I can see more challenges with that kit.
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I created a new transition piece. I didn't twist the wale board enough for a flush fit. I was concerned about breaking it, I broke the first piece and this was my only spare piece so took it as far as I thought it could take.
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This screen door won’t float. This picture shows the gaps between planks, I didn’t think it was as bad as it is until I backlit the hull. I’ll be testing my “fix it” ability (I'm pretty sure I can't fix all of my mistakes). I completed planking the belts and I see my mistakes. I’m reviewing my work I’m not happy with how it turned out. But I am happy with what I learned by completing this task. I tried several planking methods to see how they worked. I’m still getting used to working with small stock and impatience snuck in. I have a pretty good idea what I did wrong with the bow. When I did the rough sanding I backlit the hull to ensure I wasn’t getting too close to sanding through the thin material. The best thing I learned was performing the tasks of measuring, cutting, and shaping dozens of planks. Learn by doing. I used painter’s tape and I noticed my marks indented the tape, I think I'll look for better tape. I've started working on some embellishments, I'm adding barn wood to the transom and the transition between the planks and transom. I filed away enough to expose defects in the scrap wood I used so I'm remaking the transition with new pieces. I'll be staining the pieces to match the wale board. I still need to make the bow rail but I noticed a splice called a scarf in the instructions that I'm not familiar with, I've never made that kind of splice before. I will sand the hull smoother; I will be using a back light to determine where I'm getting to thin. There will be some indentations that I can't recover but this is a learning experience.
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I found the tutorial historical information about the size of the planks to be interesting but my goal is to learn how the shapes work. I chose to ignore the historical accuracy in favor of practicing the skills needed for planking. I installed the wale board because it is a reference for my process. I discovered that both ends of the wale board aren't exactly where they should be. And I'm having to deal with running out of room for the last planks at the bow. The stealer plank worked as it should, but I should have read about the dropped plank concept before I got to the last four rows. I have a lot of gaps to deal with but I have a plan for that (I hope a woodworking trick works for this application). I'm planning on using the barn wood I used for the wale board for the railings and dress up the stern feature. I'm finding the tutorial to be worthwhile. I thought this build thread should be in the planking section but the build logs I'm referencing are located here.
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That's as far as I have gotten so far. I'm trying to figure out where to install the stealer and how big it should be. I used a compass to mark the top 4 plank course and the middle 4 plank course to see the where they deviate.
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I measured the distance between the bottom of the wale board and the top of the strake plank for each frame. I used drawing software to create strips for each bulkhead with the 12 plank marks evenly distributed. I tried several techniques to create the planks with mixed results. I started to call my Exacto knife the Happy Wanderer, but I really knew it was my technique. What works for me is to apply painter’s tape on the course of planks, I use a pencil to mark the edge of the plank. I cut the tape to shape and apply it to the bulkheads. I use the marking strip for the bulkhead to mark the height the plank, repeat for each bulkhead.
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I had cut some pieces of scrap barnwood for the wale board, there were about 3mm thick. I wanted to stain the wale board to customize the kit with something special. And I wanted to bend and twist a long piece of wood (it is a tutorial). I soaked part of it in water for about 15 minutes, then used an iron to bend and crimp the piece for the bow. The first piece broke. I made some shallow cuts on the concave side and tapered the 3mm thickness to 2mm where the bend would be – it worked. I soaked the other end in water and use the iron to twist the piece for the stern – that worked too. I soaked the piece two more times to fine tune the fit by clamping the piece to the frame and letting it dry. I discovered a problem with my wale board, it has a flat spot in the bow curve. I took some measurements of the frame and compared it to the cutout, they were close. I considered building up the frame but I was concerned how that might affect the planking, in the end I glued it on. In hindsight I realized I could have put a piece of plank material behind the flat spot to help reduce the flat spot. I glued the wale board onto the frame because all of the planking would be referenced from it. I also stained it to give it some color.
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I’ve never sanded so lightly when I did the fairing of the frame, I didn’t want to go too far so I worked it in a couple sessions so I could evaluate what I had done before finalizing my shape. The last four bulkhead frames were connected for my kit (other builds showed fewer frames). I was trying to decide how far to sand that area. I wasn’t sure if I should sand them down to create a solid piece. I decided to go half way and fill the gaps with sawdust/glue, I didn’t have enough sawdust so I used Hobbylite Filler to complete the fill. I figured I wanted the largest contact patch when gluing the planks to the contour of the stern.
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When I made the garboard I cut a notch to accommodate the end of the rabbet but I didn’t like the look with the notch. I made a new piece without the notch and glued it in place. In hindsight I wish I had cut a transition.
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I deepened the keelson slots for the bulkhead frames 1/16” as instructed but I wasn’t sure how accurate my cuts were. I noticed one of the build documents used a marking wheel gauge and I wish I had one. After I installed the bulkhead frames there weren’t enough spacers so I cut up the Counter to make the two pieces I needed (plus it had the right angle to support the transom). I realized later I wasn’t supposed to use that piece. The project is taking shape.
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I place the pieces that make the spine of the kit on the print to check the fit. Once things fit I glued the pieces directly on the print. I placed a piece of the planking material on the edge of the keel to mark the width of the rabbet, I also did it on the keelson. I told myself to cut up to the line. I tried several methods to cut the rabbet with poor results, I ended up sanding the material along the straight bottom section, I carved the bow section. When I was done my marks were gone – I made the rabbet much wider than it should be. (I’m still getting used to working with such small material).
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While building my first boat kit (Chris-Craft) I had a hard time doing the planking, I discovered that a straight plank did some unexpected things at the bow of the boat. I was frustrated and knew I’d have to figure out planking. I came across the Half Hull Planking kit when searching the forum for planking information. I previewed the instructions and realized I didn’t know the terminology. The instructions identify the names of the laser cut parts but there were a number of terms in the documentation that I didn’t know. I found an illustrated glossary of ship terms (it is helpful): https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199336005.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199336005-e-48 I previewed builds by tlevine, dcicero, modeler masa, and LyleK1 and I’ve been referencing those builds during my build. The kit comes with laser cut pieces to build the frame structure and planking material you cut for each plank. The instructions are a PDF file; the instructions are well written and explain concepts to understand how wooden ships are built. The kit includes an 11x17” print that shows the location of the structural parts along with other significant lines. I mounted the print on a piece of art board but I quickly discovered that I wanted to cut the size down to accommodate the use of clamps during parts of the construction.
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I have the Proxxon vise with the table clamp and I really like it, the ball clamp lets you adjust the position of the jaws. I removed the table clamp (it slides out from the base) and mounted it directly to my workbench (it has holes to mount it with screws).
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Thanks for the pictures. I've started my Half Hull project and was wondering how the transom was orientated and I noticed it in one of your pictures.
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- half hull planking project
- NRG
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I'm about to start the Half Hull project kit. But the first thing I came across reading the instructions is that I don't know the terminology such as keelson, sternpost, etc. Is there a place I can find a list of ship terminology?
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AIRBRUSH OPINIONS PLEASE...
Cleat replied to MadDogMcQ's topic in Painting, finishing and weathering products and techniques
I set the compressor to 30-40 psi and use a MACvalve at the airbrush to lower the pressure to what works the best. The MACvalve (the section with the round knob) is connected to air input of the airbrush and it makes it easier to adjust the air pressure. (I'm a woodworker and made a stand for the airbrush). I picture is small parts I painted chrome with the airbrush.
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- best airbrush
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AIRBRUSH OPINIONS PLEASE...
Cleat replied to MadDogMcQ's topic in Painting, finishing and weathering products and techniques
I have recently started learning the airbrush. I got a Badger Patriot 105 (inexpensive, quality starter airbrush – it has a large nozzle which is easier to handle), a California Air 1P1060S compressor (inexpensive and quiet), a six pack of Createx acrylic paint (different colors to mix for any color), and some auxiliary parts (cleaning tools, cleaning pot, MAC valve, color wheel.). I modified the air compressor; I added a manifold with a moisture trap and more accurate gauge for the airbrush operating pressure range (less than the compressor output). So far, I’ve mastered full on (which is useful for what I’m doing now), I need to practice control exercises to figure out the double action. I’m getting more comfortable cleaning the airbrush – it is the first thing I learned. I’ve been learning to thin and mix paint colors and figure out an ideal air pressure. I’m at the stage where I need practice; mix colors, paint practice lines & dots, clean – repeat. I bought a Mississippi river boat kit for my winter project and plan on using the airbrush for painting; I need to decide what colors I want for the river boat (and practice using the airbrush).
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- best airbrush
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I recently started to learn the airbrush, I got a Badger Patriot 105 ($75), a California Air 1P1060 compressor ($100), plus $25 for a 6-pack of paint. I'm no expert but from my research this is a decent basic system. So far I've mastered full on (like a spray can); I'm doing some line exercises to learn finer control.
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Thank you for the comments. I work towards perfection but fortunately I'm not a perfectionist. I recognize my skill level and eventually say it's good enough. I'm happy with the experience and I'll do it again.
- 36 replies
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- chris-craft 1956 capri
- dumas
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Working with the small parts was hard, I'm not accustomed to working with small parts and I haven't mastered using tweezers yet. The windshield was a bear to do and I'm not very happy with the way it turned out. The real boat has an odd bulbous feature on the bow which I tried to replicate but failed. I wanted the base to emulate a wake, I cut two pieces of oak at an angle and glued them together. I got frustrated several times during this build but I decided to see it through, I wanted to know if I could build it and to what level of quality I'm at (I need improvement). I misplaced the flag staffs, the bow light doesn't have a hole for a shaft, I found a piece of the material so I'll add a flag staff to the rear. My next kit will be the Planking kit I've seen in this forum. I am trying to decide what kind of kit I want to try after that.
- 36 replies
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- chris-craft 1956 capri
- dumas
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