BANYAN

One option/solution to the associated bit would be to use a small PVC/plastic (stiff) tube, cut to length and epoxied to the side of the jar? The length would be governed by the length of the bit, and leaving some length of the bit exposed to access it. The bottom can be plugged with wadded paper if cutting bit down; but I prefer to stand mine the other way around, so a small softwood plug would suffice. cheers Pat

Well, you will be ready for a good long sleep by then Keith Nice solution to making the cranse iron, looks good so far. cheers Pat

Hi, I purchased some Vanda-lay tools when I first started wood ship modelling some 20+ years ago and needed some basic mill and drill press setups on a budget. I used the Vanda-lay Industries set-up for a couple of years, but soon learned I needed something with a higher capacity, more stability, and more accuracy, and have since moved to Sherline and other products. For what they state they do, I found them OK. The dremel, and knock off drills, I used with it were securely held and for small jobs the drill press and cut off saw arrangement worked quite well - though restricted a little in what you can do with such a small set-up. The milling (X and Y tables) are another story though as I was never able to properly stabilize the 'Y' table enough to get accurate work in that axis. This may have been a defective part , or poor operator use, but I think it is more the way it is designed that you cannot get a very stable Y axis platform. That said, as a starting point for small work, where only small work is needed, it is sufficient to the needs. If looking for a mill, at that price point, you are well on the way to a more accurate, higher capacity mill such as a Proxon or even bench top midi-mill. The larger micro/midi mills, can allso be set up to do precision drilling, and small saw operations. All that said, I have seen magnificent models done with hand tools only, and for those smaller jobs this would be a reasonable tool to supplement your tool kit; but, if you are in for the long haul and looking at bashing kits or scratch building, a larger set up would be a good investment rather than using this as a stepping point - BUDGET would be your prime driver I think. I hope that this 'opinion' helps a little. cheers Pat

Classic! that looks really good Michael; the wood grain/figuring really brings it to life. cheers Pat

Hi all, before I post more widely I wish to do due diligence and survey members as to whether they are aware of any issues at SeaWatch Books? I am experiencing a delivery issue from them and I have had no response to several emails to them for near on three weeks now? Their web site does not advise of any closure etc. I know they are a small concern, and may be busy, but the failure to read/respond to emails for this long cannot be excused unless there is an underlying problem causing it. regards Pat

Excellent craftsmanship (as usual) Keith; I think you would have no problem finding a job as a Master Metalsmith in any dockyard (new or old) cheers Pat

Nice little 'home' for your creation you are assembling there Rob; look forward to seeing it complete. cheers Pat

Very nice work Eberhard; they came up very well indeed as the inner and outer alignment appear 'perfect'. What is the masking film you have used as the straight/levelling edge please? cheers Pat

Looks great Steven, and those oarsmen really set it off. As to my earlier comments, I was referencing the lining not so much a waterway. I think that a waterway as you have used it is the way to go. cheers Pat

Thanks for raising this Mark, and for opinions expressed by other forum members. This is very useful information and while I am in no position to contribute, I will certainly file this way. cheers Pat

Just show them the John Cleese 'Meetings B......y Meetings short movie - John Nice progress albeit slow; the planking looks very good. cheers Pat

But where's the lock and key? Just kidding - darn that is some lovely work; you Sir are a magician with brass. cheers Pat

Steven, not sure if a waterway would be necessary? If water was getting onto the upper deck, then would it not also flow down through the more central spaced planks also? Yes,, if sufficiently heelied, it may take the water to one side but how often would that occur if being rowed? If they had to cope with that, surely it would have coped with water from the edges also? More experienced people will provide better / more appropriate answers, but this is just offered as a 'thought' cheers Pat

Remarkable indeed, especially at that scale. Very nice detail achieved in something so small. cheers Pat

Hellppppp! someone pick me up off the floor. I am still stunned with the level of machining and manual skills you display here Michael. Between you and KeithAug, a collation of your various works would make the best Video/Image based tutorial for us 'apprentices'. That is some excellent work! Thanks for taking the time to document your processes. cheers Pat

That will look very good Rob and a great way to show off the model. cheers Pat

Nicely thought through and executed Keith. cheers Pat

One thing that can be said of Jim's tools is that they are checked for true and tolerance before he ship's them. I don't think I have found another tool that is so well 'tuned' straight out of the box. That is not to say that shipping etc may have caused a small misalignment, but that would be unusual also as the tools are well packed - mine survived the trip to the other hemisphere unscathed. As Jim himself has identified, and Druxey suggested, the fence has a deliberate offset abaft the blade's arbor to ease the passage of the stock and cut piece. This is necessary as there is no riving knife/blade fitted to stop the wood binding abaft the blade, and this works well. I have cut planks from either the outside of the stock or the inside with no issue if you lock the fence as recommended (front first) . This will NOT cause the tool to cut out of true if as others have suggested you have checked the blade is correctly mounted. The saw is designed such that if the stock is fed in parallel then it will cut straight straight, and will not bind on the stock unless you get a large build up of sawdust for some reason. One major problem I encountered, until I realised what the issue was, is that the very fine slitting saw blades may flex when cutting thicker hard wood stock. All that said, I think the blade angular difference you see is this offset/easing. Only testing by cutting some stock and checking the trueness of the cut will confirm if you have an issue or not. Jim can manufacture a jig using a dial indicator to check parallelism if the need arises. If after checking your blade alignment etc, and measuring the cut stock with a vernier or micrometer etc for trueness and consistency, and you still find it is not cutting parallel, I would recommend you get in touch with Jim direct. He is very helpful in sorting these issues. cheers Pat

Very nice work Al, those masts, and especially the chainwork for the Martingale/Dolphin Striker looks superb. cheers Pat

I thought there was something in the database Rob, but unfortunately I cannot find it. I remember a member writing a mini-tutorial of sorts when he built his case. I will have a look and see if I can find it as he asked me to have a look at way back as a potential article; may not have been hosted/posted. I did a quick search on glass cases and a lot of interesting posts came up, which may be of some use. cheers Pat

Hi all, further to previous posts, I have established from Fincham (a contemporary author, and probably known by more experienced in rigging practices), that at least in this period, the jeer bitts were generally positioned abaft, and Topmast Sheet Bitts before the respective masts. This accords to the imagery I have showing the rigging, namely that clew lines etc are shown with the falls etc before the masts. This arrangement supports the fact the lower yards were stood well proud and forward of the mast with the use of iron patent parrels/trusses, and that the fitting of the fore and aft sail booms would require a clear arc of operation abaft the mast. Additionally, the masts in this ship were raked much further aft than usual practice, being 5, 10 and 15 degrees for the Fore, Main and Mizen respectively. Accordingly, my assumptions, at this point, are that she had Topmast Sheet Bitts before the Fore and Main masts, and although positioned abaft the Mizen, that pair of Bitts served a different purpose (established from the imagery) as 'Victoria' did not carry a crossjack (Specification and Rigging Warrant confirm this). Also based on the limited amount of detail in the profile photograph, a crop of which is shown previously, I believe a Gallows was fitted abaft the Foremast, with the forward end having the belfry mounted on top and a lifering fitted either side on extended rails. Goodwin, page 220, provides the scantlings and heights etc for the Bitts and crosspieces; and Fincham advises that, in this period, the gallows cross piece upper surface was generally 5 feet above the deck planks (which generally conforms to Mark's advice above). I will continue to use 8 inches square ad the scantling for the Bitts themselves, as this conforms to the size drawn in the contemporary Arrow and Vigilant Class plans, and as determined from the photograph. The latter being derived by the approximate median sizer of the planking transposed upon the bitt size shown in the photograph of the crew on the after upper deck. Also from the 'Specification' I have established 'Victoria' had "handsome end boards to the Gallows", and that a 100 gallon freshwater (FW) tank was to be fitted on the upper deck (location not specified). I think the dark 'mass' evident in the photograph crop may be this FW tank, as this is realistically the only place it could be fitted without interfering with the operation of other fittings or rigging. As such, I think the Gallows acted as a the supporting external frame (exo-skeleton) for this FW tank. A 100 gallon tank, sized to fit in this space will have had the top part higher than the cap rails/bulwarks to accommodate that volume. I would appreciate any further thoughts on my assumptions, and any errors of deduction I may have made. cheers Pat

Add my name to the kudos, well earned! cheers Pat

Very nice Eberhard, practice makes perfect! cheers Pat

Thank you very much Mark, much appreciate the information. I will assume then that one of the Bitts, probably the Fore mast, was fitted with a 'gallows' which i am also assuming will be separate to the Belfry. I am starting to develop an idea that the Fore Bitts had a crosspiece, a gallows and the Belfry was on top of that. The attached is from one (of two) the lithographs of the ship I have which shows the Belfry perched higher then the Bulwarks. The fore-and-aft attitude of the belfry may be a perspective thing. A profile photograph of the ship (built 1855) taken c1868, which I have cleaned up a little shows a life ring and much other gear aft of the Foremast. Note from the photo that may be possible the belfry did sit along a fore-and-aft gallows? There certainly was a lot of gear just abft this mast. It is also like this area housed a 100 gallon iron freshwater tank (specified in the Contract and this is the only real place it could befitted without interference with other eqipment/operations (BUT I am possible - no probably - wrong with that too The third image is a crop of the Vigilant class Gun Despatch Vessel "Alacrity' c1856, and shows the rake aft of the bitts in these vessels. cheers Pat

Lookn' good Rob, nice work. certainly on the homeward bound leg of this building journey now. cheers Pat