Dan Vadas

Jim, if you're painting it I suggest the Limewood - a lot easier to get a lateral bend into than either of the others.
 
I'll also suggest you either make a simple jig in which to clamp the soaked timber whilst it dries, or else clamp it in place on the hull (whichever works better for your application). Make sure you leave it to dry overnight at least, depending on ambient temperature. The timber MUST BE COMPLETELY DRY before you attempt to glue it in place.
 
BTW - even though you are painting the timber I STILL wouldn't use Balsa.
 
  Danny

Pump Chain
 
This is the Chain for the starboard Chain Pump - I'm only making one of these, as the port side will have a cover on the Cistern.
 
The chain is made from the pieces supplied in the PE set from Admiralty Models. It's a little on the fiddly side to make, but I came up with a rather easy way to put it together. I should have taken a few step-by-step pics, but my explanation will have to suffice.
 
After cutting all the required pieces from the sprue I started by fixing one link in my vise with half of it protruding. Then I picked up a second link with small pliers and pushed some 0.5mm brass wire through both pieces. The wire needed a good cleanup with 1000 grit wet and dry to slightly reduce it's diameter.
 
Next I picked up a third link and threaded the wire through it alongside the second link, making three links joined at the same point. A drop of medium CA glue held the joint firmly. I then snipped off the wire on both sides a little longer than "flush".
 
I continued in this manner for three single and four double links, then I slipped on the one (and only) "saucer" that will be visible - there is one every fourth single link, but I only need seven singles in the length around the Sprocket between the two Tubes.
 
When I completed the whole length I placed each pin on my anvil and carefully peened each side of the wire to keep it all together. Then I gave the whole chain a bath in Acetone to remove the CA - the chain actually works, and doesn't come apart at all (OK, one joint did - not quite enough peening, but not hard to correct).
 
I'll blacken the chain before fitting it. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to make 50mm of chain.
 

 

 

 
 
  Danny

Jay, without looking for your Calculator (it's somewhere underneath those plans in the corner) what is 7 13/16" in Metric?
 
  Danny

Look on the bright side Bill - at least she didn't call YOU a "useless tool" :D .
 
  Danny

Look on the bright side Bill - at least she didn't call YOU a "useless tool" :D .
 
  Danny

Look on the bright side Bill - at least she didn't call YOU a "useless tool" :D .
 
  Danny

Look on the bright side Bill - at least she didn't call YOU a "useless tool" :D .
 
  Danny

Look on the bright side Bill - at least she didn't call YOU a "useless tool" :D .
 
  Danny

Hi Jeff,
 
Great article  .
 
I've posted a link to it in a Pinned Topic in the "Wooden Tips and Tricks" forum in case this topic goes down a few pages in the future.
 
  Danny

Laying the Keel
 
It's finally time to make some sawdust .
 
Work begins with the Keel. The fore part of the main keel uses a Boxing Joint to fit up with the Apron :
 
  
 
The Keel itself is made in four sections. Each has a Scarf Joint :
 

 
I clamped the keel to the edge of my Building Board to ensure it was straight while the glue dried :
 

Clamps and Planking Pins
 
I made 16 clamps of this type. They are used primarily for clamping Planking where the clamp can fit between two Frames :
 

 
These Clamps are very useful inside a Hull, mostly used for Planking again. I made 12 of them also :
 

 
The (6) Parallel Clamps hold pieces together without pulling them out of line like normal Spring Clamps tend to do :
 

 
An overview of the first batch of Clamps I made - I added some more of each type after this pic :
 

 
One day soon I'll post a "How To" make the various Clamps in the Modelling Tools Forum.
 
I also made 12 Planking Pins. These use a 0.5mm pin, which is the size of most of the Treenails used on the model. They come in handy where I need to use a Pin directly through a Plank etc :
 

Preparations
 
Before any work commenced on the model there were some other things to build.
 
Using the directions in TFFM I constructed a Building Board :
 

 
I added Supports for the Keel, fore and aft, from clear Acrylic (Perspex) :
 

 
I also made two Squaring Jigs for the Cant Frames and one for the Square Frames :
 
  
 
I made a Jig to measure up from the Baseboard that can be used inside the Hull :
 

 
The Baseboard was marked for the Plan View using a tracing of the Mylar Plan :
 

 
The Frame Profiles were printed from the Admiralty Models CD onto A4 size "sticky-backed" Labelling Paper :
 

Tools
 
 
I have been building wooden ship models for over 30 years, and in that time I have accumulated quite a large collection of Modelling Tools :
 
Numerous Xacto Knife handles of three sizes - it saves a lot of Blade changing. Hundreds of Blades for these, both Stock and Modified.
Same with Pinvices - I have four Handles fitted with the most commonly used size of drill bit. Several boxes of Minidrills plus larger sizes in both Inch and Metric.
A Swivel Vise - no serious modeller should be without one. Also a couple of sets of "Third Hands".
Razor Saws, both "push" and "pull" cuts - two handles plus many blades. Some of the blades have been ground down to enable cuts in very tight places.
Dozens of Clamps of every description - you can't have TOO MANY of these.
Cork Sanding Blocks, some modified to sand inside curves. Home-made Sanding Sticks of every shape and size imaginable.
Various shapes of Mini Pliers.
Various Needle Threaders for Rigging.
A Jim Byrnes Drawplate for making Treenails.
 
Now the "fun" bits - the Power Tools :
 
A Sherline Long Bed Lathe
A Sherline 8-axis Mill. A Digital Readout for both Lathe and Mill.
Nearly every Accessory for both the above.
 
Jim Byrnes Table Saw, with all Accessories.
Jim Byrnes Thicknesser.
Jim Byrnes Disc Sander.
An ancient Dremel Scroll Saw, modified with an almost Zero-Clearance Base Plate. Still going strong 30 years later . EDIT - I recently purchased a 18" Carbatec Scroll Saw as the Dremel finally gave up.
A small Taiwanese Drill Press - cheap, but quite good quality.
Three Dremel Tools, one is Cordless.
A Proxxon Mini Engraver.
A Proxxon Mini Bench Grinder for sharpening drills and other tools.
 
You CAN successfully build a model with the "bare necessities" of hand tools, but there's nothing like a GOOD QUALITY Power Tool to make numerous items of the same shape and size. The precision they give you when cutting timber or metal is also very difficult to match by hand.

How the Model will be built
 
My intention is to build this model as Fully Framed with the Starboard side open and the Port Side fully planked - both Hull and Decks.
 
Interior details like the Footwaling and Thickstuff (Port side only), Deck Clamps, Mast Steps, Breasthooks, Cabin Bulkheads, Companions (ladders) etc will be added.
 
The Decks will feature all the fittings like the Guns (Port side only), Bitts, Pumps, Capstan, Anchors etc.
 
All Masts and Yards will be fitted, and the ship will be fully Rigged.
 
A Scratchbuilt Cutter will be included.
 
This model will be completely Scratchbuilt, down to the Rigging Line and Blocks. The only "Non-Scratchbuilt" parts in this model will be the Gun Barrels. These will come from Shipmodels in Russia, cast in Brass by Alex Baranov. Sorry, but I don't have the skills to make them as well as he can .
 
I expect it will take me about 3 to 4 years to complete this model. But I'm in no hurry, so it may take longer .

You guys are starting to embarrass me.  But if you want to give credit where credit is really due you should be talking about my wife Donna who is actually the owner of the company. 
 
 For those of you that don't know we started Model Machines about 10 years ago on a part time basis.  Just the two of us,  no other employees to worry about. At that time we were both working another full time job at a design and manufacturing firm in Orlando that I was part owner of.  I was head of the machine shop with 3 other partners and Donna was hired as the controller.  The company was in bad shape finantially when we hired Donna and in a year or so she brought the company back from the edge and made it a profitable business again.  Donna has a 4 year business degree from the University of Indiana and there isn't a lot she doesn't know about the business world.  What she doesn't know she makes it her business to find out.  When we started Model Machines she did all the research to get the company up and running and also thought up the name of the company.  She does all the taxes,  pays all the bills,  does all the paper work and keeps everything running smoothly.   I design all the machines and make all the parts,  do the assembly and ship them out. 
 
When you call us with a problem or an order more than likely you talked to her and 99% of the time she can take care of your needs whether it's replacement parts,  lost screws, diagnosing an electrical problem, delivery times or just how things work.  She is on the ball and has you covered.  She is the one who emails you when your stuff ships,  calls you when your address has changed and generally makes sure you get what you need when you need it.  If it was my job to do all that no doubt we would be out of business a long time ago.    She is the boss.  
 
And to this day it remains,  just the two of us.
 
regards
Jim Byrnes
Model Machines

HMS Vulture - some History of the ship
 
HMS Vulture was a 16 gun sloop of the Swan class, launched on 18 March 1776. She served during both the American Revolutionary War and the French Revolutionary War before being sold for disposal in 1802. The Vulture is perhaps best known for being the warship to which Benedict Arnold fled on the Hudson River in 1780 after unsuccessfully trying to betray the Continental Army's fortress at West Point, New York to the British.
 
HMS Vulture had several areas of difference to previous ships of the class - she may have been used as an "experimental platform" for a few innovations. Whether these changes were later implemented on other ships is unknown.
 
Length of Upper Deck : 96’7”
Breadth : 26’ 4”
Depth of Hold : 12’ 10”
Burthen : 300 Tons
Armament : 16 x 6 Pound Guns , 16 x ½ Pound Swivel Guns
 
 
There were 24 ships of the Swan Class built between 1767 and 1780. Here is the complete list :
 
Swan (1767)    Kingfisher (1770)    Cygnet (1776)    Atalanta (1775)    Pegasus (1776)    Fly (1776)    Swift (1777)
Dispatch (1777)   Fortune (1777)  Hound (1776)    Hornet (1776)    Vulture (1776)    Spy (1776)    Cormorant (1776)
Zebra (1777)    Chameleon (1777)    Fairy (1778)    Nymph (1778)    Savage (1778)    Fury (1779)    Delight (1778)
Thorn (1779)    Bonetta (1779)    Shark (1779)    Alligator (1780)
 
Some of these ships are being built by other members on MSW. Here are the Links to them :
 
HMS Kingfisher :   Remco      Erik    Bob    Jeff
 
HMS Atalanta :   Toni
 
HMS Pegasus :   Ray     Andy     flyer     Bummer!    Maurice     Aldo     Spyglass     Caroline    daveor   Nils
 
HMS Fly :   Christian     Chris     DiKri     Vitus    Adeline
 
More Build Logs will be added to this list as they are submitted.

Hi Mates
 
Here are some photos indicating how I mill wood. Used a band saw, JB table saw, and a JB thickness sander.
 
Shows progression of lumber sizes starting with a milling blank through finished planks. Wood is Sugar Maple (soft maple).
 
Photo 1

 
Photo 2
 
Step 1 was to run my maple blank through the thicness sander to make it perfectly flat on both sides. The blank is 1 3/4" thick and approximately 14" long.
 

 
Photo 3
 
Ran the material through  bandsaw to desired thichness. Note that blanks are cut from face grain, not edge grain.
 

 
Photo 4
 
Plank blank is rough on one side. Saw marks will be removed by running blank though the the thicknes sander.
 

 
Photo 5
 
Wodd splitter placed on table just behind blade. The splitter avoids chatter as the wood is passed away from the blade.
 

 
Photo 6
 
Feed the plank blank through the saw.
 

 
Photo 7
 
Finished plank.
 

 
 
Photo 8
 
Shows finished planks and the micrometer adjustment at the lower right edge of the photo. Microadjust helps to get all [lanks the same width each and every time.
 

 
In closing, Brynes tools deserve the high praise received from its owners. His tools are amazingly accurate, easy to use, and great fun. 
 
BFN
Hopeful aka David
 
 “there is wisdom in many voices”
 
Completed:      Sharpie Schooner (Midwest) Reposting the build log at present
On the bench:  Sultana (MSW)   Reposting the log and keeping on with the build
 
Next:  Lady Nelson (Amati Victory)

Jim,
 
I'd steer away from Balso for anything other than packing pieces or rough mock-ups.  It's really too soft and spongy for much else.
 
John

Fixed Blocks
 
There are two Fixed Blocks each side of the hull in the Waist - one single and one double. The single block is for the Main Tack, and the double block is for the Fore Sheet and Spritsail Sheet.
 
These were made by laminating spacers between two strips :
 
 

 

 
 
They were then sanded to size on the disc sander and the slots were cleaned up with a thin needle file :
 
 

 
 
I turned the Sheaves on my lathe. The larger ones are 0.9mm thick and the smaller ones are 0.75mm thick. They are 4.8mm in diameter :
 
 

 

 
 
The blocks were later morticed into the frames :
 
 

None of the beams are installed but I have decided to add the finished pillars as the bulkheads are fabricated.  This is where I got in to trouble again.  The fore bulkhead of the magazine rests on the platform beam and the pillar is fixed to it.  Careful (after the fact) review of the plans shows that this pillar is not centered on the lower deck beam.  It is shifted aft.  The reason for this is that one could not open the passageway doors into the magazine if it was positioned directly under the center of the beam.  Openings have been made for the door into the magazine, the light window and the scuttle into the bread room.
 
The mullions for the light room window were made by sawing halfway through the wood strips and then assembling them Lincoln Log style.  The glazing is mica.  The candle is typing paper rolled around a scrap of wood.  The weathered appearance is purely accidental.  My fingers were dirty when I made it.
 
 
Light Room Bulkhead
   
 
Fore Magazine Bulkhead
 
 
The remaining rooms on the port side of the platform have been made and installed.  Since all of the wood planks for the bulkhead walls are the same dimension, I made up a stock “wall” made up of strips of wood glued together.  The lengths of the bulkhead segments were then cut from that stock sheet. 
 
Holes are drilled into the upper light room door for ventilation.  The hinges on the steward and bread room doors are photo etch from Admiralty Model’s photo etch sheet for Swan Class vessels.  This also includes pump assemblies, lanterns and other misc. parts.
 
Aft Platform Bulkheads

 
 
I have reached the end of the build log rescued by Dave (Midnight).  This leaves me about two months to reconstruct de novo.  At least I have the pictures...

Hi Mates.
 
(Post #1 of  my Sharpie Schooner Build Log)
 
The purspose of this log is to repost my  Midwest Sharpie Schooner build log. The project was my first build and the kit is considered an entry level project. 
 
The vessel is characterized by having a flat bottom and a skeg rather than a keel. I enjoyed the build immensely for many reasons. I had a lot of help from the forum while building the vessel and any success that I had along the way was in great part due to their kind and patient assistance.
 
Photo 1 - Box art and kit components. The drawings and plans were very good and easy to follow. The price of the kit is approx. $75 USD.
 
 

 
Photo 2 - Finished vessel arrived at by following the prepared plans and instructions. Photo is from box art.
 

 
Along the way I decided to bash the kit by trying to more closely replicate an ocean going Sharpie Schooner of the mid 19th century that sailed the eastern coast of the USA from New England to Florida. Two photos of the type vessel gained from research are posted for reference.
 
Photo 3
 

 
Photo 4

 
 
At this point I would like to show a few pics of my completed vessel.
 
Photo 5

 
 
Photo 6

 
Photo 7

 
 
I will post, lol, an album of the completed vessel in the Gallery shortly.
 
From here I will post the build log as to how the vessel  was constructed including how to make the sails.
 
Thank you for looking in on the build.
 
Cheers,
Hopeful aka David
 
"there is wisdom in many voices"
 
Completed: Midwest Sharpie Schooner, kit bash
Current:       MSW Sultana

Hi all,
 
I've had several requests to show how I built some special clamps that come in particularly useful if you are building a Fully Framed hull. They could also come in handy for other more "conventional" builds.
 
 

 
 
There are three types of Clamp :
 
1. The first goes between Frames to hold internal or external planks.
2. "Spreader" clamps that hold internal planking.
3. Parallel clamps that don't pull two pieces out of line like normal spring clamps have a tendency to do.
 
Full Credit for these clamps goes to EdT (Ed Tosti) - I'm only showing my method of copying his ideas. Ed's are probably of superior quality to mine - I've used a more simplified approach that can be done fairly easily by most builders using common Right-Hand threaded screws.
 
"Between the Frames" Clamps
 
 
In Use :
 
 
These are made from 3/4" x 5/32" (19mm x 4mm) brass machine screws or threaded bar and matching Wing Nuts - I found them at Bunnings, but they should be available at any reasonably good Hardware Store. The other brass part is some thin brass strip - I used 0.5mm. Note that you can use any sizes of screws and strip - I just used whatever I had "on hand" or could buy easily. I wouldn't go much thinner than the 0.5mm strip though - it's plenty strong enough and will fit right down into very narrow gaps between frames.
 
I cut the heads off the screws, cut a 4mm deep slot into the cut-off end and Silver Soldered the two pieces together. Then I drilled a 2.5mm hole to accept the 2mm Pin. A bit of "oversize" makes it a lot easier to push the pin through the hole.
 
The wooden pieces are made from a good hardwood - I used Australian Cherry Ballart because I had quite a bit of it in stock, but any other close-grained hardwood would do the job. A 2mm hole was drilled for the pin - this needs to be a good but "easy" slide-in fit.
 
The only item of note not shown in the pics below is some extra bracing I glued to one face of the larger block - this prevents the wood from splitting when pressure is applied. It strengthens the saw cut (these pics were taken before I had my first "Block Failure"). Note the direction of the grain in the large block.
 
 

 

 
 
 
Spreader Clamps
 
 
In Use :
 
 
These Clamps are particularly useful when you need to clamp planking etc and can't use one of the "Between the Frames" clamps, although they can be used in combination with one of them as shown in the pic above. They work very well anywhere inside a hull. I made these in 4 or 5 different lengths depending on the position in the hull they were to be placed. All parts were interchangeable, so a lot of length combinations could be used - the only difference is in the lengths of the brass tubing, the "heads" and "tails" of the clamps are all identical.
 
I used 4mm x 25mm RH-threaded Stainless Steel Machine Screws, Washers and Nuts (again because I had a lot of them in stock - any other combination around that size would be OK). The "swivels" are made from 1/4" (6.5mm) brass round bar that have been drilled and tapped to accept the screws. 5mm brass tubing of various lengths is the only other thing needed.
 
Again, the wooden pieces are made from a good hardwood. The "head" is drilled to accept the swivel, the "tail" is epoxied to the screw to prevent it from falling out when the clamp is tightened. I sanded the end of the "head" to allow it to pivot when necessary.
 
 

 

 
 
Parallel Clamps
 
 
In Use :
 
 
These clamps are particularly useful when you need to clamp two pieces together without distorting their faces from each other. They also avoid the twisting effect that you can get with G-clamps, but are usually used in similar situations to them.
 
They are made from two pieces of hardwood, 8mm x 11mm x 65mm. The same size Swivels as the "Spreader Clamps" are used, with the same size screws as the "Between the Frames" clamps. Again, use any sizes close to the mark that you can get - it's not all that vital.
 
Here's an Exploded View of the Clamp :
 
 

 
 
And a description of how it goes together is below. Two Swivels are threaded to accept the screws, one is a "clearance" hole drilled right through, and the fourth is a clearance hole drilled part-way into the swivel to act as a "stopper". This one is glued into the timber with Silicone or Epoxy.
 
 

 
 
I made about 18 "Between the Frames" clamps, 10 "Spreader" clamps and 6 "Parallel" clamps - that seems to be adequate.
 
  Danny

Thank you very much Bob, Brian, Grant, Pat, archofo and Sherry (I see you've changed your Username - welcome to the "Dark Side"  ).
 
Grant and Pat and anyone else interested,
 
Here's a Link to my "Making Clamps" Tutorial in the "Modeling Tools and Workshop Equipment" forum :
 
Useful Clamps for Fully Framed Models (and other models) by Dan Vadas
 
  Danny

Thank you very much Bob, Brian, Grant, Pat, archofo and Sherry (I see you've changed your Username - welcome to the "Dark Side"  ).
 
Grant and Pat and anyone else interested,
 
Here's a Link to my "Making Clamps" Tutorial in the "Modeling Tools and Workshop Equipment" forum :
 
Useful Clamps for Fully Framed Models (and other models) by Dan Vadas
 
  Danny

Hi all,
 
I've had several requests to show how I built some special clamps that come in particularly useful if you are building a Fully Framed hull. They could also come in handy for other more "conventional" builds.
 
 

 
 
There are three types of Clamp :
 
1. The first goes between Frames to hold internal or external planks.
2. "Spreader" clamps that hold internal planking.
3. Parallel clamps that don't pull two pieces out of line like normal spring clamps have a tendency to do.
 
Full Credit for these clamps goes to EdT (Ed Tosti) - I'm only showing my method of copying his ideas. Ed's are probably of superior quality to mine - I've used a more simplified approach that can be done fairly easily by most builders using common Right-Hand threaded screws.
 
"Between the Frames" Clamps
 
 
In Use :
 
 
These are made from 3/4" x 5/32" (19mm x 4mm) brass machine screws or threaded bar and matching Wing Nuts - I found them at Bunnings, but they should be available at any reasonably good Hardware Store. The other brass part is some thin brass strip - I used 0.5mm. Note that you can use any sizes of screws and strip - I just used whatever I had "on hand" or could buy easily. I wouldn't go much thinner than the 0.5mm strip though - it's plenty strong enough and will fit right down into very narrow gaps between frames.
 
I cut the heads off the screws, cut a 4mm deep slot into the cut-off end and Silver Soldered the two pieces together. Then I drilled a 2.5mm hole to accept the 2mm Pin. A bit of "oversize" makes it a lot easier to push the pin through the hole.
 
The wooden pieces are made from a good hardwood - I used Australian Cherry Ballart because I had quite a bit of it in stock, but any other close-grained hardwood would do the job. A 2mm hole was drilled for the pin - this needs to be a good but "easy" slide-in fit.
 
The only item of note not shown in the pics below is some extra bracing I glued to one face of the larger block - this prevents the wood from splitting when pressure is applied. It strengthens the saw cut (these pics were taken before I had my first "Block Failure"). Note the direction of the grain in the large block.
 
 

 

 
 
 
Spreader Clamps
 
 
In Use :
 
 
These Clamps are particularly useful when you need to clamp planking etc and can't use one of the "Between the Frames" clamps, although they can be used in combination with one of them as shown in the pic above. They work very well anywhere inside a hull. I made these in 4 or 5 different lengths depending on the position in the hull they were to be placed. All parts were interchangeable, so a lot of length combinations could be used - the only difference is in the lengths of the brass tubing, the "heads" and "tails" of the clamps are all identical.
 
I used 4mm x 25mm RH-threaded Stainless Steel Machine Screws, Washers and Nuts (again because I had a lot of them in stock - any other combination around that size would be OK). The "swivels" are made from 1/4" (6.5mm) brass round bar that have been drilled and tapped to accept the screws. 5mm brass tubing of various lengths is the only other thing needed.
 
Again, the wooden pieces are made from a good hardwood. The "head" is drilled to accept the swivel, the "tail" is epoxied to the screw to prevent it from falling out when the clamp is tightened. I sanded the end of the "head" to allow it to pivot when necessary.
 
 

 

 
 
Parallel Clamps
 
 
In Use :
 
 
These clamps are particularly useful when you need to clamp two pieces together without distorting their faces from each other. They also avoid the twisting effect that you can get with G-clamps, but are usually used in similar situations to them.
 
They are made from two pieces of hardwood, 8mm x 11mm x 65mm. The same size Swivels as the "Spreader Clamps" are used, with the same size screws as the "Between the Frames" clamps. Again, use any sizes close to the mark that you can get - it's not all that vital.
 
Here's an Exploded View of the Clamp :
 
 

 
 
And a description of how it goes together is below. Two Swivels are threaded to accept the screws, one is a "clearance" hole drilled right through, and the fourth is a clearance hole drilled part-way into the swivel to act as a "stopper". This one is glued into the timber with Silicone or Epoxy.
 
 

 
 
I made about 18 "Between the Frames" clamps, 10 "Spreader" clamps and 6 "Parallel" clamps - that seems to be adequate.
 
  Danny