CAd My Fingers

Congrats on your Jim saw, they are awesome--know you'll totally enjoy yours! However, they are dangerous as all get out...not from a getting hurt standpoint but instead to your wallet--you'll likely want to buy other Jim tools after driving his saw for a bit! I have a few other Jim tools and they all are top notch, and I totally love using them. Have fun! Jay

Glad it's working out well for you, Michael! While it sometimes is time consuming and perhaps anal to others, covering DJs sure has kept my books in great shape over the years. Cheers, Jay

Inter-library loans are one of the best kept library secrets around (i.e., many folks aren't aware of this wonderful resource); however, most libraries participate. I've borrowed a number of rare tomes over the years that otherwise would have been impossible to obtain. If you're looking for a particular book, give WorldCat a search: http://www.worldcat.org Not only does WorldCat give you information on a book you're seeking, it also lists what libraries around the world that have the book--this is a very useful research tool. Cheers, Jay

After you clean the primer and etc. off and give it all a sanding, first put on a coat or two of sealer. From there, give the 1st post in this thread a read--Alistair gives some excellent advice on hand painting, the rest of the thread has good info. also: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/6168-how-to-hand-paint-larger-areas-of-a-model/?hl=painting Hope that info. is what you were looking for. Cheers, Jay

Thanks, Max--looking forward to this replacement vice, esp. after reading all these great reviews--definitely need this "third hand" in my arsenal of tools! Cheers, Jay

Tim, thanks for your answer--very much appreciated! I am definitely sold and will purchase one--that lack of rotation in my current vice is exceptionally frustrating (to the Goodwill it goes). Thanks again, Jay

Tim, in reference to your 2nd picture above: When the ball is in that position, can it freely rotate? In other words, in that picture could you rotate the ball so that your ship and vice jaws are vertical? My current vice's ball "locks in" at that position, and thus I can't rotate the vice to other angles, which is often not helpful! Thanks for the great review and your input! Cheers, Jay

You'll want the 120v (for the US) model; many other countries are above 220v; therefore, the saw requires a different motor voltage that will run under those respective voltages (it's common for power tools and etc. that are sold world wide to come in 110-120v & 220-240v versions). Cheers, Jay

Yep, save up for a Byrnes saw--for a bit more, it's definitely worth it! Cheers, Jay

Excellent advice and paint job Alistair, thanks for sharing! Agree with Druxey that your post is one that should be pinned for reference--hint, hint mods. Cheers, Jay

I visited your website, and it is refreshing to see the unique kits you are offering--I will follow along with your build! Cheers, Jay

Thanks for the very helpful update and overview, Bob. I have a copy on order with Amazon, and will look forward to your review! Cheers, Jay

Very nice work, Luca--your Cutty looks great! About your missing photos: Yep, you'll have to re-load them due to an issue with the MSW server a few days back--a lot of pictures were lost due to that glitch. Again, great work! Cheers, Jay

Absolutely gorgeous work, Michael--your craftsmanship never ceases to amaze me! Would love to spend time in your shop learning the underlying techniques and skills you bring to your work!! Cheers, Jay

Very cool stuff, Paul and great video--thanks for sharing this resource and modeling technique! Cheers, Jay

Gingher scissors are excellent, come in a variety of sizes, but also are rather expensive--love the ones I have! Cheers, Jay

I think I'm tracking now, Mike on what you're looking at doing. Where it'll matter are the bulkheads (BH). Check them on your warped BH former to see if the BHs are flush with the bottom of the former. If they're flush, then your garboard should be able to flow sweetly into a keel-cut rabbet (am guessing you'll use a slightly broader plank for your garboard). My initial thoughts are that if your BHs aren't sitting flush with the former, then I'd really consider not cutting a rabbet into your keel. However, I would test the magnitude of how this will effect the planking if a rabbet were cut. You can test how things will work/look by tack gluing a couple of midship and bow BHs (before the stem sweep) with PVA (alcohol will dissolve the bond) to the former along with scrap pieces of 5mm breadth keel. Cut one simulated keel side w/a rabbet and then dry fit a 1st and 2nd layer of planks on both sides to see how they lay if you use a rabbet and how they lay if you don't. In the attached drawing, I quadrupled the scale of your parts (am assuming 1mm for 1st planking and .25mm for 2nd planking thicknesses). Hopefully it'll give you a visual of what I was mentioning above about how non-flush BHs may be an issue. The left side shows how the kit likely was designed to accommodate for planking; the right side illustrates potential issues in this case if a rabbet is cut into your keel. The forward BH is has much sharper profile than probably your kit forward BHs, but it should give you an idea of potential issues as your near your stem sweep. Cheers, Jay

Mike, both approaches sound reasonable. I'm guessing the kit is dbl. planked, so if I understand correctly you'll be increasing the width on each side by just over 1mm for the rabbet? In addition to being slightly out of scale (~ 2mm @ 1:75 is just over 1/2" real world, so not huge), if you increase the width of the stem and stern posts, you may want to see if those changes will impact the kit's steps for the head construction, bulwarks and rudder fits, and so forth. Cheers, Jay

Mike, Russ is right on about twists. I did a build that had a bent and also twisted plywood keel. Did the soak-and-glass bit that I mentioned above; while that got rid of much of the problem, it didn't get rid of all it. Long story short, the slight bend and twist that still were there caused a number of issues as I went further into the build (plus, overall it just was a crappy kit). In the end, the build came out well but I fought with a lot issues due to the warped keel. Since you have a scroll saw, I'm still recommending cutting a new keel--if you have the spare wood, you can give it a few goes 'til you get the keel you want. On the one hand, all may work out OK after you fix the keel you have; on the other hand it also may set you up for a lot of hassles further into your build or when it's done (will the twist continue to warp out?)...why chance it? An alternative to using Swiss Pear for your keel is Baltic Birch plywood--I think it's been mentioned in a few forum posts, and you'll definitely find stuff about it using Google. Cheers, Jay

Hasn't released yet on Amazon yet in the US; likewise, couldn't locate any online reviews either--too new--however, looks like an interesting read. I may place a copy on order. Cheers, Jay

Mike, I've had mixed results with soaking plywood keels and then putting them between heavy sheets of glass (used glass vs boards because the glass is straight--picked this up from Don Dressel's planking book). Also, there are a couple of posts/threads on the forum that discuss scoring the keel to get it straight that looked like a viable solution. Personally, I think cutting your own new keel is the way to go, esp. if you're planning on upgrading/scratching a lot of your kit anyway--then you know the foundation of your build is both true and solid. Cheers, Jay

Yep, agree with Keith and Brian--I use Titebond PVA and have been happy with it and use regular PVA when I want more time to adjust parts or where I care how a visible seam looks (like Keith said, Titebond dries yellow). Only rarely do I use CA glues. Cheers, Jay

Great innovations, and very nice work Tony, and your lathe work on the cannon looks great! Cheers, Jay

Hi Robbyn, just caught up with your log. First and most importantly am sending prayers and good wishes to your mom, you, and your family!! Words are never quite adequate for those places of the heart. Your start looks great, and it looks like things are going well! Cheers, Jay

Hi Pat, glad that was of help! There was just enough there to go along with Parkins and Marquardt--it's always nice to find those helpful contemporary tidbits. I like your idea of a shroud cleat for the fall--I'm partial to these less seen details! Cheers, Jay