rtropp

Hi Jessie,
Before I bought my torch I used Solder-it, a low temperature soldering paste.  It is available from Amazon, among other places.
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058ED0GO?keywords=solder%20it&qid=1446389742&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1
Ideal for speeding up soldering tasks Works with the heat of a match or lighter Will join 22 different combinations of metals Easy-to-use, no mess, no-waste syringe 7.1 grams .  
No, its not as good as silver soldering, but that requires a pretty good investment and can be difficult to master. It seems to hold up well, especially in areas that do not experience much pressure or pull.  Mine, so far, have held up just fine.  
 
Richard
 
You might want to try it.

Nick,
do you have pictures of your jig?
Richard

I finished the remaining 11 carronade barrels. I used Cladercraft’s 18 pdr barrels (image 1) which - as already mentioned several times in this forum - fit Chuck’s Syren carronade drawings very nicely. I modified them a little by reducing the elevation screw holder in size (image 2a, lower barrel original size, upper barrel reduced size), milled 2 slots for breech ring and gun sight pieces (images 2b and 2c), milled a flat area over the predrilled hole to mount a little brass cube with a pin as basis for the barrel hinge (image 1 and image 3a), and after silver soldering, drilling the hinge hole, and a “little clean-up” with a rotary tool and diamond burr ended up with the finished barrel (image 3b). Image 4 shows the 11 finished carronade barrels after blackening and coating them with Model Master’s Flat Lacquer overcoat.
 
Thomas
 

Image 1
 

Image 2
 

Image 3
 

Image 4
 
 

Last job for today, I cut the mortices into the keel for the frames. This wasn't totally necessary as they won't be seen later, but I figure it makes it easier to line up the frames at the correct spacing.
 

 
Speaking of spacing, I've followed The Framing Disposition plan I got from the NMM. The spacings aren't even on the plan, some are 2 1/4" scale inches different to others, making them LOOK wrong even though they are correct.
 
  Danny

Nick,
do you have pictures of your jig?
Richard

Another photos:
 

 

 

 

 

Assembling the 12 pounders.  This task was straight forward using all the parts provided in the kit.  The laser cut gun carriages were assembled and painted as were the cannons.  The handle for the quoin is a small belaying pin I had left over from my Phantom and used some of the leftover copper tape for the iron brackets, cut to shape and blackened, to secure the cannon to the carriage.  A few rivets were added for effect.
 

 
 
The ship’s wheel that came with the kit (top wheel in the first photo) was in very bad shape so I got in touch with Model Expo and they sent me a replacement.  I also order, from ME, a wooden wheel with the intention of using it instead of the metal one but it turn out to be much too thick to use.  The replacement metal wheel casing that ME sent was in better shape than the original but had a lot of flash to remove. The wheel was filed and all the wooden pieces cleaned of the char and stained.
 

 
I haven't permanently attached the cannons or ship’s wheel to the deck yet because I want to wait until I make the tiller and work out how I want to show the rigging for the steering.
 

Thank you all for your interest in this build. Any comments are always welcome. And Russell, we're all still waiting for your Build Log of Euryalus .
 
Preparations begin by first deciding how much of the section to build. I decided on roughly this area, which shows the Well and Shot Locker, as well as the lower part of the Main Mast and the Pumps. There will also be two fully-rigged Guns on the Upper Deck :
 

 
Next I worked out which Frames will be needed from the Framing Plan :
 

 
Then I printed out the frames from the CD supplied by Admiralty Models for the Swan Class Ships. I printed these on sticky-backed A4 size Label Paper (2 frames per sheet) :
 

 
When I checked on how much timber I have left from building Vulture, there was a bit less Swiss Pear than I thought. I have enough to make a decent start, but I'll have to order a few more pieces from Crown Timberyard. These will probably take around 6 weeks to arrive (at least 4 of those clearing Customs) so there may be a short delay in sequential construction later on. I can pass the time by building other details .
 
Cheers, Danny

I too agree with Mark. I tried to use Dremels and other power tools when I began but soon learned that they are hard for a beginner to control, especially when you are working on extreme miniatures and still learning what the outcome of the work should be.  Working by hand will give you a feel for what it takes to get the right results before you try to speed things up. You will hear others on the site repeat the mantra, work slow, be patient, let the eye hand coordination build. I heeded early on when more experienced builders advised to treat each tiny component as a project in itself.
 
When I started I did most of my cutout work with and Xacto or similar knife.  I scored the cut lightly a few times before making my final cut.  I also found that my cutting is better when I use a harder surface than the rubber cutting mat that are common to hobbyists. The mat might allow the piece to bend when cutting which can alter the cut or splinter the bottom of the cut.  I have a piece of linoleum type tile that gives me better results than a cutting mat... which I still keep on the worktable for general cutting and to protect the surface of the table.
 
It is very important to use sharp tools.  A dull tool will "wander' with the wood grain.  I buy my blades, mostly #11, by the hundred.  Some of the folks keep a sharpening stone nearby and give them a swipe every few cuts.  They still replace them frequently. Chisels need to be kept extremely sharp to slice wood rather than splinter it.  I spent a fair amount of time learning how to sharpen chisels on diamond stone.  My smallest chisels are 1/16" or a little smaller, so they dull quickly and require proper sharpening.
 
Another of my most useful tools is a set of metal files for wood working.  These are slower but will give you better results as you start.  There are some good needle file sets that are cheap on Ebay. I especially like files made by Tamiya.  They have three sizes with different grit. The key for me was to not try a quick back and forth motion but rather to take one or two passes at a time and then look at the work to see where I was.  Also, with files and chisels I use a light stroke letting the tools do the work.  I don't try to force them. They work better than sandpaper for because they keep their shape throughout the cut. 
 
When I started this hobby I did a lot of practice on scrap wood , still do before starting a complex cut.  I often go through a lot of scrap wood, more than I care to admit to, before I get a usable part. 
 
I am one of those who enjoys the journey as much as getting to the destination.  I will work for hours, with a pile of attempts in the scrap bin before I get what I want.  There are those on MSW who make it look really easy, most have a list of builds under their names which built their skills. they had to learn at some point and they were not speed demons when the did, so try not to compare your initial attempts with their much more experienced work.
 
 As for frustration, we all experience that, even the very skilled.  I find that stepping back... with a glass of vodka, helps.
 
Richard

Started working on details that were either overlooked or needed to be done looking at both the plans and the replica brig pictures.
 
Here is how I made the sea steps based upon the pictures of the replica.
12 were needed so I cut the 1/16" x 1/2" blanks and worked on three at a time while ganged in a small spring clamp.


They were then primed and painted both the yellow and black and glued in place.

 
I turned two davit braces with the center area a hexagon while the ends were turned round tapers.
They were glued to the davits and then tied with black thread.

 
Next I addressed the capstan bars starting with 1/16" square basswood strips 1-1/4" long. The square was marked off at 5/16" and indexed into the four jaw lathe chuck and the taper filed using a sanding stick and my left middle finger as a follower while sanding. !0 wee needed.
The bars were stained and clear coated and two sets of 5 glued at an angle. The brass strips were formed, painted and glued to the oar sets. The tapered ends were tied together using brown .008" rope. Each set was then glued to the wall.

 
Here is a fixture I made to form the coiled ropes that hang on various belaying pins. This is were I am presently at making the rope coils. Once wrapped around the brass tubes they were painted with the 50/50 white glue and water mixture and allowed to dry. The two strips keep the coils elevated to facilitate removal. When dry and removed I then soaked the dried coil in water to wet and then formed for each position with a dab of 50/50 mixture at the pin to hold in place. If you get too wet touch the coil with a Q-tip to weep excess water off.

 
I varied the number of rope wraps from 3 - 6 for variety based upon the down rope position.


 
Now back to finishing up the rope coils. I am toying with adding sails which I think I would have to done before adding the life boats to make it easier.
 
 

I finally finished up the hammock covers; again to reinforce the making of these would have been much easier without the masts and rigging lines in place. I was able to maintain my sanity while further developing  my patience, ambidexterity, depth perception and knot tying with tweezers.
The caps were edge formed using 1/4" x 1/16" thick strips curved to match the rails. They then were painted white since the fabric was slightly transparent. Once dry each was covered in fabric glued on the bottom side wrapped over the top and down the other side and allowed to dry. The fabric standing edge was treated with 50/50 glue/water mixture to stiffen. Pencil marks on the bottom side indicated where holes were drilled in the standing edge using the .020" drill bit. Then thread was inserted into the hole and glued to the bottom side. After all the holes were drilled the standing edge was then cut down to 1/8" off the wood strip.
 

 
Once all the threads were in place and glue dry the cover was indexed to the rail making sure all the thread lines are clear and glued in place using white glue and modified clothespins as clamps. The tips of the clothespins need to clear the cannon; and reduces the clamping force so as not to crush the rail system.
 

 
When the glue was set on the cover to the rail then the fun began tying lines to the inside center cable. I found it easier to glue the knots by adding CA just below the knot and let it weep into the knot and this also provided a stiff line to cut off with small sharp at the tip scissors. 
 

 
I was able to carefully navigate all the rigging lines to tie the knots to the cable. This is where the patience and other skills came into play and you can see why this would be much easier to do without the masts and rigging in the way. Here are some views of the finished covers.
 

 

 

 
Next I will start cleaning up the belaying pin attachment points of all the rigging lines now that they have had time to stretch and relax. Make oars and other details.
 
 
 
 
 

I too agree with Mark. I tried to use Dremels and other power tools when I began but soon learned that they are hard for a beginner to control, especially when you are working on extreme miniatures and still learning what the outcome of the work should be.  Working by hand will give you a feel for what it takes to get the right results before you try to speed things up. You will hear others on the site repeat the mantra, work slow, be patient, let the eye hand coordination build. I heeded early on when more experienced builders advised to treat each tiny component as a project in itself.
 
When I started I did most of my cutout work with and Xacto or similar knife.  I scored the cut lightly a few times before making my final cut.  I also found that my cutting is better when I use a harder surface than the rubber cutting mat that are common to hobbyists. The mat might allow the piece to bend when cutting which can alter the cut or splinter the bottom of the cut.  I have a piece of linoleum type tile that gives me better results than a cutting mat... which I still keep on the worktable for general cutting and to protect the surface of the table.
 
It is very important to use sharp tools.  A dull tool will "wander' with the wood grain.  I buy my blades, mostly #11, by the hundred.  Some of the folks keep a sharpening stone nearby and give them a swipe every few cuts.  They still replace them frequently. Chisels need to be kept extremely sharp to slice wood rather than splinter it.  I spent a fair amount of time learning how to sharpen chisels on diamond stone.  My smallest chisels are 1/16" or a little smaller, so they dull quickly and require proper sharpening.
 
Another of my most useful tools is a set of metal files for wood working.  These are slower but will give you better results as you start.  There are some good needle file sets that are cheap on Ebay. I especially like files made by Tamiya.  They have three sizes with different grit. The key for me was to not try a quick back and forth motion but rather to take one or two passes at a time and then look at the work to see where I was.  Also, with files and chisels I use a light stroke letting the tools do the work.  I don't try to force them. They work better than sandpaper for because they keep their shape throughout the cut. 
 
When I started this hobby I did a lot of practice on scrap wood , still do before starting a complex cut.  I often go through a lot of scrap wood, more than I care to admit to, before I get a usable part. 
 
I am one of those who enjoys the journey as much as getting to the destination.  I will work for hours, with a pile of attempts in the scrap bin before I get what I want.  There are those on MSW who make it look really easy, most have a list of builds under their names which built their skills. they had to learn at some point and they were not speed demons when the did, so try not to compare your initial attempts with their much more experienced work.
 
 As for frustration, we all experience that, even the very skilled.  I find that stepping back... with a glass of vodka, helps.
 
Richard

After Dirk's recommendation I tried zapon and it seems to help.  You still have to be careful with the edges, not running you fingers from stern to bow because it will still pull edges.  
 
I used white cotton gloves when making the plates but when peeling back the copper from the backing I needed to use my forefinger to get the edge started and its oils played havoc with the edges.
 
Below is the only place in the U.S. that I found zapon.
 
http://shop.kremerpigments.com/en/mediums--binders-und-glues/solvent-soluble-binders/zapon-lacquer--to-be-thinned-with-alcohol-79550:.html
 
Richard

After Dirk's recommendation I tried zapon and it seems to help.  You still have to be careful with the edges, not running you fingers from stern to bow because it will still pull edges.  
 
I used white cotton gloves when making the plates but when peeling back the copper from the backing I needed to use my forefinger to get the edge started and its oils played havoc with the edges.
 
Below is the only place in the U.S. that I found zapon.
 
http://shop.kremerpigments.com/en/mediums--binders-und-glues/solvent-soluble-binders/zapon-lacquer--to-be-thinned-with-alcohol-79550:.html
 
Richard

After Dirk's recommendation I tried zapon and it seems to help.  You still have to be careful with the edges, not running you fingers from stern to bow because it will still pull edges.  
 
I used white cotton gloves when making the plates but when peeling back the copper from the backing I needed to use my forefinger to get the edge started and its oils played havoc with the edges.
 
Below is the only place in the U.S. that I found zapon.
 
http://shop.kremerpigments.com/en/mediums--binders-und-glues/solvent-soluble-binders/zapon-lacquer--to-be-thinned-with-alcohol-79550:.html
 
Richard

After Dirk's recommendation I tried zapon and it seems to help.  You still have to be careful with the edges, not running you fingers from stern to bow because it will still pull edges.  
 
I used white cotton gloves when making the plates but when peeling back the copper from the backing I needed to use my forefinger to get the edge started and its oils played havoc with the edges.
 
Below is the only place in the U.S. that I found zapon.
 
http://shop.kremerpigments.com/en/mediums--binders-und-glues/solvent-soluble-binders/zapon-lacquer--to-be-thinned-with-alcohol-79550:.html
 
Richard

Just curious so not a big deal.
thanks anyway.
Richard

After Dirk's recommendation I tried zapon and it seems to help.  You still have to be careful with the edges, not running you fingers from stern to bow because it will still pull edges.  
 
I used white cotton gloves when making the plates but when peeling back the copper from the backing I needed to use my forefinger to get the edge started and its oils played havoc with the edges.
 
Below is the only place in the U.S. that I found zapon.
 
http://shop.kremerpigments.com/en/mediums--binders-und-glues/solvent-soluble-binders/zapon-lacquer--to-be-thinned-with-alcohol-79550:.html
 
Richard

Just curious so not a big deal.
thanks anyway.
Richard

Dan,
What is the length and height of the fully rigged Swan?  I looked but could not find them to include the full masting including bowsprit. If you have the actual measurements from your Vulture that would help.
 
Thanks
Richard

The Jones' Micro-Mark Laserknife 2525 update: 6 months later…
 
I apologize in advance for the extreme length of this post, but it’s hard to condense 6 months of quite varied experiences with a complex product into a few lines.
 
What a roller-coaster journey, but a good outcome. I promised several people I would update my experience with the Laserknife 2525 from Micro-Mark, so here I am.  (You can read about some of our earlier trials and tribulations in above postings, but there’s a happy ending finally.)
 
First, I am happy to report that we finally have a smoothly-operating laser cutter that is able to cut and engrave nicely on a variety of materials, as advertised. I found that their tech support staff was wonderful and responsive, but they- and we- had a bit of a learning curve along the way as very unexpected issues arose.
 
We have learned a lot, both from trying to troubleshoot different things with Micro-Mark’s tech support guys, and our own online research. They have since updated and enhanced their user manual, based on experiences and input from both Charles and I, Mark Taylor, and possibly other buyers. 
 
We still cannot find any other reviews online from people who have actually bought them other than Mark Taylor or us. This is puzzling considering the size of the online model shipbuilding and model railroading communities worldwide who would be a natural customer base for the product.
 
There’s a huge laser-cutting & engraving forum of nearly 3,000 members on Facebook and as far as we know, we are the only ones with the Micro-Mark Laserknife machine. The vast majority have the generic K-40’s (50’s, 60’s, and wattages upward) purchased directly from China, eBay, etc.-- and the forum abounds with nightmarish horror stories of dangerous flaws, fires, unuseable Moshi-Draw software that crashes or refuses to load, missing or bent parts, etc. There’s also some amazing and creative things being done with these laser cutters, despite the apparent lack of quality control at the factories.
 
Although we did pay more through Micro-Mark, there’s a lot to be said for having an American-based company to buy from.  We had a lot more recourse when issues arose and their customer service was good. 
 
It’s true that the machine is a basic “K-40” Chinese machine, but Micro-Mark did add some improvements and safety features and a much better software interface to Corel Draw, and some quality upgrades to the machine.
 
I would recommend this machine as a hobby laser cutter with a few caveats.
 
It is most definitely not a toy, and requires a bit of online research and familiarization beyond the user manual. You may need to be willing to tinker with it a bit to get the results you want. You need to be very aware of safety issues and NEVER bypass the safety switch and operate it with the door open! (You’ll see why in a few paragraphs, below.)
 
You must educate yourself on what materials you should or should not attempt to cut with the machine.  For example, PVC or Vinyl can cause a reaction that produces Chlorine gas in the cutting chamber. That can be pretty lethal for you or your laser cutter!
 
You might need to exercise loads of patience to get the mirrors aligned precisely, and check alignment and clean them (and the lens) frequently, depending on the materials you are cutting.  This can be a tedious but necessary process to ensure good results. That is not limited to this brand of machine, but just in general with smaller laser cutters.
 
The optics supplied with the Laserknife are sufficient for most hobby needs, and we have personally attained some pretty decent results, but the more expensive American-made laser cutters have much finer cutting lines or kerfs and much less edge char is formed.  They also have much more automated features.
 
Of course those machines cost 5x more than this one. Again…it’s ok for hobby use, or the limited uses I do for producing prototypes and small batches of laser-cut/engraved dollhouse accessory kits for my online business.
 
We had to go through one original and two replacement machines until we got one that worked properly.  
 
I will say that whether or not you are a fan of them, Micro-Mark as a company worked with us every step of the way, and this was at a pretty hefty expense to them to not only replace the machines but for covering shipping back and forth. It would have probably been far cheaper for them to just refund our money and send us on our way but they did stand behind their product.  This started back in April when we initially purchased the machine and continued up to late September.
 
These machines sometimes do not do well with the rigors of shipping via ground carriers such as UPS or Fed-Ex & the like. They apparently are prone to rough handling along the way Because of their awkward bulky shipping size & weight.
 
Micro-Mark did make some significant design changes to their packaging to help, but the first machine had the laser tube jolted so badly out of alignment we could not get it to work properly, despite hours of adjustments. We opted to return the machine for replacement.  When that machine arrived back at the factory the heavy metal case and box were bashed in as if it had been hit with a fork lift somewhere in transit! So much for “fragile” stickers.
 
The second machine arrived here with one of the belts hanging loose and its holding bracket and attachment bolts ended up rattling around and hiding in the power supply casing!  Good thing we didn’t turn it on without a thorough inspection.  That could have resulted in a nasty surprise had it shorted out.  
 
This was probably caused in transit.  We know for sure that the machine did not ship from Micro-Mark’s warehouse that way because we worked with one of their techs prior to him shipping it and he provided us video of the same machine cutting properly on our materials using the files we supplied.
 
He was absolutely meticulous in packing the machine carefully for shipment.  We were so stunned after carefully unpacking all the padding to see one of the driver belts hanging loose in the cutting chamber. Again…the rigors of shipping across country are apparently difficult for these sensitive machines.
 
The design from the Chinese factory was such that it was impossible to re-attach the driver belt without cutting a slot in the back of the metal case to try to slip a screwdriver in to reattach the belt pulley. It would have been a very delicate 2-person job because the laser tube was in the way.
 
Tom Piccarillo (President of Micro-Mark and a forum member here) told me that they have changed the design for better access to that for the next batch they order from the factory. That makes sense because belts do break, loosen, or wear out over time.
 
We opted not to repair the belt assembly ourselves even though their tech was willing to send tools and instructions overnight to us. After a lot of soul-searching and weighing of the pros and cons of a refund versus a yet another replacement, we returned the second machine and got our third (ahd hopefully final!) one.  
 
We didn’t want yet another learning curve with another brand of machine costing a lot more, nor did we want to save money but sacrifice customer service by trying to deal directly with China or eBay sellers.
 
The 3rd one came from a second batch of machines from China and it did have visible improvements. The honeycomb bed was flat, square, and level- not warped- and did not require shimming as the prior ones did.
 
The gantry arm was level, unlike the first machine which we noticed was slightly off kilter and required us to level it manually.  Also the mirror assembly had some minor improvements that allowed for easier alignment. We noticed the lens seemed to be a slightly better quality and there was a minor change in color to the lens nozzle assembly.  
 
Unfortunately, the lens is an odd size so upgrading to better quality optics if desired can be tricky. Mark Taylor learned this when he upgraded his lens assembly. There are aftermarket upgrades, but you may sacrifice the ability to easily adjust focal length and may have to use positioning jigs, depending on what you are cutting. 
 
Once we got the 3rd machine we were able to cut various thicknesses of Basswood, Maple and Walnut, as well as Acrylic, and cardstock.  We made a “cheat sheet” of speed and power settings that produced the best results with the various materials and thicknesses.  We refer to it often.
 
However…that was not also without incident  After we had been successfully cutting a fairly simple project, about mid-way through the operation, Charles suddenly noticed that the plastic chain that protected the L.E.D. (red pointer light) wires was glowing hot! 
 
Something had caused the laser tube to suddenly go out of alignment and split the beam. Part of it continued to cut ok, while the other park split and ricocheted back onto the chain & fried it. THIS IS WHY YOU DO NOT BYPASS SAFETY SWITCHES AND OPERATE IT WITH THE DOOR OPEN.  Fortunately, we knew better than to ever bypass the safety switch and Charles quickly shut off the machine but it was a real wake-up call and safety reminder.
 
After some digging into the problem we realized replacing the chain would be a pain. It would require cutting the L.E.D. wires, threading them into a new chain, soldering them and applying a heat shrink tube over the solder point.  Instead of all that hassle, their tech support provided us with a section of specially-modified chain that had the bottom cut out, so it could fit easily over the wires without cutting them. The links just popped into place after we removed the melted ones.  It’s worked fine ever since. 
 
We were quite perplexed as to what could suddenly cause it to go off kilter.  We noticed that the carriage tube assembly was not level but slanted slightly forward. It was just enough to make the tube split the beam.
 
The problem was we didn’t see any way to really level it or how it could have suddenly become un-level when it was cutting along just fine. We had been sending photos to their tech support guys and one of them noticed that our rollers sat a little differently on the guide rail than ones at their warehouse. He made a little instructional video and had us apply a bit of force and snap them back into position and that did the trick.
 
I would recommend this for it’s intended use- as a hobby machine.  You can spend a lot more (Upwads of $8k-$10k) for an American-manufactured machine with better quality optics, movable bed, auto-focus, extremely fine resolution and minimal char for cutting and engraving, etc. but for the price (and even this is a splurge), this seems to do what most hobbyists would need.
 
A couple of other things to note:  The cutting area is fairly small on this machine, but if you are willing to break projects down into smaller parts, it’s not an issue.
 
Also, if you live in an extremely hot climate such as we do (Phoenix, Arizona), the basic bucket water cooling system will not be sufficient to operate it in a garage in Summer! The laser tube requires a very constant operating temperature within a small range.
 
We tried adding frozen water bottles & gel packs and an aquarium temperature sensor alarm to the bucket, but the ambient room temperature in our garage can exceed 100 degrees in Summer and they just melted too quickly.
 
We ended up purchasing a CW5000 water chiller unit that cost ½ the price of the laser cutter (not cheap!) from an online source. The CW3000 model was just a cooler and not sufficient for our needs.  The chiller works great even in our blistering Summer heat.
 
Next purchase will be for a portable swamp cooler to keep the laser cutter operator himself more comfortable working out there in the Summer. (He’s a native Arizonan and claims the heat doesn’t bother him, but I am a wimp!)
 
I’m going to attach a photo of an engraved 1:12 scale decorative tray for a dollhouse. You can see how finely the engraving renders. The little “uncut” places are just bridges we put in the design so they stay attached to the background wood until released with a craft knife. We can even do the engraving finer than that, but I was going to paint the tray so wanted the engraving a little deeper to stand out in relief as you can see on the second tray sample. (It’s just got a rough top coat of craft paint on it. I plan to do a shabby chic, weathered finish.) The penny in the photo is approximately ¾” diameter for size reference.
 
Thanks for reading this wordy tome, and I hope this will not discourage anyone from giving the fascinating world of laser cutting & engraving a try. It has fabulous uses in the model shipyard and I’m sure Charles will post his own uses for it in his model building.
 
See y'all around the forums!
Debbie (and Charles) Jones

I too agree with Mark. I tried to use Dremels and other power tools when I began but soon learned that they are hard for a beginner to control, especially when you are working on extreme miniatures and still learning what the outcome of the work should be.  Working by hand will give you a feel for what it takes to get the right results before you try to speed things up. You will hear others on the site repeat the mantra, work slow, be patient, let the eye hand coordination build. I heeded early on when more experienced builders advised to treat each tiny component as a project in itself.
 
When I started I did most of my cutout work with and Xacto or similar knife.  I scored the cut lightly a few times before making my final cut.  I also found that my cutting is better when I use a harder surface than the rubber cutting mat that are common to hobbyists. The mat might allow the piece to bend when cutting which can alter the cut or splinter the bottom of the cut.  I have a piece of linoleum type tile that gives me better results than a cutting mat... which I still keep on the worktable for general cutting and to protect the surface of the table.
 
It is very important to use sharp tools.  A dull tool will "wander' with the wood grain.  I buy my blades, mostly #11, by the hundred.  Some of the folks keep a sharpening stone nearby and give them a swipe every few cuts.  They still replace them frequently. Chisels need to be kept extremely sharp to slice wood rather than splinter it.  I spent a fair amount of time learning how to sharpen chisels on diamond stone.  My smallest chisels are 1/16" or a little smaller, so they dull quickly and require proper sharpening.
 
Another of my most useful tools is a set of metal files for wood working.  These are slower but will give you better results as you start.  There are some good needle file sets that are cheap on Ebay. I especially like files made by Tamiya.  They have three sizes with different grit. The key for me was to not try a quick back and forth motion but rather to take one or two passes at a time and then look at the work to see where I was.  Also, with files and chisels I use a light stroke letting the tools do the work.  I don't try to force them. They work better than sandpaper for because they keep their shape throughout the cut. 
 
When I started this hobby I did a lot of practice on scrap wood , still do before starting a complex cut.  I often go through a lot of scrap wood, more than I care to admit to, before I get a usable part. 
 
I am one of those who enjoys the journey as much as getting to the destination.  I will work for hours, with a pile of attempts in the scrap bin before I get what I want.  There are those on MSW who make it look really easy, most have a list of builds under their names which built their skills. they had to learn at some point and they were not speed demons when the did, so try not to compare your initial attempts with their much more experienced work.
 
 As for frustration, we all experience that, even the very skilled.  I find that stepping back... with a glass of vodka, helps.
 
Richard

Coppering looks good.  Keep it up
Richard

Coppering looks good.  Keep it up
Richard

Small update and I’d like to thank everyone for their kind words and for hitting the ‘likes’ button.
I put together the binnacle which was pretty straight forward as most of the parts are provided on the laser cut sheet.  I beveled  the top's edges and door and drawer fronts before gluing them on and decided not to install the trim piece between the top doors and lower drawers, it just didn’t look right.  I added handles made from 7mm rivets and drilled the three vent holes on each side. The bell support was the hardest part of this section trying to get the wire legs all the same.  I’m still not sure if I like the way it came out and it may be on the list for a do over.