Jaager

Kenna,
Broken record here, but just be aware that by doubling the length, the final model will be 8 times larger.
2x length x 2x width x 2x depth, 2x2x2=8.
When you enlarge, do a clear metric ruler first and check for any machine inaccuracy.  Home type scanner copiers have a paper currency anti counterfeit factor.
Architect copiers would not/ could not abide this sort of error factor.  
About enlarging the plans,  no single part of a model requires the full size of the plans.  They are all small sections of it.   The smaller sections are easier to use, too.   The keel and the lower masts are the largest parts.  A keel is made up of shorter segments.  You do not need a whole intact plan of a mast to make one.  The interesting part is the upper section.

JD,
Billets are 1" to 2" thick sections of a small log.  The width is whatever it turns out to be.  Doing thin slices on wet wood is probably a good way to lose all of it.
If you do not seal the transverse cut surfaces - the ones that cross cut the fibers (tubes) - more water will leave from the open tubes than thru the walls.  The vastly uneven drying will produce severe checking.  The wood will experience extensive splitting. Often along the total length.  Minor checking at the cut ends is the norm no matter.  But another coat of sealer may help.  The last time I did this, I used left over enamel paint and a sheet of Bounty as an applicator.  Latex gloves.  no cleanup - it does drip, so do not do it over any unprotected  surface that you care about.
Removing the bark speeds drying.  Some wood has wood eating insect eggs and larvae just under the bark.  If they are present and not removed, the dry wood may be Swiss cheese.
The pith in most wood is not useful.  In some species it is spongy.  It is also an origin for checking.  Removing it may reduce splitting and increase the yield of usable wood.  Even though I like the face of quarter sawn slices,  I usually slice a billet with the blade going thru the pith. 
Was it Davis or Underhill who wrote about collecting branches after a wind storm and using the branch forks to get knees and hooks with naturally curved grain?  I think species where the branching is close to 90 degrees are more useful than those with acute angles,  but not all branching is bad.  It is not good for billets,  but those sections can be their own thing.
 
A log wants to roll and has no even edge to ride against a fence.  A carrier board that lays on the table with a straight edge for the fence.....  the log can be fixed to and overhang the other edge of this carrier.  I use  right angle timber framing brackets to hold a log,  Short pan head screws (1/2") for the carrier and long drywall screws to hold the log.  The carrier is a bit of a problem with a table saw - it costs 1/2" depth per cut.  With a large bandsaw - which is the tool for this - no problem.  The problem with large logs is the maximum distance the fence can be from the blade.  But in this situation,  I do the dangerous thing and long axis bisect the log with the chain saw.  This for sure removes the pith and a lot more.  For what you have, this is not a factor at all.

Although I have totally succumbed to the dreaded syndrome, I do not regret it.  I would find it near impossible to do a POF scratch build without a drill press.  I also doubt that I could get enough use from one on a kit build to justify what I spent on it. 

It would be difficult to over praise the improvement an in-line cyclone type trap makes in dealing with collected saw dust,  A cloth bag or straight to a vac chamber/filter just ain't in it once you see the difference. 
My old Sears 16gal shop vac was like being near a jet engine - had to use ear muff sound protection.  I bought a Festool Midi because it was supposed to be quiet.  It is, but it is expensive as 'ell and turns itself off after 15 min.   I bought a 16 gal Rigid from Home Depot that is about as quiet, pulls a hurricane, stays on, and costs less than 20% what the Festool did.  I do not need hearing protection, but I still can't listen to Beethoven when its on.
Now on to your question.
This is what I have now:
https://www.rockler.com/dust-collector-remote-switch
The remote uses a common low cost battery.   I unplug it when I am done - because I live in a condo and it may use the same frequency as some garage door remotes.  You can guess how I discovered that.   I ain't low cost, but a low cost model that clued me in on this tech, burned out.
 
 

Hank,
 
Before you get too far along, You could consider adding a caboose to your "shack".   With a 2 1/4" to 4" pipe and 110V communication thru the wall and a couple or three layers of sound batting on the common wall.  The weather proof add-on would house a vac.  You could keep a Dust Devil type cyclone trap in the main room and move it from machine to machine.  The 110V is easily controlled using an RIF remote clicker.  Go for quality with the radio control box - saves buying one twice.   This way your ears will not be  assaulted by the vac,  the discharge is to the outside world and you can listen to music while generating saw dust.  It would also maybe work with a paint spray booth.   With the cyclone trap in the main room, you will not need to attend to catch basin or filter on the main vac all that often. 

Although I have totally succumbed to the dreaded syndrome, I do not regret it.  I would find it near impossible to do a POF scratch build without a drill press.  I also doubt that I could get enough use from one on a kit build to justify what I spent on it. 

It would be difficult to over praise the improvement an in-line cyclone type trap makes in dealing with collected saw dust,  A cloth bag or straight to a vac chamber/filter just ain't in it once you see the difference. 
My old Sears 16gal shop vac was like being near a jet engine - had to use ear muff sound protection.  I bought a Festool Midi because it was supposed to be quiet.  It is, but it is expensive as 'ell and turns itself off after 15 min.   I bought a 16 gal Rigid from Home Depot that is about as quiet, pulls a hurricane, stays on, and costs less than 20% what the Festool did.  I do not need hearing protection, but I still can't listen to Beethoven when its on.
Now on to your question.
This is what I have now:
https://www.rockler.com/dust-collector-remote-switch
The remote uses a common low cost battery.   I unplug it when I am done - because I live in a condo and it may use the same frequency as some garage door remotes.  You can guess how I discovered that.   I ain't low cost, but a low cost model that clued me in on this tech, burned out.
 
 

Hank,
 
Before you get too far along, You could consider adding a caboose to your "shack".   With a 2 1/4" to 4" pipe and 110V communication thru the wall and a couple or three layers of sound batting on the common wall.  The weather proof add-on would house a vac.  You could keep a Dust Devil type cyclone trap in the main room and move it from machine to machine.  The 110V is easily controlled using an RIF remote clicker.  Go for quality with the radio control box - saves buying one twice.   This way your ears will not be  assaulted by the vac,  the discharge is to the outside world and you can listen to music while generating saw dust.  It would also maybe work with a paint spray booth.   With the cyclone trap in the main room, you will not need to attend to catch basin or filter on the main vac all that often. 

For solid hulls and masts -  before the deck is laid  - an oversize hole that covers the rake angle zone and approaches the depth to the top of the keelson.  Then, after the deck is laid - a spike ( the cut off point of a ten penny nail ) at the heel of the mast will secure the bottom and functioning mast wedges can fine tune the rake.  
Other holes,  a collection of pin vises and something like a Dremel 8050 (needs additional collets)

JD,
   If the wood is invaded by Blue Mold and is grey or blue,  it should be just as sound as normal Holly.  It is similar in hardness to Black Cherry,  so it is not rock hard.  If you can dent it using significant pressure, but does not crumble, you are golden.  It takes dyes well,  so the fungal stain is not one that you are stuck with.  It is suitable for most every part of hull.  It is reserved, because it is expensive and difficult to obtain.  Commercial - the infected wood is seen as trash.   If yours is grey, it may useful as is for bottom planking for pre-1770's hulls - before coppering - that were treated with light colored gunk.  It can be affected by humidity changes,  so I would shellac the hidden inside surfaces and use another species for spars.
I would be greedy, be very, very greedy.  Get as much as can be had.  The Fates do not offer opportunities like this much more than once in a lifetime.  If nothing else, it could be useful for sale or trade in the future.  Unless stored using poor conditions, it will out last you.

I got to the bandsaw tonight with a 12 inch log of about 4-5" diameter, and a smaller one about 2-3". The smaller one already has a big check in it:

But I cut it up to get flitches of about 3/8" thickness. 
 
How's this for a first attempt at quartersawing:

These pieces are 1/2" to 3/4" in thickness. I took what the bandsaw would give me. My technique needs work; the pieces are of variable thickness due to difficulty controlling the log against the fence of the bandsaw. I forgot to finish cutting one of the corner pieces on the right.

My kiln! AKA a shelf in the garage. I am gonna need A LOT more space. There is a lot more wood to come, including pieces of 24" length.

If it was in the US, a problem with Blue Mold infection after cutting is about universal.  It is a critical problem if you wish the wood to be snow white.  Your var. may not be white to begin with, some are yellow.   I was told here that Blue Mold is not as bad in the UK.  But, I will proceed as though it were.
Blue Mold discolors, but otherwise does not affect the usability of the wood.  It is just robins egg blue or grey.
To counter it, Holly is harvested in the Winter.
The cut ends are sealed on site.  Old house paint will work as well as anything.
It is cut into billets and debarked as soon as possible.  It is then immediately loaded into a kiln and stickered for drying.
Holly is wet when freshly cut.  As I was bandsawing an unsealed log, the blade was pushing water out of the end,
I made my own "kiln".  1" foil faced foam insulating sheeting,  200W- 400W of incandescent light bulbs as the heat source.  A DC muffin fan as a low cost water vapor exhaust.  A thermometer (digital - holds the highest temp) make it too hot for the mold, but not much more.  It will take a couple or three months.  It is faster than air drying, which is 1 year/inch.
Holly wants to twist as it drys.  A lot of weight on top of the stack can counter this, but at our scale and volume of wood that is difficult.
 
Not much works for us better than Holly.  It is hard enough.  holds an edge.  bends well.  takes well to wood dyes. Almost no grain or pores.  I think the grey infected wood makes for a more realistic deck than white.  Excellent for framing timber, but above miniature scales,  this requires a volume of wood that is better supplied by easier to obtain species.  Works well for beams, clamps, hooks, deck furniture, and especially planking.  Dyed black, it stands in for Ebony, without the hassle of toxic and invasive wood flour.
 
It should be worth the effort, despite the harvest challenge.  Even if your stock winds up stained by the fungus, it will still be as suitable for our purposes as anything you can find.

JD,
   If the wood is invaded by Blue Mold and is grey or blue,  it should be just as sound as normal Holly.  It is similar in hardness to Black Cherry,  so it is not rock hard.  If you can dent it using significant pressure, but does not crumble, you are golden.  It takes dyes well,  so the fungal stain is not one that you are stuck with.  It is suitable for most every part of hull.  It is reserved, because it is expensive and difficult to obtain.  Commercial - the infected wood is seen as trash.   If yours is grey, it may useful as is for bottom planking for pre-1770's hulls - before coppering - that were treated with light colored gunk.  It can be affected by humidity changes,  so I would shellac the hidden inside surfaces and use another species for spars.
I would be greedy, be very, very greedy.  Get as much as can be had.  The Fates do not offer opportunities like this much more than once in a lifetime.  If nothing else, it could be useful for sale or trade in the future.  Unless stored using poor conditions, it will out last you.

This thread may add more insight for this topic:
 
*https://modelshipworld.com/topic/23377-nail-drivers
 

 
 

JD,
   If the wood is invaded by Blue Mold and is grey or blue,  it should be just as sound as normal Holly.  It is similar in hardness to Black Cherry,  so it is not rock hard.  If you can dent it using significant pressure, but does not crumble, you are golden.  It takes dyes well,  so the fungal stain is not one that you are stuck with.  It is suitable for most every part of hull.  It is reserved, because it is expensive and difficult to obtain.  Commercial - the infected wood is seen as trash.   If yours is grey, it may useful as is for bottom planking for pre-1770's hulls - before coppering - that were treated with light colored gunk.  It can be affected by humidity changes,  so I would shellac the hidden inside surfaces and use another species for spars.
I would be greedy, be very, very greedy.  Get as much as can be had.  The Fates do not offer opportunities like this much more than once in a lifetime.  If nothing else, it could be useful for sale or trade in the future.  Unless stored using poor conditions, it will out last you.

It is possible to use a dye on the under the copper planking to match the color of the copper - especially the old penny end point.
Using alcohol based dye will avoid the fiber swelling factor with aqueous dyes.  Because it is hidden, the shallower depth with alcohol dyes is not a problem.  This has no effect on the wood surface v.s. bare wood.
 
I am not using slang, a dye is a totally different material from a stain.  A stain is semi transparent wood colored paint.  If your wood is quality, a dye offers options for display, without affecting the grain as viewed.  A stain is to improve low quality wood.  It muddies quality wood.  A thought that repeats is why expend all this time and effort using low quality wood, unless it is to be painted?

It is possible to use a dye on the under the copper planking to match the color of the copper - especially the old penny end point.
Using alcohol based dye will avoid the fiber swelling factor with aqueous dyes.  Because it is hidden, the shallower depth with alcohol dyes is not a problem.  This has no effect on the wood surface v.s. bare wood.
 
I am not using slang, a dye is a totally different material from a stain.  A stain is semi transparent wood colored paint.  If your wood is quality, a dye offers options for display, without affecting the grain as viewed.  A stain is to improve low quality wood.  It muddies quality wood.  A thought that repeats is why expend all this time and effort using low quality wood, unless it is to be painted?

JD,
Billets are 1" to 2" thick sections of a small log.  The width is whatever it turns out to be.  Doing thin slices on wet wood is probably a good way to lose all of it.
If you do not seal the transverse cut surfaces - the ones that cross cut the fibers (tubes) - more water will leave from the open tubes than thru the walls.  The vastly uneven drying will produce severe checking.  The wood will experience extensive splitting. Often along the total length.  Minor checking at the cut ends is the norm no matter.  But another coat of sealer may help.  The last time I did this, I used left over enamel paint and a sheet of Bounty as an applicator.  Latex gloves.  no cleanup - it does drip, so do not do it over any unprotected  surface that you care about.
Removing the bark speeds drying.  Some wood has wood eating insect eggs and larvae just under the bark.  If they are present and not removed, the dry wood may be Swiss cheese.
The pith in most wood is not useful.  In some species it is spongy.  It is also an origin for checking.  Removing it may reduce splitting and increase the yield of usable wood.  Even though I like the face of quarter sawn slices,  I usually slice a billet with the blade going thru the pith. 
Was it Davis or Underhill who wrote about collecting branches after a wind storm and using the branch forks to get knees and hooks with naturally curved grain?  I think species where the branching is close to 90 degrees are more useful than those with acute angles,  but not all branching is bad.  It is not good for billets,  but those sections can be their own thing.
 
A log wants to roll and has no even edge to ride against a fence.  A carrier board that lays on the table with a straight edge for the fence.....  the log can be fixed to and overhang the other edge of this carrier.  I use  right angle timber framing brackets to hold a log,  Short pan head screws (1/2") for the carrier and long drywall screws to hold the log.  The carrier is a bit of a problem with a table saw - it costs 1/2" depth per cut.  With a large bandsaw - which is the tool for this - no problem.  The problem with large logs is the maximum distance the fence can be from the blade.  But in this situation,  I do the dangerous thing and long axis bisect the log with the chain saw.  This for sure removes the pith and a lot more.  For what you have, this is not a factor at all.

This is my opinion.  I am not a professional in the paint industry or a professional cabinet maker. Do not take this as authoritative as it reads.    It is just easier to use an imperative verb tense in this case. 
 
1) Shellac is good to use as a primary coat before painting. Use 50:50 concentration as a first coat.  It fills small pores, penetrates the wood, locks down the surface fibers and leaves a very thin addition to the surface.  Steel wool 0000 ( be sure to remove all steel slivers or = rust/stain) or Scotch Brite leaves a smooth surface for paint and it saves a coat of paint. 
Copper plating ....  which type, how is it to adhere to the hull.  If it is adhesive backed foil, shellac may be a good surface.  If it is metal/ glue - bare wood AND abrasive clean any copper oxidation layer from the back of the metal.  If it is metal paint on bond paper, bare wood.
2) Primer can be dilute paint - shellac is a good base for any follow on - paint or clear.  If by primer, you mean sand n sealer - this is mostly for open pore wood species - like Oak, Walnut, and the stuff in a lot of kits.  It has particles of stuff like plaster to fill the pores and leave a smooth surface.  If you have used a good choice of the species for the planking, it is superfluous. No pores to fill.  Skip the shellac and you may need an additional coat of paint.  Since you are not painting the interior walls of a house, the additional cost of another coat of paint is nill.
3)  Tung oil is for a clear finish.  Shellac can go first, or 50::50 Tung oil : mineral spirits.  No point in using it over paint.  Too much gloss on the paint itself is often already a problem with models: scale effect.  Additional gloss from Tung oil would make this worse - unless it is a toy that you are displaying. 
4)  Tung oil is an oil.  It stays wet until it polymerizes.  It would be awful as a base for any type of copper plating.
5)  Beats the -ell out of me, why anyone would want to.  I sure would not go it.

Way back in literature from the 1960's and earlier, White Pine or pattern makers Pine was suggested as a preferred choice for carved hull - either solid or built up from layers.  What with popularity of POB and the attempts to mitigate its major short coming by adding supporting fill material between the moulds,  Pine is far superior to the odious Balsa in doing it.  It does not need to be the more expensive White Pine. Select grade framing stock works as well.  The problem is getting 2x4 or 1x4 stock into usable thicknesses.  Basswood is also good for this
 
There are two Tilia sp. that are commonly available.  In North America it is Basswood.  In Europe it is Lime (Linden).  Lime has been long a favorite for architectural scale carving.  It carves well and easily in large scale.  It is about twice as hard as Basswood.  Good characteristics are consistent texture, inconspicuous grain, and near invisible pores.  White Pine also shares these characteristics.
I find Basswood and White Pine to be too soft for ship construction.  It is difficult to get sharp edges and hold them.  It does not take much pressure to dent either species.   
Another species that you may find easy to source and be about the same cost is Yellow Poplar.  It is soft and easy to work, but it holds an edge.  The negative is that it is inconsistent in color in a small piece and can be ugly.  If it is hidden inside or painted or stained, it is a good choice.  I do not know how attractive a dyed piece is.    

JD,
Billets are 1" to 2" thick sections of a small log.  The width is whatever it turns out to be.  Doing thin slices on wet wood is probably a good way to lose all of it.
If you do not seal the transverse cut surfaces - the ones that cross cut the fibers (tubes) - more water will leave from the open tubes than thru the walls.  The vastly uneven drying will produce severe checking.  The wood will experience extensive splitting. Often along the total length.  Minor checking at the cut ends is the norm no matter.  But another coat of sealer may help.  The last time I did this, I used left over enamel paint and a sheet of Bounty as an applicator.  Latex gloves.  no cleanup - it does drip, so do not do it over any unprotected  surface that you care about.
Removing the bark speeds drying.  Some wood has wood eating insect eggs and larvae just under the bark.  If they are present and not removed, the dry wood may be Swiss cheese.
The pith in most wood is not useful.  In some species it is spongy.  It is also an origin for checking.  Removing it may reduce splitting and increase the yield of usable wood.  Even though I like the face of quarter sawn slices,  I usually slice a billet with the blade going thru the pith. 
Was it Davis or Underhill who wrote about collecting branches after a wind storm and using the branch forks to get knees and hooks with naturally curved grain?  I think species where the branching is close to 90 degrees are more useful than those with acute angles,  but not all branching is bad.  It is not good for billets,  but those sections can be their own thing.
 
A log wants to roll and has no even edge to ride against a fence.  A carrier board that lays on the table with a straight edge for the fence.....  the log can be fixed to and overhang the other edge of this carrier.  I use  right angle timber framing brackets to hold a log,  Short pan head screws (1/2") for the carrier and long drywall screws to hold the log.  The carrier is a bit of a problem with a table saw - it costs 1/2" depth per cut.  With a large bandsaw - which is the tool for this - no problem.  The problem with large logs is the maximum distance the fence can be from the blade.  But in this situation,  I do the dangerous thing and long axis bisect the log with the chain saw.  This for sure removes the pith and a lot more.  For what you have, this is not a factor at all.

This is my opinion.  I am not a professional in the paint industry or a professional cabinet maker. Do not take this as authoritative as it reads.    It is just easier to use an imperative verb tense in this case. 
 
1) Shellac is good to use as a primary coat before painting. Use 50:50 concentration as a first coat.  It fills small pores, penetrates the wood, locks down the surface fibers and leaves a very thin addition to the surface.  Steel wool 0000 ( be sure to remove all steel slivers or = rust/stain) or Scotch Brite leaves a smooth surface for paint and it saves a coat of paint. 
Copper plating ....  which type, how is it to adhere to the hull.  If it is adhesive backed foil, shellac may be a good surface.  If it is metal/ glue - bare wood AND abrasive clean any copper oxidation layer from the back of the metal.  If it is metal paint on bond paper, bare wood.
2) Primer can be dilute paint - shellac is a good base for any follow on - paint or clear.  If by primer, you mean sand n sealer - this is mostly for open pore wood species - like Oak, Walnut, and the stuff in a lot of kits.  It has particles of stuff like plaster to fill the pores and leave a smooth surface.  If you have used a good choice of the species for the planking, it is superfluous. No pores to fill.  Skip the shellac and you may need an additional coat of paint.  Since you are not painting the interior walls of a house, the additional cost of another coat of paint is nill.
3)  Tung oil is for a clear finish.  Shellac can go first, or 50::50 Tung oil : mineral spirits.  No point in using it over paint.  Too much gloss on the paint itself is often already a problem with models: scale effect.  Additional gloss from Tung oil would make this worse - unless it is a toy that you are displaying. 
4)  Tung oil is an oil.  It stays wet until it polymerizes.  It would be awful as a base for any type of copper plating.
5)  Beats the -ell out of me, why anyone would want to.  I sure would not go it.

JD,
Billets are 1" to 2" thick sections of a small log.  The width is whatever it turns out to be.  Doing thin slices on wet wood is probably a good way to lose all of it.
If you do not seal the transverse cut surfaces - the ones that cross cut the fibers (tubes) - more water will leave from the open tubes than thru the walls.  The vastly uneven drying will produce severe checking.  The wood will experience extensive splitting. Often along the total length.  Minor checking at the cut ends is the norm no matter.  But another coat of sealer may help.  The last time I did this, I used left over enamel paint and a sheet of Bounty as an applicator.  Latex gloves.  no cleanup - it does drip, so do not do it over any unprotected  surface that you care about.
Removing the bark speeds drying.  Some wood has wood eating insect eggs and larvae just under the bark.  If they are present and not removed, the dry wood may be Swiss cheese.
The pith in most wood is not useful.  In some species it is spongy.  It is also an origin for checking.  Removing it may reduce splitting and increase the yield of usable wood.  Even though I like the face of quarter sawn slices,  I usually slice a billet with the blade going thru the pith. 
Was it Davis or Underhill who wrote about collecting branches after a wind storm and using the branch forks to get knees and hooks with naturally curved grain?  I think species where the branching is close to 90 degrees are more useful than those with acute angles,  but not all branching is bad.  It is not good for billets,  but those sections can be their own thing.
 
A log wants to roll and has no even edge to ride against a fence.  A carrier board that lays on the table with a straight edge for the fence.....  the log can be fixed to and overhang the other edge of this carrier.  I use  right angle timber framing brackets to hold a log,  Short pan head screws (1/2") for the carrier and long drywall screws to hold the log.  The carrier is a bit of a problem with a table saw - it costs 1/2" depth per cut.  With a large bandsaw - which is the tool for this - no problem.  The problem with large logs is the maximum distance the fence can be from the blade.  But in this situation,  I do the dangerous thing and long axis bisect the log with the chain saw.  This for sure removes the pith and a lot more.  For what you have, this is not a factor at all.

JD,
Billets are 1" to 2" thick sections of a small log.  The width is whatever it turns out to be.  Doing thin slices on wet wood is probably a good way to lose all of it.
If you do not seal the transverse cut surfaces - the ones that cross cut the fibers (tubes) - more water will leave from the open tubes than thru the walls.  The vastly uneven drying will produce severe checking.  The wood will experience extensive splitting. Often along the total length.  Minor checking at the cut ends is the norm no matter.  But another coat of sealer may help.  The last time I did this, I used left over enamel paint and a sheet of Bounty as an applicator.  Latex gloves.  no cleanup - it does drip, so do not do it over any unprotected  surface that you care about.
Removing the bark speeds drying.  Some wood has wood eating insect eggs and larvae just under the bark.  If they are present and not removed, the dry wood may be Swiss cheese.
The pith in most wood is not useful.  In some species it is spongy.  It is also an origin for checking.  Removing it may reduce splitting and increase the yield of usable wood.  Even though I like the face of quarter sawn slices,  I usually slice a billet with the blade going thru the pith. 
Was it Davis or Underhill who wrote about collecting branches after a wind storm and using the branch forks to get knees and hooks with naturally curved grain?  I think species where the branching is close to 90 degrees are more useful than those with acute angles,  but not all branching is bad.  It is not good for billets,  but those sections can be their own thing.
 
A log wants to roll and has no even edge to ride against a fence.  A carrier board that lays on the table with a straight edge for the fence.....  the log can be fixed to and overhang the other edge of this carrier.  I use  right angle timber framing brackets to hold a log,  Short pan head screws (1/2") for the carrier and long drywall screws to hold the log.  The carrier is a bit of a problem with a table saw - it costs 1/2" depth per cut.  With a large bandsaw - which is the tool for this - no problem.  The problem with large logs is the maximum distance the fence can be from the blade.  But in this situation,  I do the dangerous thing and long axis bisect the log with the chain saw.  This for sure removes the pith and a lot more.  For what you have, this is not a factor at all.

This is my opinion.  I am not a professional in the paint industry or a professional cabinet maker. Do not take this as authoritative as it reads.    It is just easier to use an imperative verb tense in this case. 
 
1) Shellac is good to use as a primary coat before painting. Use 50:50 concentration as a first coat.  It fills small pores, penetrates the wood, locks down the surface fibers and leaves a very thin addition to the surface.  Steel wool 0000 ( be sure to remove all steel slivers or = rust/stain) or Scotch Brite leaves a smooth surface for paint and it saves a coat of paint. 
Copper plating ....  which type, how is it to adhere to the hull.  If it is adhesive backed foil, shellac may be a good surface.  If it is metal/ glue - bare wood AND abrasive clean any copper oxidation layer from the back of the metal.  If it is metal paint on bond paper, bare wood.
2) Primer can be dilute paint - shellac is a good base for any follow on - paint or clear.  If by primer, you mean sand n sealer - this is mostly for open pore wood species - like Oak, Walnut, and the stuff in a lot of kits.  It has particles of stuff like plaster to fill the pores and leave a smooth surface.  If you have used a good choice of the species for the planking, it is superfluous. No pores to fill.  Skip the shellac and you may need an additional coat of paint.  Since you are not painting the interior walls of a house, the additional cost of another coat of paint is nill.
3)  Tung oil is for a clear finish.  Shellac can go first, or 50::50 Tung oil : mineral spirits.  No point in using it over paint.  Too much gloss on the paint itself is often already a problem with models: scale effect.  Additional gloss from Tung oil would make this worse - unless it is a toy that you are displaying. 
4)  Tung oil is an oil.  It stays wet until it polymerizes.  It would be awful as a base for any type of copper plating.
5)  Beats the -ell out of me, why anyone would want to.  I sure would not go it.