Jaager

What power tools are available to you?

What power tools are available to you?

What power tools are available to you?

The unit on sale looks to me to be the same Asian generic that Harbor Freight sells.

John,   Holly is a difficult wood to season.  The piece you have has probably been infected with Blue Mold.  It is grey or blue and it discolors the wood. 
The good aspect is that it only discolors, it does not rot. You can use it with no worry.  I was working Holly logs into billets and as the band saw blade approached the end it was pushing water ahead of it,  so communication inside the wood is easy.  Most who want Holly are after the snow white effect.  To preserve that, Holly must be harvested in Winter and rushed to a kiln to stay ahead of the Blue Mold.  For most of our uses,  it does not matter.  In your case, it makes for a more realistic decking color.  Holly takes well to wood dyes and makes for an easier to use Ebony when dyed black and the mold does not matter  It bends like a champ,so is good for hull planking, it just looks better dyed or painted.  The scale effect of the grain is about as good as it gets.
 
BCD,  
Open pore species- such as Oak, Ash, Hickory, Black Walnut - do not scale well, so are maybe not among the better choices. 
 
Basswood in pre-scribed sheets is what kits used to provide for decks.  The wood scales well and will work as individual planks.  It is just too
soft and ready to fuzz for my taste.
Yellow Poplar is light weight and easy to work and stays crisp.  You have to be picky about the planks unless you want a greenish deck.
Soft Maple might get you some grey effect in areas of a board, but mostly it is close to white.  It is soft, and can fuzz or be brittle.  As a horticultural specimen  Soft (Water) Maple is a weed.
 
Hard Maple will make for a good deck if you want something that looks like Rupp Arena.
Sycamore ( American ) is brittle and has a pattern that is too busy ( an alternate name is Lacewood ).
What the English call Sycamore is a species of Maple that is close but not quite as hard as Hard Maple.

John,   Holly is a difficult wood to season.  The piece you have has probably been infected with Blue Mold.  It is grey or blue and it discolors the wood. 
The good aspect is that it only discolors, it does not rot. You can use it with no worry.  I was working Holly logs into billets and as the band saw blade approached the end it was pushing water ahead of it,  so communication inside the wood is easy.  Most who want Holly are after the snow white effect.  To preserve that, Holly must be harvested in Winter and rushed to a kiln to stay ahead of the Blue Mold.  For most of our uses,  it does not matter.  In your case, it makes for a more realistic decking color.  Holly takes well to wood dyes and makes for an easier to use Ebony when dyed black and the mold does not matter  It bends like a champ,so is good for hull planking, it just looks better dyed or painted.  The scale effect of the grain is about as good as it gets.
 
BCD,  
Open pore species- such as Oak, Ash, Hickory, Black Walnut - do not scale well, so are maybe not among the better choices. 
 
Basswood in pre-scribed sheets is what kits used to provide for decks.  The wood scales well and will work as individual planks.  It is just too
soft and ready to fuzz for my taste.
Yellow Poplar is light weight and easy to work and stays crisp.  You have to be picky about the planks unless you want a greenish deck.
Soft Maple might get you some grey effect in areas of a board, but mostly it is close to white.  It is soft, and can fuzz or be brittle.  As a horticultural specimen  Soft (Water) Maple is a weed.
 
Hard Maple will make for a good deck if you want something that looks like Rupp Arena.
Sycamore ( American ) is brittle and has a pattern that is too busy ( an alternate name is Lacewood ).
What the English call Sycamore is a species of Maple that is close but not quite as hard as Hard Maple.

The unit on sale looks to me to be the same Asian generic that Harbor Freight sells.

The unit on sale looks to me to be the same Asian generic that Harbor Freight sells.

I think I missed the problem that started this.
This looks like a POB build.
It also looks like Burroak is trying to get by with a single layer of planking.
My thoughts: in POB the molds are generally spaced too far apart to provide an unambiguous surface for the planking to lay against.
Wood is organic - it has inherent variability in response to stress.  The distance between molds gives the planking an opportunity to
display that variability.
I doubt that even the most precise thickness sander can produce stock without some +/- variability along and between planks.
The original shipwrights had to adz or plane the surface of the planking to get a smooth surface,  we should expect to do sanding,
or scrape, or plane.  It is probably wise to leave the planks a tad thick to provide something to remove without being able to read print
through a too thin final thickness plank.
The planking is going to react to changes in heat and humidity over time.  Without a near solid support and having been forcefully
clamped while the glue sets up, the planks are going to flex and swell at different rates.

To get it on the record  and this may come with the kit:
There is a full size guide that is 56 pages long.
WILLIE L BENNETT, CHESAPEAKE BAY SKIPJACK  1899                  
LANKFORD,BEN                                                    
MODEL SHIPWAYS                               
BOGOTA, NJ               
1981
 
I believe "Old Ben" was the kit developer.
 
Other relevant publications:
 
NOTES ON CHESAPEAKE BAY SKIPJACKS  1944                          
CHAPELLE,H I                                                     
CHESAPEAKE BAY MARITIME MUSEUM               
ST MICHAELS, MD          
1981
 
SKIPJACK SAIL PLANS  
RUBIN,NORMAN N
NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL
1978
24
72-73
19TH 20TH SAIL MASTING RIGGING FISHING   
A
 
THE WILLIE L BENNETT AND NOTES ON OTHER CHESAPEAKE BAY SKIPJACK
LANKFORD,BEN  
NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL
1983
29
61-83
19TH 20TH NA CONSTRUCTION MASTING RIGGING DECK HULL
A
 
SKIPJACK NOTES
HECKLINGER,FRED
NAUTICAL RESEARCH JOURNAL
1984
30
29
19TH 20TH SAIL FISHING RIGGING  
A
 
CHESAPEAKE BAY SKIPJACK - A MIDWEST PRODUCTS KIT  
EVANS,ROBERT L
SEAWAY'S SHIPS IN SCALE  
1993
4-3
58-61
KIT 20TH SAIL FISHING
B
 

For a full size assembly I just used an epoxy to bond steel to wood. 
I have tried the syringe applicator in the past and I had a tendency to push one end more than the other so I had to express more than I needed to equalize the two components.  But that waste was of no consequence because  I use it so infrequently that most of it tried in the applicator before I used it all.
 
This time I used J-B Weld original - it comes as two   1 oz tubes and is < $5.00 US.
It has about a 5 hr set time so you have a while to play with it.  It takes 24 hrs to cure.  Then it can be filled, sanded, tapped, drilled.
It is ugly (dark grey)  and messy   and goes where you don't want it if you are not careful.  Wear gloves and mask any surface where it is not wanted.
It is cheap enough that mixing too much is not an issue.

For a full size assembly I just used an epoxy to bond steel to wood. 
I have tried the syringe applicator in the past and I had a tendency to push one end more than the other so I had to express more than I needed to equalize the two components.  But that waste was of no consequence because  I use it so infrequently that most of it tried in the applicator before I used it all.
 
This time I used J-B Weld original - it comes as two   1 oz tubes and is < $5.00 US.
It has about a 5 hr set time so you have a while to play with it.  It takes 24 hrs to cure.  Then it can be filled, sanded, tapped, drilled.
It is ugly (dark grey)  and messy   and goes where you don't want it if you are not careful.  Wear gloves and mask any surface where it is not wanted.
It is cheap enough that mixing too much is not an issue.

If you have a draw plate with one wire gauge at the large end, you can draw the wire to any gauge that the plate has a hole for.  It would be regular copper or brass wire since no coating will survive the process.

Sometime between 1815 and 1861 the USN "suits" directed that the inner and outer surfaces of the hammock rails be wooden panels. They looked better because they could be painted. etc.   It seems that the crews of ships did not favor this.   This was a source of dangerous splinters when struck with a projectile.  When the situation tended to the possibility of sure combat (an actual war), it seems that some captains replaced the wood with webbing and canvas.  I am betting that "It is better to do and ask for forgiveness later, that ask for permission." is a Navy tradition that goes back far farther than we know.

Sounds like you are pretty well set as far as tools are concerned. 
As far as scratch -POF - the only real difference is the framing and any innards you add below the lowest gun deck.
An easy way to get into scratch is to replace kit components with those you make yourself. 
If you get into heavy duty scratch and find that you want to harvest your own wood -  an economical way would be to
make friends with someone who has a big band saw and use their facilities to get logs, braches and firewood into Byrnes saw sized billets.
All it will cost you is the band saw blades - they are not inexpensive and they break or get dull.  The species of wood that we use is a lot tougher
on saw blades than what the average wood worker will use.
 
The greatest advantage in having the mill and lathe is that they are tools to make other tools. 
Another tool that I use is a small drill press.  The Eurotool DRL 300 works well for me- especially with a generic momentary power foot switch.
The mill will certainly double as a drill press and if you do not use that function all that often, the setup time saved by having a dedicated drill press will not be worth the expense. 
As far as hand drills -  I like the Dremel  Model 8050 Rotary Tool  - especially since they fixed the explode and burn problem.   I just wish it "remembered" the last speed setting.

The only reason I can think of to seal the first layer of planking in the two layer system would be if it was being used as a mold and the intention is to pop the 2nd layer off after it is formed.  otherwise raw wood is optimal for the bond of the second layer.  Better results may be had using yellow PVA - like Titebond II ( or Titebond III if you are compulsive).  I read directions about a process to use yellow PVA as a contact adhesive by precoating and letting it dry - I forget what the step for bonding is and I can't find the reference.  With planking - it being a fit-adjust - fit-adjust process, I see no advantage in instant bonding anyway.
I am compulsive about coating both surfaces - but for planking excess glue squeeze out is not a helpful thing so just completely wetting both surfaces lightly is the goal.  For end grain to end grain - the bond will never be strong - but the way to get as strong a bond as possible would be to pre-wet both ends with the PVA - let it dry - and add more when gluing  up.  I made a miniature sponge stick glue applicator by gluing a round tooth pick to a small piece of foam packing. You can cut it just as wide as the plank and it will leave a just wet surface behind it.

This is American from 1826 - HASN   - General Instructions for building a Sloop of War
 
No length specified,  but " No plank to be more than 12" wide at midships."  I would think this would hold generally as a width max for any ship.
 
Deck plank   Heart Pine "no more than 10" in width"  "Average length to be 40'."
 
We had a lot more trees  than France - and most were 1st growth.  The pine was probably from the southeast US and the trees were 80-120 feet tall - mostly straight - and free of branches until near the top. 
The White Oak could also be 80' tall - so long plank "could" be had - the wood is much heavier the effort in manipulating the logs probably constrained how long they cut the logs.   Unlike deck planks, hull planks have curves and sometimes recurves.  The spilling required with an especially long hull plank would probably involve more wasted wood than most builders would tolerate.

Are you sure you want to use cypress?  You might be happier using Hard Maple.  It is more work for a cutting edge and a disk sander or table saw will burn the face if you are too aggressive.  But it takes more work to overdo a cut, is much stronger,  has a wonderful surface to finish and does not move so much with humidity changes.

This is American from 1826 - HASN   - General Instructions for building a Sloop of War
 
No length specified,  but " No plank to be more than 12" wide at midships."  I would think this would hold generally as a width max for any ship.
 
Deck plank   Heart Pine "no more than 10" in width"  "Average length to be 40'."
 
We had a lot more trees  than France - and most were 1st growth.  The pine was probably from the southeast US and the trees were 80-120 feet tall - mostly straight - and free of branches until near the top. 
The White Oak could also be 80' tall - so long plank "could" be had - the wood is much heavier the effort in manipulating the logs probably constrained how long they cut the logs.   Unlike deck planks, hull planks have curves and sometimes recurves.  The spilling required with an especially long hull plank would probably involve more wasted wood than most builders would tolerate.

If you have a draw plate with one wire gauge at the large end, you can draw the wire to any gauge that the plate has a hole for.  It would be regular copper or brass wire since no coating will survive the process.

This is American from 1826 - HASN   - General Instructions for building a Sloop of War
 
No length specified,  but " No plank to be more than 12" wide at midships."  I would think this would hold generally as a width max for any ship.
 
Deck plank   Heart Pine "no more than 10" in width"  "Average length to be 40'."
 
We had a lot more trees  than France - and most were 1st growth.  The pine was probably from the southeast US and the trees were 80-120 feet tall - mostly straight - and free of branches until near the top. 
The White Oak could also be 80' tall - so long plank "could" be had - the wood is much heavier the effort in manipulating the logs probably constrained how long they cut the logs.   Unlike deck planks, hull planks have curves and sometimes recurves.  The spilling required with an especially long hull plank would probably involve more wasted wood than most builders would tolerate.

This is American from 1826 - HASN   - General Instructions for building a Sloop of War
 
No length specified,  but " No plank to be more than 12" wide at midships."  I would think this would hold generally as a width max for any ship.
 
Deck plank   Heart Pine "no more than 10" in width"  "Average length to be 40'."
 
We had a lot more trees  than France - and most were 1st growth.  The pine was probably from the southeast US and the trees were 80-120 feet tall - mostly straight - and free of branches until near the top. 
The White Oak could also be 80' tall - so long plank "could" be had - the wood is much heavier the effort in manipulating the logs probably constrained how long they cut the logs.   Unlike deck planks, hull planks have curves and sometimes recurves.  The spilling required with an especially long hull plank would probably involve more wasted wood than most builders would tolerate.

The difference between sanding and scraping =  sanding fills the pores on the surface with saw dust. scraping - they are open.  This is important for violins and guitars - not sure about ship models.
 
 
I use single edge razor blades for deck scraping also.
A 5 inch wall scraper blade has uses.  I recently made a handle for mine from a 1x 5x 5/16 piece of hardwood.  Cut a slit for the blade and drilled a hole to match the one in the blade.
 
For heavier scraping, I have use a steel set sold by Lemuel Violins.  It is 7 shapes and the size is right for 1:48 - 1:100 scale range.
https://www.violins.ca/tools/tools_cutting.html

The only reason I can think of to seal the first layer of planking in the two layer system would be if it was being used as a mold and the intention is to pop the 2nd layer off after it is formed.  otherwise raw wood is optimal for the bond of the second layer.  Better results may be had using yellow PVA - like Titebond II ( or Titebond III if you are compulsive).  I read directions about a process to use yellow PVA as a contact adhesive by precoating and letting it dry - I forget what the step for bonding is and I can't find the reference.  With planking - it being a fit-adjust - fit-adjust process, I see no advantage in instant bonding anyway.
I am compulsive about coating both surfaces - but for planking excess glue squeeze out is not a helpful thing so just completely wetting both surfaces lightly is the goal.  For end grain to end grain - the bond will never be strong - but the way to get as strong a bond as possible would be to pre-wet both ends with the PVA - let it dry - and add more when gluing  up.  I made a miniature sponge stick glue applicator by gluing a round tooth pick to a small piece of foam packing. You can cut it just as wide as the plank and it will leave a just wet surface behind it.

Look higher up in the forum:
 
Member's Build Logs
Build Logs for SHIP MODEL KITS
Pinned  18th century English Longboat - by Chuck - c.1760
 
Your very kit - as done by the developer of the kit -