Jaager

For pure escapist fare
Richard Bolitho (28 book series)
Kindle Edition
by Alexander Kent (Author)
 
One plus with digital,  all of the old pulp books and magazines are probably obtainable and not lost to time.
It was before my time, but I see this as the material that was filling the space in the 30s and 40s later occupied by mindless TV series. 
 
There was aspect from back then, that I heard and enjoyed at their end: radio teleplays.  There is a WHOLE lot on content on TV that would be better on radio.  We could even do model ship building while occupying our ears with the stuff. 
 
You could also investigate audio books. 
 
 

For pure escapist fare
Richard Bolitho (28 book series)
Kindle Edition
by Alexander Kent (Author)
 
One plus with digital,  all of the old pulp books and magazines are probably obtainable and not lost to time.
It was before my time, but I see this as the material that was filling the space in the 30s and 40s later occupied by mindless TV series. 
 
There was aspect from back then, that I heard and enjoyed at their end: radio teleplays.  There is a WHOLE lot on content on TV that would be better on radio.  We could even do model ship building while occupying our ears with the stuff. 
 
You could also investigate audio books. 
 
 

I am not familiar with this Proxxon but as a ~9" bandsaw for anything serious, it is probably prudent to think of it as a toy.
Do you mean a 3" hardwood resaw?
 
As for Oak (as well as Ash, Willow, Hickory, Chestnut, Elm, Sassafras, even Walnut)  if you are making a display case, or mounting board, they are excellent.  For a model itself,  they have contrasty grain, open pores, medium to coarse texture.  They are strong enough, but the wood will be a distraction if left clear, and require an additional pore filling step if painted.  Their only positive is that they are easy to source.  
This process is already difficult enough if appropriate species of wood are used.
 
I saw an earlier inquiry about using a bandsaw to slice off planking instead of using something like a Byrnes tablesaw.  The majority of bandsaw blades have serious set.  The less expensive the blade the more set.  It takes several passes thru a thickness sander to remove the surface scars.  A lot of loss to kerf and really boring to do.  On saws that can take them,  a Wood Slicer blade leaves a surface similar to a tablesaw blade with minimal set.  The downside is that the blades are bit expensive and they dull fairly quickly.   No resharpening.   Blades with carbide teeth can have their teeth resharpened or maybe replaced, but  the steel backing that has been heavily flexed may gain micro cracks that migrate and join together.
I consider the tooth resharpening factor on a carbide blade to be a specious selling point to justify the significant extra cost of a carbide blade.  They do last much longer.  They are likely more economical than the cost of the total number of Wood Slicer blades needed to last just as long.

A mask is still pretty much a necessity.  The cloud of fine particles is impressive.  You still want a shop vac sucking up the dust.  At least in a garden, the vac will not make you deaf.
I think that the sweet spot is ~1700 RPM for the drum.  Faster will probably char and slower will make an already tedious operation last much longer.  It would probably take  a motor of 1/2 HP or greater to avoid it getting hot.

I am not familiar with this Proxxon but as a ~9" bandsaw for anything serious, it is probably prudent to think of it as a toy.
Do you mean a 3" hardwood resaw?
 
As for Oak (as well as Ash, Willow, Hickory, Chestnut, Elm, Sassafras, even Walnut)  if you are making a display case, or mounting board, they are excellent.  For a model itself,  they have contrasty grain, open pores, medium to coarse texture.  They are strong enough, but the wood will be a distraction if left clear, and require an additional pore filling step if painted.  Their only positive is that they are easy to source.  
This process is already difficult enough if appropriate species of wood are used.
 
I saw an earlier inquiry about using a bandsaw to slice off planking instead of using something like a Byrnes tablesaw.  The majority of bandsaw blades have serious set.  The less expensive the blade the more set.  It takes several passes thru a thickness sander to remove the surface scars.  A lot of loss to kerf and really boring to do.  On saws that can take them,  a Wood Slicer blade leaves a surface similar to a tablesaw blade with minimal set.  The downside is that the blades are bit expensive and they dull fairly quickly.   No resharpening.   Blades with carbide teeth can have their teeth resharpened or maybe replaced, but  the steel backing that has been heavily flexed may gain micro cracks that migrate and join together.
I consider the tooth resharpening factor on a carbide blade to be a specious selling point to justify the significant extra cost of a carbide blade.  They do last much longer.  They are likely more economical than the cost of the total number of Wood Slicer blades needed to last just as long.

It was a long while ago, but I a photo of an open sided assembly line decorator model production in Vietnam.
The think the formula is:  a country with a skilled, but under utilized work force, willing to work for much less than their skills are worth because their economy is temporarily stuck on a sandbar.   When the economy recovers or has its initial bloom, this sort of operation probably has to reappear in the next country with the proper factors.
There used to be something named Starving Artists - a large room with a lot of people, each behind their own easel, all copying a master painting projected at the front of the room.    I imagine something similar for mass produced decorator models.  I do not imagine someone just looking to earn enough for their next hit could be a satisfactory worker.
 
Your two have something extra - the designer had an eye for elegant design, the lines have artistic curves.  The wood is not pallet quality crap. It looks like Acer, or Beech or Birch.
 
They are not actually ship models as we would define them here. They are simulacrum of ship models.  Tasteful background decoration.

A mask is still pretty much a necessity.  The cloud of fine particles is impressive.  You still want a shop vac sucking up the dust.  At least in a garden, the vac will not make you deaf.
I think that the sweet spot is ~1700 RPM for the drum.  Faster will probably char and slower will make an already tedious operation last much longer.  It would probably take  a motor of 1/2 HP or greater to avoid it getting hot.

There are models, yes.  I do not believe that I said that models could not be built. 
But like every kit of a ship with a famous name and no complete plans from its time ,  that the result actually matches the original is wishful thinking at best.
In the circumstance it is honest to make the label reflect the fact that it is one man's guess and thus a decorator model and not an actual historical representation.
"The ship name if model makers name had built it."
He made those two  models - and as excellent as they may be - he essentially gave them any old name from an historical perspective.

Jules,
 
I am coming at this from a particular bias as far as my attachment of relative values.
That is POF model building.  The English plans are often detailed enough for me to develop frame timber patterns with almost no traditional lofting (i.e.  using XZ and YZ points to get the XY data that I need.)
 
The Dutch plans would essentially be following the directions for a design that are in Deane's Doctrine.   That is a lot of hands on lofting and the result is a best guess because of the number of choices that need to be made along the way.  One minor advantage with the Dutch hull is that there seems to be s long section on either side of the deadflat that are a replication - sort of barge-like.  The English started a slope change almost immediately on either side. 
Because Deane used arcs - a compass - something that I have taken as the core of whole moulding - there is a sameness with any design that follows the method. 
You are describing something similar. 
What Deane did using 5 data points per WL and a flexible batten on paper,  the Dutch appeared to do in the yard using the actual planking. 
 
I think that the Dutch used too much "you just gotta know" in their decisions for me to even think about building a hull using what data that they have left us.
I do concede that my long ago ambition to build Deane's Royal Charles 1672 - the one that came after the one that the Dutch stole - would be a fantasy rather than what the ship actually looked like.  There are no plans, jut the data that Deane started with. 
 

A mask is still pretty much a necessity.  The cloud of fine particles is impressive.  You still want a shop vac sucking up the dust.  At least in a garden, the vac will not make you deaf.
I think that the sweet spot is ~1700 RPM for the drum.  Faster will probably char and slower will make an already tedious operation last much longer.  It would probably take  a motor of 1/2 HP or greater to avoid it getting hot.

A mask is still pretty much a necessity.  The cloud of fine particles is impressive.  You still want a shop vac sucking up the dust.  At least in a garden, the vac will not make you deaf.
I think that the sweet spot is ~1700 RPM for the drum.  Faster will probably char and slower will make an already tedious operation last much longer.  It would probably take  a motor of 1/2 HP or greater to avoid it getting hot.

The first step is to seal the cut ends.  What you use is not critical.  Hot paraffin, shellac,  old varnish,  old paint - oil based is probably better.  Thick - the object is to make it difficult for the water to get out at open ends of the tubes that are wood.  Different rates water migration produce stress = splitting and checking
 
Length:  that depends on you - close to the longest that you use on your bench - a tad more to account for loss from seasoning.
De-bark:  now if you have the patience.   It allows the water easier egress.  It removes the eggs and larvae of wood borers. 
A draw knife or spoke shave makes a quick job of it if the branch is secured from moving.
The old rule is one year per inch of thickness to reach water concentration equilibrium. 
I would aim at ~2" thickness and 2 foot length for my system.
Seal the ends NOW.
 
Wood can do ugly things as it dries,  splits and checks ate the worse-  bow and twist is not helpful -
Protect for the elements - no rain or snow - direct sun = uneven drying
good air flow around all sides = sticker the rick
Serious downward pressure - weights on top of the rick may reduce twist and bow
 
 

A mask is still pretty much a necessity.  The cloud of fine particles is impressive.  You still want a shop vac sucking up the dust.  At least in a garden, the vac will not make you deaf.
I think that the sweet spot is ~1700 RPM for the drum.  Faster will probably char and slower will make an already tedious operation last much longer.  It would probably take  a motor of 1/2 HP or greater to avoid it getting hot.

A mask is still pretty much a necessity.  The cloud of fine particles is impressive.  You still want a shop vac sucking up the dust.  At least in a garden, the vac will not make you deaf.
I think that the sweet spot is ~1700 RPM for the drum.  Faster will probably char and slower will make an already tedious operation last much longer.  It would probably take  a motor of 1/2 HP or greater to avoid it getting hot.

I have a Vanda-Lay Dremel-powered drill press. Vanda-Lay makes some interesting tools and their quality is probably second only to Jim Byrnes' Model Machines tools. That said, there is no question that the Byrnes thickness sander is the better tool and the better buy, as well. I see from checking Jim's website that they are not taking orders for machines at the moment because they took time off for summer vacation, but will be back shipping machines in mid-August. I suppose this is why they don't have the prices for the machines listed on their website at the moment! As I recall, the Byrnes sander is about the same, or even less money than the Vanda-Lay thickness sander with the motor. I have to say, owning a Byrnes thickness sander, that it is the "better buy," even if it costs a bit more than the Vanda-Lay. 
 
These sanders require some power to work effectively. I don't doubt that you can power one with a hand drill motor as Vanda-Lay suggests and a few have noted above, but I would think that would put some serious power demands on a hand drill motor, particularly if you are using it for a prolonged period. I also don't think there are any hand drill motors that put out anything like the RPMs that either the Byrnes motor or the power tool motor Vanda-Lay sells for somewhere around $300 do.
 
The fact that the Byrnes' integral motor takes up far less bench space than the Vanda-Lay, regardless of how the Vanda-Lay is powered, is no small consideration, not to mention that the integral motor on the Byrnes machine is far more "elegant" than the cobbled-together power options for the Vanda-Lay.
 
There are two big differences that put the Byrnes head and shoulders over the Vanda-Lay. The first, but not the greatest, difference is that the Byrnes is exceptionally accurate and is easier to adjust. It has an indexed adjustment knob that allow adjustments in increments of .002". The Vanda-Lay may be just as accurate but I expect it is more fiddily to set. The second, and biggest... huge... difference in the two machines is that the Vanda-Lay has a three-inch wide drum. It will only sand wood three inches wide or less. The Byrnes machine has a six-inch wide drum! The Byrnes sander will handle twice the width capacity of the Vanda-Lay and the Byrnes offers the option of loading its six inch wide drum with two different grits of abrasive sheet, each three inches wide, on the six inch drum. This allows you to use half of the drum for coarser sanding and the other for finer sanding, should you desire to do so.
 
So, for the same price, all else considered, the Byrnes is twice the machine in my estimation.  
 
I realize that price is often a serious issue for all of us. All I can say in that regard here is that the difference in price isn't much to get twice the machine in the Byrnes. It can't be said enough that the cheapest tool in the end is often the most expensive one. You could buy any one of the Byrnes Model Machines, use it for ten years, and if you didn't beat it up, probably sell it easily for half or two thirds of what you paid for it. Not so with the Vanda-Lay. If it's a difference of even a couple of hundred bucks, how long will it really take for you to forget the "pain" of that? These days, where I live, at least, that's maybe three half-way decent dinners out with the Missus. If you get the Byrnes, you won't be sorry.
 
 
 

Excellent advice from Allan. If you can afford it, the Byrnes unit is the way to go.

It looks similar to the Jim Byrnes sander.   I cannot speak for the Vanda Lay unit but my Byrnes unit is about 15 years old and runs like the day I bought it.  Thousands of board feet of wood have gone through it.  It is a bit more compact than the Vanda Lay unit with the motor built into the frame. No matter which unit you choose, DO NOT use it without a vacuum hose attached. If you do not have a shop vacuum set up, portable or otherwise, you will need one.  The amount of fine power sawdust created is immense and will cover everything, including you.    Wear a mask!!!!!  
 
Allan

I think that Desmond describes a different species of wooden ships.   The 1850s were the end of a long era of guild style shipwrights.  It seems like there is a wall not too much later.  The main stream changed to composite and then iron and steel.   The generation to generation chain of passing of knowledge about wooden ship building was probably broken - except for minor and independent yards.  The old lofting methods replaced with a translation of iron and steel lofting over to wood.  The lofting of every frame was a new practice - taken from metal methods - metal is not open to variation on the fly. 
The all bends with intervening spaces equal to the bends in width was new.  I would not trust Desmond to be relevant to any ship built before 1900 or so.

I think that Desmond describes a different species of wooden ships.   The 1850s were the end of a long era of guild style shipwrights.  It seems like there is a wall not too much later.  The main stream changed to composite and then iron and steel.   The generation to generation chain of passing of knowledge about wooden ship building was probably broken - except for minor and independent yards.  The old lofting methods replaced with a translation of iron and steel lofting over to wood.  The lofting of every frame was a new practice - taken from metal methods - metal is not open to variation on the fly. 
The all bends with intervening spaces equal to the bends in width was new.  I would not trust Desmond to be relevant to any ship built before 1900 or so.

I had an extra deep basement dug in July during a drought.  It was stopped when limestone shale was hit in one corner.   In the Bluegrass region of KY, the underlying rock is an an ancient sea floor and just as flat.  It is a giant swimming pool.  Turns out that for six months of the year, the water table was well above the floor of my basement.   I became quite experienced with sump pumps, pipe flow volumes.  It seems that constant pumping generates favored flow channels.  The more you pump the more likely is ground water  going to flow towards the pump.  Larger volume pumps, larger diameter discharge pipes - where to place the outlet?  a viscous cycle!   Then there is the problem of electric power interruption during storms that are recharging the ground water.  A generator.   A normal home generator has a gas tank with limited time.  An ice storm that crushed a lot of KY and had long transmission lines in Alabama snapped off like a row of dominoes and drawing off the repair crews from KY is going to require more time than you have gas for.    I feel your nightmare.  I do not miss living it.   A wish for a basement decision do-over is something that I will take to my grave. 

from
American-Built Packets and Freighters of the 1850s
Wm Crothers
MacFarland & Co.  2013
 

from
American-Built Packets and Freighters of the 1850s
Wm Crothers
MacFarland & Co.  2013
 

If you have a scroll saw, a bandsaw,  or a hand frat saw,  and a disk sander  a near infinite variety  of sanding block shapes and sizes can be freed from a cork yoga block.  They are sorta large and cost ~$20.  The sanding media can be attached using rubber cement or even with staples. 

It comes down to your objective in building your model.
 
If your goal is to produce a model that is as historically accurate as is reasonable, forgo any embossing or dimpling of the copper plates.
Way more nails were used than any punch tool will produce.
The nails were hammered flush.  They are difficult to see even on the existing 1:1 reproductions or the few survivors whose currently done copper plates are a joke when compared to the practice of 200 years ago. 
A model would have to be larger than 1:48 for visual evidence of how the plates were attached to be valid.
Any plates made of actual copper will be over scale thickness on 1:48 or smaller.  Think painted paper instead.
 
 

For a water rinse, if your supply is hard water, it may be wise to use distilled water.