Jaager

I do not believe that the situation where  AAMM has a monograph of this vessel is a coincidence.
My guess is that the AAMM plans were used to develop the kit and that royalties were paid.
Now almost all wooden sail AAMM monographs are drawn with a eye toward laminated carved hull.
They have a Body plan, so POB is easy enough to derive from it.
Once you get beyond hull fabrication, the monograph contains more than enough detail and is probably better than the plans that come with the kit.  The scale is 1:75  The data is on a large and crowded sheet.  It is all "What".  There is no "How".   Besides this site, there are more than a few books, and three journals available as CDs here that more than cover the "How".
 
We have wooden houses and many other wooden objects that are at least hundreds of years old.  There are trees that are hundreds of years old.  Wood is a polymer, but unlike man-made synthetic polymers, it does not get all that brittle with age. Too much moisture or direct UV over time will degrade it, but if the wood in an old kit is brittle or fragile, then this probably is because the species of wood and plywood quality supplied was crap to begin with.

In respect to your living situation, I will suggest consideration of a vanishingly small segment in all this - at least when it comes to wood and sail:  1:192 scale.  For pre-1860 wooden hulls - the models are small and many can be kept in a small area.   For steel, it is probably too large.  
Cases are vital.
The masts can be stubs.
It would be 100% scratch.
The skills and techniques are much most artist based than the technical woodworking skills that most of us perform.
It is more simulation than replication.
It is perhaps the one area in all this where, if done with real skill and talent, an actual profit can be had.
 
For larger scales, half hulls mounted on a board - no spars - 100% scratch build.

As you do this, think about the physics of the operation.
 
The plane of the cutting teeth and the plane of the fence must be parallel up thru the zone of active cutting.
The part of the blade behind that is an encumbrance.  It is a source of friction,  A blade that is hollow ground or whose teeth have set can greatly reduce the friction.
Hollow ground is more expensive, There is an outer ring in the zone with the teeth that is not ground. We are usually cutting stock that is so thin that some or all of it is still at the flat part.  We loose the advantage that the hollow provides.
Blades with significant set also have significant lose to kerf.
If the fence has off set THAT IS LIMITED to the part that is behind the crown of the blade will reduce the friction.  But, to do this, the fence must have two planes and must have special engineering. 
 
If the product being cut comes out between the fence and the blade, once the settings are precise and accurate,  you can rock and roll forever.  There is just kick back and pushing it all behind the blade to worry about.
If the thin rip guide is used, there is no kick back and the push is easy.  The fence must be moved after every cut, so no rock and roll. But a micrometer is not needed to reposition the fence. The surface of the stock that rides against the fence does not change with every cut.
 
 
Another factor but not a part of this problem is that the ideal is that the blade be one with three teeth in the thickness of the stock being cut.

As you do this, think about the physics of the operation.
 
The plane of the cutting teeth and the plane of the fence must be parallel up thru the zone of active cutting.
The part of the blade behind that is an encumbrance.  It is a source of friction,  A blade that is hollow ground or whose teeth have set can greatly reduce the friction.
Hollow ground is more expensive, There is an outer ring in the zone with the teeth that is not ground. We are usually cutting stock that is so thin that some or all of it is still at the flat part.  We loose the advantage that the hollow provides.
Blades with significant set also have significant lose to kerf.
If the fence has off set THAT IS LIMITED to the part that is behind the crown of the blade will reduce the friction.  But, to do this, the fence must have two planes and must have special engineering. 
 
If the product being cut comes out between the fence and the blade, once the settings are precise and accurate,  you can rock and roll forever.  There is just kick back and pushing it all behind the blade to worry about.
If the thin rip guide is used, there is no kick back and the push is easy.  The fence must be moved after every cut, so no rock and roll. But a micrometer is not needed to reposition the fence. The surface of the stock that rides against the fence does not change with every cut.
 
 
Another factor but not a part of this problem is that the ideal is that the blade be one with three teeth in the thickness of the stock being cut.

The best way to diagnose the saw is with a dial indicator.  These cost anywhere from around $20 to a Sterrett for about $175.  Like most tools, you get what you pay for, but an inexpensive one will probably be good enough for the purpose; just don’t expect long life.
 
You can use one of the miter gage slots as a datum.  I made an aluminum bracket that fastens to my miter gage to hold the dial indicator.   Sliding the indicator attached to the miter gage along the slot allows you to check alignment of the rip fence and the blade.
 
Elsewhere in this forum category Jim Byrnes provides an alignment procedure for the fence.  In the case of my saw it was necessary to align the rear fence hold down as well as the one at the front of the saw as tightening the rear one was pulling the fence out of alignment. 
 
Ripping with the wood trapped between the fence and blade is especially difficult with blades without “set” used in the Byrnes Saw.  The current best tool deal is the NRG’s thin rip guide that allows the piece being ripped to be “outside” of the blade.
 
Roger

I forget the old joke, but the punch line:  "It seemed like a good idea at the time."  sort of fits this tool.
I suspect that the primary utility of this thing is to allow the seller to get a return on the money that he spent on his laser cutter.

I forget the old joke, but the punch line:  "It seemed like a good idea at the time."  sort of fits this tool.
I suspect that the primary utility of this thing is to allow the seller to get a return on the money that he spent on his laser cutter.

In respect to your living situation, I will suggest consideration of a vanishingly small segment in all this - at least when it comes to wood and sail:  1:192 scale.  For pre-1860 wooden hulls - the models are small and many can be kept in a small area.   For steel, it is probably too large.  
Cases are vital.
The masts can be stubs.
It would be 100% scratch.
The skills and techniques are much most artist based than the technical woodworking skills that most of us perform.
It is more simulation than replication.
It is perhaps the one area in all this where, if done with real skill and talent, an actual profit can be had.
 
For larger scales, half hulls mounted on a board - no spars - 100% scratch build.

In respect to your living situation, I will suggest consideration of a vanishingly small segment in all this - at least when it comes to wood and sail:  1:192 scale.  For pre-1860 wooden hulls - the models are small and many can be kept in a small area.   For steel, it is probably too large.  
Cases are vital.
The masts can be stubs.
It would be 100% scratch.
The skills and techniques are much most artist based than the technical woodworking skills that most of us perform.
It is more simulation than replication.
It is perhaps the one area in all this where, if done with real skill and talent, an actual profit can be had.
 
For larger scales, half hulls mounted on a board - no spars - 100% scratch build.

OK.  Expressing my philosophy on wood to wood PVA bonding:
I use Titebond II.  If it is getting thick, it is time to get a fresh supply.
At this time and for a while now, I make a puddle on a piece of Cut-Rite wax paper.
I use miniature foam stick applicator.  Round toothpicks and whatever size foam piece will do the coverage I need.
The foam is the squishy packing foam - not the peanut type,  Duco works well to weld the handle to the foam.
I do a just wet coat on both meeting surfaces.  Any squeeze-out means you left too much.
If I want a strong bond, and for some strange reason - and in a very rare situation - I felt the need to dilute PVA - 95% concentration and never less than 90% is as low as I would go.
 
I do use 50:50 dilution of pH 7 Lineco to set linen yarn twisted to rope while it is hanging lead sinkers to set.  It reduces the fuzz and unraveling.
 

For a kit, a rotary tool is probably mostly a tool looking for a job.
A pin vise can probably cut any needed holes.
For scratch POF, and especially if the now out of favor trunnels for hull planking is your want, a rotary tool is a necessity. 
But more is the pity for those just starting - the best for this - the smaller size cordless models - are no longer for sale- i.e 8050 or MiniMite.

OK.  Expressing my philosophy on wood to wood PVA bonding:
I use Titebond II.  If it is getting thick, it is time to get a fresh supply.
At this time and for a while now, I make a puddle on a piece of Cut-Rite wax paper.
I use miniature foam stick applicator.  Round toothpicks and whatever size foam piece will do the coverage I need.
The foam is the squishy packing foam - not the peanut type,  Duco works well to weld the handle to the foam.
I do a just wet coat on both meeting surfaces.  Any squeeze-out means you left too much.
If I want a strong bond, and for some strange reason - and in a very rare situation - I felt the need to dilute PVA - 95% concentration and never less than 90% is as low as I would go.
 
I do use 50:50 dilution of pH 7 Lineco to set linen yarn twisted to rope while it is hanging lead sinkers to set.  It reduces the fuzz and unraveling.
 

OK.  Expressing my philosophy on wood to wood PVA bonding:
I use Titebond II.  If it is getting thick, it is time to get a fresh supply.
At this time and for a while now, I make a puddle on a piece of Cut-Rite wax paper.
I use miniature foam stick applicator.  Round toothpicks and whatever size foam piece will do the coverage I need.
The foam is the squishy packing foam - not the peanut type,  Duco works well to weld the handle to the foam.
I do a just wet coat on both meeting surfaces.  Any squeeze-out means you left too much.
If I want a strong bond, and for some strange reason - and in a very rare situation - I felt the need to dilute PVA - 95% concentration and never less than 90% is as low as I would go.
 
I do use 50:50 dilution of pH 7 Lineco to set linen yarn twisted to rope while it is hanging lead sinkers to set.  It reduces the fuzz and unraveling.
 

OK.  Expressing my philosophy on wood to wood PVA bonding:
I use Titebond II.  If it is getting thick, it is time to get a fresh supply.
At this time and for a while now, I make a puddle on a piece of Cut-Rite wax paper.
I use miniature foam stick applicator.  Round toothpicks and whatever size foam piece will do the coverage I need.
The foam is the squishy packing foam - not the peanut type,  Duco works well to weld the handle to the foam.
I do a just wet coat on both meeting surfaces.  Any squeeze-out means you left too much.
If I want a strong bond, and for some strange reason - and in a very rare situation - I felt the need to dilute PVA - 95% concentration and never less than 90% is as low as I would go.
 
I do use 50:50 dilution of pH 7 Lineco to set linen yarn twisted to rope while it is hanging lead sinkers to set.  It reduces the fuzz and unraveling.
 

For a kit, a rotary tool is probably mostly a tool looking for a job.
A pin vise can probably cut any needed holes.
For scratch POF, and especially if the now out of favor trunnels for hull planking is your want, a rotary tool is a necessity. 
But more is the pity for those just starting - the best for this - the smaller size cordless models - are no longer for sale- i.e 8050 or MiniMite.

Thinking about what Phil wrote,  - I lost an elderly dog to blasto -  and the interior being infected and  a source of future problems, what with the concentration of fungal invasion being higher than ambient,  I was thinking a gas to kill it.   
A gas that was an active fungicide would also probably be bad for model components.
If dormant fungus or fungal spores are not anaerobes then a significant time in a 100%  N2 chamber might turn the fungal infection part into inert organic material.
What about the bloom on the guns?  Is it just dried rain?  Is it an outgrowth and attached?
If it is a fallen powder, a simple, but tedious, mechanical removal may be the way.
It is essentially maleficence for a museum not to case a ship model.

For a kit, a rotary tool is probably mostly a tool looking for a job.
A pin vise can probably cut any needed holes.
For scratch POF, and especially if the now out of favor trunnels for hull planking is your want, a rotary tool is a necessity. 
But more is the pity for those just starting - the best for this - the smaller size cordless models - are no longer for sale- i.e 8050 or MiniMite.

Thinking about what Phil wrote,  - I lost an elderly dog to blasto -  and the interior being infected and  a source of future problems, what with the concentration of fungal invasion being higher than ambient,  I was thinking a gas to kill it.   
A gas that was an active fungicide would also probably be bad for model components.
If dormant fungus or fungal spores are not anaerobes then a significant time in a 100%  N2 chamber might turn the fungal infection part into inert organic material.
What about the bloom on the guns?  Is it just dried rain?  Is it an outgrowth and attached?
If it is a fallen powder, a simple, but tedious, mechanical removal may be the way.
It is essentially maleficence for a museum not to case a ship model.

The blade can last longer than might be imagined.
It can be given a coat of Renaissance Wax to reduce rust.
A frequent stropping on leather with gold or green or red compd will keep it sharp.  Just do not hit a nail.
 
If you find that the work that a small plane does is to your liking, do yourself a favor and go from cheap and cheesy to quality.  That is, check out Lee Valley Tools for their Veritas series.

The blade can last longer than might be imagined.
It can be given a coat of Renaissance Wax to reduce rust.
A frequent stropping on leather with gold or green or red compd will keep it sharp.  Just do not hit a nail.
 
If you find that the work that a small plane does is to your liking, do yourself a favor and go from cheap and cheesy to quality.  That is, check out Lee Valley Tools for their Veritas series.

The blade can last longer than might be imagined.
It can be given a coat of Renaissance Wax to reduce rust.
A frequent stropping on leather with gold or green or red compd will keep it sharp.  Just do not hit a nail.
 
If you find that the work that a small plane does is to your liking, do yourself a favor and go from cheap and cheesy to quality.  That is, check out Lee Valley Tools for their Veritas series.

The blade can last longer than might be imagined.
It can be given a coat of Renaissance Wax to reduce rust.
A frequent stropping on leather with gold or green or red compd will keep it sharp.  Just do not hit a nail.
 
If you find that the work that a small plane does is to your liking, do yourself a favor and go from cheap and cheesy to quality.  That is, check out Lee Valley Tools for their Veritas series.

The blade can last longer than might be imagined.
It can be given a coat of Renaissance Wax to reduce rust.
A frequent stropping on leather with gold or green or red compd will keep it sharp.  Just do not hit a nail.
 
If you find that the work that a small plane does is to your liking, do yourself a favor and go from cheap and cheesy to quality.  That is, check out Lee Valley Tools for their Veritas series.

The blade can last longer than might be imagined.
It can be given a coat of Renaissance Wax to reduce rust.
A frequent stropping on leather with gold or green or red compd will keep it sharp.  Just do not hit a nail.
 
If you find that the work that a small plane does is to your liking, do yourself a favor and go from cheap and cheesy to quality.  That is, check out Lee Valley Tools for their Veritas series.

The blade can last longer than might be imagined.
It can be given a coat of Renaissance Wax to reduce rust.
A frequent stropping on leather with gold or green or red compd will keep it sharp.  Just do not hit a nail.
 
If you find that the work that a small plane does is to your liking, do yourself a favor and go from cheap and cheesy to quality.  That is, check out Lee Valley Tools for their Veritas series.