Decoyman

Thanks, Charles - i'll look them up.
 
Kind regards
 
Rob (Decoyman)

Charles,
 
Your explanation of Scrubby's fence - if I understand you correctly - suggests there is a machined 'bow' to the blade side. I've checked mine and it is dead straight. Perhaps Jim has changed the design of his saw, but it looks to me as though the whole fence is misaligned. Also the blade seems offset in its slot, although that might just be the photo.
 
Attached are photos of my saw showing the fence almost exactly parallel with the guide slots in the table and the slot for the blade.
IMG_4338.HEIC IMG_4336.HEIC

That's very helpful, thank you.
 
I have a lathe too, so I might have a go at turning up a spacer. If it's not too much trouble, how do you normally do this?
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

That's really helpful - thank you again. All I have to do now is find a piece of 22 mm aluminium....

That's very helpful, thank you.
 
I have a lathe too, so I might have a go at turning up a spacer. If it's not too much trouble, how do you normally do this?
 
Best wishes
 
Rob

Thanks, Keith. Both, actually. I have two broken teeth on the carbide-tipped blade that came with the saw and my slitting saws are blunt!

Can anyone recommend a supplier for blades for the Byrnes saw in the UK? Not having much luck finding anything and the odd company that seems to have something vaguely similar (for example, same diameter, wrong sized arbor) is remarkably expensive.
 
Rob (Decoyman)

I think  this comment might be fairly obvious, but the fact of the matter is I'm having trouble maintaining my enthusiasm for rebuilding my Agamemnon log.
 
However, despite the lack of evidence and a coherent storyline… I have actually finished! The whole thing!! It's taken me 11 years, 2 months and 3 days exactly. I have no idea how many hours I have spent on it, but it's a lot. The entire build was done on our kitchen table, which meant having to clear away before every meal and share it with my children when they did their homework. There are two lights hung quite low above the table, and when I got to the masting stage I bashed them nearly every time I moved the model from the top of the piano to the kitchen. Nevertheless she's still in one piece. Here are a couple of pictures:
 

 

 

 
She's very difficult to photograph most of the time because either she's against a wall, which results in an overlay of confusing shadows, or she's on the table with the lights in the picture and the kitchen clutter in the background. I took her out into the garden for the final shots, but even that isn't perfect. I'm considering getting some professional pictures taken in a studio, but for that I'll need a car with a higher roof.
 
I hope you like it!
 
Rob

I think  this comment might be fairly obvious, but the fact of the matter is I'm having trouble maintaining my enthusiasm for rebuilding my Agamemnon log.
 
However, despite the lack of evidence and a coherent storyline… I have actually finished! The whole thing!! It's taken me 11 years, 2 months and 3 days exactly. I have no idea how many hours I have spent on it, but it's a lot. The entire build was done on our kitchen table, which meant having to clear away before every meal and share it with my children when they did their homework. There are two lights hung quite low above the table, and when I got to the masting stage I bashed them nearly every time I moved the model from the top of the piano to the kitchen. Nevertheless she's still in one piece. Here are a couple of pictures:
 

 

 

 
She's very difficult to photograph most of the time because either she's against a wall, which results in an overlay of confusing shadows, or she's on the table with the lights in the picture and the kitchen clutter in the background. I took her out into the garden for the final shots, but even that isn't perfect. I'm considering getting some professional pictures taken in a studio, but for that I'll need a car with a higher roof.
 
I hope you like it!
 
Rob

The next stage was the coppering of the hull. The plates supplied with the kit are easy to use, although they are not strictly prototypical as they don't overlap each other. I used thick CA in a blob on the back of the plate which, when the plate was applied to the hull, spread out just enough to stick firmly. It also stayed loose long enough to allow the plate to be slid exactly into position. The relatively small size of the plates meant that smooth lines of plates could be made without generating unsightly gaps as I progressed around the hull.
 
Some of the plates weren't embossed properly, judging by the way these mostly came stuck together, I suspect they had gone through the embossing machine in pairs. However there were so many spare that this wasn't a problem. In the following photo the one on the right has not come out properly; the one on the left is fine.
 

 
Where cuts were necessary I was able to score the plate along a straight-edge and then flex it until the two halves came apart.
 
I started along the keel and worked my way up to the waterline.
 

 
Here are some views of the completed job. You can see how the plates mostly adjusted themselves around the three dimensional shape of the hull; only a couple of rows of stealers were needed at the stem and stern.
 



 
I also coppered the rudder and blackened the hinges. I was subsequently told that the straps should be copper, so I will have to paint these using copper paint as part of the final snagging when I am provisionally finished.
 

I think  this comment might be fairly obvious, but the fact of the matter is I'm having trouble maintaining my enthusiasm for rebuilding my Agamemnon log.
 
However, despite the lack of evidence and a coherent storyline… I have actually finished! The whole thing!! It's taken me 11 years, 2 months and 3 days exactly. I have no idea how many hours I have spent on it, but it's a lot. The entire build was done on our kitchen table, which meant having to clear away before every meal and share it with my children when they did their homework. There are two lights hung quite low above the table, and when I got to the masting stage I bashed them nearly every time I moved the model from the top of the piano to the kitchen. Nevertheless she's still in one piece. Here are a couple of pictures:
 

 

 

 
She's very difficult to photograph most of the time because either she's against a wall, which results in an overlay of confusing shadows, or she's on the table with the lights in the picture and the kitchen clutter in the background. I took her out into the garden for the final shots, but even that isn't perfect. I'm considering getting some professional pictures taken in a studio, but for that I'll need a car with a higher roof.
 
I hope you like it!
 
Rob

I will agree to disagree with you Gaetan  But unless you're using scalpels different than those I'm aware of, I think the metallurgy is on my side. 
 
I did this about 80% with a Hock knife and the other 20% with a Japanese knife - no scalpel I've ever seen could do this, particularly the cross-grain cuts with this cleanness. This sharpness is at the hairy edge of what an Rc62 edge can do, so demanding in terms of sharpness that even with a Hock knife I have to re-strop every 15 minutes or so.

Because the algae needs light to grow, I would have expected the green to be nearer the top of the waterline and not at all on the underside of the hull. Like this shot of the QM2.
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2575169/Adrift-sea-Extraordinary-photos-captain-Queen-Mary-II-standing-largest-ocean-liner-world.html#i-b8cc0eab 

Because the algae needs light to grow, I would have expected the green to be nearer the top of the waterline and not at all on the underside of the hull. Like this shot of the QM2.
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2575169/Adrift-sea-Extraordinary-photos-captain-Queen-Mary-II-standing-largest-ocean-liner-world.html#i-b8cc0eab 

Because the algae needs light to grow, I would have expected the green to be nearer the top of the waterline and not at all on the underside of the hull. Like this shot of the QM2.
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2575169/Adrift-sea-Extraordinary-photos-captain-Queen-Mary-II-standing-largest-ocean-liner-world.html#i-b8cc0eab 

Because the algae needs light to grow, I would have expected the green to be nearer the top of the waterline and not at all on the underside of the hull. Like this shot of the QM2.
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2575169/Adrift-sea-Extraordinary-photos-captain-Queen-Mary-II-standing-largest-ocean-liner-world.html#i-b8cc0eab 

A bit of an American-centred view of the world, I think, Ron. The Euro may be falling against the Dollar, but, within the Eurozone there is no change. Why would you sell nothing to a market of 500 million while you are waiting for the exchange rate with a market of 300 million to turn in your favour? It doesn't make sense.

A bit of an American-centred view of the world, I think, Ron. The Euro may be falling against the Dollar, but, within the Eurozone there is no change. Why would you sell nothing to a market of 500 million while you are waiting for the exchange rate with a market of 300 million to turn in your favour? It doesn't make sense.

A bit of an American-centred view of the world, I think, Ron. The Euro may be falling against the Dollar, but, within the Eurozone there is no change. Why would you sell nothing to a market of 500 million while you are waiting for the exchange rate with a market of 300 million to turn in your favour? It doesn't make sense.

A bit of an American-centred view of the world, I think, Ron. The Euro may be falling against the Dollar, but, within the Eurozone there is no change. Why would you sell nothing to a market of 500 million while you are waiting for the exchange rate with a market of 300 million to turn in your favour? It doesn't make sense.

A bit of an American-centred view of the world, I think, Ron. The Euro may be falling against the Dollar, but, within the Eurozone there is no change. Why would you sell nothing to a market of 500 million while you are waiting for the exchange rate with a market of 300 million to turn in your favour? It doesn't make sense.

A bit of an American-centred view of the world, I think, Ron. The Euro may be falling against the Dollar, but, within the Eurozone there is no change. Why would you sell nothing to a market of 500 million while you are waiting for the exchange rate with a market of 300 million to turn in your favour? It doesn't make sense.

A bit of an American-centred view of the world, I think, Ron. The Euro may be falling against the Dollar, but, within the Eurozone there is no change. Why would you sell nothing to a market of 500 million while you are waiting for the exchange rate with a market of 300 million to turn in your favour? It doesn't make sense.

Thank you guys (and girls)
 
Here are a few studio shots of the completed Victory, with figurehead and flags..
 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you all again for your kind comments and likes. You made me feel inspired enough to find time to do a bit more!
 
I have made and fitted the first strake of planking either side of the keel. This is the first time I have attempted spiling of planking. So far it's OK... I have had to remake one strake through impatience, and the fit of each is not quite as perfect as I would like. The following photos show the garboard strakes being glued in place. I will post some more once I have several done.
 
  
 
The last photo shows the stern. You can see the ends of both strakes and the tick marks I put on the frames to define the widths of the planks. You can also see the stern planking, where I was a bit dim with the choice of wood! It's all cherry, but the first three planks are noticeably different in colour. I am hoping I can tone the variation down when I apply a finish.
 

 
In case anyone is wondering I emphasised the joints between planks by rubbing both edges with a 2B pencil before glueing them in position. I think it's reasonably subtle.
 
Another thing worth mentioning, since I don't remember finding this point made anywhere else, is how to measure the tick marks quickly and easily. Most people cut strips of paper to the length of the frame between the keel and the wale, which is what I did as well. However it is usually suggested that the next step is a diminishing grid: a 'fan' of lines drawn from a common point and with the other ends set out equally along a straight line. Sufficient line are drawn so that the number of gaps between lines is the same as the intended number of strakes of planking. The idea is that you lay your strip of paper across the grid at a position where the ends of the paper just touch the outermost parts of the fan. You then mark off along the strip the intersections between the lines of the fan and the edge of the strip. This gives you a strip subdivided equally by the number of strakes. It works fine, providing you keep your strip parallel to the line used originally to set out the fan ends. If you put the strip at an angle then the spacing will vary.
 
I prefer to use a simple sheet of lined paper - it can be graph paper with a square grid, but ordinary ruled notebook paper works just as well. You need to place your paper strip at an angle across the lines such that each end is exactly on a line and the number of spaces between the two lines at the ends of the strip equals the number of strakes. then mark off the intersections as before and the strip will be evenly divided. Both methods are similar, but my method is quicker, because you don't need to make the diminishing grid, and there is a little less opportunity for error.
 
Rob