Richard Griffith

Hi Tony and other members, here are 3 photos (I hope) of my sled device.  You can modify it to suit  your saw and needs.  For example, the screw device can be made more simple. 

Duff

My wood book calls this wood 'melia azedarach'.

Melia azedarach, commonly known by many names, including white cedar,chinaberry tree, bead-tree, Cape lilac syringa berrytree, Persian lilac,and Indian lilac, is a species of deciduous tree in the mahogany family, Meliaceae, that is native to Indomalaya and Australasia. The genus Melia includes four other species, occurring from southeast Asia to northern Australia. They are all deciduous or semi-evergreen trees.

The wood is of medium density, and ranges in color from light brown to dark red. In appearance it is readily confused with the unrelated Burmese Teak.  The fruit and leaves are toxic to humans, but the wood seems to be neutral. 

(The above is from wikipedia-Duff)

So, since this wood is so rare outside of Southeast Asia and rare even there, it is likely no one on this forum has used it for model ship building.  Give it go and let us know-how it glues, how good paint sticks to it or what finish you use, it's bending properties, if it spits easily. 

Duff

Thank you Remco for posting pix of your progress~!  Your model seems to glow, and your workmanship is first rate.

Duffer

Since this thread started many months ago, my comments may be too late regarding the purchasing decision.  However............

I did buy the Micro Mark heavy duty mill a year ago and many of the accessories.  This machine is a delight to use and IMO is worth the price.  It is accurate, has decent power, decent finish where it counts and good features. 

The key factors in my decision to buy it include:

   price value verses features (the options I bought cost more than the machine)

   a reputable distributor

  R8 spindle (I think there are more options for accessories)

  the rotary table which can be mounted horizontal and veritcal

  variable speed dial

  heavy duty tilting column

As others have stated, you need to consider why you need a relatively expensie machine.  For me. I need to be able to mill metal for making other machines, jigs and fictures, highly accurate parts for wooden ships, and repetitive production.  For example, I just made the inside apron for the Swan class sloop, where the forward cant frames sit, which required precise slots and a mirror cut on the starboard side.  Plus I needed a steel quick change tool post for my 10' engine lathe.  This mill handled both just fine.

As with all machine tools, there will always be jobs that go beyond their capacity, even for Bridgeports.  So, one needs to consider needs verses budget, that is, what you expect to do with the machine.  Hope this helps you and others a bit.

Duffer

I agree wholeheartedly with Bryan Sonofagun, Seawatch is doing a yeoman's job! 

I bought about a dozen books and plan to buy a couple more as soon as my creditors get happier.

(l am just a happy customer, no other connection with Seawatch.)

Duffer

Gutten Tag Heinz, ihre Werk ist ausgezeichnet!  (translated-your work is excellent). 

When I need decent sails made with textiles, I plan to try your wire covered with thread idea.

Thank you for posting your work.

Duffer

Another way to cut thin strips on a 10" table saw is to make a sled and add an adusting screw so you don't sandwich the thin strips between the blade and the fence.  (I'll try to upload a pix or two.)  In words - the sled is just a piece of half inch plywood with 1 by 2 inch pine pieces glued vertical to the front and rear - these hold the plywood together when you run the sled thru the blade.   The shape of this sled is a shallow U. 

Glued to the underside are 2 hardwood runners that fit in the 2 mitre gauge slots.  These runners keep the sled from moving side to side or racking, thereby allowing precise and repeditive cuts.  The screw device fits inside on the rear pine piece and is adjustable for micro changes in cuting. 

Prepare your planking stock to the width and length you need, then mount the sled to cut the thickness.  I use a thin veneer blade (hollow ground and many teeth).  You could also use a new plywood blade which should have the sides of the teeth honed.  You will either get what you need, or close and then final thicknessing with the sander. 

Now to figure out uploading photos......

Duffer

Yup, as David and Ulises commented, clove hitches are the knots to use.  BUT, if your scale is small, then you could simply push a needle thru the shrouds, and just use an overhand knot on the outside shrouds.  Apply a drop of diluted white glue; do not use CA.  By small, I mean the ratlines look good with the needle method.

If it gets too boring, work on the yards, or the anchors, or the launch, then come back another day.

Duffer

Gorgeous, just gorgeous.....

Duffer

While these MSDS sheets are very technical and unintelligable to the non chemists, including me, they do provide key safety infomation.  As others have pointed out, treat all chemicals with respect and always avoid contact with your skin and inhallation. 

Whenever I use CA a lot, I turn on a small fan to blow the fumes away from my face.  All spraying in the shop is in a spray booth whose exit hose goes out the window.  Latex and nitrile gloves are used as needed.  Acid proof gloves are used whenever I use acids or strong lyes.  Be careful of what you wear on your feet should you spill acids.  I wear a face shield when needed, even though I wear corrective glasses.  These are some of the easy safety measues and they do not require time to use. 

Our eyes are extemely important, and so is our health.  Without these, most of us could not make model ships.       Duffer

HI Mel-Drew, ratlines are are installed parrallel to the futtock staff, which is horizontal. 'Rattling down' derives from the practice of starting from the top and going down to the dead eyes.  Dead eyes normally follow the sheer, and so too the stretcher, or sheerpole.  The stretcher, if installed, is to prevent the shrouds from twisting and thereby keeps the lanyards from fouling. 
The stretcher may or may not be horizontal, but the ratlines must be - the sailors must be able to climb them, in all weathers.

Duffer in Middletown, CT

For me, domesrtic cherry (USA) works great for hull planking.  Apple and domestic pear are excellent too.  For decking, holly. soft maple and birch are all excellent.

Good luch with your build and have FUN>.

Duffer

HI Slog, thank you for your build log.  Your workmanship is superb, the results are beautiful.

Duffer

Hi Popjack, nice work on this most beautiful of schooners!  I also started this one but put it on hold when I got to the hull planking stage  The reason is that I need to finish Le Soliel Royal (Heller kit with many upgrades) which has a deadline. 

Whenever I get plywood that delaminates, I soak the edges with thin CA and place the plywood under weights.

Warped masts must be replaced as prior posts advised.  If you are handy with a wood plane, making them out of hard wood is one ot the best methods.  Dowels are usually made from ramin which needs careful filling of the grain.  Be careful of the dust as ramin has a health risk to our breathing.

Stay the course and keep us posted on your progress~!

Duffer

Prior posts said it well, cut the logs into manageble lengths, and air dry at least one year for each inch in diameter.  I've used acrylic paint on the ends to slow the drying and thus the checking, but I prefer paraphin because it does the job better.  It does involve more time as one has to melt the paraphin and avoid a fire.

I'll have to keep a weather eye out for lilac-thanks for the tip Michael.

Duffer

Tlhank you Dave and others for this information, especially for the hardness info. 

Prior posts regarding its use as a modelling material hit the nail on the head, that is, the color and workability and tight grain are most important for our uses, unless the client requires certain woods, or the restoration requires same or similar. 

Some of my favorite woods include yellow birch (I live in Connecticut, USA), soft maple, local cherry, black walnut, basswood pear and apple.  I have some of the exotics for special uses.  These include the woods noted above, plus purple heart, redheart, padauk, wenge, bubinga, yellow heart (gotta have a heart), and a few others.  Cost is definitely a factor for most of us. 

My most favorite is flowering dogwwood (Cornus florida) which grows in the USA and Canada.  It is white to pinkish brown, very compact, interlocked grain with a fine, uniform texture. Dry weight 51 lbs/ft3 (820kg/m3), specific gravity .82, I don't know the Janka hardness number.  This is a hard and heavy wood, with high bending and compression strenght.  In spite of its hardness, it saws, turns and planes well, glues easily and can be brought to a glossy finish.  I harvest this whenever and whereever I find it.  I cut it into 18" logs, soak the ends in parafin, and wait several years for it to air dry.  I saw the larger logs in half lengthwise to speed up the air drying although I lose some wood due to checking.  A buddy gave me a billet he had cut in 1984 which I use while the newer stuff drys out.  Soon, very soon.

Duffer

I too prefer the dial readout as it is easy to see and read.  I had a digital but it ate up the batteries and required zeroing with every measurement.  It was a cheap one so my experience with digitral may be skewed.  But the dial ones are my most used tools in the shop. 

The tool should be checked preiodically for accuracy.  Chips on the gear or rack will throw off the accuracy.  Since we are not building for the aerospace industry, take measurements of known dimensions such as your one two three blocks, or the width of your steel rulers.

If at first you don't fricassee, fry, fry again...............

Duffer

Prior posts are correct about NOT using CA glue.  There are also reports that CA stays anhydrous over a long period which means it outgases acidic fumes.  These will attack surrounding materials, especially in a closed environment eg encased models.  However, CA is a very effective glue for many applications, and I use it.  I even used it to attach ratlines on a recent build before i became aware of the dangers.  Live and learn.

Duffer

Hi Rfolsom, nice build log, and great progress on your Cutty.  She is one of the most beautiful ships and most famous too, expecially since you can visit her in Greenich.  My buddy Ron and I did just that this past June. 

Another excellent book is "The Cutty Sark"  by C. N. Longridge.  My copy is the 1959 reprint by Sweetman which can be had for about $22 on Abe Books or Amazon.  It has folded plans by Underhill in a pocket, plus many details and pictures throughout.  If I were to build another Cutty, It would be wood (I already built one of the Revell kits in 1/96 scale) and would use this book as my primary resource. 

Keep up the great work and continue posting pix~!

Duff

Another optiom for saw blades is to get a veneer blade or a hollow ground combo blade.  These may be difficult to buy new these days so I always look for them at tag sales and estate sales.  My saw is a 10" Delta contractor that when carefully set up and adjusted gives great service. 

Duffer

Thanks for the YouTube on knots; I have wondered about that for years (I'm not a surgeon). 

Echoing a prior post, do NOT use CA glue on rigging lines.  Instead use diluted white glue, or sometimes I use a fixament that fly fishing people use when making flys.  I might try the rosin. 

Above all, have fun~!

Duffer

Hi Larry, prior posts are good, that is, maple is a great wood for frames and decks, Portia used it, I have used it (for frames) as have others.  Either hard or soft maple works well.  Since the Acer genus contains about 150 species, the type of maple you get will have wide variations in colors. In Europe, maple is known as sycamore which is very different from American sycamore.  Maples grow in the Nothern hemishere so some form of maple is available to most of us.

Maple is easy to work but requires sharp tools.  I am not aware of any maples picking up silica during growth so your edge tools should not suffer.  (Teaks and rosewoods usually have silica but these woods are not recommended for model work.)   Maple glues OK but is usually difficult to stain; it will take paint.

Don't use figured maple and do not use spalted.  Spalted is decayed and highly figured.  Maple requires predrilling, can be bent but tends to be brittle.  I use other woods for hull planking, woods with better bending properties (perhaps I should try some planking with maple).  Decking with maple looks great, as does holly.  Holly is very expensive lately though. 

Keep us posted on your progress. 

Duffer

Richard, prior posts are all good, any close grain (that means no open pores and no pronounced annual rings) hard wood will work well, plus the 'usual' box (English or Costello), Swiss pear and a few other inports.  Matching the colors is a matter of personal perception.  Experiment to see what looks good to you. 

Duffer

Hi Kimberly, prior suggestions on paint are all good.  Be sure to wash off all release oils before painting (warm water and a little dish soap). 

Should you have to remove dryed paint, dip the item into power steering fluid until the paint falls off.  Really.  The fluid does not harm the plastic but eats the paint. 

As for straight edges when brushing or spraying, Tamyia sells a high quality masking tape. Blue painters tape should work too but may not sit down tight over raised detail as well. 

No dumb models.

Have fun.

Duffer

Hey Kimberly, one of my first builds was the Cutty Sark, 1/96 scale by Revell.  It looked pretty good too, no sails though.  I did not case it.  It took a few bumps along the way, until my son was born and became ambulatory.  One evening, when we thought he was sleeping, he climbed out of his crib and dismantiled the entire ship. 

Well, I did build Old Ironsides too, but this time built a case.  It has survived very weill because of the case.  I think there are a couple of pictures of it in our websie - ctshipmodels.org.  (I'll have to double check). 

Buidling a model ship requires many skills and there are many cross overs from other disciplines. You have an excellent start, keep at it.

Duffer