Richard Griffith

I have an extra copy of "The Masting and Rigging of English Ships of War 1625-1860" by James Lees... Item ID: 223198432573 on eBay if anyone is interested.  My price is way below the average for eBay, Amazon, Abebooks and bookfinder.   I also have other aggressively priced nautical books - see duffer-2009.

Thanks for looking.              Duff 

I too favor cherry (Prunus serotine) aka wild cherry and rum cherry.  It grows in the eastern half of the USA and up to Nova Scotia.  Tight grain, warm color, holds an edge, beautiful wood...…..

Depending on your scale, avoid using open pored wood, or wood with a strong figure.  

Other favorites of mine include: costella, box (any variety), maple (both hard and soft), birch, apple and pear.

Keep building and above all, have fun.                     Duff

I agree with Wefalck.  Mr. Harland understood several languages and his 'Seamanship' is one of my most valuable books.

Zu Mondfeld put out an attractive book because it is full of illustrations which are useful and inspiring to beginners.  However, his accuracy is spotty and in some cases inaccurate, so everything taken from his book MUST be cross checked.  I sold the book. 

Duff

Mike, beautiful clamps.  Can you ship a few to me?

The cork idea is good for full sized clamps as noted above, but for yours, you might consider gluing 220 wet dry sand paper to the jaws.  That will greatly reduce the potential for the clamp to slip out of position.                 Duff

Hey Greenstone, the first step would be getting a German to English dictionary.  You could get them sometimes at second hand book stores (if any still exist in your area), or get one cheap on Amazon or ebay or Abebooks,  If you get stuck, send me a list and I will translate them.      Duff

Hey Doug, according to Underhill, the mast step for LEON is a separate fitting, page 77 V1, 'Plank on Frame Models'.  It would be the simple block on the keelson.                     Duff

amazing

gorgeous

astounding

Thank you Doris.                                 Duff

Thanks Mike, I meant Mark...……….

What in interesting moister tester Bob~!

I agree with Welfack.  

This site is da bomb~!!              Duff

And there is the The Armed Transport Bounty (Anatomy of the Ship) (Hardcover) on Amazom for under $25 US which has LOTS of details.       Duff

Hey Mike, not to worry.  Many people use breathe when they mean expansion and contraction.

I guess I have some OCD about wood, but I also try to dispel misconceptions and incorrect information.  When I make mistakes, please correct me.   That is one of major strong points of this forum.          All the best.                   Duff

Well Mark, I follow your posts and have great respect for your talents and your attention to this site as a special contributor.  I have to disagree though, that wood does not 'breathe'; wood does not have lungs nor gills.  It does expand and contract with changes in humidity.  That expansion and contraction is extremely small but does affect the hull over its length, so special care is needed to avoid the adverse effects.  

For example, I made a wooden steam engine (approximately O scale) here in Connecticut and sent it to my granddaughter in El Paso TX.  The cab dried out and split several seams, which I could not properly fix.  I should have allowed for the contraction.  

Many old Admiralty models have cracks in their hulls due to shrinkage.  

So, use only well seasoned wood, never use wet planking and use lots of trunnels because the glue will eventually fail.          Duff

This is mostly a personal situation.  Wefalk is guite right that our ancestors built incredible models with hand tools, and without electricity.  I for one need lots of electric light and power tools, but I started this great hobby with only a few hand tools, then acquired power tools along the way.  Power tools do make fast and accurate cuts, make lots of noise and dust and can speed up the production of parts.
 

So it depends on your desire.  Hand tools are essential, power tools are nice.  Become proficient with hand tools first.     

Keep building and above all, have fun.                     Duff

Hey Jim, you may need to ream them, or use 2 or 3 sizes drill bits.      Duff

Welcome aboard Marc~! 

The Connie is very dear to us and our naval tradition;  she is still the flagship of our North Atlantic fleet.

Keep building and above all, have fun.                        Duff

GrandpaPhil, good advice by Mark and Wayne.

The courses also posed a significant fire hazard during battle from their own guns as well as from the enemy, so brailing reduced that problem.  Brailing the courses also improved visibility.  

Good luck with your build~!                  Duff

Well done Maestro~!             Duff

Dan's half needle idea is good - I also use a very small loop of wire held in a dowel.  Duff

Good idea Mike.  The tax write off is only for the cost of the kit and supplies, not for the labor.

Another suggestion is social media.                     Duff

I too have one and it does the job for me, but as Mike said, one has to be aware of its limitations.  For me, I added an adjustable stop on the starboard side which allows repetitive cuts of the same length.  Plus the real benefit is cutting brass and aluminum tubing.  For $33, it is a decent tool.    Duff

A lathe is not required.  Decent spars can be made with a drill (corded or battery) and sand paper.              Duff

Hey John, I have used it, for restorations of pond models and a couple of Leclerc mantle type models (The America and a 3 masted schooner).  It is a joy to use and behold.  Ditto to Frankie's report above.                  Duff

Great publicity~!  

What about another one, with kids building simple block models (similar to Home Depot), and have the news media on hand.  This might also inspire a couple of adults to try a kit or two.

Duff

Hi Mike, like Doug does with a spring clamp, I usually use a small metal machinists parallel clamp that has more holding power, as the need arises.  Over bending the plank is also very important.

Keep building and above all, have fun.                    Duff

Hi Bob, I am surprised by the comments regarding Vasa, Vol2.  My understanding is Mr. Fred Hocker of the Vasa Museum in Stockholm is leading the charge, working with the printers and getting it ready for publication.  Has Fred contacted you for help?           Duff

Hi Greg, mesmerizing, just awesome. 

Sign me up for the additional photos when ready.

I have started the Vulture (hi Dan) and these will help me along.  

Happy holidays~!                  Duff