jud

I cut bow, counter, and curved deck margin planks from sheet stock using a single edged razor blate and ships curves.
 
Regards,
Pete

You can buy a Dremel, but others on MSW also use Proxxon and Foredom. When purchasing a rotary tool, these are (IMHO) the most important considerations:
 
- Price. Dremel is the cheapest and most available, Foredom costs the most.
 
- Chuck diameter. Dremel has the smallest chuck (which limits the size of the tool you can hold). Foredom has the largest.
 
- Flexible shaft. AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY IMO. This allows you to hold the tool with a pencil grip and saves you from having to wrestle a large tool when performing delicate work. All three systems have flexible shafts as an accessory. With Foredom, you have a choice of many different shafts and heads.
 
- Tool bits. All accessories are interchangeable between Dremel, Proxxon, and Foredom - with the notable exception that larger diameter shank tools will not fit if your chuck diameter is too small (see point #2). Just because Dremel has the largest and most available selection of tool bits should NOT influence your decision. You can easily use a Dremel tool bit on a Foredom if you so choose.
 
- Smoothness. Proxxon and Foredom are said to be noticably smoother than Dremel with less rotational eccentricity. Important if you are carving very fine work but not so much if you are using your Dremel as a Drum sander or to cut bits of wood off.
 
- Foot pedal. Only Foredom has a variable speed foot pedal. This is important because your tool is not rotating when you apply it to the workpiece - increasing your precision. Both Dremel and Proxxon can be adapted with an "on-off" pedal, but this does not give you the ability to adjust speed using foot pressure.
 
I have a Dremel and I am happy with it. Good luck with your choice.

The strop used on a real rope strop block is made from a rope grommet.
 
 http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=rope%20grommet&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi  
 
which is made by unlaying one strand out of a three stranded rope and then laying this single strand up alongside itself. The result is a rope ring with no visible end. Achieving this in small diameter line used on ship models would be very difficult so you would have to fake this up somehow. I would suggest unlaying each end of some thread of a correct length and gluing the frayed ends alongside the cheek of the block you are using, blending them together from each direction. When its dry you could put on your seizings and form the eyes.

Hi Mark  
 
I will second Nigel's response. While is is a very good read for the newbie it does not answer many of the questions you had and will have as you get into planking
 
 There are some excellent and very knowledgeable responses here. As a newbie or someone who has just finished planking his first hull I remember asking myself many of these same questions. My response may or may not help.
 
The belts not only break up the job in more manageable chunks but prevent your planking from wondering. A small error in the first plank might start a wave or other undesirable effect in all your planks. It can actually compound and grow with each plank. Better that you do groups and stop this. Not one after the other but one "to" the other. These restarts will keep your planking in check. The small corrections needed within a belt will be lost in the overall job. Yes that last plank that you will need to fit between the two belts will be one of the hardest. 
 
The belts also force you to taper your planks correctly. On some ships you will need to combine two planks into one (drop plank) or add a filler. The belts will help you see this early on. There is a rule for how much you should taper a plank and its not to a point so you can shoe horn it in. There is another for the width. 
 
This is what I used 
http://modelshipworldforum.com/resources/Framing_and_Planking/Lining%20Off%20your%20hull%20for%20planking.pdf
 
Well after I tried it my way and failed. I did substitute battens for the string chuck uses but the whole fan thing and marking off the width of each plank in each belt on every bulkhead is the only reason I was able to finish my hull and why I was happy with the result.
 
Here is a link to my instructions and the belts.  
 
http://www.modelexpo-online.com/images/docs/MS2028/MS2028_Rattlesnake-Instructions-Complete.pdf
 
Figure 6 page 10. There is a ton of info on planking too. Its a good "FREE" read for anyone new. 
 
PS: Spiling or cutting planks from a sheet is not that hard to do. You will know if you need to do it when you find yourself bending planks in both directions. 

I have a Craftsman, probably 20-25 years old.  I put a 1/8" Masonite table on it but instead of drilling a hole I used the scroll saw to cut a slot from the back until the table was in place.  Then I used flat head screws to hold it in place.  The opening around the blade is the saw width which is great.  The drawback, which I'm willing to live with, is I have to remove the top to change blades.
 
 
Bob

Beautiful work piet , the Carftsmanship and detail are amazing, Have you thought about fabricating metal parts for people ? I know that I would place an order . I have not seen better metal work on this site , you my friend are truly gifted
 
Best Regards,
Pete

Thank you all for dropping in and your likes, it's really encouraging.
 
Didn't do much today.  Just finishing up on one more torpedo, drilled the pilot holes for the railing posts and made a boat hook so I can close the deck launcher doors.
 
Still looking at the numbers on the con and thinking what I should do.  The starboard side is actually not too bad and can be worked with.  Let me try and use a new sharp pair of scissors and cut not that close to the black outline and see how that looks.  The decal material is so fragile.  
Let me do some testing first though.
 
I made a few pics of my new boat hook, hope yuns like it.
 

 

 
Cheers.

Hi Dave
 
Vivian raises a good idea.If you check Alex Banarov's Cumberland build in the scratch section,he demonstrates good use of copper strip 'busbars' to provide a power source to the LEDs at each deck level.In the UK,just google 'the component shop'.They are the main source of LEDs over here for modelmakers.They also give advice on installation and wiring on their website
 
Kind Regards
 
Nigel

Hey Dave. I´m building a chinese junk and decided to light on the cabin. That gave me some headeache for not planning it really on advance (I mean, to plan all the aspects, including the need to fix problems if they come to be). So, leds are great but you´ll have to think all aspects of it - I suggest using copper stripes to wires and a good soldering plan for them - bad soldering can bring all your plans down.

Need to send the seller of that saw 20 bucks. That act would be worth much more to you than that 20 bucks could ever be if you keep it in your pocket.
jud

Piet, still following and admiring your work on that submarine, doing your Dad's Boat proud.
jud 

Corn Huskers Lotion or use what I do, Bag Balm. Should be able to find it at farm supply outlets and some drug stores around here stock it. A little goes a long way,  it works well for problems such as yours. I keep a can handy and depending on what I am doing it often gets used 2 or 3 times a day.
jud

Need to send the seller of that saw 20 bucks. That act would be worth much more to you than that 20 bucks could ever be if you keep it in your pocket.
jud

Corn Huskers Lotion or use what I do, Bag Balm. Should be able to find it at farm supply outlets and some drug stores around here stock it. A little goes a long way,  it works well for problems such as yours. I keep a can handy and depending on what I am doing it often gets used 2 or 3 times a day.
jud

Thanks everyone for visiting and your likes!!
 
Today was not as productive as I would have liked it.  First of all it was my fourth visit at the Urology Clinic for the BCGI treatment and for some reason the side effects are much more bothersome.  In addition the temp in the garage was over 96 F and even with the doors open and the fan going full blast it was still HOT.  I was just moving hot air.  I like it hot but when you have a splitting headache, tired and drowsy feeling it's no longer fun.
 
In any case, the port door worked as advertised but - - - when I tried to install the launcher it would not go in.  That extra disc I glued on the bottom was too much.  So I "un-glued" it and cemented it to the fixed rotating plate that sits on top of the pressure hull.
I should have done that in the first place, domkop me        But - - - all that time was not lost because I could now sand this disc to about 1 mm thickness that would have been more difficult by doing it in my hand or inside the boat.
 
I removed the door so I can glue the card hinges to it and permanently affix it to the bottom stringer below the door opening.  I'm going to be positive in that the launcher will fit okay, after all, I did try it.
 
While the glue was curing I started to model two torpedoes for the launcher.  I made three propellers from some thin brass shim material and the fins for one.  Hopefully I can finish these two torpedoes tomorrow, or whenever.
 
So you see that I was not letting the discomfort get in te way until later in the afternoon.
 
Here are two pics that show how I jury rigged a clamping system to clam the thin spacer disk.
 

Perhaps not clear by what I'm doing here, the next pic shows better.  I used a piece of brass tubing to center the disk over the existing turning plate.  Dabbed some TiteBond on it and then two small oak blocks I had laying around from making the VOC ship hull planking jigs.  Then two wooden sicks on top of the oak blocks and used wedged between them and the top of the door opening.  
 

You get a better idea with this picture.  This clamping rig is nice and tight and the disc should be well cemented.
 
Cheers,

You have prepared a nice cave to do your work, caves have always been hard to illuminate for delicate work. Would work fine for your forge, the colors of the hot iron would be easy to see, that's the reason the blacksmith forge is in a dark corner. Think I would start over, get a stout but nice table to start with. Then build or obtain some storage cupboards with doors that are a light color to store your stuff. Those walls and ceiling are the right color, use that built in lighting aid and supplement it with some indirect lighting on the wall or ceiling. No offense intended, that is just how I see it.
jud

What a beautiful machine.  Good luck on the rebuild.
 
Bob

Experimenting with starch left me disappointed. I used the powdered form of laundry starch in hot water and I dipped the sailcloth into it then draped the sailcloth over holes cut in cardboard. The holes in the cardboard were cut to the size and shape of the outside of the sails. I allowed the sails to air dry overnight. They DID take on the form of the billowing sails and they WERE quite stiff. But something about the starch also made the fabric pucker in a pattern across the entire sail. The result reminded me very much of those old vacu-form topographic maps of mountainous terrain you used to see.
I have had success with a commercial product called "Stiffen Stuff" and another similar product called "Stiffen Quick" which are pump spray craft products you mist onto fabric which has the result of preserving the fabric in the shape it was in when the product was applied. It stiffens the fabric nicely without causing the sort of puckering distortions I found the starch caused.

Jud,
 
You have good plan. 
 
What others have done is to use the starch and fan method instead of laying them flat to dry. Or,  lay them over an appropriately shaped mold... basketballs, beach balls, buckets.  Some even hang them such that they dry in the shape they want.  The other one I saw (Hubert's site maybe?) showed fine wire being sewn into the edge of the sail and shaped  with the sail then being sprayed with hairspray, I think.  There's about as many ways as there those who put sails on their ships. 

Ahoy Mates
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/152-le-superbe-by-blue-ensign-heller-plastic-built-as-le-praetorian-after-boudriot/?p=16686
 
I believe this technique could be modified to create a fully rigged model under power 

I used dilluted white glue on the sails for my AVS  and used a hair blow-dryer to dry them in shape.
 
Ken

Pops, I had to make the hole to sort out why the led I had instaled wasn´t working. As I needed the light so the cabin could be seen, I took out the bad led and got a new one. The hole will be closed and won´t even appear to have existed (well, so I hope). I gave thought to gratings and coamings, but that would be rlly wrong for the type of ship - would look great, though, I must admit
 
Sjors, I loved this saw. I used it in some ocasions already and it´ll soften my work (my hands are thankfull for that). The hole is just to fix the led, I´ll close it soon - for now I´m working on the rudder and part of it will be over that hole - using brass fittings I´ll have to darken - that´s why the hole is still open, by the way.
 
Sam, bad soldering. I used a led from a sun powered beacon and had to take out some parts before soldering it. As I took out the led, I found it was loose on it´s place. I could just solder it again, but decided on using a new one with less interference from my hands. After doing this mess, it seemed right to reconsider the lantern (seemed too rough for my liking) and I´ll make a new one, too. It´s funny, cause on the beggining I found the lantern to be ok, but now I´ve raised up my standards - just in the course of this building.
 
Popeye, think I already gave the answers .

The dining facilities differences between Officers and Enlisted in military ships have more basses for difference than the separation of position. The enlisted men eat on the State, the Officers pay for their meals and some other amenities.
jud

The dining facilities differences between Officers and Enlisted in military ships have more basses for difference than the separation of position. The enlisted men eat on the State, the Officers pay for their meals and some other amenities.
jud

The dining facilities differences between Officers and Enlisted in military ships have more basses for difference than the separation of position. The enlisted men eat on the State, the Officers pay for their meals and some other amenities.
jud