Mike Y

Guess I'm gonna have to buy me a Lego set 

Used following checklist when mounting the frames. It all sounds very obvious, but would be good to repeat again. Bitter lesson from Pinnace build...
 
* connection between frame and false keel should not be too loose
* but it should not be very tight - tight connection will push away the glue and skew frame position. Light adjustments should be possible
* all angles - must be perfect 90/180 degrees. Do not trust your eye, it lies when it comes to angles or parallelism. Use jigs and measurement tools.
* frame must be inserted fully. Which is also easy to fail if frame connection is tight.
* repeat all measurements multiple times.
* after each correction - check all angles again. And again.
* be pedantic!
* let the glue set before gluing next frame, it is easy to skew alignment by accidentally touching freshly installed frame.
* false keel should sit tight in the jig, use strips of wood or paper to achieve that. No wobbling allowed
 
If I see that some frame is not perfectly fit - then drop of water weakens the glue, and I reinstall the frame. It's the case where saying "it is ok, nobody will see it" is not acceptable. Imperfect eye, measurement tools and light wood warping when glue sets will add a deviation, don't worry about it
 
My jig was again made of lego - parts are perfectly square, make a strong construction, but easy to rebuild if needed (for example, for stem frames):

 

 
Hope to glue all frames during next week, the weather is toooo good to be inside on a weekends

Used following checklist when mounting the frames. It all sounds very obvious, but would be good to repeat again. Bitter lesson from Pinnace build...
 
* connection between frame and false keel should not be too loose
* but it should not be very tight - tight connection will push away the glue and skew frame position. Light adjustments should be possible
* all angles - must be perfect 90/180 degrees. Do not trust your eye, it lies when it comes to angles or parallelism. Use jigs and measurement tools.
* frame must be inserted fully. Which is also easy to fail if frame connection is tight.
* repeat all measurements multiple times.
* after each correction - check all angles again. And again.
* be pedantic!
* let the glue set before gluing next frame, it is easy to skew alignment by accidentally touching freshly installed frame.
* false keel should sit tight in the jig, use strips of wood or paper to achieve that. No wobbling allowed
 
If I see that some frame is not perfectly fit - then drop of water weakens the glue, and I reinstall the frame. It's the case where saying "it is ok, nobody will see it" is not acceptable. Imperfect eye, measurement tools and light wood warping when glue sets will add a deviation, don't worry about it
 
My jig was again made of lego - parts are perfectly square, make a strong construction, but easy to rebuild if needed (for example, for stem frames):

 

 
Hope to glue all frames during next week, the weather is toooo good to be inside on a weekends

I also thought of buying Byrnes sander, but it is too big, and do not justify the cost (incl shipping plus custom taxes). If I ship something outside of EU - it is ridiculously expensive in the end. I don't need any precision or fine adjustments from disk sander - I just need it to be small and quiet, that is all.
 
Table saw is another story, and I will definitely buy Byrnes table saw. I need a precision from the saw, plus lots of tilting tables and adjustable angles. It is expensive, but justifies the cost.

Used following checklist when mounting the frames. It all sounds very obvious, but would be good to repeat again. Bitter lesson from Pinnace build...
 
* connection between frame and false keel should not be too loose
* but it should not be very tight - tight connection will push away the glue and skew frame position. Light adjustments should be possible
* all angles - must be perfect 90/180 degrees. Do not trust your eye, it lies when it comes to angles or parallelism. Use jigs and measurement tools.
* frame must be inserted fully. Which is also easy to fail if frame connection is tight.
* repeat all measurements multiple times.
* after each correction - check all angles again. And again.
* be pedantic!
* let the glue set before gluing next frame, it is easy to skew alignment by accidentally touching freshly installed frame.
* false keel should sit tight in the jig, use strips of wood or paper to achieve that. No wobbling allowed
 
If I see that some frame is not perfectly fit - then drop of water weakens the glue, and I reinstall the frame. It's the case where saying "it is ok, nobody will see it" is not acceptable. Imperfect eye, measurement tools and light wood warping when glue sets will add a deviation, don't worry about it
 
My jig was again made of lego - parts are perfectly square, make a strong construction, but easy to rebuild if needed (for example, for stem frames):

 

 
Hope to glue all frames during next week, the weather is toooo good to be inside on a weekends

Used following checklist when mounting the frames. It all sounds very obvious, but would be good to repeat again. Bitter lesson from Pinnace build...
 
* connection between frame and false keel should not be too loose
* but it should not be very tight - tight connection will push away the glue and skew frame position. Light adjustments should be possible
* all angles - must be perfect 90/180 degrees. Do not trust your eye, it lies when it comes to angles or parallelism. Use jigs and measurement tools.
* frame must be inserted fully. Which is also easy to fail if frame connection is tight.
* repeat all measurements multiple times.
* after each correction - check all angles again. And again.
* be pedantic!
* let the glue set before gluing next frame, it is easy to skew alignment by accidentally touching freshly installed frame.
* false keel should sit tight in the jig, use strips of wood or paper to achieve that. No wobbling allowed
 
If I see that some frame is not perfectly fit - then drop of water weakens the glue, and I reinstall the frame. It's the case where saying "it is ok, nobody will see it" is not acceptable. Imperfect eye, measurement tools and light wood warping when glue sets will add a deviation, don't worry about it
 
My jig was again made of lego - parts are perfectly square, make a strong construction, but easy to rebuild if needed (for example, for stem frames):

 

 
Hope to glue all frames during next week, the weather is toooo good to be inside on a weekends

Still hectic at my job but I've done some work on the model.
 
The main mast is now mounted and I also made two more tops. The details on the smaleest one is much reworked to fit and get more in scale. I also noticecd the problem Karl mentioned in his Vasa thread about the squared hole being to small so I widened it a little and will also rework the mizzen mast a little to make it work.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
/Matti

Can't tell from the picture, but putting rubber discs on the bottom of the sander might insulate it from the table and reduce the noise if it's too loud?
 
Just noticed somebody else already suggested this.

I have the Byrnes table saw and have to agree about the quality.  I would only buy their versions of the heavier tools such as the table saw or thickness sander. 
Prior to learning about Byrnes, I bought some Proxxon tools and have been pretty satisfied with them especially as a beginner to learn on. One reason I chose the Proxxon sander over others was for the built in variable speed. Being new to the hobby, I find myself often using slow speeds when sanding, especially with parts that require minimal removal.
 
That said, now that I have just a little more experience building ship models, if I lost my tools somehow, or won the lottery, I would replace any with the equivalent Byrnes tool. Between their solid construction, highly accurate accessories and their superb service, they are my tools of choice.
 
QA, I followed your link for the vacuum and it looks good. Sadly, I could not find available for U.S. buyers and have not found any other powerful but quiet vacuums available here.
 
 
Richard

I echo the Byrnes disc sander.  Used mine the first time the other day, and was really impressed.  It's built like a tank, and runs fairly quiet.
 
What is noisy is running a shop vac to the sander.  I have a Fein shop vac, and while it's on the quieter side, it's still fairly noisy when everything is running together.  That being said, it's not like I'm running power tools and the shop vac for hours on end at a time.

Mike, while the shipping to Sweden will be expensive give a Byrnes sander serious consideration: http://www.byrnesmodelmachines.com/discsander1.html
Jim's tools are well worth the investment! My hope is that he'll next come out with an oscillating sander....
 
Richard, look at Fein's dust collectors. They're quiet in comparison to shop vacuums (a Fein is about as loud as a regular house vac), they're powerful, come with HEPA options, and so on but they're also not cheap.... Really am happy with mine. Figuring out attachments to machines dust ports is tricky but do-able.
 
Cheers,
Jay

Frame alignment is really critical to have a smooth shape of the hull, better fix it now, not fixable if planking is done.
I had just one single frame a bit out of line on Pinnace, it was hardly visible when model is not planked. Result - skewed hull shape. Nobody sees it except me, but I know it's there

According to my digital caliper distance between bulkhead A-0-1 is 8.22mm -0- 7.12mm at the false keel, 8.67mm -0- 7.06mm at top.
After measuring the distance between each bulkhead I noticed none are even at center-line. Maybe I should proceed without being to concerned.

Mike,
As I were stationed in Karlskrona for the initial time of my military service we had free entrance to the museum, this was back in mid 80s and I don't know how much that has changed. But if you are making a trip it's definitely worth a visit. 
Sending you the link to their website.
http://www.marinmuseum.se/

Planking continued, the black strake (that won't be stained black) and the first strake above it. The openings for the ports and sweep ports are roughly cut. The joints are tinted with pencel lead, it does not show now but it will when the finish s applied.
I'll be taking some shore leave and be back in a week.
 

 

 
Remco

Mike,
I guess I have to ask for a rain check regarding grill/beer. I will let you know when I am back in Sweden.
Grew up in Åkersberga (NorthEast) if you are familiar with the surroundings. You take the train (Roslagsbanan) from Östra Station. About 40 minutes ride.
I would suggest you to make a contact National Museum of Maritime (sjöhistoriska museet), as they have annual modelship builders day in the summer. inviting clubs, they should have somewhat of an eye of such. Another place to visit is Eskader (hobbystore). The owner knows about clubs as well.
But hold to your wallet as a visit at Eskader might be expensive.   Knowing by experience.
As for the longboat, I beveled the false keel the way Mike-Stuntflyer described. It's thin, it's delicate but I think it was worthwhile.

Ok, boxwood stem and keel looks really better, I actually did not expected how better!
 

 
Sanded it with 400 => 600 => 1200 => 2000 grits. After 2000 grit castello starts to change the color to a deeper yellow, and starts to have a shine. Really interesting transformation! Need to experiment a lot when it would be a time to apply some protective finish:

 
Used another kind of scarf joint for keel. I know it is not the joint that should be really used on a keel, but it just looks nicer, and just wanted to practice that tricky joint on such scale. Looks ok, or maybe I should have made it longer? Right now joint is done on an angle around 60deg, but maybe something closer to 70-75 would be better (if joint length is three times joint width).
What is the golden rule of thumb for such joints?
 
Close-up:

 
Next step is frame fitting. Frames are gently sanded, and ready to go!

I agree with Richard. My Proxxon sander runs very quiet without a vac. But I agree that noisiness is fairly subjective. Let me say I find the noise of the vacuum cleaner nearly unbearable.
 
Tony

I have not found the proxxon to be very loud. What is loud is the shop vac I have attached to it. In fact, I have turned off the shop vac and left the sander running without noticing it was still turned on, especially at slower speeds. If I am working at night, my wife, in another room, does not hear the sander if I run it without the vacuum.
 
Of course it may be different to your ears but Amazon does accept returns.
Richard

Hi Jay,
My process with pure Tung Oil is simple - apply first coat thinned 50 percent with mineral spirits (this is key for your base coat for maximum absorption) - let dry for 24 hours.  Lightly steel wool with 0000 - then apply second coat full strength - let it sit for 10 -15 minutes then buff with t shirt - watch for seepage (you shouldn't get much - since you thinned your base coat). Again let dry for 24 hours - steel wool and apply final coat full strength and remove excess after 10 minutes or so.  Let dry 24 hours and you're done - I don't steel wool final coat.
 
Keep in mind this is using pure Tung Oil on a hardwood (in my case Pear) - you should be good to go after letting the final oil coat cure for a few days.  I've never had a problem glueing a part to a surface i have applied this finish to - again you do need to sand or scrape the area you will be glueing the part to - then just reapply some oil after the part has dried - works like a charm.
Chris

Hello to everyone.......!
 
This is my main work - The Sovereign of the Seas from DeAgostini  and if I wait for the next components (only once a months) I work on the  "Le Gros Ventre"
I started last year in august and so she looks today, if you want I can put more pictures  from the beginning on. We are still not as far as in England, we are in the construction stage 36 from 135
 

 
and so I built the cannons and have them finished with gold leaf
 

 

 

 

 

 
and so I'll refine all gold parts from the Sovereign and there are many of them
 
here is the dinghy   
 

Mike, looking at your close-up shot of the keel and false keel it appears the bevel is somewhat rounded. FWIW, I found that beveling the false keel straight and thinning it to less than 1/32" helped a lot in allowing the planks to get into position without slipping out. Although more difficult to do, you can still bevel it more after the keel and false keel are glued together. Also, the bevel will not show up on the finished models interior. Mike

I used this photo from somebody's build log (sorry, forgot which one):

 
When doing that scarf, the trick to avoid misalignment is to use a constant and predefined cut depth, because it will affect not only the "cutoff" parts, but the edges of the planks.
And keep in mind that it's a fully mirrored joint, so both sides could be cut clamped together.
 
Here is the sketch, notice that all red lines are equal (representing the cut depts).

 
 
But maybe there is some easy trick to cut that scarf quick, clean and precise. I did just a few scarfs, and hope that some experienced builder can share a trick to make such scarfs fast and easy

Mike,
That's one the major concern. Making the false keel.
But since I have the material I could make it a try. What can I loose? Some high quality material from Jeff? Could be worth the shot.

I have found out that the false keel provided from MS does break at the stem.
I have been very sensitive / delicate with sanding but still the stem has broken at two places.
Getting to the point to pondering of replacing the false keel with material from HobbyMills which I already have.
Any input an experience in the stem issue????   Or am I alone?
Thinking about to using  3x 1/32 sheet boxwood to make this part (false keel ) .....
Or should I proceed from the point where I am at and continue?
As for the keel and stem piece out of boxwood, no problems at all!!!!