No Idea

I second what Morgan has said as Axminster products are very good. Go in any Axminster shop and you will meet sales people that know exactly what they are selling and are honest about the tools capability too.

This is such a beautiful model and you are doing such justice to it. Everything about this ship is outstanding from the just incredible design to the flawless wood that is supplied. I'm in for the rest of this build - fantastic!

Hi Dave this idea works extremely well as you can simply make a drawing and then use the indexes on the axis to cut it pretty much exactly. It's not my idea have a look at Kevin Kennys HMS Thorn thread and he's done a great video of his process. Your idea of using a vertical mill is exactly the same and will definitely work. Thanks for the comment about how they turned out - I'm pretty chuffed to be honest. I've marked out the line on the hull for fitting but the problem of how to join the planks still remains.

Hi All Ok I've made progress on the moulded planks so I can share that but I also need some advice moving forward. Firstly I made the scraper in exactly the same fashion that Kevin Kenny made his - Kevin your a genius working out using the mill to make these it made the job quite simple. Having said that it took me 4 attempts to get it right. To help with the removal of the wood I used the table saw to cut away the deepest part of the shape to be scraped. I don't know how everyone else uses a scraper? I found the easiest way was to clamp it down and then just go for it. It was a far more simple process than I thought it would be. You know when you are at the right depth because the scrape actually feels different - it feels smooth is the best way that I can describe it. Check against the drawing for accuracy. And now I've got enough pieces to complete the job. It took a morning to complete and it's a very relaxing process to carry out. After making the shape I just had to put them back onto the table saw to cut them to the correct thickness. So now I would like some advice from my fellow builders. The drawings show that each strake is made up of 4 individual planks which are joined with a scarf joint (see below). Now I've become quite good at scarf joints - however I think this may be a little too difficult to pull off as accurately as I would like. Firstly the piece is not rectangular which means that the scarf would have to be angled width ways across the top section but parallel across the bottom. Secondly that is a hell of a lot of detail to line up and look seamless. My feelings are that I should put practicality first here and make a simple butt joint and then nail it so it looks like a scarf joint. Am I bailing out here? Should I give it a go? Let me know as I'm currently unsure of which way to go. Cheers Mark

That looks absolutely stunning - wow!!

Wow that is lovely work 👍

Hi Huw - I sent you a message a couple of weeks ago but not heard anything back?

Me too what a great jig you made - Lovely work!

Hi Tony thanks for your nice comments. I’m sure that you will be back on your ship in no time. I’ve changed tack now as I was going to make the forward deck. I soon realised that if I put the deck beams in it will make clamping the outer planking very difficult. So I’m currently trying to make the moulded planks which is something completely new for me. I’ve never scraped a shape into wood before or made a decent scraper so that’s what I’m experimenting with. I’ll get something up as soon as I make something that resembles a half decent mould.

Just been catching up on your build - You have made such a beautiful clean build - fantastic

ensor when I was driving through Europe one of my regular stops was between Ypres and Wormhout in France. It was a routier call Hoffland which was owned by a guy call Michael. I have great memories of this place and although it is not a pub - the bar was always open and usually open late too. I think it was in Steenvoorde but my memory fails me sometimes now.

Lovely job on the dog’s legs Oliver

Wow congratulations on such a realistic build - amazing!

Hi Luc and welcome to MSW - I think your workshop looks great and good luck with your build

What a lovely clean build you are doing here - your ship looks fantastic 👍

This is such sad news. Donna I send my families condolences to you and yours. I’m actually lost for words at the moment. Machine’s come and go but there will only be one Jim Bynes. lost for words xx

Glad you’re back building again - the work looks fantastic 👍

I have to say that I am surprised by the lack of comments on this build considering the effort that LFNokia has put into showing this build - I think it's quite simply amazing and also so very different. A great job with a different aspect - what a lovely ship.

Another update from me - its all or nothing with me at the moment I can only apologise 😀 The final 2 breast hooks for the hawse timbers. The upper one is made of 3 pieces which then go on to be attached to the forward deck beam supports. The second is one piece - so I dimensioned the wood and roughly cut them out as per usual. It's worth noting that the upper breast hook is made from a piece that starts at 11mm thick. The lower breast hook is very straight forward and is just like all of the others that I have made. The only difference is that you have to cut a channel for the bowsprit which is set at 17 degrees. Installation is also just as before - take your time and get a good fit onto the hawse timbers. I see this bit as a challenge to get it as tight as possible. Now the very top breast hook is a very different thing to make. It has a gentle curve to match the clamp and the forward deck as the deck timbers sit directly onto it. It is also parallel in thickness throughout its curve; is recessed onto the clamp and has to align with the bowsprit too. I hope your keeping up 😆 So after a bit of thought this was my solution to making this piece which cost me quite a bit in wood as I didn't have anything else in the house other than Castello. Firstly I shaped the perimeter of it as per the drawings - this is the easy bit. Next to shape the inside curve I attached it to an angle plate to ensure a 90 degree cut. I then made a jig which matched the curve that I had just cut and once again attached it to an angle plate for a 90 degree cut. Next was to cut the recess for the clamp and again cut another recess for the bowsprit Then finally installation (btw this did take me 2 attempts to get right) The bowsprit view which just needs a little fettling to bring it all to the final diameter. You will notice that there is a small gap between the clamp and the breast hook. One of the spin off benefits of making this part as accurate as possible is that it has put the correct curvature on the model for the forward deck. Finally one of my most favourite pictures of my build so far - just a little tidying up needed. Now I was going to start planking the outside of the hull next but I have realised that the bowsprit partners are a little vulnerable. So instead I've decided to finish the forward deck first. So I need to make the small office and the ships stove and quite a few other parts too. I want to get the forward deck beams in before attempting any planking. Can't thank you all enough for the likes, advice and encouragement - cheers Mark

Hi mgatrost - welcome to the build mate. Have a look on Ancre's website at all of their monographs. The attention to detail that the draftsman/historians/madmen put into their works are amazing. I feel that I need to do their work some kind of justice even if this my first scratch build. Thanks for your comment but have a good look around the forum as some of the builds here are truly amazing

Thanks Dave I did learn quite a lot from this exercise. Pewter is great to work with but cannot be soldered (I tried). I also would not use cyano again either - the lumps you can see are hardened glue underneath the metal which would not smooth out. Otherwise the finish would have been better - next time I will use 15 minute epoxy very lightly spread just to give enough time to get a better fit. As for the scuppers I couldn't believe that the jib actually worked! I though that the pewter would loose its roundness when sanded but it stayed as it was. I'll take that as a win

Thanks Chris that nice of you to say - Next time I'm in Gloucester I'm going to have to look you up 👍

Hi All Some more done on my build - I decided to move to the front of the ship and make the bowsprit partners and the manger. The first job was to make the metal liners for the scuppers as once the partners were in place this would reduce the space in this area. Having read the article on using lead in model ships I opted for pewter or as some places call it brittania. The sheet I used is 0.15mm in thickness and I needed to find a solution to the angle of the scuppers. First I made a tube 4mm in diameter that would fit snuggly inside the scupper hole. I then made a simple jig to match the angle of the scuppers. This allowed me to place the tube inside and carefully sand the tube on a face sander. I then needed to roll the mouth of the tube over slightly to create a lip to stop the part from falling straight through the hole in the hull. Then it was simply a trial fit and repeat for the other side. Next I made the two bowsprit partners. Now making them was a whole lot easier than fitting them. They fit into slots that I had previously cut into the beams and they have to line up precisely. The reason being is that not only do they need to be inline with the bowsprit, they also tie into the beams of the deck above. It's not too difficult I just had to check the overall height of these pieces before gluing. Then it was onto the manger itself - I have decided after all not to plank the main deck. I did though need plank the area for the manger. I then made the back walls for the manger and pretty much got on with lining the whole thing with the pewter. I think that the results are ok - but just ok. I do like the way the scuppers just sit nicely in the corners as they should. I used cyano to glue it in and I remembered why I don't use this glue. I personally just cannot get on with the stuff. So my next job is to make the final 2 breast hooks for the bow. Cheers Mark

Very nice work Tobias I found that getting the beams to sit in the perfect position quite time consuming but worth it to save loads of sanding to bring the deck fair. I love the dovetail joints - top job 👍

Hi Kevin what a great job you have made of your carvings. Its something that I must learn too and I wish we could get some workshops here in the UK as I would attend. You have a Foredom so have you tried these? I put 6 into a mandrill and they work great for polishing wood. https://www.metalclay.co.uk/foredom-radial-bristle-discs-pumice-1200-grit-pink-6pk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMImMWCwNebggMVS9HtCh2B8w47EAQYASABEgJ4a_D_BwE At 1200 grit they would smooth off your carvings without changing the shape Mark