No Idea

Hi Bill and Joe and thanks for your comments Bill - I've actually ordered the step blocks as I thought that my Proxxon one's would be adequate and fit but the don't. They should be here next week and I've also ordered the T bolts too. Interestingly I've also found that the headstock bearings heat up on high speed and I've even adjusted the end play on the preset nut as per the instructions. They don't get so hot though that I can't touch the headstock so I'll see how that goes. The instructions say that the bearings cannot be damaged by heat and if I have any problems I'll contact Sherline but its nice to hear that its just not me. I've found that I do not get tear out or chip out at the higher speed which is very encouraging. Bill and Thistle17 - I've already got a tilting table but I have seen the rotary table. Thanks for the advice here as I thought that I would need one of these at some point. They look extremely well made so I'll get saving for one. Thanks Mark

Hi All Following on from a thread regarding whether buying a mill was justified or not, I've upgraded to a Sherline mill from my Proxxon mill. I really cannot compare this to my Proxxon mill as this is in a very different league and I've been more than surprised by just how good it is. In fact I'm really surprised just how good it is. Being from the UK tools imported from the USA carry quite a tariff but I'm used to that having bought a Byrnes saw. As I use mainly only small end mills I invested in the 10k RPM pulley accessories which works great and cutting just wood there is more than enough power in this mill to do the job. So my question is........what accessories would you recommend? I keep on reading about ER - 16 collet chucks but I don't really know what they are. I'm guessing that they are contractable collect chucks but are these things really worth getting? I have found that most of the cutting shanks that I use are either 3mm or 1/8" so simple collets may do the job. Any advice / experience would be welcome Thanks Mark

Sorry for the lack of updates but I'm waiting on a small adjustable angle plate to be delivered for my mill vice. I've now been told it will probably be a couple more weeks yet So while I've been waiting I have made the assembly jig which turned out to be a project in itself! It's very sturdy and holds the keel firmly and straight. I used the station line on frame 15 as my datum for everything to line up and its seems to have gone ok. I did find that when I curved the upper platform it shortened the aperture a little so once it was bolted in place it did need slightly adjusting it to allow for this shrinkage. I've roughly tried a few frames and they seem to fit nicely apart from the first four frames at the bow. I've checked them on the plans and I've left them a little on the thick side. So I reckon that if I sand them down to their correct size they should fit ok but I'll worry about that nearer the time. Here's a few pictures

What an amazing build - that is absolutely beautiful 👍

Thanks Mark and I hope so too. I'm finding with building this ship that I just cannot cover all eventualities no matter how hard I try. I'm certain that all model builders have the same thoughts. Cheers again as I really appreciate your comments

Thanks Eamonn that's nice of you to say.....but don't zoom in too closely as I have still made a few simple errors. The rising wood is now complete and its a nice part of the boat to make. The shorter piece is the hardest to make as its thickness rises just before the apron. I positioned it dry using tree nails to make sure that I got good alignment which made the gluing up nice and easy. I also trial fitted a couple of frames......they are very snug and needed a little bit of fettling with a file but the fit on the rising wood is good. My next job is the wing transom and I'll make a start on this sometime over the weekend when I get some more time. Cheers Mark

Take two........😆 I'm very glad to say that I'm now back on track I've remade all of the keel parts and they are very nice and straight! The only extra piece added is the stem head knee and I've also pre-shaped the saddle for the bowsprit. I'm now going to get on with the rising wood.

Hi Gerard - thanks for the nice comment. It’s the original plan that is slightly distorted and having looked further it would appear to have only affected the stem. If I place tracing paper over the assembled stem and plot the main points, it is slightly different on the exploded stem. I’m glad that I have resolved my problem but I’ve not heard from Ancre yet. Maybe they will post me another copy of plan 2. Either way I have a solution so will be able to continue. It’s a minor problem I believe with the printing of this one sheet on what are lovely plans.

Hi Gerard Thanks for the reply - As soon as I discovered this issue I was quite certain that its a printing issue. I'll wait for Ancre to check their prints as obviously if this part is wrong others could be too. I just need to know from them that the main assembled drawing is correct and I'll use that instead. Thanks again Mark

Oh on the positive side I have remade the sternson and extensions. I corrected all of the errors of my own making so this is far better than the original one that I made. I did have to jiggle the scarfs though probably for the same reason as above I've just not have time to have a detailed look at that. Quite honestly it doesn't matter as this version lines up exactly with the main plan 😉

Hi All I have a problem - or should I say I've found a problem. As you know I'm currently remaking the keel parts due to the stem not being straight. So I remade the stem parts and yet again the parts were not aligned as they should be. So I put it down to my mistake and made them again - yep you've guessed it they were also misaligned. I seemed to have to make lots of corrections on the scarf joints no matter how carefully I machined them. Even then they just were not quite right. I think I was lucky in my first original attempt to get them to line up. Maybe beginners luck! So I checked the plans and I have found them to have errors. The stem on the exploded part of the plan which is marked by "B" on the attached photo has different dimensions to the stem marked "A" on the main plan. Its about 1mm different which has a big impact on the scarf joint dimensions too. I have been using the exploded plan to gain my templates so basically I have been wasting my time and loads of wood too. The obvious solution would be to use the main plan and cut the pieces out of that; but if thats so why have the exploded parts? I'm certain that Ancre have no idea of this problem so I've dropped them an email to let them know. I'll wait for their reply before I do anymore work but I'm sure that they will be surprised. My guess is that the error occurred at the printers and has nothing to do with them. I've asked them to check their drawings and I'll send them detailed photo's if that will help. I'll keep you up to date as things move forward. Mark

I had a similar issue with my last build as I needed some large diameter tube. I used aluminium in the end https://www.speedymetals.com/pc-2442-8368-1316-rd-6061-t6511-aluminum-extruded.aspx

Hi Tony - yes it’s clean but not straight 😂. I’m working on putting this right at the moment. If you look at the back of the monograph you will find the scantlings which give the timber sizes. What it won’t tell you though is the overall quantity that you need. I’ve found this to be unimportant as the time scale required to build this ship is long so if you like just buy what you need to get going. Or do what I did and just buy a load of lumber from your supplier and make them very happy people 👍

I made this today entirely from start to finish (except for the tapered rabbet which was filed by hand) on an MF70. Is it up to the job - damn right it is! The thing that this tiny mill has over its much bigger counterparts is spindle speed. You can get up to 20,000 rpm which on a small cutter virtually eliminates chip out. This is one of my go to tools and wouldn't be without it.

That’s a very nice job vaddoc. In regards to the gaps rather than using filler I would fill the gap with wood glue and then sand the hull whilst the glue is still wet. That may just fill them up and it would also be the correct colour.

Thanks for the nice comments all. I’ve made a start and it won’t take me long. There’s only a few pieces to make and I’m in no rush. I’ll keep you posted as I just want this build to be right

Hi Tony I'm pretty sure now that I pulled it around when I clamped the apron in place. The solution would have been to remove the apron so I left the whole thing in a bath of IPA overnight. This has not even touched the glue and everything is still as solid as it was. So like we do I tried to force it apart and its now damaged. So I'm going to remake it and I'm ok with this, as it needs to be right. I'll pick this thread up again once I get to where I was Mark 👍

Well I guess something had to wrong sooner or later. I was just about to start on the last two rising wood pieces and I thought that I would just check the alignment of the keel again - and its wrong. The angle of the stem has moved by 1.65mm out of alignment and I think this happened when I glued the apron on. I think that I probably over clamped it and pulled it back somehow. I cannot pull the stem into alignment as it then stresses and bends the keel upwards. I think this will have to be a complete rebuild which is a shame but hey ho!

Hi Dave - A word of caution as I'm going to encourage you to spend some well earned money!!! Have a look on the Cooksongold website as they sell Foredom tools. I have just swapped over to these and got rid of all of my Dremel gear after this was recommended to me. I was very reluctant to be honest but the difference is like night and day. Loads more control with torque rather than speed and a really decent drill press too which suits our needs. I have a hand piece that accepts 1/4 diameter bits too. I wish I had bought this years ago as the amount of money I have spent on little bits here and there that turned out to be useless. Here's a picture of the drill press and the standard hand piece using a small Proxxon vice. Just another option for you that will stand the test of time.

Hi Clogger its not to far off now but I'm going to make the transom timbers first the same way Adrian has in his book. I will be making a jig so that things are nice and square too. Not much done today as I really needed to give my room a really good clean as I've been making quite a bit of dust. I've tidied up the sternpost rabbet so that it has a better transition. I've also just been going over what I've done so far to make sure nothings been missed.

I got some more done today - you will be relieved to know that I go back to work tomorrow so my updates will be at my usual slow rate of building! The parts that were previously fitted dried OK but.......I do have a bit of a gap between the stem and the apron. I tried to scribe these parts together but it didn't quite work out as I had hoped. Its only a small gap and on my next build I'll learn from my mistake. I've now cut the stem rabbet which is time consuming but also really pleasing. I learn't on my last build that getting the rabbet right makes the planking just that little bit easier. I have noticed that I need to do a little more work on the stern rabbet so I'll have a look at that in the morning. I did make a mistake when I started to cut the rabbet. I marked it out far too wide and luckily realised this after I had cut it about 1 1/2 down the stem. I stopped and inlayed a repair piece and then started again once dry. There's a picture of the repair which obviously only I know about and I'm not going to tell anyone else...............oh hang on a minute 🤣 I feel like I'm starting to get somewhere now - Mark

This is one of these solutions that seems good until things go wrong 1. You cut a thin strip of wood and the one side gets dragged down into the blade and busts through the tape seizing the saw. 2. The tape has drag that a metal surface doesn't. So your piece stops and your finger don't 3. This lulls you into thinking that your saw is set up correctly I think that you have got away with things so far. If you have worked with power tools for a long period you will know just what a nasty habit they have of biting back just when you're not expecting it. I have so much respect for table saws that there is no way I would do this. Just make yourself a proper zero clearance insert and have done with it. Why even think about taking the risk.

Spot on Roger but considering the postage of a Byrnes saw outside of the USA is about $275 I don't think a few inserts will dent anyone's budget 🤣. We then pay 20% VAT on the cost of the item and the postage too when it arrives and before delivery. The UK Post Office put a $20 handling charge on just for good measure. I hope we get a Transatlantic trade agreement as soon as possible 👍

This is great advice - you will need 4 - 5 zero clearance inserts dependant on the different width blades you use and its great to have a spare. I use all of the different blades for different jobs. I imported mine to the UK and the customs charge and postage basically added a third or more again to my purchase. So my advice to you is get as much as you can into your parcel and only pay for postage once. You'll be buying its own seat on the plane 🤣 Get a spare drive belt and spare bolts just in case you loose any. If your budget will stretch to it get the sled too. Its a great bit of kit and so well made. Buy as many spare blades as you can as you will save money in the long run. I know that they are expensive and I saved for two years to get mine - Quite simply its the best tool I have ever owned. I've since sent mine back to Jim to get the bigger table. Great back up too - just go for it and buy as much as you can in the first instance.

Hi Michael and thanks for your comment - Now it may look perfectly accurate in the pictures but just like everyone else I have to jiggle all of my joints around a bit to get them to fit. I also have to make loads of adjustments to make the parts fit the master plan as I have found that photocopies have much thicker lines. This may seem like no big deal but a few slightly thicker joints on a model that's a metre long adds up to a 3mm problem at one end or the other. I check against the plan more times a day than I care to admit too. I do quite a lot of machining but I always finish my parts by hand. I prefer to use small Villorbe engineers files as they really rip through the wood if need be. I can also get a very flat finish on the wood using these too which is another reason why things look on face of it smooth and precise; trust me they are not. I don't like using sand paper as it just rounds of the edges which makes good joints look sloppy even if they are not. I think I'm trying to say that I try and keep things flat and as square as possible. If I could recommend one tool to master its a flat file. When I do use paper I use fine silicon carbide paper. Its very thin and seems to last for quite a long time. What you don't see is the amount of pieces that don't make the cut. If its not going right - it's going in the bin. I've spent literally and entire weekend making a part only to destroy it accidentally at the last minute. I hope this answers your question - Mark