vaddoc

Ok, so I ve used this sander a bit and these are my thoughts. Really quiet, this is a massive advantage. Also the 150 mm usable disc is very useful. The guide is solid and totally usable. Now, the negatives. There is a run out of about 1 mm at the very edge, this however is not a huge issue as the disc rotates fast and also nearer the centre this run out reduces a lot - overall, it would be nice to be dead flat but it is not an issue for me. However, it comes with 80 grit paper which I changed to 120. Oh dear! This took me 3 days and was a Herculean task. The disc it comes with is some kind of very high industrial quality disc, with a thick plastic backing. Unfortunately all of the glue was left stuck to the disc which is not smooth but rough. I destroyed my finger tips rolling off the glue. Heat did nothing. Isopropyl alcohol and methylated spirits also were ineffective. Acetone however did the job well. I used cheap toothbrushes and finally all the glue came off. I assume and hope the glue of the replacement paper discs will be less vicious. I put the new paper on which did not stick well and comes off if left unused. I may not have allowed enough time for the chemicals to evaporate or not degreased the disc well. As I am still traumatised I just press it it back and ignore it for now. Overall, a good buy and a good tool, I do not regret getting it and I ve been using it a lot. Regards Vaddoc

Thanks for heads up. Have you tried the stain?

@håkan, @Jim Lad, @Mirabell61, many thanks! To all that hit the like button, many thanks as well! A bit more work done, I feel I understand the boat better now. I made the frame for the fish well, needs its veneer to be added on. I also added most of the inner planking on the starboard side. It went really well, I only had to spill the aft part of the lower plank. There is a bit more planking left to do towards the bow. Screwing and drilling at such angles is pretty difficult, mainly at the bow. I also cut a piece of wood for the breasthook/small deck, it will be sanded curved later on after the sheer shelf is added. The inner planking is maple, so will be much easier to sand than beech. At 1 mm thick it allowed generous edge bending but I do need to be careful when sanding. Vaddoc

Ok, time for a wee update! I have not gone into hibernation and have done a bit of work, just did not have the time to take photos and post the progress. A lot of head scratching though, it's been a long time since I did the 3D plans and I had forgotten how everything come together. I also had forgotten that I ve used beech for the hull and generally cut a few corners in this boat. Now these are biting back! I simply cannot understand why I used for the frames the cheapest, nastiest plywood ever made! So, first I had to deal with the hull and the dancing/shrinking beech wood. I filled the cracks but brought the boat inside as it was freezing cold in the garage. Yep, the wood contracted again and the sims opened once again! I filled again, sanded, filled, sanded... I have now settled with Osmo water based filler and Decoart water based sealer - excellent products. So, after lots of filling, sanding, scraping etc, the hull looks decent, is sanded to 400 grit and is sealed inside and out. This took time, effort, a few lungfuls of dust and lots of cursing. Ok, time to free the boat from its cradle! Now, the boat needs inside planking, bulkheads a bit of deck fore and aft, floor boards, the engine box, the fish well, a rudder, and this elusive vertical rudder. So here it goes: I could not remember how all were supposed to come together and it took me a long time to figure the boat out again. I am still not sure how the floor boards and inner planking should be arranged. In any case, I installed the sheer clamps and the two bulkheads fore and aft. I had to deviate a bit from the plans due to my corner cutting. I also cut several of the frame extensions and made two braces to make sure the hull does not loose its shape. I also bought a new water stone 1000/6000 and honed again all my chisels - they are now truly razor sharp. I also did all the kitchen knives including the serrated bread knives - all now very sharp! Much to do and at some point I must paint the hull. I have no doubt the beech will find a new moisture equilibrium and the sims will open up again so it needs to be done asap but it is -2C in England currently so painting will have to wait. I 've decided to use enamels and top it up with enamel varnish - all brush painted. Have not used enamels in many years! Till next time, my very best wishes for the New Year! Vaddoc

If I need really flat strong plywood, I make it my self. If I need 6 mm, I take two sheets 2.5 mm each on a flat surface. Thicken epoxy with gypsum, spread onto one sheet, cover with the other and put something very heavy on top. 12 h later I get very flat, very rigid 6 mm ply.

Try Rennaisance wax. Invisible, dead easy to apply and will keep them shiny for ever. This is I think what museums use. My experience has been very good - I have brass pieces stay shiny for 10 years now

Allan, if you google "1mm Philips self tapping screws" you ll get lots of results. I buy mine from Aliexpress, different lengths with 5 and 6 mm more useful. Last time I bought 20k! Best is to use 0.8 mm drill. The stainless steel are better than mild steel as the head resists deforming which can make removal impossible. I have had difficulty recently finding good quality proper hard stainless steel ones (if they are non magnetic they are the good ones) Smaller screws are extremely expensive available in very few specialist shops. However, you can thread brass wire and use it to screw things together but it is very labour intensive, vaddoc

1 mm screws can be useful. I ve used tens of thousands of them - replaced by treenails later.

There are other alternatives to shellac which you might want to try. Search water based sealer, Decoart multipurpoce sealer. Self life is years, dries in 15 min, straight from the bottle. Really nice stuff. I use two coats, seals wood and leaves nice smooth surface.

Well, as we all know time is relative so I guess two and a half years since my last post is not a long time! Ladies and gentlemen, the Launch is back in drydock. During this time I ve been working on the Yawl. Now, both boats have hulls made of beech wood so the Launch suffered the same fate. The planks constantly change dimensions in response to changes in moisture and shrunk a lot reaching equilibrium after initial steaming. Beech has huge movement in service. However, the Launch faired better, I think because the planks are not as acutely bent as in the Yawl so did not need so much steaming and boiling. The filler between the planks is almost intact and the planks have moved in only a few areas. In the bow some nails seem to have failed. These need to be fixed and the hull needs to be sealed inside and out to prevent movement as much as possible. However, I plan to paint the hull so I will use filler more extensively to smooth it out a bit, since paint will highlight every single imperfection. So I drilled some nails out, push the planks in place and things improved. Then, I applied filler very generously. I nowadays use Osmo, it dries very quickly, does not shrink, is hard but still sands very nicely. This is where we are now. We rarely know what our future holds but mine certainly has a lot of sanding. Till next time Vaddoc

Ok, I used it a bit today. Really quiet, this is a massive advantage. Also the larger sanding area is very useful. However there are a couple of possible issues. The table is secured in the horizontal by two screw on friction plates on either side, these seem to give in while working. I may be wrong though. Time will tell. Also it does not spin true, there is a slight wobble. I am not sure whether it is the disc or the way the sand paper has been glued on. I guess I should not complain as this is not really intended to be a precision tool, like the Byrnes tools. On the other hand, I have a feeling it will not be a problem as I tried to sand to a line and it went fine. I ll do a bit more sanding. I need to change the paper though as it came with what looks like 80 grit, I need to swap to 120 grit.

Dear all Before anything else, my condolences. I ve never had the pleasure of even seeing a machine made by Mr Byrnes but I can recognise their quality and his contribution to this and other hobbies and professions. I d like to share my recent addition to the shipyard, an Axminster 300 mm disc sander. Now, a bit of background. The disc sander is the tool I use the most. I find far more accurate to cut the pieces close to the template line and then sand accurately to the line. I create bevels and even sand brass pieces. Closer to the outer part of the disc, it spins faster and takes off material fast. Closer to the center where it spins slower, allows more precision work. I really could not do without one. For years now I had a 200 mm disc sander I made myself with pieces of plywood and MDF, an old drill and a small voltage regulator. It worked very well and served faithfully (and noisily) for years with minimal maintenance. Overall cost was about £10... However, I recently managed to destroy the flatness of the disc changing the sand paper so I took the plunge and decided to upgrade. 200 mm is the absolute minimum I think and 300 is much better for the 1:10 scale I like, considering that less than half of this sanding surface is available. There are many disc sanders on the market but I went with Axminster, mainly thinking I may have better customer support. A bit of discount on offer helped as well to pull the trigger. First impressions: Well built, very heavy! Came in well boxed. The legs are adjustable. The table is large enough, the gap to the disc is between 4 and 5 mm. It looks easy enough to add a bit of MDF to customise things a bit. There is a guide supplied which works well, the tolerances are tight enough and it does not wobble - it seems entirely usable. The angle of the table is adjustable and it was easy to set it to 90 degrees - or close enough. The sander is very quiet. The speed seems ideal. It actually blows air out of the extraction port on operation so even without a vacuum the dust can be directed. The disc runs true. Overall very happy. So out with the old and in with the new! I think the sanding discs are proprietary or something similar but I did not really looked into it much, I am not too bothered. I ll update after I ve used it a bit. Vaddoc

Dear all The boat is finished! After a lot of head scratching I ended up with a solution for the davit sockets that looks reasonable. The davit it self was also quite challenging to make but I think it came out fine. Last thing to do was to install the thole pins and the cleats. I still need to take some proper photos, make some type of cradle and order a display case. I think it is also appropriate to order the print from the National Maritime Museum or place some compact version of these plans within the case - we ll see. This has been a very enjoyable build and I certainly learned a lot. In future I will post pictures in the gallery. In the mean time however, there is another hull that has been gathering dust waiting patiently to come back into the shipyard. I do hope you will join for the Chapelle's fishing launch. I regret I have not been able to keep up with many logs I had been following - This is a period that life demands too much from me! My deepest thanks for your company and support in this journey Vaddoc

I d suggest experimenting with both. There are pros and cons. Enamels have far, far better coverage and are far tougher. Their depth of colour is better. However, they require mineral spirits, make a bigger mess and because they take longer to dry, attract dust. Painting inside the house may (will) create problems with the admiral. Acrylics are easier to use. I always tell myself next time I ll use enamels and end up using acrylics. Better range of colours as well. Check the relevant thread on painting with acrylics. Lots of good info. Seal the wood before painting. You can use shellac as Bob suggests but I find decoart multi purpose water based sealer superior and easier to use. After painting you must put some form of varnish over your paint or it will easily get scratched. I am disappointed with water based and polyurethane varnishes - I ll go back to enamels. Or so I say myself...

Very nice Hakan! Your planking is so elegant and Birch seems to behave very well. Love your planking jig!

Dear all Time for another update I think. The boat is almost done! So, I finished all the oars, they came out fine I think with no failures. But then, I had to figure out what finish to use. Now, they are made of maple which is very white and apparently notoriously difficult to stain. I tried painting the oars white, (using the previous short oars I had made), staining and just Tang oil. I did not like the white colour, staining went really badly no matter what I tried so it had to be Tung oil. Photo bellow. So all oars are now ready Next, I painted the rudder and I made the tiller. Now, the tiller has a bit of story behind it. About 3 years ago, I salvaged a small piece of wood from an apricot tree in my parents summer house, now gone. I wanted to use a bit of that wood in this boat so made the tiller out of it. Very nice wood, really hard. Then I made the hinges, secured to both the rudder and boat with CA glue and small nails, cut from brass pins, dipped again in CA glue. Now, next project was the oar locks. I ve no idea what would be used back then but I decided to use double thole pins. So I made the sacrificial base and rounded off some square pear strips. So I think really close to finishing. Of course, the whole point is the davit - this is the reason the boat was built! I need to make the sockets and finish the davit. I also need to make a few cleats. I also have some thin soft leather, maybe it would be nice to add a strip to the oars. My very best wishes to all Vaddoc

Thanks Greg! I guess this settles it then, although the drawing shows less brackets and probably removable thwarts - Alan is right.

Phew! That was close! Many thanks Hakan!

@allanyed Allan, you are probably very correct, and I say probably because I simply do not know; I had the lines of the boat but I could not find any plans or info how these boat were actually put together. I searched the net and the few books I have but I did not come up with anything helpful, apart from some dimensions in May's book. So, I improvised and decided to have fun and make it look "busy" to the ignorant eye, knowing it is very probably not historically accurate. Now, as for the grating, the answer is very simple: I really wanted to try and make grating just for the fun of it, I originally intended to put it in the floor but then surfing the net I saw the photo bellow and changed my mind. I am afraid the depth of my knowledge is skin-deep being a landsman that strangely happens to love boats! Best wishes Vaddoc

Ok, time to put the oar issue right. I lengthened the oars and they do look more proportionate. The following photo shows the three different stages in the oar construction - it is truly a lengthy process. I have not found a way to stain the oars so I think I ll just paint them white. I would much prefer though a dark yellowish shade. Vaddoc

I am not ever playing poker with you Craig! You keep raising on me! 16 feet would be 49 cm. If you guys could turn a blind eye, we could go for 40 cm that is technically much more feasible and still give the visual impression of a log oar.😉

(sigh) Craig, you are of course right. I checked May's book and it does give oar lengths. For a 21 foot boat, oars would be 13 feet length or 396 mm in the model, my oars are 255 mm long. Alright then, back to the drawing board it is! Thankfully, I have plenty of maple. Vaddoc

Dear all I had a bit of annual leave so I worked a lot on the boat and I have a few more pics to share. @allanyed Unfortunately Allan, my poor choice of wood means painting the hull is necessary! Ok, so I made the gunwales which went smoother than I expected. Secured with many screws, later changed to wooden nails. I also installed the two knees at the transom. So next is the rudder. It will be a basic one based on the dimensions given in May's book and pictures I found on the net. The rudder is now receiving the very many coats of paint needed due to the acrylics' poor coverage. So while this is cooking, on to the oars it is. I sat in the computer and made a template. I wanted to use a lighter colour wood like boxwood but I only have maple which is very light colour but also a wonderful wood for modelling. I experimented with a bit of dyes and oils but did not like the outcome. So these oars will be painted. So first glue the template onto wood. I switched from Pritt to 3M stick glue - difference is day and night, so much better. Then I cut the templates. Then I laminated them with PVA glue and many many clamps. The end result Then lots of brutal sanding with not so miniature tools. I think it went ok! 4 more to go. Till next time Vaddoc

Dear all A lot of work done, time for an update! Done Craig! Not with Shellac which I dislike but with a water based sealer. Went well and should help Done! Yes, the hull is now painted. It sent reasonably well but I have to admit it has been my worst paint job. Poor surface preparation, hasty and a bit sloppy paintjob, near disaster varnishing. So here it goes: I used grey primer which is supposed to be permanent when dry. Well it is not. I tried to clean the surface with Isopropyl alcohol and immediately started lifting it. Still, no harm done. Then I masked and taped off the hull using frog tape. I actually forgot I had a large supply of various Tamiya tapes - stupid me. In any case, again no harm done - a bit of bleeding which was covered with the next layer. Acrylic paint is pretty horrible. It took 20 coats of ivory to cover the grey primer and still did not completely do it. However, being water based means I can work in house which is a huge advantage. I always swear I ll use enamels next time and always seem to end up using acrylics. No brush marks, Valejo paints are wonderful but surface underneath far from perfect Acrylic paint is also so easy to scratch, needs a varnish. Again, paint is supposed to dry permanent but trying to clean with IPO started melting the paint. Still, no major harm done. I used the Valejo polyurethane varnish that previously gave me good results. Not this time! In all honesty though, this varnish is now 6 years old. In any case, it did not brush well although left no brush marks, took ages to dry, and did not seem to have adhered well to the paint as it started lifting in an area I rubbed to remove a drop of PVA glue. I managed to fix this by brushing a bit more varnish but overall, I know this top coat is a bit rubish. Then, I added the two strips of wood - sanded and coated with Tung oil. Not long now! Still have to make oars though Best wishes Vaddoc

You could come over to the dark side and scratch build a simple boat.