rlb

Ok last one from me!  I couldn't resist making the lever for the windlass just to see how it looked.  I haven't got a lathe so I winged it a bit but overall I'm happy with the result. I also like the way I can put it in any of the holes on the windlass.



Sorry for the poor picture quality - Mark
 

@Mark Pearse, yes, Sweden and the Baltic region is totally shattered with islands and skerries like no other part on the entire globe actually. It makes for quite stunning trips in the archipelago. The Admiral has a sailing friend in Florida, where they only have shallow sand beaches everywhere. To his complete horror we send him films when we sail only meters away from solid rock islands on both sides 😄 
My avatar picture is of a ship that sails in the Baltic sea, owned and maintained by a Christian organization. It has been a couple of years now since I last enlisted as first mate on it, but further back I was a regular for about 7 years. Fatigue through work and cancer did its best to take the fun of it for a while. As a first mate on it I was part in everything from sailing to finding the nearest power outlet and so on.
Primarily though it is my own sailboat I commandeer. Picture below. It is called OE36 after its constructor, Olle Enderlein. He studied at Sparksman&Stephens in NY and the OE36 is very similar to the more known Swan 36. The Swan is a bit more slender around the waist compared to the OE36. 36 is the length in feet. The first OE36 is from 1969 and mine is from 1980. The Swan predates that with a handful of years if my memory is somewhat accurate.

Tool rants and sailing discussions aside, I said I was about to do the rudder.
Did I?
Erhm, no.
After painting the hull a couple of times it didn't appeal to me to do the rudder (too simple). Instead I've opted for somethinge inherently much harder and more complicated - the coamings for all the deck openings! Truth be told, I have never done a fish tail corner in full size and now I attempt them in 1:30.. sane? No, not really. Buth then, amongst the kids I'm not known for being sane all the time 😄 
So far, so good I must say. Only about 19 or 23 more corners to do 🙂 


And here is my setup with tools to accomplish to work.

Now a brake to watch some cross country skiing.
Cheers!

In an attempt to stay somewhat true to the original detailwise, I mused over how to fabricate the coppling between the rudder and rudderstock. Se the picture below.

What I came up with I figure is an alternative way to make trucks for gun carriages. For those of us that do not own a precision lathe, that is.
How then? Well, I used my bung drillbit, then swapped it for a regular drillbit without moving the stock. Then parted it off with the bandsaw.


Apart from the coppling I also used it as bottom support for the rudder. 🙂 

This was all for today. Now that the rudder assembly is figured out I can turn my attention to the bitts for the bowsprit. That also includes the bowsprit itself. So back to the plans and software...

Yes yes, the measurements are to scale and not real world dimensions. My reasoning behind that is so that I not necessarily need to print them out, but instead just can look at the drawing and fabricate the spar from that.
 
That's all for now, cheers!

That is class work mate and the experience shines through
 

Hi Mike - These are simply over priced 2 flute fish tail end mills that can be bought for a fraction of the price elsewhere.  You are right though that they really are great for the job that we do and most importantly get the chips out quickly.  

If in doubt - a set of Proxxon mills that are included with their MF70 mill is a great start. No problems in any kind of wood, very clean cut, can do plunge cuts as well. No burning, charring, they cut like butter.
Do not use them in your rotary tool freehand though, as they would dig into the wood and jump away from you.
 
Part number NO27116
https://proxxon-us-shop.com/products/milling-cutters

Thanks so much, wefalck, and Toolmaker, for providing some guidance to a beginner.  I have messaged with No Idea, and between all of you, I think you have given me the info I was seeking.  
 
For anyone following along, the key points for square end cutters for use in wood, as I have learned are:
     If unspecified most cutters are upcut, which is better for this use.
     2 flute cutters are best, with fishtail ends (vs flat ends) even better.
     High rpm's are important.
     Uncoated, carbide cutters are fine.
       
 
Thanks again,
Ron

Paul, thank you for referring me to "No Idea"'s build log.  That is exactly the type of milling that I need to do.  I just want to make sure I buy the right type and quality of end mill bit.
 
Here is a sketch of some of the cuts.  Yes, Jaeger, all can be done with a chisel (and I have made them all more than a few times!), but with so many to be done, learning to do these with a milling machine will save me much time.

 
Ron

I'm talking 1/4" or 1/8" shank size, 1/16" to 1/4" cutting size.
 
See below.
 
This image refers to "router" bits, but I have seen the terminology when talking about end mills as well (not even sure what, if any, difference there is between the two).
 

 
Ron

Yep, a milling machine can be used for turning as well. For amateurs, military field-use or on board of small ships in history, combination machines were developed (see www.lathes.co.uk) that could do turning, boring, and milling with little or no change of set-up. With modern CNC-machines the distinction between these operations also has faded away, as the work-piece would be chucked onto driven axes and then driven or stationary tools applied.
 
Another example for this 'relativity' is that lathe boring-bars can be used in a boring-head on a milling-machine ...
 
For the moment I am well kitted-out, but I used to be always on the look-out on ebay for lots of such carbide tools discarded by industry. There are small traders who buy them off industrial companies in bulk and then sell them in amateur-sized lots. You may get good cutters for less than 1 EUR/USD/GBP per piece. OK, wood can dull cutters quickly, but they usually lasted me for years.

Thanks so much, wefalck, and Toolmaker, for providing some guidance to a beginner.  I have messaged with No Idea, and between all of you, I think you have given me the info I was seeking.  
 
For anyone following along, the key points for square end cutters for use in wood, as I have learned are:
     If unspecified most cutters are upcut, which is better for this use.
     2 flute cutters are best, with fishtail ends (vs flat ends) even better.
     High rpm's are important.
     Uncoated, carbide cutters are fine.
       
 
Thanks again,
Ron

Paul, thank you for referring me to "No Idea"'s build log.  That is exactly the type of milling that I need to do.  I just want to make sure I buy the right type and quality of end mill bit.
 
Here is a sketch of some of the cuts.  Yes, Jaeger, all can be done with a chisel (and I have made them all more than a few times!), but with so many to be done, learning to do these with a milling machine will save me much time.

 
Ron

It’s only slight drift as we are still on milling cutters. You are showing your experience now, using milling cutters as stationary tools, as in your boring bar.
When turning small aluminium parts (usually optical instrument housings) we would often plunge with a slot mill and then finish bore with the same tool. No tool change required. Years later they developed specific tools for this.
 
Here is another instance using a stationary milling cutter. I am trimming Syren cannon wheels to remove the char and to true from the centre hole. The parts are just pushed onto a tapered wooden mandrel and fed down past the cutter.
 

Thanks so much, wefalck, and Toolmaker, for providing some guidance to a beginner.  I have messaged with No Idea, and between all of you, I think you have given me the info I was seeking.  
 
For anyone following along, the key points for square end cutters for use in wood, as I have learned are:
     If unspecified most cutters are upcut, which is better for this use.
     2 flute cutters are best, with fishtail ends (vs flat ends) even better.
     High rpm's are important.
     Uncoated, carbide cutters are fine.
       
 
Thanks again,
Ron

Starting the gunport framing is the next step once you have all the frames stabilized in the jig.

These are all cut to fit in to slots on the bulkheads, they are also etched to receive the port framing uprights, there are a total of 6 of these pieces/side ,

you’ll notice they are labeled side specific and the direction they face


The three labeled “up” are the bases for all the gun ports and should be carefully installed with a smooth curve up and down the hull,


You may have to sand the slots here and there to adjust the height at some of the bulkheads to achieve a nice run. Once satisfied go ahead and glue it in and let it dry, go over to the other side and do the same while you wait.
Do the same with “port/stbd 2 down” but do not glue it in, just get it snug and in its place.

i found that if you attempt to glue it all in at once, some of the gun ports could be off a little and you won’t be able to adjust properly.
so what I did was start adding the uprights and the gunport template to make sure everything looked ok,

once everything fit well and lined up with the template I glued in the uprights and clamped if necessary 
I also added some glue around the bulkhead upper port frame to attach it firmly to the bulkheads.

You’ll notice above that I’m pulling these parts from the frame jig, this also doubles as a parts tree for all the templates and port frame uprights 

if you look above the jig has UD and GD etched in it with parts contained within etched lines, these correspond to whatever port is directly outboard. The one pictured above says GD and you’ll see that it corresponds to the gun deck port etchings right below it. The uprights are also facing the direction they belong, either a forward or aft upright. I’m going to add more etching to further clarify as well as directional arrows for the port templates. Be careful not to glue the templates in! 
Take your time with this and make sure everything lines up and the same applies to the upper gun deck, line up and glue “port/stbd 3 up” to the bulkheads and carefully glue down “port/stbd 4 down” one gun port at a time. It should turn out pretty nice when complete.



The hull is almost ready to lift out of its base and begin fairing it all for planking, there are just a few steps left.
 
Thanks for looking in.
 
JJ
 
 

This is now a bit of thread-drift, but coming back to those down-cut carbide cutters: I got them by accident among a bunch of up-cut ones in a lot - some production industries (circuit-board manufacturers, aerospace, etc.) change their cutting tools regularly in order to avoid spoiled parts and unscheduled down-times. Such tools are still good enough for our puposes because they have been changed before they become dull. Such lots appear frequently on ebay. The shank diametres are usually imperial, i.e. 1/4", 3/16", and 1/8".
 
The best use in my workshop for the down-cut ones is as very stiff boring-bars on the lathe, preferably in through-holes. They work on any kind of material a shipmodeller is likely to encounter. They would also work for side-milling or milling of rabbets or basically anything, where the chips can be thrown out sideways easily.
 
However, the up-cut bits are much more versatile in any case and I would only look for them.

I'm talking 1/4" or 1/8" shank size, 1/16" to 1/4" cutting size.
 
See below.
 
This image refers to "router" bits, but I have seen the terminology when talking about end mills as well (not even sure what, if any, difference there is between the two).
 

 
Ron

Thanks so much, wefalck, and Toolmaker, for providing some guidance to a beginner.  I have messaged with No Idea, and between all of you, I think you have given me the info I was seeking.  
 
For anyone following along, the key points for square end cutters for use in wood, as I have learned are:
     If unspecified most cutters are upcut, which is better for this use.
     2 flute cutters are best, with fishtail ends (vs flat ends) even better.
     High rpm's are important.
     Uncoated, carbide cutters are fine.
       
 
Thanks again,
Ron

Thanks so much, wefalck, and Toolmaker, for providing some guidance to a beginner.  I have messaged with No Idea, and between all of you, I think you have given me the info I was seeking.  
 
For anyone following along, the key points for square end cutters for use in wood, as I have learned are:
     If unspecified most cutters are upcut, which is better for this use.
     2 flute cutters are best, with fishtail ends (vs flat ends) even better.
     High rpm's are important.
     Uncoated, carbide cutters are fine.
       
 
Thanks again,
Ron

Paul, thank you for referring me to "No Idea"'s build log.  That is exactly the type of milling that I need to do.  I just want to make sure I buy the right type and quality of end mill bit.
 
Here is a sketch of some of the cuts.  Yes, Jaeger, all can be done with a chisel (and I have made them all more than a few times!), but with so many to be done, learning to do these with a milling machine will save me much time.

 
Ron

I'm talking 1/4" or 1/8" shank size, 1/16" to 1/4" cutting size.
 
See below.
 
This image refers to "router" bits, but I have seen the terminology when talking about end mills as well (not even sure what, if any, difference there is between the two).
 

 
Ron

Forgive me if this has been discussed--I did a quick search but didn't find what I was looking for.
 
I'm new to milling (other than some crude experiments with a Proxxon rotary tool in a drill press type holder), and I'm trying to get my information in order before spending any more on bits/mills
 
It seems that a 2-flute end mill is good for wood, upcut or downcut I'm not sure, but thinking downcut may be better.   I'm not sure how much this matters.  Some don't say whether they are up or down cut.  I'm looking for good quality, smooth finish, minimal tear-out.
 
What do you recommend, and who do you get them from?  Any other useful info that I should know about end mills?
 
Thanks,
Ron
 
 

Ron,
Great explanation there from wefalck. I’m always grateful that he can be bothered to do the hard work of explaining things fully.
Mark (No Idea) would also advocate 2 flute cutters for easier chip removal and he would likely suggest this site for cutters;
 
https://cnc-plus.de/en/End-Mills-266/
 
For you, being in the US, you should just look for a stateside supplier of quality tools. I tend to use good quality metal cutting tools and having a Sherline miniature mill I am able to run the cutters at multiple 000’s of rpm. If the machine is rigid and the cutters are running true, you can’t go too quick with wood. Guhring is the make I use generally but I have also bought generic cutters from Amazon.
 
The beauty of using sharp tools on wood, whether machines or hand chisels, is that you are not creating dust and you can get a better finish against using sanding methods.
 
btw, a standard end mill is suitable for all those examples you have shown.

Unlike toolmaker it seems, I am a mere self-taught amateur ...