Bob Cleek

The accuracy of a Byrnes Model Machines table saw is measured in thousandths of an inch with a micrometer fence adjustment. The tape may not make any difference on a right angle cut, but things can wobble when the work isn't laying perfectly flat on the table. With something between the workpiece and the table, sliding can be uneven, a slight movement can cause the blade to catch the piece and cause a kickback. It may well only happen in theory... and then again, it may happen in reality. As I said, if you wanted to take a chance, it's your blood, not mine. I think I'd be more inclined to use a larger plate and risk losing a strip down the clearance space than risk laying down tape myself. If you're looking for affirmation, yes... It shows your thinking and it's a clever work-around, but I'm not going to advise anybody to try it and be responsible if they come to grief.

My thought, too. If you have a saw that is capable of fine tolerances, e.g. a Byrnes, the tape solution will probably sacrifice some reliable accuracy. On the other hand, as for tape tearing through and all that, there is an aluminium (I think) tape commonly used to tape ducting joints in HVAC installations that would probably solve any tearing issues. On balance, your idea is a clever one and perhaps a quick solution for a single cut, if you are careful and not too concerned about ultimate accuracy. For a production run of planking strips... not so much. I think you'd be better off to take the time to swap inserts rather than be sorry. Of course, it's always seems when a corner is cut for just one quick cut that's when an accident occurs. With a hand saw, "measure twice and cut once." With a table saw, "measure twice, think three times, rehearse the cut without the saw running, then cut."

Oh yeah! Definitely! Professional jewelry supply houses, and medical and dental instrument supply houses are goldmines full of useful modeling tools and supplies, generally at higher quality and even at lower prices that the "hobby" online suppliers. In the US: https://www.riogrande.com/category/tools-and-equipment https://contenti.com/professional-jewelry-making-tool-kit https://www.ottofrei.com/jewelry-tools-equipment

I'd strongly second this recommendation. The initial cost is about twice what a decent Dremel or Proxxon will cost, but, indeed there is no comparison. The Foredom flex-shaft tool system is several multiples better than the less expensive options. (Do not opt for one of the Chinese copies now on the market. They've gotten terrible reviews.) As for drill presses, Vanda-Lay Industries, which produces an excellent system of "Dremel powered" drill presses and mills, etc., has informed me they would be happy to supply their equipment with fixtures to hold the 1" diamenter Foredom handpieces instead of the larger Dremel bodies. I'll be upgrading my Vanda-Lay drill press to hold my Foredom handpieces instead of a Dremel moto-tool in the near future. Torque trumps speed every time in fine work!

Well, while we are on the subject of expensive machines, and because the most important requirement seems to be the ability to pick it up and put it on a shelf, one could consider the Unimat DB or SL lathe and mill machine. They are no longer made, but there are a lot of them on the used market and parts and tooling remain available, although some items, like threading attachments and complete collet sets are pricey. There are a lot of them on eBay, together with all the various attachments (jigsaw, table saw, planer, etc., etc.) They have a cult following. I love mine for what it is, given it's size limitations. I doubt there's ever been a more versatile modeling machine ever made, although for more money I'd buy a dedicated Sieg or Sherline lathe and mill these days, if for no other reason than the ready availability of tooling. See: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2060353.m570.l1313&_nkw=unimat&_sacat=0 http://myplace.frontier.com/~steven.jaynes/lathes/Unimat-SLs/Unimat-SL Pic Link Page.html http://www.dirkfassbender.de/emco-unimat-sl.html Lathe set-up with threading attachment: Basic machine: http://www.lathes.co.uk/unimat/ Milling configuration:

Sorry. I'm still not seeing it. Is the post sticking up out of the top the collet? A wild guess is that one of the knurled rings twists one way and the other the opposite way and that allows the nut to be turned, but I'm guessing. I cant see what the assembly is all about from the photo. It looks like the knurled rings are pretty well galled up already. It looks like "somebody" went at it with a pipe wrench. Somebody who's been there and done that with this unit will probably have the answer for you.

I'm not even able to visualize a "collet stuck on a drill spindle." A picture is worth a thousand words.

Well Bill, welcome to the club! Who knew you were so accomplished a modeler! I thought you were just another "newbie." The club I'm referring to is the neuropathic modelers' club. Like Roger, I also have peripheral neuropathy in both hands and feet. Fortunately, (knock on wood,) I've managed to soldier on with a variety of the usual compensating techniques. You've got a few years on me, so I can imagine the challenges you face. Neuropathy doesn't get any better as the years roll on, but I'm sure you have more models in those hands. The plans in Chapelle's books are greatly reduced and in some cases they are too small to read the fine print and lines. If they are enlarged on a copy machine, the detail doesn't come back. You just get a larger picture of what's on the page in the book. That may be sufficient in some instances and quite frustrating in most others where the necessary amount of enlargement is just too great. Full size copies of the originals of all of the plans in Chapelle's books are available mail order from the Smithsonian Institution. https://americanhistory.si.edu/about/departments/work-and-industry/ship-plans I believe most of these are drawn to 1/4" or 1/8" to the foot scale. These can then be adjusted in size on a large format copy machine to any scale one desires. For more available plans, see: https://councilofamericanmaritimemuseums.org/resources/ship-plans-directory/ While architect's and engineer's scales are handy, if you are going to work from plans that aren't to the scale you are building in, you might also consider using a set of proportional dividers which mechanically change scale measurements to whatever scale one desires. I'm sure you are familiar with them. If not, check out:

If you have the time, it would be interesting to see how they did that!

I understand your question, but I think you'd be better off by a long shot building one of the many ship model kits of a known United States Revenue Cutter. You'll find them all, I believe, listed here: https://www.coastguardmodeling.com/index.php/models/cutters/revenue-cutters/ Plans should be readily available. Someone here on the MSW forum may have a set they no longer need. Otherwise, if you want to get historically accurate plans, I expect at least some of them should be available through the National Archives or the Coast Guard History Department. Howard I. Chapelle's History of American Sailing Ships has a chapter on revenue cutters with plans. Check using the search feature on this forum to see if anyone has posted a build log for one of the revenue cutter models. There's at least one: https://modelshipworld.com/topic/14814-revenue-cutter-joe-lane-by-ahb26-andrew-bodge-marine-models-scale-18%E2%80%9D1%E2%80%99-inherited-kit-novice-modeler-finished/ Some of these are perhaps still in production, or may be available as "new old stock." Otherwise, they are offered for sale frequently enough on eBay, often for quite reasonable prices. Most will be older style model kits. Newer kits are easier to build, generally speaking, as most these days offer laser-cut parts, if nothing else. The kit you have of the Marie Celeste, the famous "ghost ship," is an older model. I'm not familiar with it, but it appears to be a quality kit for its time. You'd probably have more fun building it as the ship it is, than to "kit bash" it to appear to be something it never will be, the hulls of a fast revenue cutter and a merchant ship being quite different in design, I'd expect.

We're talking about rooms in homes here, not dedicated workshops in outbuildings, etc. I'd have to say that the best course is to do all major dust-producing operations and spray painting, if solvent aromas offend you, outdoors or in the garage. Simple as that. That said, I have the "Byrnes Trifecta" (saw, disk sander, and thickness sander) and any good "shop-vac" attached to their vacuum spuds will virtually eliminate any dust they produce. Beyond that, central shop dust collection systems get quite expensive rather quickly and are almost always quite noisy to operate, so not suitable for in-home use. (Living in a rural area, I have a large stand-alone workshop with sliding doors that permit my rolling any of my stationary power tools outside, or at least to the doorway in bad weather, where a large fan will blow the often-considerable amounts of dust and shavings out of the shop interior. They then usually turn into mulch before I get around to raking them up! ) While it's a matter of one's personal style, IMHO, there seems to be a lot of "sandpaper wood butchery" going on among the modeling fraternity. The parts are small and it may be convenient for some, but don't forget that in the days before electric sanding machines and other electric woodworking tools, dust in the workshop environment wasn't that big of a problem and much of the work of keeping the shop floor swept was assigned to an "idiot boy." (In those days, as in many "less-developed" countries today, the mentally handicapped weren't considered "disabled," but just "differently-abled.") "Wood butchers" in earlier times used hand saws, and other edged tools to shape wood. A scraper does as good, or better, a job of finishing a smooth surface than a lot of sandpaper and for a lot less money, while not filling the air with sanding dust. A chisel, carving knife, plane, spokeshave, or draw knife will shape wood by removing shavings that are easily swept up without turning your work area into a "dust bowl." Learning to use the right hand tool for the job can eliminate a huge amount of the microscopically fine (and hazardous) dust that high powered modern machines produce. Hand tools create shavings and scrapings, of course, but they are much easier to clean up that an equivalent volume of micro-particles hanging in the air over a large area. How you choose to work has a lot to do with how much dust, and particularly unhealthy "micro-dust," that you will produce. Before worrying about how to clean it up, it's probably a lot more effective to think about how to produce less of it when working. No Idea makes a very good point about shop cleanliness. (Do as he says, not as I do! ) Keeping a work area clean and having a "place for all tools and all tools in their place" is the mark of a well-trained professional craftsman. It saves tons of time and exponentially increases your efficiency. (Which is why surgeons always have their instruments laid out in the operating room and auto mechanics spend thousands of bucks on those Snap-On rolling tool chests they use. We can get by with the much less expensive models, of course.) As for solvents in adhesives and coatings, I would advise, not just because of the aromas which some may find offensive, but also as a matter of safety, that all volatile liquids be stored outside the living spaces of a home in a metal locker, if possible. Fire is an ever-present danger.

One important feature that doesn't seem to have been mentioned is maximum depth of cut. To me, that's a significant consideration in choosing a small table saw. I believe the 8" thin-kerf blades are only thinned on their outside edges sot they won't cut any more than the 3" saws, either. It would seem the stock 4" blade on the Byrnes saw gives an inch more depth of cut than any of the other options.

Or hemp, which is now becoming available on the market. Hemp is nearly identical with linen, which has become very difficult to source. I've not yet tried hemp and it appears that it is not yet produced in as wide a range of sizes and colors as the other options, but it is easily dyed, or you could tar it with pine tar for the ultimate in accuracy! The big question in my mind is whether it's being produced in the quality we require (no lumps.) If anybody has tried it yet, I'd like to know. Hemp is stronger than cotton and not "plastic" like the synthetics. It should last the longest if the literature is to be believed.

It's been said that the quality and accuracy of any machine tool is, relative to its capacity, directly proportionate to its weight.

1) The real drivers for cutting corners on quality are a) lower manufacturing costs to increase profits, b) lower manufacturing costs to enable reduction of price to increase market competitiveness, and c) "offshoring"" manufacturing for lower labor costs and tax advantages. 2) Such lists are difficult to maintain because the product specifications "are subject to change without notice." They outsource parts and manufacturing to the lowest bidder and next year's model may be quite different if a cheaper type of bearing is substituted, or the like, and yet, the new model will look exactly the same as the old one. The brand names change ownership as often as we change our socks, as well, so they aren't much of an indication, either. For example, Lowe's now owns the Craftsman line of tools, but isn't necessarily selling the same Craftsman tools that Sears once did. They advertise a "Craftsman lifetime warranty" on hand tools, but there's a catch. Here's Lowe's official statement: FULL STATEMENT FROM LOWE'S CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS: "We will honor all lifetime warranties no matter where the CRAFTSMAN hand tool was purchased. We ask that customers bring in the item, and we’ll replace it if we have the product. If we do not have the product, customers can call the Customer Care Hotline (883-331-4569)." Maureen Wallace, Lowe's The operative clause is "if we have the product." If you bought your Craftsman tool from Sears, it's quite possibly not "the product" Lower's is now selling, so unless the Lowe's store to which you return your Sears Craftsman tool that is broken actually has the same tool in stock, you're out of luck, but you can call the Lowe's Customer Care Hotline and, after waiting on hold listening to muzak for ten minutes, somebody will tell you how sorry you are, but they can't help you because they don't sell the same tool you are trying to return so they don't have a new one to swap for it.

An unfortunate turn of events, but prudence is the better part of valor. This bug isn't giving up easily and the new mutated variants are of concern. We're fully vaccinated, but were advised by the docs to continue with the mitigation protocols nonetheless, except for socializing in small family gatherings with other fully vaccinated folks.

I prefer to simply apply a drop of clear shellac to knots with a paintbrush. The shellac dries very quickly. (Blowing on it causes the alcohol to evaporate faster.) This cements the knot nicely. The advantages of this over CA or even PVA adhesives is not only the quick drying time (almost as fast as CA and much faster than PVA,) but also, should the knot have to be untied for any reason, the shellac can be undone immediately by applying alcohol to it. The shellac is absorbed by the thread and, when dry, is invisible. It's also a lot less expensive than CA adhesive.

Given the tedious repetitive nature of the work and the need for uniformity, without a pattern-tracing device or a custom cutter to turn an entire cannon at one go, I'd also cast my vote for casting any number of cannon that may be required. A low melting point white metal can be used, or casting resins. Another option is electroforming. Remember those copper-coated baby shoes that were popular in the 1940's and 50's? (Yeah, I realize you probably don't.) Basically, you can take anything, such as a cast wax cannon, spray it with a conductive paint, like that zinc-heavy spray paint they sell to prevent rust or India ink and graphite, and then electroplate it with copper to a thickness you desire. The wax can then be melted by throwing the plated piece in a pot of boiling water and, voila!, you've got a highly detailed copper part. Or at least that's the way it's supposed to work. A plating set-up is easy to throw together with some plastic tubs and a car battery charger. It's a common jewelery-making technique. The chemicals can be bought at any jewelers' supply house. Study the many YouTube videos to learn how it's done.

Zero to negative back rake on brass. Google is your friend. There's tons of tutorials on YouTube. Check out "Mr. Pete 222" or "Tubal Cain" on YouTube. He's a retired shop teacher who's got tons of videos on machining on YouTube. They're great! You may want to print something like this out and keep it for reference: http://www.steves-workshop.co.uk/tips/toolgrinding/tool-grinding-poster.pdf

And travelling even farther afield in the discussion, mention should include the once-ubiquitous LEROY lettering system used by draftsmen (and comic book artists) in later times when hand-lettering as an art form was lost when the ISO standard font was dictated. the LEROY system used a pantographic planchet and templates. The LEROY kits and standard ISO font templates are still quite commonly and inexpensively available on eBay, but the older, and much wider selection of fonts and templates more frequently used prior to the ISO font standards' implementation are now quite rare and highly collectible. Old-style lettering systems can be handy for modelers sometimes, although digital fonts generally supplant them.

Yes. I neglected to mention that when using this "connect the dot" method to draw curved lines laid out by points made with a pantograph or by points defined by a table of offsets, a batten and weights ("ducks") and/or curves are required, preferably a set of ship's curves if you can find them. (See: https://www.mp-artware.de/shop/en/Templates/Ship-curves/) Drafting curves are more than just a bunch of pretty random shaped templates. The curves are mathematically generated so that in use a fair curve will be yielded. These curves are all segments of what is known as a "clothoid," "Cornu," or "Euler" spiral: The principle of linear variation of the curvature of the transition curve between a tangent and a circular curve defines the geometry of the Euler spiral: Its curvature begins with zero at the straight section (the tangent) and increases linearly with its curve length. Where the Euler spiral meets the circular curve, its curvature becomes equal to that of the latter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler_spiral (More than you'd ever want or need to know unless you are a Ph.D. mathematics wonk.) For those who may be interested, and because I've often encountered those untrained in the use of drafting curves, the below explains the proper use of drafting curves to develop a fair curve: Use of the French Curve The french curve is used to draw a smooth line through predetermined points. After the points are plotted, a light pencil line should be sketched to connect the points in a smooth flowing line. To draw the finished line over the freehand line, match the various parts of the french curve to various segments of the freehand curve. Avoid abrupt changes in curvature by placing the short radius of the french curve toward the short radius portion of the line to be drawn. Change your position around the drawing board when necessary so that you can work on the side of the french curve that is away from you. You should avoid working on the "under" side of the french curve. Place the french curve so that it intersects at least two points of the line. When drawing the line along the edge of the french curve, stop short of the last point intersected. Then move the french curve along to intersect two or three more points and make sure that the edge of the curve connects smoothly with the line already drawn. When using the irregular curve, you can draw a perfectly smooth curved line by plotting enough points (the sharper the curve, the more points you need) and by drawing in shorts steps. Figure 3-10 shows how a smooth line is drawn through a series of plotted points. The french curve in view A matches points 1, 2, 3, and 4. Draw a line from 1 to 3 only (not to 4). At B, the curve matches points 3 to beyond 4. Draw a line from 3 to 4 only (not to 5). At C, it matches points 4, 5, and 6. Draw a line from 4 to just short of 6. At D, it matches a point short of 6 to beyond 7. Draw a line from 6 to 7. At E, it matches a point short of 7 to beyond 9. Draw a line from 7 to 9. At F, it matches a point short of 9 to beyond 11. Draw a line from 9 to 11. You will probably notice how the french curve is turned over and reversed to find portions that fit the points on the line with increasing or decreasing changes in curvature. When you are drawing a curved line that extends into a straight line, the curve should be drawn first, and the straight line joined to it. https://www.tpub.com/engbas/3-8.htm It is possible to generate these curves using some of the very expensive and highly sophisticated CAD programs today, but I've read that because there are so few straight lines in a vessel's drawings, manual drafting still offers advantages over CAD in terms of programming time saved. See further extensive discussion of the use of curves at:

Great old-time project! I used to love reading those old magazines as a kid. A 3D carving pantograph would be just the ticket for modelers who scratch-build those 17th and 18th Century "gingerbread" encrusted men-o-war. Such a device could sure make all that repetitive carving go a lot faster. I must be missing something, but I don't see from the drawings how the "Z" axis operates. The cursor (tracer pin) and the cutter have to move up and down in proportional unison on the "Z" axis, just as they do in the "X" and "Y" axes, but I don't see a mechanism that would accomplish that. Any answers?

These are known as raffee sails. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raffee_sail Great Lakes schooner Denis Sullivan.

Check out Chuck's Syren Ship Model Co. thread starting around There are many pages thereafter addressing Chuck's decision to quit making rope, making your own, and buying it from other sources.