Bob Cleek

In my experience, resin bonded carbon fiber is one of the nastiest materials I've ever seen worked. When fairing it smooth, the sanding dust is indistinguishable from sanded pencil lead dust, and lots of it. It gets everywhere on everything. You end up looking like you've been working in an old-time coal mine all day. Clean-up is a nightmare.

What Roger and Toms said... You will find that "old 'arn" is by far the best bang for your buck if you can find one in good shape. I have my father's 1950 Craftsman bench top full-size drill press made by King-Seeley. It does all I've ever asked for it, keeping in mind that side-loading a drill press with a Morse taper chuck runs the risk of loosening the taper and having the chuck fall out at speed! (Light work on wood can be done, if you are careful. I use sanding drums on mine without a problem.)
 

 
The same model was also offered in a floor standing model with a longer post.
 

 
When buying a used (or, these days, new...) drill press, be sure to check the quill runout with a dial indicator. The lack of runout is critical if you plan to use the press for accurate work with small bits. Even a small amount of runout will break the small bits. With any sort of stationary machine tool, the heavier the better. Weight equals accuracy, as well as durability. (Note that on the pictured machines, the only bit of plastic on them are the phenolic knobs on the quill lever arms.) 
 
If you want to buy new, I'd take a hard look at the quality offerings from Grizzly. They have decent quality control and warranties. A good drill press should last longer than your grandson. They don't sell those at Home Depot or Harbor Freight.

The jib-headed main with battens would also suggest a date later than the 1920's. 

I would expect this to be an issue easily addressed by adding some inside lead ballast to the hull. 

The Byrnes table tilts. I find it to be a very useful feature.

I have the byrnes also. Its definitely better built.

IMHO, there is no comparison. The Byrnes is by far the better or the two. Super smooth with no vibration. Nice solid aluminum disk for adhering the sanding disk to. The machine work is excellent. Oh yes, if you should need it the customer service is top notch. No I don’t work for Jim I just have several of his machines. 🤪

I've been "lurking" from time to time to watch the development of this masterpiece. I have to confess, I had no idea the scale was so small! It's truly impressive. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Okay, guys. I'm just using lingo I've picked up over the years and may well be misusing it because I'm no machinist. I actually figured you guys would know more about it than I do! Not to worry. I'll explain.  Download to RAM, H.A.N.K.: Run-out or runout is an inaccuracy of rotating mechanical systems, specifically that the tool or shaft does not rotate exactly in line with the main axis. ... In the case of bearings, run-out will cause vibration of the machine and increased loads on the bearings.
 
What I want to find out is whether the "quill," which is the spinning shaft part of a drill press that moves up and down as the lever is moved, rotates exactly in line with its main axis. I asked also the same question about a drill bit held in the chuck of the drill press. (The chuck is the thing that holds drill bits in its adjustable jaws.) This is because sometimes run-out is caused separately by inaccuracy of the chuck mounting or adjustable "jaws" mechanism holding the bit (even though they are commonly "self-centering.") Of course, if the quill to which the chuck is attached has run out, it will consequently be apparent in an otherwise perfectly centered bit in the chuck. The combined length of a quill, chuck, and bit amplifies the degree of inaccuracy at the drill bit's point. A very small bit of run out in a chuck taper mounting will be many times as great at the bit's business end.
 
The way run out is commonly tested, we're talking thousandths of an inch here, is with a "dial test indicator," also generally called a "DTI" by folks who use them.  A dial test indicator, which I'm sure you'll recognize even if you've never used one, is a tool that measures minute distances by using a plunger that is connected to a "clock face" (or a digital read out) with a needle that indicates the distance the plunger moves. If a DTI were applied to a perfectly cylindrical spinning drill press quill with zero run out, the needle would remain steady at "zero." If there were, say, .005" run out, the needle would move back and forth between "-.005" and "+.005" on either side of zero and would be said to have .005" run out.
 
Below: Testing for run out (quill and chuck) with a DTI measuring against a rotating bit shaft. The silver-colored post at the base of the DTI dial body has a small spring-loaded point at its end which senses the movement the DTI measures. 
 
 

 
Any new piece of machinery usually requires "tuning" or "set up." (All new machinery made in China seems to require it.) Drill presses particularly need to be set up to minimize run out if small drill bits are used because the small bits will easily break if they wobble when drilling. The table also must be adjusted to be perfectly perpendicular to the quill and bit axis so that the holes drilled will be perfectly round (and cut edges clean and sharp.) This is also easily done with a DTI. While it may seem that, for woodworking, tolerances "tighter than a gnat's butt" are unnecessary, the better a machine is set up, the better it runs and the longer it lasts, regardless of the need for tight tolerances. In modeling, the smaller the job, the more important accuracy becomes.
 
A DTI with its stand is a very handy instrument to have in your shop to keep tools accurately adjusted and set up. (They are also just the ticket for checking to see if a table saw blade is perpendicular to the table top and that your lathe headstock and tailstock are in perfect alignment so you aren't cutting tapers unless you want to.) For the professionals who use them regularly, there are the usual top-of-the-line brands such as Starrett and Mitutoyo, priced accordingly. However, for amateur home shop use, a kit containing a perfectly accurate DTI with a good stand can be had for twenty-five to fifty bucks and even less if you go to the bottom of the price range on eBay. (I wouldn't advise buying a used precision instrument like a DTI sigh t unseen, though.) DTI's aren't much use without a decent stand, as they must be held securely in place to take measurements. I have a $38 Grizzly DTI and magnetic-base stand set that came in a nice fitted case. DTI's are delicate instruments and usually are sold with cases. You don't want them banging around in the bottom of your tool box.  See: https://www.grizzly.com/products/iGaging-1-Dial-Indicator-and-Fine-Adjustment-Magnetic-Base/T24804 
 
The difference between a dead accurate drill press and a sloppy one can very often be nothing more than a bit of dirt in the Morse taper socket holding the chuck that the factory didn't clean properly before assembly. (A frequent occurrence with the Sum Ting Wong brand products of the Patriotic Revolutionary People's Drill Press Collective.) A simple cleaning and reassembly is often all it takes to set things right.
 
YouTube is your friend here. There are several videos on "tuning a drill press with a dial test indicator." Here's a good video that explains how to set up a new drill press which you will may find interesting. The use of the dial test indicator begins at 8:30.
 
 

When we were young, it was beer! But, alas, we are no longer young.  

Tools get you through times of no love better than love gets you through times of no tools!  

What Roger and Toms said... You will find that "old 'arn" is by far the best bang for your buck if you can find one in good shape. I have my father's 1950 Craftsman bench top full-size drill press made by King-Seeley. It does all I've ever asked for it, keeping in mind that side-loading a drill press with a Morse taper chuck runs the risk of loosening the taper and having the chuck fall out at speed! (Light work on wood can be done, if you are careful. I use sanding drums on mine without a problem.)
 

 
The same model was also offered in a floor standing model with a longer post.
 

 
When buying a used (or, these days, new...) drill press, be sure to check the quill runout with a dial indicator. The lack of runout is critical if you plan to use the press for accurate work with small bits. Even a small amount of runout will break the small bits. With any sort of stationary machine tool, the heavier the better. Weight equals accuracy, as well as durability. (Note that on the pictured machines, the only bit of plastic on them are the phenolic knobs on the quill lever arms.) 
 
If you want to buy new, I'd take a hard look at the quality offerings from Grizzly. They have decent quality control and warranties. A good drill press should last longer than your grandson. They don't sell those at Home Depot or Harbor Freight.

What Roger and Toms said... You will find that "old 'arn" is by far the best bang for your buck if you can find one in good shape. I have my father's 1950 Craftsman bench top full-size drill press made by King-Seeley. It does all I've ever asked for it, keeping in mind that side-loading a drill press with a Morse taper chuck runs the risk of loosening the taper and having the chuck fall out at speed! (Light work on wood can be done, if you are careful. I use sanding drums on mine without a problem.)
 

 
The same model was also offered in a floor standing model with a longer post.
 

 
When buying a used (or, these days, new...) drill press, be sure to check the quill runout with a dial indicator. The lack of runout is critical if you plan to use the press for accurate work with small bits. Even a small amount of runout will break the small bits. With any sort of stationary machine tool, the heavier the better. Weight equals accuracy, as well as durability. (Note that on the pictured machines, the only bit of plastic on them are the phenolic knobs on the quill lever arms.) 
 
If you want to buy new, I'd take a hard look at the quality offerings from Grizzly. They have decent quality control and warranties. A good drill press should last longer than your grandson. They don't sell those at Home Depot or Harbor Freight.

In my experience, resin bonded carbon fiber is one of the nastiest materials I've ever seen worked. When fairing it smooth, the sanding dust is indistinguishable from sanded pencil lead dust, and lots of it. It gets everywhere on everything. You end up looking like you've been working in an old-time coal mine all day. Clean-up is a nightmare.

The sails are remarkably well-detailed, even to the the mainsail track fittings and jib piston hanks. These obviously came from a very sophisticated sailing model. The rest of the boat, well... not so much. I would guess the sails were inherited from a sophisticated racing model which had its sails upgraded at some point and the model here was built to employ the used sails. The hull can be restored, as can the fittings, many (most) of which appear to be missing. The standing rigging (holding up the mast) may be original to this model, but it is not sophisticated. I would say this is not one of the classic racing pond yachts of the "golden age" of pond yacht sailing, but more likely a boy's homemade toy. It's not without its charm and if restored could be a nice decorator accent piece nonetheless.  
 
A very similar commercially produced pond yacht can be found here: https://www.pondyachtantiques.co.uk/product-page/rare-1930-s-ailsa-pond-yacht-195  These pictures should show how the model should be rigged and how it would appear when restored.

The jib-headed main with battens would also suggest a date later than the 1920's. 

The jib-headed main with battens would also suggest a date later than the 1920's. 

For those not familiar with the Lake Freighter Model that I am currently building, inspired by Wefalck (impregnated paper) and Bob Cleek (shellac) I plated the hull with shellac saturated paper, glued on with common Titebond woodworking glue.  Primed with several coats of Tamiya spray can primer, the result has been a surprisingly durable surface.  I recently managed to set the plated hull down on a on a blob of glue left on a piece of cardboard.  When discovered, the glue had grabbed but not completely hardened.  The cardboard peeled right off without damaging the surface.
 
mikegr could cover his balsa hull the same way.
 
Roger

What Roger and Toms said... You will find that "old 'arn" is by far the best bang for your buck if you can find one in good shape. I have my father's 1950 Craftsman bench top full-size drill press made by King-Seeley. It does all I've ever asked for it, keeping in mind that side-loading a drill press with a Morse taper chuck runs the risk of loosening the taper and having the chuck fall out at speed! (Light work on wood can be done, if you are careful. I use sanding drums on mine without a problem.)
 

 
The same model was also offered in a floor standing model with a longer post.
 

 
When buying a used (or, these days, new...) drill press, be sure to check the quill runout with a dial indicator. The lack of runout is critical if you plan to use the press for accurate work with small bits. Even a small amount of runout will break the small bits. With any sort of stationary machine tool, the heavier the better. Weight equals accuracy, as well as durability. (Note that on the pictured machines, the only bit of plastic on them are the phenolic knobs on the quill lever arms.) 
 
If you want to buy new, I'd take a hard look at the quality offerings from Grizzly. They have decent quality control and warranties. A good drill press should last longer than your grandson. They don't sell those at Home Depot or Harbor Freight.

In my (not so humble) opinion, the model is later than the 1920’s.  Maybe c 1930-1050.  In the mid 1930’s, L. Francis Herreshoff designed a double ended yacht to contend for the America’s Cup.  She was eliminated in the trials.  Maybe she or one of Herreshoff’s other double enders inspired the model.
 
Roger

The sails are remarkably well-detailed, even to the the mainsail track fittings and jib piston hanks. These obviously came from a very sophisticated sailing model. The rest of the boat, well... not so much. I would guess the sails were inherited from a sophisticated racing model which had its sails upgraded at some point and the model here was built to employ the used sails. The hull can be restored, as can the fittings, many (most) of which appear to be missing. The standing rigging (holding up the mast) may be original to this model, but it is not sophisticated. I would say this is not one of the classic racing pond yachts of the "golden age" of pond yacht sailing, but more likely a boy's homemade toy. It's not without its charm and if restored could be a nice decorator accent piece nonetheless.  
 
A very similar commercially produced pond yacht can be found here: https://www.pondyachtantiques.co.uk/product-page/rare-1930-s-ailsa-pond-yacht-195  These pictures should show how the model should be rigged and how it would appear when restored.

The sails are remarkably well-detailed, even to the the mainsail track fittings and jib piston hanks. These obviously came from a very sophisticated sailing model. The rest of the boat, well... not so much. I would guess the sails were inherited from a sophisticated racing model which had its sails upgraded at some point and the model here was built to employ the used sails. The hull can be restored, as can the fittings, many (most) of which appear to be missing. The standing rigging (holding up the mast) may be original to this model, but it is not sophisticated. I would say this is not one of the classic racing pond yachts of the "golden age" of pond yacht sailing, but more likely a boy's homemade toy. It's not without its charm and if restored could be a nice decorator accent piece nonetheless.  
 
A very similar commercially produced pond yacht can be found here: https://www.pondyachtantiques.co.uk/product-page/rare-1930-s-ailsa-pond-yacht-195  These pictures should show how the model should be rigged and how it would appear when restored.