Bob Cleek

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

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: 
 

I have recently been studying Seventeenth Century (1600’s) ship design techniques.  Those guys developed interesting methods for graphically plotting the large radius circles and the ellipses necessary to draw the hull forms of this time.  All were based on first drawing a smaller diameter circle and “stretching it out.” 

I bought mine on E-Bay and like everything on E-Bay sometimes they go at a very reasonable price and other times way out of range.  Once you get them you will not know how you lived without them.  Get a good pair, rack and pinion, I bought a pair from MicroMark years ago but I do not think they are rack and pinion.  In my opinion you would be better off with a good used pair from E-Bay.  

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.
 
 

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.
 
 

Mike,
 
I have a simple design for building glass display cases.  The bottom is a made up of four  pieces like a picture frame.  Each end is mitered at a 45 degree angle It’s dimensions are calculated to fit over the base that supports the model.  I have a set of 90 degree angle picture frame clamps that I use when gluing it together.  Before gluing the pieces together I cut a notch in each mitered end.  When glued together these notches form a square hole.  The four uprights fit into these holes.
 
I use my table saw to groove each of the wooden members.  I have a saw blade that cuts a groove slightly wider than 1/8in wide.  American “ single strength” glass easily fits into these grooves.  I do not need to use glue to secure the glass.
 
A picture might explain things better.
 
Roger
 
 

Some allowance for ventilation is recommended.  The grooves will do the job of holding the glass.  A loose fit (0.005 inch/0.13 mm oversize) will not be large enough to draw attention and will help with air exchange.

I just, after 30 years in my present shop, decided to get serious about dust control.  When using a shop vacuum to control large volumes of dust produced by major power tools, the filter quickly gets plugged up.  As a result, you are constantly buying surprisingly expensive filters or your dust collection system shuts down until you get around to buying a new filter.
 
A simple improvement is the installation of a cyclone upstream of the vacuum source, the same technology as that used in expensive bagless household vacuum cleaners.  The cyclone that I used (I do not represent the company) is an Oneida Dust Deputy.  This sits on top of a can with a hole in the lid.  A five gallon plastic paint bucket will work.  The hose from the vacuum hooks up to the outlet of the cyclone.  Another hose goes from the inlet of the vacuum to the tool creating the dust.  In use, the heavier dust particles, wood chips, etc, drop into the can.  The fine dust carries over into the vacuum filter.  
 
You can buy the cyclone separately or you can buy a kit.  I found the various sizes of hoses used by the different shop vacuum suppliers to be confusing.  The cyclone itself has 2in actual OD connections.  Oneida recommends using rubber plumbing connectors sold in the plumbing section of hardware stores.  2in actual OD will match the ID of a 1-1/2in nominal pipe size (NPS) rubber plumbing connector.  These rubber connectors also come in reducing sizes such as 1-1/2 x 2in NPS.  You should also be able to find male and female adaptors to connect to your vacuum hoses as needed.
 
I was concerned about vacuum leaks that would keep things from working but mine worked as planned the first time that I started it up.
 
Roger
 
 

Hand sawing and hand sanding don't present a problem in my basement shop as the sawdust produced is not that great a volume and it tends to fall to the floor or work surface where it can be swept or shop-vacuumed up ... just watch out for small parts that may be near.  Power tools are another matter, so my portable bandsaw, table saw and belt sander are located in the garage - where they can be moved outside to the lawn adjacent to the driveway.  The dust blows around and settles in the grass.  A small Dremel jig saw is 'in between' in messiness if not cutting much, so I use it in the shop for low-volume work - otherwise it is carried up and outside for a lot of cutting.  The drill press stays in the basement as well, since chips produced from whatever is drilled or milled on the cross-vise just vacuum up when done.  If outdoor work (weather permitting) was not in the cards, I'd get a wood worker's dust collector and rig hoses like in a wood shop - just on a smaller scale.
 
  Shop Layout?  I do such a wide variety of things there;  modeling, hat making (for Colonial re-enacting), quilting or other sewing, antique gun smithing, fabrication for DIY home projects or building musical instruments ... that there is no single 'ideal' arrangement, other than the fixed cabinets (moved from our kitchen when I remodeled upstairs to please the Admiral) for storage of tools and supplies for the above mentioned activities.  The bench and table arrangements are just adjusted as needed.  A drop-leaf sewing table (available from JoAnn fabrics) can roll around the open space, yet collapse if I want it out of the way.

Bob you make a really good point there that I hadn't really thought about.  I don't actually do very much sanding at all - I use planes and chisels far more than I sand.  I hadn't realised until you mentioned it.  Most of my wood waste is shavings rather than dust and its really easy to just hoover up.
 
If I need to do a big sanding job like fairing a hull then I take it outside regardless of the temperature.
 
I only swapped to edged tools a few years ago but they have become such a way of life it just seems the normal way of doing things now.  Far cleaner for in the home and a better finish too.

Marie Celeste was built 50 or more years  after the American Revenue Cutter that you are considering.  The hull forms are completely different.  If you have the skill and knowledge to transform this  hull into an accurate representation of an early Nineteenth Century American Revenue Cutter you have the ability to carve a new hull from scratch.  Get yourself some decent quality wood, pine will do, some drawings, and make some sawdust.
 
Start a built log and you’ll get lots of help.
 
Roger

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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

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

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

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