Bob Cleek

Jewelry is getting very expensive these days!  
 

 
Bevels on straight edges can be easily cut freehand with a flat plane and a bit of practice or a shop-made jig to provide the angle, but the problem of bevels in ship building and modeling is that there are very few straight edges! Planking, of course, is where the most beveling has to be done and plank edges are very often curved and their bevels can often be "rolling" (i.e., the angle changes over the length of the edge.) A flat-bottomed plane will work on a convex curve if your are careful (using the flat-bottomed plane essentially as one would a spokeshave), but it won't do well on a concave curve because, depending on the amount of curve and the length of the plane sole, the heel and toe of the plane sole are going to "bridge" the curve and so lift the iron up form the working surface. 
 
What is needed is a set of small pattern-maker's spokeshaves. A basic set of spokeshaves will contain three different spokeshaves: 1) a flat blade with a flat bottom, 2) a flat blade with a rounded bottom, and 3) a rounded blade with a rounded bottom. These three will permit cutting straight and rolling bevels on straight and curved edges. (There are also spokeshaves with soles with other shapes such as curved iron edges for shaping round pieces such as wagon spokes from whence the tool gets its name.) There was once a small company called Aldon Products, P.O. Box 585, Detroit, Michigan 48224, which produced a beautiful set of pattern maker's spokeshaves pictured below.  In another MSW thread some time ago, I discovered Roger Pellet and I each had a set of these beautiful bronze and stainless planes. I've never encountered them elsewhere before or since. I believe the manufacturer has been out of business for over fifty years now and they seemed something of a unicorn these days. Amazingly, though, there are presently two Aldon miniature spokeshave sets offered on eBay U.S. right now! I briefly considered trying to buy both on spec, but decided to contribute the information as my gift to the MSW community.   Grab one fast!  https://www.ebay.com/itm/126108562639?hash=item1d5ca7f4cf:g:VyYAAOSwg5JlB2cy&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwAUu8LEzrj3XkZwixLDh%2B7kJCG1g8hjecPTrXDbZivA1eJFLE%2FzDmrU4a3b0ut4aMYi07VlWqJ7D7QN0%2BHxC1Rq9FwFWsDcPvroqe1IQaUGk3Lc6N0MN46bZrtrIrXDo0FMhPzWvBIl5f563W%2FgzO2YHHryZ0DR7VijXvL1Yn1XQEUVv0dain3K15X5EvWQCMg0ZvhaPw%2Bka6%2BHO2QAP800dsTQlCBIgpispX1nN%2FE%2FBAobCXa51ARDD%2Bw9fnuM%2BlA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6iE6dPbYg and https://www.ebay.com/itm/334983383832?hash=item4dfe90cb18:g:gqYAAOSwAh5kBK5q&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4LrEMbcpMI3ZiX2XFgBbG0M2py5EyXPo%2FZHwHj7oRC6epybp6nCf%2BbXnHqkYgYnbhhY2hVIt7vv9HPnBd0OdIlx1xx%2FEIoATRD7Zq3%2FUliuZXUuFU6ekz702p4946w1SdOdPsNGDq9fO83L%2BGoEAVbgIBDaaQXSl2ij8qzwDmWS1i1i0CVETOwp6KlisCoezf5Wq9%2BXTHJa1Uz8SeADitL1ZtPXgTxge4AUB6apHi8Hmh%2FZWUMnM5%2FM4D%2F0CFuj8L7Y8mNKqVYjOu95fzOg%2BVf%2FW9IPFrP%2BZoazoBY%2BS3mu7|tkp%3ABk9SR57y9tTbYg )  


Set of Three Miniature Vintage Aldon Products Solid Brass (bronze, actually) Spoke Shaves, Stainless 15/16" Blades, Detroit Michigan. The small planes are made of solid brass, 3 3/4" long with adjustable stainless blades 15/16" wide. One has a flat blade with a flat bottom, one has a flat blade with a rounded bottom and one has a rounded blade with a rounded bottom. This is a versatile set of spoke shaves that can be used for pattern making, model making, cabinet making, and instrument making. Photo credit: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/mini-vintage-aldon-solid-brass-3863464343
 
I do not know of anybody who is manufacturing a set of small pattern maker's spokeshaves today. Perhaps one of the luthier's supply houses may, but I haven't found them. Lee Valley offers a very nice set of full-sized spokeshaves for around $320, but these are probably too large to really serve for miniature work. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/spokeshaves/100613-veritas-spokeshave-set-and-roll 
 

 
Lee Valley offers a flat spokeshave in Veritas' line of miniature hand tools for about $45, but not a complete set. (Whether or not one considers the Veritas working miniature tools line as very well done collectable novelties or useful working tools is an open question that must be left to those who buy them.)  https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/miniature-tools/spokeshaves/71211-veritas-miniature-spokeshave?item=05P8401 $45
 

If the available spokeshaves are beyond a modeler's budget, as they certainly can be, a much lower-priced "modeler's plane" is always a better option for beveling than a chisel or hobby knife. Look for anything similar to the old cast iron Stanley "#100 series" planes. See: http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan11.htm#num100  Originals are collectable, but "users" may sometimes be had for a good price on eBay, or one can opt for the German-made Kunz replicas which are are perfectly servicable and sell for around $35.  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=kunz+plane&adgrpid=1330409633793008&hvadid=83150751536610&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=43893&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-83150945519236%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=24665_13493338&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_7k7as92qis_p
 
 
 

 
 

At the bottom of the price spectrum is today's Stanley #101. (Not your father's Stanley by a long shot!) It is a folded sheet metal replacement for the old #101 modeler's plane that will only set you back around $12. Not much in the "pride of ownership" department if you are a tool wonk, but entirely serviceable and you'll probably be surprised at how often you end up using it for modeling tasks.. A properly sharpened and set plane is worth a thousand sheets of sandpaper.   
 
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-12-101-Small-Trimming-Plane/dp/B00002X1ZC/ref=asc_df_B00002X1ZC?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80333166615611&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583932707228013&psc=1
 

"Tow" is "short and coarse fibers of little value separated from the longer and more valuable fibers through hackling in the manufacture of rope. Tow is occasionally used in the manufacture of inferior qualities of rope." (International Maritime Dictionary, rene de Kerchove, 2nd Edition, Van Nostrand and Reinhold Co. 1961, Litton Educational Publishing]
 
"Tow" is also the short bits of fiber that break off of natural fiber rope, particularly hemp and sisal ("Manila") rope. On a large square-rigger, a lot of tow would find its way to the deck and collect in wet piles and muck things up. Hence the bosun's call, "Sweepers, man your brooms. Clean sweep down fore and aft." Another general meaning of "tow" is simply "worn out rope."
 
"Tow" was sometimes collected and saved for use in canvas pockets for padding of various sorts in rigging and so on, and for caulking material when mixed with tar to make oakum. Worn out or rotten line was often recycled into oakum as well. Quality oakum, however, was made not from lengths of worn-out line or "tow," but from new, long hemp strands. The highest quality new hemp line or oakum is made from the strong fibers from center of the stalks of the cannabis plant, which are whitish in color. (Oakum used by plumbers to caulk iron pipe joints is usually made from tarred jute or burlap.)
 
"Fibers and flyings" are what fill the air in a textile mill or rope walk and if you've ever been in a running textile mill, you will know that there is a huge cloud of fibers, little bits and pieces of broken fiber and dust, and "flyings" which are longer thin threads thrown off in the milling or spinning process, which must be continually cleaned up as they pose a large fire hazard. "Flyings" from the mills and ropewalks were used to make high quality oakum. 
 
Oakum is made by taking long fibers soaked in thick pine tar and simply twisting and rolling them into "ropes." The caulker has to prepare the oakum by unraveling lengths of the loosely twisted fiber from the loose ball (or "bale") of oakum and rolling the pine tar-soaked strands back and forth between the palm of his hand and the top of his thigh. (If you see a guy in the boatyard with his pants covered with tar on the front of his upper leg, he's a caulker! )
 
So, "The white ocham to be from flying & not from ground toes or decaid White ropes." means, "The white oakum specified here is to be made from mill flyings of the top-quality virgin white fiber of the plant and not from ground up tow or recycled rotten white hemp rope."
 
Quality oakum will result in a longer-lasting caulking job. Using old, weak fiber from worn out, rotten, or "decaid" rope will rot and decay in short order. The Admiralty wanted to use "the good stuff" because they didn't want to have to recaulk in short order because the stuff used was rotten to begin with.
 
Caulking mallet, caulking irons, and untarred "bale" of white hemp for making up oakum. See: Oakum - Wikipedia
 

I have1/4, 1/8 and 1/16 chisels along with the dogleg ones from Stumac. I think I will stick with those for now and hopefully improve with practice.
Although a micro plane is definitely in my future. Christmas isn't far off and maybe Santa will be good to me.

Jewelry is getting very expensive these days!  
 

 
Bevels on straight edges can be easily cut freehand with a flat plane and a bit of practice or a shop-made jig to provide the angle, but the problem of bevels in ship building and modeling is that there are very few straight edges! Planking, of course, is where the most beveling has to be done and plank edges are very often curved and their bevels can often be "rolling" (i.e., the angle changes over the length of the edge.) A flat-bottomed plane will work on a convex curve if your are careful (using the flat-bottomed plane essentially as one would a spokeshave), but it won't do well on a concave curve because, depending on the amount of curve and the length of the plane sole, the heel and toe of the plane sole are going to "bridge" the curve and so lift the iron up form the working surface. 
 
What is needed is a set of small pattern-maker's spokeshaves. A basic set of spokeshaves will contain three different spokeshaves: 1) a flat blade with a flat bottom, 2) a flat blade with a rounded bottom, and 3) a rounded blade with a rounded bottom. These three will permit cutting straight and rolling bevels on straight and curved edges. (There are also spokeshaves with soles with other shapes such as curved iron edges for shaping round pieces such as wagon spokes from whence the tool gets its name.) There was once a small company called Aldon Products, P.O. Box 585, Detroit, Michigan 48224, which produced a beautiful set of pattern maker's spokeshaves pictured below.  In another MSW thread some time ago, I discovered Roger Pellet and I each had a set of these beautiful bronze and stainless planes. I've never encountered them elsewhere before or since. I believe the manufacturer has been out of business for over fifty years now and they seemed something of a unicorn these days. Amazingly, though, there are presently two Aldon miniature spokeshave sets offered on eBay U.S. right now! I briefly considered trying to buy both on spec, but decided to contribute the information as my gift to the MSW community.   Grab one fast!  https://www.ebay.com/itm/126108562639?hash=item1d5ca7f4cf:g:VyYAAOSwg5JlB2cy&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwAUu8LEzrj3XkZwixLDh%2B7kJCG1g8hjecPTrXDbZivA1eJFLE%2FzDmrU4a3b0ut4aMYi07VlWqJ7D7QN0%2BHxC1Rq9FwFWsDcPvroqe1IQaUGk3Lc6N0MN46bZrtrIrXDo0FMhPzWvBIl5f563W%2FgzO2YHHryZ0DR7VijXvL1Yn1XQEUVv0dain3K15X5EvWQCMg0ZvhaPw%2Bka6%2BHO2QAP800dsTQlCBIgpispX1nN%2FE%2FBAobCXa51ARDD%2Bw9fnuM%2BlA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6iE6dPbYg and https://www.ebay.com/itm/334983383832?hash=item4dfe90cb18:g:gqYAAOSwAh5kBK5q&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4LrEMbcpMI3ZiX2XFgBbG0M2py5EyXPo%2FZHwHj7oRC6epybp6nCf%2BbXnHqkYgYnbhhY2hVIt7vv9HPnBd0OdIlx1xx%2FEIoATRD7Zq3%2FUliuZXUuFU6ekz702p4946w1SdOdPsNGDq9fO83L%2BGoEAVbgIBDaaQXSl2ij8qzwDmWS1i1i0CVETOwp6KlisCoezf5Wq9%2BXTHJa1Uz8SeADitL1ZtPXgTxge4AUB6apHi8Hmh%2FZWUMnM5%2FM4D%2F0CFuj8L7Y8mNKqVYjOu95fzOg%2BVf%2FW9IPFrP%2BZoazoBY%2BS3mu7|tkp%3ABk9SR57y9tTbYg )  


Set of Three Miniature Vintage Aldon Products Solid Brass (bronze, actually) Spoke Shaves, Stainless 15/16" Blades, Detroit Michigan. The small planes are made of solid brass, 3 3/4" long with adjustable stainless blades 15/16" wide. One has a flat blade with a flat bottom, one has a flat blade with a rounded bottom and one has a rounded blade with a rounded bottom. This is a versatile set of spoke shaves that can be used for pattern making, model making, cabinet making, and instrument making. Photo credit: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/mini-vintage-aldon-solid-brass-3863464343
 
I do not know of anybody who is manufacturing a set of small pattern maker's spokeshaves today. Perhaps one of the luthier's supply houses may, but I haven't found them. Lee Valley offers a very nice set of full-sized spokeshaves for around $320, but these are probably too large to really serve for miniature work. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/spokeshaves/100613-veritas-spokeshave-set-and-roll 
 

 
Lee Valley offers a flat spokeshave in Veritas' line of miniature hand tools for about $45, but not a complete set. (Whether or not one considers the Veritas working miniature tools line as very well done collectable novelties or useful working tools is an open question that must be left to those who buy them.)  https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/miniature-tools/spokeshaves/71211-veritas-miniature-spokeshave?item=05P8401 $45
 

If the available spokeshaves are beyond a modeler's budget, as they certainly can be, a much lower-priced "modeler's plane" is always a better option for beveling than a chisel or hobby knife. Look for anything similar to the old cast iron Stanley "#100 series" planes. See: http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan11.htm#num100  Originals are collectable, but "users" may sometimes be had for a good price on eBay, or one can opt for the German-made Kunz replicas which are are perfectly servicable and sell for around $35.  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=kunz+plane&adgrpid=1330409633793008&hvadid=83150751536610&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=43893&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-83150945519236%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=24665_13493338&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_7k7as92qis_p
 
 
 

 
 

At the bottom of the price spectrum is today's Stanley #101. (Not your father's Stanley by a long shot!) It is a folded sheet metal replacement for the old #101 modeler's plane that will only set you back around $12. Not much in the "pride of ownership" department if you are a tool wonk, but entirely serviceable and you'll probably be surprised at how often you end up using it for modeling tasks.. A properly sharpened and set plane is worth a thousand sheets of sandpaper.   
 
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-12-101-Small-Trimming-Plane/dp/B00002X1ZC/ref=asc_df_B00002X1ZC?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80333166615611&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583932707228013&psc=1
 

I'll defer to Falconer, of course. This is the first I've heard of a "limber rope" but it makes sense in 1815. I'd still expect non-ferrous metal chain to have replaced rope as soon as it became available at reasonable expense. I cannot see there was any likelihood. of knots being tied in the rope, though. The ropes would have run from the pump well forward and aft to the extreme ends of the vessel. That was often quite a distance. The limber holes on smaller vessels may have been just a notch cut off the corner of each floor, the hole being created by the underside of the notch in the floor, the keel, and the garboard, and on larger vessels they would be upside-down "U-shaped tunnels" cut into the lower face of the floor timbers. The Admiralty's standing order to keep bilges dry must have more often been observed in the breach, since large wooden ships are hardly "watertight." While the ship's carpenter would be kept busy chasing leaky seams, there'd still be a fair amount of water that would continually leak in through the underwater hull seams in need of re-caulking and from the decks above. There were also standing orders to sound the bilges and pump regularly, which attests more to the reality of it than does the order to keep the bilges dry at all times! Pulling on a limber rope on a ship-of-the-line probably took a few men to heave on it, owing to the friction and weight of the wet rope laying in the bilge. Tying knots in the rope would almost certainly cause the rope to hang up when pulled up against the floor timbers. We have to keep in mind the totality of context here. The whole point of a limber rope or chain is to make it possible to remotely clear all the limber holes which are at the very bottom of the hold and in many areas would have many areas where the limber holes would be inaccessible without moving large amounts of heavy stores and cargo stowed from one end of the orlop deck to the other. 
In a word, "no." The more obstructions on the rope, the greater the likelihood of its hanging up in one or more holes and the greater friction when trying to pull it the length of the vessel. There is no need for "extra weight." The rope need only free up a plugged limber hole to serve its purpose. There would have been a lot of water dammed up behind a plugged hole, but once the primary blockage was freed, the weight of the dammed up water would be more than sufficient to wash the blockage material "downstream" to the pump well. 
 
I've read that explanation as well. Somebody could certainly have done so, but it would have had to be an awfully large cemetery to keep the Admiralty in holystones at the height of her power. I've also read that the term "holystone" came into the Admiralty vocabulary when Henry VIII broke with the Pope and declared himself the head of the Church of England. At that time, Henry confiscated the property of the various monasteries in England which refused to accept his rejection of the Pope's authority. Many of these monasteries were quite wealthy and had large stone buildings. When they were closed, the stones, which were then Crown property, were often recycled for other buildings and for the Admiralty's use, primarily as ballast. These square cut stones were often the right size and shape for use as deck abrasive blocks and were generically called "holystones." Who knows? The accurate story was probably lost in the passage of time.
The water which would have ended up in the bilge would have been relatively clean and there was always a ready supply of salt water for flushing out the bilges if the water accumulating from leakage wasn't sufficient alone to flush the bilges. There probably would not have been "silts" building up in the bilges in any great amount. More likely than not, it would have been things like dead rats (called "millers" and quite the snack treat when the sailors might catch one) or"tow," which is the bits and pieces of natural fiber rope which break off. The top hamper of a large sailing ship produced a lot of tow which fell to the deck and piled up in the scuppers and everywhere else. This tow is what the "sweepers" were sweeping up. This sweeping had to be done so often that there is actually a specific bosun's call for "sweepers" which is still used today. 
 
The questions about limber holes, ropes, and chains are indeed fascinating to a number of us nautical wonks. There doesn't seem to be much "in the literature" about them. Perhaps someone here in MSW is close enough to HMS Victory or USS Constitution that they could ask a resident historian, docent, or bosun if they know anything more about the subject. 

Thread drift? Moi?  
 
The original poster asked: 
 
 
     Wondering how others are cutting chamfers, I'm having a bit of on issue getting smooth flat chamfers at different angles. ...  I suppose some type of jig used with a hand chisel might work but just cant seem to find an easy, reliable method. 
     Anyone have a method their using that works well for them?
 
I'm not sure that a broader response is necessarily a "drift. He asked, "Anyone have a method their using that works well for them?" That sounds like an invitation to a pretty wide spectrum of answers. I think there's a world of difference between "make do" and "do best." We're always free to "cut corners" (especially in the case of bevels  ) and take other shortcuts when modeling. It's up to the individual to determine where their personal standard lies on the precision spectrum. I qualified that my post was addressing "best practices" at the outset.
 

 
There is a wide range of both bevels and modeling skills. I think that the difference in "crispness" which I find to be a reliable measure of the quality of scale workmanship is often determined by a shape's having been created by cutting rather than abrading. Each shaping method has its place, of course, but as I look at models I made decades ago, the difference between those made in my earlier "sandpaper period" and later when I came to use blades and scrapers more often is very apparent to me. If one can easily form a bevel with sandpaper or a file which is indistinguishable from one made with a cutting blade or scraper, the entire discussion becomes academic, of course.

Jewelry is getting very expensive these days!  
 

 
Bevels on straight edges can be easily cut freehand with a flat plane and a bit of practice or a shop-made jig to provide the angle, but the problem of bevels in ship building and modeling is that there are very few straight edges! Planking, of course, is where the most beveling has to be done and plank edges are very often curved and their bevels can often be "rolling" (i.e., the angle changes over the length of the edge.) A flat-bottomed plane will work on a convex curve if your are careful (using the flat-bottomed plane essentially as one would a spokeshave), but it won't do well on a concave curve because, depending on the amount of curve and the length of the plane sole, the heel and toe of the plane sole are going to "bridge" the curve and so lift the iron up form the working surface. 
 
What is needed is a set of small pattern-maker's spokeshaves. A basic set of spokeshaves will contain three different spokeshaves: 1) a flat blade with a flat bottom, 2) a flat blade with a rounded bottom, and 3) a rounded blade with a rounded bottom. These three will permit cutting straight and rolling bevels on straight and curved edges. (There are also spokeshaves with soles with other shapes such as curved iron edges for shaping round pieces such as wagon spokes from whence the tool gets its name.) There was once a small company called Aldon Products, P.O. Box 585, Detroit, Michigan 48224, which produced a beautiful set of pattern maker's spokeshaves pictured below.  In another MSW thread some time ago, I discovered Roger Pellet and I each had a set of these beautiful bronze and stainless planes. I've never encountered them elsewhere before or since. I believe the manufacturer has been out of business for over fifty years now and they seemed something of a unicorn these days. Amazingly, though, there are presently two Aldon miniature spokeshave sets offered on eBay U.S. right now! I briefly considered trying to buy both on spec, but decided to contribute the information as my gift to the MSW community.   Grab one fast!  https://www.ebay.com/itm/126108562639?hash=item1d5ca7f4cf:g:VyYAAOSwg5JlB2cy&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwAUu8LEzrj3XkZwixLDh%2B7kJCG1g8hjecPTrXDbZivA1eJFLE%2FzDmrU4a3b0ut4aMYi07VlWqJ7D7QN0%2BHxC1Rq9FwFWsDcPvroqe1IQaUGk3Lc6N0MN46bZrtrIrXDo0FMhPzWvBIl5f563W%2FgzO2YHHryZ0DR7VijXvL1Yn1XQEUVv0dain3K15X5EvWQCMg0ZvhaPw%2Bka6%2BHO2QAP800dsTQlCBIgpispX1nN%2FE%2FBAobCXa51ARDD%2Bw9fnuM%2BlA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR6iE6dPbYg and https://www.ebay.com/itm/334983383832?hash=item4dfe90cb18:g:gqYAAOSwAh5kBK5q&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4LrEMbcpMI3ZiX2XFgBbG0M2py5EyXPo%2FZHwHj7oRC6epybp6nCf%2BbXnHqkYgYnbhhY2hVIt7vv9HPnBd0OdIlx1xx%2FEIoATRD7Zq3%2FUliuZXUuFU6ekz702p4946w1SdOdPsNGDq9fO83L%2BGoEAVbgIBDaaQXSl2ij8qzwDmWS1i1i0CVETOwp6KlisCoezf5Wq9%2BXTHJa1Uz8SeADitL1ZtPXgTxge4AUB6apHi8Hmh%2FZWUMnM5%2FM4D%2F0CFuj8L7Y8mNKqVYjOu95fzOg%2BVf%2FW9IPFrP%2BZoazoBY%2BS3mu7|tkp%3ABk9SR57y9tTbYg )  


Set of Three Miniature Vintage Aldon Products Solid Brass (bronze, actually) Spoke Shaves, Stainless 15/16" Blades, Detroit Michigan. The small planes are made of solid brass, 3 3/4" long with adjustable stainless blades 15/16" wide. One has a flat blade with a flat bottom, one has a flat blade with a rounded bottom and one has a rounded blade with a rounded bottom. This is a versatile set of spoke shaves that can be used for pattern making, model making, cabinet making, and instrument making. Photo credit: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/mini-vintage-aldon-solid-brass-3863464343
 
I do not know of anybody who is manufacturing a set of small pattern maker's spokeshaves today. Perhaps one of the luthier's supply houses may, but I haven't found them. Lee Valley offers a very nice set of full-sized spokeshaves for around $320, but these are probably too large to really serve for miniature work. https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/spokeshaves/100613-veritas-spokeshave-set-and-roll 
 

 
Lee Valley offers a flat spokeshave in Veritas' line of miniature hand tools for about $45, but not a complete set. (Whether or not one considers the Veritas working miniature tools line as very well done collectable novelties or useful working tools is an open question that must be left to those who buy them.)  https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop/tools/hand-tools/miniature-tools/spokeshaves/71211-veritas-miniature-spokeshave?item=05P8401 $45
 

If the available spokeshaves are beyond a modeler's budget, as they certainly can be, a much lower-priced "modeler's plane" is always a better option for beveling than a chisel or hobby knife. Look for anything similar to the old cast iron Stanley "#100 series" planes. See: http://www.supertool.com/StanleyBG/stan11.htm#num100  Originals are collectable, but "users" may sometimes be had for a good price on eBay, or one can opt for the German-made Kunz replicas which are are perfectly servicable and sell for around $35.  https://www.amazon.com/s?k=kunz+plane&adgrpid=1330409633793008&hvadid=83150751536610&hvbmt=bp&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=43893&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=p&hvtargid=kwd-83150945519236%3Aloc-190&hydadcr=24665_13493338&tag=mh0b-20&ref=pd_sl_7k7as92qis_p
 
 
 

 
 

At the bottom of the price spectrum is today's Stanley #101. (Not your father's Stanley by a long shot!) It is a folded sheet metal replacement for the old #101 modeler's plane that will only set you back around $12. Not much in the "pride of ownership" department if you are a tool wonk, but entirely serviceable and you'll probably be surprised at how often you end up using it for modeling tasks.. A properly sharpened and set plane is worth a thousand sheets of sandpaper.   
 
https://www.amazon.com/Stanley-12-101-Small-Trimming-Plane/dp/B00002X1ZC/ref=asc_df_B00002X1ZC?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80333166615611&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583932707228013&psc=1
 

There are certainly far more knowledgeable folks in this forum that I am on the particular practices of this period, but from my own experience, some of these details don't appear correct. I doubt that decks would be rinsed with clean (fresh - not salt) water and particularly not at sea. Fresh water is a precious commodity and is conserved for cooking and drinking and, to a very limited extent, bathing and rinsing salt out of clothing. (where it will attract moisture, keeping clothing continually damp. Decks are swabbed and rinsed with salt water because fresh water leaking below causes fungal decay while salt water does not and, in fact, to a certain extent prevents it. Additionally, the salt in the decks attracts moisture and tends to keep the deck planking swelled and bleached, as well. 
 
Decks were holystoned not to remove salt from the deck, but to remove tar (pitch) from the deck which otherwise would get tracked all over the vessel. As Allan mentioned, in the days when the Admiralty placed a high-value on its ships being highly maintained, Admiral St. Vincent even went so far as to order every ship to holystone her decks "every evening as well as morning in the summer months." The reason for holystoning twice in the summer months was because the heat in the summertime increased the amount of tar that dripped from aloft and tracked all over the ship. Pine "tar" (pitch, actually) was applied liberally to the rigging for its preservation and heated and poured as "stopping" on top of the oakum caulking material hammered into deck planking seams. In the summer sun, the dark brown, nearly black actually, pitch would liquify and drip down from the top hamper where it thickly coated everything and it would soften in the deck seams and get spread all over the deck. Holystoning decks would cause the sand to pick up the pitch and in removing the sand, a fair amount of the pitch would be removed as well. In the early 1800's, a couple of significant developments caused an evolution of practices in the Admiralty. One was that England broke free from her from dependence on the Scandinavian boreal forests as a source of naval stores such as shipbuilding timber and pine tar, competition for which exerted a great influence over European politics. England's American colonies exceeded the entire European supply of naval stores freed England from dependence on what was called "Stockholm tar" and the citizens of then heavily pine forested colony of North Carolina went into the pine tar business thereby earned their nickname, "tar heels." In 1840, an enterprising British inventor, Alfred Jeffery, discovered that bitumen or "coal tar" which was beginning to replace "pine tar" for some purposes, when melted and mixed with another relatively new material which also became commonly available around that time, latex or natural "rubber," produced a greatly improved deck seam stopping. The major advantages of Jeffrey's "marine glue," as he called it, was that it could be melted and poured into a seam and when it cooled, it would still stick to the wood, but was "rubbery" and would stretch when the seams opened and closed as the wood moved. Mr. Jeffery took his product to the Admiralty which immediately specified it for every deck seam in the British navy from then on. Jeffery's Marine Glue is still made in England today. (Check out the post at https://forum.woodenboat.com/forum/tools-materials-techniques-products/252396-for an old Jeffrey and Company's instruction manual PDF. It explains in detail all about deck seams from about 1840 on.)
 
I expect that most of the holystoning detritus and sweepings would be flushed and/or swept overboard through the deck scuppers.
 
While a rope would obviously serve in a pinch, I'd expect that a knotted rope would serve no purpose because the knots would foul in the limber holes more often than not and require accessing the entire length of the bilges to locate the hang-up and free it, thus defeating the purpose of the entire exercise. More over, the rope would rot rather quickly and result in a rather nasty job of removal, since it wasn't uncommon for seamen to use the bilge for a latrine when convenient. (A trip to the heads was no fun in foul weather in the Age of Sail!) This question was raised recently in another post and I don't think it was answered, but while I have always heard of and dealt with "limber chains," I've never heard nor encountered a "limber rope." Modernly, limber chains are made of non-ferrous metal, usually copper or brass to avoid corrosion. I don't know if this was the case in days of old, but there's no reason they couldn't have been. 

Thread drift? Moi?  
 
The original poster asked: 
 
 
     Wondering how others are cutting chamfers, I'm having a bit of on issue getting smooth flat chamfers at different angles. ...  I suppose some type of jig used with a hand chisel might work but just cant seem to find an easy, reliable method. 
     Anyone have a method their using that works well for them?
 
I'm not sure that a broader response is necessarily a "drift. He asked, "Anyone have a method their using that works well for them?" That sounds like an invitation to a pretty wide spectrum of answers. I think there's a world of difference between "make do" and "do best." We're always free to "cut corners" (especially in the case of bevels  ) and take other shortcuts when modeling. It's up to the individual to determine where their personal standard lies on the precision spectrum. I qualified that my post was addressing "best practices" at the outset.
 

 
There is a wide range of both bevels and modeling skills. I think that the difference in "crispness" which I find to be a reliable measure of the quality of scale workmanship is often determined by a shape's having been created by cutting rather than abrading. Each shaping method has its place, of course, but as I look at models I made decades ago, the difference between those made in my earlier "sandpaper period" and later when I came to use blades and scrapers more often is very apparent to me. If one can easily form a bevel with sandpaper or a file which is indistinguishable from one made with a cutting blade or scraper, the entire discussion becomes academic, of course.

The Ibex Luthier planes are carving planes.  The blades are convex.  Specifically for a bevel, would not a flat plane level the desired surface?
Now,  for a hull, one of these looks like it has excellent potential. 

I agree with the post above. There are some quality miniature violin and instrument makers planes for sale that would do the job.
 
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/planes/ibex-archtop-carving-planes/?mtm_source=google&mtm_medium=cpc&mtm_campaign=|+GOO+|+SHOP+|+NBR+|+AllProductsUSA&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote8k5FM1ZSIXOeLHQJgpnKMuTwe2myVtyY8pmua7QYJY9EdipLC2B54aAs7zEALw_wcB#mz-expanded-view-853390225766

"Tow" is "short and coarse fibers of little value separated from the longer and more valuable fibers through hackling in the manufacture of rope. Tow is occasionally used in the manufacture of inferior qualities of rope." (International Maritime Dictionary, rene de Kerchove, 2nd Edition, Van Nostrand and Reinhold Co. 1961, Litton Educational Publishing]
 
"Tow" is also the short bits of fiber that break off of natural fiber rope, particularly hemp and sisal ("Manila") rope. On a large square-rigger, a lot of tow would find its way to the deck and collect in wet piles and muck things up. Hence the bosun's call, "Sweepers, man your brooms. Clean sweep down fore and aft." Another general meaning of "tow" is simply "worn out rope."
 
"Tow" was sometimes collected and saved for use in canvas pockets for padding of various sorts in rigging and so on, and for caulking material when mixed with tar to make oakum. Worn out or rotten line was often recycled into oakum as well. Quality oakum, however, was made not from lengths of worn-out line or "tow," but from new, long hemp strands. The highest quality new hemp line or oakum is made from the strong fibers from center of the stalks of the cannabis plant, which are whitish in color. (Oakum used by plumbers to caulk iron pipe joints is usually made from tarred jute or burlap.)
 
"Fibers and flyings" are what fill the air in a textile mill or rope walk and if you've ever been in a running textile mill, you will know that there is a huge cloud of fibers, little bits and pieces of broken fiber and dust, and "flyings" which are longer thin threads thrown off in the milling or spinning process, which must be continually cleaned up as they pose a large fire hazard. "Flyings" from the mills and ropewalks were used to make high quality oakum. 
 
Oakum is made by taking long fibers soaked in thick pine tar and simply twisting and rolling them into "ropes." The caulker has to prepare the oakum by unraveling lengths of the loosely twisted fiber from the loose ball (or "bale") of oakum and rolling the pine tar-soaked strands back and forth between the palm of his hand and the top of his thigh. (If you see a guy in the boatyard with his pants covered with tar on the front of his upper leg, he's a caulker! )
 
So, "The white ocham to be from flying & not from ground toes or decaid White ropes." means, "The white oakum specified here is to be made from mill flyings of the top-quality virgin white fiber of the plant and not from ground up tow or recycled rotten white hemp rope."
 
Quality oakum will result in a longer-lasting caulking job. Using old, weak fiber from worn out, rotten, or "decaid" rope will rot and decay in short order. The Admiralty wanted to use "the good stuff" because they didn't want to have to recaulk in short order because the stuff used was rotten to begin with.
 
Caulking mallet, caulking irons, and untarred "bale" of white hemp for making up oakum. See: Oakum - Wikipedia
 

There are certainly far more knowledgeable folks in this forum that I am on the particular practices of this period, but from my own experience, some of these details don't appear correct. I doubt that decks would be rinsed with clean (fresh - not salt) water and particularly not at sea. Fresh water is a precious commodity and is conserved for cooking and drinking and, to a very limited extent, bathing and rinsing salt out of clothing. (where it will attract moisture, keeping clothing continually damp. Decks are swabbed and rinsed with salt water because fresh water leaking below causes fungal decay while salt water does not and, in fact, to a certain extent prevents it. Additionally, the salt in the decks attracts moisture and tends to keep the deck planking swelled and bleached, as well. 
 
Decks were holystoned not to remove salt from the deck, but to remove tar (pitch) from the deck which otherwise would get tracked all over the vessel. As Allan mentioned, in the days when the Admiralty placed a high-value on its ships being highly maintained, Admiral St. Vincent even went so far as to order every ship to holystone her decks "every evening as well as morning in the summer months." The reason for holystoning twice in the summer months was because the heat in the summertime increased the amount of tar that dripped from aloft and tracked all over the ship. Pine "tar" (pitch, actually) was applied liberally to the rigging for its preservation and heated and poured as "stopping" on top of the oakum caulking material hammered into deck planking seams. In the summer sun, the dark brown, nearly black actually, pitch would liquify and drip down from the top hamper where it thickly coated everything and it would soften in the deck seams and get spread all over the deck. Holystoning decks would cause the sand to pick up the pitch and in removing the sand, a fair amount of the pitch would be removed as well. In the early 1800's, a couple of significant developments caused an evolution of practices in the Admiralty. One was that England broke free from her from dependence on the Scandinavian boreal forests as a source of naval stores such as shipbuilding timber and pine tar, competition for which exerted a great influence over European politics. England's American colonies exceeded the entire European supply of naval stores freed England from dependence on what was called "Stockholm tar" and the citizens of then heavily pine forested colony of North Carolina went into the pine tar business thereby earned their nickname, "tar heels." In 1840, an enterprising British inventor, Alfred Jeffery, discovered that bitumen or "coal tar" which was beginning to replace "pine tar" for some purposes, when melted and mixed with another relatively new material which also became commonly available around that time, latex or natural "rubber," produced a greatly improved deck seam stopping. The major advantages of Jeffrey's "marine glue," as he called it, was that it could be melted and poured into a seam and when it cooled, it would still stick to the wood, but was "rubbery" and would stretch when the seams opened and closed as the wood moved. Mr. Jeffery took his product to the Admiralty which immediately specified it for every deck seam in the British navy from then on. Jeffery's Marine Glue is still made in England today. (Check out the post at https://forum.woodenboat.com/forum/tools-materials-techniques-products/252396-for an old Jeffrey and Company's instruction manual PDF. It explains in detail all about deck seams from about 1840 on.)
 
I expect that most of the holystoning detritus and sweepings would be flushed and/or swept overboard through the deck scuppers.
 
While a rope would obviously serve in a pinch, I'd expect that a knotted rope would serve no purpose because the knots would foul in the limber holes more often than not and require accessing the entire length of the bilges to locate the hang-up and free it, thus defeating the purpose of the entire exercise. More over, the rope would rot rather quickly and result in a rather nasty job of removal, since it wasn't uncommon for seamen to use the bilge for a latrine when convenient. (A trip to the heads was no fun in foul weather in the Age of Sail!) This question was raised recently in another post and I don't think it was answered, but while I have always heard of and dealt with "limber chains," I've never heard nor encountered a "limber rope." Modernly, limber chains are made of non-ferrous metal, usually copper or brass to avoid corrosion. I don't know if this was the case in days of old, but there's no reason they couldn't have been. 

There are certainly far more knowledgeable folks in this forum that I am on the particular practices of this period, but from my own experience, some of these details don't appear correct. I doubt that decks would be rinsed with clean (fresh - not salt) water and particularly not at sea. Fresh water is a precious commodity and is conserved for cooking and drinking and, to a very limited extent, bathing and rinsing salt out of clothing. (where it will attract moisture, keeping clothing continually damp. Decks are swabbed and rinsed with salt water because fresh water leaking below causes fungal decay while salt water does not and, in fact, to a certain extent prevents it. Additionally, the salt in the decks attracts moisture and tends to keep the deck planking swelled and bleached, as well. 
 
Decks were holystoned not to remove salt from the deck, but to remove tar (pitch) from the deck which otherwise would get tracked all over the vessel. As Allan mentioned, in the days when the Admiralty placed a high-value on its ships being highly maintained, Admiral St. Vincent even went so far as to order every ship to holystone her decks "every evening as well as morning in the summer months." The reason for holystoning twice in the summer months was because the heat in the summertime increased the amount of tar that dripped from aloft and tracked all over the ship. Pine "tar" (pitch, actually) was applied liberally to the rigging for its preservation and heated and poured as "stopping" on top of the oakum caulking material hammered into deck planking seams. In the summer sun, the dark brown, nearly black actually, pitch would liquify and drip down from the top hamper where it thickly coated everything and it would soften in the deck seams and get spread all over the deck. Holystoning decks would cause the sand to pick up the pitch and in removing the sand, a fair amount of the pitch would be removed as well. In the early 1800's, a couple of significant developments caused an evolution of practices in the Admiralty. One was that England broke free from her from dependence on the Scandinavian boreal forests as a source of naval stores such as shipbuilding timber and pine tar, competition for which exerted a great influence over European politics. England's American colonies exceeded the entire European supply of naval stores freed England from dependence on what was called "Stockholm tar" and the citizens of then heavily pine forested colony of North Carolina went into the pine tar business thereby earned their nickname, "tar heels." In 1840, an enterprising British inventor, Alfred Jeffery, discovered that bitumen or "coal tar" which was beginning to replace "pine tar" for some purposes, when melted and mixed with another relatively new material which also became commonly available around that time, latex or natural "rubber," produced a greatly improved deck seam stopping. The major advantages of Jeffrey's "marine glue," as he called it, was that it could be melted and poured into a seam and when it cooled, it would still stick to the wood, but was "rubbery" and would stretch when the seams opened and closed as the wood moved. Mr. Jeffery took his product to the Admiralty which immediately specified it for every deck seam in the British navy from then on. Jeffery's Marine Glue is still made in England today. (Check out the post at https://forum.woodenboat.com/forum/tools-materials-techniques-products/252396-for an old Jeffrey and Company's instruction manual PDF. It explains in detail all about deck seams from about 1840 on.)
 
I expect that most of the holystoning detritus and sweepings would be flushed and/or swept overboard through the deck scuppers.
 
While a rope would obviously serve in a pinch, I'd expect that a knotted rope would serve no purpose because the knots would foul in the limber holes more often than not and require accessing the entire length of the bilges to locate the hang-up and free it, thus defeating the purpose of the entire exercise. More over, the rope would rot rather quickly and result in a rather nasty job of removal, since it wasn't uncommon for seamen to use the bilge for a latrine when convenient. (A trip to the heads was no fun in foul weather in the Age of Sail!) This question was raised recently in another post and I don't think it was answered, but while I have always heard of and dealt with "limber chains," I've never heard nor encountered a "limber rope." Modernly, limber chains are made of non-ferrous metal, usually copper or brass to avoid corrosion. I don't know if this was the case in days of old, but there's no reason they couldn't have been. 

To add to the conversation, First Rates like Victory had 850 crew, it was necessary to keep them busy and not allow them to stew over their confinement. Cleaning ship was one means of keeping otherwise idle hands busy and from fermenting trouble, so they did lots of it.
 
There are no gun deck storage areas for cleaning equipment, this would have gotten in the way of having a clear area from stem to stern when cleared for action, so these items would have been stored in the hold.
 
Gary

In addition to what Jaager has said, I would add that it is important to recognize in terms of what wooden kit instructions provide that even with today's laser-cutting technology, wooden kits are in large measure built while plastic kits are merely assembled. To a greater degree the rigging on a plastic sailing ship is similar to the wooden kit build and, certainly, the painting is very much the same, but a plastic kit does not require the builder to actually measure and fabricate any parts from raw materials save a few pieces of wire, perhaps. Even with laser-cut planks which some of the better wooden kits provide, each plank once freed from the lasered sheet will likely require bevels to be cut on all four edges and on the two long edges these will often be "rolling bevels" which have to be carefully planed to mate to their neighboring planks. After that, the hull surface must be faired so that its shape is smooth across its entire surface. Beginning wooden modelers often discover to their disappointment that their planking job was not good enough to produce the result required and so must resort to puttying up the entire hull surface before sanding it fair and, by default, end up painting a hull they thought they were going to finish "bright" to show off the fancy, and often unsuitable and out-of-scale grain of (allegedly) walnut or mahogany kit-provided planks! 
 
You will benefit greatly from reviewing the "build logs" posted on this forum for any wooden kit that you are considering purchasing to see, step by step, what actually must be done to build that particular kit. In this way, you can determine if that kit is within your present skill set. Keep in mind that a lot of the completed kit models you will see in MSW were built by wooden kit modelers who have decades of experience building kits. While not impossible, it's unusual for anyone to build a complex wooden kit model, and certainly a square-rigged one, as a successful first effort. I will join all the others who have recommended starting with the three-kit Model Shipways "Shipwright's Series" that is specifically designed as an "introduction to wooden ship model kit building."  See: https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-Shipwright-Series_c_815.html (Less than a hundred bucks for the set as presently on sale.) These kits can be purchased separately or as a set. See: https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-Shipwright-3-Kit-Combo-Series_p_5465.html (The first kit of this set, the Banks dory, can be had for twenty bucks.) If you feel these models are an insult to your ability and experience (and they may be, perhaps,) then take a good look at the novice level offerings of Syren Ship Models and Vanguard Ship Models, both of which are sponsors of MSW and you can connect to their websites from the "sponsors list" at the right side of the MSW home page. Both of these companies produce the highest quality wooden ship model kits available today and both are known for the excellence of their instructions. See: https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/medway-longboat-1742.php
 
On the subject of kit instructions, Model Shipways, Syren, and, I believe, Vanguard make the instructions for their kits available online. I would strongly urge anybody buying a wooden ship model kit to not only review the build logs on MSW for any kit they are considering and to read any MSW reviews of the kit, and also to read the instructions if they are available to see exactly what they are getting into. Additionally, the instructions for these high-quality novice kits often include valuable guidance regarding the tools you will require to complete the build of each particular kit. See: 
 

Patience, Grasshopper.  
 
I checked their website and they've explained their current unavailability: 
 
We are temporarily closing the website to machine orders
to allow us some personal time with family, a vacation,
and time for shop maintenance and inventory.

Our current plan is to reopen some time in mid-September.

Until then, you may continue to order accessories for all
the machines - we're just not accepting orders for the machines
themselves because our equipment will be shut down
during this time period.
 
https://byrnesmodelmachines.com/contact5.html 
 
I certainly hope they are well and not for some other reason indisposed, even if the untimely demise of the Byrnes Model Machines company would probably cause the value of my Byrnes machines to skyrocket like fine art does when the artist is no longer able to paint any more.
 
From what I have always understood, Jim and Donna Byrnes run this little "mom and pop" machine shop where they build the Byrnes Model Machines. I expect they have an employee or three, but not a lot more. From all indications on MSW, if you phone the company, you will probably get Jim or Donna answering the phone. Amazon they ain't, but then again, try getting Jeff Bezos himself on the phone at work sometime!  
 
It's not a huge factory with machines rolling off the assembly line 24/7. There is a relatively small market for these specialty machines (which probably should more accurately be called "instruments!") These machines are practically custom-made, or as the Brits would say of their fine Saville Row suits, "bespoke." If they take time off for a vacation, and/or to clean up the shop and put things back in order at the expense of production, that's to be expected. Give them a call at 407.657.4663 during business hours, Florida time, or send an email through the "contact us" menu drop-down on your website and I expect somebody will be there to help you out. If not, wait a bit and see. It seems we get these "Where's Jim?" posts every time the poor guy and his wife try to get away for a little bit. 
 
That said, if you have decided to "pull the pin" on buying a Byrnes machine, I certainly can understand your frustration!  

In addition to what Jaager has said, I would add that it is important to recognize in terms of what wooden kit instructions provide that even with today's laser-cutting technology, wooden kits are in large measure built while plastic kits are merely assembled. To a greater degree the rigging on a plastic sailing ship is similar to the wooden kit build and, certainly, the painting is very much the same, but a plastic kit does not require the builder to actually measure and fabricate any parts from raw materials save a few pieces of wire, perhaps. Even with laser-cut planks which some of the better wooden kits provide, each plank once freed from the lasered sheet will likely require bevels to be cut on all four edges and on the two long edges these will often be "rolling bevels" which have to be carefully planed to mate to their neighboring planks. After that, the hull surface must be faired so that its shape is smooth across its entire surface. Beginning wooden modelers often discover to their disappointment that their planking job was not good enough to produce the result required and so must resort to puttying up the entire hull surface before sanding it fair and, by default, end up painting a hull they thought they were going to finish "bright" to show off the fancy, and often unsuitable and out-of-scale grain of (allegedly) walnut or mahogany kit-provided planks! 
 
You will benefit greatly from reviewing the "build logs" posted on this forum for any wooden kit that you are considering purchasing to see, step by step, what actually must be done to build that particular kit. In this way, you can determine if that kit is within your present skill set. Keep in mind that a lot of the completed kit models you will see in MSW were built by wooden kit modelers who have decades of experience building kits. While not impossible, it's unusual for anyone to build a complex wooden kit model, and certainly a square-rigged one, as a successful first effort. I will join all the others who have recommended starting with the three-kit Model Shipways "Shipwright's Series" that is specifically designed as an "introduction to wooden ship model kit building."  See: https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-Shipwright-Series_c_815.html (Less than a hundred bucks for the set as presently on sale.) These kits can be purchased separately or as a set. See: https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-Shipwright-3-Kit-Combo-Series_p_5465.html (The first kit of this set, the Banks dory, can be had for twenty bucks.) If you feel these models are an insult to your ability and experience (and they may be, perhaps,) then take a good look at the novice level offerings of Syren Ship Models and Vanguard Ship Models, both of which are sponsors of MSW and you can connect to their websites from the "sponsors list" at the right side of the MSW home page. Both of these companies produce the highest quality wooden ship model kits available today and both are known for the excellence of their instructions. See: https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/medway-longboat-1742.php
 
On the subject of kit instructions, Model Shipways, Syren, and, I believe, Vanguard make the instructions for their kits available online. I would strongly urge anybody buying a wooden ship model kit to not only review the build logs on MSW for any kit they are considering and to read any MSW reviews of the kit, and also to read the instructions if they are available to see exactly what they are getting into. Additionally, the instructions for these high-quality novice kits often include valuable guidance regarding the tools you will require to complete the build of each particular kit. See: 
 

If you can keep a straight razor sharp on a regular basis, you've already got it down. Don't worry about it. Just treat them like your razor and they'll stay sharp forever.

Those look like really nice micro-chisels!
 
While dissimilar in size and at opposite ends of the spectrum, I'd have to say that looking for a manual honing guide for your chisels is probably a lot like shopping for a set of "training wheels" for your new Harley-Davidson.  I doubt such a thing exists short of the state-of-the-art Tormek system that doeos provide an adjustable-angled holding mechanism that will handle all sizes and shapes of micro-sized carving tools. Unfortunately, a Tormek machine will set you back around a grand.
 
 
 
 
 
Somebody may know of "a set of training wheels" for such chisels, but I've "been in town a long while" and have never seen such a thing. I would urge you, and everybody else, for that matter, to "study up" on "freehand sharpening" skills. Once acquired, you'll probably never look back and save the money and hassle of buying and using a guide. It's just not that difficult once you get the hang of "feeling" the sharpening angled face against the flat of your stone by rocking it to and froe. Sharpening is one of those things that seductively invites "better mousetraps" and a lot of them are pretty good. I think whichever method one uses is largely a matter of taste: oil stone, water stone, sandpaper on plate glass or your table saw table top, and on and on. YouTube is full of "How to Sharpen" videos and it shouldn't be too hard to teach yourself the basic tricks of the sharpening trade using the  method that works best for you. 
 
 
 
 
 

Patience, Grasshopper.  
 
I checked their website and they've explained their current unavailability: 
 
We are temporarily closing the website to machine orders
to allow us some personal time with family, a vacation,
and time for shop maintenance and inventory.

Our current plan is to reopen some time in mid-September.

Until then, you may continue to order accessories for all
the machines - we're just not accepting orders for the machines
themselves because our equipment will be shut down
during this time period.
 
https://byrnesmodelmachines.com/contact5.html 
 
I certainly hope they are well and not for some other reason indisposed, even if the untimely demise of the Byrnes Model Machines company would probably cause the value of my Byrnes machines to skyrocket like fine art does when the artist is no longer able to paint any more.
 
From what I have always understood, Jim and Donna Byrnes run this little "mom and pop" machine shop where they build the Byrnes Model Machines. I expect they have an employee or three, but not a lot more. From all indications on MSW, if you phone the company, you will probably get Jim or Donna answering the phone. Amazon they ain't, but then again, try getting Jeff Bezos himself on the phone at work sometime!  
 
It's not a huge factory with machines rolling off the assembly line 24/7. There is a relatively small market for these specialty machines (which probably should more accurately be called "instruments!") These machines are practically custom-made, or as the Brits would say of their fine Saville Row suits, "bespoke." If they take time off for a vacation, and/or to clean up the shop and put things back in order at the expense of production, that's to be expected. Give them a call at 407.657.4663 during business hours, Florida time, or send an email through the "contact us" menu drop-down on your website and I expect somebody will be there to help you out. If not, wait a bit and see. It seems we get these "Where's Jim?" posts every time the poor guy and his wife try to get away for a little bit. 
 
That said, if you have decided to "pull the pin" on buying a Byrnes machine, I certainly can understand your frustration!  

In addition to what Jaager has said, I would add that it is important to recognize in terms of what wooden kit instructions provide that even with today's laser-cutting technology, wooden kits are in large measure built while plastic kits are merely assembled. To a greater degree the rigging on a plastic sailing ship is similar to the wooden kit build and, certainly, the painting is very much the same, but a plastic kit does not require the builder to actually measure and fabricate any parts from raw materials save a few pieces of wire, perhaps. Even with laser-cut planks which some of the better wooden kits provide, each plank once freed from the lasered sheet will likely require bevels to be cut on all four edges and on the two long edges these will often be "rolling bevels" which have to be carefully planed to mate to their neighboring planks. After that, the hull surface must be faired so that its shape is smooth across its entire surface. Beginning wooden modelers often discover to their disappointment that their planking job was not good enough to produce the result required and so must resort to puttying up the entire hull surface before sanding it fair and, by default, end up painting a hull they thought they were going to finish "bright" to show off the fancy, and often unsuitable and out-of-scale grain of (allegedly) walnut or mahogany kit-provided planks! 
 
You will benefit greatly from reviewing the "build logs" posted on this forum for any wooden kit that you are considering purchasing to see, step by step, what actually must be done to build that particular kit. In this way, you can determine if that kit is within your present skill set. Keep in mind that a lot of the completed kit models you will see in MSW were built by wooden kit modelers who have decades of experience building kits. While not impossible, it's unusual for anyone to build a complex wooden kit model, and certainly a square-rigged one, as a successful first effort. I will join all the others who have recommended starting with the three-kit Model Shipways "Shipwright's Series" that is specifically designed as an "introduction to wooden ship model kit building."  See: https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-Shipwright-Series_c_815.html (Less than a hundred bucks for the set as presently on sale.) These kits can be purchased separately or as a set. See: https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-Shipwright-3-Kit-Combo-Series_p_5465.html (The first kit of this set, the Banks dory, can be had for twenty bucks.) If you feel these models are an insult to your ability and experience (and they may be, perhaps,) then take a good look at the novice level offerings of Syren Ship Models and Vanguard Ship Models, both of which are sponsors of MSW and you can connect to their websites from the "sponsors list" at the right side of the MSW home page. Both of these companies produce the highest quality wooden ship model kits available today and both are known for the excellence of their instructions. See: https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/medway-longboat-1742.php
 
On the subject of kit instructions, Model Shipways, Syren, and, I believe, Vanguard make the instructions for their kits available online. I would strongly urge anybody buying a wooden ship model kit to not only review the build logs on MSW for any kit they are considering and to read any MSW reviews of the kit, and also to read the instructions if they are available to see exactly what they are getting into. Additionally, the instructions for these high-quality novice kits often include valuable guidance regarding the tools you will require to complete the build of each particular kit. See: 
 

If you can keep a straight razor sharp on a regular basis, you've already got it down. Don't worry about it. Just treat them like your razor and they'll stay sharp forever.

Those look like really nice micro-chisels!
 
While dissimilar in size and at opposite ends of the spectrum, I'd have to say that looking for a manual honing guide for your chisels is probably a lot like shopping for a set of "training wheels" for your new Harley-Davidson.  I doubt such a thing exists short of the state-of-the-art Tormek system that doeos provide an adjustable-angled holding mechanism that will handle all sizes and shapes of micro-sized carving tools. Unfortunately, a Tormek machine will set you back around a grand.
 
 
 
 
 
Somebody may know of "a set of training wheels" for such chisels, but I've "been in town a long while" and have never seen such a thing. I would urge you, and everybody else, for that matter, to "study up" on "freehand sharpening" skills. Once acquired, you'll probably never look back and save the money and hassle of buying and using a guide. It's just not that difficult once you get the hang of "feeling" the sharpening angled face against the flat of your stone by rocking it to and froe. Sharpening is one of those things that seductively invites "better mousetraps" and a lot of them are pretty good. I think whichever method one uses is largely a matter of taste: oil stone, water stone, sandpaper on plate glass or your table saw table top, and on and on. YouTube is full of "How to Sharpen" videos and it shouldn't be too hard to teach yourself the basic tricks of the sharpening trade using the  method that works best for you. 
 
 
 
 
 

Patience, Grasshopper.  
 
I checked their website and they've explained their current unavailability: 
 
We are temporarily closing the website to machine orders
to allow us some personal time with family, a vacation,
and time for shop maintenance and inventory.

Our current plan is to reopen some time in mid-September.

Until then, you may continue to order accessories for all
the machines - we're just not accepting orders for the machines
themselves because our equipment will be shut down
during this time period.
 
https://byrnesmodelmachines.com/contact5.html 
 
I certainly hope they are well and not for some other reason indisposed, even if the untimely demise of the Byrnes Model Machines company would probably cause the value of my Byrnes machines to skyrocket like fine art does when the artist is no longer able to paint any more.
 
From what I have always understood, Jim and Donna Byrnes run this little "mom and pop" machine shop where they build the Byrnes Model Machines. I expect they have an employee or three, but not a lot more. From all indications on MSW, if you phone the company, you will probably get Jim or Donna answering the phone. Amazon they ain't, but then again, try getting Jeff Bezos himself on the phone at work sometime!  
 
It's not a huge factory with machines rolling off the assembly line 24/7. There is a relatively small market for these specialty machines (which probably should more accurately be called "instruments!") These machines are practically custom-made, or as the Brits would say of their fine Saville Row suits, "bespoke." If they take time off for a vacation, and/or to clean up the shop and put things back in order at the expense of production, that's to be expected. Give them a call at 407.657.4663 during business hours, Florida time, or send an email through the "contact us" menu drop-down on your website and I expect somebody will be there to help you out. If not, wait a bit and see. It seems we get these "Where's Jim?" posts every time the poor guy and his wife try to get away for a little bit. 
 
That said, if you have decided to "pull the pin" on buying a Byrnes machine, I certainly can understand your frustration!