nheather

Looking to buy a saw and a mitre block and have settled on Zona.

Favouring one of their Fine Kerf saws and their thin slot mitre block.

But unsure on TPI - they offer 24, 32 and 42 - how do you choose what TPI is best?

Cheers,

Nigel

I bought the first for my collection - it is the ultra thin 32 TPI, the main reason is that it is a set packaged with a mitre block at barely little more than the price of the saw alone.

I’ll see how I get along with that to start with.

I have a couple of really old and cheap razor saws, they came with an aluminium mitre box which is long gone.  They were originally bought for RC model aircraft building projects, but that was many years ago, and they are now quite bent and pot-marked with corrosion.

So time to buy some new ones, I looked at the Zona range and instantly became overwhelmed.

They do three different thicknesses / kerf

Ultra Thin - 0.20mm

Fine - 0.25mm

Medium - 0.38mm

In the ultra thin they do, 52TPI, 42TPI and 32TPI

In the fine they do, 42TPI, 32TPI and 24TPI

And in the medium they do, 16TPI (flush cut) and 24TPI

They are all pull-cut.

That’s 8 different saws altogether and I’m not about to buy all of them.

In summary, in the hobby of model ship building, which would be the most useful?

Many thanks,

Nigel

10 hours ago, kurtvd19 said:

Nigel:

We have some meetings where we bring our favorite tools to discuss.  The Loom A Line (LoL) has never once been brought to a meeting as a favorite tool.  In fact one meeting night I added a sub topic "Bring a tool that should never have been made or purchased.  Three (3) brought Loom A Lines!  For a very good reason - it is useless.  Better to set up a jig to hold the mast with space below for the dead eyes and aligned as per the plans.  They are most of the time at angles - at the most only one shroud will be directly line up with the dead eye's position per the plans using the LoL.

There is one other jig for doing what the LoL is supposed to do and that is the jig available from Model Expo that has adjustments for the dead eyes as well as height adjustment.

I stick with doing the rigging off the model but using the actual mast and locating the dead eyes below per the plan.

Kurt

Thanks for the advice.  I was questioning the value but for a different reason, that the Sherborne only has two rat lines so maybe a rat line tool is over the top, but your advice has added another reason not to buy.

Thanks for the advice, I will save my pennies.

Hi,

Totally new to model ship building, but plenty of other model building experience under my belt (plastic, wood, metal).

I have a Vanguard Models Sherborne wrapped up and under the Christmas Tree (well in the place where the Christmas Tree will be).

One thing that will be very new to me is rigging and am wondering which tools I should consider.  I already have a variety of fine tweezers and a pair of micro shears/snips.  But what about the rat line jigs like the Amati ‘Loom a Line’?  Also I’ve seen a variety of rigging tools which are handles with different style hooks at either end - do I need these and are there any guides showing why and how you would use each different shape of hook.

Many thanks,

Nigel

Thanks, I ended up returning it to Vanguard Models - interestingly he advised that in all his years of model making he had never used a pin pusher, he just used needle-nosed pliers.

Hi,

Totally new to model ship building.  I have just purchased a Vanguard Models Sherborne, and reading that I would need a pin pusher I added one to the order.  Knowing nothing about them, I added the Modelcraft pin pusher with adjustable depth stop.

But having received it the pusher seems huge compared with the tiny brass pins in the kit and I wonder whether it is too big.  The diameter of the tube that the pin sits in is huge compared with the pin so it would seem to me that it will be difficult to position the pin accurately or drive it straight.

I now see that they also sell a smaller pen grip pusher and I wonder whether I would be best with that.

Thanks, although it probably sounds crazy to many, I am leaning towards leaving the Caldercraft on the shelf and buying the Vanguard.

My reasoning is that I can afford to do so, and if building the Vanguard means a more enjoyable, less stressful, experience, then that is worth the money.  Also if it means that I am more likely to success then I am more likely to embrace the hobby and build more.

Hi,

I have quite a bit of model making experience but I’ve never built a wooden ship before.  But I have always liked the idea so some years ago I bought a Caldercraft HMS Sherborne, but it got put of the shelf and forgotten about.

I now have more time on my hands so thinking of building it, but I have now seen there is a new HMS Sherborne kit by Vanguard models.

As a total beginner, I’d like to know whether I should crack on with the Caldercraft or buy the Vanguard.  I appreciate that may sound very silly as I already have the Caldercraft but the way I view it is that if the Vanguard model is so much better, so much easier for the beginner then the expense may be worth it overall.

Appreciate any advice.

Hi Nigel

Others will have a better idea of quality.

However, let me say I have one of these all packaged up in a box in my garage.  What has prevented me from building it, so far, is the size - 49 x 33 x 18 inches.  We just don't have room anywhere in the house for a finished model of that enormous size.

Best of luck if you do go ahead - and please do start a build log to let all of us see your progress

Good point about the size, it would probably be too big.

Cheers,

Nigel

I have the opportunity to buy an unstarted Model Space (DeAgostini) Victory kit at a good price.

If I did get it, it would be put aside to give me time to get some simpler models under my belt.

But before I commit I have been trying to find out whether it is a good kit.

I appreciate that it has comprehensive instructions with lots of videos available and that it would have been very expensive if bought part by part at full price.

But that aside is it a good kit, quality and accuracy wise.

Thanks for any advice,

Nigel

Hi,

Thanks very much for the advice.  I did check all the parts when I received the kit.  But your words have made me go and double-check, but I can confirm that the sheet of 4mm walnut in my kit matches the diagram in the instruction manual.

I have spoken to JoTika and have emailed photos including an additional photo that they wanted me to take alongside a ruler.

I await to see what they say.

Cheers,

Nigel

Hi Gregor,

Hope you don't mind me posting a question here but as you have first hand knowledge of the Sherbourne I am very confident that you could lend some advice.

I am a complete beginner with wooden ship models - I have experience with plastic, engineering and radio control aircraft so plenty of general modelling experience.

I decided to start with the Caldercraft Sherbourne cutter but I am stuck, perhaps I am over thinking it but I'd appreciate some advice.  I have broken out the false keel and formers and laid out the hardwood keel and rudder post and noticed some discrepancies.  I have tried to capture them in the photos below.

In this first picture you can see that if I lay the hardwood keel and rudder post against the false keel they are too short.  Note the gap where the two keel parts should join.

Is there something wrong - if so what would be the best way to resolve it - I intend to paint the hull white?

In the this picture it looks like the rudder post is too low - see the red line that follows the line of the deck.

Is it incorrect?  If so should I trim it before assembly or wait until the build progresses.

Thanks for your help,

Cheers,

Nigel