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mtaylor

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Everything posted by mtaylor

  1. mtaylor
    Fantastic, Daniel.
  2. mtaylor
    Piet, I understand perfectly what you are working towards. I just see that launcher as being a work of art itself.
  3. mtaylor
    There's a few as I recall. Takes some practice as the gun gets hot and can scorch the wood before you know it. But then again, so can the electric plank benders. I think the big problem is controlling the air flow and also what's behind the plank that gets hit with the hot air.
  4. mtaylor
    Trivia..... The US Marines are considered the "senior" service in the US. Seems that after war, Congress decided a Navy and the Army wasn't needed and basically killed their charters. The Marines were needed on civilian ships for some reason to their way of thinking. Later, the Navy was re-instituted. Political disclaimer: Given the way the Congress has been acting lately... things haven't improved much. :D
  5. mtaylor
    I've used holly and silver maple for decks. Currently, my choice would be silver maple due to the price of holly going up and up... For hull planking, cherry or swiss pear. Depends on a lot of factors.
  6. mtaylor
    I'm with Ulises, and am a big fan of the curling iron method. Just make sure you buy your own and don't take the Admiral's.
  7. mtaylor
    Richard, Ebony is extremely hard. It dulls tools quickly and is a bear to bend. It doesn't take PVA well. Epoxy seems to work best from where I sit. When cutting or sanding, it gives off a fine black powder instead of the normal looking sawdust. You should always... always.... wear a dust mask when cutting or sanding as the sawdust will create health issues. Also, always have a dust collection system running (even if it's just a shop vac) and you will need multiple passes to get all the sawdust up. Having said that... it's a beautiful wood to work with. Polishes and carves nicely. It finishes to a glass like surface. I'm not fond of working with it but I am very well pleased with the way it looks. If you chose not to use ebony, there's also MinWax's ebony stain which works a treat on most (but not all) woods. I've used it on boxwood and pear with great success in non-model projects. I've not used the leather dyes but have seen the results and they are excellent.
  8. mtaylor
    Floyd, Yes, I'm left handed. That's not a JIm Saw unfortunately. But, give it a shot even if you have to set it up backwards.
  9. mtaylor
    Beautiful work on the rigging, Ferit. When I get there, I hope my rigging will be half as good.
  10. mtaylor
    Rich... CONGRATS!!!!! Great news!!!!! Oh what the heck.... a happy dance too!
  11. mtaylor
    Hamilton, I'm late to the party but the crow's feet came out fantastic. Nice job on the rework.
  12. mtaylor
    A few thoughts, if I may. The photos reference by Jan have interest in that the model with the entry port doesn't have the boarding ladder going above the entry port. As I recall, entry ports were for the exclusive use of the brass. Everyone else had to go up and over the top. Is this a faulty assumption? The model says "yes, everyone boarded the ship via the entry port". The other two pic show "without entry ports".... if they weren't there, and there's only 28 guns, which ports would have been empty? Unless the very formost were used as a bridle port. Curiously, many of the contemporary models and paintings show the ports, yet the photo from 1909 doesn't. A pity we don't have a time machine....
  13. mtaylor
    Denis, Well done on the sail. Looks very realistic.
  14. mtaylor
    Sweet looking blocks... and those are destined for the scrap heap? Did I read that right? I agree with Augie.. a bevy of beautiful blocks.
  15. mtaylor
    Sweet work, Danny. Moving the bar a bit higher, I see. That cast knee is proof.
  16. mtaylor
    Piet, Looking super sharp. The research and care you are putting into this is showing with every picture. As for the deck launcher...maybe as a side project to be displayed off ship in a mockup of the deck area? Might make life easier than trying to put it on the sub and have to deal with opening and closing doors.
  17. mtaylor
    Nenad, It seems all disasters are a mixed blessing and mixed mess. You have the right mind set to fix the things you're not happy with. The ship will be better for it and you'll feel better when done. Feeding the scrap box is one of the things we do. Here are two emoticons for the next time you think you need them: Just right click and save them for use later.
  18. mtaylor
    Very nice work. I guess we should be giving our regards to the feathered builder?
  19. mtaylor
    With that kind of detail at this size, I really have to wonder at the masterpiece you could create at 1:48. Just amazing work.
  20. mtaylor
    My guess would be handspikes. I know I've seen photos of them in use on pivot guns but not sure where at this point. Edit: Ah... did a fast Google.. Handspikes and levers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pivot_gun_usnavy.jpg http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2DSj74-Km94/T_SLISXLbdI/AAAAAAAAIHw/NRVH84CmB1A/s640/Cannon_Banded_Rifle_6.4inch_CSN1864.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Dahlgren_gun_crew.jpg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/HMS_Sidon_68_pounder_pivot_gun_1855_LOC_05685u.jpg/1244px-HMS_Sidon_68_pounder_pivot_gun_1855_LOC_05685u.jpg http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tWz2TN1XM0s/T5KVbbk_OeI/AAAAAAAAHlc/JVKPIHG5W7o/s1600/9inchDahlgren.jpg http://en.academic.ru/pictures/enwiki/85/USSKearsargeXIinchDahlgren.jpg I also found this fascinating bit: http://civilwartalk.com/threads/moving-a-pivot-gun.76845/ Hope this helps.
  21. mtaylor
    Floyd, I can't remember where I saw it, but in one of your table slots, fit some wood with an "adjuster" such that it is the distance from the blade of the plank you need ot cut. It should be set such that's in front of the blade. Put the wood to be cut against this adjuster and move the fence over. With each succeeding plank, just reset the wood and move the fence. It works very well. I think it was garyshipwright or EdT who showed this in one of their builds. What I'm using are two featherboards. One in the normal mount on the fence to hold the wood down. The other is distance from the blade to the featherboard. The plank comes off, I move the fence and wood to the featherboard and cut another. Very repeatable and very thin strips can be cut. The pic at the bottom is my setup. YMMV. What the others have said about the thicker blade works a treat. If you're not sanding each plank, waste is minimal. The kerf is part the game as such and should be figured into the calculation when ordering stock. I figure about a 50% yield for 1/16" planks for ordering. Yield is higher depending on how quickly I can dial in the featherboard distance.
  22. mtaylor
    Floyd, On step 5... is the plank being cut off between the blade and the fence? Or on the free side of the blade (where the fence isn't? Using a zero-clearance insert? Not sure why you can't get any thinner. Since you're thicknessing anyways, a bit of ripple or non-uniformity won't hurt but overall might get you a few more planks out of your slab of wood.
  23. mtaylor
    Another way is to use thin thread and the smallest (thinnest) needle that will work with the thread. Run the needle through the shrouds and then knot the ends to the end shrouds (or just glue them).
  24. mtaylor
    Around here, scratchbuilding is referred to as "the Darkside".
  25. mtaylor
    Nigel, I agree with Ferit... but my choice is to sit here dumbfounded. Amazing work... just amazing.

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