mtaylor

JP,

If you haven't done so, put a link to your post in the discussion about "Cleaning your ship" in the General Discussion.   Interesting looking tool.

Looking all trim and proper and good, Ben.  I guess we'll just have to be patient..

Clare,

The planking is really showing off her lines. 

I'm following your research and the paths it's lead you down.   The dropdown panels on the stern might possibly have been iron and all the way around.  The Constellation (1854) had those all the way around the stern.  Makes sense that you'd want the maximum field of fire.  On the armament itself, there was an arms race going during the not-so-Civil War. It's probable that one or two of the intermediate configurations just didn't work out.  A 50 pound Dahlgren would be a monsterous gun.  They had planned a 110 pdr for the Constellation.

Yours looks better than the real thing. 

Popeye,

I'm doing about the same... the hot weather brought out the weeds in the lawn..<sigh>  Plus fighting for time and sanity due to a mad crunch going on at work. 

I'm currently lining off the hull from the wale to the caprail to get a sense of the flow and lines as well as spacing.  Nit-picky work but I think it'll pay big dividends later.

Floyd,

No anger from member of the Forum Police. Just a feeling that this is greatest site to be in and it's filled with good people helping other good people.

Sweet looking gundeck with your special cannons.   Have a good trip and see  you when you get back.

Wonderful work, Adriaan.   The lights are the Pièce de résistance and make it something special.  I'm surprised to hear the bar is now open.... I would have figured not until launch.

Mario,

I blink and you're finished... and fantastically so.  Looks wonderful with all the bits you've added.

Buck,

I just gotta' ask... that tap doesn't turn or work, does it???    

Good luck on the move.  Do keep an eye out for that fellow who runs the Colorado Shipyard.  He's either fishing for moose, or fishing for trout using an RC bi-plane.

Thanks for the birthday wishes.  Beer-o-clock, wine-o-clock, drink with an umbrella in it-o-clock... works for me today.

Greg, actually I'm not counting those days at all... I'm counting the days until I can retire.

Hmm.... I wanted to "like" all your posts, but I got this (direct quote from the error message)  "You have reached your quota of positive votes for the day".. strange... didn't know we could do that.

A great start on the figurehead.  I can't wait to see it finished and in place. 

TJ,

Nice to see your Triton again.  You're doing a beautiful job on her.

Sjors,

The capstans look great.  Excellent work, my friend.

Sjors is in denial.... which if not mistaken is step 2 in the darkside manual... step 3 will be the rebuttal to follow.. :P

But he's already up to step 4:  Buy power tools.

Sjors,

I have no intention of actually growing up....it is highly overrated. Even though getting older is unavoidable, I refuse to become old!

Cheers,

Jim

I heard that somewhere else.... Peter Pan maybe?

Ray,

I think the "copper envy" standard just went up....

Very well spoken, and very well done, my friend.  Your ship has soul and it got it from you.

Moose, trout and deer.... anything not to do rigging?     BTW Augie.  That moose in the middle of the stream is probably why no fish. They didn't want to get stepped on.

I guess I've been lucky... haven't hit anything bigger than 'possum. 

Hey, JP...no pressure.....

Thanks for gentle comments and birthday wishes, everyone.   

Jerry.... I need a new keyboard after that one...

Michael,

The board is as small as I can make it and still use the stand to support it when I flip it.  Also, all my measurements use the base board as a refence and I need room for the tool.  There will be a day when she's cut free....

I learned that upside down trick seemingly eons ago for both painting and photography.  Works a treat.

Aldo,

I've been playing with the wood and I think stepping the thickness and then sanding to shape will work.  We'll see.

Popeye,

You're psychic... I did that..  day after my 18th, I joined the USMC but didn't leave for boot camp until September.

Ah... noon has arrived.  The day's yard work has been finished, the BBQ is cleaned and ready to fire up (though I don't need a holiday or special occasion to use it) and it's officially "beer-o'clock".  Because of the distance involved... I'll share a virtual beer with everyone.    For those who don't... coffee...

Beautiful stern work, Sherry.  See... gunports... easy.  Just turn the proper termites....er.... tools loose on them.  (They look great, BTW).  I can't imagine a 3 hour mowing job on a rider.  Mine takes 20 minutes (from pulling off the cover, mowing, and replacing the cover) on the riding mower which gives me more time for "other things"... 

Nice work on the brackets.  Lovely cannon barrels also.  I'm still considering the French guns they offer.

Bob,

Happy birthday!!! And may you have many more.

Jay,

First thing I check is the squareness of the X-Y table to the head/bit.  If these aren't square, no matter how much you fiddle with the workpiece, it just won't drill the way you want.

I use a small square between the workpiece and the bit on both my drill press and my mill.  Get's tricky with something that's not square from the surface to be drilled to the table/vise and shims help with that.

Richard,

I use both tools.  The upper picture of my first post, the pen sander works well on the decks, hulls, etc.  The lower one, I've used for lintels and other things.  It's just becomes a choice of picking the right tool for the work in front of me. 

Here's a couple of links to get you started.... I know I've posted them before but now can't find the conversation they were used in....

http://www.littlemachineshop.com/Info/getting_started.php

http://www.mini-lathe.com/Mini_mill/Main/mini-mill.htm

I'm a newbie at basically all power tools but learning is part of the fun....