Bill Hime

With all due respect to rotary cutting folk, I can always tell that if a piece wasn't carved. You simply cannot get clean, faceted cuts with a rotary burrs that you can with a properly honed carving tool. But, each to their own.

Based on the scratch built models she has on display in The Miniature Engineering Craftsmanship Museum in Carlsbad, CA...  My guess is she is just going to make everything from scratch and make us all drool.  

Giggling......I live in a small studio.....but have essentially a 2 car garage to play with......also a museum and a 50,000 Sq ft manufacturing facility with lots of unused corners
 
 
Pamela

I purchased the Model Shipways CD that contains Dr. Feldman's original book on building the AVS (as well as "Fair American and another ship).  Feldman's model is 3/8" scale, but I found it very useful in building my AVS in 1/48.  It's worth the price for all the how-to's for scratch building this model.  Here's a link:
 
http://www.seaways.com/CAFCD.html

If you have the space, I personally think that bigger is better!
 
Space is a very real issue for many though. 

I'll let the cat out of the bag...once this is done then the rattlesnake POF in 1/24. And then ultimately the frigate USS United States in the same 1/24
 
Yes I fully understand I am rattle can nuts...but hey ya only live once.....go big...or go home.....lol
 
Pamela

Hi Pamela! 
 
  I love the idea of this model in the monstrous 1/24 scale!  My Battle Station is 1/24 and the potential for detailing his huge.  My ultimate plan is to scratch-build the "Hannah" in that scale.  I'll be following along.
 
As to wood, holly for decking, rosewood for hatch coamings and some deck furniture, boxwood or yellow heart and bloodwood for bulwark plankings all can work.  Cherry is a nice wood to work with also.  I can't wait to see how this one comes out.  Good luck and have fun!

Ocooch hardwoods they specialize in stuff for the scroll saw and laser cutting hobby. I ordered 5 planks 3/8"x10"x48" at 22.00 each in poplar and one piece 3/8"x6"x24" for 9.50 in Walnut so we'll see. I figure 5he quality has to be good for scroll saw work

Quite the night owl.  Haha..  Where did you end up sourcing the wood if you don't mind sharing?

I've got my chair.  28" sounds like a nice size.  But you need to get some sleep.  "Found the drawing tools at 6:21 PM last night, Placed an order for wood at 3:24 AM this morning and posted at 7:11 AM."  Worked all night, how do you do that?
 
Bob

Placed the order for the first pile of wood.

Ha.....found the tracing vellum AND my french curves......right where I had left them oddly enough.
 
Wink,
Pamela

I was pretty happy with how the walnut looked on my hull, and of course the keel & bow post are all walnut as well.  Another good wood I believe would be cherry, although I only used it for contrast on some deck furniture.
 
There are a couple of logs here done by DocBlake (Dave) in the kit section, here:
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/10979-armed-virginia-sloop-patrick-henry-by-docblake-finished-lauck-street-shipyard-scale-132-pof-admiralty-style/
 
and here:
 
http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/6998-armed-virginia-sloop-by-docblake/?hl=%2Barmed+%2Bvirginia+%2Bsloop
 
Where he uses no paint, and only the wood for coloring, and his choices of woods were quite nice looking if you want to take a look at them.

Keel spine and bulk heads will be poplar....keel, stern post, bow post will be walnut. I do not want to paint anything so I am open to suggestions as to what will look good.
 
Pamela

Looking forward to this one Pamela.  I expect great things.  
 
Have you decided what kind of woods you are going to be using?

I enlarged and printed the pattern sheet today.....have a good idea where my tracing vellum is along with my drawing tools. This is exciting. ....this is going to be a REALLY big ship.
 
Onward,
 
Pamela

Good morning Everyone!
 
Grant, Well heck, that sounds way too easy, lol. I just asked my wife if our computer could do a "spreadsheet". She looked at me sideways and giggled. "Of course", she answered.
You would think with all my "higher education", I might have picked that skill up somewhere along the way, lol! 
 
So I'm getting a lesson on spreadsheets today!
thanks Grant
 
 
Sjors!!! Great to have you drop in my friend! Lol, it's in active production! Resizing plans when I can get into town this week for sure. I'm going to throw together a desk/work table for the new shipyard today
 
 
 
I have missed being here with good friends and new friends. You all give me a great deal of peace..
 
 
Bill

Good morning everyone!
 
This log is the evolution of what was a kit build, that out of frustration and disappointment, is now a full campaign into scratch building.
I bought Model Shipways "Pride of Baltimore II", 1:64th scale what now must be a couple years ago. I was beyond excited when it arrived. My wife and I spread the contents across the counter, separating, grouping every strip as we checked off the material list.
We counted cannons, pulleys and deadeyes...This is where my initial frustration was seeded. The cannons where so small, with little detail to enjoy. Nonetheless, I jumped in with enthusiasm. I built the bulkhead frame and fared it out for planking. I had planned all along to build this model as an embellished version replacing decking and planking with Redheart, Yellowheart, and Holly. I had also planned on eliminating some of the "modern" features on deck and making it more/less true to the original schooner.
 
I have to admit, at the time of purchase, I settled for this kit. The budget was not there for me to purchase the ship I wanted, "HMS Surprise", 1:48 scale by A L. I was concerned with the scale of 1:64th from the beginning in that it wouldn't give me the room to be creative with exotic woods, building a "jewelry box" display piece.
So it sat, staring at me. I found myself avoiding this forum, not wanting to answer to having no updates..silly, I know. Over time the "Pride" found it's way back into the box preached on a high shelf.  The shipyard was silent, tools hung motionless and frustration became loss.
Finally, life took back over, as it always does. I wondered in and out of MSW for some time there after. I logged back in this past March I think, only to find I had loss a good friend, Augie Bruno.
Augie's passing hit me hard. I had planned on telling him I retired from healthcare. I had mentioned how I hate how time and the busy-ness of life steals from us the things we love most.
 
We spent the last winter and spring renovating our new property. I turned a cabin next to house into my cabinet/furniture shop. I made a separate space within for the shipyard. Business took off with a bang but lately, my benches are idle without any work on the books.
So what life has afforded me is time to be here with good friends and a shared passion. Winter will reach Wisconsin soon enough.
 
Now to the build; I'm resizing the plans from 1:64 to 1:48 scale. 
 
Materials featured: Hard Maple and Basswood for frame and structure. Redheart for planking, Yellowheart for decking, Holly, Ebony and brass and copper for details. treenails will be copper and brass pins.
 
I look forward to any input or thoughts as this project moves along! I'll be spending time this weekend readying the shipyard for this build and start resizing my materials list with an online scale calculator.
 
 
Sincere Regards to All,
 
Bill

If you want scale oak use beech wood. Bends well, holds an edge, does not oxidize. I use alder for a deck with a mellow tan look. Do not  put a finish on the decking!!

Cherry and holly.  Oil or poly for a finish.

I was very happy with the results on my AVS using Holly and Minwax satin wipe-on poly.

I normally go with holly with either "Natural" stain finish or wipe on poly.  Recently I saw a model using beech for decking.  It looked good...scale oak appearance.  .

Thanks to all.I've picked up some maple. I'm going to partial plank it...treat it (maybe gun oil) and see what it looks like.

Tough question....  holly, boxwood, pear, silver maple (I've not tried other species of maple) look good depending on the effect you're looking for.  As for finishes... Wipe-on-poly, varnish.. there's a bunch.   I'm a Wipe-on-Poly guy but other finishes look excellent from what I've seen on MSW.

I use tanganyika on all mine, it looks great after a single coat of poly.  But it is very brittle so make sure you have extra.