mij

Hello to all,
I’ve made a little progress today on the Triton. I remade the keel, false keel, and keelson at the new correct scale and also made them longer to incorporate the additional three frames necessary to add the main mast. Upon completing the keel, I marked the areas that will receive the frames to ensure everything was on the up and up.
I decided to experiment making my first frame by following Gene’s explanation on the Eagle and it really seems straight forward. After cutting the 3/16 basswood to size, I marked my working sheet in order to get the correct angles needed to follow the frames contour. Once all the pieces were cut, I laid wax paper on my drawing and placed futtocks 1, 3, and the top timber followed by the floor timber and futtocks 2 and 4. After everything was glued and in place, I placed a board on top of the frame and a car jack to compress everything and hold it in place (please don’t judge me, that’s all I had on hand). I’ve decided that what I will do is cut patterns with correct angles of all futtocks from card stock and go to town and knock out the other 11 frames.

Hi Michael -
 
Yes, another good idea.  I will play with them all the next time around. 
 
Moving ahead, I have been thinking about the methods and materials that I will have to use when it comes time to mount and rig the cannon.    Once the bulwarks are in place on the hull the tumblehome is going to make rigging the cannon difficult.    Then there are the deck and hull plank details that have to be worked out. . . . etc. . . etc.   I decided that making a mock-up of a gun station would help me work out some of the kinks.
 
The first issue was how to cut the gunports through the bulwarks and create the rebate for the lid.   I wanted them all to be the same size and square.  The method that worked for me was to create a square tube of 1/32” wood glued at the corners.   Here you can see it slid through a hole cut in the bulwark.  With a small piece of bulwark like this, I could cut it on the band saw before attaching it to the base plate.  On the model I will have to pierce each gunport and use a coping saw to cut the square hole.
 

 
Here it is from the side.  You can see that it runs parallel to the deck, so the lintel and sill will be level.  With it in this position I marked out the line where the box and the outer bulwark face met.  The box was removed and cut along the line.
 

 
The cut face was sanded, and the box reinstalled in the hole, but slid in just short of the outer face of the hole.
 

 
In the closeup you can see the even and smooth rebate formed this way.  The back side was marked, the box removed and cut down, then reinstalled and glued. 
 

 
When the glue was dry the back side was sanded smooth with the inside of the bulwark.  The rough edges and gaps will be covered by the bulwark planking.  All the gunports  should be identical if I slice similar sections from the same tube.   
 

 
Construction went very quickly.  Too quickly.  I forgot to stop and take photos.  Here is the completed gun station.  It represents one of the midships cannon in the waist with the high bulwark and the gangway overhanging the gun. 
 

 
If you look at the bulwark, you will see that it has been raised about 1/8" from the first few photos.  It reminds me not to take measurements from the plans without checking them against the rest of the details that have to fit.  This would have been a disaster if it happened on the actual bulwark piece. 
 
The deck layout is taken from the plans, with the raised binding strake used by the French set just outside of the grating.   While doing this I discovered that the gratings that I made earlier will have to be modified.   The French did not use the high coamings which the English did, and which I built.  The QAR would have had gratings set into the deck, but crowned even more than the deck camber/round up.  I took an extra piece of grating and sanded it down at the sides and across the back until it fit the curved profile. 
 
The deck is laid in holly, with birch bung covers.  I know that there are good arguments to be made for making them pronounced, and just as many for making them invisible.  I chose to take a middle course and try to make them visible, but not distracting. 
 

 
Here is the cannon rigged with its breeching rope turned into rings in the bulwark.  The rope was laid up from DMC cotton line to a diameter of 0.6” (scale 6 inch rope).  It was stained and sealed with Minwax.  There is still some fuzz, but I am working on a few solutions. 
 

 
The gun tackle are hooked to eyebolts.  The blocks are 4mm singles from Warner Woods West (6” in scale).  The hooks are tied into their strops and the block closest to the bulwark has the running line tied into its becket.  The line is J.B. Coates “Dual Duty Plus” that measures out to 0.015” This is a little thin, but I prefer the look to that of a thicker line. 
 
I could not find acceptable photoetched hooks on the market, so I made them from 0.020” iron wire.   The sequence below shows how I use my orthodontic pliers to bend the wire around to meet itself, then the eye that was formed is bent back to center on the shaft.   To make an eyebolt it is clipped off at this stage.  To make a hook I continue the bend to stage 3.  Moving the pliers out just a bit the wire is bent back toward the eye, then clipped off, opening the hook. 
 

 
The smallest hook I can make this way is just under 5 mm (7” in scale).  This is a bit large, but acceptably small, and the 50 that I needed were done pretty quickly. 
 

 
The outer bulwark planking was cut from birch veneer with the edges colored with indelible marker.  I experimented with contact cement as the adhesive.  I painted a thinned layer on the bulwark substrate and let it dry.  The planks were painted  but installed when the glue was still a bit tacky.  This gave me quick adhesion but just a little ‘wiggle room’ before it set.   The bad news was that the contact cement dissolved the indelible ink and threatened to spread it to the surface of the planking.  I will change to a water based marker in the future. 
 
Treenails were drilled and installed, then the planking was stained.  I used Golden Oak, but did not thin it enough and I think the color is too dark.  Neither the treenails nor the moldings show up to good effect. 
 
The gunport lid was made up as usual from several layers of wood glued with crossed grain.  The hinges are blackened brass strip pegged with iron wire.  The strips were left long beyond the back edge of the lid and were ground down to square cross section.  These pins were inserted and glued into holes drilled into the plank just above the lintel of the gunport.  Hinge barrels were made from short sections of blackened brass rod.
 
Small eyebolts were made and fitted to the outer corners and a bridled lifting rope tied.  The lead is through a hole in the bulwark above the gunport and belays to a cleat above the gun.
 

 
Of course, Pirate Pete had to show up to inspect the work.  He seems to fit well into the scene. 
 



 
 
He even looks the right size for the gangway, although he can use a rope railing on the caprail.
 

 
Overall, I would say that the two days spent on the gun station were well worth it for the time that will be saved over the long run, and the problems that will be avoided.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 

Good morning to you all.
 
I have just ordered the DVD.
 
I have been building model boats for over 50 years, kit and scratch, and I still have a lot to learn.
 
Many Thanks for the link.
 
mij

Update time... Things have not been quiet in the shipyard.
 
I laminated the plans to some MDF and attached a strip of wood at the reference line.  Also attached the stern framing to this so as not to mis-read any critical dimension.

 
The strip allows me to use the Ed Tool without any induced errors from having it canted slightly.

 
I've marked all the plans with appropriate reference marks and rescanned them all.  Also broke up Version 1.0 in order salvage certain bits..  like everything along the centerline... bitts, grates, pin rails, pumps, capstan, etc., some or all of the deck beams but none of the deck planking.   Also salvaged the mast steps and the stern framing.  I'll use the stern framing for some references.

 
I'm currently cutting out with as much precision as I can muster, a new build board.  I noted that on the old one, there were some frame notches that we either too deep or not deep enough.  Stupidity on my part.  I'll be re-using the previous version of the frame squaring jig (on the right in the picture).

 
Hopefully, in the next week or so, I can start cutting the keel, deadwood, and stem.  Since the wood for framing won't be here until early May, I'm planning on building some sub-assemblies such as most of the deck furniture.   I've located a local source of good birch plywood,  and am considering Woodcraft or the local source for masting materials and some other items.

Good morning to you all.
 
I have just ordered the DVD.
 
I have been building model boats for over 50 years, kit and scratch, and I still have a lot to learn.
 
Many Thanks for the link.
 
mij

Here is a link that worked for me
 
http://www.modelshipbuildingsecrets.com/special-promotion-on-dvd.html
 
You can order the DVD from here or download a pdf 
 
Looks like a very nice DVD

Hi Marc
Here is the link to his Rivoli build on the Russian forum,and this one works It will give you an idea of the level in question.In Russia building model ships is a sport and the champions have almost the same 'fame' as say a footballer in the UK or a basketball player in the US.
Any modeler who makes his own nails from solid silver(for the colour) and then fits over 100 in each gunport lid is at the top of their game in my book.
http://forum.modelsworld.ru/topic3439.html
 
Kind Regards Nigel

I also noticed that there was no separate piece of wood for either the stem, the keel, or the stern post. All three were simply included in the area of the false keel. This concerned me for a few reasons. First, I didn't like the idea of the wood grain running horizontally on the stem and the stern post. Also, I wasn't happy with the thought of looking at my ship from the bow on and seeing the plywood edge exposed. I suppose I could cap it, but then I'd have a seam showing on the side. I also wanted to fit the planks at the bow and stern into a rabbet, and since I've never cut a rabbet (the kind on a ship, anyway) I thought it might be easier if just removed the parts of the false keel that represent the stem, keel, and stern post. This was easy enough to do on a scroll saw. Then I could make the parts out of some hard wood. You might notice also that the bottom of the false keel is not straight at all; it's missing some material in the middle of the bottom edge--like the machine Corel ran it through gave it a good snipe before letting it go.
 

Having finally completed the Triton x-section, it's time to return to this, my first attempt at a plank on frame scratch build. It is the Tasmanian built barque Harriet McGregor from the plans by Harold Underhill, scale is 1:60. Originally started before Dry Dock Models was in operation, I lost interest in it due to the number of mistakes made in the earlier stages of construction that began to affect the build at the current point. The worst mistake: frame extensions above deck level should have been reduced in thickness prior to the waterway installation. I have done what I can to rectify this without pulling the waterways out (not practical), but will have to live with the consequences and work around the problem, hoping other small details will draw the eye from the larger inaccuracies. Having said all that, the model to date does bear a vague resemblance to the plans.
 

 
Grant.

Ok then,I thought I would take the opportunity of waiting for glue to dry and upload some more pics.
I was not happy with my original strategy for the topsides as I thought in the long run it would be more work.The tops of the bulkheads have been replaced with solid Pear to a more authentic profile.These can be integrated in the topside framing detail,whereas the ply would have needed replacing later.The ply deck beams were inconsequential,I only left them in place as temporary braces.An authentic deck construction will be used gun deck upwards when I get to that stage.These pear extensions have been fitted with brass dowels epoxied in.The extensions have also been tweeked to allow for single planking.The remaining section of the bulkheads have been 'banded' with 1.5mm lime strip to compensate for single planking.I have incorporated a small section of orlop deck in front of the mizzen step as a ladder runs down here.There is also one right at the bow which will result in a significant amount of work in this area.I am leaving this until the 'donkey' work is complete on the rest of the hull as it will involve removing considerable amounts of material from the false keel.As you may have noticed the lower hull is filled with limewood.This is to provide substantial support to the single planking and is a good aid as this is one of the most complex shaped hulls I have worked on.The area where the pear frames meet the deck is a crucial point.The sheer on the outer edge has to be perfect as everything will be measured from here.This is the reason for setting 6mm lime sections in around the perimeter.It ensures the ply subdeck will conform to exactly the right profile.One section is clamped in place while the glue dries.I have clamps ranging from 20p up to £95 but sometimes the easiest solutions are the best    
Kind Regards Nigel

Hi all -
 
David, thanks for the link.  It was an interesting article and fills in some gaps in my knowledge of the history of the ship and Blackbeard.
 
Now it is time to turn to the armaments.  On any pirate ship model the cannon are going to be significant points of visual interest and the QAR is no different.  After Blackbeard’s capture of Le Concord, he took the armaments from his prior ship and added them to those already on his new flagship.  Contemporary accounts put the number of large cannon at 20, with an unknown number of additional smaller ones.  Archaeological evidence from the wreck site confirms this. 
 
Several six-pounder long guns have been recovered and conserved, as well as a few four-pounders, a one pounder and a swivel gun.  It was therefore decided to arm the QAR with 20 six-pounders on the gun deck, with four four-pounders on the quarterdeck and two one-pounders on the forecastle.  Ten swivel guns will be mounted on the rails along the quarterdeck and forecastle.
 

 
The cannon that have been examined turned out to be a mix of English, Swedish, and French manufacture, which is not surprising.  Blackbeard, like all pirates, would have obtained his armaments from whichever ships he had previously captured, which might themselves have had a mixture of cannon.  No carriages were recovered, but the decision was made to mount them on French style carriages since she was originally a French ship and possibly retained most of her larger cannon.  Here are drawings comparing the French and English styles.
 

 
As you can see, the basic differences are that 1) the French style has a solid base plate and bumper, which widens the footprint of the carriage a bit; and 2) the breaching rope runs through large holes in the cheeks rather than looping around the cascabel.   The rounded curve on the bottom of the English cheeks is not unique, and I have seen carriages with them on contemporary French models.
 
With so many cannon to build, I looked to the aftermarket to see if anyone had barrels that would scale out to the 6 ½ to 7 ½ foot length of the six-pounders that were recovered and still be historically accurate in shape and detail.  The length scaled out to between 2.16 and 2.5 inches.  I found that The Lumberyard (www.dlumberyard.com) had cast Brittania barrels that were just the right size.  They are listed as 32-pounders if you are working at 1:48, but the shape is correct for the smaller caliber at my larger scale.
 
I carefully examined enlarged photos of the barrels and was impressed with the detail and accuracy of the reinforcing bands, cascabel shape, and bore.  I ordered 40 of them, as well as 12 others for the smaller cannon.  They did not have acceptable barrels for the swivel guns, and I am still looking for them.
 
The Lumberyard also sells laser cut carriages to fit the barrels.  They were made in the English style, but I thought that I would try to modify them to the French style.  I knew that I could always scratch-build the carriages, but the pre-cut ones would save a lot of effort if they could be made accurate enough and of the right style.  Here is how it went:
 
This is how the barrels and the carriages came.  The carriages come four to a sheet, which worked out perfectly.  The barrels and carriages for the smaller guns are identical in everything but size.  A lot of thought and care went into designing the carriage pieces, including providing two different sizes of wheels/trucks.  A tip of the hat to Dave Stevens.
 

 
And here are the pieces for one cannon after being separated from the laser cut sheet.  They came out easily and a little help with a sharp blade was only needed once or twice for all the pieces.
 

 
The barrels are excellent castings with no flash and almost no evidence of the mold line.  But whatever blackening method was used did not ‘take’ on the metal.  It was uneven, crusty, and could be rubbed off with a finger.  A bit of work with a dry paper towel took the blackening off down to almost bare metal.
 

 
To re-blacken them, the contract specifications call for chemical blackening of all metals rather than paint.  I first tried a product called Blacken-It, which was a disaster.  The metal took on a grey, chalky surface, while an unidentified tan substance precipitated out of the solution.  I had much more success with Pewter Black.  I experimented and found that I had to use a fairly strong solution, much stronger than the corresponding solution of Brass Black that I use for brass.  The surface that was produced was more uniform, but some of the blackening could still be rubbed off if I put some effort into it.  To seal it several coats of clear matte finish were sprayed on and the end results were acceptable.
 
Here you can see the barrel at the top as it was received.  The next one down has all of the blackening removed with a powered toothbrush.  Below it is the barrel after the trunnions have been cut down and reblackened.  Finally, the finished barrel after clear coating.  Only the vent hole has to be drilled.
 

 
The carriage conversion started with making the base plates and bumpers.  The tapered base plate was cut on the table saw with the miter gauge set to 5 degrees.  The bumper was cut, attached with PVA glue, then crowned using a disc sander.
 

 
The cheek pieces were sanded smooth and the burn marks from the laser were sanded off.  Holes were drilled for the eyebolts and the breaching rope through the side of the cheek, and holes for the bolts holding the cheek pieces together were drilled down on two of the steps of the cheek.  A simple jig was fashioned that held the base plate up so the axle notches would be clear, and located the cheeks against the bumper.  The vertical cross piece at the front held everything square.  A clamp made from a bent hair clip held it all together as the glue dried.
 

 
Axles and wheels were next.  As they came out of the wood sheet, the axles were square.  They needed to be rounded to fit the holes in the trucks.  To do this I found a piece of thick walled brass tube with the correct inside diameter.  Four teeth were cut and filed into one end and a sleeve was put around it as a guide and depth stop.
 


 
This was chucked into the bench top drill press and the ends of the axles were fed into it from underneath.  There was surprisingly little resistance as it cut, and I was able to control the workpiece with just my hand.
 

 
It made short work of the job, and much neater than I could have done by hand.
 

 
The trucks from the laser cut sheet were modified to make them look as if they were made up of four half circles bolted together with six metal bolts.  The effect is subtle, but noticeable if not done.  Next to them are several of the eyebolts located in a store here in NYC.  The eye is 0.095” o.d., which scales up to 3 ½”, which is quite accurate.  I could have wished that the wire was a bit thicker, but the difference is hard to see.  At $2 per hundred it sure beats making them all by hand.
 

 
A test cannon was done to see that everything worked, and a detailed instruction sheet was written up, then all the carriage pieces were packed up and given into the hands of JerseyCityFrankie, who agreed to assemble all the carriages.  He did an excellent job, as you can see from some of his progress photos.
 



 
Frankie also shaped and installed the quoin wedges.  The handles are brass belaying pins treated with Brass Brown solution.  All that was left to do when I got the completed carriages back was to make and install the capsquares and their fittings. 
 

 
I started with a strip of 3/32” x 1/64” brass and developed a jig to shape it.  The strip is held between the guide strips and pushed up to meet the stop on the right.  The die has a short piece of steel rod set into it which matches the groove cut into the base piece and is the same diameter as the trunnions. 
 

 
The steel rod is placed over the groove.  With a few taps of a hammer the curve is bent into the brass.  The first few tries showed me that if the base piece remains flat the short end of the strip does not bend flat but springs back a bit.  To correct this the end of the plate was angled and some finishing strikes with the die held at an angle took care of the problem.
 

 
Two holes for the eyebolts were pre-drilled in the capsquare while it was still on the strip, then it was parted off.  You can see in the inset that the curve is not as rounded as I might have liked, but the difference is not noticeable in the finished piece.
 

 
The capsquares were chemically blackened and tack glued in position.  The pre-drilled holes were extended down into the wood of the cheeks.  Two U-bolts with one very short leg were bent and installed.  In the inset you can see that the one toward the rear of the carriage replicates the visible portion of the eyebolt that hinges the capsquare, while the other replicates the eyebolt for the pin that holds it down.
 

 
The final detail was the pin and chain for each capsquare.  Some very fine brass chain with 36 links per inch was blackened, and bits of thin wire inserted in links about half an inch apart.  The wire was bent back on itself and pinched together to form a cotter-pin shape.  One pin was left long and inserted into a hole just below and behind the trunnion, while the other was cut short and slipped into the eye of the forward bolt.  The gun is now ready to be mounted and rigged.
 

 
And here it is with my scale figure for comparison.  I think it came out quite well and will dress up the waist of the model nicely.
 

 
Actually, there were two types of carriage that were made.  On the finished model only the eight guns in the waist will be visible.  These are the only ones that needed to be fully detailed.  However, just to be safe I detailed the four cannon that might be partially visible under the overhanging quarterdeck and forecastle.  The remaining eight will only have the end of the barrel and the forward face of the carriage visible.  For these no bumper was installed and the capsquares were replaced with simple U bolts.  The trucks were replaced with wooden chocks that raise the cannon to the correct level and will provide enlarged glue surfaces when the cannon are installed.
 

 
So here is a complete set of all the six-pounder cannon for one of the models.    The remaining small cannon will join them shortly.
 

 
This was a longer entry than usual, so feel free to ask if I have not fully explained any of the materials or methods.
 
Be well
 
Dan
 
 
  
 
   
 
 
 
 
 

Cherry ready for the bandsaw
 

 
The cherry cut and ready to be milled.
 

 
It was worth the time and effort.
 
Tulip on the left and Cherry on the right
 

 
Start of the new build in cherry.
In the back ground is the one made from tulip.
 

Hi Folks
It has been a little while since i updated my log, so here is what i was up to....
 I installed the ceiling on the starboard side, i did not run the planking down the full length of the hull, mainly because of the way I am going to build up the cabin and display the model when completed.
It was pretty straight forward, I just fit 1/32" thick strips,although  I wasn't a 100% sure if the ceiling planks were continuous planks, or butt-jointed and staggered.... so I went with the butt-joints, and purposely leaving slight gaps to help with the illusion of a used vessel.

Now, for my sails. Have begun on fore mast but should be going for the main mast. Well, at least I did not put the mizzen and the fore mast before the main...
 
Fist 4 pics are from early stages, the rest from the sail rigged and ready.
 

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

 

Thanks Mark. It does make one stop and think till you been on a air craft carrier which had a crew of 7000. Try feeding that many guys. That is untill you find out that they had three kitchens that usually work 24/7. Had to work in one for two weeks when I was on board the Midway. Lots of fun for sure.
 
Hi Larry.Thank you sir and am glad that my log is a help to you.  I was going to ask Larry but have you started a build log and would love to see your Alfred on here. Now if I understand your question your asking about the grating/deck planking on the orlop deck around the pump well? As far as grating on this deck am not sure that other then in the middle were hatches would of been may of been the only place for grating, which probably been flushed with the planking. Most of the plank's would of been short and fitted in to rabbets on the forward and aft edges of the top of the beams, which could be removed in order to get at the supplies in the hold. If I was going to plank it I would have just cut short planks to fit  between the beams. They did also fit carlings and ledges between the orlop beams to help strengthen the short planks between the beams but I didn't install them also. You may of miss this detail on the orlop deck so have included a photo showing the rabbet. Peter Goodwin in his book Sailing Man of War, show's on page 59 fig 2/8 how the planks would of looked accept I do believe they would have been flush with the beams. Keeps one from stubbing a toe that's for sure. Hope this is of some help Larry. If it doesn't answer you question let me know and we will come up with the right answer.
Gary 

Never operate the saw after having alcohol - even one beer or one glass of wine.
 
But, but, but ..... I'd never get ANYTHING done after lunch   . I just get MORE careful.
 
Serious now. I've read some comments about NEVER crosscutting using a Mitre Gauge and the Fence. There is a simple and safe way to do this - I use it when cutting multiple lengths to the same size. See pics below :
 

 

 
Simply use a piece of planking or similar that is about 10% wider than the piece to be cut. Place this against the Fence, set up the piece to be cut hard against it, align to your cut mark by moving the fence, then REMOVE the spacer piece and cut. Being that much wider than the piece being cut, even if the blade catches a corner of the piece it won't jam against the fence and get spat out.
 
For the next piece replace the spacer, set the piece to be cut against it, REMOVE the spacer and cut again. ETC, ETC, ETC.
 
BTW - you may notice I've CA glued a strip of wood to the edge of the Byrnes Saw's fence. This is set at virtually zero clearance from the Bed to enable me to cut VERY thin stock - down to a couple of thousandths of an inch. The Byrnes Saw's fence has a fair bit more clearance from the Bed, and very thin pieces can slide under it.
 
  Danny

Hi Richard
 
The footswitch is a Proxxon FS 476112, cost £17.04, $28.12.
You press the footswitch down and then turn on the power to your machine.
To stop your machine, release the pressure from the footswitch.
I stand all the time with no problem.
 
mij

Hi Antony
 
The top timbers are cut into the tulip bulkheads and glued, and yes, still in the conservatory.
I`ve been a good boy and not made any dust, Yet.
 
mij

Not much to report on the model building front. Unseasonably warm weather, and a less than perfect insulating job on the roof of the shop has resulted in some serious Ice dam flooding.
 
Water came down at the window where my lath was and the water splashed over the tools on the window ledge resulting in a major reorganization of where things are situated. I had to take the time to dry off all the small stands of drills reamers and mill bit along with some custom tools, this really was a pain.
 

 
The silver lining is that this event has forced me to rethink the entire layout of the shop and the equipment, tool and material Storage. So instead of rushing this work I am taking my time to reset these things, building new racks and drawers for tools and materials. It is also a good opportunity to de-clutter the workplace.
 

 
When the shop was laid out originally i was more focused on model engineering and steam work, now that I have found my true calling (model boats) I am organizing so that the various elements work in better harmony and flow. And now of course I have Gaetan and Mark's workshops as examples of great organization to guide my thinking.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Now that I have all the metal work sorted I can start on the wood storage and the tools for it.
 
I will be back to work on the cutter hopefully within the next week or so.
 
Michael

Richard,
here is my very crude sled for my Proxon. In the second picture you can see what I mean about the blade exiting out the back side. Its very easy to leave your thumb in the path of the blade as it exits. I have plans to make a new sled in the somewhat near future. My thought is to extend the base back several inches to extend the rails and to add some additional material to kep the blade buried on the back end to prevent "Phalange Modification Syndrome" Perhaps a stop also for over travel.
 
Also if you (or anyone) build one for the Proxon, extend the rails on the backside. It gets a little sloppy and wobbly towards the end of the travel.
 

 
 

 I used Polycoabonate for the base and Polyethylene  for the rails,, mainly because we have lots of scrap at the shop I could dig out of the trash. In the past I have used maple for the rails and 1/2-3/4" melamine coated MDF for the base.
 
Hope this helps you or somebody.
Sam
 
Edit: I see leaving myself logged in and not updating my screen leaves me somewhat behind.    Singidunum thats a nice little handle on your sled. 

Fitting some toptimbers made from pear.
 

 
 mij
 
 
 

Hi Antony
 
The top timbers are cut into the tulip bulkheads and glued, and yes, still in the conservatory.
I`ve been a good boy and not made any dust, Yet.
 
mij

Hi Antony
 
The top timbers are cut into the tulip bulkheads and glued, and yes, still in the conservatory.
I`ve been a good boy and not made any dust, Yet.
 
mij

Wackowalf
 
Here are some photos of the Flexcut chisels.
 

 

 
mij

I was going to use sycamore for the deck planking, but decided to use maple instead.
The size of the deck planking is 4x1mm and I used my plank bender to curve the planks.
 
Deck planking fitted
 

 
Smoothing the deck
 

 
The deck after smoothing
 

 
mij