Jack Panzeca

I said that the simulated iron rivets were next but I lied.  I could not find any brass nails locally so I had to wait for them, they just arrived.  I will do a test layout and decide on the spacing. I also played with the oars.  As usual I will do them from oak.  For the test I cut a strip of 3.5mmx3.5mm oak and routed off all four corners to create a round dowel.  It worked well enough but I need to figure out some sort of jig since working on something that small freehand put my fingers way too close to the router bit for comfort.  The oar blade was cut out using a scroll saw.
 
I had a crisis of confidence when I started to work on the oar holes.  The realization that I was about to drill 30 holes into my ship was nerve racking to say the least.  I laid them out and checked them many times.  The are positioned mid way between each bulkhead.  I did find that the spot where the top planks on the port side come together had a little hump (about 1mm by 150mm) which I sanded off to make it level.  I put masking tape behind each hole to help prevent splintering. 
 

 
The shield rails were next and they are made of oak pieces at each bulkhead covered with a strip 1.5mmx4mm.  
 

 
I had a board long enough so I made them out of a single strip on each side.  I installed the rudder support to give the strip a place to land where it meets the rudder.
 

 
The shields just drop in.
 

 
Nails, oars and shield decoration are next.  I am still looking for a proper center piece for the shields.  The bead supplied with the kit is both too small and too ugly.
 

I said that the simulated iron rivets were next but I lied.  I could not find any brass nails locally so I had to wait for them, they just arrived.  I will do a test layout and decide on the spacing. I also played with the oars.  As usual I will do them from oak.  For the test I cut a strip of 3.5mmx3.5mm oak and routed off all four corners to create a round dowel.  It worked well enough but I need to figure out some sort of jig since working on something that small freehand put my fingers way too close to the router bit for comfort.  The oar blade was cut out using a scroll saw.
 
I had a crisis of confidence when I started to work on the oar holes.  The realization that I was about to drill 30 holes into my ship was nerve racking to say the least.  I laid them out and checked them many times.  The are positioned mid way between each bulkhead.  I did find that the spot where the top planks on the port side come together had a little hump (about 1mm by 150mm) which I sanded off to make it level.  I put masking tape behind each hole to help prevent splintering. 
 

 
The shield rails were next and they are made of oak pieces at each bulkhead covered with a strip 1.5mmx4mm.  
 

 
I had a board long enough so I made them out of a single strip on each side.  I installed the rudder support to give the strip a place to land where it meets the rudder.
 

 
The shields just drop in.
 

 
Nails, oars and shield decoration are next.  I am still looking for a proper center piece for the shields.  The bead supplied with the kit is both too small and too ugly.
 

I said that the simulated iron rivets were next but I lied.  I could not find any brass nails locally so I had to wait for them, they just arrived.  I will do a test layout and decide on the spacing. I also played with the oars.  As usual I will do them from oak.  For the test I cut a strip of 3.5mmx3.5mm oak and routed off all four corners to create a round dowel.  It worked well enough but I need to figure out some sort of jig since working on something that small freehand put my fingers way too close to the router bit for comfort.  The oar blade was cut out using a scroll saw.
 
I had a crisis of confidence when I started to work on the oar holes.  The realization that I was about to drill 30 holes into my ship was nerve racking to say the least.  I laid them out and checked them many times.  The are positioned mid way between each bulkhead.  I did find that the spot where the top planks on the port side come together had a little hump (about 1mm by 150mm) which I sanded off to make it level.  I put masking tape behind each hole to help prevent splintering. 
 

 
The shield rails were next and they are made of oak pieces at each bulkhead covered with a strip 1.5mmx4mm.  
 

 
I had a board long enough so I made them out of a single strip on each side.  I installed the rudder support to give the strip a place to land where it meets the rudder.
 

 
The shields just drop in.
 

 
Nails, oars and shield decoration are next.  I am still looking for a proper center piece for the shields.  The bead supplied with the kit is both too small and too ugly.
 

Mark....happens to the best. As for me (not even close to being among the best) re-doing my mistakes seems to have become a way of life lately.
"That which does not kill us makes us stronger".....Friedrich Nietzsche....Must have been a very good modeler.
Dave

I said that the simulated iron rivets were next but I lied.  I could not find any brass nails locally so I had to wait for them, they just arrived.  I will do a test layout and decide on the spacing. I also played with the oars.  As usual I will do them from oak.  For the test I cut a strip of 3.5mmx3.5mm oak and routed off all four corners to create a round dowel.  It worked well enough but I need to figure out some sort of jig since working on something that small freehand put my fingers way too close to the router bit for comfort.  The oar blade was cut out using a scroll saw.
 
I had a crisis of confidence when I started to work on the oar holes.  The realization that I was about to drill 30 holes into my ship was nerve racking to say the least.  I laid them out and checked them many times.  The are positioned mid way between each bulkhead.  I did find that the spot where the top planks on the port side come together had a little hump (about 1mm by 150mm) which I sanded off to make it level.  I put masking tape behind each hole to help prevent splintering. 
 

 
The shield rails were next and they are made of oak pieces at each bulkhead covered with a strip 1.5mmx4mm.  
 

 
I had a board long enough so I made them out of a single strip on each side.  I installed the rudder support to give the strip a place to land where it meets the rudder.
 

 
The shields just drop in.
 

 
Nails, oars and shield decoration are next.  I am still looking for a proper center piece for the shields.  The bead supplied with the kit is both too small and too ugly.
 

I said that the simulated iron rivets were next but I lied.  I could not find any brass nails locally so I had to wait for them, they just arrived.  I will do a test layout and decide on the spacing. I also played with the oars.  As usual I will do them from oak.  For the test I cut a strip of 3.5mmx3.5mm oak and routed off all four corners to create a round dowel.  It worked well enough but I need to figure out some sort of jig since working on something that small freehand put my fingers way too close to the router bit for comfort.  The oar blade was cut out using a scroll saw.
 
I had a crisis of confidence when I started to work on the oar holes.  The realization that I was about to drill 30 holes into my ship was nerve racking to say the least.  I laid them out and checked them many times.  The are positioned mid way between each bulkhead.  I did find that the spot where the top planks on the port side come together had a little hump (about 1mm by 150mm) which I sanded off to make it level.  I put masking tape behind each hole to help prevent splintering. 
 

 
The shield rails were next and they are made of oak pieces at each bulkhead covered with a strip 1.5mmx4mm.  
 

 
I had a board long enough so I made them out of a single strip on each side.  I installed the rudder support to give the strip a place to land where it meets the rudder.
 

 
The shields just drop in.
 

 
Nails, oars and shield decoration are next.  I am still looking for a proper center piece for the shields.  The bead supplied with the kit is both too small and too ugly.
 

I said that the simulated iron rivets were next but I lied.  I could not find any brass nails locally so I had to wait for them, they just arrived.  I will do a test layout and decide on the spacing. I also played with the oars.  As usual I will do them from oak.  For the test I cut a strip of 3.5mmx3.5mm oak and routed off all four corners to create a round dowel.  It worked well enough but I need to figure out some sort of jig since working on something that small freehand put my fingers way too close to the router bit for comfort.  The oar blade was cut out using a scroll saw.
 
I had a crisis of confidence when I started to work on the oar holes.  The realization that I was about to drill 30 holes into my ship was nerve racking to say the least.  I laid them out and checked them many times.  The are positioned mid way between each bulkhead.  I did find that the spot where the top planks on the port side come together had a little hump (about 1mm by 150mm) which I sanded off to make it level.  I put masking tape behind each hole to help prevent splintering. 
 

 
The shield rails were next and they are made of oak pieces at each bulkhead covered with a strip 1.5mmx4mm.  
 

 
I had a board long enough so I made them out of a single strip on each side.  I installed the rudder support to give the strip a place to land where it meets the rudder.
 

 
The shields just drop in.
 

 
Nails, oars and shield decoration are next.  I am still looking for a proper center piece for the shields.  The bead supplied with the kit is both too small and too ugly.
 

Hi Scott,
 
Welcome to the party.  Thanks for reading the log.  This ship is a lot of fun to build and the bashing is helping me develop my skills.  I really enjoy the wood work and solving problems.  I don't think that I would be doing half as well without the truly incredible amount of help from this forum.  The experience and artistry here is amazing.
 
The steamer is a great toy.  It came from Rockler here in the US.  http://www.rockler.com/steam-bending-kit-w-free-bentwood-carryall-plan-download
 

 
Their plan for a wooden steam box was not very realistic so I used 4" PVC with wooden end caps.  That was not a very good idea either.  I did a long overdue and much needed re design this past weekend.  The version 1 leaked and split the wood ends.  The blast of steam when the door opened required wearing barbeque gloves.
 

 
The new one has a solid PVC cap on one end with a hole drilled for the steam input hose.  The condensate drain is in the bottom of the pipe near the back.
 

 
The front is a clean out plug that is much easier to open than the previous hinged gate.  The front is elevated to allow the condensate to drain.  There is a steel rack to keep the wood out of the muck,  I may want to change to some sort of plastic rack later but the steel rack has not marked the wood so far and it was carried over from version one with many hours of use.
 
It really makes bending easy.  Thanks for looking in.

Hi Scott,
 
Welcome to the party.  Thanks for reading the log.  This ship is a lot of fun to build and the bashing is helping me develop my skills.  I really enjoy the wood work and solving problems.  I don't think that I would be doing half as well without the truly incredible amount of help from this forum.  The experience and artistry here is amazing.
 
The steamer is a great toy.  It came from Rockler here in the US.  http://www.rockler.com/steam-bending-kit-w-free-bentwood-carryall-plan-download
 

 
Their plan for a wooden steam box was not very realistic so I used 4" PVC with wooden end caps.  That was not a very good idea either.  I did a long overdue and much needed re design this past weekend.  The version 1 leaked and split the wood ends.  The blast of steam when the door opened required wearing barbeque gloves.
 

 
The new one has a solid PVC cap on one end with a hole drilled for the steam input hose.  The condensate drain is in the bottom of the pipe near the back.
 

 
The front is a clean out plug that is much easier to open than the previous hinged gate.  The front is elevated to allow the condensate to drain.  There is a steel rack to keep the wood out of the muck,  I may want to change to some sort of plastic rack later but the steel rack has not marked the wood so far and it was carried over from version one with many hours of use.
 
It really makes bending easy.  Thanks for looking in.

Hi Scott,
 
Welcome to the party.  Thanks for reading the log.  This ship is a lot of fun to build and the bashing is helping me develop my skills.  I really enjoy the wood work and solving problems.  I don't think that I would be doing half as well without the truly incredible amount of help from this forum.  The experience and artistry here is amazing.
 
The steamer is a great toy.  It came from Rockler here in the US.  http://www.rockler.com/steam-bending-kit-w-free-bentwood-carryall-plan-download
 

 
Their plan for a wooden steam box was not very realistic so I used 4" PVC with wooden end caps.  That was not a very good idea either.  I did a long overdue and much needed re design this past weekend.  The version 1 leaked and split the wood ends.  The blast of steam when the door opened required wearing barbeque gloves.
 

 
The new one has a solid PVC cap on one end with a hole drilled for the steam input hose.  The condensate drain is in the bottom of the pipe near the back.
 

 
The front is a clean out plug that is much easier to open than the previous hinged gate.  The front is elevated to allow the condensate to drain.  There is a steel rack to keep the wood out of the muck,  I may want to change to some sort of plastic rack later but the steel rack has not marked the wood so far and it was carried over from version one with many hours of use.
 
It really makes bending easy.  Thanks for looking in.

Hi David B, Keith, Vivian, Grant and Pete,  thanks for dropping in and all the kind words and encouragement.  Also, thanks to all the "likes".
 
Sam, I have started laying out the nails on the hull.  I did a rough scale off the museum photographs and they end up way too close together for this scale so I will do a test piece before I go too far.
 
Grant, I have not forgotten the photography tips I promised.  I will get to it soon.

Hi Scott,
 
Welcome to the party.  Thanks for reading the log.  This ship is a lot of fun to build and the bashing is helping me develop my skills.  I really enjoy the wood work and solving problems.  I don't think that I would be doing half as well without the truly incredible amount of help from this forum.  The experience and artistry here is amazing.
 
The steamer is a great toy.  It came from Rockler here in the US.  http://www.rockler.com/steam-bending-kit-w-free-bentwood-carryall-plan-download
 

 
Their plan for a wooden steam box was not very realistic so I used 4" PVC with wooden end caps.  That was not a very good idea either.  I did a long overdue and much needed re design this past weekend.  The version 1 leaked and split the wood ends.  The blast of steam when the door opened required wearing barbeque gloves.
 

 
The new one has a solid PVC cap on one end with a hole drilled for the steam input hose.  The condensate drain is in the bottom of the pipe near the back.
 

 
The front is a clean out plug that is much easier to open than the previous hinged gate.  The front is elevated to allow the condensate to drain.  There is a steel rack to keep the wood out of the muck,  I may want to change to some sort of plastic rack later but the steel rack has not marked the wood so far and it was carried over from version one with many hours of use.
 
It really makes bending easy.  Thanks for looking in.

Hi David B, Keith, Vivian, Grant and Pete,  thanks for dropping in and all the kind words and encouragement.  Also, thanks to all the "likes".
 
Sam, I have started laying out the nails on the hull.  I did a rough scale off the museum photographs and they end up way too close together for this scale so I will do a test piece before I go too far.
 
Grant, I have not forgotten the photography tips I promised.  I will get to it soon.

Next up is the mast foot, partner and the planking around them.  The planks are 1/16 inch thick. The 2 rows adjacent to the mast are slightly curved so I reduced the thickness to 1 / 32 inch to make them easier to bend.  The planks are about 1 ½ inches long.   I soaked them in water and wrapped  them around a mailing tube end and let them dry and cut to length.
 

 
The kit version of the mast foot and partner were both plywood and were replaced with oak.  The partner is made of oak about ⅛ thick.  It mounts on a curve and ties into the bulkhead.  The kit version has it tying into the hull and adds knees on top to make it look like the bulkhead existed.  Since I added the extra bulkheads I did not need to do this.  Then I added the ledge under the partner to hold the planks.  Since the bent planks are thinner I raised the ledge on the far side to bring them up flush.
 

 
Here are the curved planks with one row of flat laid in loose.  I will bag them and keep them with the others until I am ready to install permanently.  They really fit together well but keeping them in place long enough to take a picture was maddening.   
 

 
I think that I will work on shields for a while to give myself time to think about nailing the hull planking.     One of the reasons I am not gluing the planks yet is in case I decide to nail access may be helpful.  The nails were round headed iron rivets.  in some pictures square washers can be seen in a few places.
 

Hi Scott,
 
Welcome to the party.  Thanks for reading the log.  This ship is a lot of fun to build and the bashing is helping me develop my skills.  I really enjoy the wood work and solving problems.  I don't think that I would be doing half as well without the truly incredible amount of help from this forum.  The experience and artistry here is amazing.
 
The steamer is a great toy.  It came from Rockler here in the US.  http://www.rockler.com/steam-bending-kit-w-free-bentwood-carryall-plan-download
 

 
Their plan for a wooden steam box was not very realistic so I used 4" PVC with wooden end caps.  That was not a very good idea either.  I did a long overdue and much needed re design this past weekend.  The version 1 leaked and split the wood ends.  The blast of steam when the door opened required wearing barbeque gloves.
 

 
The new one has a solid PVC cap on one end with a hole drilled for the steam input hose.  The condensate drain is in the bottom of the pipe near the back.
 

 
The front is a clean out plug that is much easier to open than the previous hinged gate.  The front is elevated to allow the condensate to drain.  There is a steel rack to keep the wood out of the muck,  I may want to change to some sort of plastic rack later but the steel rack has not marked the wood so far and it was carried over from version one with many hours of use.
 
It really makes bending easy.  Thanks for looking in.

I finished the lower part of the hull but had a little false start.  On my first plank of the day I got the distance between the overlap of two planks about 2 mm too close and I did not notice until 3 planks later.  I have always used water to loosen PVA glue but I heard alcohol mentioned on MSW and it sure works faster than water.  Thanks for the tip.  
 
I sure do like the lines of this ship.  The Vikings must have been a tough bunch-crossing the ocean in an open boat. 
 

After proving to myself that I could actually do the shields the way that I planned I scored the strips and cut them into smaller pieces and cut the circles as shown in the last update, 32 in all.  30 for the ship and 2 spare for screw ups.  I am still researching how I will decorate them.   
 

 
The rudder supplied with the kit is the usual plywood so as usual I felt the need to replace them.
 

 
The mounting pieces were cut from 1/16 in oak and I was having control problems with my skip tooth scroll saw blades.  The wood was hopping around and driving me nuts.  After an exhaustive search of every place I could have hidden blades from myself I found a pack of very nice blades I picked up in Japan 15 or so years ago with 36 teeth per 25mm (about 1 inch).  They cut like butter with great control.
 
The rudder itself is 5/32 inch oak and I put the pieces together and cut a 1 mm slot for the rudder handle.  The handle was carved from a piece of 2.5 x 5 mm oak scrap and placed into the slot.
 

 
I think that the hull plank nails are next.  The were iron with a few showing washers.  I am still working out how to do this. 
 
In re-reading this before I posted I realized that I have been switching back and forth between metric and fractions of inches.  I promise to pick one and and stick with it (as much as I can anyway).

The mast is oak and I tapered it using power drill and sandpaper method.  This is a very simple mast and took no time at all, I did make a huge mess.
 
The shields will be next.  The kit version is (as usual) laser cut plywood.  
 

 
I felt the need to improve on that. The choices are to build the shields out of planks or cut the disks and score to look like planks.  Chuck Passaro demonstrated a technique on his HMS Winchelsea Quarter Gallery columns that I thought was really interesting so I decided to try it on the shields.  There are 30 of them and I have a pile of mahogany given to me by a friend that is close to the correct thickness and can be quickly dimensioned by the thickness sander.  I would have taken me a week on the old Preac but the new Byrnes will handle it in no time.
 
I used a .016 kerf blade raised 1/64 above the table.  I spaced the cuts 5mm apart and they lined up nicely.
 

 
I cobbled together a mini mill using a Vanda-Lay drill press with a "Z" axis fine adjustment attachment, a Proxxon X-Y table and a toy rotary table that I got years ago with a Unimat 1.
 

 
I set it up on the rotary table and cut out the shield, using a 3mm end mill.  The mahogany is soft enough to use a smaller mill but that was the smallest I had on hand.  
 

 
I did not dimension the strips for the test because I wanted to prove to myself that it would work before I spent the time.  Now all I have to do is score and cut 30 more.  I will score in long strips before I cut shield size pieces.  
 
Thirty identical things taxes me enough but the thought of over 100 gun ports and canon carriages for a ship of the line seems beyond my concentration level.  I guess the maximum ship for me is a frigate.

I have been slow to post lately for two reasons.  First, it is spring and I have been out chasing bugs and flowers.
 

 
The second reason is that I have been stalling.  I have a lot of oak to cut and since my Admiral was kind enough to order a Byrnes saw for my fathers day "surprise" I have waited rather than struggle with my old saw.  The Byrnes will arrive tomorrow so the updates should increase.
 
I have finished the added bulkheads and the planking supports attached to the bulkheads.  The next step is a day of steaming and bending of the oak caps for the bulkheads and the deck planks.
 
 
 
This is a quick stain test using Minwax Gel Stain color Aged Oak.  I have been looking for a stain that would not be as dark as the ship after it was buried for 1000 years (walnut) but not as new looking as, say, golden oak.  I ran into a sample of this aged oak at a local store and decided to give it a try.  I hope that this gets the Vivian seal of approval   .
 
The plank set on the left has ebony stain on one side to simulate caulking, the center group has nothing and the right group has black Sharpie on one side.  I am not sure that it makes much difference.  The Sharpie was easier to control than the stain.  Pencil did not show up at all.
 
The piece at the bottom of the picture is the same plywood as used for the hull planks.  It matched better than I expected.
 
 

Hi Vivian,
 
Great work on the stairs, hold cover and boxes.  I love the weathered effects you use.  It looks like a "Real Working Ship" to paraphrase Andy's screen name.
 
I hope that you are feeling well. 

I´ve worked a bit more in the past few days. Truth is I still can´t go fulltime on her, as I feel some pain yet. Overall I´m okay for many things, though
 
After some while trying to figure it out what should be on the compartment, decided for some boxes, crates and sacks. Ming ships from the 1400´s  would carry no barrels, at least not the ones we´re used to see around. After seeing pictures from lots of models, junk ships and museums (as the Imperial Granary Museum), sacks for grains turned into the best choice for acompanying the boxes first planned. I was stuck on that, researching as a crazy for pictures to close this chapter .
 
So, after deciding that I made some boxes and a crate (that is a hard thing to do) and the trapdoor for the compartment. The trapdoor was something I had to think about, as the kit ones are horrible.
 

Closed compartment
 

Open compartment
 

Box and crate
 
Next I was for the stairs. AL gave me some headache here - the precut parts were wrongly assembled. Instead of four left strips and four right ones, I got all right - 8 pieces identically cut. So, I had to scratch mine.
 

AL precut stair strips
 

 

 
And here are the final results, till now:
 

 

 

 

After proving to myself that I could actually do the shields the way that I planned I scored the strips and cut them into smaller pieces and cut the circles as shown in the last update, 32 in all.  30 for the ship and 2 spare for screw ups.  I am still researching how I will decorate them.   
 

 
The rudder supplied with the kit is the usual plywood so as usual I felt the need to replace them.
 

 
The mounting pieces were cut from 1/16 in oak and I was having control problems with my skip tooth scroll saw blades.  The wood was hopping around and driving me nuts.  After an exhaustive search of every place I could have hidden blades from myself I found a pack of very nice blades I picked up in Japan 15 or so years ago with 36 teeth per 25mm (about 1 inch).  They cut like butter with great control.
 
The rudder itself is 5/32 inch oak and I put the pieces together and cut a 1 mm slot for the rudder handle.  The handle was carved from a piece of 2.5 x 5 mm oak scrap and placed into the slot.
 

 
I think that the hull plank nails are next.  The were iron with a few showing washers.  I am still working out how to do this. 
 
In re-reading this before I posted I realized that I have been switching back and forth between metric and fractions of inches.  I promise to pick one and and stick with it (as much as I can anyway).

After proving to myself that I could actually do the shields the way that I planned I scored the strips and cut them into smaller pieces and cut the circles as shown in the last update, 32 in all.  30 for the ship and 2 spare for screw ups.  I am still researching how I will decorate them.   
 

 
The rudder supplied with the kit is the usual plywood so as usual I felt the need to replace them.
 

 
The mounting pieces were cut from 1/16 in oak and I was having control problems with my skip tooth scroll saw blades.  The wood was hopping around and driving me nuts.  After an exhaustive search of every place I could have hidden blades from myself I found a pack of very nice blades I picked up in Japan 15 or so years ago with 36 teeth per 25mm (about 1 inch).  They cut like butter with great control.
 
The rudder itself is 5/32 inch oak and I put the pieces together and cut a 1 mm slot for the rudder handle.  The handle was carved from a piece of 2.5 x 5 mm oak scrap and placed into the slot.
 

 
I think that the hull plank nails are next.  The were iron with a few showing washers.  I am still working out how to do this. 
 
In re-reading this before I posted I realized that I have been switching back and forth between metric and fractions of inches.  I promise to pick one and and stick with it (as much as I can anyway).

After proving to myself that I could actually do the shields the way that I planned I scored the strips and cut them into smaller pieces and cut the circles as shown in the last update, 32 in all.  30 for the ship and 2 spare for screw ups.  I am still researching how I will decorate them.   
 

 
The rudder supplied with the kit is the usual plywood so as usual I felt the need to replace them.
 

 
The mounting pieces were cut from 1/16 in oak and I was having control problems with my skip tooth scroll saw blades.  The wood was hopping around and driving me nuts.  After an exhaustive search of every place I could have hidden blades from myself I found a pack of very nice blades I picked up in Japan 15 or so years ago with 36 teeth per 25mm (about 1 inch).  They cut like butter with great control.
 
The rudder itself is 5/32 inch oak and I put the pieces together and cut a 1 mm slot for the rudder handle.  The handle was carved from a piece of 2.5 x 5 mm oak scrap and placed into the slot.
 

 
I think that the hull plank nails are next.  The were iron with a few showing washers.  I am still working out how to do this. 
 
In re-reading this before I posted I realized that I have been switching back and forth between metric and fractions of inches.  I promise to pick one and and stick with it (as much as I can anyway).

After proving to myself that I could actually do the shields the way that I planned I scored the strips and cut them into smaller pieces and cut the circles as shown in the last update, 32 in all.  30 for the ship and 2 spare for screw ups.  I am still researching how I will decorate them.   
 

 
The rudder supplied with the kit is the usual plywood so as usual I felt the need to replace them.
 

 
The mounting pieces were cut from 1/16 in oak and I was having control problems with my skip tooth scroll saw blades.  The wood was hopping around and driving me nuts.  After an exhaustive search of every place I could have hidden blades from myself I found a pack of very nice blades I picked up in Japan 15 or so years ago with 36 teeth per 25mm (about 1 inch).  They cut like butter with great control.
 
The rudder itself is 5/32 inch oak and I put the pieces together and cut a 1 mm slot for the rudder handle.  The handle was carved from a piece of 2.5 x 5 mm oak scrap and placed into the slot.
 

 
I think that the hull plank nails are next.  The were iron with a few showing washers.  I am still working out how to do this. 
 
In re-reading this before I posted I realized that I have been switching back and forth between metric and fractions of inches.  I promise to pick one and and stick with it (as much as I can anyway).