Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'tools'.
Found 22 results
-
Part 01 After many years of wanting one, I finally bought a Harbor Freight Hardwood Workbench! Actually this is the second one I bought, the first one was in my truck when it was stolen last year! This workbench is designed to be used while standing, not ideal for me, or my knees! So I’m going to kit bash it so I can use it while sitting at it. As it comes the work surface is 34 inches high, I prefer a 27 inch height. Also I need to delete the drawers and the front shelf support bar and shelf board of the lower shelf. I’ll save the drawers and slides for a future project. The legs below the horizontal shelf board on the sides are 7” long, so cutting the legs off at the bottom of this will get me the height I need. The first step was removing the screws that held the feet to the legs, and taping them off the legs. Thankfully the manufacturer did not do a good job of gluing them together! So the first problem is that I will need to drill the shortened legs for a new 1” dowel to mate with the existing hole in the feet, more on this later. I will not be regluing this joint when I reassemble the legs, I will add a couple screws from the foot into the horizontal shelf board to add the needed stiffening. The pins on the end of the legs are turned not a separate dowel, and are slightly larger than 1” anyway, with a matching larger hole in the feet. When I shorten the legs the cut will bisect the lower shelf bracket hole, so I clamped a scrap piece onto a leg, and drilled through the existing holes to make a jig. Next I drilled new upper holes using the jig, then opened up the inside with a larger drill to match the existing holes. I used a piece of duct tape on the larger drill as a depth guide. Sorry that some of the pictures are a little blurry. I had to balance the part on my knees while holding it in one hand and using the other for the camera. I broke out my miter saw to cut the legs. I adjusted the stop on the end of the table so all the legs would be the same length, and cut the first leg. At first I was going to cut just below the hole, but then decided to cut it flush, allowing the foot to rest on the cross piece. This should be more stable. To cut the other leg, I had to remove the square piece, which originally held the slides for the drawers. It stuck up past the top of the leg assembly, and interfered with the stop, when I flipped the assembly over to cut the other side. After the legs were cut I re-installed the piece, as it also stiffens the assembly.Here are both leg assemblies cut. As this picture shows the new end of the leg has this nice divot in it from the original shelf support hole. This is not very conducive to drilling the end for a dowel! So I build another jig to guide the drill for the new dowel hole. It was at this point that I discovered that both my old spade bit and even older Fosner bit were both dull and wandered while drilling!. So I tore the jig apart, and will buy a new drill bit, when I buy a piece of 1” dowel. -
The tools needed to get started in card modeling are ridiculously few. Basically, you need a cutting tool and some glue. Everything else is optional. Here's some basic tools: You'll need a self-healing cutting mat, available from most office supply or crafts stores. Next, you need something to cut with. Notice the lack of scissors in the picture. Most card modelers rarely use them. Instead, your garden-variety craft knife will do the job nicely and with more precision. Get a good supply of #11 blades -- card can be surprisingly hard on them. A steel rule is a must, not just for measuring, but more importantly for cutting straight lines. Glue is, of course, essential. A variety of glues will do the job, and each has merits and drawbacks. Good ol' PVA glue, either white (such as Elmer's) or yellow (wood glue -- hey, paper is wood, you know) are good general purpose glues with one proviso: it must be remembered that PVA glues are water-based, and card or paper will absorb the glue and deform. Thus, PVA is not good for gluing large surfaces together. Cyanoacrylate glue, or CA (commonly known as 'Super Glue', which is a brand name), has its uses in card modeling. Fast-cure CA can be wicked into card stock to stiffen it, and medium-cure CA is useful for gluing parts made of different media together, as well as for paper-to-paper bonds. Contact cement (not to be confused with rubber cement) is a non-water-based glue and thus good for gluing large surfaces together where severe warping would occur with a PVA glue. Contact cement sets rapidly, so repositioning of parts once they come in contact with each other is iffy at best. Modelers in Europe have access to UHU-brand glues that some modelers swear by. I haven't come across any myself, so I haven't had a chance to try them out. Polish modelers, who seem to be born with a master card modeler gene in their DNA, use something called 'butapren'; I'm not a chemist, so I'm not familiar with what exactly butapren glue is, and it doesn't seem to be easily available in the US, possibly because it is a favorite of glue sniffers. Perhaps someone with knowledge of this substance can fill us in. Now, on to some optional stuff that you'll probably want to have on hand: From left to right we have: blackened, annealed wire - an assortment of diameters is useful for making gun barrels, railings, etc. styrene rod - card can be rolled into tubes, but for tiny tubes, styrene is often a better choice assorted paint brushes - for painting, but also for aids in rolling tubes tweezers paint, marking pens, or other media for coloring cut edges (more on this later) calipers - for measuring card stock thickness, especially when laminating sheets together hobby pliers (not pictured) - for cutting and forming wire (end nippers, needle nose, round nose) Some other useful items to have are thin, flexible, clear acetate sheets (for glazing windows), matte clear spray varnish (for prepping parts sheets), and 3M spray adhesive (for laminating card and/or paper sheets together). 3M costs more than other brands, but take my advice, it's worth the money. Cheaper brands don't coat as evenly and produce clumpier spray patterns. Trust me -- I learned this the hard way. I'm sure there's some other stuff I forgot to list, but I'll add those if and when I remember them. Now, go get your supplies, and we'll move on to the model! Back to Part III: Shopping for Card Models On to Part V: Building V108 - The Hull
-
As it was the retired period from a 40 years period of tv, graphics, and 3d projects, i said it is time to test a second tool. The first was a laser and CNC tool. Now i bought a 3d printer to make from scratch, and i will show some tests. This are some of the first tests, working for the ship hobby. I also mede some "toys" for my granddaughter, just to see how to work. It seams it is a good tool, and to test parts for ships is excellent. I will show how i build, pictures and explanations soon Cristi -
Since there has been considerable discussion of lathes, milking machines direct read outs, and CNC lately I thought it might be worthwhile to present some thoughts on the way that I have used machine tools. For a number of years I have been interested in building a series of warships’ boats to a common scale of 1:32. My comments apply to scratch building of these models. If you are say turning a set of identical cannon barrels your needs may be completely different. Almost 20 years ago I bought a Sherline long bed lathe and milling column to replace an ancient Sears metal lathe that had died. The Sears lathe did have two features that I thought that I wanted that the Sherline lacked: power feed, and a tail stock that could be set over to turn a taper. As it has turned out I have not needed either of these features. I have also found that that my work has not required a vast assortment of accessories. Chucks and hold downs: For most of my work, I use a 1/2 in Jacobs chuck attached to a Morse tapered shank that fits into the headstock. I also have a Sherline three jaw chuck but have only needed to use it two or three times. I also have a set of fractional collet chucks that are great for machining fractional sizes of brass rod. If I have rod that matches one of these collets I use it. Another highly useful and inexpensive accessory is a set of T nuts and hold downs. While their application to the mill is obvious they can also be used for making fixtures, sometimes from plywood that can be clamped to the tool post. I recently needed to drill a hole longitudinally down an oar shaft to fit a handle. Freehand made a mess of things. I made a U shaped bracket from plywood and mdf, held down to the toolpost with T nuts. A drill equal to the oar shaft diameter was chucked in the headstock and by moving the toolpost was drilled through the two uprights of the U. This hole was now centered on the headstock. A smaller drill equal to the handle diameter was chucked and by feeding the oar shank through the holes in the U bracket a hole concentric to the center of the oar shaft resulted. Drilling: Many projects involve drilling a hole, and for this a tail stock chuck is essential. I also use the sensitive drilling attachment in the milling column whenever I can. Turning: I have a vertical sanding machine with a 1in wide belt ( a linisher to our British friends) that I prefer for grinding lathe tools. I find this to be easier to use than a bench grinder. A parting tool is essential, but I also have a miniature one made from 1/4 in bar stock that accepts a piece of an Exacto blade. While the regular lathe tools are used for turning stock to a diameter or tapering, much detailing is done freehand with needle files. Calibration: For much work, I find that cut and try using simple plywood gages is easier than using the calibrated handwheels. For example I recently made a set of belaying pins. The raw material was 1/16 in brass rod. First this was chucked in a 1/16in collet chuck and the shank was turned to 1/32in, the diameter checked with a 1/32in hole drilled in a piece of thin model plywood. It was necessary to turn a short section of rod to its required diameter, then loosen the collet and to feed out another section until the entire shank had been turned. Otherwise it would have collapsed. The head of pin was then shaped with needle files and the pin was cut off with a razor saw. With some ingenuity there are all sorts of simple gages that can be made to produce work of sufficient accuracy. Roger -
I am about to rig my longboat model and while the rigging is simple, I would like to do a good job of it. There has been discussion on the forum about the use of fly tying thread thread and some mention of fly tying tools. Can anyone who has used fly tying tools comment on which tools they have found to be useful and how they are used? Thanks, Roger
-
Hello, Aside from being generally entertaining and culturally informative. I think you'll see some tools and techniques that could be adapted for dimensioning think strips of wood, e.g. the 'planer', the 'bender', the 'splitter'. -
I don't want to make advertise, and this is why i don't present the name of the manufacture. I was a "good boy" and Santa Clause (from my own pocket) came early ths year I will try to present the toy, and how it looks inside, for the one that want to buy one, and did not see the interior of the box
-
All, I have a couple questions. I have been granted permission to purchase a mill. I have decided on a Sherline 5400. Where has everyone purchased their equipment? Directly from Sherline? An authorized dealer? Obviously I'm looking to get the best deal I can. Also which does everyone prefer, imperial or metric? I don't want to start a debate, but just looking as to which direction everyone goes and why. What about DRO (Digital Read Out) seems like it would be a nice feature to have. What about CNC, I've never used CNC before and for what I will be using the mill for it doesn't really seem to be an option I would really need right now. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks Shawn -
I found this website during browsing for another thing. It has a lot of good info but also ideas of what we builder can built ourselves to help us in the workshop and having some diy tools. Specially lathe setup with a power drill seems interesting.
-
With the oft-repeated discussions about which power tools to use, and the oft-repeated replies referring to the fact that they didn't have power tools in the 18th Century, I was wondering where to look for articles about the tools and techniques used at that time by ship modellers. I'd really like to know more about which tools were used, how they were made and the various little techniques that were used to achieve their perfect results -- especially in making Admiralty models. I suppose it's strongly linked to fine cabinet making, especially in miniature-- and there's probably lots of info on that. Obviously knives, blades, saws and chisels don't need much discussion, and I'm clear about the types of lathe used. But I'd be quite interested in accurate drilling, for example, or sanding techniques or the kinds of jig that may have been used. I'm sure lots of you have already considerable knowledge about this, so I thought I'd ask to see where I might start. Thanks for any replies or interest! Tony -
Hello, everyone! I am currently preparing to build my first wooden ship model (the Amati/Victory Models Lady Nelson). I have been reading up on the various techniques needed to construct the hull, and while I wait for the kit to arrive, I thought I'd go about gathering some basic tools to help me with the build. I thought it might be a good idea to list the various tools that I have purchased (or will purchase) so that all the knowledgeable and experienced members of this forum can let me know if I'm forgetting something important. Since this is my first build (and I'm on a budget), I am keeping it simple and sticking to basic hand tools -- you won't find any lathes or Dremels in this list! I'm not going to be using any special plank-bending tools, as the "old school" method of soaking the planks, bending them over the bulkheads, clamping them, and allowing them to dry before attachment really appeals to me (and seems like a great way to get a really nice fit). I should also mention that, for now, I'm focusing on the tools I will need to construct the hull (I don't want to get ahead of myself). When it comes time to do the rigging, I will obtain a few extra tools, such as picks/hooks and perhaps a "helping hands" with a magnifier. So, here's my list: Deluxe Ship Modeler's Tool Set (I found a great deal on this set, and since I don't have any of the tools included with it, I thought it would be a good place to start; the set includes 3 hobby knives with 15 assorted blades, aluminum miter box with razor saw blade, pointed nose tweezers, flush cutter with spring-loaded handles , aluminum awl, 4 assorted gouges, 2 small needle files, pin vise with 3 micro drill bits, and a wooden sanding block with wedge) Mantua Strip Clamp (doubles as a keel clamp for hull work and a plank vise with a metal edge to assist in planing planks when tapering) Additional needle files (to supplement the contents of the kit) Miniature wood plane (1" wide) Analog calipers (I chose these over digital calipers for the savings, and the lack of batteries required) Small square Ruler Metal compass and mechanical pencil Emery boards Sandpaper (assorted grits) White wood glue CA glue Wood filler Small folding clips (the black metal clips with silver metal arms; for clamping during hull planking) T-pins Q-Tips Index cards Self-healing cutting mat Swing-arm lamp (with magnifier) From what I can tell, this list seems to include the essentials that I'll need to do a good job, while not being too pricey. Let me know what you think! Thanks! -
Hello, I ran across this article, and I thought it might be interesting to those who have limited space to work. As shown, it is meant to be clamped in a large workbench vise, but it could easily be altered for C-clamping to a table or desk top. https://books.google.com/books?id=UyYDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PA158#v=onepage&q&f=false It occurs to me that the persons who would find this most useful probably do not have the facilities or tools to make one. If that's so, then I could make this or a customized workboard for you in exchange for compensation for materials & labor. Please PM me if you're interested. And before I forget, here's a source for good quality tools and other items at reasonable prices: C.R. Hill of Berkeley MI. http://www.crhill.com/
-
This addition is something of an aside, and, at the risk of looking foolish I thought I'd share it. Like, I suspect, many others, there is an abundance of tools I'd like to possess but simply cannot justify the purchase price. One of the primary ones being a keel clamp. One of the better ones is the lovely one costing a little short of £50.00. Well, I was in Aldi this afternoon, actually went specifically to have a look at one of their "specials", a table vice, which I thought could maybe pressed into service as a keel clamp, and with other uses. The vice edges are rubber sheathed to protect the object in the jaws. I bought one. Getting it home I thought perhaps it was a waste of money, its quite a robust thing, die cast aliminium and weighty with it. However I tried it; I was pleasantly surprised. Have a look at the photo just taken. Its bulky and its use will be limited, but I can see it proving useful for some tasks. Its available as a clamp mounted thing that clamps to a table edge or similar or a suction mounted one. And why am I making such a fuss? Well it costs less than £7.00!! bryanc
-
I've been doing some research and interviewing some older ship in bottle builders and thought I'd open this discussion up on this forum. I'm gathering information on how some of the first ships in bottle were built in hopes of using the same materials tools and techniques and documenting the experience through a build log and my blog. It seems to me a lot of this information is fading in time or at the very least hard to find. I'd like to contribute another source to make it that much easier to find and keep it alive. Here's what I have so far. Wood used was mainly pine. While not used for actual ships it had a lot of other purposes and was widely available. Hulls were often thinner then what would be scale. Segmented hulls were not often if ever done in older ship in bottles. I have heard of old ships in bottles being made from bone as well. Masts and yards were made from either splintered wood or match sticks. Both would have likely been sanded down with dry sharkskin. Glue was made from different fish parts boiled down. There's youtube videos on this I'd have to dig around for them again though. Thin thread may have been hard to find but wax from candles could have been used to strengthen pieces enough to use. Don Hubbard had a thought that Baleen from whales could have been used for thread but there's no way to know for sure. Sails were not common among old ship in bottles because they were harder to do. Usually the ship was just shown with the bare yards. When it was done they used paper or some times wood shavings. Sea is tricky and I think it depends on the time period. Michael Bardet suggested that seas were made of wood in old ship in bottles. I've seen some of the old ships he restores, some as old as 1895, and have seen how that was done. His work is incredible I highly suggest seeing it. http://michel.bardet.pagesperso-orange.fr/indexa.htm Other methods for sea was some kind of putty with pigment in it. Don Hubbard theorizes that green copper oxide could have been used as well. As far as bottles I found an interesting idea from an article by Louis Norton. He says that most alcohol would have been transported in wood barrels on sailing ships so the bottles used were more likely medicine or spice bottles. I wouldn't doubt that a sailor would keep a clear liquor bottle he picked up in port though. Most of the old bottles I've seen have mostly been wine bottles. I've looked around a little bit in regards to tools. Sailors definitely had knives and this would have been a primary tool. Other things I found were surgical scissors and Sail Awls. Tweezers or forceps could have been carved out of wood. I'm not sure yet on drills. Don Hubbard uses a technique where you sand down a needle and use it as a drill. This may have been the tool used. Shark skin for sand paper. From what I can tell sailors were quiet resourceful. Just about anything and everything could have been used. I'm sure there's ideas I haven't thought of or possibly books I don't know about. If you have any ideas please post them.
-
Calling all Seattle and/or PNW Shipwrights! Where are your favorite tool stores, suppliers, shops in the area? Other regional things/places of interest? Thanks ahead of time...
-
Hello A few words on how I use a set of proportional dividers during planking, I hope some of you can find it useful I´m planking HMS Victory and in doing so I´m putting my set of proportional dividers to good use. This tool is not by any meens absolutely nessecary to have if your starting out on your first few kits, but as one gets further in to the hobby one finds that this Little engenious tool has many uses around the ship, one beeing aiding in those precarious tapering jobs during planking. When I first started to look for a set of dividers I noticed that they where not that easy to come by in Sweden and that turned out to be a story in it self. I cant remember how, but I got in contact with a violin builder in germany by the age of 80-something. He apparently also made proportional dividers of different sizes. Now I had little knowledge about theese thingies and what size I needed for my models. This man simply sent me a few samples of his dividers in different sizes stating. - Pay for the one you want and send the rest back !!! So I did just that. You don´t find that kind of confidence and trust in people often theese days, in the years to come I recieved a christmastcard from him every year as probably most of his violincostumers. So what does the dividers do, originaly designed to divide circles in equal parts this tool serves by dividing a sertain distance into equal parts depending on how you set them. I have set the dividers in the Picture to 3 meaning that the smaller pointers will show exactly 1/3 of the distance between the larger ones. Lets get ito it -
I need some input from users of rotary tools. Dremel seems to be the most common, but reviews are pro and con and different models are favored over others. I did my first small POB and did fine with common tools, but there were times a small rotary device would have done a faster and maybe better job. I have a lot of tools for working on full size boats but few for small ones. I am expecting my new build shortly and want to be ready.
-
Greetings. New to the site and had a quick question regarding what folks do to keep the knives and other shiny pointy stuff out of the way of the grandkids? I'm setting up a new work area in a spare room in the house that is frequented by a 4 and a 2 year old who can be quite curious. Right now, I keep most everything in the top of a closet. I'd like to keep it on the work table where it is quickly available. I use a collection of the small plastic tray cabinets but they do not lock, hence their home in the top of the closet. Ideas? Thanks Mark
-
My wife gave me for my 60th birthday this new bench and toolbox that looks fairly nice 'in the house'. The combination really cleans up the clutter in my work area.
-
I'm moving to scratch building with the Echo cross section and buying a scroll saw to cut frames. Lots of choices there but my question is what blade (size, type, model - not manufacturer) for what purpose. Specifically what blade to use to cut frames from boxwood for the Echo, which one to use for small pieces of wood and very precise cuts without splintering, how to augment my Byrnes saw with precise cuts, curves, 90 degree turns etc. I've never owned a scroll saw. I'm sure it's a different experience than all the othe model and big boy power tools I have.
-
I'm very new to this forum and this hobby. I'm building a 1/400 model of BB-63 and was totally unprepared for dealing with the number of tiny parts. I've already lost two little vent pipes that flipped out of my surgical tweezers. What kind of needle nose tweezers are best for gripping these things? I have surgical clamps, but they crush the pieces out of shape. I have surgical tweezers, but they lose their grip and the parts fly off to Neverland. There must be a solution. Thanks in advance for any tips!! Kahuna
-
I found a topic on MSW explaining the "Frolich Style Rope Walk Plans" and there was links to: Version 1 Drawing # sheet 1 Drawing # sheet 2 Version 2 Drawing # sheet 1 Drawing # sheet 2 Unfortunately they are broken links and no further work. Has anybody got these sheets, if so would you be able to send them to me please as I really want to see them? I await your response> Thank you Barry
.thumb.jpg.87c2a0c51ff1edbddd091933927402eb.jpg)
Our Emblem
