Enterprise by src - Constructo - 1:51 - or Lessons in Adapt Improvise and Overcome

[cog]

You've been fly fishing or ... at least fishing is to some good relaxation ... it drives me nuts, so I refrain from doing it. Hope your friend's 50th birthday was a hit, very kind to make your house available to him!!

 

Nice miniature plane collection, Sam. The violin plane in the background I like especially - I'm a fool for brass. It sometimes is very demanding to get the right balance as you are finding out. You could set the plane on top of a flat surface, e.g. a glass pane, put a (or multiple) plastic sheet(s) with the right/required thickness between the glass and the plane and adjust the blade/chisel(?) 

 

Cheers

[src]

Carl, the fishing was relaxing except for having to learn how to cast...again. Something I go through every year as I only get one trip a year anymore.

 

I am using the Ibex brass plane in the background quite a bit lately, its pretty easy to adjust, just like you described. The new plane, not so much. I have found that adjusting it like a large traditional wooden plane works somewhat. A lite tap on the back to decrease the cut and a lite tap on the top of the iron to increase. where the problem arises is tightening down the nut that holds everything together, it changes the depth of cut. I try not to bash an entire country, but things like this are what I have come to expect from tools with the "Made in China" sticker. You get what you pay for.

 

Sam

[src]

I have been tinkering with my top masts, figuring out how they interact with the lower masts. TFFM and Masting and Rigging give lots of information but not everything, that or I am just too dense to comprehend what they are trying to tell me. On my second set of top masts. Nothing much to show though, work has kicked up again, back on 6/10 days until we go to 7/10's and beyond. Posting will be extra lite for the next couple of months.

 

The boss took on a parade float re-hab. I forgot just how complicated they are, when you see one tooling down a parade rout you just dont realize how much cr@p is packed into these things!! Ridiculous engineering requirements, 1000's of pounds of batteries and literally miles of cable. I am grateful to have a good steady job though, better half just found full time work after 14 months, at 1/2 the salary.

 

Until then!!

 

Sam

[cog]

Sorry to hear the work kicked in again. Employers do know there isn't much chance an employee will not make the extra time in fear of loosing his/her job. Aswell they know they can offer lower wages when the interest for a position is high ... Fortunately whe have something like minimum wages. What happend to your better half would result in the employer being served a heavy fine and a rectification of the wages paid when not conforming to the law.

 

Hope to see you back at the bench soon, we'll be here, waiting in anticipation

 

Cheers

[src]

Continuing to tinker with top masts in my spare time.

 

Thanks Carl, Our work is somewhat "seasonal" but it does seem as if we have been "on" more than off.

 

She hasn't been able to find a job in her chosen field and finally accepted a position at the yoga studio she has been teaching at for several years.

[src]

Mini update.

I have finished shaping my Main Top Mast and am now tinkering with the Fore Top Mast. I still have a ways to go and as I commented above, build time is at a premium. I am getting 15-30 minutes here and there.The parts are still long, I will trim them down once I have all the adjusting and such done. I havent decided if I will go with the third mast up or follow instructions and stop with the top masts, I would like to finish this build one day. That being said, I seem unable to NOT tinker with things.

Sam

[russ]

Sam:

I know the feeling. In the end, you are the only one has to be pleased with the work. Do that and all else will come together. Good work on the topmasts.

 

Russ

[cog]

Nice work on those masts, Samwise (or should it be mastwise ...)

[Captain Slog]

Hi Sam,

 

Very nice work on the masts.

 

From your picture though I can't work out if that is one enormous chisel or an awesome tiny square!  I like it!

 

Cheers

Slog

[src]

Thanks all for the good words and the likes.

 

Russ, that is great advice. I keep telling myself I have to look at it and be ok with others looking at it. Most people will never know the difference.

 

Slog, I used a special "forced perspective" lense.

Actually the square is something I made years ago, it is surprisingly accurate considering its hand made. One day when I have a mill I will make a new one.

 

Carl, you may call me Obe Mast Kenobe if you wish

[Sjors]

Great Sam !!!!

 

Will you send me one of those square ????

I never see a little thing like that !!!!!!!

 

Sjors

[src]

Sjors, Thank you!! It was made by Gnome Geeks (they are "square" ) It was actually fairly easy to make, a piece of brass and two pieces of Manzonia then clamped up against a machinists square. It has been one of my go to tools over the last several years, I am surprised nobody has noticed it in the background before.

Sam

[cog]

Before I call you Obi anything, where is your light chissel???

[src]

I have finished 8 squaring the main portion of my Fore Top and have moved on to 8 squaring the tapered area, Hounds? Too lazy to look it up at the moment. Pictures later when it looks more different than the last set.

 

Carl, we hardly know each other! A little forward arent you??

 

Sam

[src]

Brian thank you. Yes that chisel is 8-10 years old. I am not even sure they are easily found here in the States anymore. It takes and holds an edge very well. It's not equal to my Two Cherries chisels, but I will put it up against my Pfiel chisels any day. Especially when you consider I paid less than $10.00 US each for a set of four.

Sam

[src]

I am back, sort of. Over the last two months I have managed to form the Main Top Mast Cross Trees. Still continuing to use TFFM and Masting and Fitting for inspiration. Once again I have deviated from Constructos plans and will build the third masts, (Top Gallant??)

 

Forming the curve of the cross trees was relatively easy yet somewhat time consuming. We have several blocks of varying density urethane foams at work and I had access to the scraps I grabbed a couple of small chunks of 5 and 10 pound foams out of the trash and started carving a female mold, after first making a male mold. I used the profile of the male mold to sand a matching pocket. I screwed and epoxied the male form to a base and made my first attempt. The faom mold wanted to rock on me so I had to use an additional clamp to keep it in place, by the time I did this the wood had cooled so much it didnt hold its shape, after all night clamped up they sprung back to almost their original shape. I Reheated and tried again this time they stayed clamped up for several days as work took over my entire life.

Results below.

 

 

 

 

[Julie Mo]

Really nice work, Sam!  I'm a nut for detail and the close-up shots were eye candy for me.

[src]

Thanks Julie! Always nice to see fresh faces here. I love it when other builders use a macro too, really lets us see what they are doing. Now If only I had a way to get the "on deck" shots some of the other builders get. That means buying a point and shoot though and it would probably end up collecting dust and then donated like my last PnS camera.

 

Ok mini update time and a question/advice.

 

I glued up my Main Top Mast Cross Trees yesterday and placed them on the Top Mast to see how they looked. They seem a little spindly and small. Based on the proportions given in Lee they are correct or I screwed up the calcs somewhere. The Top Masts are still long, I will trim the tops at a later date after the caps are built.

 

Pictures below. The close up is next to one of my earlier Main Cross-tree/Trestle-Tree attempts for a size comparison. The only difference in the Lower assembly in the picture and the one one the mast is the addition of the 3rd cross tree. Otherwise the dimensions are the same.

 

Main Top Mast Cross Trees set in place. They seem small to me.

 

Main Top Mast Cross Trees set against a rejected Main Cross Tree for size comparison.

 

Comments, questions and constructive criticism all welcome

 

Sam

[Vivian Galad]

Neat work, Sam! I´ll just be following u in here, if u don´t mind.

[src]

Welcome aboard and thinks Vivian!! I have admired your build technics many times.

Follow along to your hearts content. I have to warn you thought it's going to be a long journey. 1) I can't seem to stop tinkering and 2) work constantly interferes with my life.

Sam

[popeye the sailor]

wow.......don't know how this one eluded my radar!  super looking build Sam!     you had a few problems......but that's normal.  you've also been bashing and scratch build'in as well......you'll find that this is normal too   read through your log.......enjoyed what you've done.   wish I would have caught you earlier...you coulda kept those woolings.  all you have needed to do,  is slot a strip of wood to line up with them,  and ran it down the front of the mast.  I see you've got a pair down the sides......so I wouldn't do it now {you would've needed to slot them as well}.   they look good as they are  

 

I missed out on the better half of your build.........at least I can watch you rig her     super job my friend!

[src]

Holy Like ButtonPopeye!!! I about fell of my chair when I saw the like count. Assumed it was a website error. You just sat down and read the entire build? You a either a patient man or a glutton for punishment. Thank you and welcome to the build.

 

Sam

[Sjors]

Nice masts Sam   

 

Almost finished the ship now ????

 

Sjors

[src]

Sjors, Thank you.

Almost finished?? I guess if I was the average builder here I would say yes, a couple more months, but, most likely if I finish in 2017 it will be towards the end of the year. Build time continues to be at a premium, and several times I have sat down to work and set my tools aside to go read or spend time with the Better Half.

Thanks for all the likes and comments they are always appreciated.  I have formed the Fore Top Cross Trees. Hopefully Saturday I will be able to make the Trestle Trees and get them glued up. After that a couple fo caps and and two more small masts and then I think I can start looking into some shrouds and stays.

Sam

[jct]

Hey Sam...nice work, love all the detail

[src]

Thanks J! I missed this somehow.

Still working 6+ days a week so NOTHING has been accomplished build-wise. I get home, take care of daily chores and get to sit down about an hour before its time to go to bed and start all over again. Unless we decide to take on another rush job I should be back on a more humane schedule by mod Feb and can get back to building.

 

Until then, Happy New Year everybody,

Sam

[cog]

Happy New Year Sam. Hope you'll get a bit more time for modelling this year ...

[jct]

Hey Sam...understood...working for a living kinda gets in the way of all good things  ...you seem to make good use of the time you have though, I seem to be forever tearing stuff down and starting  over     Happy new years to you as well

[src]

Carl thank you. Hopefully there will be more build time. Trying to be careful of what I ask for though, don't want "More build time" to equal unemployed!! I think I would be happy with a fair raise and a 40 hour work week with a few days here Nd there on O.T.

J. Sometimes I think if you look in Websters Dictionary you would find under Wooden Ship Modeling you would find something like "A mental disorder characterized by the masochistic need to constant rebuild parts regardless of the naked eyes ability to see the changes"

Sam

[popeye the sailor]

for what I'm doing at the moment Sam..........I can agree with you!