USS Constitution by Der Alte Rentner - Model Shipways - 1/76

[mtbediz]

Your planking work is very nice, far better than mine. Have a nice trip Peter.

[rlwhitt]

13 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

 

Thank you Rick.  I looked up your Essex build and am likewise impressed with your finished product.  I will be referring to that build when/if I do the copper plating.   I wish you had included more detail on the processes, especially the gallery window build.  Beautiful.

 

Thanks again.

Peter

 

Thanks Peter.  As for the gallery windows I just used the stock laser cut window frames and cut my skins to fit.  

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 1/19/2024 at 5:59 AM, mtbediz said:

Your planking work is very nice, far better than mine. Have a nice trip Peter.

I'm pretty sure from one of your build logs that you too know your way around Photoshop.  My philosophy is everyone deserves a good picture..  

Thank you.  

 

Best

Peter

[Der Alte Rentner]

May 08, 2024 Note from my future self:  Now that I've completed planking, I am sharing notes and observations of lessons learned in the process that I wish I'd thought about earlier in the build. 

 

1. Don't sweat scale. Much is made of  this business of scale.  Unless you're building from scratch using original plans, you will not actually be doing much 'to scale'.  And! Since most will likely be painting over the planking, there's no reason to be so darned fussy. You may want to observe some planking pattern that alternates over say four rows of planking so the butt joints are not on top of each other.  Go with whatever length and thickness of plank that is convenient to work with.  e.g. Mustafa (mtbediz) used planks twice the width recommended in the Hunt Practicum and saved himself about half the time it takes to plank the hull.  Frankly, if you're going to cover the lower hull with copper sheeting, there's no reason to do much more than cover that area with more than the basics.  

 

2. If you prefer a natural finish, choose different materials for planking than provided in the kit. The Constructo kit provides contrasting woods for hull planking, the deck, gun port strip, rails, etc. (Sapelly, Ayous, Manzonia, Mukaly and Anatolia).  Using anything other than the materials provided in your kit will probably net you a nicer result than staining basswood. 

 

3. Stick with the same planking pattern from the rails to the keel. Either I missed it, or the Practicum doesn't address this, but If consistency on planking pattern is important to you, then adapt one from the onset.  I lost track of this somewhere along the line and reverted to the Hunt pattern (more or less) below the wales.  Again, don't bother with this below the area you plan to apply copper sheeting.

 

4. Use filler blocks between Bulkheads A and B - possibly all the way to C,  Likewise, use more at the stern, perhaps extending as far forward as bulkhead P.  Fairing the bulkheads themselves only gets you so far when planking at the stem and stern.  Unless you really take care forming the correct bend in the planks, especially in the gaps between Bulkheads A and B, those sections could end up looking flat.  I think it would be easier to fair the hull with more filler blocks and the end result will be a more consistent hull shape in these areas.  

 

5. Do the math! and use tick marks.  Regardless of the width of the planking materials you choose to use, you will be tapering planks at the stem and stern.  To get a consistent lines, for and aft, especially in the wales, use tick marks.  The more the better.  I used them to define the zones of five strakes suggested in the practicum, and wish I'd paid closer attention to the slight variances I introduced in each strake within a zone.  This isn't easy, but take your time, do the math, build a spreadsheet of plank thicknesses at each bulkhead - port and starboard, and mark the bulkhead as best you can for each strake.  Again, if you're going to paint, maybe this is overkill anywhere other than the wales, where carelessness is most likely to be noticed.

 

6. Pay attention to where the bulkheads meet the bearding line and rabbets.  I thought I did such a great job shaping the bulkheads, until I got to the planking the last few strakes near the false keel.  Before you plank, you may want to see how well planks butt against the false keel and how they fit into the rabbets.  I needed to do a lot of tweaking at the end.  I feel much of this could have been avoided had been more careful in "fairing the hull" early on.  This is also why adding a few more filler blocks may assist in visualizing how planks will sit when you get that far.  

 

7. Super Glue as clamps. As useless as the instructions that came with the Constitution kit are, they did contain a very useful nugget of advice.  Use white glue on the edges of the planking in general, but use a drop of Super Glue at the bulkheads.  The latter sets quickly, so, if you work carefully, you can forget about using clamps for the bulk of the planking.  I began the planking at the spar deck using Titebond (yellow wood glue) and the seams between strakes all showed a dark cured glue.  Once I switched to plain old Elmer's white glue, I got clean nearly invisible seams.  The Super Glue itself also shows a browning color at the butt joints if you're not careful, so, use is sparingly.

 

8. Get a good brush to apply the white wood glue.  Don't even think about squeezing glue out of the Elmer's  glue container.  Use a good fairly stiff brush to apply this to the edges of the planking.  I used a Master's Touch paint brush (700 B-8 Bright) from Hobby Lobby.  Keep a cup of water and paper towels handy to clean the brush after each application of glue. 

 

9. Do use needle tips and gel version of Super Glue.  These long thin applicator tubes (aka needle tips) that you can attach to the Super Glue dispenser really aid in precision application of adhesive.  They also seem to prevent the glue from drying in the tube.  I found that the Gorilla Brand has containers that have micro precise dispensers that are so much easier to work with than the standard tubes. 

 

10. Magnifying glasses are a must. Maybe in my 20s and 30s, I could have gotten by with my version 1.0 eyeballs, but the over 40 disease has wreaked havock with my close vision and made working without magnifiers virtually impossible.  

 

11. Work in metric.  All my life I've worked in standard US fractions for woodworking, but I learned very early on in this project that it is so much easier to work in metric.  The math is so much easier.  

 

(enough for today.  back later to finish..)

 

 

 

 

 

Original January 22, 2024 post begins here:

I was at the shipyard yesterday starting the "Hull Analysis" as per chapter 6 in the Hunt Practicum.  This was a very enlightening process.  I think I'll be doing more tweaking on the bulkheads - especially as they approach the rabbet at the keel. 

 

Somewhere along the line, I lost track of the planking scheme Hunt outlined on page 28, when I did the wales.  For some reason, I used a three strake pattern there vs Hunt's four strake pattern from the plank sheer to the top of the gunports.  Worse, I noticed that I didn't use the same pattern on the port side as I did the starboard.  My notes do not indicate why I changed up the planking scheme for the wales.  So, for the remaining 40 strakes (8 zones of 5 planks each as suggested by Hunt), I will go back to the 4 strake formula.  

 

My thoughts on that are that Hunt should have/could have  suggested continuing the planking pattern when he started his discussion on the wales.  For those of you just getting to that part of the build.  Take note..  

 

After marking the zone ticks on each bulkhead, I fabricated one strake segment (stem to bulkhead D) to get an idea of how long it would take.  This was without the bending, shaping and gluing that will yet need to be done.  It took 10 minutes to do the one piece.  Let's do the math:

 

40 strakes per side

5 segments per strake

2 sides

10 minutes per segment

 

40 x 5 x 2 x 10 = 4,000 minutes  or 67 hours just to fabricate the segments.   Eeek!   

 

I won't chime back in until I've planked to the keel.  So, factoring in my time away from the shipyard for that trip down South,  see you sometime in (early?) March. 

 

Best to all.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 8 by Der Alte Rentner
added note from future self

[JSGerson]

If I remember correctly, Mr. Hunt planks one whole side, then does the other. I alternated back and forth every "band" in order to ensure my strakes mirrored each other.

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 1/22/2024 at 12:49 PM, JSGerson said:

If I remember correctly, Mr. Hunt planks one whole side, then does the other. I alternated back and forth every "band" in order to ensure my strakes mirrored each other.

 

Jon

 

I like that approach myself now.  When making the strake segments, I'll see if I can double up the planks in the milling process.  From the numbers I've seen in my most recent spreadsheet (yes, I took the laptop to the shipyard and went digital), the dimensions port and starboard are pretty much the same.  So, I might be able to save some time.  

 

P.S.

I may regret this later, but because the wale on one side had such a deep divot in it, I actually pulled segments off of three strakes near the bow and am patching that area with slightly convex(?)/curved segments.  From what I saw after replacing one of the first segment, I will have fairly well evened out the offending area.   Since I'm editing this reply, rather than posting a new log entry, probably no one will see these pre-travel Post Script comments.  

 

As always, thanks for your time and attention Jon.

Peter

 

Edited January 24 by Der Alte Rentner
added P.S.

[Der Alte Rentner]

I'm back at work in the shipyard.  Though I enjoyed my time on Lido Key visiting my brothers, I was stunned to see that I had put on eight pounds.  Silly me, I though I was keeping up with the diet and exercise and would come home perhaps a pound or two lighter.  Ugh!  Back to my routine.  But first:

I had to get rid of that dip in the wale at bulkhead D.  So, I opted for demolition and re construction:

Before:

 

The remodeling:  Note the plank temporarily in place to mark the new lower edge of the wale.  (upper edge in this bottom up photo) 

 

After: Not perfect, but much less annoying.

 

The rest of the day was spent revisiting my measurements and marking the bulkheads with tick marks to indicate the 8 zones I intend to plank.  I opted out of using proportional dividers and the start-in-the-middle-with-1/8"-strips as advocated by Bob Hunt.  Instead I'm going for a more mathematical approach, which I've seen others at the site use as well.  

 

I double checked the numbers bulkhead by bulkhead and made sure my spreadsheet was correct.  Here's the paper strip I used to measure distance from bottom of wale to rabbet on port side bulkhead J.  

 

The numbers on the spreadsheet check out.  In later steps, I'll be using the individual plank dimensions to shape the planks. 

 

Using a tool I've kept since my high school drafting class, the small divider, I set the width for the zone to 14.84 mm (1/8 of 118.68mm) using my vernier caliper.  This was a little fiddly but close enough.  I walked the divider up the bulkhead making little holes that I marked with pencil.  Rinse and repeat for all bulkheads on both sides.

 

 

 

 

 

I tapered the lines at the stern, keeping an eye out for symmetry between port and starboard.

 

That's enough for one day.  Time to update the build logs (this one and the king-sized Word document on my home PC).  

Next up will be to do the tapering at the bow and finally start making small pieces of planking out of larger ones..    

 

Edited February 15 by Der Alte Rentner
corrected typo

[JSGerson]

It looks like your planking is coming along very nicely. I did a variation of your method of planking. Instead of putting tick marks on the bulkheads, I marking the planks with the bulkhead position, and calculated the proper width the plank should be at that point. Then using a micrometer, shaped the plank ensuring  that at each bulkhead mark, the plank was the correct width for each bulkhead position, for each zone. I just couldn't trust my tick marks on the bulkhead. At these scales, the width of a pencil mark can have big consequences.

 

Jon

[woodartist]

2 hours ago, JSGerson said:

It looks like your planking is coming along very nicely. I did a variation of your method of planking. Instead of putting tick marks on the bulkheads, I marking the planks with the bulkhead position, and calculated the proper width the plank should be at that point. Then using a micrometer, shaped the plank ensuring  that at each bulkhead mark, the plank was the correct width for each bulkhead position, for each zone. I just couldn't trust my tick marks on the bulkhead. At these scales, the width of a pencil mark can have big consequences.

 

Jon

I used the same technique on Lady Isabelle,  I had the same issue with tick marks. I used the protruding pin on the micrometer to due the measurement.

[Der Alte Rentner]

4 hours ago, JSGerson said:

It looks like your planking is coming along very nicely. I did a variation of your method of planking. Instead of putting tick marks on the bulkheads, I marking the planks with the bulkhead position, and calculated the proper width the plank should be at that point. Then using a micrometer, shaped the plank ensuring  that at each bulkhead mark, the plank was the correct width for each bulkhead position, for each zone. I just couldn't trust my tick marks on the bulkhead. At these scales, the width of a pencil mark can have big consequences.

 

Jon

I plan to use the math to shape the planks as well.  That's why I went to the trouble of creating that first spreadsheet.  I am developing a second one that tells  me what the width of a plank segment should be at each bulkhead.  Since there will be tapering at the stem and stern, I'll have to make some adjustments to the sheet - Starboard side calcs shown below. 

 

The tick marks are there as a double check.  Recall the issue I just corrected at bulkhead D (post 127 above)?  I want to avoid a repeat of that and I think these tick marks will alert me to anything going awry.   

 

Edited February 16 by Der Alte Rentner
added spreadsheet image

[Der Alte Rentner]

I can't believe how long it's taking per strake on the remaining planking.  Yesterday I was at the shop for 6 hours of uninterrupted work, and I only got two strakes on the port side done.  With the one I did a few days earlier, I have 77 more to go.  At 3 hours per strake, I've got 231 hours to go before the hull is finished.  I had hoped to get into a groove, but found that there was more prep work involved before adding a strake, and more finishing work required after a strake was in.  The prep work was mostly tweaking the bulkheads, which I thought I had faired so well (evidently NOT), and making adjustments to my math to keep the strake line clean - no more dips or fat spots.   

 

In retrospect, Bob Hunt's slight shortcut of using 1/8" planks for the central sections of the hull would have saved me some time.  But, in for a penny, in for a pound.  I'm losing a bit of time shaving a fraction of a mm off of each plank there.  But the milling machine makes that fairly easy.  

 

Also, I found it easier to work with a revised spreadsheet.  Since each zone has slightly different widths at the bow and stern, I didn't find the one I started with (above) that useful.  See below for the work in progress.  I've got a page for every zone - port and starboard.

 

Strake 1 on port side:

 

 

 

Strakes 2 and 3:

 

 

 

I don't think I'll be back until I've completed all of the planking - assuming I alternate zones port to starboard, or after I complete the port side, assuming I don't alternate.

 

See you in late March or early April?

[JSGerson]

As you know from reading my blog, I'm not the speediest builder, so take this with a handful of salt. I started my planking in April 2020 and didn't finish until July 2021. Of course, my planking was interrupted by working on the the gun deck and its furniture. So cumulatively, it only took about 9 months to plank my hull and prepare it for copper plating. This is not including the planking around the gun ports which was done earlier. So a month or two to plank your hull, that's nothing.😁

 

Looking good so far! Remember, it's not a race; take your time and enjoy the journey.

 

Jon 

[Der Alte Rentner]

Taking a break from planking today to do research on how to deal with the last few rows down to the keel - (NOT THAT I'M THERE YET!  I still have seventy rows or seven zones to go). 

 

My first reference point is XKen's build log from 2016 (see below). 

 

I'm a zone and a half (Bob Hunt Practicum terminology) from being at this point.  Given that I can't manage to get those pins to stick anyway, I'm glad I settled on a super glue based method that avoids their use.  After shaping the stem and stern plank segments, which included bending, cutting the angle to butt properly to the counter or stem, shaving some excess material off the filler block side of at planks, and testing the fit, I applied a couple of drops of super glue to the filler block for about a quarter inch - at the point closest to stem or stern, and carefully affixed the plank to butt nicely in place.  20 seconds later, I applied wood glue to the plank edges and super glue to the bulkheads.  Keeping the plank slightly bent, I pressed it to one bulkhead at a time until the entire segment was solidly locked into place.  As long as the super glue is still wet, the setting process does not begin, so there's time to work the plank into place and do so without the use of clamps at all!  

 

Next time I'm in the shipyard, I'll try to put together a photo montage to illustrate the process.  

 

Research continues..  How do you manage the ticks at stem and stern for the last two zones?  

 

Also, I've learned the importance of preparing the bulkheads for each plank segment I install.  Done right, the planks require very little shaping after they are in place.   

 

I did manage to get back to the shipyard to "put together a photo montage" as mentioned above.

Here's the process in pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=============================

From XKen's build log from 2014:

=============================

Moving down below the wale with the hull planking and going slow and carefully trying not to have any gaps to avoid any filler. I am also adding glue the full length of each plank on the mating edge. I have been wetting the ends involved with the bow and stern which are also tapered to fit the tick marks as required. I also made some clamps using spring clips and wood stock that work along the sides but I still need to use spacer blocks and T pins at the bow and stern.

 Here are a few in progress pictures of the hull planking with belt A complete and moving through belt B.

This shows the spring clamps in place down the side.

 

Here is a picture of the stern.

 

Edited February 27 by Der Alte Rentner
added photos to illustrate gluing technique

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 2/22/2024 at 12:57 PM, JSGerson said:

cumulatively, it only took about 9 months to plank my hull and prepare it for copper plating. This is not including the planking around the gun ports which was done earlier. So a month or two to plank your hull, that's nothing.😁

Your build log was my second stop this afternoon.  I was considering doing as you did, start planking wale to keel for a few zones, then switching to keel up and meeting in the middle.  You noted that Bob Hunt did the planking from wale to keel, but in the Practicum he applied his tick marks first - and that was done with a top to middle, bottom to middle methodology.   Just having completed zone 1 on both sides, I'm already veering off course with the ever so meticulously applied and mathematically calculated tick marks (well, at least at the extreme ends).  I am pouring over build logs to find the best way to deal with these tick marks - especially at the stem.  Measure six or seven times, cut once...

 

To the point about this taking a while?  It doesn't help when one breaks a plank (or two or three) in a zone.  Yeech!   (methodology modified to hopefully prevent this going forward)

 

😉

 

 

Edited February 25 by Der Alte Rentner
what else, typo correction..

[Der Alte Rentner]

Hey, I'm getting the hang of this planking thing!  It's time consuming getting everything set up before gluing a plank segment, but done right, the seams are really tight and there's very little trimming required afterwards.  Nuff said..  (well, except for figuring out how the new phone camera works.  I swear these photos looked a log lighter on the phone.  Oh well.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GGibson]

Initial planking looks very nice!

[Geoff Matson]

It always amazes me that all the work we put into our models. But, there is only one way to do things, and that is the right way. Great job. 

[Der Alte Rentner]

33 minutes ago, Geoff Matson said:

there is only one way to do things, and that is the right way.

Amen to that! 

 

(Yesterday could have been that motorcycle day.  Almost got it down from the jack stand, where I keep it for the winter.  What a difference a day makes!  72 yesterday, 22 this morning)

[JSGerson]

Coming along nicely

 

Jon

[Der Alte Rentner]

My first jog

 

 

 

4 zones done.  12 to go.

 

 

 

crud, I just noted the lack of symmetry!  Gotta fix that with the next strake..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 7 by Der Alte Rentner
deleted two photos

[mtbediz]

Planking looks so good.

[SUBaron]

On 8/1/2023 at 7:11 PM, Der Alte Rentner said:

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Peter - I appreciate your detailed posting of the stern transom section. I am at this stage of my build now, and have performed my usual referencing of the Practicum, plans and builds. I too have the same issues with my "laser cut parts". That term makes me laugh - I'm not sure if the usage of "laser" is meant to impart a thought of "serious accuracy", but whatever software is running that laser needs a serious update. Bob H's Practicum typically has some sort of "WTF" head scratching moment. For this section, it came on Pg 17 of section 2.2 "Stern Transom Framework" @Para 2, second sentence, "Because you added 1/8" to the back side of transom frames 1...". Of course, there was no instruction to add 1/8" to the backside of anything... I feel okay bashing the practicum given the cost, and the general lack of editing (it appears at times that Bob just pressed save, then published it as is. I have found that many of the practicum's photos are nearly completely useless for the detail they are intended to display, these Conny builds have saved me numerous times). 

 

I'm impressed with your bevy of tools. My dad always tells me to use the right tool for the job. In this hobby, you often have to improvise, but the right tool is typically only a few days away!! Even so, I often find myself just eyeballing, shaping, eyeballing some more, redux, ponder, glue. 

 

Cheers!

Andre

 

 

[JSGerson]

I have always stated that Mr. Hunt's practicums should be used as a GUIDE and not as the bible. The practicums are written as he is building his model, so  not only do you see the problems he runs into, but more importantly, WHEN he realizes he has a problem and he has to fix it. If you follow him step by step, you will make the same mistake and have to fix it like he did. He did not go back to edit the practicum to warn the reader of the impending pitfall. You will also find that he does not always complete his model, but talks his way to the finish. That being said, I could not have started, let alone build, my Rattlesnake or presently, the USS Constitution with out his help.

 

Jon

[SUBaron]

49 minutes ago, JSGerson said:

“I have always stated that Mr. Hunt's practicums should be used as a GUIDE and not as the Bible...”

“That being said, I could not have started, let alone build, my Rattlesnake or presently, the USS Constitution with out his help.

 

Jon”

Jon - I do agree with your first statement, now. Though when I purchased the practicum - I thought it was perhaps more than it is. Like you - even with these incredible Constitution build logs (I also use yours often - thanks!!), I likely wouldn’t have begun without the practicum. I knew I was jumping into the deep end of the pool with this build, and I’m enjoying it, in no small part, b/c of the practicum. However at $100+, the practicum wasn’t cheap. My expectations where/are commensurate with the cost. Just like ordering steak 🙂

Peter - hope you don’t mind my friendly practicum discussion with Jon on your log - and great job on the planking! 🙂

Cheers!!

-Andre

[Der Alte Rentner]

5 hours ago, SUBaron said:

Peter - hope you don’t mind my friendly practicum discussion with Jon on your log - and great job on the planking! 🙂

Cheers!!

-Andre

 

Not at all,  I've done the same thing with other build logs.  I was hoping to be able to quote Mustafa when I did the same thing at his build log, but couldn't find the post.  (I'm sure Jon will chime in with the particulars, however.  I believe he and I were having an exchange of thoughts in Mustafa's build log). 

 

The gist of it was this, that's what these build logs and this website is for (IMHO).   

 

As to your earlier comment on the Hunt WTF moment.  I can't find this either, but I posted pretty much the exact same comment about that reference to the 1/8" addition to the transom frames.    Deja vous all over again..  

 

I am finding a use for the proportional dividers after all.  With every new strake, I double check the math on that spreadsheet.  It's an easy tool to use to mark the distance between tick mark on the bulkhead and the last strake.  I put the pointy ends on a metric ruler to get the measurement and divide that measurement by the number of remaining strakes in the zone.  Turns out, there are quite a few on the fly changes. 

 

One other tool I use a LOT is a 3/8" chisel. I keep a very sharp edge on it and use it to trim the newly added strake.  It really saves a lot of sanding time. 

 

You've got lots of fun stuff to look forward to.

 

😁

Edited March 7 by Der Alte Rentner
what else, typo fixed

[SUBaron]

2 hours ago, Der Alte Rentner said:

 I am finding a use for the proportional dividers after all…

 

One other tool I use a LOT is a 3/8" chisel. I keep a very sharp edge on it and use it to trim the newly added strake.  It really saves a lot of sanding time. 

 

You've got lots of fun stuff to look forward to.

 

😁

I’m glad the proportional divider is useful - it just seemed that those pointers would come in handy for precision checks. You’ve given me all the reason I need to pull the trigger on that purchase 🙂 I don’t have a 3/8” chisel, but I did get a 1/2” fishtail chisel from Lie Nielsen, along with small precision “scraper”. High quality and useful tools. I really like that company - as do others - the chisel was back ordered and took about 4 months. 
 

Cheers!

-Andre

[Der Alte Rentner]

On 3/7/2024 at 7:36 PM, SUBaron said:

You’ve given me all the reason I need to pull the trigger on that purchase

 

The proportional dividers are not perfect.  You can't really tighten up the nut enough to keep the tool rigidly locked.  I often accidentally move the tips merely by putting the tool down.  I haven't wanted to use a pair of pliers on that locking nut for fear of stripping a thread. 

 

Also, you will need to do some experimenting to find the true index number to use to get the proportion you need.  To get a 5 to 1 proportion, I needed to line the tool up to the number 6 on the index.    Still, it's a lot better than any of the sketchy ones available at that mass online retailer.

 

[woodartist]

On 3/7/2024 at 2:45 PM, Der Alte Rentner said:

 

Not at all,  I've done the same thing with other build logs.  I was hoping to be able to quote Mustafa when I did the same thing at his build log, but couldn't find the post.  (I'm sure Jon will chime in with the particulars, however.  I believe he and I were having an exchange of thoughts in Mustafa's build log). 

 

The gist of it was this, that's what these build logs and this website is for (IMHO).   

 

As to your earlier comment on the Hunt WTF moment.  I can't find this either, but I posted pretty much the exact same comment about that reference to the 1/8" addition to the transom frames.    Deja vous all over again..  

 

I am finding a use for the proportional dividers after all.  With every new strake, I double check the math on that spreadsheet.  It's an easy tool to use to mark the distance between tick mark on the bulkhead and the last strake.  I put the pointy ends on a metric ruler to get the measurement and divide that measurement by the number of remaining strakes in the zone.  Turns out, there are quite a few on the fly changes. 

 

One other tool I use a LOT is a 3/8" chisel. I keep a very sharp edge on it and use it to trim the newly added strake.  It really saves a lot of sanding time. 

 

You've got lots of fun stuff to look forward to.

 

😁

Where did you find your proportional dividers? I have been looking for a pair but the only ones I see on ebay are $100 plus.

 

[Der Alte Rentner]

28 minutes ago, woodartist said:

Where did you find your proportional dividers? I have been looking for a pair but the only ones I see on ebay are $100 plus.

 

After extensive research, I ended up with MicroMark (last image below) at well over $100.   The cheaper ones available elsewhere seemed clunky or flimsy.  Until just now, I completely forgot that I even tried this pair from Amazon first.   They are useless for close work given the thickness of the points - especially on the small end of the tool.  I suggest you pass on this one, unless you want to try machining the points to something less fat.  

 

These are cheap, but I was turned off by the fact they're plastic.  Who knows, maybe a $10 investment may prove worthwhile.

 

 

This is where I ended up.  I think it was a clever stroke of marketing to show the dividers with the points looking straight.  Notice the curved points on the replacement kit photo at the bottom of the ad.  It took a little getting used to this, but they work.

 

 

 

A caveat!  I did not find these very useful for making tick marks on the bulkheads (5 marks per zone).   If you press hard enough to get marks on the bulkhead, you're likely to nudge the dividers out of position.  I do find them easier to use than my old drafting set of dividers to check spacing between marks I already made when marking out the zones.   I didn't want to risk really torquing down that knob, but perhaps that's the way to use them to set the tick marks within a zone.

 

Good luck

[GGibson]

I purchased this caliper/divider a couple of years ago on Amazon and I love using it when needed.  The bow spring and fulcrum screw are strong enough to hold their position well when using for measuring or scribing.

 

Amazon.com: Starrett Toolmakers Spring-Type Caliper and Divider with Bow Spring and Hardened Fulcrum Stud - 6" Size and Capacity, Spring Joint Type - 277-6 : Industrial & Scientific