Switching from plastic to wooden kits - which tools do I need?

[Sgmartz]

Hi all -

 

I’m happy to say I’m just about wrapping up my 1/350 Graf Spee. It was a very enjoyable experience getting into this hobby and a tremendous stress release. 
 

Original my plan was to start small and to work up. In order I wanted to do Trumpeter Graf Spee, Tamiya 1/350 Yamato, 1/200 Bismarck. 
 

While I still want to do all of those, a few wooden shops have caught my eye. Particularly Occre’s Endurance kit. 
 

I’m wondering how many new tools do I need to buy to switch to the Endurance? It was already a little pricey to get my work station fully up to snuff to do this first kit. Just want to be eyes wide open. Thanks in advance and please feel free to share your process for selecting your next build! Or any other advice. 

[Kenneth Powell]

Hello, Sgmartz -

Most of the tools used for plastic models can be used for wooden models - hobby knife, magnifier, clamps of various sizes, paint and brushes, adequate lighting, and others.

A Dremel and a set of sanding tools will help with shaping wooden parts. Sandpaper in a range of grits is a must. A pin vice with small drill bits will be needed for drilling holes.

Sometimes kit manufacturers will have a sale on tools. Sign on to Model Shipways and other email lists to get a better idea of what's available.

Cruise this site to get more ideas.

Hope this helps - Kenneth

[Diver]

I am a sucker for tools, or I used to be.  I only buy tools as needed now, to easy to buy what looks good in  advertisement only to have it sit on a shelf.  Many great models have been built with the most basic tools.  I have learned over the years to buy Quality over Quantity, cheap tools can be very disappointing.

[Jaager]

6 hours ago, Sgmartz said:

a few wooden shops have caught my eye. Particularly Occre’s Endurance kit. 

You should probably give yourself a fair chance with your first venture into wooden kits.  Right now, your best bet is to take a close look at Model Shipways  Shipwright beginner series.  There is an option to get some basic tools with the first one - if you do not already have the ones in the bundle.

 

If you have unlimited funds and  wish to accumulate tools just to have tools, go on a buying spree - most will probably just gather dust.  Otherwise,  when you get to a point where a tool looks like it could increase speed or efficiency  just get that - opt for quality in your choice.  If you also start your #2 plastic kit,  you can work on it while waiting for UPS.

 

About a Dremel -  The all in one models rotate too fast for shaping - it wants to skip to where you don't want it -and have no power if you slow it down enough not to burn wood.

30,000 RPM is just too fast for #61-80 drill bits.  

[theoracle09]

Hi Sgmartz,

 

Tooling can be a pretty loaded question. What some can do by hand others will do by machine, so your skill will determine tooling requirements.

 

However, I can tell you what I personally rely on and feel as though are required tools for my skill set to build wooden models:

 

• #11 xacto knife. Blades can be bought online (generic brand, 100 blades in the box, few dollars)
• Cutting mat
• Good lighting. I paid $30 I think for an LED fixture that clamps to the tabletop. It has two strips, providing an angle other than "directly overhead". I'll attach a pic at the end so you can see what it looks like.
• Needle files. Amazing for shaping small wooden parts, and I've had mine for 10 years now and most likely will not need to buy more.
• Mitre saw box with saw. Make sure the slots in the box aren't too big for the saw. I had a wide-slot box for some reason and discovered they make thin-slot boxes as well. Total game changer.
• Micro hand plane. Planking a wooden ship is a feat that requires practice, and I've done two hulls without the hand plane. I'll never build another boat without that tool for the planking stage. I also purchased a plank clamping device for my current project, Endurance, and will tell you I tried it once and then bought the hand plane. Along with the plane you'd need a way to sharpen the blade from time to time.
• Magnification. I found a $13 headset that has several magnification lenses from Harbor Freight. I use 1.5x most times (and my eyes are fine) but not having the strain is helpful during marathon sessions.
• Various sandpaper. I typically use 80, 150, 220, 400, and 600. You can buy or create sticks and glue the paper to various sizes to have an assortment available to you.
• Clamps. All of them. You can never have too many. Clothespins, mini clamps, medium clamps, big clamps, alligator clamps, all of them.
• Tweezers. Micro and big types. It's helpful to have self-closing ones as well so you don't strain your hand.
• Dental picks for rigging. You'll find rigging to be a new experience and having the picks are helpful to move thread around your model.
• Needle threaders are a must in my opinion for getting thread through things. Alternatively you can glue the end of the thread/rope with CA and create a needle, but it doesn't last more than a few blocks.
• Glue. CA (super glue, medium and thin), yellow wood glue, and white PVA glue are all used. I have a bottle of diluted PVA glue that I can brush on things as well, which is just Elmer's white glue mixed with water.
• Hair dryer. Heat and water is used to bend planks. You really don't need to buy the "plank bender" but some really like it. I find a hair dryer is enough to get things bent, sometimes soaking the part in water first.
• Jeweler's saw and bench pin. This is the manual version of a jigsaw. I don't need to cut using a jigsaw often, so a jeweler's saw and bench pin is enough. But it's still handy enough to include in my list.

Getting into luxury items, I've found I use the drill press a ton, and the lathe has made tapering masts and yards a dream. I'm also tired of hand sanding 90* angles because I completely suck at it, so I'm planning on purchasing a desktop disc sander at some point. A small handheld rotary tool is in my future as well, but not necessarily needed. I've found I enjoy working with brass and have included it on my Endurance, so a soldering iron, solder, liquid flux, and a brass sponge are used. I have an 1/8" thick, 2" x 6" piece of steel flat stock with magnets on it to use as a building platform for small brass parts that need soldered.

 

Because I already have a shop in my shed I made a seizing machine and a rope walk with stuff laying around. You don't need them to build a wooden model, but they are specific to wooden ships and I find them helpful. You can purchase these two 'machines' from various places as well.

 

I hope this helped!

 

 

[Bob Cleek]

I've decided that I am going to have the following epitaph engraved on my tombstone: "He who dies with the most tools wins." In over a half-century of collecting tools (and inheriting my father's collection of as many years of collecting, albeit that he had a lot more restraint and a lot less money than I do) I have to admit that my involvement in a very broad spectrum of the maritime trades, primarily as a hobbyist, has caused my 1500 square foot shop building to presently be full of tools and "stuff I can't throw away," that all of it is getting in the way of getting as much done as I'd like at the moment. So be forewarned! Tool "collecting" and 'book collecting" can easily become adjuncts to a ship modeling hobby that threaten to overshadow the modeling itself! Fortunately, I will be "deaccessioning" a lot of my collection ("junk," as my wife calls it) and remodeling my shop to permit more efficient use of it all.

 

That said, most modelers with any experience can go on at great length about their tools and those they continue to lust after. Most also can confess to their mistakes in buying tools that were of poor quality or which proved totally useless. The best motto to live by is never to buy a tool until you need it and, unless it is for a single use and nothing more, always buy the highest quality tool you can possibly afford. Low quality tools, of which there are far more available today than there were in the past, are the most expensive because you will find yourself having to buy them over and over again.

 

As others have pointed out, a basic set of ship modeling tools can be had quite inexpensively, except that they will limit you to some extent because a lot of the tasks you will encounter can be done much faster and more efficiently with more expensive powered tools although those come at progressively higher prices. You get what you pay for. Without getting into specific tools, I will say that most of the tools, hand or powered, offered for sale by vendors catering to the hobbyist market are overpriced for what they are and, although they may look the same, are of lower quality. (Certainly beware of any Asian import tools which are almost always sub par.) You will have to strike a balance between what you can afford (or want to waste money on) and what you actually need and/or will be of benefit to your modeling abilities. The secret to getting the most tool "bang for your buck" is in buying only the tools you need and buying the best tools you can afford.

 

So, for the moment, I suggest that you look to the online or mailed catalogs of outfits like MicroMark and Model Expo primarily for ideas about tools you may find helpful, and then compare those offerings to the offerings of vendors in other markets. Very often, very high-quality tools which you are looking for can be bought for the same or even less from vendors selling to the medical instrument and professional jewelry making markets. Look to Otto Frei Company and Rio Grande Jewelry Supply for quality modeling hand tools. Look to any of the many medical (surgical) instrument companies for things like scalpels which are similarly priced and exponentially better than the ubiquitous "hobby knives" from Xacto and the myriad of Chinese knockoffs of the Xacto line. Look also at eBay and similar "auction" sites for used medical instruments and other modeling tools. You will be amazed at what you can find for reasonable prices and high quality. [You will benefit from picking up some hemostats, suture needle holders (forceps,) and an "ear polypus" or two. (Google those up and learn.)] Keep in mind that used tools, particularly older ones in good condition, are almost always a bargain.

 

Your first stop in tool shopping should be the MSW "articles" section: https://thenrg.org/resource/articles and https://thenrg.org/articles/basic-tools. There's no need to waste bandwidth repeating the basics. Also review the ship modeling YouTube videos of Tom Lauria (use the YouTube search feature) and Kevin Kenny (an active MSW forumite) for their comments on various tools they have found helpful. (Kevin lives in Trinidad and Tobago and finds he has to by his tools elsewhere, so he "goes shopping" when he is in the US visiting relatives and his "unboxing" videos of what he has "scored" on his travels are most informative because he's obviously a guy who knows his tools.) Pay particular attention to master modeler Paul Budzig's website https://www.paulbudzik.com/scale-model-workshop-videos/scale-model-workshop-videos.html and all of his YouTube "Scale Model Workshop" videos. Paul, a dentist, really knows his tools and whatever you can glean there will stand you in good stead. Beware, however, of some of the other YouTubers who post ship modeling videos. Their abilities are, shall we say, "uneven," some being highly accomplished, others, well, not so much, and still others apparently more indebted to the tool manufacturers who send them tools to "review" than anything else. I expect you'll figure that out rather quickly as you watch them. 

 

One tool I will strongly suggest that you purchase at the outset which I don't hear mentioned a lot because it is fairly new on the scene and comes from the electronics assembly industry is the "QuadHands" "magnetic workbench" tool. This is the latest and best replacement for the widely available "Helping Hands" holder sometimes marketed as the "Third Hand." Its usefulness for small assemblies, silver soldering, spar-making, and rigging tasks should be immediately apparent. The "super deluxe" model with all the optional bells and whistles (particularly the  PanaVise option) is pictured below. The product line ranges from fifty bucks or so on up. Available from QuadHands directly or Amazon: https://www.quadhands.com/products/quadhands-deluxe-workbench Look at the product line and see what model best suits your needs. 

 

However, do not buy any other knock-off of this tool. It has been widely "pirated" by Chinese manufacturers, some of which even mimic the exact colors of the original. The value in the original 'real deal" version is in the quality of the alligator clips and other features and the quality of the flexible arms and magnets. (There is a big difference between cheap alligator clips and expensive ones!)

Whatever you do, don't waste even the three or four bucks that you'll see these offered for. Even the most expensive ones are total junk. (Don't ask me how I know this!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Bob Cleek

[vaddoc]

Chisels, including a 3 mm and a V shape, diamond stones, strop.

You can probably do without but working with wood is an excellent excuse to get them. 

 

 

[Sgmartz]

On 9/23/2023 at 3:15 PM, Jaager said:

You should probably give yourself a fair chance with your first venture into wooden kits.  Right now, your best bet is to take a close look at Model Shipways  Shipwright beginner series.  There is an option to get some basic tools with the first one - if you do not already have the ones in the bundle.

 

If you have unlimited funds and  wish to accumulate tools just to have tools, go on a buying spree - most will probably just gather dust.  Otherwise,  when you get to a point where a tool looks like it could increase speed or efficiency  just get that - opt for quality in your choice.  If you also start your #2 plastic kit,  you can work on it while waiting for UPS.

 

About a Dremel -  The all in one models rotate too fast for shaping - it wants to skip to where you don't want it -and have no power if you slow it down enough not to burn wood.

30,000 RPM is just too fast for #61-80 drill bits.  

Thank you for the advice. Is your caution due to just sheer lack of skill or patience? I’ve done relatively well with the Graf Spee I am doing now in regard to detail. But I’ve never done wood so I’m sure lots of technique to learn. 
 

Any other ships or kits you recommend for a beginner? I don’t really want to do a no name small dinghy or sloop. 

[Sgmartz]

On 9/23/2023 at 3:19 PM, theoracle09 said:

Hi Sgmartz,

 

Tooling can be a pretty loaded question. What some can do by hand others will do by machine, so your skill will determine tooling requirements.

 

However, I can tell you what I personally rely on and feel as though are required tools for my skill set to build wooden models:

 

• #11 xacto knife. Blades can be bought online (generic brand, 100 blades in the box, few dollars)
• Cutting mat
• Good lighting. I paid $30 I think for an LED fixture that clamps to the tabletop. It has two strips, providing an angle other than "directly overhead". I'll attach a pic at the end so you can see what it looks like.
• Needle files. Amazing for shaping small wooden parts, and I've had mine for 10 years now and most likely will not need to buy more.
• Mitre saw box with saw. Make sure the slots in the box aren't too big for the saw. I had a wide-slot box for some reason and discovered they make thin-slot boxes as well. Total game changer.
• Micro hand plane. Planking a wooden ship is a feat that requires practice, and I've done two hulls without the hand plane. I'll never build another boat without that tool for the planking stage. I also purchased a plank clamping device for my current project, Endurance, and will tell you I tried it once and then bought the hand plane. Along with the plane you'd need a way to sharpen the blade from time to time.
• Magnification. I found a $13 headset that has several magnification lenses from Harbor Freight. I use 1.5x most times (and my eyes are fine) but not having the strain is helpful during marathon sessions.
• Various sandpaper. I typically use 80, 150, 220, 400, and 600. You can buy or create sticks and glue the paper to various sizes to have an assortment available to you.
• Clamps. All of them. You can never have too many. Clothespins, mini clamps, medium clamps, big clamps, alligator clamps, all of them.
• Tweezers. Micro and big types. It's helpful to have self-closing ones as well so you don't strain your hand.
• Dental picks for rigging. You'll find rigging to be a new experience and having the picks are helpful to move thread around your model.
• Needle threaders are a must in my opinion for getting thread through things. Alternatively you can glue the end of the thread/rope with CA and create a needle, but it doesn't last more than a few blocks.
• Glue. CA (super glue, medium and thin), yellow wood glue, and white PVA glue are all used. I have a bottle of diluted PVA glue that I can brush on things as well, which is just Elmer's white glue mixed with water.
• Hair dryer. Heat and water is used to bend planks. You really don't need to buy the "plank bender" but some really like it. I find a hair dryer is enough to get things bent, sometimes soaking the part in water first.
• Jeweler's saw and bench pin. This is the manual version of a jigsaw. I don't need to cut using a jigsaw often, so a jeweler's saw and bench pin is enough. But it's still handy enough to include in my list.

Getting into luxury items, I've found I use the drill press a ton, and the lathe has made tapering masts and yards a dream. I'm also tired of hand sanding 90* angles because I completely suck at it, so I'm planning on purchasing a desktop disc sander at some point. A small handheld rotary tool is in my future as well, but not necessarily needed. I've found I enjoy working with brass and have included it on my Endurance, so a soldering iron, solder, liquid flux, and a brass sponge are used. I have an 1/8" thick, 2" x 6" piece of steel flat stock with magnets on it to use as a building platform for small brass parts that need soldered.

 

Because I already have a shop in my shed I made a seizing machine and a rope walk with stuff laying around. You don't need them to build a wooden model, but they are specific to wooden ships and I find them helpful. You can purchase these two 'machines' from various places as well.

 

I hope this helped!

 

 

Yes it did thank you. Luckily I have pretty much all of those from my first couple builds. I will embrace your advice on the luxury items, I agree with that philosophy. 

[Jaager]

7 hours ago, Sgmartz said:

Is your caution due to just sheer lack of skill or patience? I’ve done relatively well with the Graf Spee I am doing now in regard to detail. But I’ve never done wood so I’m sure lots of technique to learn

Experience with plastic is probably more of a negative than a help for a wooden kit.  The painting is a help, but for wooden sail vessels, painting a minor part.  The main negative is your expectation about what the instructions provide.  For a wooden hull,  especially the parts that you need specialized skills to master, most of it is common to most any vessel - especially with POB.  It is boring and redundant to redo the same for every kit.

 

7 hours ago, Sgmartz said:

I don’t really want to do a no name small dinghy or sloop.

The trap for a wooden kit is trying to start by building a vessel that is large enough to have a famous name.  The complexity can overwhelm.

The skill to build a boat is one that every larger vessel will have you doing.  They all have boats. 

You may not need to do step two or step three in the Shipwright series.  You will know when you finish the first one.

I can't help you with POB.  I was so repulsed by the first generation Italian kits that I walled them off.  Even with the now third generation POB kits - even the ones with enough molds and laser prepped stock, I can't get past how ugly and distant from a real hull the support skeleton is.

[Roger Pellett]

For many of us building wooden ship models is as much an enjoyable intellectual activity as is “working with your hands” as my wife calls it.  This approach can affect your tool selection.  I grew up in the era when model kits; ships and airplanes, did not come with instructions; just parts and and one or more drawings.

 

I would assemble a very minimal set of tools- Xacto knife, miniature plane, needle files, sandpaper, PVA glue, a set of Zona razor saws ( these often come with a mini miter box.), a small metal engineer’s scale and a GOOD small bench vice.  Buy whatever kit you plan to build, read the instructions, and get busy.  You will soon be presented with problems to figure out.  That’s where the fun comes in as you will discover tools that you need and don’t have to solve the problem. This is especially true of clamps as ships have a lot of peculiar geometry that requires innovative solutions.  Buy these tools as you need them.

 

Drilling-  I would not buy any kind of motorized drilling device at this time.  A high speed Dremel tool can quickly destroy soft wooden parts supplied with kits.  Start with a set of #60-80 high speed (not carbide!!) Drill bits and a pin vise.

 

Read MSW build logs.  You will discover a lot of innovative solutions.  A lot of them do not require expensive hobby shop tools.  

 

Roger

[vaddoc]

12 hours ago, Sgmartz said:

I don’t really want to do a no name small dinghy or sloop.

You could come over to the dark side and scratch build a simple boat. 

[rcmdrvr]

I have actually been moving in an opposite direction (i.e. wood to plastic).  I like the selection of more modern ships such as aircraft carriers, LSTs, etc.  I have found that the tools I accumulated for wood have served me well in plastic.

[Wawona59]

Hi Sgmartz,

 

The good news is that you probably have several of the tools you will need from your plastic modeling such as x-acto or excel hobby knives and #11 blades.  You'll also need sanding sticks.  The ones I get at the dollar store are more than adequate and much less expensive than the specialized hobby sanding sticks.  A variety of tweezers will be invaluable.

 

Here's a short list of some of the tools you will need:

 

1.  Zona (brand name) fine tooth saw and mitre box

2.  Set of miniature files.  Get good quality files, I really like my set of Nicholson files and have used them for years.

3.  Mini vice for holding your work.  I like my Panavice as it has a ball and socket that allows unlimited angle adjustments.

4.  Clamps of various sizes.  I'm partial to wooden spring loaded cloths pins.  The tip can be modified to suit many tasks and they are inexpensive.  By flipping the wooden legs around, you can extend the depth for clamping in tight areas.

5.  You will need a building board with a way to hold the model steady while you work on it.  You can easily make your own.

6.  You can probably get by without a fancy plank bending iron and form.  You can just use a mini travel iron or hair dryer to provide the heat.  I use an old iron for attaching monocote covering to RC airplanes.

 

Don't be seduced by all of the fancy tools and machines on the market.  It's amazing and satisfying what can be achieved with simple hand tools.  Buy the tools as you need them and buy quality tools.  IMHO, buying cheap tools is a false economy.

 

Before you begin your Endeavor, I would build one or two simpler kits.  I think the Bluenose fishing schooner would be a good choice.  I like the kits produced by Bluejacket and Model Shipways.  Bluejacket offers a model kit of the fishing schooner "We're Here" from the Rudyard Kipling novel Captains Courageous.   Another option for a first wooden ship model is to buy a cheap wooden kit that's already been started and modify and build it into something you create.  It would be a nice gift for someone when you are finished with it.

 

Whatever model ship you build, I hope you will consider starting a build log. MSW has thousands of members.  You will get a lot of help and encouragement here.  I'll be starting up my Flying Fish build log again as soon as I finish a couple of gift ship models for friends.

 

By the way, Welcome to Model Ship World. 

 

[Bob Cleek]

8 hours ago, Jaager said:

  15 hours ago, Sgmartz said:

Is your caution due to just sheer lack of skill or patience? I’ve done relatively well with the Graf Spee I am doing now in regard to detail. But I’ve never done wood so I’m sure lots of technique to learn

 

8 hours ago, Jaager said:

Experience with plastic is probably more of a negative than a help for a wooden kit.  The painting is a help, but for wooden sail vessels, painting a minor part.  The main negative is your expectation about what the instructions provide.  For a wooden hull,  especially the parts that you need specialized skills to master, most of it is common to most any vessel - especially with POB.  It is boring and redundant to redo the same for every kit.

In addition to what Jaager has said, I would add that it is important to recognize in terms of what wooden kit instructions provide that even with today's laser-cutting technology, wooden kits are in large measure built while plastic kits are merely assembled. To a greater degree the rigging on a plastic sailing ship is similar to the wooden kit build and, certainly, the painting is very much the same, but a plastic kit does not require the builder to actually measure and fabricate any parts from raw materials save a few pieces of wire, perhaps. Even with laser-cut planks which some of the better wooden kits provide, each plank once freed from the lasered sheet will likely require bevels to be cut on all four edges and on the two long edges these will often be "rolling bevels" which have to be carefully planed to mate to their neighboring planks. After that, the hull surface must be faired so that its shape is smooth across its entire surface. Beginning wooden modelers often discover to their disappointment that their planking job was not good enough to produce the result required and so must resort to puttying up the entire hull surface before sanding it fair and, by default, end up painting a hull they thought they were going to finish "bright" to show off the fancy, and often unsuitable and out-of-scale grain of (allegedly) walnut or mahogany kit-provided planks! 

 

You will benefit greatly from reviewing the "build logs" posted on this forum for any wooden kit that you are considering purchasing to see, step by step, what actually must be done to build that particular kit. In this way, you can determine if that kit is within your present skill set. Keep in mind that a lot of the completed kit models you will see in MSW were built by wooden kit modelers who have decades of experience building kits. While not impossible, it's unusual for anyone to build a complex wooden kit model, and certainly a square-rigged one, as a successful first effort. I will join all the others who have recommended starting with the three-kit Model Shipways "Shipwright's Series" that is specifically designed as an "introduction to wooden ship model kit building."  See: https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-Shipwright-Series_c_815.html (Less than a hundred bucks for the set as presently on sale.) These kits can be purchased separately or as a set. See: https://modelexpo-online.com/Model-Shipways-Shipwright-3-Kit-Combo-Series_p_5465.html (The first kit of this set, the Banks dory, can be had for twenty bucks.) If you feel these models are an insult to your ability and experience (and they may be, perhaps,) then take a good look at the novice level offerings of Syren Ship Models and Vanguard Ship Models, both of which are sponsors of MSW and you can connect to their websites from the "sponsors list" at the right side of the MSW home page. Both of these companies produce the highest quality wooden ship model kits available today and both are known for the excellence of their instructions. See: https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/medway-longboat-1742.php

 

On the subject of kit instructions, Model Shipways, Syren, and, I believe, Vanguard make the instructions for their kits available online. I would strongly urge anybody buying a wooden ship model kit to not only review the build logs on MSW for any kit they are considering and to read any MSW reviews of the kit, and also to read the instructions if they are available to see exactly what they are getting into. Additionally, the instructions for these high-quality novice kits often include valuable guidance regarding the tools you will require to complete the build of each particular kit. See: 

 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Bob Cleek

[rcmdrvr]

I have to agree with Bob Cleek.  Often the instructions in wood ship model kits amount to "assemble the enclosed wood into a structure that looks like the photo on the box" whereas plastic models tend to have good illustrations.  I also agree the the Model Shipways three shipwright kits are a great way to start.  They are challenging to the new comer but can be completed in a reasonably short time so you can enjoy the statisfaction of completed wood model boat.  Regardless of what you chose; go after something you think you will enjoy.