Bristol Pilot Cutter by michael mott - 1/8 scale - POF

[shipmodel]

Hi Michael - 

 

There should be a term for that senior moment when I realize that the glasses that I am looking for are perched on my head !! 

 

Outstanding metal work, as usual.  When you get all your photos together, it would be great if you could post your lessons here, or maybe even turn them into a book.  Just get together with Bob Friedman at Seawatch Books and see what he says.  I know I would be at the head of the line to buy it.

 

Be well

 

Dan

[captainbob]

Ah Michael,  she's as lovely as ever and nice to see you back.

 

By the way, how's the house hunting going?

 

Bob

[overdale]

Lovely work Michael. Nice to see you (and the model) back again.

 

Dan.

[druxey]

Looking terrific, Michael!

[michael mott]

Thanks again everybody for the kind remarks and the likes.

 

Dan, not sure about a book, but certainly I can develop some Step by step pages for the various parts.

 

I did more organizing in the new work space in the house today.

this evening I did a quick pencil sketch of the section for the cabin light. it will be Mahogany and will open.

 

 

 

I was reading in my boatbuilding manual by Robert M Steward that 1/2 inch lexan is a good material for the lights. I used the basic design that is on Carlotta as there are a few good photos of the restoration of her lights in the 2006 restoration gallery here and here I am making a guess at the thicknesses of the materials for the main carcass using 1 1/2 inch thick stock.

 

Carlotta had a very interesting history and I believe that she is still in based Canadian Waters.

 

Michael

Edited October 31, 2015 by michael mott

[gjdale]

Michael, I think if you did choose to write a book explaining your techniques in a step-by-step way, it would be an instant best-seller. It would certainly find its way onto my bookcase!

[michael mott]

Grant thanks for the vote of confidence. All those who added likes thanks for following along.

 

I laid out the skylights on the forward part of the cabin roof and realized that I needed to change the length a little to take advantage of the beams underneath.

I first marked out the hole with some blue masking tape and used a sharp #11 to knife along the ends to cut through the very top fibres the fir tends to be a little brittle and I did not want to upset any fibres during the cutting with the saw.

 

 

I cut from the ends to the middle because of the size, this made it a bit easier to handle I did break one blade cutting the piece out.

 

 

I used a 3 inch wide piece of aircraft ply with some sandpaper glued on with some double sided carpet tape as a large file to clean up the cut edges, making sure to only put pressure on the stroke towards the inside or bottom.

 

the opening is now 36" wide by 50" long. Time to add the inside framing.

 

 

Michael

 

 

[michael mott]

A little more work this evening, I milled the half round water channels into the bottom half of the top beam composition, this beam appears to be made of the lower channels and a curved top part that accepts the hinges and forms the top radius.

 

 

the middle channel on each side will get tennoned in when the sides are dovetailed to the ends.

 

Off to Calgary tomorrow morning to see my new granddaughter who was born on the 16th of October.

 

Michael

[Omega1234]

Hi Michael

 

Beautiful workmanship (as per usual)!  Congratulations on being a new Grandfather as well!

 

Great news.

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[mtaylor]

Sweet work on the skylight.  Have a good trip and congrats on the granddaughter.

[Jim Lad]

More beautiful cabinet work, Grandpa!

 

John

[Dimitris71]

Hello Michael, one thing to say ... your work is absolutely awesome!!!   Congrats on the granddaughter!!

 

Kind Regards

Dimitris

[altalena18]

So nice to see that you're back on the pilot cutter, Michael! The lights are looking beautiful.

[druxey]

May I also add felicitations on your new granddaughter, Michael.

[michael mott]

Thanks one and all for all the kind comments and congratulations

 

Here is the gang in the style of who's on first

 

My eldest son is holding my new granddaughter who was born to my youngest son and wife, right in front of me is my eldest granddaughter, born to my eldest son and his wife next to my eldest grandson who is a brother to the youngest granddaughter behind his cousin who is who is the nephew of my youngest son who is behind my third oldest grandchild.

Oh I have no idea who the thin guy in the back is.

Michael

Edited November 2, 2015 by michael mott

[Jim Lad]

Ummm, you want to run that past me again, Michael?  

 

John

[Landlocked123]

Michael,

 

You must be so proud and happy! Seeing that picture made me smile from ear to ear! Congratulations on having "built" such a marvelous family!!!!!!!!

 

Best,

John

[Omega1234]

Beautiful family, Michael. I reckon we know who the proud grandfather in the background is!

 

Congrats!

[michael mott]

Thanks everyone for the very kind comments and for all the likes.

Yes I'm happy that the boys have great families and that they are both happy with their work.

 

Back to the skylight now.

Today I cut the dovetails for the corners, not as clean as I would have liked but acceptable for this one.

 

First the backsaw for cutting the pins

 

 

followed by the jewelers saw to remove the waste

 

 

all the pins cut

 

 

next the side boards were marked to receive the pins

 

 

these were cut out with the jewelers saw and cleaned up with some needle files

 

 

 

After the main frame carcass was dry assembled the ends were filed down with a safe edged square file, I like to sit the assembly on a sheet of sandpaper which grips the whole thing from sliding around without resorting to a vice or clamps.

 

 

next the sawn rebate needed to be slanted so I sloped the side of a heavy sanding block (1 1/2 inch stock) and carefully sanded down the edge to the angle.

 

 

Next will come the middle divider channel.

 

 

Michael

[pete48]

Beautiful Work Michael, well done. Congrats on a great looking Family 

 

Best Regards,

Pete

[Omega1234]

Hi Michael

 

It's just as if you're building the full sized skylight. Nicely done!

 

Cheers

 

Patrick

[dvm27]

Wonderful to have your frequent updates back, Michael. Especially like the first few black and white artsy photos. Are you now dabbling in photography also?

[michael mott]

Thanks Pete. Patrick yest the great thing about building in this scale is being able to pretty much follow the full size practices.  I think that in many ways it is much easier especially with regard to material selection. One can get away with the out of scale grain in some places because of this.

 

Michael

[michael mott]

Greg, thanks, regarding the Black and white, I saw some really fantastic black and white photographs of some early farm equipment on another model forum and thought about how rich many of the old black and white reference photographs were. The thing that I like most about them is the great depth of focus they had, even when blown up on the screen the details seem to remain really sharp. 

I wonder if that has anything to do with the difference between the old silver nitrate verses the modern digital processing. or possibly smaller  F stop and longer exposures.

 

The one thing that I do like about our new cameras is the ability to shoot in color or black and white, and the capability to delete and shoot again without having to send the film away and then be disappointed that 6 of the pictures were either too dark or too light or blurry.

 

Michael

[dgbot]

Congrats on your granddaughter Michael and what you are doing with your skylight.  Beautiful work.

David B

[michael mott]

Thanks David and for the likes that other posted.

 

Last pic for today of the centre beam roughed in.

 

 

Tomorrow I will glue it together and finish the top edges.

 

Michael

[captainbob]

Fine work.  Thanks for showing us how it is done.

 

Bob

[pete48]

I agree with Cap'n'Bob, Amazing work 

 

Best Regards,

Pete

[michael mott]

Thanks for all the positive feedback.

 

After gluing the case together the ends of the channels needed a little more work in the way of small extensions so that the water doesn't just trickle down the side and ends. This was accomplished by taking a small strip of mahogany, and milling a groove the same as the channels then shaping the outside curve to create a cup like extrusion.

 

 

This end was then rounded with files and sandpaper Oh and i had some help

 

 

these were then cut off with a jewelers saw and glued to the appropriate locations.

 

 

 

The side channels were a little more tricky to cut, and had first to be sanded to the same angle. I did this by placing the cup shaped piece on the side of the case and finishing the end with the sanding block.

 

 

Cutting these off was done slowly with the jewelers saw with my finger underneath the end to act as a support, As the blade neared the bottom of the curve I used a micro back and forth motion  until the cut parted off the pieces.

 

 

these were then glued to the sides

 

 

After all the extensions were glued and set they were cleaned up with some 400 grit sandpaper.

 

 

The top bar was then shaped with a block plane and files and connected to the case with a couple of brass woodscrews from below.

 

 

 

 

Next the hinged lights need to be made and fitted.

 

Michael

[druxey]

Lovely work, Michael. However, how many pant legs do you shave as well?