I have made my first sawdust!
Since I am only building a 1:10 model of the Super Skipjack (at this point), I figured 180 grit sandpaper would produce proper size dust. So I used that to trim the edges of the first keel plank. I cut it from the finest mahogany the local hobby shop had, a fine 2mm plank (3/32", I guess - have to get used to work with inches soon)
I chose the keel plank as the first piece, partly because it will be needed soon in the construction process, but also because I wanted to start with a modification. I took Paul Riccellis advice, and cut off most the forefoot, and added some keel to the rear. (Not unlike the first illustration in his drawing in the "Rudder mods" discussion).
Now I am looking at the clipper stem, and wondering if I could lighten it up a bit. It looks a tad too wide to my eye. I know it is doing the same job as a bobstay in other boats, so there will be some loading on it, but how much? The drawings say that the stem post should be about 10" wide, and made of 2 pieces of 1" wood. That sounds awfully solid to me. I would like to take 2-3" off from it, and from the tip too.
I will have many more silly ideas along the way, and many beginner questions. That's one reason why I make a small model first, when mistakes are cheap, and I can afford to experiment a bit. I promise to post some pictures too, when I get so far that I have something to show.
One of the biggest advantages in building a boat over buying what someone else built is you can make changes. I am not experienced enough to tell you if what you want to do is workable but there are others here that can. I only made a small change to the plans of the boat I built but I think it will make sailing more enjoyable for me. I wanted to build a super skip but the plans were not available at the time. Good luck.
Greetings Heikki,
Is this a display-only model, or do you plan to sail it?
If the plan is to sail your finished model, then I know from experience that 1:10 scale results in a model that is too small to sail properly. A scale of 1:5 or 1:6 would produce an acceptable sailing model with a hull approaching 1 meter in length. In either case, using the appropriate edge of a three sided architectural scale will greatly simplify scaling the dimensions from the plans to the model.
Cheers,
Tom
(09-21-2011, 07:15 PM)tombayus link Wrote: [ -> ]Greetings Heikki,
Is this a display-only model, or do you plan to sail it?
If the plan is to sail your finished model, then I know from experience that 1:10 scale results in a model that is too small to sail properly. A scale of 1:5 or 1:6 would produce an acceptable sailing model with a hull approaching 1 meter in length. In either case, using the appropriate edge of a three sided architectural scale will greatly simplify scaling the dimensions from the plans to the model.
No, I do not plan to sail it. Probably not even display it very much. It is mostly a study project, to go through the construction steps, and have a good look at everything. And also a playground, to try out small modifications here and there. (keel, cabin, tabernacle, engine well, seat lockers, etc, etc)
Good idea with the scale - I already made one out of paper. I have the extra disadvantage that I have grown up in a metric world, so thinking in inches and fractions doesn't come naturally to me. I guess I will get used to it. Must be easier than to convert everything to millimeters first.
(09-21-2011, 11:42 PM)Heikki Levanto link Wrote: [ -> ]... thinking in inches and fractions doesn't come naturally to me. I guess I will get used to it.
Greetings Heikki,
It doesn't come naturally to any of us either. Most of the engineers I know think in "decimal inches". So if you tell them you need a part with a 1 foot 2 and 3/32 inches dimension, they think 14.09375 or even 14.094 inches. The good news for wooden boat building is that the material is flexible enough to cover small imperfections in measurements, so much so that designers traditionally specify measurements only to the nearest 1/8 inch (3 mm).
My Weekender model started out the same way, as a study model so that I would be familiar with the building process for full scale construction. But it turns out that the sweep of the curves in the three dimensional hull are sweet enough that you will find yourself unable to resist finishing the model to display-model standards.
Cheers,
Tom
(09-22-2011, 02:05 AM)tombayus link Wrote: [ -> ]It doesn't come naturally to any of us either. Most of the engineers I know think in "decimal inches". So if you tell them you need a part with a 1 foot 2 and 3/32 inches dimension, they think 14.09375 or even 14.094 inches. The good news for wooden boat building is that the material is flexible enough to cover small imperfections in measurements, so much so that designers traditionally specify measurements only to the nearest 1/8 inch (3 mm).
My Weekender model started out the same way, as a study model so that I would be familiar with the building process for full scale construction. But it turns out that the sweep of the curves in the three dimensional hull are sweet enough that you will find yourself unable to resist finishing the model to display-model standards.
Decimal number system! What a great idea.
As to finishing the model, I am not too sure. I fear that I will always have more pressing need to see how this or that modification will look on it, and never mind paint or brightwork. But I bow to your experience, and keep the option open. I have learned never to say "never say never say never".
Well, I made some more sawdust today. Lessons learned:
- It is surprisingly hard to count all 14 stations - my first piece was one station short
- This kind of mistakes do not matter nearly as much when building a model
- It is much easier to cut wood with a sharp knife
- If I draw the modified keel on top of the construction drawings, it will miss the 1x12 plank in the bows, and the stem will never meet the keel itself
- But I can move the plank under the drawings, and include the "deadwood" piece in the keel, and it will fit again
- Lofting with a batten works well when using push pins as fixed points.
- When making modifications by eye, there won't be many points to loft from. It works anyway!
Unless life gets in the way again again, I plan to cut the rest of the keel tomorrow, and see how I can mess up the gluing job.
Maybe I should set up my own website for the project. And get some photos. Which I will share here, of course. So far I only have a log file, way too detailed to be of interest to many.
Well, progress with the progress. As expected, I did manage to screw up the glue job, trying to put all the pieces in one go, I got the stem post well fixed in a wrong position, at 45 degree angle instead of 50 as per drawings. So today I cut it off, and made some more pieces - I am slowly learning to cut that mahogany without splitting it. And glued the stem post piece only, leaving the tip and especially the keel-stempost joint until tomorrow. I did all the gluing with epoxy. Total overkill for a study model, but I wanted to study that stuff too. And I had the smallest possible jar of West System from a beginners set I bought long time ago, with two kind of fillers (white 403 and brown 407, what ever they are), resin and slow hardener. Measuring with small syringes I can easily mix 0.2 ml of hardener to 1 ml of resin, using old contact lens containers for mixing.
Lessons learned so far:
- Making a small model is easier than making a big boat. But making paper clippings is even easier, and points out some mistakes.
- Cutting work apart is not fun, but better than trying to make do with a badly fitting piece
- If you try to loft too tight curves with your batten, you soon need another batten
- The different fillers make different-feeling goo. Too much of any of them is no good
- You can always mix more epoxy, but you can not unmix if you mixed too much of it
Mistakes and all, I am having fun!
Greetings Heikki,
I find that cyanoacrylate glues (C/A) work much better for models. If your joints are very tight, you can use the really thin hot glues that cure in 5 to 10 seconds as the glue has zero surface tension and will wick into the joints. If your joints are even a little sloppy, then the thicker 45 to 90 second slow-cure versions work best. C/A glues were originally formulated to bond skin together as an alternative to sutures, so watch where you put your fingers as it is easy to glue yourself to the model. Â And always wear eye protection when handling C/A glues. The thin pipette applicator tube on the hot C/A formulations is flexible enough to fling drops of glue far enough to cause problems, and even the smoke trail from the hot stuff as it kicks off is not good for the eyes. The thicker slower C/As have the consistency of molasses, and the tip of the applicator can be cut to lay down a bead like caulking along the longer panel joints. These glues cure best in warm humid environments, so if you are building in a cool basement, you can help the glue cure by gently exhaling on the joint. If properly done, the joint will be stronger than the surrounding wood. Any hobby shop that stocks R/C airplanes will have a nice selection of C/A glues to choose from.
Cheers,
Tom
Tom, my big issue is converting decimal inches to dB! 8) 8) 8)