What's on your WORK BENCH - June 2020

Jim Cricket said:
Rick, it's a combo of oak and/or ash framing, cedar planking, white pine blocking. Spars will be cherry, which I find is best for looking like aged fir, at this scale. As I have gained experience, I've realized that oak is a very poor scale material, because of it's coarseness. The part may be 1:8, but grain is still 1:1. so, in future, most of my framing will be poplar. I like Alaskan yellow cedar, but it's hard to find. I have a bunch of AYC veneer from which I've made custom plywood (1/16th" 3 ply), but the solid is harder to come by.
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Thanks for the response, Jim! You've obviously put some thought into grain structure and application when the object of focus has been scaled down. I was forced to begin making the same considerations when I took-on a project to make a 1/30 scale copy of the McPherson Farm- barn, carriage house and farm house for placement in a diorama that focuses on the first half-day of battle at Gettysburg. I found a stone work source that was kind enough to tint his mastic the proper color, wood shingles sized to scale, wood doll house shutters cut and reworked to make the side-wall vents for the livestock level below the hay loft and grain storage portions. I had to fabricate the hand hewn beams that formed the floor joists for the second floor.-nearly finished and ready to rip lengthwise.

Still deep in the BW Outrage refurbish project, so much so that I still need to post pics of some tan cork scaup
 
Thanks Rick. I?ve had some feedback from some expert modelers, like John Earle down in Va. You and others might like to see his stuff at http://modelboatyard.com/messenger.html This particular model is of the bateau Messenger, lines recorded by Chapelle. This model is shown in a boat yard on the hard, as a work in progress, with all the tools, lumber, and detritus you would expect, all to scale. He?s quite masterful.

I meant to add that I may possibly acquire a BW Outrage 21 from my wife?s niece. Bought by my brother in law new in 73. Garaged ever since. Newish Merc Optimax 150. We?ll see. I have to move out of the city first.
 
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Steve Sanford said:
Jim~


After my note this morning, my mind wandered to a high tech solution for little decoys: laser printer? I can only imagine that this would be viewed as cheating to traditional model-builders - but my old hands are sacrificing a bit of dexterity with each additional year of experience.


I've often thought of a Peapod for rowing up on Lake Champlain.



All the best,


SJS
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Steve,

Why don't you have someone else carve the small decoys as a joint operations?
 
Hello all,

It's been a while since I posted - things have been hectic. Nonetheless, I have gotten a few birds done and finally got around to digging out the camera.

I was talking to a former colleague, and he indicated that my former supervisor was probably retiring this summer. So... I got right on carving a decoy for him, leaving a spot on the base without spar varnish so I could burn in his dates of service. After I finished, I talked to another colleague, who indicated "no... John isn't going for a couple of years". I guess I'm ready either way.



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Hollow cedar, bass head, self righting and painted in acrylics.

Another former colleague hit me with an odd request. He wanted me to carve a couple of eared grebe confidence decoys. He used to count grebes in a nesting colony on Thief Lake (my old work area) on his own time. I normally work life size, but these were to be 2X in all dimensions - think a grebe the size of a small goose. He emphasized that these were supposed to be working decoys - heads were hollowed separately from the bodies, and bills were reinforced with brass rods part way, crest feathers left thick and robust. Here's the first:



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And the second:



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Finally, I got a request for a pair of pintails from northern Manitoba. When asked about preferences on poses, he said to make the drake a really long neck. Here it is. The hen just got varnished.



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I always enjoy looking through the workbench threads - they provide a lot of ideas and inspiration.

Joel
 
Very nice carving, Joel and Bill! And painting.

Continuing the model skiff thread- To finish the framing, I had first to make and install the centerboard and trunk.

Trunk and pivot layout on mylar, on top of the lofting.
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Half of the trunk fitted to boat.
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The board is made like the original would have been, minus the steel drifts. I tongue and grooved all the parts together to help with end grain gluing.
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Assembled, with bronze pivot.
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Installed in the boat and first coat of primer.
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I'll post more later.
Jim
 
Joel I really like the long neck on that Pintail, I think that's the feature that gives Pintails their elegance.

Black duck gunners look great too Bill.
 
Jim~


I am thoroughly enjoying your build!


Question: Did you caulk the plank seams? Were the full-size vessels caulked with cotton (or oakum) and white lead?


All the best,


SJS

 
So much great stuff this month, everyone is putting out nice decoys and boats of all sizes.
 
Steve Sanford said:
Jim~


I am thoroughly enjoying your build!


Question: Did you caulk the plank seams? Were the full-size vessels caulked with cotton (or oakum) and white lead?


All the best,


SJS
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Thanks Steve!
My model plank seams are clamped and glued, to each other, and down to the keelson and chine log. Were full size vessels caulked? That's one of those "depends" situations. Some cross planked boats were laid tight, edge to edge. White cedar, and juniper as well compress well when swelled, rather than buckling. I think caulk seams were worked on larger boats, planked with yellow pine. Some builders put a gap between, like a hacksaw blade, and let them swell. That's the bottom planks. There was always something laid in the chine seam, before nailing or screwing the planking down. Sometimes a cotton wicking, or tarred marline, or even polysulfide caulk. You wouldn't drive cotton caulk at that seam with a mallet and iron, because it would drive the seam apart. On a deadrise boat, the cross plank ends would be caulked to the keel. Any fore and aft planking like topsides would have a seam bevel worked and would be caulked tight. Not being submerged, the topsides wouldn't swell as much.

Rob Lake built a beautiful crab scrape a few years ago from lines taken off "Darlene", a Smith Is. scrape. Below is his tarred marline strand laid in the chine seam.
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And his bottom to keel seam.
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Rob's forefoot is fore and aft planked. Some Maryland builders did this, and those seams are cotton caulked.
mms_picture.jpg


Stella Grace, Rob's crab scrape at launching. Rob's blog. http://scrapeboatstella-r.blogspot.com/
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Even in the 70's, some Chesapeake builders were turning to double planking with epoxy between. The most recent deadrise skiff from the Deltaville Marine Museum boat shop (that John England runs) was triple planked with juniper, and epoxy glued. Cold molded, if you like. I like to build deadrise with cold molded plywood, glassed. I don't want to fool with anything having to make up each season, with the chance of grit getting in the seams. I like it tight forever, and am not so much a traditionalist.

Our Point Comfort, with bottom planked. Two layers of 3/8" meranti, seams staggered.
allplanked2


sandedfair2


Didn't mean to go off on such a tangent! I'll get back on the model sharpie tomorrow. I've been working on deck framing today.
Jim
 
Richard Lathrop said:
Jim,

I am a member of the MidAtlantic chapter of the Traditional Small Craft Association. I have been to the East Coast Messabout at St. Michaels a few times. While I am not a waterfowl hunter myself. I do see how these boats are actually used. It makes sense why a sneakbox has an off center dagger board versus a centerboard once you know how they are used.

Rick lathrop
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Rick, I meant to reply to this before. I used to go MASCF at St. Michaels back in the mid 90's. I always took one of my sailing canoes down. Was a great event. I heard that John Ford, who ran that event had passed away recently.
Jim
 
To continue with the model sharpie-

Time to paint the interior, before floorboards can go in. Also, bottom and centerboard. I rounded up our arsenal of Golden acrylics. We keep a pretty good kit in the house, but I had to order some matte medium. Straight acrylic is way too shiny for me.
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Interior is grey. There will be very minimal bright work. coamings, mast and spars, and tiller. That's about it. Paint is period correct for this type of boat.
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I went ahead and fitted the floorboards, before working on the centerboard. This will give me a chance to get them painted before installing. This pic shows them just sitting there, so not properly spaced and fastened down yet.
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I wanted the centerboard construction to show up, so I etched lines along the seams, which will get highlighted with darker paint.
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I did the same on the visible cross plank seams.
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I taped off the board, and the waterline on the hull, and mixed up a deep red. The hull took four coats to cover well, over the white primer. I ended up mixing some matte medium and retarder into the acrylic, and sanded with 1000 abranet between coats. worked reasonably well. On the next model, I may experiment with milk paint, which is dead flat. I?ve used it on furniture, to good effect. I used matte varnish on the centerboard, and that knocks the sheen down well.

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For the seam lines, I took an ink pen, and drew the lines in black, then wiped some of it away, and painted in some dark dilute acrylic, and fiddled around with it. The effect is okay, but I think my color is darker than it should be, particularly since the bottom is in shadow. I may go back later, and lighten the red selectively with a dry brush. I?ll varnish the hull and deck at the end, after all painting is done. The paint edge on the centerboard are a little jaggy, but that is never seen when the model is on it's stand. That part is inside the trunk. More to come...

Thanks for looking.
Jim
 
Good morning, Jim~


I am really enjoying your project! It sure makes me want to get back to some the boats awaiting my attentions.


Having completed our Spring House, I have been re-building our Pump House. It is half-way up a very steep (40 degree?) hillside, so it adds a few challenges. As before, I am building all the pieces in the shop.


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Everything is now sided - and I need to decide whether to paint it before I haul it down to the foundation.


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Yesterday was a small electrical project in our kitchen - and some Frog Pond maintenance.



Nevertheless, work still pours forth From the Bench of George Williams....


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Happy Fathers Day to All!


SJS


 
Kiernan, once you have some paint on those stool, either post up here, or drop me a note with the images
gwdecoys@Verizon.net
Hope you got the message regarding the sase of the brant. Will send you a variety of head positions you can play with.
 
Hi George, I will definitely post up some pictures of them painted. Also I did get your note and an Sase will be headed your way. Thanks again I appreciate all the help I can get.
 
Love the bags of sand anchoring your lathe stand. Wondering where the wood chips were in that last photo? Maybe you used them for hickory smoke on your grill. Oh yeah, that bowl turned nicely. Those edges look the hickory really turns nicely. Good job Dave.
 
Brad Bortner said:
Love the bags of sand anchoring your lathe stand. Wondering where the wood chips were in that last photo? Maybe you used them for hickory smoke on your grill. Oh yeah, that bowl turned nicely. Those edges look the hickory really turns nicely. Good job Dave.
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Brad, I have a Delta dust collector just out of frame. It is set up on wheels with a 30 gal. trash can "chip separator" plumbed in just ahead of the dust bags. I haven't checked the trash can but I suspect it will be about 3/4 full of shavings.

As for the stand, yep ballast is required. This stand is a temporary feature to fine tune what I want for an overall height to the spindle centerline. I started out a bit higher and have trimmed it down to it's present height. Seems to be a comfortable height for me so now it's time to build a permanent work station.
 
Hi Dave. Nice bowl there. How do you like the Grizzly lathe? I've used a Grizzly bandsaw (17") that compares very favorably to my $$ Italian saw. Hard to beat the price. Just curious how the lathe stacks up.
Thanks!
Jim Cricket
 
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