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Le Saint Philippe 1693 after Jean-Claude Lemineur (Ancre) in scale 1:48

dockattner said:
I was offered a used TAIG mini-mill and jumped on it. I liked the Proxxon - but never fully resolved the 'slop' in the turning wheels which frustrated me when trying to mill accurately. The TAIG is a nice upgrade in this regards
Click to expand...
It's too late but someone posted an upgrade to the proxxon using thrust bearings. It is designed to reduce the backlash on the axes.
I know exactly what you mean by the slop on the wheels. It's annoying
 
Hello Friends!

There has been very little modeling the past several weeks - too many things competing for my time and attention.

Of course, all work and no play makes Paul a grumpy boy, so I did spend a few hours one afternoon processing two steamed pear boards I purchased this spring. I wasn't going to do this right now, but the boards (which were supposed to have been dried) were beginning to twist. I cut the boards into workable lengths and then processed them into large billets. I'll leave them like this for now stacked in my basement with spacers between each layer. Hopefully they will settle down.

IMG_2842.jpeg

These billets are 34 mm thick so they will each produce a number of panels. And if you are wondering...steamed pear is spendy. This stack was just shy of $500 USD. Yikes.

Back at the workbench... I managed to squeeze in a few hours over the past two days which allowed me to finish some decorative carvings that flank the oval lights (windows) on the stern of the ship... I then installed these new carvings along with the balcony brackets I completed previously.

IMG_2307.JPG

IMG_2310.JPG

IMG_2311.JPG

IMG_2313.JPG

There is no finish on anything you see here - the batch I mixed up earlier this summer had set up.

It felt good to work on the SP again.
 
dockattner said:
Hello Friends!

There has been very little modeling the past several weeks - too many things competing for my time and attention.

Of course, all work and no play makes Paul a grumpy boy, so I did spend a few hours one afternoon processing two steamed pear boards I purchased this spring. I wasn't going to do this right now, but the boards (which were supposed to have been dried) were beginning to twist. I cut the boards into workable lengths and then processed them into large billets. I'll leave them like this for now stacked in my basement with spacers between each layer. Hopefully they will settle down.

View attachment 642335

These billets are 34 mm thick so they will each produce a number of panels. And if you are wondering...steamed pear is spendy. This stack was just shy of $500 USD. Yikes.

Back at the workbench... I managed to squeeze in a few hours over the past two days which allowed me to finish some decorative carvings that flank the oval lights (windows) on the stern of the ship... I then installed these new carvings along with the balcony brackets I completed previously.

View attachment 642337

View attachment 642338

View attachment 642339

View attachment 642340

There is no finish on anything you see here - the batch I mixed up earlier this summer had set up.

It felt good to work on the SP again.
Click to expand...
Hi Paul
Your carving job is absolutely superb
I wonder how do you do this?
Cheers
 
archjofo said:
Hi Paul,
that looks great. Your work is admirably beautiful.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Johann. You are kind to take the time to visit.

Gilbertm said:
Hi Paul
Your carving job is absolutely superb
I wonder how do you do this?
Cheers
Click to expand...
Much appreciated, Gilbert. These particular bits were done with rotary carving and small files.

Cpt.Barbossa said:
Hi Paul.
wonderful little details and very finely executed—great stuff!

Regards
Andreas
Click to expand...
Thank you, Andreas. I'll not climb to your heights but I'm enjoying myself.

Steef66 said:
Nice stack of pear. Yes here in Europe also expensive. You have to look on second hand market if someone is selling his stuff.
And your carving skills grow everytime you make something new. Love it.
Click to expand...
The pear was a bit of an impulse buy, but I needed to move quickly because the two boards I got were the best of the lot. With practice I'm trying to sneak up on your carving skills (still a long way to go)!

Daniel20 said:
That stack of steamed pear means great things to come in the future! Oh, and your newest carvings are over the top, great job Paul.
Click to expand...
Yes, Daniel. It would seem I'm sticking with this hobby a bit longer. In addition to what I showed I have more pear and a bit of boxwood sitting in my basement (unprocessed boards at this point). But I don't want to get too far ahead of myself - I still have several years of carving to do on the SP.
 
dockattner said:
Hello Friends!

There has been very little modeling the past several weeks - too many things competing for my time and attention.

Of course, all work and no play makes Paul a grumpy boy, so I did spend a few hours one afternoon processing two steamed pear boards I purchased this spring. I wasn't going to do this right now, but the boards (which were supposed to have been dried) were beginning to twist. I cut the boards into workable lengths and then processed them into large billets.
These billets are 34 mm thick so they will each produce a number of panels. And if you are wondering...steamed pear is spendy. This stack was just shy of $500 USD. Yikes.

Back at the workbench...

It felt good to work on the SP again.
Click to expand...
A worthwhile investment to be sure!

Glad you are back at work on the SP!

It makes us happy to see you share your amazing work and superb attention to detail!!
 
Hey Paul,

I have a 17" Laguna band saw and a 1" wide resaw blade, if you want to avoid/minimize those circular saw burn marks going forward. You're welcome to swing by the shop when you're ready to take the next step in dimensioning those "steamed pear" boards of yours.

1791639865389.png

P.S. Where did you find the pear? Since you said you had to act fast to get those boards, I'm assuming you found a relatively close supplier so you could inspect the lot. If so, who was the supplier?

Also, in my search for domestic suppliers for boxwood, I learned that European boxwood is scarce here, and expensive, when you can find it. It was suggested that I look into Castello or Cape (aka) East London boxwood as an alternative. Do you have thoughts on this? and how boxwood compares to pear?
 
Last edited:
Der Alte Rentner said:
Hey Paul,

I have a 17" Laguna band saw and a 1" wide resaw blade, if you want to avoid/minimize those circular saw burn marks going forward. You're welcome to swing by the shop when you're ready to take the next step in dimensioning those "steamed pear" boards of yours.

View attachment 642553

P.S. Where did you find the pear? Since you said you had to act fast to get those boards, I'm assuming you found a relatively close supplier so you could inspect the lot. If so, who was the supplier?

Also, in my search for domestic suppliers for boxwood, I learned that European boxwood is scarce here, and expensive, when you can find it. It was suggested that I look into Castello or Cape (aka) East London boxwood as an alternative. Do you have thoughts on this? and how boxwood compares to pear?
Click to expand...
Thanks, Peter. The burn marks are not a concern at this point in the processing...though I am looking for an excuse to visit your shop!

The pear was from Ohio - I purchased it based on photographs. I believe the seller has sold his entire stock (sorry, I didn't know you were in the market).

I am not aware of a local supplier for European pear - only the (domestic) places I suggested previously. As for European boxwood - I believe it is literally impossible to purchase from a lumber supplier (might even be illegal to sell at this point since true European boxwood is all dying off from a blight). Your best bet would be to stumble upon a modeler selling off his/her supply.

Castello boxwood is not true boxwood. My Kingfisher is made from it. I believe it has a hardness similar to European pearwood or perhaps just a tiny bit harder. It is a joy to work with!

Cape boxwood (buxus macowanii) is what I am using for my carvings. You can also purchase it domestically from the US suppliers we discussed previously or from exotic wood dealers as pen or bowl blanks. It is harder than pear and similar in hardness to European box (probably a bit less).

If all you need is pear or boxwood for small-part kit-bashing I can easily satisfy that need. But if you're thinking about doing a first-rate POF in 1:32 scratch - well, that's another thing!
 
dockattner said:
Thanks, Peter. The burn marks are not a concern at this point in the processing...though I am looking for an excuse to visit your shop!

The pear was from Ohio - I purchased it based on photographs. I believe the seller has sold his entire stock (sorry, I didn't know you were in the market).

I am not aware of a local supplier for European pear - only the (domestic) places I suggested previously. As for European boxwood - I believe it is literally impossible to purchase from a lumber supplier (might even be illegal to sell at this point since true European boxwood is all dying off from a blight). Your best bet would be to stumble upon a modeler selling off his/her supply.

Castello boxwood is not true boxwood. My Kingfisher is made from it. I believe it has a hardness similar to European pearwood or perhaps just a tiny bit harder. It is a joy to work with!

Cape boxwood (buxus macowanii) is what I am using for my carvings. You can also purchase it domestically from the US suppliers we discussed previously or from exotic wood dealers as pen or bowl blanks. It is harder than pear and similar in hardness to European box (probably a bit less).

If all you need is pear or boxwood for small-part kit-bashing I can easily satisfy that need. But if you're thinking about doing a first-rate POF in 1:32 scratch - well, that's another thing!
Click to expand...
I have added Rare Woods USA to my bookmarked pages. They seem to have almost everything - except the European boxwood. I don't need anything today. I'm anticipating stocking up for my next build, and wanted to do so before any other domestic suppliers went belly up. You're welcome to come visit any time. When you do, bring along the plans for the rope walker you made (now, I'm going strictly from memory here - which I don't completely trust. If I misremembered, no worries. I've got several weeks worth of You-Tube videos to review before I exhaust the supply of rope I have on hand - having had a recent resupply from Ropes of Scale...
 
dockattner said:
Thanks, Dean. I agonized over that contrast, but when I queried the members following my work they spoke in favor of keeping the carvings natural boxwood.
Click to expand...

I agree, wood is beautiful and it’s almost a shame to paint it. I did so much painting on my ship, and once committed there’s no turning back. There were times when I hated painting something I carved. It takes some of the natural beauty away…sigh!
 
dockattner said:
Hello Friends!

There has been very little modeling the past several weeks - too many things competing for my time and attention.

Of course, all work and no play makes Paul a grumpy boy, so I did spend a few hours one afternoon processing two steamed pear boards I purchased this spring. I wasn't going to do this right now, but the boards (which were supposed to have been dried) were beginning to twist. I cut the boards into workable lengths and then processed them into large billets. I'll leave them like this for now stacked in my basement with spacers between each layer. Hopefully they will settle down.

View attachment 642335

These billets are 34 mm thick so they will each produce a number of panels. And if you are wondering...steamed pear is spendy. This stack was just shy of $500 USD. Yikes.

Back at the workbench... I managed to squeeze in a few hours over the past two days which allowed me to finish some decorative carvings that flank the oval lights (windows) on the stern of the ship... I then installed these new carvings along with the balcony brackets I completed previously.

View attachment 642337

View attachment 642338

View attachment 642339

View attachment 642340

There is no finish on anything you see here - the batch I mixed up earlier this summer had set up.

It felt good to work on the SP again.
Click to expand...
Also from Hamburg your carvings looks very nice, Paul. You are improving your carvings skills every time more and more.
Regards, Peter
 
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