HMS Medea (28) (1778) 1/48 scratch build

Hey Ian, Be careful of the Dremel's accuracy.. I found mine ,being plasticy rubbish is totally useless as a drill press. As the drill bit enters the wood it actually moves the whole assembly!! As a sander it may be OK....Just a heads up. Cheers, Dan
 
Hey Ian, Be careful of the Dremel's accuracy.. I found mine ,being plasticy rubbish is totally useless as a drill press. As the drill bit enters the wood it actually moves the whole assembly!! As a sander it may be OK....Just a heads up. Cheers, Dan
Hi Dan
Yes, since Bosch bought Dremel the use of plastic has increased. However I don't use the drill press in the upright position except for the drum sander. I mainly bought it to provide me with a horizontal stand for the Dremel so I could use it hands free for sanding and cutting. It has been quite successful so far, although anything serious I need to do goes to the heavier machines in our community workshop.
I also have the mini saw attachment (very limited) and the plunge router tool which works well for small cut-outs such as notches for keels etc. I'll put up some images soon. We've been having some health issues in the family and my model is on hold at the moment.
 
HI ALL I HAVE ABOUT 8 or 9 DREMELS everything from the 8220 to the 395s typ 5 and everthing in between I also have the work station that I do not use much when needed it as a drill it works OK, what I do is I go to E BAY under rotary tools and look for used ones I can get them for anywhere from $20.00 to $30.00 sometimes less the most expensive ones are the 8220s got them for $40.00 if one burns out no big deal, so far have not had one give out yet, just me. Don
 
Have managed to get back to the bench and I decided to make my Hahn style jig before attempting any more frames.
Hahn_jig_1.png

I've tacked on these cross pieces to help line up the tops of the frames when the time comes. Each frame top will be glued to the correct square in the base and to the right side of the cross piece. I've also drawn in a centre line along the cross pieces and checked them for level.

Hahn_jig_2.png

My wife assures me that this would make a great xylophone if it doesn't work as a framing jig. :cool:

Now to continue with the keel and the frames. The keel is being made from Tasmanian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon) which I have had in store for 45 years - waiting for the right use.
 
A new year and a new start on HMS Medea (HMS Enterprise sister).
I knew I was taking on a massive task with little experience but I was up for the challenge so I charged ahead.

I made a keel, some frames and a Hahn style jig and then spent some time going over the plans again. The more I watched other build logs and the more I studied my plans I realized that I had made a basic error at the beginning and when I had printed out my plans there was a 1ft error against the originals. That's only 1/4 inch on my 1:48 scale but I knew it would be problematic all the way through, so I have started the new year with a correct scale set of plans and will begin the build again from scratch.

I might be able to salvage the Hahn style jig but will remove all the cross guides (xylophone) as I am going to rearrange the frames layout to be more accurate to the plans. I had two few frames planned so now I am making more work but greater accuracy by increasing the number of frames on 2 ft centre to centre spacings.

Nobody ever suggested this would be easy and I may not live to see it finished, but what enjoyment it brings to be working in miniature at my own pace and skill level.
 
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Nobody ever suggested this would be easy and I may not live to see it finished, but what enjoyment it brings to be working in miniature at my own pace and skill level.
This is the most important part of our hobby - you should have fun and enjoy what you are doing
 
This is the most important part of our hobby - you should have fun and enjoy what you are doing
Yes Uwe, I am seeing that and I do enjoy the challenges and finding ways to solve them. This forum has been my inspiration and I'm sure if I hadn't joined up and followed all the new posts and many older ones I would have given up already!
As someone said the other day, if you have to hurry it isn't a hobby. I'm only 74 so I hope to have a few years yet to get some building done and have some fun.
 
Yes Uwe, I am seeing that and I do enjoy the challenges and finding ways to solve them. This forum has been my inspiration and I'm sure if I hadn't joined up and followed all the new posts and many older ones I would have given up already!
As someone said the other day, if you have to hurry it isn't a hobby. I'm only 74 so I hope to have a few years yet to get some building done and have some fun.

What a great attitude. “Only 74” is not bad age, I got started at “only 75” and look forward to more and more complex builds.

Jan
 
Before going any further with my build I had to prove to myself that I have the skills (or can develop them) to build what I have set out to do.

I've bought a cheap Chinese mini lathe (AU$57-00) so I decided to make a fifteen foot oar at 1/48 scale for the Medea cutter.

The wood is my own Silver Ash.
15ft_oar_1.png15ft_oar_2.png

Not perfect yet but I'm heartened by the fact that I can work this timber down to the correct dimensions without breaking it.
 
Finally glued up a roughed out keel, stem and stern piece yesterday. The wood is Tasmanian blackwood (acacia sp.). I've pinned all the joints with bamboo trennels.

I've been practising forming the rabbets so that's the next job. I should have done it on each piece before assembly but missed that opportunity so now I'll have to do it the hard way.

Then a good sanding and I will be ready to begin on the frames (again).
Keel_31Jan2020_01.jpg
 
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