Scratch for a beginner

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Sorry about the unfinished question.
I would like to go to the next level in my building and having studied the plans and reading up on scratch building I would like to start by replacing the kit decking with a lighter wood ie. pear. So I need to buy a mini table saw ie. proxxon and the wood ie. pear from a source
The wood seems to come in bocks 8/4. Is that 8”x4” and what kind of blade will cut .5 mm. Planks.
I may be getting in over my head and skill level but it’s been a dream for most of my 70 years to build a scratch model.
Thanks
Bill
 
Hi Bill,
I purchase my timber planking material from ZHL models. They have Pear, Cherry and Maple in various sizes.
 
0.5mm wood goes under the name of veneer, and you can purchase it in sheets and cut your own planks by hand A steel ruler and scalpel is all that is needed to cut 0.5mm wood! I regularly cut 1/16th inch wood with a scalpel.
 
I built this plank on frame model in 1982. Tools used: Jeweller's saw, steel ruler, scalpel, coarse file, smooth file, tweezers, small vice. I no longer build plank on frame models, as I now prefer building miniatures only a few inches long! This model is the well-known Scottish Maid, I got the plans from a book, and it is scratchbuilt!
Scottish Maid.jpg
 
Bill

Usually when you see something like 8/4, 4/4, or 12/4 it refers to thickness of the wood. This refers to a measurement in 1/4 inch increments i.e. 8/4 means 8 - 1/4 inch increments or 2 inches. In woodworking this is used all the time.

Whether I get my lumber from a hardwood reseller or the sawmill, I would ask for so many board feet of 4/4 etc. It comes in random widths and different grades so it helps if you know exactly what you are looking for and how much.

It might help if you refer to didit (Dave) thread on wood he explains a lot.

Don
 
Sorry about the unfinished question.
I would like to go to the next level in my building and having studied the plans and reading up on scratch building I would like to start by replacing the kit decking with a lighter wood ie. pear. So I need to buy a mini table saw ie. proxxon and the wood ie. pear from a source
The wood seems to come in bocks 8/4. Is that 8”x4” and what kind of blade will cut .5 mm. Planks.
I may be getting in over my head and skill level but it’s been a dream for most of my 70 years to build a scratch model.
Thanks
Bill

I have a ton of pear in all shapes and sizes but a mini table saw will not cut it. You would need a bigger saw to cut the wood down to a smaller size that the mini saw can handle or purchase re-sawn wood sheets.

the pear your looking at might be Swiss Pear and it is steamed to a pink color 95% of all pear on the lumber market is this type. Before buying the wood ask is it natural pear OR steamed pear?

Scratch building is a general term are you thinking plank on frame or plank on bulkhead or solid hull model?

a table saw is useless for cutting out frames or bulkheads you need either a bandsaw or scroll saw
you need some way of sanding the re-sawn wood

if you build kits you already have the skills for scratch building so I do not think you are getting over your head.
 
Ik make my own fineer sometimes from lime wood or oak. I buy battens at the construction market and saw them with my proxxon table saw. I bought a lot of fineer and battans from a boat builder that quitted with his hobby at a second hand site.enough to build 5 boats and a little cabinet with 4 drawers full of brass anu cannons etc. Only for 35 euro. Do you have a site like this Over there? Ik think with so much experience its not over your head. Gonna follow this.
 
When I built my Scottish Maid (above) I just used sandpaper for smoothing the sawn wood! It was planked in 1/16th inch obeche sheet, the planks being cut with a scalpel and steel ruler.
 
The image below is an extract from a small book, the first I ever wrote in 1982, showing the early stages of the above model of the Scottish Maid, built to a scale of 8 feet to 1 inch (1:96) All very simple, and the frames were cut out of normal plywood with a small saw. All very simple, but it still made an attractive model.
Scottish Maid frame (Large).jpg
 
When I built my Scottish Maid (above) I just used sandpaper for smoothing the sawn wood! It was planked in 1/16th inch obeche sheet, the planks being cut with a scalpel and steel ruler.


like you I do model building mostly by hand the problem for builders is getting rough lumber down to modeling sizes. Did you purchase the Obeche as sheet stock or did you first have to cut down a plank of lumber?

I have taken a close look at your postings and your work and I would consider you one of the master builders on the forum

as you say you prefer building miniatures only a few inches long! Tools used: Jeweller's saw, steel ruler, scalpel, coarse file, smooth file so in your style of building using veneer is the way to go.
Depending on what a scratch building has in mind cutting a keel 6mm x 9mm would be a tad difficult with a steel rule and scalpel, but you do show what can be done without a shop full of fancy power tools.

I suggest model builders take note of your work it is the true basic hand built model and darn good if you ask me. There is no need for expensive CAD programs, expensive power tools. A model does not have to have 100 guns or even one gun to be an impressive piece of modeling.
 
one thing I noticed with beginner scratch builders is they set their sights on some big complex 40 gun frigate or ship of the line.
That is not how you start

if you want to see how it is done keep an eye on the Ontario build a POB build and the Oliver Cromwell build a POF. Both models are from scratch and they give you a sense of the how it is done.

Now if you want to jump in a semi-scratch plank on frame build (POF) try you hand at a timbering set of something like the Hannah by Harold Hahn. Here, all the heavy wood milling is done but there is still a lot of cutting and fitting and building. There are no step by step instructions just a set of plans. This is more of a learn how to do it rather than a rush to the finished model. Your instructions are this forum where you can post questions and get advice.

once you complete the model you now have experience and developed a skill level so you can move on and apply what you learned to any model subject.
 
The obeche sheet that I use is obtained from Ebay in planks already finely cut to 1/16th of an inch. I get veneer from the same place. This one is much smaller, and is planked with sycamore veneer. I built it in about 1984. I really have no interest in Napoleonic or similar naval ships, cannons and loads of fancy decorations do not impress me at all, and life on a navy ship is pretty boring, unless you get involved in a sea battle, which I wouldn't imagine is very pleasant anyway. The life in merchant ships is much more varied and intertesting, if one cares to r read about them, also, if wars do come up, the poor old merchant navy is invariable sucked into the thick of it anyway. This is the brig Neilson. A workhorse of the sea. Not very attractive, but an experiment in miniature plank-on-frame. When I was at sea myself, I didn't use machine tools at all, apart from a hand-held 12 Volt electric drill. Now I am retired, I have a small lathe, a drill press, and a hobby band saw. They reduce the building time, and effort, but are not really necessary.
Neilson plank on frame (Large).JPG
 
one thing I noticed with beginner scratch builders is they set their sights on some big complex 40 gun frigate or ship of the line.
That is not how you start

if you want to see how it is done keep an eye on the Ontario build a POB build and the Oliver Cromwell build a POF. Both models are from scratch and they give you a sense of the how it is done.

Now if you want to jump in a semi-scratch plank on frame build (POF) try you hand at a timbering set of something like the Hannah by Harold Hahn. Here, all the heavy wood milling is done but there is still a lot of cutting and fitting and building. There are no step by step instructions just a set of plans. This is more of a learn how to do it rather than a rush to the finished model. Your instructions are this forum where you can post questions and get advice.

once you complete the model you now have experience and developed a skill level so you can move on and apply what you learned to any model subject.
The obeche sheet that I use is obtained from Ebay in planks already finely cut to 1/16th of an inch. I get veneer from the same place. This one is much smaller, and is planked with sycamore veneer. I built it in about 1984. I really have no interest in Napoleonic or similar naval ships, cannons and loads of fancy decorations do not impress me at all, and life on a navy ship is pretty boring, unless you get involved in a sea battle, which I wouldn't imagine is very pleasant anyway. The life in merchant ships is much more varied and intertesting, if one cares to r read about them, also, if wars do come up, the poor old merchant navy is invariable sucked into the thick of it anyway. This is the brig Neilson. A workhorse of the sea. Not very attractive, but an experiment in miniature plank-on-frame. When I was at sea myself, I didn't use machine tools at all, apart from a hand-held 12 Volt electric drill. Now I am retired, I have a small lathe, a drill press, and a hobby band saw. They reduce the building time, and effort, but are not really necessary.
View attachment 47865
Wow!! Thank you all for the great advice and confidence build.
Starting with the Hannah sounds like a good way to start.
I’ll be starting on the Friedrich soon so will probably have questions on that as well.
I will see if I can figure out how to send pics of my models
Thanks again
Bill
 
Hi Bill ,check these video tutorials for how to use the forum as such posting images,etc.

Zoltan
 
Hi Bill ,check these video tutorials fo
Hi Bill ,check these video tutorials for how to use the forum as such posting images,etc.

Zoltan

r how to use the forum as such posting images,etc.

Zoltan
Thanks Zoltan. I don’t see where to click on.
While I’m at it , was thinking of using bamboo for the trenails on the hull.
That seems to be the Wood of choice.
The hull is dark so the lite bamboo would stand out. I wouldn’t want to paint them. Is there a trick for this or do I make the dowel out of dark wood.
Thx
Bill
 
I am finally gearing back up to work on a scratchbuilt "Fin de la Guerre" from 1585. I've made a bunch of mistakes and will make more- it is part of the fun. The one thing I would suggest is to get a decent set of plans and double check them before cutting out parts. The ones that have been suggested have been built many times so are probably OK, but measure twice cut once is always good advice! Having a good feel for how a wooden ship was put together is another thing to wrap your brain around before or during your own construction. Two cheap books I found useful were "The built up ship model" by Charles Davis and A Goodly Ship: The Building of the Susan Constant by David Larkin. And there is great information on checking plans in the first couple of videos at
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5wX2_PJGI8sxN_zzXNTWaZ9qi-U_9Zp7
There is a running translation into English. Have fun with your projects!

Build log for my ship is at:
https://www.shipsofscale.com/sosfor...lotting-a-finis-belli-a-ca-1585-ironclad.897/
It's been on hold for way too long.
 
Bill

Usually when you see something like 8/4, 4/4, or 12/4 it refers to thickness of the wood. This refers to a measurement in 1/4 inch increments i.e. 8/4 means 8 - 1/4 inch increments or 2 inches. In woodworking this is used all the time.

Whether I get my lumber from a hardwood reseller or the sawmill, I would ask for so many board feet of 4/4 etc. It comes in random widths and different grades so it helps if you know exactly what you are looking for and how much.

It might help if you refer to didit (Dave) thread on wood he explains a lot.

Don
Hallo Don alias @DonF
we wish you all the BEST and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Birthday-Cake
 
Sorry about the unfinished question.
I would like to go to the next level in my building and having studied the plans and reading up on scratch building I would like to start by replacing the kit decking with a lighter wood ie. pear. So I need to buy a mini table saw ie. proxxon and the wood ie. pear from a source
The wood seems to come in bocks 8/4. Is that 8”x4” and what kind of blade will cut .5 mm. Planks.
I may be getting in over my head and skill level but it’s been a dream for most of my 70 years to build a scratch model.
Thanks
Bill
Bill,

Looks like we may be in the same boat (pun intended!). I have just started a plank on frame model (Seagull - see Build log), after finishing just one intermediate level plank on bulkhead (OCCRE HMS Terror). I have learned much from your replies and also feel well out of my depth, but moving forward with help from other. I will follow your build with interest.
 
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