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Years ago, when I was making arrows, I became very frustrated with this issue. My solution was to find a birch on private land that was growing straight, negotiate with the owner, and take the tree down. I managed to cut out several 4' sections, debarked, dressed the ends, and let them dry. After drying in my attic for several summers, I took one out and began ripping it down. I managed to get a whole pile of very nice straight squares that I used for everything but arrows. The process took so much time, coupled with space and procrastination and losing interest in archery, that I would not recommend it. However, the very straight-grained lumber I harvested was awesome. The same thing can be done with lumber in commercial yards. The trick is to find a straight section of wood hiding in a large enough piece of, say, northern spruce, that you can cut it out. When I was still working, I was always on the lookout for dunnage lumber with clear sections that could be cut out to produce modeling wood. Making stuff from scratch is so very satisfying to me, and the further back I can go in the process, the more fun it is for me.I've just reached the masting phase of my build and sadly discovered that the lower mast dowels for the Foremast, Main Mast and Mizzen are warped significantly. They all appeared fine as packaged in the kit, but displayed this problem after removing the elastic bands that held them together. I'm looking for suggestions for straightening these. I've used the following technique on sample pieces of maple (which these masts are made from).
A. Soak the dowels in water for 24 hrs.
B. Remove the dowels from water and fasten to straight/flat surface with "correcting shims"
C. Blow dry with heat gun set to 300ºF till dry (about 2 minutes)
D. Apply a penetrating oil (non-tinted) and reset the clamps and shims
E. Let sit overnight then remove.
This corrected the warp and the penetrating oil should stabilize the dowel fibers - but I'm uncertain if the warp will return after these dowel are installed on the ship.
Looking for suggestions please
RegView attachment 506484
That's kind of like asking how big is a circle. Time to complete a model has so many factors. Complexity of the model. The time the builder has to work on it on a daily basis. The frustration of having something not go as planned, and deciding to take a break to retain your sanity and enjoyment of the hobby (ask me why I think of this... lol). With a small build, I might do it in six months. A larger one could take over a year... and a really complex one can take several years. The Corel HMS Victory that I'm currently working on, was a project I began well over two decades ago... put a year into it, and lost interest and shelved it for two decades. Then a bit over a year ago, I dug it out and started working on it again. I'm hoping to have it complete in another couple of years. Personally, I only work on the ship models during the winter months, as summer in Calgary is too brief and I try to wring as much enjoyment into our short affair with sunshine by getting out and enjoying it. My shipbuilding is relegated to the other six months of cold and darkness.
Mind you, my american friends didn't seem to mind when I spent a couple of weeks in California with our CL-415's dumping tons of water on them, and their fires.
I was going to recommend Cornwall Model Boats as they have quality metric dowels. Best of luck, sir.I ordered new mast/dowels, but Model Expo only has inch diameters and I need 12x500mm plus a 10x500mm length of dowels. I know that I could use my lathe to achieve that fix, but I'm too lazy to do that which can be avoided. So I ordered from Cornwall Model Boats Ltd. - and possibly avoided the "new tariffs" that our countries (Canada and USA) are inventing. Sheesh.
Mind you, my american friends didn't seem to mind when I spent a couple of weeks in California with our CL-415's dumping tons of water on them, and their fires.
here in the states, there was a building supply store chain. Builders Square,
Builders Square - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
Per Admin, this post has been edited.
here in the states, there was a building supply store chain. Builders Square,
Builders Square - Wikipedia
Per Admin, this post has been edited.
Reg! Length of build time is a calculus problem: time available + skill - work/distractions x level of complexity of the build x level of detail. I don't think you mentioned the ship you're building, but MSW makes some wonderful and wonderfully complicated kits. I've been working on one of their beginner to intermediate kits, Harriet Lane, since December 3, 2024. I hope to have her under glass within the next month. I was hoping to have her done before last Christmas. Life. In any event, its a hobby and sometimes one has to redo and redo and redo to get it right - never mind making your own parts
. Good luck turning the new masts!I believe Ramin is a good timber for doweling but others might think othewise, it's quite light in weight but it easy to machine and sand.
Your American friends still love you, there is only one to blame.I ordered new mast/dowels, but Model Expo only has inch diameters and I need 12x500mm plus a 10x500mm length of dowels. I know that I could use my lathe to achieve that fix, but I'm too lazy to do that which can be avoided. So I ordered from Cornwall Model Boats Ltd. - and possibly avoided the "new tariffs" that our countries (Canada and USA) are inventing. Sheesh.
Mind you, my american friends didn't seem to mind when I spent a couple of weeks in California with our CL-415's dumping tons of water on them, and their fires.
when you go to Walmart and go to buy a dowel, and its crooked like a lawyer... its normally Ramin..
