Ship Model Jigs

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You have selected the model that you want to build and decided how and where it will be displayed. You have collected the tools, plans and reference material you will need and created a secure work area for yourself. You are almost ready to begin.

Before the actual construction of the model starts, there is one more preparatory job to be carried out; the building of the jig. The jig's task is to provide the model with a stable base during construction and to hold it still while the modeler carries out work on it. There are two types of jigs that you will find useful. The temporary jig and the permanent display stand.

The temporary jigs are either commercially available or the model builder can build his own. Commercially available jigs are devices such as the Fair-A-Frame used to ensure perfect alignment of the bulkheads to the false keel, a hull planking vise which holds the false keel allowing the builder plank the model on the stand, a timber tapering tool which acts similarly to the hull planking vice and the Keel Klamper which is also similar to the hull planking vise but with the feature of allowing the builder to rotate the model in many directions making the build much more easy. With anyone of these jigs, the model can remain on the jig during the compete construction.

To build your own jig, the base plate should be a sheet of chipboard about ¾" thick, somewhat longer and wider than the ship's hull. Glue paper or plastic film on to the base, and draw on it the exact centerline of the ship and the precise location of the frames - later on you will appreciate these lines: you will be able to tell whether the bulkheads are exactly at right angles to the false keel by using a small plumb bob or a square. The supports for the stem and stern must be exactly 90 degrees to the base plate, to ensure that the keel, stern, and sternpost are exactly vertical. This again allows you to check whether the centre of the frames and the centre of the deck beam are exon the mid-ship plane by using a small plumb bob. The supports can be made of wood but angle iron is better. The model will remain on this building jig until the wales are fitted when the hull becomes quite rigid. At that stage the model can be removed for planking.

After planking, staining, painting and coppering underwater hull (if appropriate) it makes sense to fix the model on a permanent display stand. The base plate of this stand should be made of a high quality hardwood, as appropriate to the model. The choice of wood is of course a matter of taste but it should harmonize with the colouring of the ship model. The stand should not draw the attention of the viewer away from the model itself. As an example, oak, walnut or mahogany should only be used with the fairly dark planked ships of the 19th Century. To prevent the base plate suffering damage during further construction work, cover it with a sheet of thick plastic and secure the edges with tape.

There are three types of model display stands; cradles, pedestals, and blocks. Dioramas are also some times seen with slipways holding up the model.

Which ever way you choose to display your model, ensure that the stand is securely attached to the base board and the model itself. Gluing is good, screwing is better. The advantage of the cradle is that the models security and the builders peace of mind are ensured; the disadvantage is that in two places, the lines of the underwater hull are interrupted. Incidentally, the support surfaces of the cradle must be an exact fit for the hull. The advantage of the pedestal is that the hull form is shown off to its maximum effect; the disadvantage is that you have to drill a hole in the keel of the model. The pedestal should not be too tall - maybe 1 ½" to 2 inches - again you don't want to distract from the ship model itself.

There are a number of other jigs that you will find helpful. For planking of the deck, it is useful to create a cutting template so that all of the lengths are equal and an overlay pattern so that the toenails are properly lined up. More on this topic later.

For bending wood, once again there are commercially available jigs and tools. A Planking Machine will bend the wood to an unspecified degree but does make the piece more pliable. A Plank Forming Jig allows for different shapes and angles because the tool itself is adjustable. This is very good for pieces of wood that are up to 0.8mm thick. Then there is the Electric Plank bender which allows for very severe bends in thicker pieces of wood. This tool is excellent for early period ship modeling. There are a number of hand tools that are available that work by notching the wood to allow for bending. You can also create a wood bending jig from a scrap piece of plywood and nails. Arrange the nails into a crescent shape, cover them with tape (to avoid rusting) and place your wet planking material in the jig to dry. This is very effective for hull shapes like schooners.

For rigging, assembling rat lines present a special challenge. Once again there is a commercial product available called a Loom-A-Line The advantage of this jig is that you create two rat lines at once and the pegs that are used to create the shape are adjustable allowing for different sizes of rat lines. However you can easily build your own jig using a scrap piece of plywood and nails positioned in the shape of a teepee. You would likely need to build a few of these for the sizes required by the model. There is also a jig called a reeving tool. This tool makes threading of deadeye assemblies or blocks and tackles easier, and assures perfect spacing of deadeyes.

There are many other jigs that can make your modeling experience rewarding;

If you are coiling lines for a ship model to hang around belaying pins, you can make a jig from a piece of one-by-two and three nails or pegs for each coil. One nail goes into the top surface and the other into the face and a third nail is further down the face.

Mast and spar tapering jigs are very useful and are made from hollowed out tapered wood in which you rest a piece of sandpaper.

Rope walks can be easily made that allow the builder to produce your own rigging lines. There is also a commercially available rope walk.

And the list goes on.

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Making Wooden Toys

There are many benefits to making wooden toys. There is the joy of practicing a craft that improves as you continue down the path. There is the craft of making the toys with hand tools and then a completely different craft is practiced as you finish or paint the toy.

The toys can either be gifted or sold but it can be seen as a craft that pleases the maker and then more pleasure can be had from watching the enjoyment that the person that receives the toy can experience.

Some toys can be made with very common hand tools and others can require a shop full of power tools. The choice is up to the maker.

Toys can be of many sizes. They can be as small as a toy wooden soldier or as large as a toy wagon or playhouse. The variety is up to the imagination of the maker.

There are other benefits of wooden toys. They can fire a child's imagination. Many child development centers have found that simple wooden toys are preferable to the fancy technological type toys. They have found that children can take something as simple as a toy car or a set of blocks and take it where their imagination leads. The technologically sophisticated toys are very directional and tend to leave less to the imagination of the child.

Wooden toys are more sanitary than plastic or metal toys. A wooden toy in the same room as a plastic or metal toy will have fewer germs on it surface than a plastic or metal car. It seems that wood seems to contain some naturally antibiotic characteristics.

Wooden toys are more ecologically friendly. Over time wood will break down and deteriorate. It is not known how long the plastics and metals we use today will linger in our land fills.

The beginning woodworker will find many types of toys that they can begin building right away and the more advanced woodworker has no limit to the possibilities of plying his craft. There is no limit the the enjoyment that can come from making wooden toys

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Popular Varieties of Cigar Boxes

A cigar box can come in many shapes and sizes, and hold anywhere from five or six items to a complete collection containing hundreds of cigars. Great for gifts, cigar boxes serve both to protect and preserve their contents, and to display them in an attractive, elegant setting.

Modern cigar boxes are often similar to humidors in that they feature climate-controlling features that optimize the temperature and humidity in order to preserve the cigar's flavor and appearance. Some are custom made out of wood and hand-crafted to suit the exact décor of the buyer's home.

There is also a large market for antique cigar boxes. Serious collectors fetch hefty prices for containers that date back to the turn of the century or even earlier.

Whether a buyer is seeking a cigar box for aesthetics or for preservation, cigar boxes make perfect gifts for any aficionado. Online merchants such as Cigar King offer some of the finest cigar boxes, available in many price ranges. A simple Cigar Caddy made out of Otter Box can be purchased for under $20, while a classic Ashton humidor of beautiful walnut can run upwards of $1500.

Other discount cigar stores offer boxes at reduced rates, and they can often be shipped to the customer overnight. For those looking for other cigar accessories to compliment a cigar box, there are many brands and styles of lighters, cutters and ashtrays that could make for a perfect gift set for any cigar aficionado.

If you are having trouble locating a suitable cigar store or distributor in your area, consult Cigarworld online for a directory of all local and national cigar outlets. There you will find literally hundreds of locations, both online and off, which offer cigars and cigar accessories to suit any occasion.

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Why Would a Person Need Wooden Toy Plans?

To build a wooden toy! Now, the type of toy and purpose of it will vary, but all will tell you that it's fun to make them. Often a parent can incorporate the child in the building, creating more quality time with the kids. There are many types of wooden toys, some being educational in nature, and others being decorative and quite complex. All have the durability of wood and craftsmanship, so will last a lifetime.

Ride on toy plans are popular and numerous on the web, varying in difficulty and price, or many free! Most have wooden wheels and are propelled by pushing with the feet, but the hours of enjoyment and durability will please you for years. The majority of the wooden toy plans are designed with the younger child (2-5 years) with a few that may be suitable for children as old as 6-7 years old.

There are too many educational toys to get to them all here, but the building blocks, and Lego style sets, while a little complicated, are worth every bit of energy used. Most of the puzzles and games require a bit more woodworking skills, and a dremel, jigsaw, or band saw, but will provide years of enjoyment for all the people you share them with.

There are also wooden toy plans for infants and toddlers toys. The very smallest of the ride on toys can be built almost exclusively with scrap material that you already have lying around in your shop! Educational building block designs, puzzles, and games are often combined to create the most ingenious of toys, and you are able to combine design ideas creating your own custom toys.

People often collect the smaller and more detailed of the wooden toys, displaying them around the house or, other areas, where they will catch the eye. Wooden toy plans are available for those inclined to "do it yourself", but often the people displaying these items have bought them, sometimes paying thousands of dollars for a single toy! Thus, the people who can make these, should.

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How to Build a Bird Feeder

You love feeding the birds. It is fascinating to watch and see what kinds of creatures you can bring to your yard. Now, you want to learn how to build a bird feeder yourself so you can get extra satisfaction from bird watching.

Learning how to build a bird feeder is a fun project for the whole family. It can be as complicated or as simple as you want it to be. You can make a bird feeder from pinecones, peanut butter, and seeds. Just spread peanut butter all over the pinecone and roll it in the seeds. You can also make a bird feeder out of milk jugs and bottles. You can also string popcorn and hang it from a tree.

Perhaps the most common bird feeder style is the standard wooden bird feeder that looks like a house. While this is a bit more complicated to construct than the other styles, it doesn't require advanced skills. All you need is some wood, something to cut the wood, hammer, and nails. Before you get started, you may want to find a pattern that will help you. You also may want to stain the pieces before you get started. Or you can leave the wood looking natural. You can get your children involved with the tasks that don't involve power tools. For example, after the house is constructed, you can give it to them to decorate. If they are older, you can teach them how to use some of the tools.

When you build a bird feeder as a family, it can be a bonding experience. You can either choose a simple style or one that is a little more complicated. If you choose to make a more complicated feeder, involve your children as much as possible without putting their safety in danger.

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Baby Clothes Home Display

To add a touch of heritage to a child's room, why not display some of their own baby clothing. These little memories of made of cloth look great on a display hanging rack made for a tabletop or dresser. As the child grows older they will love to use their own clothes for their dolls to play dress up. To make your own display rack, these are the things you will need:

o 2 porch spindles

o scrap wood

o hanging rod (for a closet; a wooden dowel will also serve)

o screws

o drill with screw bit

o scrap fabric

o spray adhesive

o 2 rosettes (used for closet bars)

o wood glue

o 2 decorative knobs

o paint (color is your choice; you can also use a wood stain if the wood is nude)

Take the porch spindles that you might have purchased at Home Depot or somewhere similar and paint them whatever color you wish, keeping in mind the colors of your child's room or furniture. Then, cut two pieces of wood for the base of the rack and the top. The size depends on the size of rack you wish to build. To hold three or for garments, the base should probably be about 18x8 inches. Set aside the top piece for now. Fasten the spindles to the base using screws through the bottom of the base. To make sure that the base will not scratch your furniture, attach a piece of fabric to the bottom with adhesive. Sit the rack upright and screw on the rosettes. Now place the bar on the rosettes as you wood in a normal closet. Take the top piece of wood and fasten it to the spindles with screws. Lastly, you can glue the knobs on top of the rack as decoration. Of course you can be creative and pick any decorative items you wish.

Now you have made a fun new display rack for your children's clothes. Place your kid's clothes on the rod using baby clothes hangers, and the project is complete (wooden hangers may be the most decorative). Perhaps you will keep it in their room or perhaps you want it for your own. It quite possibly will become a family relic that will go on for generations.

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Amateur Radio Call Signs

Call signs in the United States used to be very easy for one Ham Operator to tell
which area in the US the Ham they were talking to was from! A 6 call was from
California or some state near, or a 0 call was New York or a state near New York,
they did not even need to look at the call map! Today a Amateur Radio Operator
can move from North Carolina where it is a 4 call to Texas where it is a 5 call and
keep their 4 call.
Call signs (in the United States) consist of one or two letters, a number, and one
to three more letters. The first part of the call sign denoted what country they are
from, with the US being A, AA - AK K, KA - KK, KM - KW, KX - KZ, N, NA - NK,
NM - NW, NM - NW, NX - NZ, WA - WK, WM - WO, WQ - WW, and WX - WZ.
Also in the US, AA - AK was issued only to Amateur Extras.

Each country has been assigned a country designation by a governing body.
This group is made up from representatives from all over the world and is
not only concerned with ham communication but all communication. I am not
going to get into the designations for the countries. There are several charts
available that shows the different designations and the country it relates to.

The number in the Call Sign tells what part of the US they reside in.

0 (zero) told they reside in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri,

Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota.

1 in the call sign Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode

Island, Vermont.

2 is New Jersey, New York.

3 is Delaware, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania.

4 is Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina,

Tennessee, Virginia.

5 is Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas.

6 is California.

7 is Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Wyoming.

8 is Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia.

9 is Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin.

Hawaii and Alaska have a little different scheme in their call sign.

AL0-7, KL0-7, NL0-7, WL0-7 is Alaska.

AH6-7, KH6-7, NH6-7, WH6-7 is Hawaii.

The first part of the call sign told what country the Ham Call was from and the
number told what area, the last one to three letters of the call sign is never issued
to another Ham in a call sign that has the same first letters and area number.
This makes a call sign only one of a kind in the world.
A valid call sign could consist of 1 letter, a number, and 1 more letter. In Alaska
or Hawaii a valid call could be two letters, a number, and one letter!

As was said before, it WAS very easy to tell about the Amateur Operator you are
talking to! Now there also is a call sign we call a Vanity Call here is the US.
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) permit hams to apply for a call
that means something to them. If your Dad, Aunt, or someone you knew had a
call sign at one time that you wanted, you could request that call sign (for a small
fee) as long as no else had that sign. If your name was Joe, you could have those
letters for your last three in your call sign (if no one else had them with the rest of
the letters and number) under the Vanity Call system.

When applying for vacant Vanity call signs that may be available to you,
you have to be aware that it depends on your license class. Extra class
licensees can pretty much choose any vacant US call sign. Advanced class
licensees cannot seek the 1x2, 2x1 or 2x2 starting with letter "A" as they
are Extra class type call signs. What that means is that you cannot seek a
call sign that is above your current license authority, but can take a call
sign that is equal to or below the authority that you currently have!

As of April 2000, there was no longer a morse code requirement for any
of the Amateur Radio Operators tests, and there is only three levels
(Technician, General, and Extra Class) of licensing.

Examinations after that date will only be given for Technician, General and
Extra Class. Hams licensed under the categories that are no longer will be
"grandfathered" so that they may operate as long as the old license remains
in effect. This could be somewhere around 10 years as that is the length of
a license.

So during that time or maybe never at all can you ever tell anything about
the Ham operator that you or another Ham is talking to other than what
country they are from! Guess the best thing is to ask them where they are located!

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