What tools are needed in order to build a ship? I want to start buying the stuff that I need before I order my ship. I'm also going to be building a table to work on, so that part of it is covered. Oh, and how hard is it for a newbie to learn how to build a ship? I'm looking at getting the USS Brooklyn ship kit from Strike Models, so that ship would be easier for me to build. But, with me having no experience with ship building, or how to wire up electronics, I'm worried that I will have a lot of trouble building the ship. Am I worrying too much? Is this something that will just take time to learn, but is doable? Will I ever stop asking questions? Find out next time, on the next episode of.....
Are you planning on fighting fast gun? If so, I would highly recommend that you pick a 4 unit BC (such as the invincibles from Strike) rather than a cruiser, as at least in the Washington Cascade Column group, cruisers really are not that much fun as a primary ship. as far as tools, dremel, x-acto #11 blades and handle, etc. buy the electronics for the ship LAST if at all possible.
Well, looks like I have all the tools I need. As far as ships go, I'm looking at 1:144 scale. These look to be good BC ships to me, but tell me what you think. The SMS Derfflinger, and the SMS Moltke. Oh, and what determines the units on a ship? Thanks for the advice by the way!!!
If you have a harbor freight nearby you can find good deals. The tools I find I use everyday are the bandsaw, tiny tiny little 2 inch chop saw, 4 inch metal chop saw, just got a drill press for $50, decent soldering iron, vice, metal files (small), screw drivers, ball head hex wrenches, protractor, my new fave tool the very sharp wood chisel 1/2 inch, dremel with various bits, knives galore. I agree with Greg, no electronics until last, however you will at least want the batteries, pump and pump motor, drive train and motors, tank and regulator, and guns so you can lay out the ship. Its tough to lay out without those minimal items as you need to make sure the pump motor is not hitting a gun or a cross support, and you will need to balance the somewhat as well. As far as a first ship, take if from the ultimate Noob, dont start with a big ship. Those larger ships are just a big billboard for shoot the rookie, if you have a smaller ship they will show you more restraint while you are learning, but they cant pass up the big ships they have too many points. A small good turning ship (2T rudders) 4 -4.5 units, 26 seconds is good. This will give you the ability to turn well and the speed to get out of trouble. The moltke or VDT is a good choice, the derf is a more advanced ship. I went to the MWCI ship list to compare ships and find them. I have a VDT I will be building this winter. I also have a Baden which can be a good ship for a beginner but its slow and you have to learn fast.... I have a Tirpitz also... on the shelf for now... until I get a little more experience. I started in the same position as yourself. Give me a shout if you need a hand. Johnny
Thanks you guys for taking the time to help me out. The good thing is that there are a few lakes that are a few miles away (I'm going to check them out later today) and if they work out, and once I have two boats, I can play with friends and family over here. But that is what is making it hard for me when it comes to picking a ship. I would like to go with cruisers but if the club over in Washington uses larger ships, I would also have to go with a larger ship in order to be somewhat of a threat. Not only that, but the cruisers from strike models come as kits and are meant for first time builders. Do I go with a cruiser for now, then make my second ship a BC once I have some expereince with ship building?
If you're going to battle with the WCC guys, they are fast gun (IRCWCC). For fast gun, BCs are the best beginner boats IMO. If you aspire to the noblest pursuits of reason and glory, and seek to join the noble axis cause, VDT (from Battlers Connection) and the Derfflinger (from Strike!) are both good ships. If your baser ignoble desires drive you to fits of tea-drinking and the making of lace doilies... you may wish to go allied. For the sissypants allied captain-to-be, there are HMS Invincible (from Strike!) and HMS Lion (from Battlers Connection) which are (other than their effiminate allegiances) good ships. I personally regard the Invincible as the best entry-level ship in fast gun, allegiances aside. You can see several captains still playing with them even after much battle experience, as they are well-respected ships on the water. I know that as soon as I hit send on this, several people will offer their favorite entry-level ship, but hey, I got my 2 cents in. I am diehard axis, but I will let my own HMS Indomitable go when it is pried from my cold dead fingers. Toolswise: I list several inexpensive tools in the Cheapest Point of Entry thread under Warship Builds. Most used power tool is the Dremel or dremel look-a-like from Harbor Freight ($9 dollars WITH accessories!! A steal!) Right behind that is the power scrollsaw that I got at Lowes. You can grab one for well under $200 and it'll last many years. My OLD saw is over 30 years old with hardly any maintenance. I like to have several rulers in the shop, and a number of snap knives and pencils as well. A drill press would be good, but you can get by with a cheap drill (also available from Harbor Freight [HF])) Cheap solder gun, $9 at HF, also a steal
We're not exactly 'large ship only' over here. On the pond yesterday we had: SMS Westfalen HMS Roberts Suffren HMS Warspite Other ships that have seen the pond this year that I can remember offhand: DKM Karlsruhe USS North Carolina IJN Mutsu IJN Nagato DKM Bismarck Mogador Montcalm HMS Invincible Ships on the ways or in refit that I know of: Von Der Tann (probable, not yet laid down) Bayern Derfflinger Richelieu Scharnhorst So we have a decent mix. With that said, I would suggest building something that has at least one sidemount, purely because it opens up more ways to shoot someone else
Well I don't like to make dolls, or drink tea, (and I sure as heck ain't no sissypants BTY!) and I was wanting to go axis anyway, so I pledge allegiance to Germany! For now anyway I think the ship I might go with in the end is the SMS Moltke from Strike Models. It looks cool and it has two sidemounts. Now all I need is some money....
And if you want to be quirky you could paint it Khaki and call it the Yavuz Sultan Selim! The only DN to run away from a bunch of Pre-Dreadnoughts.
Tools needed for a ship, huh? Let's see... Everyone knows you'll need a saw of some sort, and a drill of some sort. And dremels are always handy. But the first thing you REALLY need is your layout tools. If you don't have the tools to draw a straight line, or a precision circle, or shrink the outside shape of a rib so you can cut out the inside accurately, then you cannot complain if your ship turns out horribly malformed. important layout tools: 1) steel ruler (or two) 2) good mechanical pencils 3) very high-quality compass, protractor, 45 degree triangle, and 30-60-90 triangle 4) a 1"-2"-3" block 5) a true flat surface, large enough to assemble your ship on, mark plans, etc. and sturdy enough not to flex. 6) two or more sets of good steel calipers, accurate to .001" 7) fine-tip sharpies, in several different colors. 8) tape measure, long enough to measure plans and hulls. 9) a quality yardstick or other long measuring implement with marks every inch. Metal, if possible. 10) a clear space on the wall, to mount ship plans for easy access and viewing. Next you need hand tools. Do not discount the importance of having the right screwdriver when you need it. Hand tools: 1) screwdrivers, both precision jewelers and standard, both phillips and flat. 2) a set of allen wrenches 3) needle-nose pliers, both fine-tipped and larger. 4) diagonal cutters 5) pliers, both small and large 6) C-clamps, small, medium, and large-enough-to-grab-your-entire-ship 7) hacksaw and extra blades 8) a complete set of drill bits, including fractions, numbers, and letters 9) a "rosebud" cutter 10) a complete set of wrenches, both metric and english, and a crescent wrench 11) nut drivers for at least #2-56, #4-40, and #6-32 nuts 12) exacto or two, preferably medium-sized handle. 13) dremel or similar, with sanding drums and fiberglass-reinforced cutting wheels. Maybe polishing wheels as well, if you like shiny metal objects as much as I do. 14) powered screwdriver, with add-on chuck for holding drill bits, etc. 15) taps, dies, and the handles to use them. #2-56, #4-40, #6-32, #10-36, and 1/8NPT are the basics. If you're going Big Gun, you'll also want a 15/32"-32 die. Some people also like #5-40, since you can directly tap a 1/8" brass rod with that thread. you'll also need soldering tools. Depending on your needs, a range of irons, guns, or torches may be necessary. Soldering: soldering iron, for small wires, transistors, and other electronic work. soldering gun, for large wires, electrical connectors, and general-purpose electric work. micro-torch, for soldering small gas fittings, decorative brasswork, etc. big torch, for soldering accumulators, rudders, and other big stuff. "helping hand", for holding wires, connectors, etc. while you solder them. Once you've got the basics of layout and hand tools taken care of, you'll need some real power tools. power tools: 1) saw, either scrollsaw or bandsaw. I use a bandsaw. 2) drill press. just about any will do. that's the basics. If you want to do better work, you'll need additional stuff: 3) disk sander and spindle sander 4) metal lathe 5) mill 6) fence and protractor for bandsaw (lots of people forget about these, but they're very important for quality work) if you're really crazy, you'll go even further: 7) DRO (digital read-out) on mill and lathe 8) rapid prototyper 9) C&C mill and lathe 10) laser cutter I cannot emphasize enough the importance of having the basics. YOU MUST HAVE the layout tools, and most of the hand tools. They aren't as famous as the power tools, but you cannot hope to cut a perfectly straight line if you cannot draw that same straight line first. By the same token, a set of vice grips or pliers is no substitute for the correct screwdriver or wrench. Spend the money, time, and effort you need to in order to do things right the first time.
A Moltke sounds like a good choice. Der Hochseeflotte wirden wiede segeln! Du mussen mir verziehen wirden fur diesen scheisse. Mein deutsch ist sehr schlecht, ich vergesse zu viel.
That may be it. It's a 3/8" diameter bit with three 45-degree flutes, that I keep in a high-torque electric screwdriver. I use it for deburring just about everything, from cannon barrels to stuffing tubes to scale details. I also use it a lot for countersinking screws. Without doubt, one of the most handy specialized bits I have ever used. I call it a rosebud cutter because it has "rosebud" written on it in very official-looking ink. I'll see if there's a product number or something next time I'm out in the shop.
Those are just the basic tools?! Looks like this hobby is going to cost more to get into than I thought. Good thing there is a HF store over by Spokane. Speaking of wich, I saw a good looking work bench for only $125 dollars! It is 60" long and has a few drawers to store tools and things like that. Sooooooo, I think I might buy that instead of making one. I think I found a lake to play at yesterday. Its called lake McArthur. If you guys want to see it, you can go the Google maps and just type in Lake McArthur and check it out. It looks to be about five feet deep just off the dock. The bad thing is that there are lots of plants covering the bottom, So it could be deeper than what it looks like.
Ehhh, you can get by without all of that, depends on how much youre building from scratch and the sort of precision you're aiming to build with. I'd narrow it down / change it a bit. This is not to say that Kotori's list is wrong, in fact I'd agree with a good number of items, especially on his hand-tool list. **This is really more of a list of things that I find myself using most often** ruler that you like (I've got a metal 6" ruler that i prefer and an 18" metal ruler that is semi-handy) assorted pens & pencils compass, protractor are handy, the triangles arent bad choices either combo square tape measure calipers, cheapo HF digital is fine, we're not building rockets and dont need perfect precision calculator - simple 10 key works great. i keep one on my work area hand tools screwdrivers as described - cheap and easy to pick up in sets and packs at HF allen wrench sets - youll want small sizes in metric and standard. its annoying the # of different size set screws you'll end up dealing with needle nose pliers are nice, i reach for the vice grips more often, but theyre worth having Vice Grips - these things are fantasticly useful Spring clamps. C-clamps are nice and useful too, but spring clamps will cover much of your needs, weigh and cost less. drill & drill index extendy magnet thing. magnets on a stick are really good for when you keep dropping screws, set screws, bolts, etc into small places your fingers dont get into very easily. or for when you jsut dont want to stretch to reach something. xacto knife and replacement blades xacto saw & blades dremel & accessories. reinforced cutting wheels, aluminum oxide grinding wheel, carbide cutting wheel are all good to have -- I actually own and reccomend getting a Proxxon rather than a dremel. Quieter and in my experience run better. If cost is a concern, go buy the cheapo HF dremel clone that Tugboat reccomends, but when youve got the money, buy the Proxxon. HF mini cut-off saw. This is a little benchtop saw from HF that uses 2" blades. It works great for cutting down the various brass tubings and rods we use and for misc dowels, etc. Usually about 30$ and money well spent. vice - i use a small one (Bessey brand?) i can clamp onto whatever table i happen to be working at. Cheap, portable and covers most of my fixed location clamping needs Hand files. You can get a cheap set, then you wont feel bad when you inevitably foul them up. You can buy nicer dedicated sets later in your life. Needle fileset for modeling - sometimes you just cant fit that fullsize file where you need to take off a little materiel Multimeter. Soldering: I use one thing for 99% of my needs: a weller butane soldering iron. this thing is worth its weight in gold. heats up fast, variable output, easy to change tips, can be used as a torch, a heat gun or a standard iron. I also have a standard fullsize propane torch for things like accumulators. actually, only for accumulators, the butane iron handles everything else just fine. Power Tools: Scroll saw or Band saw is great. Alternative you can set up with a sabre saw, some saw horses and clamps. Table saw is also nice for breaking down larger pieces of lumber, but you dont need it. Circular saw, saw horses and if you want a straighter cut: a clampable straightedge will also get the job done. drill press makes life easier (HF has some acceptable cheapos), but isnt mandatory etc. Kotori's list covers the possibilities fairly well if you want to keep adding in money A few side notes: If youre cutting fiberglass, do it outside and at the least wear a respirator - fiberglass dust is not something you want to be sucking down. Buy a box of nitrile gloves at HF. Use them. Don't feel that you need to run out to the store and buy everything in one trip
Those are the tools I use most often when building wooden hulls, making guns, and all the other essential steps necessary to ensure Final Axis Victory. I've been collecting them for years, though, so you don't need to get all of them at once. Just remember that if you're getting ready to improvise something that one of these tools will do properly, buy the proper tool. That's how I got my collection. edit: Nick's list includes a lot of stuff I forgot. Just refer to our two lists whenever you're thinking about how to do something, and see if one of the tools will do the job you need. Great to hear you've found a place to battle. Make sure you get permission from the owners before commencing fire, though. And you'll also want to check depth, bottom conditions, etc. edit 2: wow, we oughtta compile this list into a "The Complete Combat Shipyard Hand Tools, And How To Use Them" handbook. I never knew about spring clamps until I read your list, Nick, and I'm sure there are other cool tools (and uses for tools) that we both have forgotten or don't know about yet.
