Model Boat Mayhem

Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Wood Care: => Topic started by: Edward Pinniger on May 12, 2009, 05:11:46 pm

Title: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: Edward Pinniger on May 12, 2009, 05:11:46 pm
What's the cheapest (other than balsa, which is too soft + porous) strip wood available for building model boat hulls using plank-on-frame/plank-on-bulkhead method? I'm looking for something about 1-2mm thick and 10-15mm wide - I'm scratchbuilding a small (static) model of an early 19th century naval schooner (HMS Pickle).
About the cheapest I can find online is obechi (basswood) 12mm x 1.5mm at about £5 including postage for a pack of 10 457mm lengths. At this sort of price it'll cost me £10-15 just for enough for my small schooner model (which has a hull about 30-35cm long). At this rate, the cost for a large, RC-capable model would be exorbitant!

Alternatively, would it be practical to cut strips out of 1.5mm plywood sheet with a table saw? This would certainly be a lot cheaper, but I'm not sure if the plywood would be flexible enough for hull planking, or how easy it would be to cut strips of even width.

Wooden "coffee stirrer" sticks (about £5 per 1,000!) would be ideal if only they were twice the length!
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: Popeye on May 12, 2009, 05:42:11 pm
Lime and cedar seem to be  most commonly favoured for planking. Both conform well to curvatures, sand well and are similar in price. Personally I prefer Lime coz it has a much finer grain than cedar (though it doesn't smell as good as the former when sanding back {-))

Dennis Nixon, Attleborough Norfolk ,supplies superb strip in both metric and imperial sizes and in a wide variety of woods at very reasonable prices. He offers a fast postal service, advertises in the marine modelling mags and is highly recommended.

If the enquirer can't find Dennis Nixons' details - assuming of course he's interested in this source -  Email me via Mayhem and I'll forward contact details.
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: boatmadman on May 12, 2009, 06:02:55 pm
Have a walk down to your local woodyard and ask if they have any cedar stairwell posts, the 100mm square variety. Then ask them to cut them into 10mm thick planks, take them home and run through your table saw at 2mm thickness and voila - lots of planks.

I did this and got enough cedar for 4 or 5 large boats for £25

Ian


Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: alan colson on May 12, 2009, 06:34:01 pm
A friend of mine went to a car boot sale and picked up an old wooden ventian blind for next to nothing and has used the slats to deck a couple of models.
Alan
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: Edward Pinniger on May 13, 2009, 02:19:14 pm
Thanks for the help. I'll definitely try my local wood yard when/if I try building a large hull for R/C this way, though currently I only need enough for a hull about 32cm long and 7cm deep.
I'll probably try buying some decent-quality 1.5mm ply and cutting strips from it. Since the finished model will be painted and coppered, the unpainted appearance of the wood doesn't matter much. Annoyingly, I've got quite a number of decent quality obechi strips left over from Billing Boats kits, but they're in 3 different widths and there isn't enough of any one type for my model.

I did try using coffee stirrer sticks, just to see if it would work (using several sticks for each row of planking) but they're no good at all - apart from being poor quality wood, prone to breaking + splintering, and nowhere near flexible enough for hull planking, they're also irregular in width, no two sticks are quite the same width and some vary in width along their length, whilst others are warped. They're OK as a cheap source of wood for structural work but no good at all for hull planking - a pity since £10 will buy virtually enough to plank HMS Victory!
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: tomo55 on May 13, 2009, 06:54:06 pm
Might be worth try the planks from a dolls house shop ,they sell wood to use on floors but are  nice for planking.
Hope this helps .
Chris
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: Wasyl on May 21, 2009, 12:56:21 pm
A friend of mine went to a car boot sale and picked up an old wooden ventian blind for next to nothing and has used the slats to deck a couple of models.
Alan
What a great idea,and  if my memory serves me well these slats are approx 3/4mm thick , and approx 50mm wide,and more often than not hardwood,

Wasyl
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: hammer on October 22, 2013, 10:50:17 am
Has anyone tried soaking wood in water then freezing? I am wondering because ice lolly sticks are most pliable. (after eating the lolly) :o     
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: Tug-Kenny RIP on October 22, 2013, 10:52:35 am

You must have warm, moist, mouth.    8)


ken


Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: david48 on October 22, 2013, 12:29:18 pm
I was asked to take down a garden climbing frame the sort that has a house and climbing wall  only to find out it was all made of Ceder .I managed to get some away.Just another source .
David
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: grendel on October 22, 2013, 12:40:52 pm
offcuts from shed and greenhouse manufacturers?
Grendel
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: LarryW on October 22, 2013, 04:53:50 pm
  Hello ,
               I use IKEA blind slats i am famous for it check out my builds ........Larry..,   
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: Arrow5 on October 22, 2013, 05:33:14 pm
Some "Venetian" blinds are made of thinner strips of bamboo. It has a decent colour and grain, ready rounded edges and look OK for non-scale applications.
Title: Re: Cheapest source of wood strip for hull planking?
Post by: tigertiger on October 23, 2013, 12:31:46 am
Another option.
Buy cheap 2x1" or 1.5x1" pine.
Or get any old pine board, maybe from an old pallet.


Rip to width (say 15mm) and face plane both sides (that will be your plank edges).
Then smooth plane your 15mm side.
Next rip the first plank to thickness (3mm) you will have a good side and a ripped side. Put aside ready to use.

Next smooth plane the 15mm ripped side of the remaining block.
Then rip you second plank, that has one good side.

Repeat.

The good side faces outwards when you plank. The rip side will not be seen.


Notes
pine works fine and will bend easily, hardwoods may not.
you need to use a zero tolerance gate for your saw blade.