Redshift

Thanks for the support everyone, I've enjoyed this build a lot, I think there may be a few more along very soon. The cockpit is going to be tinted using a coloured varnish, the rest will be clear gloss to let the natural wood show through. Again, for the woodspotters out there, the prop, tyres and exhausts are walnut. See you in the RFI shortly

Zorsts And finished! Just needs varnishing.

Update to the main wheels, plus u/c doors and tailwheel

Thanks! No paint, just gloss varnish and maybe a light woodstain.

A sneaky Monday update of some wheels and a bit of cockpit marquetry

Thanks, thought I ought to use one of my own photos rather than somethignng random off the web. Its a rose from my garden, no idea what make or model of rose, I just think its a pretty colour and smells nice

Thanks for the file clarification. Yes, that is indeed a sihrsc file, and there was an "antisocial" file just out of view, along with a circular file. The most used tool has been a razor sharp craft knife held at a fine angle to remove thin slivers, anything more aggressive just leads to faster, bigger mistakes.

Harumph! Far too much plastic for a wooden build! Seriously: impressive skills on show. Are you going to replicate stretched fabric over the wing ribs? That'll be a challenge.

A whowhatnow file?

Hi all. Not much progress this week at redshift towers, but I did manage to tackle the oversized air intake that was more mkIX than mkI, also add the oil cooler and radiator. I've also made a start on the exhausts, but I think they may need a rethink, here they are just balanced in plce Ive also just noticed that the canopy does not go aft far enough, and is too wide. Back the the whittling knife...

Another first class bit of carving there, I am taking copious notes from this masterclass.

Managed to get some time at the workbench today and started to glue things together. Making one wing look spitfire shaped is tricky, making the second identical to the first (well, mirrored) is a nightmare. Lots of woodshavings created.

Thanks Steve, I was starting to think I was out of my depth. Its definitely more wood-with-a-hint-of-spitfire than a fine scale recreation of a particular airframe, but I'm having fun and it'll look good on a bookshelf. Today was wing day:

Tail nearing completeion

Tonight's update:

After 3 hours of weight loss surgery That's the bulk of the wood gone, apart from the fin and rudder and the canopy, tomorrow its hours of sanding with ever finer sandpaper. Going quicker than I thought it would, but I have noticed some wiggly bits that need straightening. Hand carving wheels and exhausts is going to be interesting.

Cor, thats some accurate whittling! Are you sure you don't have a lathe hidden away somewhere?

Hope I can live up to expectation! Here is yesterdays progress, much sanding of the port side engine cowling and wing root while watching the tennis (the prop is just resting on the nose): For the wood spotters out there this is bass wood, or american lime

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I have learned important lesson no. 1: make sure the drawings have the correct angular spacing for the blades! This will be mostly hand carved with modelling knives, I think the sense of achievement and satisfaction will be higher. Having said that I roughed out the wings and fuselage with a band saw and a bench sander to save a bit of time. No super detailing though, it will be an obscured cockpit. The plan is to leave it unpainted, just varnished, with the major markings scribed into the wood; that way I have permission to display it in the lounge rather than hide it away in the study. Should keep me out of mischief for a few weeks Nick

The templates are the fuselage profiles at various points along the centreline Prop blades With Spinner More tomorrow...

Inspired by Bandsaw Steve's Avro 504K scratchbuild, I've decided to try hacking a plane out of a lump of wood. The subject is a Spitfire mk1, because Spitfires are awesome and the mk1 because when I'm out mountain biking in the south downs I pass the occasional poignant memorial to young pilots from the battle of Britain. Lumps of wood:

Always an education watching you work, youve inspired me to tackle carving a spitfire.

Seriously impressive bit of modelling.

Amati do excellent models with superb drawings in their Victory Models range. Billings Boats also have a wide range in varying prices, but their instructions can be a bit sparse and the quality a bit hit and miss.

Here is my recently finished north sea trawler Nordkap, a 1/50 scale wooden model from Billings Boats. It could have been made for R/C, but thats not really my thing so it is sitting on the windowsill in pride of place now. Hope you like it.