In general or just in modelling 
Project Merlin
- Thread starter Pr.Merlin
- Start date
boatman
SMF Supporter
Hi John, yes, I can see how unkind this statement is and thank you for your concern - I shall be very careful.
Perhaps Sir Ponsonby is actually with the committee on the fact finding tour of The Bahamas and was in midst of a jolly whilst preparing the above message. I'm suspecting the committee may have been overwhelmed by the local tribal dancers who were trying to imitate the English folk Morris dancers. Perhaps this excitement has created the unfortunate statement. I'm only surmising of course. But thanks all the same.
HI Paul if Sir Ponsonby is actually with the committee on the fact finding tour of The Bahamas and was in midst of a jolly whilst preparing the above message. I'm suspecting the committee may have been overwhelmed by the local tribal dancers who were trying to imitate the English folk Morris dancers. Perhaps this excitement has created the unfortunate statement. I'm only surmising of course. Well Paul it was suppose to be a month tour but theyve been gone ages i
supect they are on holls LOL 
Chris
boatman
SMF Supporter
WELL PLAYED Paul for a newbie very funny bit of banter you sir are very witty as thats what we like on this foerum freindly banter to make us all have a good laugh which i think sorely needed in these dark days we have been through well doneHi John, yes, I can see how unkind this statement is and thank you for your concern - I shall be very careful.
Perhaps Sir Ponsonby is actually with the committee on the fact finding tour of The Bahamas and was in midst of a jolly whilst preparing the above message. I'm suspecting the committee may have been overwhelmed by the local tribal dancers who were trying to imitate the English folk Morris dancers. Perhaps this excitement has created the unfortunate statement. I'm only surmising of course. But thanks all the same.
chris
Pr.Merlin
Paul
In general or just in modelling
I'm a bit of an 'all or nothing' type of chap, so it will have to be the Full Monty.
Pr.Merlin
Paul
Thanks Chris. Yes indeed, a bit of lighthearted banter is very cool, although it has got me into trouble in the past and I've been summoned to the naughty step. In fact, glancing through my above statement could read slightly condescending. I hope not, but my apologies if so - completely non loaded with any obscure intentions of naughtiness. Just thought I'd mention it.
Right, where's my coat...
Pr.Merlin
Paul
It's just occurred to me that I have forgotten about a particular team member, who was the main source of inspiration for designing and building Project Merlin - and that's Merlin himself.
A true splendour of presence. A model within his own right, standing to a height of 6' 2" tall.
Merlin the Wizard has been a real part of my home for almost 25 years and on rare occasions, he still makes me jump.
Project Merlin revolves around this guy. Here he is - Merlin the Wizard.
I have many stories to share about this chap.
A true splendour of presence. A model within his own right, standing to a height of 6' 2" tall.
Merlin the Wizard has been a real part of my home for almost 25 years and on rare occasions, he still makes me jump.
Project Merlin revolves around this guy. Here he is - Merlin the Wizard.
I have many stories to share about this chap.
Jim R
SMF Supporter
Dear Mr Merlin
It is true that as a TBC committee member it is important for me to spend time with the rest of the committee in the Bahamas. In order to be able to continue the arduous work involved with the running of such a prestigious organisation as the TBC it was necessary to take my secretary, Miss Fifi Trixiebelle, and my personal assistant, Miss Lulu Lamoure. I also felt that Fifi deserved some reward for her much improved secretarial skills. She can now type at a speed of 8 words a minute and read without moving her lips. I enclose a photo of myself hard at work while Fifi and Lulu discuss TBC business.
Your
Sir Ponsonby Ffitch Bigcon (TBC Membersip sec.)
Hi Paul
Sorry to highjack your thread. In these strange and worrying times a bit of harmless banter may go some way to help us all get through them. That Merlin stature is stunning. What is it made of and how did you come by it?
Jim
It is true that as a TBC committee member it is important for me to spend time with the rest of the committee in the Bahamas. In order to be able to continue the arduous work involved with the running of such a prestigious organisation as the TBC it was necessary to take my secretary, Miss Fifi Trixiebelle, and my personal assistant, Miss Lulu Lamoure. I also felt that Fifi deserved some reward for her much improved secretarial skills. She can now type at a speed of 8 words a minute and read without moving her lips. I enclose a photo of myself hard at work while Fifi and Lulu discuss TBC business.
Your
Sir Ponsonby Ffitch Bigcon (TBC Membersip sec.)
Hi Paul
Sorry to highjack your thread. In these strange and worrying times a bit of harmless banter may go some way to help us all get through them. That Merlin stature is stunning. What is it made of and how did you come by it?
Jim
boatman
SMF Supporter
COR what a sight they look great now we know what the TBC gets up to when they are graftin on these fact finding tour of The Bahamas lol (wish it was me 
) an what jim said above Paul
chris
) an what jim said above Paulchris
Pr.Merlin
Paul
Hi Jim. No worries at all, and indeed, such times require a gentle reminder of the loveliness within this beautiful world of ours. Merlin is made from a resin compound and he's extremely heavy. I bought him when I was living in Bournemouth about 23 years ago, from an arcade spiritual type incense burning hippy sort of establishment. He was stood outside as a prop. I strolled in and inquired about buying 'the wizard', but the owner insisted he wasn't for sale. We chatted for a while and amazingly, the owner retracted and we agreed a price, so I bought Merlin the Wizard, with the arrangement of delivery to my home the following weekend. I did tell my eldest daughter who was 8 years of age at the time. The day before Merlin was delivered to my home, my Mother was out shopping with Georgie (my daughter) and they walked past the shop. Merlin was stood outside with a 'sold' sticker on his beard. On approach to the shop with Merlin in full view, my Mother apparently chuckled and said to Georgie, "By golly, who on earth would buy something like that?!" Georgie instantly laughed out aloud, replying, "Your son grandma!"
Before I ramble on too much, I just need to reply to the Secretary of TBC. Many thanks.
Dear Sir Ponsonby Ffitch Bigcon,
Thank you for your kind and quick response to my submitted application for elected membership with the TBC.
I feel humbled and would like to share my gratitude for your dedicated commitment to the club. This feeds me with great confidence that should my elected membership prove successful, I will endeavour to show such honourable commitment in return. If it's not too prudent of me, and by no means am I trying to enhance my application, but, I can sincerely promote, even endorse, I will be truly happy to relieve you from such duties, and offer to teach Miss Fifi Trixiebelle together with Miss Lulu Lamoure, the art of bench cleaning. I also feel it would be my duty, as a new member, to carry out such dedicated duties without incurring a fee of any sorts to the club. In fact, I can also genuinely pledge Miss Lulu Lamoure's typing skills will improve to 9 words a minute after a mere 7 one-hour sessions with her.
I hope my offer is considered and shows the commitment I am truly happy to oblige.
Yours gratefully,
Pr. Merlin.
boatman
SMF Supporter
SEE Jim Paul has voluntered to take all those arduous work hrs involved with the running of such a prestigious organisation as the TBC it will be necessary to take your secretary, Miss Fifi Trixiebelle, and your personal assistant, Miss Lulu Lamoure. so no more arduous work for you you can put your feet up an enjoy life LOL ERNT YOU LUCKY LOL
chris
has voluntered to take all those arduous work hrs involved with the running of such a prestigious organisation as the TBC it will be necessary to take your secretary, Miss Fifi Trixiebelle, and your personal assistant, Miss Lulu Lamoure. so no more arduous work for you you can put your feet up an enjoy life LOL ERNT YOU LUCKY LOLchris
Nice backstory on Merlin Paul........
Pr.Merlin
Paul
Jim R
SMF Supporter
Dear Mr Merlin
Thank you for your completed form applying for membership of the TBC. This was considered by the TBC Membership Committee at its last monthly meeting held in the tap room of the Frog and Sprocket public house. After long deliberations, fifteen meat pies, six Scotch eggs, four bags of pork scratchings and a few pints of brown ale the vote was taken. I am pleased to offer you full membership.
Our chairman, Brigadier Angus MacSporran retired BAhons Calcutta (failed), would have wished to be at the meeting but was needed on his estate near Ecclefechan for the opening of the haggis hunting season. He does, however, sent his warmest congratulations.
In light of your kind proposal to further the careers of Miss Fifi and Miss Lulu your fees for the current year are waived. They are both most enthusiastic regarding your offer of hour long sessions. Since my operation I have only been able to give them ten minutes or so before needing a lie down. They will, of course, bring all their own equipment to the sessions.
Welcome to the TBC. I am sure you will enjoy all the many privileges of full membership. Your copy of the quarterly magazine "Tidy Is as Tidy Does" will be dispatched to you soon.
Yours
Sir Ponsonby Ffitch Bigcon (membership sec.)
Hi Paul
Back to the model before the mods decide the thread is so off subject and we get sat on the naughty step
That is a fine story of how you came by Merlin. He must make a great talking point with visitors. The build itself reminds me of the apprentice pieces which were produced to demonstrate the skills learned by young craftsmen. Most interesting that you will be using the actual methods albeit in miniature. Looking forward to the start.
Jim
Thank you for your completed form applying for membership of the TBC. This was considered by the TBC Membership Committee at its last monthly meeting held in the tap room of the Frog and Sprocket public house. After long deliberations, fifteen meat pies, six Scotch eggs, four bags of pork scratchings and a few pints of brown ale the vote was taken. I am pleased to offer you full membership.
Our chairman, Brigadier Angus MacSporran retired BAhons Calcutta (failed), would have wished to be at the meeting but was needed on his estate near Ecclefechan for the opening of the haggis hunting season. He does, however, sent his warmest congratulations.
In light of your kind proposal to further the careers of Miss Fifi and Miss Lulu your fees for the current year are waived. They are both most enthusiastic regarding your offer of hour long sessions. Since my operation I have only been able to give them ten minutes or so before needing a lie down. They will, of course, bring all their own equipment to the sessions.
Welcome to the TBC. I am sure you will enjoy all the many privileges of full membership. Your copy of the quarterly magazine "Tidy Is as Tidy Does" will be dispatched to you soon.
Yours
Sir Ponsonby Ffitch Bigcon (membership sec.)
Hi Paul
Back to the model before the mods decide the thread is so off subject and we get sat on the naughty step
That is a fine story of how you came by Merlin. He must make a great talking point with visitors. The build itself reminds me of the apprentice pieces which were produced to demonstrate the skills learned by young craftsmen. Most interesting that you will be using the actual methods albeit in miniature. Looking forward to the start.
Jim
Hey, there’s a Perishers fan in the house.....you’ve just name dropped the Bloodhound Jim! Next up, the eyeballs in the sky!
Pr.Merlin
Paul
Dear Mr Merlin
Thank you for your completed form applying for membership of the TBC. This was considered by the TBC Membership Committee at its last monthly meeting held in the tap room of the Frog and Sprocket public house. After long deliberations, fifteen meat pies, six Scotch eggs, four bags of pork scratchings and a few pints of brown ale the vote was taken. I am pleased to offer you full membership.
Our chairman, Brigadier Angus MacSporran retired BAhons Calcutta (failed), would have wished to be at the meeting but was needed on his estate near Ecclefechan for the opening of the haggis hunting season. He does, however, sent his warmest congratulations.
In light of your kind proposal to further the careers of Miss Fifi and Miss Lulu your fees for the current year are waived. They are both most enthusiastic regarding your offer of hour long sessions. Since my operation I have only been able to give them ten minutes or so before needing a lie down. They will, of course, bring all their own equipment to the sessions.
Welcome to the TBC. I am sure you will enjoy all the many privileges of full membership. Your copy of the quarterly magazine "Tidy Is as Tidy Does" will be dispatched to you soon.
Yours
Sir Ponsonby Ffitch Bigcon (membership sec.)
Hi Paul
Back to the model before the mods decide the thread is so off subject and we get sat on the naughty step
That is a fine story of how you came by Merlin. He must make a great talking point with visitors. The build itself reminds me of the apprentice pieces which were produced to demonstrate the skills learned by young craftsmen. Most interesting that you will be using the actual methods albeit in miniature. Looking forward to the start.
Jim
Thanks Jim,
Great fun and very amusing, and yes indeed, mods/the naughty step - yep, I understand! Thanks for the banter.
I must say, I carried out a complex yacht repair several years ago for a British Army Brigadier and if memory serves, his name was Angus Mac(something) - I shall search through my old files and find his surname. It would very cool if he was a MacSporran. I seem to remember his wife was also a Brigadier who went by the name of Fanny. I could be mistaken of course - this could be pure influence of Miss Fifi and Miss Lulu.
Indeed, new visitors fall for Merlin with great enthusiasm - although not during the last year of course. With the cutting list now finished, and more intermittent browsing for other materials (I may have sourced the lighting including a bespoke light fitting for the staircase), I have actually made a start on some woodwork today. It's all good stuff and thanks again.
Pr.Merlin
Paul
Hello Folks - update No. 2.
I'm a bit rusty with the old woodworking craft. I had briefly forgotten how time consuming it is marking up, but I remember now!
Firstly, I ordered a new backdrop for photographing the work a couple of weeks ago. It arrived last week but was sadly unusable. Long-short: I exchanged a few emails with the supplier and have now been fully refunded without having to return the backdrop - a nice little bonus I guess - will use it for something. I've since ordered another drop very similar to my previous one from the old workshop - it should arrive any day now. Just thought I'd ramble on a bit and mention this minor detail.
All of the components in the five frames are now marked up excluding the braces and the narrow studs. That's 129 components and 184 mortice & tenon joints. The workshop is now clean and tidy (just thought I'd mention that bit too) and ready for crafting the joints.
This photo was during the setting out and marking up process. I had to adapt my old bench hook which is now in the well of the bench instead of hooked over the bench. This is purely because I don't have the room behind me for sawing. I have also been using the jack plane to clean up pieces of timber I ripped down for the narrow studs.
And here are all five frames marked up and ready for action.
You can also see the plinth splayed posts in the above photos which are for the porch and rear frame. The two with the lower mortices already chopped out in the plinths are for the rear frame and the other two (on the right) are the porch corner posts. Here they are below more closely.
If you can see a couple of the top halves slightly leaning, it's because I haven't glued them yet and they're sitting on slightly cupped joint dividers.
I really like this subtle feature, especially with the joint dividers which is 2.4mm oak construction veneer. I'm unsure whether to leave these in natural oak or paint them in the accent black before glue assembly - as per drawings. I think I fancy the black.
I love projects like these, because they can change a wee bit as the work progresses. When I designed Project Merlin, I included 4 spiral stair possibilities. I have now designed/merged another possibility and I'm really drawn to this one. So much so, I've ordered 4/25mm hand blown glass beads which I'm hoping I can use for the lamp feature on the stair column.
Here is spiral stair No. 5 - the column will made using cocobolo; a tropical South American hardwood. I hope to replicate this as an actual bole of a tree. The quad lamp stand will then elevate from a coned cap and branch out into the roof space with the 4 glass spheres hopefully glowing with a welcoming warmth of beauty.
That's it for now.
Many thanks.
I'm a bit rusty with the old woodworking craft. I had briefly forgotten how time consuming it is marking up, but I remember now!
Firstly, I ordered a new backdrop for photographing the work a couple of weeks ago. It arrived last week but was sadly unusable. Long-short: I exchanged a few emails with the supplier and have now been fully refunded without having to return the backdrop - a nice little bonus I guess - will use it for something. I've since ordered another drop very similar to my previous one from the old workshop - it should arrive any day now. Just thought I'd ramble on a bit and mention this minor detail.
All of the components in the five frames are now marked up excluding the braces and the narrow studs. That's 129 components and 184 mortice & tenon joints. The workshop is now clean and tidy (just thought I'd mention that bit too) and ready for crafting the joints.
This photo was during the setting out and marking up process. I had to adapt my old bench hook which is now in the well of the bench instead of hooked over the bench. This is purely because I don't have the room behind me for sawing. I have also been using the jack plane to clean up pieces of timber I ripped down for the narrow studs.
And here are all five frames marked up and ready for action.
You can also see the plinth splayed posts in the above photos which are for the porch and rear frame. The two with the lower mortices already chopped out in the plinths are for the rear frame and the other two (on the right) are the porch corner posts. Here they are below more closely.
If you can see a couple of the top halves slightly leaning, it's because I haven't glued them yet and they're sitting on slightly cupped joint dividers.
I really like this subtle feature, especially with the joint dividers which is 2.4mm oak construction veneer. I'm unsure whether to leave these in natural oak or paint them in the accent black before glue assembly - as per drawings. I think I fancy the black.
I love projects like these, because they can change a wee bit as the work progresses. When I designed Project Merlin, I included 4 spiral stair possibilities. I have now designed/merged another possibility and I'm really drawn to this one. So much so, I've ordered 4/25mm hand blown glass beads which I'm hoping I can use for the lamp feature on the stair column.
Here is spiral stair No. 5 - the column will made using cocobolo; a tropical South American hardwood. I hope to replicate this as an actual bole of a tree. The quad lamp stand will then elevate from a coned cap and branch out into the roof space with the 4 glass spheres hopefully glowing with a welcoming warmth of beauty.
That's it for now.
Many thanks.
Pr.Merlin
Paul
Morning Paul.
Some neat sections on the bench awaiting further work.like the glass beads you have obtained.
I see you have been drawn in to the world of the TBC, they are well known for such subterfuge in obtaining members. Be aware next year's subscription will probably mean you will have to sell your soul to the devil at the crossroads.
Some neat sections on the bench awaiting further work.like the glass beads you have obtained.
I see you have been drawn in to the world of the TBC, they are well known for such subterfuge in obtaining members. Be aware next year's subscription will probably mean you will have to sell your soul to the devil at the crossroads.
Jim R
SMF Supporter
Hi Paul
Already the work is impressive. Very neat and tidy.
Jim
Already the work is impressive. Very neat and tidy.
Are all the joints made using hand tools or do you have some sort of machine?
Jim