| Bozkashi Jones | 08 Jul 2020 1:23 a.m. PST |
My dad popped round yesterday and brought round some ships he found while having a clear out. He made them years ago,having found a cheap bag of oval shaped bits of wood in a hardware shop. Here are some battleships:
And a couple of cruisers:
They're just over two inches long and I love the retro cartoony feel of them – I thought they would make for fun fleets for imagi-nations.
Now, here's the mystery: does anyone know what these ovals are? They're stamped with a number which seems to indicate size – these are 9s and 10s – and they have a sort of cross-hatching on one side.
If I can work out what they are I might get a bag and make some myself. Happy gaming! Nick |
colgar6  | 08 Jul 2020 2:06 a.m. PST |
They look like "biscuit joints" for woodworking. I tried a google search for "woodworking biscuit joints" and found many pictures of similar [if not identical] items. |
| Ed Mohrmann | 08 Jul 2020 4:49 a.m. PST |
Nick, if those are thin, then Colgar6 is probably
correct. My g'father when retired did a lot of
woodworking (mostly furniture) and he used the 'biscuits'
frequently. |
| SpuriousMilius | 08 Jul 2020 5:15 a.m. PST |
Decades ago, my group briefly took up Dreadnought Era naval gaming. I found some precut basswood shapes that I fashioned into similar craft using balsa superstructures & snipped pins for guns, etc., as I couldn't afford metal scale models. I used a pre-WWI "Jane's" (from the public library) for the deck plans. |
| 79thPA | 08 Jul 2020 5:50 a.m. PST |
|
 ColCampbell | 08 Jul 2020 6:39 a.m. PST |
Yes, they are biscuit joints. I used a bunch to make markers for the "Lion Rampant" medieval rule set. link
Jim |
| Shagnasty | 08 Jul 2020 12:52 p.m. PST |
Yep, I have some scratch built "biscuit" ships as well. They were made for a "Space 1889" campaign some of my group ran at the late, lamented Great Hall Games shop in the People's Republic of Austin. |
| Bozkashi Jones | 09 Jul 2020 1:44 a.m. PST |
Cheers guys – I think this might be the beginning of a fun little project! I need to go to Wickes this weekend anyway :) Nick |
 Dan Cyr | 09 Jul 2020 12:05 p.m. PST |
Common sizes are: 45mm x 16mm Size "0"
54mm x 19mm Size "10"
57mm x 24mm Size "20" Though other sizes are maybe available if you search for them. I used them to make ACW ships for my grandchildren to play with. Usually you can get them fairly cheap in bags of 100 in most hardware stores. |
| nnascati | 10 Jul 2020 8:06 a.m. PST |
I've built quite a lot of ships using the biscuits as a base. In fact, using a hobby saw, I've been able to cut them in half and make them longer, allowing for larger models. I've got two fleets of pre-dreadnaught, and two forces of ACW ironclads. |
scratchbuilds another Victorian flying machine.
