Introducing my Rope Serving Machine – Version V

I'd like to introduce the fifth generation of my rope serving machine, designed and built specifically for ship modelers.

My goal was to create a tool that is as versatile, practical, and easy to use as possible.

The machine has a 400 mm (15.7") working length and can serve ropes up to 4 mm in diameter. The version shown in the photos is motorized, making the serving process much easier and more comfortable than a manual machine. Once the rope is set up, the machine provides smooth and consistent serving without requiring constant attention.

The complete set includes:

• Motorized rope serving machine

• Movable thread carriage with spool holder

• Holders for serving ropes with blocks already attached, allowing more realistic and professional rigging work

The video below shows how the machine operates. Additional details can be seen in the photos and the video.

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

https://youtu.be/mMNXWvY0fFk?si=-k_f0q7Txy9eNpPD

https://youtu.be/DfkcfzY3Yp0

Beautiful machine! But the thickness sander from your youtube channel is sparking a lot of interest - are you planning to produce it for sale at some point? 😊

Hello everyone,

First of all, I would like to introduce myself.

My name is Roman, and I live in Poland. Scale modeling has been my passion since 1974, so it has been a part of my life for more than 50 years.

For many years I have been designing and building tools for model makers. Because of my health, I am disabled and do not operate a business. Instead, I build small batches of tools in my workshop whenever my health allows.

Some of the tools I make include:

• Ropewalks

• Electric rope serving machines

• Photo-etched part bending tools

• Precision drum sanders

If the forum rules allow it, I would be very grateful for the opportunity to introduce some of my tools here.

The biggest challenge with my drum sander is the power supply. Here in Europe we use 230V mains electricity, while the USA and Canada use 110–120V. Although the motor could be replaced with a suitable one, the finished machine weighs about 17 kg (37 lb), so shipping it to North America would unfortunately be quite expensive.

Even so, I would like to show it simply as an interesting piece of engineering.

Unlike conventional drum sanders, the abrasive paper is wrapped around the drum in a spiral. This completely eliminates the ridge that normally occurs where the abrasive overlaps, allowing very delicate wooden strips—as thin as 0.6 mm—to be sanded without catching or tearing.

The drum runout is less than 0.03 mm. Both ends of the drum feature a clamping system that securely holds the abrasive paper or abrasive cloth and prevents it from loosening during operation.

As for my ropewalks and electric rope serving machines, there is no problem with power compatibility. They operate from low-voltage power supplies, so they can easily be used in countries with 110–120V mains by simply using the appropriate power adapter.

At the moment I am working on a completely new version of my ropewalk, and I hope to present it here very soon.

Thank you for welcoming me to your community. I hope you will find my tools and projects interesting, and I look forward to sharing them with fellow modelers.

Roman Kraska

"The motor-driven serving machine looks so incredible that I'd love to have one myself. If I remember correctly, I think I came across your website last month, Romanov. If you plan to sell this serving machine, how much would it cost? Also, could you let me know the shipping cost to South Korea? I’d love to consider buying one."

And there can be quite an interest inside Europe as well! The machine looks very well made, but also a bit overbuilt - have you considered a more production-friendly version with reduced thickness of some parts, lighter motor, etc? The motor looks very beefy as compared to Byrnes which is in the same category 😊

To put it frankly - there are plenty of rope serving machines out there, but absolutely nothing in the "small tabletop precision thickness sander" category ever since the Byrnes sander became unavailable. Pure speculation - but it might sell quite well if optimized for a lower weight!

Yeah, that motor is a beast, but there’s a method to the madness. It’s a 0.55kW, 2800 RPM, S1 continuous duty rated motor. That means it can run under full load all day long without breaking a sweat or blowing a fuse. Totally bulletproof.

That said, I’m drawing up a new concept for a more compact, lightweight grinder. I’ve been looking into those high-power, small-footprint BLDC (brushless) motors coming out of China. It seems like the perfect way to shave off some weight and bulk. The only catch? Landing one of those motors at my doorstep with shipping and customs duties runs about €170. That’s a tough pill to swallow and really drives up the R&D costs.

On top of that, I’m currently engineering a precision mini table saw, heavily inspired by the legendary Byrnes saw. My goal is to build a high-end alternative that stands toe-to-toe with the best on the market. It’s a ton of work, and financing everything out of pocket is definitely my biggest bottleneck right now. But the blueprint is solid.

Roman

Hi Roman,

It’s great that we’re connecting on this platform as well, in addition to our other existing channels. I sincerely hope that your presentation here will prove fruitful in every respect (for all parties potentially involved) .

4 hours ago, Romanov said:

Yeah, that motor is a beast, but there’s a method to the madness. It’s a 0.55kW, 2800 RPM, S1 continuous duty rated motor. That means it can run under full load all day long without breaking a sweat or blowing a fuse. Totally bulletproof.

That said, I’m drawing up a new concept for a more compact, lightweight grinder.

As an armchair engineer I fully understand the wow factor of a powerful motor 😅, but is it really necessary for sanding a relatively narrow sheet of wood that can fit into such machine? It's not for taking off 1mm of material in one pass 😊

As a potential customer - all I want is a reasonably built compact machine with decent precision, low noise, speed control, a proper dust collection and a relatively simple way to change sandpaper (ideally with two zones for two different grits). A hobby-grade construction, something one person can move from shelf to table without a forklift.

It does not need to be a heavy beast that can eat through steel and stone, if the motor bogs down under very heavy load - so be it, the user would just use a shallower pass. Ofc the motor should not overheat and give up after a year of use.

Very interested in your compact grinder concept, would be happy to be a "pilot customer" if you can fit it into a reasonable price range (500 EUR before shipping, not 1000) 😊

A table saw is nice and all, but there are decent alternatives in the market (Proxxon FET), so you will have a competition 😉 While for thickness sander - no competition at all!

But after all it's your projects and passion, pardon that I'm getting too excited!

Looking forward to new updates on your youtube channel, and hopefully more DDM posts about your machines!

Yes, all these requirements seem quite desirable and sensible, but as a long-time user of machine tools and also a designer of accessories and improvements for them, I know that, unfortunately, it is difficult to achieve an ideal that satisfies everyone’s needs in every situation, and, in particular, it turns out that many of these advantages are mutually contradictory and cannot be reconciled. Just as in naval architecture, one must seek compromises or prioritise one advantage at the expense of another.

Generally speaking, I believe that buying machine tools that are too delicate and underpowered is a mistake. It is surprising how often tasks arise in practice that exceed the capabilities of such micro-machine tools, and how often they are incapable of even performing tasks within their own category to a high standard, due, for example, to a lack of rigidity, a lack of mass to dampen vibrations, a motor that overheats quickly and risks burning out, and so on.

There are plenty of such cheap tools on the market, and more often than not they are useless, even if they do not break down prematurely.

Hi

I think you are heading to right direction and machines are awesome that you have there.

In fairness the community is in need for sander and also table saw as Jim Byrnes sadly passed.

I would be very interested in table saw.

If you also do custom builds then i might be interested in mini feeder for Byrnes saw.

Br

Vahur

I like your attitude Romanov. I am confident that Byrnes did not make any compromises when he built his tools. If you want the best you have to aim high. That is also reflected in the prices of Byrnes tools. It is some years since that have been adjusted for price and a table saw from him would not have been cheap today.

15 hours ago, Espen T said:

Podoba mi się twoja postawa Romanowa. Jestem przekonany, że Byrnes nie poszedł na żadne kompromisy, kiedy budował swoje narzędzia. Jeśli chcesz jak najlepiej, musisz celować wysoko. Znajduje to również odzwierciedlenie w cenach narzędzi Byrnes. Minęło kilka lat, odkąd zostały skorygowane o cenę, a piła stołowa od niego nie byłaby dziś tania.

Thank you very much for your kind words.

I have always believed that precision tools should never be designed or built around compromises. I have been a model builder for more than 50 years, and I simply enjoy working with high-quality, professional, and reliable tools. That is exactly why I design and build my own tools the way I would want them to be if I were using them myself. If I am satisfied with them as a model builder, I believe they will serve other modelers just as well.

Every detail has a purpose. Nothing is added by accident—each solution comes from my own experience at the workbench and from what I have expected from good tools over the years.

My goal has never been to make the cheapest products. My priority has always been quality, precision, and reliability.

Being compared to Byrnes is a great honor and a wonderful compliment. Thank you very much.

Obviously there are serious costs involved in R & D. The above conversation shows keen interest in a thickness sander. Had you considered crowd-funding?

On 7/3/2026 at 10:21 PM, Mike Y said:

Beautiful machine! But the thickness sander from your youtube channel is sparking a lot of interest - are you planning to produce it for sale at some point? 😊

Yep, that looks like a nice piece of kit!.

Is it very heavy? The aluminium plate looks quite thick....!!

On 7/8/2026 at 5:13 PM, Sterling59 said:

Yep, that looks like a nice piece of kit!.

Is it very heavy? The aluminium plate looks quite thick....!!

Thank you! The base is made from 5 mm aluminum, and the complete motorized version weighs about 1.8 kg (4 lbs). Since I designed the machine myself, I chose a heavier base intentionally. It gives the machine excellent stability on the workbench, resulting in smoother, more accurate, and more comfortable operation.

On 7/8/2026 at 12:52 PM, druxey said:

Obviously there are serious costs involved in R & D. The above conversation shows keen interest in a thickness sander. Had you considered crowd-funding?

Thank you for the suggestion. For now, I prefer to build each machine to order rather than move into larger-scale production. The thickness sander is no longer just a prototype—several machines are already in use, and one of them is even in the workshop of a well-known Italian luthier.

I build every machine myself, and each one takes about 15–17 working days to complete. This allows me to pay close attention to every detail and ensure it meets my standards before it reaches the customer.

I'm also continuing to improve the design. One of the changes I'm considering is replacing the current drive with a more compact BLDC motor. This would reduce the overall weight of the machine and make it much easier to offer versions compatible with both 230 V and 110 V power systems.

The current model has a 100 mm (4") sanding width, while the sanding drum itself is 140 mm (5.5") wide. The extra width is required to secure the abrasive cloth at both ends of the drum, outside the actual sanding area.

Roman

Hello everyone,

I made a short video to show you my workshop—the place where all of my designs and tools come to life.

My workshop is only about 4.5 × 3.5 meters (15 × 11.5 ft). It's not large or fancy, but it's where I design, build, test, and assemble every machine myself.

So please don't expect me to start mass-producing dozens of machines every year. Every machine is built by me, to order, and I spend as much time as necessary on each one to make sure it meets my standards for quality and precision.

One more thing—I apologize for the mess you'll see in the video. It's just a bit of creative clutter. I think most of you know exactly what I mean! 😊

I hope you enjoy the video and that it gives you a better idea of where my projects are created.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbS--eJikwI

Oh wow! This workshop really makes you think about making a compact machine for people with limited space 😁

On 7/10/2026 at 9:48 PM, Romanov said:

Thank you! The base is made from 5 mm aluminum, and the complete motorized version weighs about 1.8 kg (4 lbs). Since I designed the machine myself, I chose a heavier base intentionally. It gives the machine excellent stability on the workbench, resulting in smoother, more accurate, and more comfortable operation.

4lb is a great weight - substantial without being overly difficult to move. Do you have pricing for the sander?

Dear friends,

After reading your comments and seeing the interest in my drum sander, I’ve decided to start working on a new version of the machine.

One of my main goals will be to reduce the overall weight and make the design lighter, but only to the extent that it does not compromise the machine’s stability or the quality of the finished material. I am not willing to make any compromises in this area.

My first step will be selecting and adapting a suitable BLDC motor and controller. This solution will most likely be more expensive than a conventional motor, but it should give me much better control over the machine. I also want to design the system so the sander can be configured for either 110V or 230V power, depending on the destination country.

The price of the previous version of my drum sander was around €550. The new version will probably be slightly more expensive due to the new solutions and the additional work involved in building it. At this point, I estimate the price will be around €600.

I want to be clear that I am not going to rush this project. I have other work and commitments, and developing a new machine simply takes time. There is prototyping, selecting and fitting all the components, making sure everything works together properly, and finally testing the completed machine. Only when I am fully satisfied that everything works exactly as it should will I be able to say: the sander is ready.

As I mentioned earlier, the first machine will go out for testing.

However, if anyone is already seriously interested in purchasing the new drum sander, please feel free to contact me. I will start putting together a list of interested people.

At this stage, I am not asking for any deposits or payments. I will not take anyone’s money until I am completely confident that the sander leaving my workshop is exactly the machine I want it to be.
Roman