The Modelers Thread

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Sawmill kit could be good fun; could be a test of what little sanity remains....

[healey36]

Spent a lot of time around sawmills when I was a kid. I'll be interested to see more of this when it's a bit further along.

[gregj410]

Well it’s off to a rough start. I’ve built a few structures from kits. One thing I’ve discovered is that it is very easy to get overwhelmed when you open the box and see thousands of pieces of tiny lumber that you can barely distinguish what is what.

Ultimately, what I found works for me is breaking it down into the smallest steps, working along through each one to completion.

The problem I have with some of these kits, is it’s as if the designer of the kit thinks that the builder has unlimited amounts of time to dedicate to the construction of the kit. Don’t misunderstand me, I don’t want to rush through it. But I also want to get it completed in a timely manner.

If you stayed with me to this point, here in lies the problem with this kit. Almost 1200 ft.² of scribing of the floor surface! Are you kidding me? I’d rather organize my sock drawer and that is the first step!

I would have gladly paid an extra $10 for this kit to have it come with Mount Albert‘s scribed flooring. Ok I’m done



to lower case

[robert.]

Use a comb.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Almost 1200 ft.² of scribing of the floor surface! Are you kidding me? I’d rather organize my sock drawer and that is the first step!

Either add a layer of 1/32" thick scribed flooring or get some wider HO scale 1"x stripwood and laminate over the floor stock... Latter option will actually look better if you pre-stain them as individual boards.

[gregj410]

Almost 1200 ft.² of scribing of the floor surface! Are you kidding me? I’d rather organize my sock drawer and that is the first step!

Either add a layer of 1/32" thick scribed flooring or get some wider HO scale 1"x stripwood and laminate over the floor stock... Latter option will actually look better if you pre-stain them as individual boards.

Both good ideas I pondered. However I didn’t have either of the materials necessary to accomplish this. So I opted for the Mt Alberts scribed sheets. I had to buy in bulk(20 sheets)but that should last me the rest of my life. The face was closer to 9” rather than the called for 12” but I’m ok with the trouble and time it will save me.

[gregj410]

Use a comb.

No sure I know how that works but it sounds like running the scribe in mass fashion? Do they make such a tool with 12” scale spacing? Sounds like it would work but if I’m thinking about it correctly one slight wrong move and all the combs follow creating a wave effect.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I had to buy in bulk(20 sheets)but that should last me the rest of my life.

You might be surprised at how fast it gets used,

The face was closer to 9” rather than the called for 12” but I’m ok with the trouble and time it will save me.

3/16" scribed then? It's your kit and build - whatever you declare it right, is!

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Need a car to go under the 3 tanks:

[robert.]

Use a comb.

No sure I know how that works but it sounds like running the scribe in mass fashion? Do they make such a tool with 12” scale spacing? Sounds like it would work but if I’m thinking about it correctly one slight wrong move and all the combs follow creating a wave effect.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/General-Tools- ... lsrc=aw.ds probably would have made it as wavy as the ocean. 'm cheap and have one of these gauges. Somehow i would have found a way to make it work. A few clamps a fence and a guide. For what it's worth. i spend twice as much being cheap.

[gregj410]

Well Robert if nothing you inspired me to think about it. However that is a contour gauge and it’s pretty flimsy for a scribe. I was pondering the idea of if nails through a piece of wood spaced properly to make the scribe. My time is valuable to me and I’d rather spend a few bucks than a few hours for something that may not work, but that’s just me.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

........a contour gauge..........flimsy for a scribe.

Yup.

I was pondering the idea of if nails through a piece of wood spaced properly to make the scribe.

Seems like a mini-flax comb. https://www.ebay.com/itm/225054078404?h ... SwAVBivgU9

[gregj410]

That would be excellent for all sorts of things….back scratcher…..disciplining children ……

[Rufus T. Firefly]

That would be excellent for all sorts of things….back scratcher…..disciplining children ……

For your red room,

[healey36]

Well, my run of good fortune on the Covid front finally ran out, testing positive on Monday evening. So, while I sit here drowning in my own bodily fluids, I thought what better time to get back on the paper models.

Scanned, edited, printed, and mounted Hal Carsten's signal tower project from the August 1953 issue of Toy Trains magazine:



There's a lot one could do with this to make it a really nice little model. A bit of trim work and some simulated stucco around the base would add some interesting detail. However, I'm more interested in the simple "cut-out" aspect that the magazine promoted, so I'm keeping it relatively simple.

This was my first crack at cutting/assembling a paper staircase. Like the rest of it, I mounted the bits on matt-board and cut it out. I made a few changes to the plan, one being to eliminate a landing halfway down, along with the 90-degree turn from there down. No way my version passes the building code.

The printed hip-style roof has some issues, so I'll need to figure out some alternatives for covering it.

I've got a half-dozen different paper signal/switch tower models here; I figure I'll have time to build them all while I'm in isolation.