CP Executive train in Albany

CP Executive train in Albany

Friday, November 25, 2022

Modeling Mishap - how not to build a wall

I am working on a wood structure and the article I am following called for commercial board-and-batten siding. The stuff looks great, but it wasn't long enough for the walls of my building, so I had to glue three pieces side by side. I framed it with scale 6x6 lumber, and built up the bottom as well which will eventually be hidden by a stone wall. However, because the model was going to have a detailed interior I decided to scribe individual board lines on the inside of the walls with an Xacto knife. I didn't measure them, but they looked pretty good. I then stained all the wood pieces and set them under weights to dry flat. And for the most part, they did.

But over time it started to curl (scribing lines, instead of drawing them with a pencil, was a fatal mistake) so I reinforced the bottom with hardwood toothpicks and lots of wood glue. And then I set them under weights to dry flat which, for the most part, they did. But, they curled again. Also, the three side pieces started to separate and show gaps between then. I used more boards to hide them, but it didn't really help.

It was a losing battle, so in desperation on Thanksgiving morning I flooded everything with alcohol stain and left it all under heavy weights. Then, we drove to visit my grandmother in Utica and on the way I had plenty of time to think. I decided to start over completely and build it board-by-board. 

When I got home that evening and looked at the walls, these pictures show what I found. I didn't mind, as I had already resolved to start over. But, it is interesting that the bottoms with the most reinforcement expanded the least and the tops of the walls, without much reinforcement, expanded more. 

I am quick to point out that there is nothing inherently wrong with the commercial wood siding, but it has no board detail on the inside. And, using it felt like cheating. There definitely is something wrong with scribing the already-thin wood with additional grooves.

Oh well, on to Plan B.

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