I had been working on a complex, styrene structure featuring lots of roof angles, brick sheathing, and windows, and it was tiring me out. So, I decided to try something completely different and yet simple. A small wooden structure.
The January 1992 issue of Model Railroader magazine had an article by Sam Swanson as part of their "Basics for Beginners" project layout series (later compiled in the HO Railroad from start to finish book) that seemed perfect.
I had never worked with wood before, and knew it came with its own set of challenges. But, the entire thing was small and if it didn't work out I wouldn't be out much time. I sent an order to Northeastern Scale Lumber and within a week I was ready to begin.
Like all projects I do, I did it backwards. I first went to the local Hobby Lobby and bought some wooden plaque bases ($2.99 for 4) and sanded one up to clean up the rough edges. They aren't picture perfect, but they are dirt cheap. I then gave it a coat of stain and two coats of polyurethane. It might not earn me any merit points, but it will protect the structure from handling and allow me to build a little mini-scene with it. And, it will sure look nicer in my display cabinet.
I had purchased some 1/16" wooden clapboard siding, and the sides were laid out with a pencil on it. I later discovered that the pencil was still visible even after painting, so in the future I will need to be more careful in that regard. I also cut out the door and window openings based on the drawings (and not on the casting dimensions, as they arrived in the mail a week later). Then, both sides were weathered with my alcohol and India ink solution.
Unlike plastic, wood warps like crazy and I had to add stripwood braces on the backs and then let them dry overnight under weight.
But they came out okay. I tack-welded them together with superglue, and then added a fillet of wood glue to all the joints for extra strength. No interior will be featured on this model, so I wasn't too concerned about appearance.
The vertical exterior edges of the corners received trim boards, and I attached a roofline brace.
I then jumped back to working on the base. The house is built into a hill and features a basement, so I needed to model a hill. I bought a cheap block of green florist foam and made one, and framed it all around with a styrene box. You can see my 3" rulers (one metric, one imperial) that I cut from a full-size ruler. They are extremely handy for getting into small spaces.
The base was covered in ground goop and scenery materials were applied. The three stones that support the rear of the house are pieces of real coal that I painted gray, weathered, and pushed into the dirt.
While the base was drying, I painted the house with two light coats of tan paint. I didn't strive for complete coverage as this is supposed to be an older, weather-beaten house. In some places the alcohol-stained wood showed through.
Then, the house's basement and foundation walls were framed up. The house wasn't glued to the base yet, but I kept checking for clearances. And contrary to the article's intention, I wouldn't consider it well written for a beginner. Some pieces weren't shown in the drawings, some were difficult to make, and everything was finicky.
The basement boards were cut to length and glued on one at a time. I made some slightly different widths for visual interest. The bottoms will be hidden by scenery materials so having them cut at the perfect length and angle isn't important.
The door is just a piece of wood with more wood to represent bracing for metal hinges (which are pieces of styrene). The black nail holes are paint. The doorknob is a diesel marker lamp gem from the scrap box that I glued on backwards. It shines like metal, but the amount of superglue holding it on is tiny. I hope it doesn't fall off!
I also used a sharp pin to make nail holes along the boards, though I doubt anyone can see them. Oh well, it didn't take me too long.
Finally, it was time to glue the house to the base. I added more dirt and static grass clumps around the sides to hide any joints.
As I built the porch, I found wooden clothespins were the perfect weight to hold things in position without being so heavy as to crush them. Everything is so delicate.
The outside deck adds a lot to an otherwise simple building, and I enjoyed building it even though it took a lot of patience.
The stairs were built board by board, with the side stringers cut with tracing paper templates. I made these stairs too narrow, so I got to make them again. There goes three cents of wood...
Finally, the building's base was ready for some final detailing. I added a railing to the stairs and some junk underneath the deck
To add a little detail under the stairs I split some twigs I gathered outside into HO scale sized firewood.
The windows and door casting were painted and then secured from the inside with superglue along the back edges, which prevented any from seeping through and spoiling the look. You know what would have been smart? Not gluing the building together (and building a rickety porch) until you were positive the window and door openings were the right size. Thankfully they were close, but I had to open one or two up and one porch board didn't make it. But it all worked out in the end.
Real, thin microscope slide glass covers were cut and installed on the insides of the windows. A diamond-pointed scribe helped, but this stuff just fractures when you look at it wrong. Patience is key.
I cut and painted up some cardstock and styrene bits into window shades and blinds.
They were then glued in with tacky glue, using minute amounts to prevent any from seeping onto the actual glass. Once that cured, I added a larger fillet where it wouldn't be seen. I also bent and added a piece of cardstock painted black to prevent anyone from being able to look through the building (and thus seeing there was nothing inside except a big hole!)
The roof was made from two pieces of sheetwood that I stained first and then covered with strips of blue painter's tape cut into 24" scale widths. This is to look like rolled tar paper. I slightly overlapped the strips and added a cap piece of tape on the top. To keep the roof pieces secure while the glue dried I had to use some creative weights. It was then painted flat black.
One end didn't want to stay down, so superglue and more creative weights were required.
Drybrushing different shades of gray weathered the tar paper, and I added various patches sealed with gloss back paint to represent repairs made with tar.
The chimney was a white metal casting that I cleaned up with files. I then used my drill press to open it up on the inside, and finished it off with some small square metals files from a set originally purchased by my father. I only have 4 left from the set, but they mean a lot. They are also clogged with chips and likely completely dull by now!
Instead of painting it a red brick color, I decided to try and turn it into a "stone" chimney by painting the bricks in colors of gray and black. I used a toothpick and rounded the edges of the bricks a bit to make it look more like fieldstones instead of perfectly rectangular blocks. I then weathered it because it was a smoky chimney.
The chimney was installed, sealed with tar all around, and the building was then nearly complete. A figure from Woodland Scenics (I think) completed the building.
The building was glued to the stained wooden base and it was finished. For my first wooden building I am quite proud of it, and my wife says it is "cute" which is a compliment. I learned a bit about wood... mostly that it will warp any way possible if given the chance. I also learned that it can get quite fuzzy if you aren't careful, and gluing it requires using trace amounts of wood glue or else the adhesive will be visible. I much prefer working with styrene, but I can add this to my bag of tricks. One things for sure- I really can appreciate the dedication of those people who build monster craftsman kits. I talked to someone recently about it and he said he loved working with wood and hated styrene. I am just the opposite!
As I set this aside for now, I have already started on my next project. Stay tuned...
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