OK here is my story and I’m sticking to it. New to model railroading but almost a pro at woodworking. Retired and have more time than money. I refuse to buy kits or accesories. (unless I have too) Modeling present day HO scale, no where in particular, layout in a U shape 3’ X 13’ X 8’. X 8’ Two main lines with lots of real estate to fill up. Already started tinkering with making a model of my 1900 era home I live in to scale out of wood, Has anyone created window sashs and details such as that and what did you use. Again don’t want to buy manufactured parts. (more time than money) I have a huge woodworking shop with many many tools and thank God I still have all 10 employees.
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Well, I know you don’t want to hear this, but most model railroad scratch builders use plastic molded windows and doors. Grant Line makes some nice ones and they have a good selection.
But since you want to build them yourself, just build them just like you would build a real window, only smaller. Not trying to be a smart a**, just no other way that I know of. I have got some bass strip wood that is .010 or .015 thick and .080 or .100 wide. So I could make windows and doors if i wanted to, but I am not THAT detail oriented.
EDIT: OK, you got me thinking. Start with the clear window glazing. Some type of thin plastic sheet. Cut it to the size of the window and frame. Then build up the parts of the window by gluing them on the plastic window glazing, frame and all.
There is indeed a rich array of wonderful windows and doors in plastic in HO from Tichy, Grandt Line, and others. But there is also superbly crafted and milled strip wood available for someone determined to build wood parts from wood.
Back in the 1960s a very skilled scratchbuilder named Joe Kunzelman wrote a series of articles for Model Railroader that would be of interest (and of course will be in the upcoming DVD of all the issues going back to Vol 1 #1.) Meanwhile I assume reproduction copies can be ordered from Kalmbach for a fee.
“Taking pains with panes” in the November 1963 MR page 57 gives enough info that you could build a real window – and the followup “Cleaning up the windows” in April 1964 MR page 51 is at a similar level of excellence. His article “Doorways to detail” does the same thing for doors – December 1965 MR page 64. For an overall look at his techniques see “Structures from the Ground Up” July 1967 MR page 48.
Dave Nelson
A mullion, scaled down to HO, is so thin it would be hard to make in wood. Long time ago, I scratchbuilt a hosue. Mullions were painted directly on a sheet. Then wood window frames and mouldings were added. It spared a lot of hard work while looking quite good. If I had to redo it again, I think I would print window panes on light carboard then add the frame. Many folks get interesting results with printed paper, so my guess would be that adding real moulding would make this very realistic. It would cost almost nothing and you would still get the satisfaction to scratchbuilt the parts that gives the flavor to your model.
Matt
I have done windows from scratch, from stripwood for the window frame and sash. It works but it takes along time. Next time I will purchase ready to go window castings.
Go to “Railroad-Line.com”; that forum has a department on scratch-building, and a membership of expert structure scratch-builders.
I’m sure trying to make some of the parts of the windows out of wood would be next to impossible and was thinking of lining the inside with the thinnest plexiglass I could find and just paint the lines on the plexiglass then add the jambs etc. Too much glare for lighting? like I said new to this size minaitures. The wood I used for the walls was a standard 2 x 6 that I resawed into thin 1/8" strips. Then I used a drum sander to sand them even thinner. Next I tilted my tablesaw to the max and raised it just enough to cut a groove for siding which in my case is 8". Using a backerboard to keep the sheet to the saw table I ran it through to get the scale size of siding I needed. Used this same spacing for the block foundation. and carved the vertical mortor joints of the block 8’ X16" by hand. As my Grandpa used to say,“no matter what you need you can make it.”