I have nothing but plastic kit structures on my layout to date, but I have decided to order the B.T.S. Utility Building Combo Kit, a series of 3 small laser cut structures, to place at the perimeter of my passenger station area. I have never attempted to build a laser cut wood structure, so I have two questions.
First, any opinions on the quality of B.T.S. structures and ease of assembly?
Second, what type of glue or contact cement would you use to assemble such structures?
Thanks
I have built one BTS structure and I had no problems with it. My personal preference for adhesive is Titebond Wood Trim glue. I like the working time it gives me. When set it is very strong. If it would be of any help, I have some photo sequences of laser structure builds on my picture hosting site, Link below in my signature.
They are a good kit, not easy, but doable if you take your time. I use the brown colored wood glue. I like the color because I stain most of my kits and the fine glue line does not show. You still have to be careful of the glue. You cannot stain over glue. I also use thick CA some times…
Thanks for the suggestion on Titebond Wood Glue. I will use that when building the structures. Also, the comments about staining were informative, so I need to take that into consideration as well, although I plan to paint the structures rather than stain them. I assume that paint can be applied over the dried wood glue.
As to the quality of the B.T.S. structures and the ease or difficulty of assmebling them, I read on another thread that laser cut wood structures are more difficult to construct than plastic structures, particularly when trying to square the walls. I don’t have any special equipment such as clamps, so I am hoping that based on the small size of the structures I won’t encounter any serious problems.
Try and keep the glue off the outside surfaces of the structure. I use a tooth pick to apply the glue to keep it under control.
As for difficulty of construction, well I suppose there are some challenges with wooden kits you don’t have with plastic, warping and the like. But wood is very forgiving. warps will flatten under a pile of phone books. A little sanding can result in perfect fit. That sort of thing.
As for getting things square, you may not have special tools, but you will very likely have something. I used a dead 9V battery to put inside the angle to make sure walls were square once. The corner of a piece of paper can be a fine guide, just set the model on the corner and adjust for square. Then use a rubber band or two around the model to clamp while it dries. Use your ingenuity, it is part of the challenge and the fun.
Lazer-cut wooden structures are usually easy to construct. Most have very precise parts with tabs and slots so everything fits as expected. (That makes them easy.) While they generally have more parts than plastic kits especially if there are “peel-and-stick” window parts rather than one-piece window castings, and roofs with rows of shingles to be applied rather than a cast roof, these don’t raise the level of difficulty much.
It is a good practice to stain/paint the parts before assembling because any misapplication of glue before then will possibly affect the parts’ ability to absorb stain or paint. Small parts should be stained/painted before being removed from the “mother” boards. Take your time to identify the parts so you apply the color you intended if you have a multi-color scheme. Use a brand-new (sharp) cutting blade to remove parts.
If you want a bit of a challenge, build a “box of sticks” kit where you cut boards to size to construct the framework and then apply individual boards to assemble the wall sections.
Mark