I spent most of today building lumber stacks from my scrap wood. I got the top section’s lumber–the Douglas Fir–done, and have the materials ready for most of the lower–Redwood–section ready. I got the back hand rail done and the cap for the sides.
I’ve always thought that otherwise decent-looking lumber yards are spoiled by stacks of crappy looking lumber.
I thought I might finish tomorrow, but Friday is more likely. This has been a long project.
It’s looking good.
It’s funny that you describe how that lumber is moved from an upper floor. I just got some 2x4s from a local lumber yard. Their upper level has a walkway that is only about three feet wide. They did exactly what you said – the boards went over the railing and set on end on the floor, where I got them and loaded them into the truck.
Your stacks of lumber look good.
Hi Chip,
Ditto!! I hate fake looking lumber stacks. Yours look very real.
What are you using to cut the lumber?
Dave
I was a general contractor in California for 15 years. One thing I know about is carrying lumber. I just looked at the situation and imagined scenarios.
I can’t believe that prototype would have put the roof on the front.
It comes from the Rock Ridge Mill that way.
Seriously, the lumber is made from the scraps and rejects from these “popsickle sticks and coffee stirrers” projects. I didn’t mill any of them for this. I used an NWSL Chomper with their built in jig to cut to size.
Previously though I ripped the ps and cs pieces with a mini table saw from Micro Mark. I forget the name.
[C):-)][C):-)][C):-)]
Today I got the lumber stacks built for the first floor. This is the redwood area, except for one problem–they’re still white. I expected the lumber stacks to take a while, but I didn’t expect it to take two days.
I did get the railing d
Got the Redwood colored and installed. All that’s left is the office.
THe redwood came out pretty well, I think.
Chip, Yeah it did, good lookin’ redwood. Considering your era it must be ‘old growth’ too. Thought I broke the bank last time I bought a couple sticks of clear redwood.
Regards, Peter
Chip,
Your patience was rewarded and now you have a custom structure that will look great on your layout. My layout will also include a lumberyard but, lacking your patience, I will probably go with a kit. BTW, did you bag your neotropical or was it a late migrant?
Nothing but clear heartwood–at a price that would bring tears to your eyes.
It was a Red Phalarope and since it is deep water ocean bird, it shouldn’t have been in Arizona at all. It stayed 3 days here, but I only heard about it on the thrid day and it was gone before I arrived.
I could have finished today, but I didn’t. It would have made for a long day, and I don’t like rushing at the end. I might not do something that I otherwise would have if I had taken the time to look.
I should be done by noon. Maybe all my modeling stuff will be off the table and my Fast Track stuff out and ready.
Done finally.
I’m going to re-quote from the Muir Models Assembly Instructions.
Man, there wasn’t anything easy about this model except breaking things off. It was 3 weeks and one day of neggly work, where you had to figure out how you were going the get piece in your tweezers where it had to go and breaking two other pieces off in the process. And I mean it was three seven-day weeks between 5 and 9 hours per day.
I had to take 20 minute breaks every hour toward the end just to keep going.
On the other hand, the best part of the job was getting the redwood right. The good news is I made enough stain to do most of the mill lumber yard. And it is going to make a nice addition to my industries.
Well, let’s do some show and tell.
So, the question is, what would I do differently.
Certainly, I wouldn’t make the board and batton out of wood, unless it was laser-cut. The problem is the battons should have been 1/256" x 1/64" to be scale lumber. Even at 1/32" x 3/64" I was tweezer launching just about every other one–or so it seemed. Installing the battons was one of my least favorite jobs. I had to take a lot of breaks.
And the 1/32" thick pieces look ginormous. Oh, well, it doesn’t command that much attention (I hope.) I could always say it was a precursor to Art Deco Architecture. </
Nice job, Chip! It looks amazing. Took a bunch of time, but I would say it was time well spent!
Looks good
I have plans for a lumber mill built over a deep lake with a flume that brings the logs up into the mill to be cut into boards after the bark is soaked off of them
Nice Thread[Y]
TF
Thanks Chuck! [C):-)]
Everyone else–If you came here to see the photos, the final 5 are the last post of page 1.
So do I. With a four-track yard splitting up 6 rows of differnt-sized redwood and douglas fir lumber with a dedicated switcher to build boxcar loads.
Thanks for the cudos.
Hi Chip,
We are all our worst critics. I think that you have done a great job. The supposed flaws that you point out, like the width of the batons, do not detract from the very realistic appearance that the whole structure has. Personally, I like the white end walls, but they would look good in red too.
As for breaking parts off while you were trying to assemble the model, I would ask what glue you are using. I can’t remember exactly what glue you used, but if you used CA I have found that CA joints in wood become very weak over time. I built a nice loading dock and ramp out of 1/4" balsa for the frame and pine for the decking. It was quite solid initially, but when I picked it up recently it basically fell apart.[|(][:'(]
In the future I will use yellow carpenter’s glue for similar projects. If I am staining the wood I will make sure to do that first. The downside is that the carpenter’s glue takes a comparatively long time to dry vs CA, so the assembly process will take much longer. That is a nuisance but it is a much better option than having your prized structures fall apart after a few years.
I have heard of people using both CA and carpenter’s glue together. IIRC, the concept is to assemble the joint using carpenter’s glue and then use a bit of CA to hold things in place while the carpenter’s glue dries. Can anyone comment on that?
Dave
It wasn’t the glue–I use Elmer’s Wood Glue–it’s the fact that they are exposed with little reinforcement. Everytime you sand, paint, or do anything that requires you to keep the model firm, you have to reach around delicate structures, and if you slip, or rotate your wrist. Snap!!
You hear it rather than feel it. Snap! You have to stop everything to determine what broke and find whatever pieces are not still on the model.
Chip,
As Dave said, we are all our own worst critics. FWIW, in my opinion, the final product is very attractive and I wouldn’t change a thing. The white walls provide nice contrast to the other colors of the railings and decking and make those features really stand out. Painting the walls the same color runs the risk of losing those details. Similarly, the overly thick battens (IMO) should be considered a happy accident. The shadows they create provide depth and texture to the structure and the weathering adds to the authenticity. I will be building my lumberyard from a kit and if it turns out half as nice as yours, I’ll be VERY pleased.
Just my two cents…
LOL! I really didn’t want to spend the morning painting it. I want to lay track.
I’m calling Meyer’s Lumber done. I’m leaving it white.
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As previously mentioned, the final photos are on the very end of page 1.
On to trackwork.[tup]