This is a tutorial on how to build (HO scale) pine trees. The method used in this presentation can be applied to any scale as long as you remember to adjust the height and circumference of your tree trunks to accommodate the scale your working with. For HO scale trees, I found that ½ inch square balsa wood works best. If you are modeling N scale, that would be about half that size or ¼ inch. For O gauge, use twice that size or about 1-inch trunks.
Building realistic pine trees can be a real challenge. As a result, many model railroaders would rather buy than build. If you are one of these folks who is frighten by the thought of building your trees from scratch, why not come along with me and see how I go about it. Hopefully, this clinic will help clear any uncertainties you may have.
Photo #1 shows the materials used for this presentation. For branches, I like using Caspia fern. If I’m modeling needle pines, then Asparagus fern is the material of choice. Caspia fern can be purchased at most crafts stores, such as Michael’s. Also shown, is a small wire brush and utility knife. These tools will be used to provide the trunk taper and bark effect. To insert the individual branches, I like using a sharp scribe to add holes where needed.
#2. Using a sharp blade cut the balsa sticks to their appropriate heights. For full-grown (HO scale) pine trees, cut your trunks 8-10 inches tall. Once cut to size, take your knife and slowly start tapering the balsa trunk as shown to form an even taper.
#3. Form the top of your tree trunk as shown. Extra care is needed at this point, as the tips can be easily broken.
Great in depth tutorial Bob, many thanks for sharing, I am currently building about 100 trees in a similar method, and I know Arthill has had great success with the caspia twigs and balsa trunks already. Its tips like these that we all need to share, thanks for taking the time and doing it so concisely.
just use a bigger dowel Chip, or another piece of wood, I am using 1x2 soft pine ripped down the middle and cut to 18-24" length. then just use larger limbs from the caspia, they sill look great. I’ll give you a time scale per tree when I get an average but I’m guessin 30mins each.
Great. Perfect. Just enough detail and good job. I’ve added this to my How Too’s favorites. I will need to build some of these for the Elgin patch on my layout.
Bob, this is much appreciated. I too have added the tutorial to my How To folder. Maybe before too much longer I’ll start in on the scenery and this will come in mighty handy.
Jarrell
P.S. Ya can’t get too photo intensive for me…
Great work. Thanks. I was working on a similar tutorial, but it was not this good. Now I can skip that. The only differnces I sometimes use are:
I start with a dowl and sand it down to a point and put bark in with a dremel tool.
I cut slots in the top to put more sprigs of caspia for those trees that are very full at the top.
For those who have not tried this, it is a blast, you get good trees the first time and can get great trees with practice. BG’s are exceptional but not beyond any of us. (Some of his stuff is). I have found that Micheals occassionally has variations on Caspia that make fuller trees. I have also learned that putting the Caspia facing down makes a Red Pine and putting the Caspia facing up makes a better White Pine.
Show us your trees. As we look at each others we all learn. “Only God can make a tree”, but we can have a blast modeling them.
My best trees are not evergreen, but I’ll put them up anyway. I basically use the flowers from the sedium plant. I’ts just a matter of spraying with hair spray and varying the color of the ground foam.
Here are the ones I put together. I used trimmings off my orange and grapfruit trees for the turnks and used the poly-extruded foam (green cottonball stuff) with your typical over the shelf ground up foam glued on. The big thing I found that works realy well with these is after I shape install the extruded stuff, I use a lighter, very carefully mind you, to burn off and melt any little straggles. Helpt ot give it a nice shell, so to speak, and add a bit more “stiffness” The trick is to hold the lighter, or candle, about 4-6 iches above the flame. Spray with diluted glue and water, and whola! Trees.
Great feed-back. Love the work you guys did with those trees! Like everyone else on this forum, I enjoy learning new techniques when it comes to Model Railroading.
If I could suggest a big time saver for those using 1/2" dowels, hold the to-be ‘fat’ end in one hand, and turn it under a hand-held disk sander. You’ll have your taper in about four minutes, unless you are in a hurry and don’t mind the slightly tarred look where the wood gets too hot.
I use a spindle sander, the advantage being for crooked trees like Scotch Pine, I can carve the twists as I go. A 1/2 inch dowel makes a great 1/4 inch twisted trunk.
Bob, do you use any type glue to hold the ‘limbs’ in place and also do you use anything like cheap hairspray on the tree when finished?
Thanks,
Jarrell
P.s. looking back at the photos I see the wood glue so I guess that answers that part.
Bob and some of you fellas make this look sooooo easy. I tried it today and believe me… you ain’t gonna see it. But, it was the first one I’ve ever done and after fixing up Bob’s photo some…
and printing it out, I can see where I went wrong. Maybe my next one will be more ‘treelike’
Jarrell
Keep at it. As you discovered there is a trick to this, but a learnable trick. I started to get good ones with about the sixth one. I still don’t have a great one, but good enough for Mt Sublime. Show us one when you like it.
My question is, do you apply anything to preserve the caspia or is it already in a preserved state when you buy it? Once the tree is fully assembled do you spray coat it with anything to help it stay instact? Will the caspia fall off over time? In your experience, What’s the life span of one of these caspia based trees?
They seem a great solution to my tree requirement. I would also love to hear from all others re: their experiences with this topic.
