Build a Miniature Shelf

Everybody needs shelves.  1/12 scale people need them too and I thought I’d show one way of creating a small shelf unit, quickly, accurately, and show how to use dados to facilitate assembly.

Choose a piece of wood that is a bit more than twice the depth of the shelf sides.  In this case I was building a 10″ deep shelf (2″ in 1/12) and 36″ high (3″ in 1/12) so I used a piece of 1/16″ cherry that was 2″ x 6″ wide.

Step 1: Cut 1/16″ dados across its width at each place where you want a shelf.  Once that’s done, cut the piece in half along its length.  This will produce two pieces, with identical dados on each side.

Step 2: Stack the two pieces such that the dados face one another and are lined up perfectly.  Ensure that the back of the sides are also lined up.  Tape them together and use a scroll saw or jeweler’s saw to cut whatever profile you like, keeping in mind that a shelf will fit into each of the dados.

Step 3: Cut some shelving from 1/16″ stock.  You choose the length of the shelves but this sort of shelf looks best if they’re 18-36″ (1 1/2″ – 3″ in 1/12 scale) long.  You should end up with parts that look like this:

Step 4: Because of the dados, assembly is very easy.  Lay a bit of glue into each of the dado slots.  On a flat surface (I use a magnet board) place the sides with their backs to the surface and stick the shelves into the slots.  Use something with a 90-degree corner to set the relationship between one side and either the bottom or top shelf.  Let the glue dry.  You’re done.  The cool thing is that not only do dados make such pieces self-align during assembly, they really look nice, add strength, and they add a nice scale element to your pieces.

Cheers — Larry

larry@woodnbits.com

How to Make a Magnet Board

I’ve gotten a couple queries about the system I was using to hold things in place during the casket assembly project.  I thought I’d address it here by showing you how to build one.  The basic “system” is a magnet board that looks like this:

There are a couple commercial magnet boards available, most notably the one that is sold by Micro Mark.  Many have found what I have, however, that these boards have raised edges that are supposed to be 90-degrees to the surface but are not.  This makes them less than useless in my opinion.

I make my own and over the years, my magnet boards have undergone an evolution.  I started out with one large board, with the thought that bigger was better.  But I rarely use my big board.  Instead I now have several smaller ones as even when I’m doing a bunch of simultaneous assemblies and need lots of surface, having several separate surfaces is advantageous.  Thus, the magnet boards I use are all 6″ x 9″.  These dimensions aren’t critical and mostly a result of the size of the metal that is readily available as I don’t have any fancy ways of cutting metal.

Another thing that’s changed is that I came to realize that affixing a raised border on a magnet board is limiting, though at times you really want one.  What is limiting is that if you affix a border, its height and location are, well… fixed.   I’ve found it much better to attach “walls” when and where I need them.  For a long time I had “walls” that had magnets inset into them and this worked but it wasn’t ideal and I had to imbed magnets into blocks of wood.

What I came to realize was that sometimes simple is best, and the addition of a couple blocks, to raise the board above the work table allowed me to start using clamps to hold the walls in place, any walls, anywhere on the board and in any configuration.  It also made it easier to create a working system.

So let’s build one.  It’s easy.

This is the stuff you need to build one.

1 – 6″ x 9″ galvanized steel

1 – 6″ x 9″ x 1/4″ baltic birch plywood

2 – blocks of wood about 1 1/4″ tall

Wood glue, 5-minute epoxy, and Top-Cote metal protectant.

You can buy sheets of galvanized steel at hardware stores, generally 6×12 or 6×24 are available so you have to use a hacksaw to cut it but only a single cut will do the job.  This is less of a problem than it might sound but once you’ve done it,  sand the cut edge to take the sharp edge off the piece you’re going to use.  Similarly, you can get baltic birch plywood at places like Home Depot.  Here in Canada it’s often referred to as Russian plywood but it’s just a very good-quality plywood.  You can use pretty much anything you want and I’m sure MDF would work as well.

Making the board is simple.  Deposit big blobs (this is a technical term) of each of the two epoxy parts in the middle of the board.

Use any old stick to mix it well and then spread it out over the whole surface.  The important thing here is to spread it such that you have a thin, even coat.  Thinner is better than thick and I use a Formica sample card (you can pick them up anywhere Formica is sold) to do the spreading.  Lots of folks use old credit cards for such things.

Place the steel plate on the wood and, presuming you have a nice thin coat of epoxy, it’ll stay put on its own.  You might want to put a weight on it but that may not be necessary.  While the epoxy dries I use alcohol to clean up my Formica spreader and to wipe off any epoxy that squeezes out from under the metal plate.  The alcohol readily solubilizes epoxy.

Once the epoxy is dry, flip your board upside down and use any old glue to glue the blocks in place.  No precision required here except that you obviously want the feet to be the same height.  You also want them small enough that you have an inch or so all the way around the perimeter of the board so that you can clamp things to the board edge when the board is in use.

Spray a coat of Top Cote on the metal.  Let it set for a minute or two and then wipe off any excess.  This will prevent the board from rusting.  Magnets are available from any number of places so I’ll leave you on your own for those.

Once you have a board like this you’ll wonder why everyone doesn’t have one and why the commercial boards are designed as poorly as they are.  Here are a couple examples of why having those feet is such a good idea.

There are times when you want a very low wall and others when you’d like to have a high wall.  Sometimes you want a corner that’s not 90-degrees.  Having a raised board, you can use any old clamps and materials to create any wall you want/need.   Notice that when I was doing assemble of the casket I used a couple Corian blocks I use my shop. 

Magnet boards are used a lot in the assembly of miniatures.  You might as well have one that makes life easy.  I think you’ll find that this one does.  Let me know if you have any questions

Cheers — Larry

larry@woodnbits.com

More Mini Frames

Recently I posted instructions for making mini-frames for doing petitpoint.  I provided two simple methods that didn’t require fancy tools and that also required  only basic skills.  This sort of thing is often referred to as “teaching them to fish rather than providing the fish.”

But there are some who, for whatever reason, would rather buy frames ready-made.  I can understand that.  The problem is that some things just can’t be handmade and sold at a reasonable price.  These frames may be one of those things.  By the time you add in the costs of padded envelopes, today’s high postage costs and a minimum wage, the price becomes fairly significant for something that takes the place of poking a hole in some mat board (grin).  I have to admit that I do think it brings a touch of class to needlework that mat board can never provide, and while making them I daydreamed of fancy ones with figured wood and inlay in the corners.

And yes,  I did make some.  I decided to make them with good, hard maple.  I also decided to make them using “real”, cut half-lap joinery.  In this way I could be a bit more precise I suppose.  It also meant a whole lot of joint cutting.  Can you spell BORING?  Anyways, here’s the pile of sticks I ended up with after that process.

All of these pieces were glued into 1 1/2″square and 2 1/2″ square frames using hide glue to provide a hard, non-flexing joint.   Then I rounded the corners and sanded them, but only to remove any raised edges.  These frames work best if they’re NOT perfectly smooth as the glue will stick the gauze to them better.

I applied some oil and let them sit over night.  This morning I applied a coat of shellac, trying to strike a balance between protecting the wood and not generating a super-smooth surface, which is counter to the purpose of the frames.  This is the result.

And here’s the deal on selling them.  It would make no sense to sell these individually as shipping costs would make that silly.  So, I’ve clustered them into a package a three frames – two small and one larger.

The small frames are great for doing chair seats, samplers, firescreens, candlestands, pillows and some wall hangings.  The larger one is large enough for, well, larger needlework.  Neither will accommodate a rug.  If you want a set, they are $17USD and this includes shipping costs.  At this point I have only 5 sets but I can make more if I can’t persuade everyone to make their own (sly grin).  Contact me via email if you want a set.

Cheers — Larry

larry@woodnbits.com

Making frames for miniature needlework

The use of needlework to decorate a home was commonplace prior to the 20th Century.  While these days, needlework is hung in frames, it was once used to cover chairs, sofas, and other furniture.  It was used to decorate small chests, fireplace screens and, well, pretty much everything.  And because these earlier periods are very popular periods with miniaturists, there is an active miniature needlework (petitpoint) community.

The typical way of holding silk gauze used as a substrate for petitpoint is thick bristol board with holes cut into it.  Being a wood kind of guy, I thought it better to use wood to build a frame and I did so.  These have become popular with some and recently, in an Internet forum, these frames have become a topic of conversation and people are asking me how to make them.

So, here are two methods.  I’m going to assume a minimum number of tools as many petitpointers are not woodworkers.  These frames are so easy to make, however, that anyone can do it.

Half-lap Joints for Frames

Half-lap joints are easy-to-make and fairly strong joints that are found in all sorts of framed doors. Real-life woodworkers make them by setting a table saw dado blade (a wide blade set) at a height one-half the wood thickness and they cut away a ‘notch’ of wood that is half the depth of the wood and that extends inward from the end of the piece towards the center of the frame piece a distance that is equal to frame piece width. If you do this on both ends of a set of 4 frame pieces, you can assemble overlap a half-lap on one end of a frame piece with the end of another frame piece set 90 degrees to the first piece. Do that a couple more times and you have a full frame.

Making the basic frame pieces

If you own a micro-table saw, making miniature half-lap joints is done the same as you would the full-size joints. If you don’t have a table saw, however, you can use a simple lamination technique to generate half-laps on both ends of frame pieces and I’m going to illustrate two different approaches. One will start with sheet stock and this is the quickest and it will generate the most consistent results. For those who have a hard time cutting long, thin pieces, however, I’m going to illustrate a method that begins with stripwood. In each case I’m going to make a 2 1/5” square frame (inside dimension) and the frame pieces are 1/4” wide.

Frame pieces from sheet stock

To make the frame pieces from sheet stock, start with a piece of 1/16” thick stock. I’m going to use basswood as most people seem to have that readily available. At the risk of stating the obvious, basswood is not balsawood. If I didn’t see those two confused so often in Internet conversations I would take the time to point it out.

Because I want a frame that is 2 1/2” wide on the inside and with frame piece widths of 1/4”, I will need frame pieces that are 2 1/2” plus ½” (2 x 1/4”) or 3” long so cut a piece of sheetwood that is 3” long and around 3-4” wide. You’ll see in a bit why this second dimension doesn’t need to be exact. The second piece needs to be cut to 2 1/2”, the interior dimension of your frame. Make it the same width as the other piece.

Now it’s a very simple matter of gluing these two pieces of wood together, making sure that there is a 1/4” half-lap created on each end of this 3”wide laminated plank.

Once the glue has dried, set up a fence on your saw so that you can cut 1/4” wide by 3” long strips from the sandwich you just created. What you get for your efforts is a bunch of frame pieces with half-laps on each end.

Frame pieces from stripwood

If cutting long, straight cuts is difficult for you, the same parts can be made using pre-cut stripwood, in this case 1/16” x 1/4″ basswood. First step is to cut four, 3” long pieces of wood for each frame you want to make. Then you need to cut four, 3” minus 1/2” (2 x 1/4”), or 2 1/2” pieces. Each of the shorter pieces must be glued to a longer piece, ensuring that there is a 1/4” half-lap at the end of each resultant frame piece. There will be a bit more error in this method but it only requires an Xacto knife or single-edged razor blade.

Frame Assembly

Now that you’ve got the frame pieces made, the rest is a piece of cake, as the half-lap joints should help you create a square frame. I just use Elmer’s Glue-All and check the frames for square using small blocks that I can put inside the frame. Nothing is too critical here, though.

Once the frame joints are dry, use a sanding block to smooth up the outside edges. You might even want to round the corners as I find this keeps threads from getting caught on the corners while I work.

Of course, if you want to impress your friends you can get fancy, build frames from maple, use two different colors of wood (maple and walnut, perhaps), and you can dye or stain them. For a Xmas stocking I made a red frame and it kept me in a jolly mood.

Adding Silk Gauze to the Frame

Most people glue their gauze to cardboard or foamboard and some complain that it tends to come loose. I didn’t know any better so I used a method I’ve used for a lot of other things.

Glue stick glue has a nifty attribute that it will set really well if you iron the joints, so that’s what I do. Run glue stick glue around one side of the frame and start ironing the gauze in place, holding some tension on the gauze so that it is taut as it spans the frame opening. That’s all there is to it. If you do end up with a wrinkle, a bit of rubbing alcohol will loosen the glue and you can iron it back down. Once it’s glued in place, I run a single-edged razor blade around the periphery of the frame, cutting off the excess gauze.

I haven’t had much trouble with the gauze coming loose while I stitch, unstitch (errors… me? Naw, couldn’t be), and re-stitch my way to a completed project. If the gauze does loosen up you can just iron it back down. I did have one corner come up once so I know this works.

If you have any questions, you know where to find me.  If you still don’t want to make your own, let me know and I can make some for you for a modest fee.  For a bit more I can make them from cherry or maple.

Cheers — Larry

larry@woodnbits.com