First attempt at laser cut wood structure


A

AllenB

Member
Never built one before,...Any suggestions? This will be my first one. It's by cornerstone...a wood barn. Thanks!
 
I don't know about this specific model but I like to use a nice flat surface to build on and make sure that all the corners are square and even.

Sometimes I put little 90 degree wood triangles in the corners to hold them true. Sometimes do a few steps and let the glue set before moving on. You can use elmers on wood but I like to use a clear Gorilla Glue and use a toothpick and put little drops on where the join goes. If extra gets on it may make the paint look funny unless you rub it off immediately.
 
I am like lasm, a flat surface and corner squares are a must in my opinion as well. After removing the pieces I give the joining edges a very light sand using "worn" 220 grit or 400 grit paper.

I use "Titebond 3 Wood Glue" by putting a little on a piece of waste wood, paper (or whatever) then use a pin to apply the glue where needed. When using any wood glue though, you have to be careful not to get it on the exterior parts that will be painted or weathered. One suggestion is to hold the parts that need to be joined together, then run a small stripe of glue down the join on the inside.
 
Excellent suggestions. Do I need to do anything different with paint? I'll be using acrylic paint? Brush, airbrush?
 
If you have an airbrush, go for it! The closer you look, the easier it is to see brush marks, HOWEVER, you have to look really close to see them. I just built my passenger station and painted it with acrylics and brush. It looks good enough for me.
 
I've been building wood buildings for a few years now. While I certainly am no expert, I much prefer them to plastic. Here's a few things I've learned.

1. Use wood braces to shore up the walls. Glue them on first before you do any painting. This will prevent the walls from warping when you paint them.

2. I've found that even if you decide to paint the building, if you apply a coat of grey stain first, it will add character to the wood. I think oil-based paints cause less warping, but maybe that's just me.

3. If the building has large windows, I recommend painting the inside. This will make your building look more realistic and will cut down on light coming through the walls if you light the building.

I hope that helps.
 
If using acrylic paint, painting both sides of the wood will help it a lot from warping. If you build a kit that you want to stain instead of painting, do all staining before any gluing. If you glue first and get a little on any of the surfaces you want to stain, you will be out of luck. The stain won't take, anywhere the glue has touched. I have no preference for glue, other than it be a good cabinet grade glue. These are usually the yellow carpenter glues you see, not the white stuff. The yellow glues are much tackier, dry faster and are much stronger than the white glues. I like to paint and weather all walls before assembling them. It is much easier to paint a flat panel than after it is put together. I also like to paint all trim before it is put together. Makes a much neater job and takes a lot less time. I touch up the cut edges once it is put together, though. To keep the edges square, I use Lego blocks built into a corner shape. I then glue up the wall and clamp the Legos in place to keep everything straight. I usually prime all the wood grey, when I paint the structure. I can then chip, scrape or sand away some of the paint and it looks like weathered wood underneath. I save the screw off tops from bottled water and use them for holding a small amount of glue paint or weathering powder. I just throw them away when I am finished. Nothing to clean up.
 
Railrunner130 said:
3. If the building has large windows, I recommend painting the inside. This will make your building look more realistic and will cut down on light coming through the walls if you light the building.

I hope that helps.
Click to expand...

All good suggestions-- I lightly paint all the insides because I think it reduces warping by providing a consistant surface on both sides of the wall. Sometimes a piece needs to be glued on, as well, like a 6 x 6 or 8 x8 running the length of the wall also to prevent warping.

I have found these wood structures to be very attractive, but over the years, and if you experience some moves, they may want to come apart. Especially if you are taking them outside and inside during the moving operation and temps and humidities change. Doing some extra reinforcing as alluded to will minimize this, and you will have a structure that will hold up for your lifetime.
 
I just finished these 5 houses this month

View attachment 48577

- Bracing the corners
- I paint everything before assembling
- When complete, I do a last paint touch up

For the painting, I use acrylic paint and only paint one side. It dries very fast, so I'll put something heavy on top to flatten the piece and will do the touch ups later. Just make sure you don't put to much paint in the assembly holes or you'll have a hard time assembling the pieces

GL
 
Thanks for the tips all! Hope I can return the favor. I find these little brackets come in handy when trying to square stuff up. IMG_0246.JPG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.



Back
Top