Maple Valley Logging & Millwork

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
The trick is not counting pieces at all, or if you have to count them, not to do it until you are done. You break a big job into little Jobs. You cut posts. then you cut beams. then you glue the beams on the posts. then you add cross bracing. You do a little at a time, and a big project gets nibbled on slowly.

Yeah, you loose your hold on reality, but isn't that what a hobby is for?

Bill Nelson
 

Mountain Man

Active Member
Yes, it is...and that is a fantastic piece of work no matter how you did it.

Looking at your work, I can easily understand the attraction of the larger scales. Sigh...just don't have the room to do them myself.
 

Sawdust

Member
Thanks Gus & Mountain Man for the comments I really appreciate them. I find it very relaxing slipping in my own little magnified world building something that other people wonder where I got it. We are all fortunate that we can create our own layouts that are all unique. Like Bill mentioned about one phase at a time. It's like eating an elephant, it can be done one bite at a time. I feel that layouts should have projects within a project which should cause the viewer to wonder where it begins or ends. I enjoy scratch building & admiring the work of others.I really enjoy this forum & there is a lot of talent around. I am hoping to get my stuff back out of storage soon & start putting this stuff back together. Mountain Man my projects are all HO scale & mostly scratch built. Thanks again everybody.
 

steamhead

Active Member
We'll look forward to seeing more of your stuff...If it's half as good as we've seen...It'll be a real treat..!!
 

Sawdust

Member
Been busy with a lot of construction work which is good but not much time for trains. Here are some pics of my water towers that will be part of the mill project. I will probably build 1 or 2 more, maybe a little bigger. Paper towel roll wrapped with scored bass wood. Bands made from wire stretched around tank. Framing poplar stained with Early American Min Wax. Tanks painted with Folk Art brand Barnwood acrylics & washed with Indian ink /alcohol. Thanks for viewing & all comments are welcomed.
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
Nice tanks

Those are nice tanks, a feature many folks forget to add to a mill structure.

I have been doing massive remodeling on my kitchen, and haven't played with trains much either. But I have been cleaning up around my work bench, and may have enough room to actually work on something there soon, weather it is something for my trains, or one od my unfinished R/C Ships.

One question, how did you do the joint on the tater tower bands? how did that go? and if it worked well, can you post a detail photo?

Ok that is three questions, but enquiring minds want to know!


Bill Nelson

- studying my Southern railway staging track that need to be done over, for the third or fourth time, it is to depressing to count!
 

Sawdust

Member
Tank Wire Bands

Hey Bill glad to hear from ya. This Forum has been kinda quiet lately. On the wire bands, they went well but I think my tanks might have shrunk a bit, the wires are a little loose. I don't know where this wire came from, it has a corroded metal look to it is why I used it & I already had it lieing around. I spaced the wire location out close to equally & drilled a hole where I wanted a joint to be. I pushed one end of the wire through & bent it back so it would stay tight when pulled. I wrapped the other end around & did the same while pulling it tight & put a drop of epoxy on the inside of the tank to keep the ends from comeing back out. On the fastener this was a first but worked real well. I took a piece of phone wire(the black one)& pulled the wire out leaving the insulation. I then cut the insulation into small pieces & sliced them in half length wise leaving me with 2 pieces each.This was a half round cover that wrapped around the wire joint & looked like a fastener.I used a very small drop of a fantastic super glue by Loctite a control gel. I am very pleased with this glue,tip stays clean & does not harden, good aplicator & it's a gel. any questions give me a holler. PS Check out my Amish Barn Raising on the Scratchin & Bashin Thread.
 

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Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
good idea with the bands.

I spaced the wire location out close to equally & drilled a hole where I wanted a joint to be. I pushed one end of the wire through & bent it back so it would stay tight when pulled. I wrapped the other end around & did the same while pulling it tight & put a drop of epoxy on the inside of the tank to keep the ends from comeing back out. used a very small drop of a fantastic super glue by Loctite a control gel. I am very pleased with this glue,tip stays clean & does not harden, good aplicator & it's a gel. any questions give me a holler. PS Check out my Amish Barn Raising on the Scratchin & Bashin Thread.[/quote]



That loctite gel is good stuff, I used a lot of it on the surry parkers (your unique logging equipment, in the logging /minning area). I just bought another bottle of the stuff, as my last hardened up, the aplicator has the best controll in acc I've ever messed with.

I like the idea if drilling a hole to ancor the bands, I have a 30 year old scratchbuilt tank, whose bands have mostly fallen off, I'll try this method on the replacements, and see how long they last.


Thanks for the idea, sounds good


Bill Nelson
 

Sawdust

Member
Working on a Logo.

Not had much time lately to work on trains but have been working on a Logo & sign for the main Mill building. I will put one of these on the large gable wall. I will try my expertise at decal making later this week. I took a picture of a leaf from a Smokey Mountain Tourist brochure & my wife came up with the name. I have some clear decal paper & some Testor's spray sealer. Any suggestions on decal making I would appreciate it.
 

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Sawdust

Member
Logging Mill Update

I recently added some details to the main building & rigged up a drag chain for the elevator.
Drag Chain using some costume jewlry from Michaels.
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Pulley for the drag chain
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Main Mill Building
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As you can see in this pic the glare I am getting off of the clear area of the decal. I made my own Logo & Sign using a picture of a leaf from a Smokey Mountains Fall broshure. My wife came up with the name. I used solvaset & dullcoat on the decals but still a shine. I tried cutting away the clear areas as close to the lettering as possible but too fragile placing on the wood & lost it. I may sand it & dry brush some of the color used on the walls to tone it down.
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If you were the Saw Blade!
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There is still a tremendous amount of work & detailing involved in this project so stay with me & keep on posting. Any comments or suggestions are always welcomed. Thanks for viewing.
 

Bill Nelson

Well-Known Member
I'm Jealous, I've been working on my sawmill for 15 years and it doesn't have a roof on it yet.

Hunting for other things today, I did find the Keystone machinery for my mill. That would be a good project!


Bill Nelson
 

Doctor G

Well-Known Member
"WOW" seconded

That is an incredible model of a very nice sawmill!!!!!!!

Bill Nelson and myself are about to embark on a joint effort at our local RR club to build a large sawmill complex in HO. This is the inspiration we need to get moving on the project. I will try to start a new thread going here on Zealot describing our adventure.

Doc Tom
 
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