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New member 17 posts orvio New member 17 posts
orvio

After a couple of years of on and off planning to build some modules I finally started to build my first module. Since I have not built anything in the last couple of years this is basically an attempt at a chainsaw module.

I am going to build modules according to the Fremo americaN standard.

0800x600.jpg 

The module is 200mm long and the decision to treat this as a chainsaw module has already paid off. The holes in the upper left corner of the faceplate are a result of incorrect use of the pocket hole jig. The faceplate is not exactly vertical either as can be seen in the lower left corner. I also screwed the side to the faceplate wrongly on the first try resulting in the two visible holes on the side. Three screwups in less than an hour!

I already modeled the sides of the roadbed with plaster.The next steps will be installing and painting the track.
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Rustman Frequent poster 681 posts
Rustman

Drywall/Spackling compound,

Drywall/Spackling compound, wood putty or even Bondo autobody putty all do a great job of filling in extra holes in your modules. I've used all three on wood work before.

 

Matt

Matt

"Well there's your problem! It's broke."

http://thehoboproletariat.blogspot.com/

 
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Deemiorgos Super User 7,338 posts
Deemiorgos

Nice and compact. How did you

Nice and compact. How did you cut out that hole? Why I ask is I made a module out of a hollow core door, extruded foam, and went a little overkill with 3/4 inch fascias making it a bit heavier than I wanted. After seeing your module, I'm now thinking I might be able to lighten it up a bit by cutting some holes out of the fascia, but not too much so not to affect the structural integrity. Look forward to seeing your progress.
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orvio New member 17 posts
orvio

Thanks for the encouraging

Thanks for the encouraging comments!

I used a hole saw to cut two holes into the faceplate. I used a rather cheap set I bought a couple of years age. Make sure you don't put apply too much pressure when the saw is almost through the wood or it is likely to splinter too much when the cut goes through. The horizontal pencil line on the faceplate was used to get both centers on the same height.

Then I marked two lines connecting the upper and lower points of the two circular holes and used an electric jigsaw with a fine saw blade to cut the tangent part of the hole. Don't force the cut here too much either and you'll get relatively clean edges. Cutting slowly will also help to make the cut as tangent as possible. You can see what remains of the upper line at the upper right corner of the hole.

The tangent and circular parts of the hole will probably not quite match up but a rasp will remove the imperfections quickly. Then I used 40 grit sanding paper to clean up all edges.
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