First time I've ever tried to do this, so please let me know if I'm going about it all wrong!

Thought I would make a post about scratchbuilding this small workshop:

For the record, this is the very first complete scratchbuild I have ever done.  Ever.

CREATING THE DESIGN

One of the things I find most frustrating about scratchbuilding (which I just started doing) is the difficulty in finding plans to work from.  In this case, I made a few educated guesses and thought I would run with it.  I design the plans (front, side, floorplan, etc.) in a program call Inkscape.  It is free and, once you watch the many tutorials, is pretty easy to use and quite robust.  It's not a CAD program, but rather a drawing program, much like Adobe Illustrator.  I draw the plans to HO scale and size all the pieces to their actual HO size. 

When designing, I use these websites (which are my pages by the way and free to anyone who wants to use them) for conversions to scale:

A.  http://www.timbratcher.com/model_scale_reference_1.aspx?XScale=87&XMM=1&XDB=0&XTT=1

This page is a conversion chart that I find incredibly handy.  I designed it myself and you can put ANY scale into it.  The default is HO.  This chart shows:

--Fractions, to a 64th

--Decimal equivalents

--Millimeters (which you can turn off with a click of a button)

--Scale inches (in whatever scale you've entered)

--AWG wire sizes (i.e., AWG 32 wire)

--Drill bit sizes (i.e., no. 68 bit)

B.  http://www.timbratcher.com/model_scale_converter.aspx?XScale=87

This page allows you to select a scale (the default is HO) and then insert inches or feet and convert "to scale" or "to lifesize."  For example, if I wanted something 10' 4-1/2", I could either enter 10 in the feet section and 4.5 in the inches and then click "CONVERT TO SCALE."  The answer is 1.4310".

I seriously think these pages are the best conversion tables out there, and I really encourage everyone to check them out.  For the record, other than sending your numbers for conversion, there is absolutely nothing that gets saved, no information collected, etc.  Even your numbers disappear from the cache when you click off the page.  If you have any suggestions for those pages, please let me know.

This is for a different project that I'm working on now, but here you can see the plans in Inkscape (and apologies for the poor photos).  This gives you an idea of how I do it:

STARTING THE BUILD

I print the plans on my laser printer and adhere them to a piece of 1/2" foamboard with a spray adhesive.  I make the foam board about an inch or more larger than plans, because after I've laid the paper down, I cover it with a piece of wax paper.  The adhesive outside of the plans hold the wax paper in place. 

I don't have a good picture of this, but in this photo you can see the foamboard and the plans and the waxpaper:

THE WOOD AND THE MACHINES

I have three tools that are, without a doubt, the best tools I've ever purchased.  They are all Jim Byrnes Model Machines:

A.  The Byrnes table saw

B.  The Byrnes disc sander

C.  The Byrnes thickness sander

I cannot possibly say enough good words about these three machines.  The table saw (with the micrometer adjustment) is incredibly accurate.  The disc sander is just a joy to use.  But my favorite is the thickness sander.  I am not exaggerating when I say that i can shave down the thickness of a piece of scale lumber by a half a thousandth.  They are not cheap, but they are built to last and anyone who likes to scratchbuild . . . you cannot go wrong with these machines.

I used to use basswood for the tinkering I did in scratchbuilding, but, on a whim, I bought a piece of fine poplar from Lowes.  It's just a 1 x 4 (3/4" x 3.5"), but, once I started using it, I cannot imagine ever going back to basswood.  Poplar cuts and sands beautifully.  And it is durable and doesn't have has many "fibers" when you cut or sand it.  I don't know how many of you have used it for scratchbuilding, but it is just a real treat to work with.

So I cut my 1 x 4 into an 18" length and then use the .040 carbide blade on the table saw.  If I wanted to make, for example, some two by fours (0.023 x 0.046"), I cut the larger dimension (the "4" inch dimension) a bit fat, say like 0.050".  Then I run the entire 18" piece through the thickness sander until it is EXACTLY 0.046".  Then I take that piece and run it through the table saw to cut the 0.023 dimension.  Cutting on the table saw is not 'as accurate" as the thickness sander, but I can usually get within 5 thousandths.  it does take some practice and, more importantly, a repetitive way of making cuts--I found that, once I started using the same "method" of cutting, I started getting really consistent cuts. 

Anyway, I get a ton of scale lumber from one 1 x 4 x 8' piece of poplar.  I imagine that, over time, I will end up paying for the machines by making my own scale lumber.  What's even neater is that if i want something odd, like a 3" x 9" piece, I can make it . . . in minutes.

As a final note, I'll say that, for some reason, I really enjoy making the scale lumber.  When I purchased scale lumber from Northeastern or the like, I always felt as though I were wasting it . . . almost afraid to use it in case I ran out.  But with these tools, it doesn't take any time to make more than enough and, apart from the heavy capital costs of buying the machines, it's incredibly cheap.

STARTING THE BUILD

After I've cut the lumber, I lay the pieces out on the waxpaper and use the old school method of using stick pins into the foamboard to hold things in place.  The printed plans are incredibly accurate out of Inkscape and it's just a matter of lining things up with the pins to hold it all in place while the glue sets.  I use Aileen's Tacky Glue, and it does an amazing job.  Sets very quickly and hold really well.  I am, indeed, amazed at how strong this little structure is once I assembled it.

Here are some photos of the main structure going together.  I should note that I would normally stain the wood before assembling, but . . . just forgot to do it this time!  I eventually caught myself and weathered it with India Ink and alcohol.

That's enough for now.  Tomorrow, I'll talk about the lighting control (which is a system I've created and think is pretty neat using very inexpensive microcontrollers) and the interior.

Any constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.

All my best,

Tim