Friday, January 7, 2022

PROTO 48 LAYOUT #5 - THE SAWMILL

 There is still work to be done sanding, priming, and painting the backdrop, prior to installing ties, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to get them cut.  

The bag on left has the “standard ties”, with the enough turnout ties in the right bag for six #6 turnouts.    

Just to refresh - I’m using basswood, as opposed to white pine.  I buy basswood in roughly 5”x8” blocks, 8-10’ long.  They are rough cut, so you need a jointer to flatten and square up two sides prior to any ripping operations.    A single block will last me a decade in model trains, even with this tie cutting operation.  My many years as a professional woodworker has taught me that, the lighter and smaller the piece, the more dangerous it can be to cut.  There is a lot more to ripping and cutting this material than a table saw and a chop saw.  You need to make jigs and temporary fences to keep the material supported, and your hands away from the blades.  



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