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Project Merlin

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Some project Paul. I spent 50 years to the day in architecture. This gives me a great interest in this having produced numerous models for architectural reality.

Will you, as it certainly calls for it, be building the finished works in a diorama. Depending on the era & scale vintage ehicles would certainly enhance the finished work. It would look fine with horse & carriage but probably finding horses of the scale & authenticity may be difficult.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Laurie

Thanks Laurie. Wow, congratulations - 50 years in architecture is a wonderful achievement. I have 40 years in the building industry and fine woodworking. I spent 10 years on the drawing board designing small building projects for Planning & Building Approval, but I'm not a university trained architect.

The model is going to be a good size - probably 1:15 instead of 1:12. Yes indeed, a diorama will certainly give the work finesse, and I might include some figures/features here and there, but I also have to consider where the model is going to live once completed. Quite often, as I'm sure you know, these projects can end up partially designing themselves, so I shall go with the flow - 'a feather on the breeze' so to speak.

I'm ready to venture out and buy the structural materials to make a start on the build, but I'm being told to hang-fire at the moment as the shopping spree isn't 'essential' - I might have to carefully sneak out as an undercover tradesman. I'm ordering a new photo backdrop as well. I regrettably left my old one in the workshop when I closed it during 2018.

Cheers. :cool:
 
Well I like a nice timber framed and old houses, so this is going to be interesting.
I have often thought of building a timber frame folly in mini size and have it as a bird feeder in the garden.
 
Thanks Laurie. Wow, congratulations - 50 years in architecture is a wonderful achievement. I have 40 years in the building industry and fine woodworking. I spent 10 years on the drawing board designing small building projects for Planning & Building Approval, but I'm not a university trained architect.

The model is going to be a good size - probably 1:15 instead of 1:12. Yes indeed, a diorama will certainly give the work finesse, and I might include some figures/features here and there, but I also have to consider where the model is going to live once completed. Quite often, as I'm sure you know, these projects can end up partially designing themselves, so I shall go with the flow - 'a feather on the breeze' so to speak.

I'm ready to venture out and buy the structural materials to make a start on the build, but I'm being told to hang-fire at the moment as the shopping spree isn't 'essential' - I might have to carefully sneak out as an undercover tradesman. I'm ordering a new photo backdrop as well. I regrettably left my old one in the workshop when I closed it during 2018.

Cheers. :cool:
Interesting Paul as my father was a carpenter & joiner. as a lad I used to watch him superbly patient & incredibly accurate.

Hard luck on getting out. Live in Jersey & all is open except cinemas & excercise centres. Just 9 cases out of 110,000 only one in hospital. 2nd jab tomorrow.

Have you thought of Amazon or Ebay for your bits etc ?

Laurie
 
Thread owner
Well I like a nice timber framed and old houses, so this is going to be interesting.
I have often thought of building a timber frame folly in mini size and have it as a bird feeder in the garden.

Thanks Ian. It sounds like the folly would be a great little project. :thumb2:
 
Thread owner
Interesting Paul as my father was a carpenter & joiner. as a lad I used to watch him superbly patient & incredibly accurate.

Hard luck on getting out. Live in Jersey & all is open except cinemas & excercise centres. Just 9 cases out of 110,000 only one in hospital. 2nd jab tomorrow.

Have you thought of Amazon or Ebay for your bits etc ?

Laurie

Indeed, anything woody is a wonderfully satisfying craft. Here are some of my previous projects: https://info241158.wixsite.com/projectmerlin/bespoke-furniture

Very good - Jersey stats are looking healthy. I'm going to brave it this afternoon and venture out. I used to buy my hardwoods from a company in Yorkshire when I was living in Dorset. Their stock was always premium and beautifully prepared. But, as the structural framework on this build is going to be softwood (redwood - pine), I would rather see the timber for straightness and any defects/knots before buying, so I'm going to visit Travis Perkins and buy 20/2.1M lengths of 25x25PAR - or 'PSE' I think they call it now. I was considering oak or beech, but a good joinery standard pine will be fine. I will certainly buy the balsa/basswood online, and other materials including paints etc.

I'm now deciding which colour backdrop to go for. I used to use a grey backdrop in the old workshop when I was making the furniture. I think I fancy a black one for this project.

Cheers. :cool:
 
Paul

Your back catalogue is outstanding, nothing is more impressive than beautifully finished and designed wood furniture. I am sure this new project will be equally impressive. In any case I intend to follow along.

John
 
Indeed, anything woody is a wonderfully satisfying craft. Here are some of my previous projects: https://info241158.wixsite.com/projectmerlin/bespoke-furniture

Very good - Jersey stats are looking healthy. I'm going to brave it this afternoon and venture out. I used to buy my hardwoods from a company in Yorkshire when I was living in Dorset. Their stock was always premium and beautifully prepared. But, as the structural framework on this build is going to be softwood (redwood - pine), I would rather see the timber for straightness and any defects/knots before buying, so I'm going to visit Travis Perkins and buy 20/2.1M lengths of 25x25PAR - or 'PSE' I think they call it now. I was considering oak or beech, but a good joinery standard pine will be fine. I will certainly buy the balsa/basswood online, and other materials including paints etc.

I'm now deciding which colour backdrop to go for. I used to use a grey backdrop in the old workshop when I was making the furniture. I think I fancy a black one for this project.

Cheers. :cool:
Wow Paul had a look at your previous projects. Superb both in execution & design.

Take it they are full scale 1:1 :tongue-out3:

Laurie
 
Having just had a look at your work, I think "wood butcher" is a bit harsh, lol maybe a Wood surgeon..... I think I would say fine cabinet maker.

Having the access to it I would have thought popular a good choice of wood with its fine and smooth grain. but then I am not so much a wood butcher, more like the guy you send trees to to be slaughtered. !
 
Thread owner
Paul

Your back catalogue is outstanding, nothing is more impressive than beautifully finished and designed wood furniture. I am sure this new project will be equally impressive. In any case I intend to follow along.

John

Thanks John - very kind of you to say. Much appreciated.
 
Thread owner
Wow Paul had a look at your previous projects. Superb both in execution & design.

Take it they are full scale 1:1 :tongue-out3:

Laurie

Thanks Laurie. :smiling: Yes, they're all full size pieces. Most of them were commissioned.
 
Hi Paul and welcome to the group. Fantastic looking project you've got there, I especially love the support for the staircase
 
Thread owner
Having just had a look at your work, I think "wood butcher" is a bit harsh, lol maybe a Wood surgeon..... I think I would say fine cabinet maker.

Having the access to it I would have thought popular a good choice of wood with its fine and smooth grain. but then I am not so much a wood butcher, more like the guy you send trees to to be slaughtered. !

:smiling: I'm a tree hugger. :cool: I'm a bit rusty now, although I have recently made a piece for home from my new little hobby 'shop. I worked with poplar years ago and yeah, it would be excellent for this build. I'm still undecided. I did go to TP this afternoon and their 25x25 was awful, so I didn't buy any.
 
Thread owner
That is outstanding work a modern day chippendale.

Haha, thanks Paul. What a chap old Tom was. I've always been a huge admirer. I've been lucky enough to have seen and touch some of his majestic furniture (incl. Junior) and it's pure magical. Stunning.
 
Thread owner
Hi Paul and welcome to the group. Fantastic looking project you've got there, I especially love the support for the staircase

Hi Mick, thanks very much. Yep, the stair is going to be interesting to make. I wish I knew what I did with the work-in-progress photos from the old incomplete model years ago. The staircase in that one was pretty much complete, although slightly different to the ones above.
 
Thread owner
Howdy.

An update - although progress is slow. :cool:

I've been undecided about various elements of the build and after much dithering, I have made some very important decisions. :smiling:

I wasn't sure whether to make the main frames using a hardwood or softwood. I have now decided on a softwood - a premium Scandinavian Redwood. I am also making the model to a scale of 1:15 instead of 1:12, purely for working space and where the model is going to live once she's complete. This means the actual finished size will be approximately 1150 long (gable-to-gable), 700 wide (fascia-to-fascia) and 650 high (base-to-ridge).

Another part of my dithering was construction; whether to craft traditional joints or not. I am going to craft most of the joints using traditional methods - albeit on a much smaller scale - indeed, very fiddly. Most of the structural joints will be a variety from the traditional draw/bore mortice & tenon family. I was also undecided with the King Post arrangement. I have now changed this slightly too. In all, there are approximately 173 traditional joints to make in the 5 frames with several other joints to follow. I shall be more detailed on these during the actual build - hopefully without boring anyone. :confused:

I have also found several suppliers I didn't think existed! One in particular, is a company who make all the masonry components required in a scaled model build - from the common house brick to a ridge tile - astonishing! I'm sure you guys already know about such places, but I'm a newby to model making. The bricks are actual bricks, made from brick material - clay, sand, lime etc. The same applies to other materials as well - flag stones, roofing tiles, ceramics and so the list goes on. I was blown away by what these guys make. I will however, still make the roofing tiles from 2.4mm oak construction veneer I already have in stock. This might be as a shingled roof or I might paint them to replicate a tiled roof - dunno. :thinking:

Anyway, not much to see right now, but here are a few photos and an intro to my home hobby workshop which I fitted out almost a year ago. It's very small but doable. I've already made a sideboard from this 'shop and as it's off the dining room, I have plenty of space for dry/glue assemblies.
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Here is the footprint base cut from 18mm plywood.
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And the 25x25 PSE Scandinavian Redwood. Finished size - 20.5x20.5mm - replicating 300mm sq oak posts etc.
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The workshop drawings.
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And the Workshop Rod drawn onto the wall for marking-up all the components. Photo not very clear.
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I have also bought a new backdrop in dark olive for when I start taking WIP and finished photos. I stupidly left my previous backdrop in the old workshop down in Dorset.

That's my update for now. Not much I know, but it is a start! :thumb2:

Cheers.
:cool:
 
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