In a thread on another site I showed how to make your own Single Edge Razor Blade holder from acrylic plastic. An improvement on the design uses an easier to work with, cheap material, with less complexity, which makes it easier to build.

Material needed is a length of 1/16” x ½” aluminum stock. A 36” length cost me $1.79 at my local Ace hardware. You will need two 4-40 screws 1/4” long and two 4-40 nuts, and some single edge razor blades. I at first thought that 1/16” was too thin and would be too flexible, but that was NOT the case.

Pic #1 shows new holder in front, old holder behind it, plain straightedge, and straightedge with sandpaper glued to back.


Cut the aluminum 5” long, mark, center punch, and drill holes as shown in sketch.


Pic #2 shows materials before assembly. Note that pic was taken before holes were deburred.


Depending on whether you are left or right handed, carefully assemble blade onto blade holder. Align blade holes with handle holes. Insert screws through holes and fasten nuts to screws. Tighten screws.

Pic #3 shows right-handed assembly, and pic #4 shows left-handed assembly.



CAUTION ! Razor blades are sharp ! Always USE EXTREME CARE when fastening blade onto holder. Make sure screws and nuts are tightened securely, and check frequently for tightness.

You can optionally coat your handle with “plasti-dip”. If you don’t coat, at least sand or file any sharp handle edges. I found that the aluminum was smoothly finished, and required very little treatment.

A blade guard is recommended. I cut mine from hard rubber.

When cutting your material, make sure you use a straight edge that won’t slip on your surface while cutting. Gluing a piece of sandpaper on one side of your straightedge is probably the BEST tip I can pass on to scratchbuilders. I say “pass on” because it’s not my tip.

Pic #5 shows a piece of styrene with a template glued on, and ready to be cut.


Pic #6 shows right-handed cutting method.


Pic #7 shows left-handed cutting method.


Moderate sidewards pressure applied towards straightedge while cutting will ensure that blade will stay in contact with straightedge, for a perfect cut. Use moderate downward pressure when making first pass (don’t try to cut all the way through).

Blade holder should be positioned so that the cutting angle is close to 20 degrees. Less than 10 degrees, and the bottom of holder may raise blade away from material.

One of the most used tools in model railroading is the hobby knife. Probably the most popular is the Exacto knife. While it may be the most popular, it may not be the best blade to use for your application. It all depends on WHAT you are cutting, and the TYPE of cuts you are making. Curved cuts of any kind, as well as cutting in tight places, are done well with the pointed end of an Exacto. An Exacto also has unlimited other uses.

If you are making repetitive straight cuts in wood or styrene up to 1/8" thick, then a SERB (Single Edge Razor Blade) is best. The reason for this is the "included blade angle". Careful measurements and some basic trigonometry produced the data for the following sketches, which show the angles for 4 popular blades.










Clearly the SERB is thinner, and has a much more acute blade angle than the others.

If you cut (or score and then snap) styrene or similar materials with an exacto blade, box cutter, or utility knife, you may wind up with a ridge on the cut edge. Using a single edge razor blade eliminates this ridge, due to the thinner blade, and a more acute angle to the cutting surface. AN ADDED BONUS IS THAT IT WILL HOLD ITS EDGE LONGER THAN AN EXACTO BLADE. Also, no ridge means that sanding can be almost eliminated.
Blades are cheaper too (100 for about $6.00).

This thread is NOT to convince anyone to use a different blade. Look at the sketches and then decide for yourself. More importantly, use what you are comfortable with.

I made a cheap SERB holder and I have sketches and pics so you can make your own.

I based this design on a building that is out in some hilly countryside about 6 miles from my house. This makes a perfect mountain cabin. This build is slightly more difficult than others because of the deck railings and dormer. An alternative is building it without these, which make it an easy build.

Choice of materials is up to you. It can be done in wood but sketches are based on styrene thicknesses. If you use another material adjust dimensions accordingly. Paint parts before assembly, except where the edges glue to other parts.

The building directions and materials are in the sketches, and to make your build easier you can enlarge them to full size and print them out. Read directions in assembly sketches before cutting out parts as you may want to change some sizes or cut fewer or additional openings

Included sketches are: Part templates, Shingle templates, Deck template, Assembly sketches, and pdf’s. Also included is a pic of my scratch build on my layout.

To print the part templates actual size, use the PDF's. Select best printer quality, set PDF zoom to 100%, and page scaling to "none" or actual size. Check your printed page to see that 3" lines are exactly 3" long. Once you have templates printed, you can cut with scissors (leave a 1/8" border) and arrange on your material for maximum sheet usage. Part templates for siding are a mirror image, when needed, so that you can cut walls with siding side down (easier to cut). Be sure siding grooves are oriented correctly. Use rubber cement to glue paper templates to your material and then just cut on lines. No measuring ! Paper comes off easily.

Cut out parts carefully using a SERB and straight edge. The best way to cut out window openings is with a corner punch. It is important to follow assembly sketches IN SEQUENCE or some parts may not fit. Dormer wall ends must have a 45° angle for proper joints. The top of roof sections have a sharp angle that must be sanded.

Some of you may be familiar with my work, and some not. At any rate I am posting my N scale "sketch sets" in the Scratch building forum.

I always wanted a gazebo for my city park but realized that it would be too small. I looked for a bandstand kit and found only one that was a brass kit for $20.00. That wouldn’t break me, but it goes against CAMRRA guidelines, so a scratchbuild was in order.

Size was determined by looking at some 1:1’s on google and a visit to our local bandstand. Some were octagonal but most are hexagonal. I decided on a convenient size of 13.3’ sides (1” in N scale), and a six sided hex. I took some liberties with the design, which may not be prototypical, but would make building it easier. For those that want to build their own, I am including sketches, printable templates, and a step by step guide.

Materials used were a scrap piece of ¼” plywood, small pieces of .030 styrene, and some 1/16” basswood.

For the build, first cut the base to dimensions shown and sand edges. Print the floor template (printable one is neater than the one I used) on label paper and another copy on plain paper (for frame assembly). Also print the lattice on label paper. Cut out the floor template and use brown chalk on the label paper edges to keep white from showing. Trial fit the template on base to make sure base is correct size. Peel off the backing and stick to plywood base. Do the same with the lattice sections and apply to the base sides.

Frame is made from 1/16” basswood. For best results, sand lightly and give it a primer coat before cutting pieces to length. An easy way to make the frame is to use the plain paper copy as a template. Tape it to a scrap of wood or paneling. Using the template can save measuring by just laying strips down and cutting to length.

Start with main beam and use rubber cement to hold it in place on template. Cut horizontals, use rubber cement to glue to template and wood glue to join to main beam. You may want to add a weight at this point to let glue dry before cutting and gluing braces. Do verticals last, making sure they are plumb.

With the template taped to a piece of scrap, you can now take it to your painting area. I used a rattle can of satin white. When paint is dry, cut template near frame edges and lift frame from scrap, leaving template in place. To make sure you have a wood to wood gluing joint cut out black locating squares on base label paper with an exacto knife. Carefully position frame on completed base and glue in place in square holes. Place a weight on top. When glue is dry, carefully remove template.

There was no way I was going to scratch a railing/fence for the sides, so I picked up a blister pack of the Model Power #1560 N scale white fence. Although this may not be prototypical, I felt that it was close, and also easier. The distance between pillars was just right for fitting between the verticals. I cut the pillars off on 5 sections and glued them to the base and verticals. For the front section I cut 2 sections with pillars on, trimmed bottom of pillars flush with bottom of fence, and glued sections in front opening. I recently (4-12) found a better railing that is more realistic. It is Grandt Line #8027 railing.

Glue valence templates to styrene with rubber cement. Cut out pieces, sand where needed, and paint as desired. Glue valences to top of frame. Some trimming and mitering may be needed on valence end edges.

Cut out roof sections. Print shingle template on label paper. Cut out pieces of the printed label paper slightly larger than roof sections. Peel off backing on one piece, lay it face down and position a roof section on sticky side, making sure that shingles have bottom edge (shadowed) on bottom of roof section. Cut excess label paper from roof section edges. Repeat for other sections.

Invert roof sections, arrange as shown, and tape as shown. Lift outer edges and make last tape joint. Turn right side up and glue sections together with plastic solvent cement. Some adjusting of sections may be necessary, just make sure bottom edges set flat. Invert again and add more glue to section joints. If gaps are too noticeable you can make ridge caps. Cut shingle strips about 3/16" wide and make a center crease.

If you plan to put a band inside, you can spot glue roof on with rubber cement so it will be removable, otherwise glue roof to frame and valences permanently.


NOTES:
In time, label paper may come loose. A thin coat of contact cement will prevent this.

To print templates use the PDF’s. Set your printer on best quality, set PDF zoom to 100%, and page scaling to none or actual size. Make sure printed 3" line is exactly 3" long.

I ordered steps from Fifer, but you can make the optional steps.

Just for fun, and just in time for Christmas, here’s a Santa/elf style shed. You may have seen one of these on a lot that is selling Christmas trees. Footprint is only 1/2” by 1.Choice of materials is up to you. It can be done in wood but sketches are based on styrene thicknesses. If you use another material adjust dimensions accordingly. Paint parts before assembly, except where the edges glue to other parts.

The building directions are in the sketches, and to make your build easier you can enlarge them to full size and print them out. Read directions in assembly sketches before cutting out parts as you may want to change some sizes or cut fewer, or additional, openings. Included sketches are: Overview sketches, Part template, Assembly sketches, and pdf.

To print the part template actual size, use the PDF. Select best printer quality, set PDF zoom to 100%, and page scaling to "none" or actual size. Check your printed page to see that 3" lines are exactly 3" long. Once you have template printed, you can cut with scissors (leave a 1/8" border) and arrange on your material for maximum sheet usage. Part templates for siding are a mirror image, when needed, so that you can cut walls with siding side down (easier to cut). Be sure siding grooves are oriented correctly. Use rubber cement or Krylon Easy Tack Repositionable Adhesive to glue paper templates to your material and then just cut on lines. No measuring ! Paper comes off easily.

The building directions are in the sketches, and to make your build easier, enlarge them to full size and print them out.

Cut out parts carefully using a SERB (Single Edge Razor Blade) and straight edge, then follow assembly sketch directions.

Roofing material is up to you and Rich at rslaserkits has some good choices for a 3d effect. Future threads will have shingle templates so you can print your own on label paper.

Have your kids help with this one!

Merry Christmas!













PDF link:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0dscp13l92nbmbs/Saspt1pdf.pdf">https://www.dropbox.com/s/0dscp13l92nbmbs/Saspt1pdf.pdf</a><!-- m -->

One of the first structures that I built from scratch was a loading dock. This is my own design, and the set of sketches include a long version (5 3/32) and a short version (4 5/8). I used 1/16” basswood strips, and .015 styrene. You can print the sketches to make your build easier.

The picture is my completed dock, but also included are 4 sketches, 2 templates, and links to 2 PDF's for printing the templates.

When printing these N scale templates, use the PDF's. Select best print quality, set pdf zoom to 100%, and page scaling to "none" (or actual size). Make sure the printed page 3” line is exactly 3” long (you may need to adjust your printer).

You can use the side template as a guide for cutting the strips to length. Glue the long TOP stringer and the angled TOP stringer to the template with rubber cement (easily removed). Then glue the verticals to the top stringer with carpenters wood glue. Next, glue the long bottom stringer on top of the verticals. When glue is dry peel the template off the side, rub off the rubber cement, and make another side. The second side has the long bottom stringer pointing in the opposite direction so that when assembled, the bottom stringers are on the inside. Be sure to sand the end ramp angled stringer, as well as long end ramp vertical, to provide a proper miter joint at top of ramp.

Cut 3 bottom horizontal braces to length (1/2”), one end ramp brace (1/4”) and 12 upper horizontals (3/8”). Use rubber cement in a few places to set sides in place vertically, ½” apart on a sheet of paper, (use a square to make them plumb), so that 4 bottom braces can be glued in place. Glue top horizontals in place. Short end ramp horizontal is next, followed by middle end ramp horizontal. Next, sand top end ramp horizontal to match ramp angle and glue in place.

When glue is dry, peel off the paper. You can paint entire dock a dark brown to simulate railroad ties. The simulated 1 x 6 wood decking is also a template for the dock tops. If you print on label paper and leave a 1/8" border you can then cut them out, peel off backing and stick to styrene. Cut thru paper and styrene, then glue tops to dock frame. When glue is dry, paint bottom of styrene and use pastel chalk to cover white edges (if you paint edges or use a felt tip it may bleed onto label paper). Alternatively you can use wood for the decking.

For mine, I scraped off ballast and cut cork to fit dock in place, positioned dock and glued, then re-ballasted.

The vertical dimensions shown in the sketches make the top of the dock even with the floor of a boxcar when cork roadbed and code 80 Atlas track is used. Different roadbed, track, or rolling stock, may require an adjustment to this vertical dimension.

Those of you that noticed the huge rail gap in front of the dock, will be pleased to know that it has never caused a problem…lol And yes, I built a lot of stick models as a kid.


None of my Sketch Sets are written in stone. One of the neat things about scratch building is being able to modify designs to suit your needs. If you see something you would like changed, and need a template for it, I'll see what I can do.















PDF links:
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/ay6gemasvvv9gd3/loading%20dock%20frame%20template%20long%20and%20short%20pdf.pdf">https://www.dropbox.com/s/ay6gemasvvv9g ... %20pdf.pdf</a><!-- m -->
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/l5xeen9beowzy11/loading%20dock%20surface%20template%20pdf.pdf">https://www.dropbox.com/s/l5xeen9beowzy ... %20pdf.pdf</a><!-- m -->

A Scratch sketch set is a collection of 3d drawings, step by step assembly sketches with directions and materials, some photos, and templates. These sets make it easy to do a scratch project of your choice.

When I first did a set of N scale plans for scratch building a structure, it was a crude collection of 3d sketches done with google's "Sketchup". The "sets" included overview sketches, dimensioned (drawn to nearest 1/64 of an inch) parts layouts, and assembly sketches. These sets resembled what I had seen online, but lacked an easy way to cut out parts.

I had the beginning scratch builder in mind, so an improvement was in order. The main solution was the creation of parts templates drawn precisely to scale. Changing to decimal dimensioning allowed me to get to the nearest ten thousandth of an inch. With totally accurate templates, I then eliminated dimensioned parts layout sketches. That much accuracy is needed when dealing with material thicknesses in the .010 range. The newer templates are not dimensioned, so you won't see it, but the precision is there.

The other thing that was lacking, was an easy way to print the templates. The answer to that was creating PDF's. All of my sketch sets now include PDF's. All you have to do is print them, cut out the parts outline, use rubber cement to glue to your building material, and cut on the lines. The paper peels off easily.

This whole process makes scratch building fun and easy. BTW...my sketch sets are all public domain, so they are free.

I will be posting some of my Sss's here soon.

When uploading pictures, or charging, I nearly dropped my camera several times. This easily constructed holder can be made from scrap wood pieces and a piece of Masonite or paneling. The inside edges are lined with sticky back 2mm thick foam pieces to protect the camera. The bottom is a glued on non-skid rubber piece which keeps it from slipping off your computer table or workbench.

The pictures show the assembled camera holder, a camera being charged, and the bottom non-skid surface.

The following post contains construction directions with sketches.

The base is made from 1/8” thick Masonite or paneling. Cut to size shown. Cut a piece of non-skid material the same size as the base. Alternatively you can use stickybacked little rubber feet. ¾” thick pine (or any other scrap wood) can be used for blocks. Cut to dimensions shown.

You can line inside edges with foam before gluing blocks on base but it is easier to do after blocks are glued in place.

NOTES:

My camera measures 2 3/16” by 3 3/8”. Most digital cameras are in this dimension range, and if yours is the same, then dimensions shown can be used. If your camera is different, then dimensions should be adjusted (measure your camera before you begin). When camera is placed in holder, it should be a snug fit.

Depth of holder is determined by how far your lens extends from camera face, in case you accidently turn on camera while it is face down in the holder (measure how far your lens extends). If your charging hole and on/off buttons are in a different location, then notch positions may need to be relocated.

I’ve strung utility lines with great success using Ezline. I used 2 helping hands to hold the line while fastening to the utility poles. The spool that Ezline comes on is 2 ¾” in diameter, which makes it difficult to work with in N scale. The “helping hands” and clamping type tweezers make it even harder. It can be done, and it worked for me, but it was tedious.

Enter another modeler with a suggestion to use a small bobbin, and make a “line stringing tool”. That got the ball rolling, and the pictures show the results. It is made from a triangular piece of plastic with adjustable tripod type legs (for uneven terrain). The bobbin is also plastic from a sewing store (29 cents). The legs, eyelets, and bobbin support were bent from #14 house wire. The alligator clip was from Radio Shack (32 cents) and was soldered on the 2nd eyelet leg. I put a metal nut on the base for added weight, but found that it wasn’t necessary. You can make your own for less than a buck!

Here are pics, sketches, and a template for making your own utility line stringing tool. PDF template included.

Materials:
1 foot of #14 solid copper house wire (building supply)
.011 thick clear acrylic plastic scrap to make a 1 1/2" triangle (hardware store)
1 #66 plastic bobbin (sewing store)
3/8" long piece of Plastruct #90202 3/16" square tube (lhs)
1 alligator clip (Radio shack)

The first sketch is not a template, it just shows the dimensions for cutting and bending of the #14 wire. Eyelets and bends can be done with needle nosed pliers. The second sketch is a template for the base.

Once you have the triangle cut, holes drilled, and wires cut to length, follow the directions below, referring to pics listed.

Pic a shows all materials ready for assembly.

Before inserting wire legs into holes, one end of the legs should be filed or sanded round, and the other end crimped. This allows the legs to fit into the leg holes, but are stopped by the crimped end. Pic b shows one leg inserted and pulled down to the crimped end. Repeat for other 2 legs.

Pic c shows 3 legs inserted into holes and bent 90 degrees.