How do you get N Scale structures to have square walls?

[Anonymous]

I've always used the little 6" quick bar clamps to hold my builings together until the glue dries. They have always worked good for me. You can buy these at any home center. Though I use these and other type clamps in my woodshop, I find that these little guys come in handy for model railroading projects as well. The best thing I love about them is that it only takes one hand to operate them.

[Wdlgln005]

A good tool to have is a quick grip vise from the hardware store. THey come in sizes small enough for N scale buildings.
You can also find cheap magnet squares at the hardware store or office supply store. I like the kind that are supposed to be a magnetic bulletin board. You can also find different sizes of magnetic clamps. Even a square refrigerator magnet will work!
For larger structures, it's hard to beat the kit box!

[ndbprr]

Now if you want the really cheap way to assemble a building that is square just draw a right angle on a piece of paper and line the walls up with the lines before gluing. Another carpenters trick to check for square is to measure the diagonals. If they are the same the area is square.

[FJ and G]

quick & dirty approach:

square stick (you can make one on a table saw)

Lay walls along stick & secure with clamps or clothespins

or, just use a square box (like a shoe box perhaps); prop walls up to box or get a large rubber band around the box to secure walls in place

[orsonroy]

I actually don't worry about it. Here's why:

1) I live in a 100+ year old house, and have poked around in dozens more. I've also worked as a framer and carpenter. I've rarely run across a building that HAD square walls! I eyeball my buildings while I build 'em, and leave it at that.

2) I use liquid plastic cement. Usually, the glue is dry within a minute or two, so I don't need to "hold" the building together with anything more than my hands and careful handeling. If I'm working on a large building that needs lots of adhesive, I'll tack together the corners to barely hold it together, rubber band the building together, and then add the rest of the glue.

So there you have it. I've built well over 100 building kits in both HO and N, and have scratchbuilt dozens more (I'm currently working on 12 bungalows for a N scale friend). I haven't had a single building come out so horribly unsquare that I had to disassemble it and start over.

You might ask if the roofs go on OK. They do. For simple boxes like the DPM buildings, I just lay the completed buildings on a sheet of plastic, trace the inside of the building onto the plastic, cut it out, and add it. No problem if the building isn't square! For peaked roofs, I do one of three things. 1) if the roof is made to represent shake shingles, I replace it (shake roofs were VERY rare between 1930-1995, especially in the midwest). 2) if I'm using the existing roof, but it might not sit evenly because of guide rails, I make sure to add the roof before the wall joint glue is completely dry, forcing the building into square. 3) either that, or I'll remove the guide rails.

If you REALLY need square walls, you'll have to invest in a few machinist's squares and machinist's blocks. Both are available from Micro Mark, who also sells a magnetic table with sqare blocks, which simplifys the process somewhat.

[coalminer3]

Micromark has lots of items as well that will help you to do this. Also, look around at some of the tools and equipment used by bulders who construct miniatures and dollhouses.

Hope this helps

work safe

[FJ and G]

I don't do N but I use an angle bracket that has screws to hold in place work you are doing at any angle.

I got mine at Harbor Freight Warehouse in Woodbridge VA for about $5.

It's nice for the angles but it wouldn't be hard to make one out of brass or even wood.

Dave Vergun

[Anonymous]

What's the best way to hold them in place while the glue dries?