A nice starter "Craftsman Kit" wooden structure

[simon1966]

For the first time in a very long time I have had some bench time this weekend. Months back I had started the wall construction of the Sierra West Kit University series tool shed. This is not a construction thread as I only bothered to take shots at the end.

I found the kit to be an excellent primer to get me back into the groove. Brett provides and excellent service and value with this type of kit.

No place yet for it on my layout, but I am planning a new peninsula that will include Scotty Mason's Roundhouse and I think this little structure will fit right into that scene.

There is a ton of details for such a small structure. I really had some fun working on the castings this afternoon.

I plan to add a bit of powder to this and stain up the deck wood on the platform with some oil stains.

If you are a lurker out there that has not yet tried your hand at a craftsman style structure, this would be a good starter.  There are some excellent detailed instructions with the exact steps to take to prepare, cut and weather the wood.  The kit itself is not hard, but is certainly not a quick assembly from pre-cut parts.  I would recommend it to anyone interested in trying something beyond the very basic.

[Graffen]

Aah the rewards of a good quality craftsman kit, I like the result! Good work on that one.

[loathar]

Turned out great! Did it come with all those detail parts?? I wouldn't mind paying more for a craftsman kit if it did.

[selector]

The end crowns the work, Simon,   I think you nailed it..er, glued it.  Well done! 

-Crandell

[wedudler]

 Great work, Simon! I like it.I've just nearly finished my truss-rod bridge.

Wolfgang

[markpierce]

loathar

Turned out great! Did it come with all those detail parts?? I wouldn't mind paying more for a craftsman kit if it did.

Didn't you know that Sierra West makes "box of sticks" kits?  They feature board-by-board construction with lots of great cast details.  Using a paper template, one constructs the framing, then attaches individual boards to make walls.  Details for construction and painting/staining are very detailed.  As I recall, I spent some $80 in paints for constructing the wood cutter's kit (which has been pictured on this forum a couple of times so won't bore you with that again.)  If you have patience and can follow instructions, your Sierra West kit should come out great.

Mark

[simon1966]

loathar

Turned out great! Did it come with all those detail parts?? I wouldn't mind paying more for a craftsman kit if it did.

Yep, everything you see in the photos came with the kit.  Lots of very neat detail castings for such a small kit.  There is a lovely engine block, which does not really show in the photos.

[simon1966]

Thanks for the comments everyone.  Mark summarized very well what this kit actually is.  It might seem like a challenge, but the instructions are so well done that it is not hard at all to follow along and get good results.  It truly is the antithesis of the ready-to-run structures that are flooding the hobby shelves now.  I did not keep track of time, but there are a number of hours work in this structure.  For me, that represents great value for my hobby dollar.

[mobilman44]

Hi!

That really is a good looking piece - you certainly did a fine job on it!

About how many hours did you put into the structure?   And, what was the cost?

Thanks,

Mobilman44

[dknelson]

This makes me feel rather guilty about how long a mere Intermountain boxcar kit has been sitting on my workbench waiting for me to attend to the fact that I botched the roofwalk casting in step 2 or whatever ....   Very nice work. 

Dave Nelson

[simon1966]

mobilman44

About how many hours did you put into the structure?   And, what was the cost?

Here is a link to the kit  http://www.sierrawestscalemodels.com/ckits/3005/3005.shtml 

If I had to guess on the time, I would say it took me about 10 hours.  Truthfully, I am not a real fast modeller.  I tend to ponder things and wander off to make cups of tea.  So who knows, maybe more time, maybe less.  The fun is in the doing anyway, so I'm not all that bothered by how long it took.

[howmus]

Great work indeed!  I love to do those kind of kits and that one would fit very nicely on my layout.

simon1966

The fun is in the doing anyway

  You hit the nail right on the head with that!  RTR is just a kit that had all the fun taken out of it!!!

[markpierce]

simon1966

loathar

Turned out great! Did it come with all those detail parts?? I wouldn't mind paying more for a craftsman kit if it did.

Yep, everything you see in the photos came with the kit.  Lots of very neat detail castings for such a small kit.  There is a lovely engine block, which does not really show in the photos.

If anything, Sierra West kits have too many castings.  Using them all with the individual structures they come with, the resulting models can result in an excessively cluttered look.  (It depends on the kind of "look" one wants.)  But who is complaining?  Any extra castings can be well used elsewhere on the layout.

Mark

[mobilman44]

Hi!

The retail price is really not out of line, considering all the "extra" parts.  I've built a number of plastic kits and then spent quite a bit more on those "extras".

My question on the time was to get a feel for it.  Ten hours actually seems short for something of that detail and finish.  I will surely keep Sierra in mind when I'm looking for something "new and different"!

Thanks,

Mobilman44

[kcole4001]

Great job! A really nice model, there. Makes me want to start building some of the Kanamodel (Canadian prototypes) structure kits I have.

Here's a question: did you glue down the detail castings, leave them loose to be repositioned at will, or a combination of both? I'm always curious about other's approaches to these things.

[simon1966]

kcole4001

Here's a question: did you glue down the detail castings, leave them loose to be repositioned at will, or a combination of both? I'm always curious about other's approaches to these things.

I  did glue the ones that are on the platform, I don't intend to move them.  The surrounding ones, and ones leaning against the platform were just placed.  It will be some time before this gets onto the layout, so have no idea how I will arrange them when it does get placed.

[0-6-0]

Hello You did a very nice job Thanks for posting it. I could use one of those to and even have a spot for it. Is there any thing you would do different if you were to build it again? I can't tell from the photo but is that a tin roof or roll roofing? Keep up the good work Frank

[simon1966]

Thanks, the only thing I would have done different is to have got on with it quicker  I followed the kit instructions quite closely because I wanted to absorb as much of Brett's techniques as possible.  The roof material is the rolled roof that came in the kit, weathered per kit instructions.  I probably overdid the brown chalks on the roof as it looks as though it is a bit rusty in the photos.  This is less obvious to the eye in person in natural light.

[Casey Feedwater]

Simon, you did a very nice job with this kit. As I'm sure you discovered while following Brett's instructions, they're essentially a complete course in scratchbuilding techniques - whether the construction is board-by-board over frame or board-by-board and sheetwood over a cardstock wall shape. My favorite 'trick' of his is the 'stripwood trap' for making neat corners without hiding the corner with trim. I've used that trick several times on scratchbuilt structures of my own. I've been a big fan of Sierra West kits for about a dozen years now. I have the complete Deer Creek series (and have most of them built) as well as several others that are not part of the series but are still a close enough 'fit' to blend in with the others on the layout. As for the issue of castings that was raised in some earlier replies, I say you can never have enough. Having studied many c. 1900's photos of logging towns, camps, and structures - as well as having been around my father-in-law's construction company yards for years - I know how junk and clutter can build up in a relatively short period of time. So I have no problem with all of the kit castings - they only add to the realism of the scene, as far as I'm concerned.

[simon1966]

Thanks for the feedback Casey, it is nice to get comments from someone with so much experience.  I agree with your comments about these kits.  I think it is great that Brett offers the University range to allow folks to try the techniques without having to spend and arm and a leg.

[Casey Feedwater]

simon1966

think it is great that Brett offers the University range to allow folks to try the techniques without having to spend and arm and a leg.

One of the things I think is very cool about Brett's 'Craftsman University' series (beyond the very affordable price!) is that while the structures are aimed at craftsman-kit beginners, they do build up into really nice buildings that fit right in with almost any layout. As I said earlier, though, you did a really nice job with your kit. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do next.

[IVRW]

That kit looks so cool.

[PB&J RR]

Wow. that looks really great... I recently bought the Boyd Logging Camp from JV Models... I found Hobbylinc at a time when it happened to be on sale.... I haven't actually started it, for a long time I was busy trying to hash out my track plan and burning through the plastic model kits I had on hand... Then I designed a shotgun house, and roundhouse, and some sheds... So much to do so little time...LOL

Anyhow, I opened the box and saw a lot of raw materials (laser scribed wood, construction paper, index Cards.... various dimensions of scale lumber and dowels and for a moment my heart sank, thinking, "what am I supposed to do with this?"

Having never built a craftsman kit, but having built a lot of plastic models, some of which were not for the faint of heart, the concor roundhouse being one, and a victorian house being another... I tried to reassure myself... But the instructions are very sparse...I would assume you are supposed to use the pictures in the instructions as patterns to cut the scribed balsa and then use some of the scale lumber as corner and center bracing... A bit intimidating at face value, I'm certain that it will all work out once I start...

My little shotgun house is coming along fine, I drew the pattern on graph paper, photo copied it, and laid the copy on my balsa, cut around the pattern to scribe the balsa and then finished cutting out the pieces.. for windows and doors I'm using the leftovers from kits, for tar paper roofing I'm using cheap sandpaper from the dollar store, but construction paper would do fine. I haven't decided how I want it painted, but it is cut out and the corner braces are glued down on the front and rear walls... I used 1/8" wood dowel because it was what I had. when I get it done I'll post some pics...

 

 

[simon1966]

Good luck with the kit.  One thing I will say is that the quality of instructions varies tremendously from one small craftsman kit maker to the next.  Some produce books, that are works of art in their own right, others provide very little direction.