Techniques for making big trees?

[tbdanny]

Hi all,

I'm working in O scale, On30 to be precise, and the time has come for me to start thinking about scenery.  I've got a good idea of what structures will be needed, and I'm beginning to get my head around backdrop painting.  However, I also need to make quite a few trees.

Given that my layout is set in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon), I'm looking at making tall trees, with a maximum height of around 18-19".  I was just wondering, what would be the best way to make trees of that size?  I was thinking of some sort of carved balsa dowel?

[mlehman]

Balsa definitely works and can make stunning foreground trees. Lots of detail, but that's what you want to see in O.

You may also want to meet the McKenzie Brothers: http://www.mckenziebrotherstimberco.com/

They make tree kits, but also a manual and a power tree making machine. They like to make them big, too.

[tbdanny]

Mike,

Thanks for that.  Seems to be exactly what I'm looking for.

[trainnut1250]

Danny,

I have made approx.. 100 trees in the 12”-24” category. There are basically two techniques: Furnace filter and limb by limb. I found the furnace filter method to be the quickest (although no method is super fast when it comes to good looking trees). There are a variety of methods for trunks.

 ranging from dowels, to cedar shingles, to actual sticks depending on tree species being modeled. 

 

Some resources to check out; Google Joe Fugate furnace filter trees. He has a ton of Info on this . Google Ken Larson pine trees. He also has lots of info on how to make big trees. Track down the August 2006 RMC article by Ken. Search youtube for furnace filter trees. I found some good videos there.

 

I have lots more info on this if you are interested (way too much to post here) - send me a message through trains .com.

 

Guy

[rrebell]

I had to make a bunch and started with dowels that were sanded to a point by putting the dowel up against a set in place disk sander. Next I ran patching putty (used in wood working) up to the height that I wanted  and put bark texture in by scraping a hobby saw virtical. Let dry and they sprypainted it black and then went back and drybrushed in the bark color I wanted. Next I used furnace filter stuff (you can get fine stuff already colored black) on the trunk and then hair sprayed and addle ground foam, then finished up with another coat of spray.

[tbdanny]

Thanks for the replies on the furnace filter trees.  I hadn't thought of that, as furnace filters aren't that common here in Queensland.  I've done a bit of googling on the subject, and I'll be trying that approach as well.

[trainnut1250]

Here are a few pics to show big trees. This one shows the basic armatures made from Furnace filter with sticks and dowels. The tree on the left has a dowel trunk, the tress on the center and right are real sticks. The foliage has not been thinned yet and the trunk coloring is not finished.

 

 

 

Here is a basic furnace filter armature before foliage has been added. I used various tyopes of foam and foliage products and then attacked these armatures with scissors to get a good effect.

 

 

Here is a partially completed rope limb method tree. In this method sisal rope is teased out into braches coated with glue and eventually glued to the trunk of the tree. Foliage is added after. Takes a very long time.

 

 

Here is a close up of the rope tree with the correct trunk coloring and finished foliage depicting Ponderosa pines found in the Western Sierra.

 

 

That’s more than enough from me,

 

 

 

Guy