Wood products for scratch building

[Anonymous]

I have read the article on using calipers for building structures. I figured I would try it. Not the problem is where to get the materials I need. Midwest Products has the siding I want, clapboard, and Oakridge has the windows and doors I want. Problem is that there is no hobby shop within a 100 miles of where I live (searched). I decided to purchase the doors and windows because I don't have the experience to make them and this is a special project for a gift. Does anyone know a store that sells these products thru the internet. Believe I have spent several days looking and just went thru the latest issue of Model Railroader looking. I am making it in "O" scale and while a simple project it I want to do a lot of detail.
Thanks for any information.
Tom

[emdgp92]

Model Expo, Inc. sells their products online: http://www.modelexpoinc.com/

I don't know what wood sizes you'll need, but they have quite a bit of it :)

[Anonymous]

Walthers
Micro-Mark
Depots by John has detail parts

[Anonymous]

For O scale I like GrandtLine windows and doors. Go to <grandtline.com>, and see all their products. And they sell direct.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help. I did find the siding that I wanted but it is styrene. Oh, well just new material to use.

[MisterBeasley]

I use coffee stirrers. Unfortunately, they switched back to plastic at work. [:(!]

[loathar]

Did you look to see if you had a Hobby Lobby or a Michaels near you? They both carry wood building supplies like your looking for.

[Anonymous]

I also use wooden coffe stirrers. I found a website that offers the stirrers in bulk. They are about .25" wide and .075" thick. I also use the 3/16" diameter dowel that you can get at any craft store or hardware store. These are easy to work with.

[areibel]

Check out Northeastern Scale-
http://www.northeasternscalelumber.com/
They have almost anything you want, and the prices are half or less of what you'd pay at a craft store. They sell direct, I think I figured the first order I placed (that was $38 w/shipping) would have cost over $80 at the craft store- and they have a bigger selection.

[on30francisco]

Coronado Scale Models in Phoenix, AZ sells Grandt Line and other detail parts as well as O scale stripwood from Kappler. Although they specialize in O scale narrow gauge, they cater to all scales, and are very knowledgeable about the products they sell. Although they don't have a website, they take phone and mail orders and don't charge for S&H. As loather suggested above, try Michaels and other arts and crafts stores. Since a lot of the dimensional sizes of stripwood (eg. 1/8" = 6" in O scale) are exact matches for O scale, we are not stuck with having to rely on stripwood specifically made for O scale. Don't overlook detail parts and stripwood made for other scales as these are also useful in scratchbuilding.

[edkowal]

Kappler, Mt. Albert and Northeastern all have websites, and will sell O scale wood products direct to you. As does Midwest. You can get some O scale wood items from Walthers.

http://www.kapplerusa.com/y2k/kp-main.htm
http://www.mtalbert.com/
http://www.northeasternscalelumber.com/
http://www.midwestproducts.com/

Grandt Line detail parts are superb for doors, windows and the like. Their architectural detail parts can be found here:

http://www.grandtline.com/architectural_parts/quarter%20inch/quarter_inch_arch_index.htm

Since each company that you order from will charge shipping separately, it's a good idea to shop at a place which carries all of the items that you're looking for, as you've alluded. I've found that most on-line stores don't discount wood. It's probably not a very competitive part of the business. The prices tend to be more or less the same as those at Walther's website for wood.

You might try looking at Caboose Hobbies site when you've researched what you want using the websites of the manufacturers. http://www.caboosehobbies.com/ Judging from my unscientific sample ( 4 Grandt Line O scale detail parts ) they don't seem to discount Grandt Line, but you'll be able to combine the shipping on everything you'll need.

Also, although they don't have an on-line presence, Coronado Scale Models in Phoenix AZ is excellent. There too, you'll pay list price, but there's no shipping charge. And their customer service is outstanding. For example, once upon a long time ago, I wound up with a credit of a few dollars after one order, I forget why. About six months to a year later, I mailed in another order, completely forgetting about the credit. Coronado remembered the credit, and reduced the overall cost of this second order, even though I had forgotten about it myself. That, to me, says a lot about customer service and integrity. They can be reached at 1544 E. Cypress St., Phoenix AZ, 85006 or by phone at 602-254-9656. Although they don't have a web-site, you can reach them by e-mail at coronadoscalemod(at)aol.com (Replace the at in parenthesis with the appropriate symbol.) They're a terrific shop to deal with. And since they're a full service brick and mortar hobby store that specializes in narrow gauge supplies, you won't go wrong.

-Ed