Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Where users can chronicle their builds. Start one thread and continue to add on to it.

Moderator: Harold_V

User avatar
DianneB
Posts: 733
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:05 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by DianneB »

Thanks Kayrixi - as requested!
Second long wall
Second long wall
I got the second long wall assembled and erected Saturday but yesterday was Run Day for the 4-4-0 and at this time of year I wasn't about to skip Run Day! 8)

I wish I could afford a planer to get all my little milled pieces smoother but I can't so I will have a lot of sanding to do once the walls are complete.

The next task is to figure out the major and minor axis for each of the ellipses. I find it easier to draw the ellipses in AutoCAD, print them 1:1, and then use the paper template to lay out the wood for cutting. The end walls both have two different size of ellipse, one behind the sheeting and the other forms the window sills. And of course the front and rear are slightly different sizes so that is a total of four ellipses and two wood parts cut from each.

I am not totally happy with the glue I am using (which is supposed to be a cabinet maker's glue) as it doesn't seem to hold well on some joints in the Ash. It seems that it doesn't penetrate the wood fibres enough. If I have any more joints pop apart, I will switch to cyanoacrylate ("Crazy Glue")
Hudson Honey
Posts: 1124
Joined: Sat Nov 13, 2010 7:56 am
Location: San Diego area

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by Hudson Honey »

Try gorilla glue.....or if you can find it...this stuff out of australia....refered to as kangaroo snot. (There is a kangaroo on the label...and it looks like...well you get the idea)


Pamela
User avatar
kcameron
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2011 4:23 pm
Location: Syracuse New York

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by kcameron »

I can't remember the wood to cleaner combinations off the top of my head, but different woods need different 'pretreatment' to accept the glue. A lot of them require a quick wipe with acetone partly to remove natural oils and partly to open the pores long enough for things like stain and glue to seep in. Of late I've been using the acetone for both wood and metal as a last step before glue or paint.
-ken cameron
Syracuse Model Railroad Club http://www.SyracuseModelRr.org/
CNY Modelers http://www.cnymod.com/
Finger Lakes Live Steamers http://www.fingerlakeslivesteamers.org/
Member JMRI Developer Team http://www.jmri.org/
mailto: kcameron@twcny.rr.com
In the Upstate New York US area of the world
Kevin_S
Posts: 454
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2003 1:22 pm
Location: Sacramento, CA

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by Kevin_S »

Dianne, what really works good is plain old yellow wood glue and follow with a pneumatic nailer and for the small bits get a micro pin nailer. They are like a 22 gauge pin that can be about 1/2" long.
-Kevin S.
User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by steamin10 »

Ditto to KevinS. Yellow wood glue, and a small air pinner. Gorrila glue is next, but have trouble with using too much as it foams when it reacts. Really tough to get off surfaces cleanly. Super strong, without being brittle.

Before I got my 12 inch bench top planer, I used stock pine stripwood from the millwork section at the Big Home stores. Now much of the same stock is no longer clear but finger joint junk.

I dunno about Acetone and such wipes, I have never tried them. Dave.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
User avatar
kcameron
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Aug 17, 2011 4:23 pm
Location: Syracuse New York

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by kcameron »

I'll second what Kevin says about mixing nails and glue. But that also means I've got a 'pin nailer' which is about 22awg, then a finish nailer at 18awg, another finish nailer at something much bigger, then a framing nailer. So depending on the size of the thing being held together, I pick the size of nail. But yellow glue does have problems with water, so I'd pick a different glue. The Gorilla Glue is what I use for most outdoor things as it is 'water activated' so a little damp is more likely to make it even stronger.

But the foaming is an issue if you don't use 'just the right' amount of Gorilla glue. There are a few others to choose from, I'd check to see what isn't water soluble after it sets. That said, once things are covered in a couple of coats of paint the choice of glue is less important. The nails hold until the glue sets and the paint keeps out the wet outside, so the final result is the strength of the glue. We hope.
-ken cameron
Syracuse Model Railroad Club http://www.SyracuseModelRr.org/
CNY Modelers http://www.cnymod.com/
Finger Lakes Live Steamers http://www.fingerlakeslivesteamers.org/
Member JMRI Developer Team http://www.jmri.org/
mailto: kcameron@twcny.rr.com
In the Upstate New York US area of the world
David_W
Posts: 148
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 1:15 pm
Location: Henderson, NC USA

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by David_W »

I've had good luck with "Titebond II" water resistant wood glue, doesn't have the "foaming" problem.
redneckalbertan
Posts: 1274
Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2012 10:39 am
Location: South Central Alberta

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by redneckalbertan »

David_W wrote:I've had good luck with "Titebond II" water resistant wood glue, doesn't have the "foaming" problem.
I have used Titebond II and Titebond III with good results!

...Unless you need to take it apart...
User avatar
DianneB
Posts: 733
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:05 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by DianneB »

The past week has been one of experimentation, trying different methods to create the sheeting for the elliptical front and rear walls of the streetcar.

The first method I tried was using Oak veneer over a male form. In the first attempt, I soaked the veneer so it would comply easily with the form and laminated the layers with carpenter's glue.
Laminate 1
Laminate 1
It looked good wet but when dry, the laminates 'puckered'. It looks like laminating would require the piece to be clamped securely between a male and female mould while drying to prevent this distortion.

Not being inclined to make moulds, I decided to try slitting the back of some 1/4" Burch plywood to see if it would conform to the very tight radius at each end of the ellipse (about 1" diameter). Testing with a piece of scrap ply looked promising so I cut a piece of the appropriate length and spent some time slitting the back on the precision table saw. Where the radius is tightest, I placed the slits more closely together and eased the spacing on the larger radii. It worked pretty well. It broke when stretching around the last tight radius. I should probably have taken more time to prepare the strap-clamp to pull it into shape rather than trying to do it by hand! I have a little repair to do where it broke but I will know better for the second (and larger) radius!
Slit ply 1
Slit ply 1
Slit ply 2
Slit ply 2
prlawiii
Posts: 154
Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:42 pm
Location: Prince Rupert, British Columbia

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by prlawiii »

Dianne,

Lee Valley Tools sells birch plywood for just this type of purpose. Their 1/32 inch they say will bend to a 1/2 inch diameter, and the 1/16 inch to a 3 inch diameter. I would think that that would work for you, or two layers of the thinner stuff.

They are Canadian based, and give excellent service and quality.

Http://leevalley.com

Herman
Just starting an Allen Mogul
renewing a Marie Estelle
User avatar
DianneB
Posts: 733
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2012 3:05 pm
Location: Manitoba, Canada

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by DianneB »

Got the elliptical window sills installed
End 1.jpg
And the door frames
End 2.jpg
User avatar
steamin10
Posts: 6712
Joined: Sun Jun 08, 2003 11:52 pm
Location: NW Indiana. Close to Lake Michigan S. tip

Re: Winnipeg Electric Company Streetcar 356

Post by steamin10 »

Bending thin ply is an art. scoring the back sometimes helps. Wiping the outside of the ply several times with water, keeps you from trying to form matchstik brittle wood. Several wipes over about 20 minutes, usually does it. Several tries can get you zeroed in on how it works. Round corners for fancy counters and wood works I have done, and can be fun tho challenging.

Your project seem to be going well by appearances. It really is taking shape.
Big Dave, former Millwright, Electrician, Environmental conditioning, and back yard Fixxit guy. Now retired, persuing boats, trains, and broken relics.
We have enough youth, how about a fountain of Smart. My computer beat me at chess, but not kickboxing
It is not getting caught in the rain, its learning to dance in it. People saying good morning, should have to prove it.
Post Reply