One Last Shorty

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

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ccvstmr
Posts: 2230
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by ccvstmr »

FITTING WINDOW FRAMES - Part 1

Time to get back to work on the car...

Had started some time back with window layouts of the sides and observation deck end of the car body. Using the CAD program, was easy to set center lines both horizontally and vertically. Remember...the "key" point was that center mark for the half moon window.

Window centers were drawn on the car side....lightly, in case I had to change something. Made a template that would be used later on to cut out the windows, but for now used the template to draw an outline of the windows on the sides of the car. Now the car was starting to look like the drawing. Had decided by this time, would simply put a round window on the sides of the observation deck and smaller round windows at the far end of the car where the lavatory might have been located.

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Next, used an awl to "punch" a starting point for a pilot drill. Would eventually open that hole with a 1/4" drill bit. This was NOT the time to deal with a drill bit or worse...a hole saw drifting out of position!

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Then, the window opening making begins. Pulled out the hole saw...which had the same outside diameter as the top of the round top window frames and started to make holes in the nice car body. No, I wasn't going to stop there. Didn't want to have a nautical looking car with a bunch of port holes down the sides! (no comments from the Navy boys reading this!)

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Next, the window cutting template was clamped to the side of the car. An aluminum angle at the top of the template provides alignment top to bottom.

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The multi-function vibrating tool used for cars #5 and #6 came out with a saw cutting blade. Let the saw blade follow the inside opening of the template. Would tilt the tool and let the saw cut in one direction. Tilt back and return the saw blade to the starting point. Best to wear hearing protection while doing this. Work with this tool too long unprotected and you'll get ringing in your ears.

Soon enough, all the window openings would be cut....5 down each side of the car and 2 on the observation deck end. If a window frame had a tight fit in the opening...could used a drum sander in a cordless drill to "ease" the half round opening. If the frame was tight in the lower part of the window opening...a file or sanding block could be used to increase the opening.

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Next time, will cut the remaining window openings, add some window trim and fit some more windows. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
Odyknuck
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Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2022 4:21 pm
Location: Chardon, Ohio

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by Odyknuck »

Very nice work.
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Dick_Morris
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Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
Location: Anchorage, AK

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by Dick_Morris »

Looking good!

Something I've tried with resin casting that seemed to work is to use a sprue next to the part being cast from where the resin is added to the bottom of the part. The idea is that the mold fills from the bottom and the air exits through the vents at the top. Aligning the mold so that there are no horizontal lines or air pockets in the cavity being filled is necessary.
ccvstmr
Posts: 2230
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by ccvstmr »

Ody...thanks again.

Dick...this was one of the reason why there were 3 vent/fill ports. Tried filling the mold at different times from all 3 points trying to determine if one fill point was any better than the others. One of the fill/vent ports was located over the window strut that separated the round top from the rest of the window frame. If I had to cast more windows, might have tried some other solutions. Maybe...if there is EVER a next time.

Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
ccvstmr
Posts: 2230
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by ccvstmr »

FITTING WINDOW FRAMES - Part 2

Window openings were cut. Between the hole saw and the vibrating cutting tool, there was a small pile of window cut outs. Fuel for a backyard fire somewhere.

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Time to make the window sill materials. Started by cutting a couple strips from a 3/4" wide poplar board...these would eventually be cut to 5/8" wide. Cut a couple more strips from some 1/2" wide poplar for the face trim...and these would be cut to make a 3/8" wide piece of trim. All strips were run thru the surface planer to produce 1/8" thick trim material. Strips were cut to length and the ends and facing edges rounded.

The 5/8" wide strips were cut out to fit the window openings. With this wood strip held in place below the window openings, the window side locations were transferred to the poplar strip...and then removed. When the resin cast window frames would be installed, they would sit directly on top of the wood sill.

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Having gone this far...HAD to see how all these pieces would come together...

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The side windows were looking good...real good! Time too push ahead. Still had (4) more window openings to cut. These were the round observation deck side windows and the smaller round windows at the far end of the cabin. The large observation deck windows would be the same size as the half round side windows for a consistent appearance and needed a 3.25" diameter hole. The smaller lavatory window at the opposite end of the cabin, would be smaller and need a 2.5" diameter hole.

The round windows were machined from 1/2" thick scrap alum flat stock. Window design was basically the same...there would be a perimeter frame was used to cement the window frame to the car sides. That frame would also hide any wood cut out deviations. There would be a slight recess on the outside and a shoulder on the inside to retain the glazing. Once again, the part of the frame that extended thru the car wall as basically the thickness of the hole saw.

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After the hole was cut thru the observation deck side walls, the round aluminum window was fit into the opening. Too tight, used a drum sander in a cordless drill to "ease" the opening. Can see where originally a round top side window was drawn on wall. Decided to go with a round window to break up the appearance of all the round top windows.

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At this point, once again, had to step back and take a look at the appearance of the side wall.

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Now in case you're wondering how I arrived at the window arrangement, somewhere I sketched out the car interior. Starting at the far left, would be the lavatory. Opposite the lavatory on the other side of the aisle would be a water heater. The single window to the right was for a small galley. The two windows to the right of that...were the railroad presidents (and wife) bedroom suite. The two windows to the right of that would be the seating and dining area. And the last round window was the observation deck window. The car body was only some 33" long or about 22 scale feet. That was a lot to cram into such a small/short area.

At this point, had spent about 1 month building the car body, making the resin cast windows and machining the round windows, cutting the window openings and related trim and preparing the acrylic window glazings. What came next? Time to get a top on all this. Time to build another arched end roof. Will start there next time. Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
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NP317
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Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by NP317 »

Carl:
'Really nice to see your construction process.
It is a delightful rail car! Those cars would look good behind my Ten Wheeler...
Please keep 'm coming.
RussN
ccvstmr
Posts: 2230
Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 10:37 am
Location: New Lenox, IL

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by ccvstmr »

Russ...
Good to know you're following the construction process. Going thru the photos let's me relive the effort put into car #7 last year.

Must be doing something right as I still have all 10 fingers...no matter how much wood material got processed and cut to size.

"Please keep 'm coming"...uh, is that in reference to the Chaski article? ...or the car building? To tell the truth, I'm kind of burned out on the passenger cars. Working on something else right now...but still cutting wood and making chips and LOTS of saw dust! Carl B.
Life is like a sewer...what you get out of it depends on what you put into it!
I don't walk on water...I just learned where some of the stepping stones are!
I love mankind...it's some of the people I can't stand!
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NP317
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Joined: Tue Jun 24, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: Northern Oregon, USA

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by NP317 »

"Please keep 'm coming"...uh, is that in reference to the Chaski article? ...or the car building?"

I was referring to the Chaski article on Car #7! I totally understand the project burnout.
I raised kids...
RussN
Odyknuck
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Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2022 4:21 pm
Location: Chardon, Ohio

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by Odyknuck »

Is that what kids are, Projects! Had I only known. lol
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Steggy
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Re: One Last Shorty

Post by Steggy »

Odyknuck wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 12:35 pm Is that what kids are, Projects! Had I only known. lol

...projects with totally unpredictable outcomes.
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Music isn’t at all difficult.  All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!  :D
Odyknuck
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Re: One Last Shorty

Post by Odyknuck »

Nailed it! LoL
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rmac
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Joined: Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:48 am
Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Re: One Last Shorty

Post by rmac »

I always thought of them as genetic experiments.
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