General Tire Akron - Original Plant Build

[SAH]

Consider cutting the window grid, on the backing board, with straight lines up and down.  A full grid of lines instead of window opening squares.

I did consider that approach Mike, but for a different reason.  Using the cutter to make a grid on a styrene sheet would allow the use of the "scribe and snap" method.  I'd need a couple of styrene layers to get .050" though.  It would produce relatively clean corners however.

Regardless of how I scribed the backer board I'd still have to finish the openings by hand, requiring the same level of clean up.  The end result would be the same either way.

Please forgive my ignorance, but what is this “cutter” device? 

I'm using the Zing Orbit.  An internet search suggests it may be out of production.  It is a high end hobbyists tool.  More common styles would be the Crickit found at nearly any big box craft store.  All work on the same principle:  Draw the design with software of some type, feed the file into the cutter and press the cut button.  Simplified version of course.

[peteski]

I have an ancient Graphtec CRAFT ROBO CC100-20 cutting ploter.  Cricut seems to be the popular cutter/plotter craft people and  other hobbyists use.

These (along with laser cutters) have been discussed on TRW, but probably before you joined.  Here are couple of threads.
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=38551.0
https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=17730.0

[Dwight in Toronto]

Thank you gents - I will study the provided info!

[Sokramiketes]

I did consider that approach Mike, but for a different reason.  Using the cutter to make a grid on a styrene sheet would allow the use of the "scribe and snap" method.  I'd need a couple of styrene layers to get .050" though.  It would produce relatively clean corners however.

Regardless of how I scribed the backer board I'd still have to finish the openings by hand, requiring the same level of clean up.  The end result would be the same either way.

I'm using the Zing Orbit.  An internet search suggests it may be out of production.  It is a high end hobbyists tool.  More common styles would be the Crickit found at nearly any big box craft store.  All work on the same principle:  Draw the design with software of some type, feed the file into the cutter and press the cut button.  Simplified version of course.

Ah, Bill Denton used the styrene score and snap on some of the Kingsbury buildings.  Yes, that way you're snapping along straight lines, square corners, and with the styrene, you can glue it back to a sheet pretty quick.

[SAH]

The frame:  3/4" plywood top and bottom platforms with 3/4 x 3/4 spacers to achieve the desired height.  Not a solid as @LIRR s block-o-wood designs but it should hold everything true.


A back sheet (painted mat board), the three backer sections and three printed brick sections assembled into something that looks like good ol' General Tire Akron.




Constructing the pilasters is next.  Once again mat board at your service.  Make a drawing, feed it to the cutter, score the mat board and finish the cut with a utility knife.


Add the pilasters to the walls.  The excess to the bottom will be clipped off.  The excess at the top will be clipped after I figure out construction of the elevator head house.  I decided the overall build would be easier by if I did not include it in the wall section cut.  I think I made the right call seeing how it's coming together.  The next step is to add brick to the sides of the pilasters.  .045" wide.  The cutter can handle it and do so far more accurately than I can by hand.

[LIRR]

Nicely done….

[SAH]

I drew the artwork for the pilaster side bricks and cut them this afternoon.  Looks like a mess but is not so bad.  I alternated cut widths between .045" and .090", as I've found the narrow strip width is more repeatable with the wider strip between.


You might think the install would be a PITA but it's pretty easy.  Flatten the strip with your fingers, lay brick side down on the newsprint, apply stick glue, use the tweezers to hold one end, lay the other end against the the pilaster, tack the strip into place at one point and then use the dental tool or the back end of the tweezers to set the strip.  It took longer to write how to do it than it does to do it.


Next up is construction of the elevator head house(s).  They need to be in place before I add the brick course step backs between each pilaster.

[SAH]

Nicely done….

Thanks.

[SAH]

A photo showing one elevator head house in place and one as parts (laying on top of the roof) cut with the Zing. 


The elevator head house provided an opportunity to check my planned addition of the stepped brick courses between the pilaster.  I'm sure there's an architectural term for this.  Any help @wm3798 ?  I used a two brick course between steps.  It looks OK but I may try one course and see how it looks.  Five layers at .009" each gives .045" total depth.  Same as the mat board pilasters. 
 



This was not my original plan.  I was going to glue each level with layers that included the pilasters along the brick courses.  I was worried about keeping it all true while I tried to glue the large leggy pieces into place.  The current procedure works but has ramifications I'll discuss in a future post.

I used a small screw to fix the head house position while the adhesive holding the pilasters in place dried.  You can also see the brick overlay covering the pilasters.  At this point all three sides of the white pilaster base are covered with printed brick paper.


Another example of how clean and crisp the cutter delivers parts.  This is the scrap sheet from the left and right overlays for the elevator head house.


At this point things are REALLY coming together.  Next is the stepped back brick courses between the pilasters and the pilaster overlay brick.

[amato1969]

Love it !!!

[peteski]

That sure is a robust building construction!

[wm3798]

I can't tell if the steps are at the bottom or the top of the head house from the assembly photo...  If they're at the top, it would just be cornice built into the masonry.
If it were on the ground floor, and on the bottom, it would be sort of a "water table" course, as its function is to shed water to the exterior-most perimeter of the construction and away from the recessed masonry work.  I suppose it go by that for the upper floor too, if that's what you've got there.

But you can look it up in your Funk and Wagnalls...  I'm shooting from the hip, and for the most part design framed residential construction.  Masons have a whole other vocabulary...

Lee

[mu26aeh]

Masons have a whole other vocabulary...

Lee

Mostly consisting of 4 letter words and utterings that will get you bleeped

[SAH]

Cornice didn't occur to me Lee but I think you are correct.

When I built the first structure the drawing was made such that every cut part fit with every other cut part.  Cut them out and glue them together.  My original plan this time was to build up the pilasters and cornice layer by layer, which followed my approach with the first structure.  Then I got cute by cutting the pilasters separately from the cornice and had no reference for the installation point.  While it made installation easier I now had to do a lot more measuring to cut the cornice pieces because the distance between each pilaster was different.  Oh well.  Here's the notebook with the measurements for all 18(!) cornice pieces.


Bring on the cutter.  Each block of brick is four separate pieces layered up for the step brick cornice.


I used medicine cups to match up the pieces with the column onto which the go.


It took about 5 minutes to finish each column cornice.  I colored the bottom of each piece black before installation to add some shadow.


All column cornices are complete.  If ever there was a shot to inspire one to press on, this is it.  Next is the pilaster/final cornice overlay.

[wm3798]

Are you planning to light the structure?  On the Newport and Rock Falls,  DKS used a black styrene and LED sandwich to light the background buildings.


It's very effective.  It's detailed HERE:  http://davidksmith.com/modeling/layouts/NewportRockFalls/nrf2-10.htm

Lee