Lucy wrote:
Howard,
My goal in "putz-making" is to make houses that people can treasure for a long time. I have some questions about how to go about doing that. I figure you are one of the people who knows best how to go about it.
One question is - do you use chipboard that you have to buy? I can get a pretty decent cardboard for free at work, but it is clearly not as sturdy as what you use. I usually back the front and sides with the same kind of cardboard so the house itself feels pretty substantial.
The second question is about the fences. The fences are probably the most vulnerable part of the house. Are your fences "routed" in a groove on the base or just plain glued on. If you make a pillar, do you insert the fence into a slot on the pillar or again just do straight gluing.
I see this house looks like it has a rolled paper pillars on the fence, very cool. I also like how you made it a one piece to avoid that seam in the front - nice. I also like how you moved the 2 windows up a little bit; the proportions are very pleasing to the eye. Lucy
question one...answer...i used to buy 30" x 40" sheets of cardboard from hobby lobby when i was building larger custom houses...now...since most of my houses are small...i use cereal and cracker box cardboard for the body...and writing tablet back weight cardboard for roofs and fences...i really don't buy much cardboard since there's so much "free" material available...almost forgot...i do laminate a second layer of cereal box cardboard on the inside of the back wall for a stronger light hole area...
question two...answer...fences are not inserted into a groove...just glued securely to the base...i do add a small glue tab at the end of the fence where it meets the post...
speaking of posts...i like rolled paper posts...but roll the paper strips on bamboo skewers...they're stronger than toothpicks...i've also used solid wood dowels inserted into holes in the base...
my very best regards...howard...
Login
FAQ
Search
