Model Armour

I'm almost embarrassed to ask but what wood do I need to make the sides of a base?

I want to get some Florist foam or similar to create a gentle slope and "side" it with wood cut to the sloping shape. The plan is to have a Sho't kal Centurion in a Sinai setting.

Not knowing very much about wood - could I have some pointers please?
(it will have to be easy to saw)

Rob

Hello Rob,

I use Pine for almost everything. It comes in so many sizes, is soft and easy to work in that its easy to cut and sand, and is dirt cheap! It's also very light in colour so stains very easily to any colour you want. The only down side can be irregular grain and some knots in the timber. The knots can look nice though. It really is the easiest timber to work with though. The base for my M102, the V-1 Loon, and my paint cabinet are all from pine

If i want a smooth grain with no knots and something that dresses up very nice i use Tasmanian Oak. It's a hard wood, so a little harder to work with and is darker in colour, but does come to a nicer finish.

Not sure what is available to you over there though.


Woody...

Er....this may be even more embarrassing Rob. I use Balsa. The Hobby Shop sells thin slats of it really cheaply. It's ideal. Easy to work with too. I stain it and varnish it. Job done. If you need something a little tougher (although I've never found it a problem) they have Bass wood too.

Vinnie

(We need Frerik's opinion. He does loads of this stuff.)

I'll guess you've not got a great many wood working tools, but you will be amazed what you can do with a simple coping saw and an hour of patient work. A coping saw is one of those that sort of resembles the letter P. Here's a picture--- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coping_saw

As far as wood choice goes, find one which you think is attractive. If you have a good saw, there are only a few species you might have trouble cutting. Pine is a good choice because it's easy to cut and cheap, as Woody has pointed out. On the downside, pine doesn't look as nice when stained, it tends to be uneven in tone because the stain will soak in to the softer areas more than the harder areas of the wood. As Vinnie has pointed out, Basswood is always a good choice. It's looks nice, has a consistent grain structure and takes either paint or stain well. Another good choice along those lines is poplar. It's sort of a darker, heavier version of basswood. If you plan to paint the woodwork, just go with a hard grained balsa. (These will be the sheets with the greatest weight per square centimeter.)

As Johnny said, a coping saw is a must for and fiddly jobs.

For making bases, i also can't live without my Mitre Saw...



and my framing clamp...




Woody...

Hi Rob,

I guess it depends on how thin / think you want the wood. If you are building a full based then go for pine as Woody suggests. If you are just siding something (and maybe fitting it on a picture frame) I'd suggest bass wood as it is a little tougher than balsa so is longer lasting and won't damage as easily.

Cheers,
Ian

Someone called... ???
My second love/hobby is indeed making furniture! So I am fortunate to have some left over pieces of wood lying about to choose from ( Afzelia, Red cedar, oak, mahogany, teak !!! )

I love using massive boards and routering edges to them, for simple street sections.
I will use a frame type if I have lot's of debris and rubble to build up. This gives me enough depth to work in. ( pile up some foam, rubble and add thinned white glue! voila )

Love that clamp btw Woody...!!!

So sorry... I am a bad example... hahaha

A good tip though:
if I have a large building to blank off I use sheets of Birch plywood.
They measure some 20 by 40 cm's or 25 by 50 cm's and come in sizes ranging from .5 mm to 1 cm thick....
This works well for building up sides for dio's also!

Frerik

Embarrasing question?...I've been modelling for more than 20 years and I got the same question in my head!

Well, I usually use balsa or MDF, 3 mm thick
1 mm thick plasticard is a good option too

Darío

That's a big Thankyou to everyone
I need a coping saw and would dearly like a Mitre saw
I'll give Balsa or Basswood a go

Thanks
Rob

Rob as was said the Basswood is nice and takes a good finish. Where is your Cent Shot ? Am I missing it somewhere? Looking foward to seeing what you do with it as that tank is going to be my next build. Looking foward to it with fingers crossed.

Tony