Large Scale Central

A New Privy at Tremont and a question

Modeling
#1

A New Privy at Tremont and a question.

Number One made an unscheduled stop at the Tremont logging camp. The brake rope in LRRR Combine #310 was pulled.

The kids thought the city folk wanted to buy some local produce for their vacationing time at the Wonderland Hotel.

Turns out Mr. Lajan, the drummer from over in Knoxville, had a bad case of spastic colon and that fried Mountain Trout from lunch is causing all kinds of lower GI distress.

Will the axe-toting loggers waiting in line at the outhouse yield to this very desperate flat lander??

Hope you all liked the pictures I built of this little privy from insulating foam and stained and treated (Thompson’s water seal) craft sticks. I used Titebond III water proof glue and put on metal roof on top.

I have plans to build a commissary and eventually a saw mill with this type construction technique. This is the first “test case” and I figure if this goes to squat exposed to the elements ………no great loss.

I was wondering if you all have had real world experience with foam core and wood sheathed buildings and what your thoughts are on this???

Thanks Doc Tom

#2

Poor Mr Lajan and his disappoinment when he opens the door to that loo!

I have been sheathing glorified “plywood boxes” for years and a few solid chunks of wood too and they hold up pretty well with a nice coat of glue behind and stain or paint on the weather side.

I don’t know about the foam core but if you are using the proper glue I don’t see why they wouldn’t last for many years. Most of my buildings are now on patio pavers and the latest ones have plastic wood foundations just to lower the chance of moisture wicking up into the plywood.

Nice scene. Poor Mr Lajan.

#3

I have 3 buildings that have a foam core to them. They’ve been outside for close to 20 years.

(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh58/rgseng/March%202012/marchrun002.jpg)

Both the sand house and the little yellow pump house have the 1" blue foam sub structure but with with Precision Products plastic veneer over them.

There’s a third building behind the coaling tower made in a similar fashion.

I have found that thinner wood has a tendency to twist and warp outside which is why I used the plastic.

#4

Ken Brunt said:

I have 3 buildings that have a foam core to them. They’ve been outside for close to 20 years.

(http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh58/rgseng/March%202012/marchrun002.jpg)

Both the sand house and the little yellow pump house have the 1" blue foam sub structure but with with Precision Products plastic veneer over them.

There’s a third building behind the coaling tower made in a similar fashion.

I have found that thinner wood has a tendency to twist and warp outside which is why I used the plastic.

That is a very good point. What type of adhesive did you use for the plastic veneer over the foam??

Nice looking buildings!!!

Tom

#5

Todd Haskins said:

Poor Mr Lajan and his disappoinment when he opens the door to that loo!

I have been sheathing glorified “plywood boxes” for years and a few solid chunks of wood too and they hold up pretty well with a nice coat of glue behind and stain or paint on the weather side.

I don’t know about the foam core but if you are using the proper glue I don’t see why they wouldn’t last for many years. Most of my buildings are now on patio pavers and the latest ones have plastic wood foundations just to lower the chance of moisture wicking up into the plywood.

Nice scene. Poor Mr Lajan.

Thanks for the feedback. I may have to try a wood sheathed wooden block for the next “facility” particularly as more flat landers with “ailments” are venturing in to the mountains.

Doc TOM

#6

Very clever scenario, Tom. And pretty funny! Ken, nice buildings and a great looking layout.

Yer privy looks good too, Tom.

#7

Looks great Tom. So thats what bare ground and sunshine looks like lol. The weather looks warm in your pictures.

The outhouse should last a long time outdoors. Worst case if some wood comes loose just reglue. Make sure you seal it every year. Oh and watch the wind, maybe you can put a spike through the bottom and into the ground. That should keep it from blowing away.

#8

Tom Grabenstein said:

That is a very good point. What type of adhesive did you use for the plastic veneer over the foam??

Nice looking buildings!!!

Tom

I used a silicone adhesive. So it wouldn’t “eat” the foam.

They did have wood as a base for the roof, but I had to replace it with acrylic, since it was warping too.

#9

Shawn Viggiano said: Oh and watch the wind, maybe you can put a spike through the bottom …

In an outhouse all this is highly suggestive… Ouch! :wink:

Nice work, Tom … I haven’t seen those figures before, I like 'em! Personally I’m skeptical about any glue /wood bond outdoors, even if the wood is sealed. It’s my belief that water/vapour/humidity will get into any organic/fibrous stuff and weaken any glue bond eventually. We’ll be watching…

Your foam components will last forever. I’ve seen summer cottages up here that had foam on the exterior, painted with latex, which was probably unnecessary, all still good after 30 years of lake-effect Canadian winters and brutal Mid-continent summers…

Nice scene, Ken. I think your comments and methods are valid, and we’ll see how the Doc’s outhouse fares. The only way I’ll use wood outdoors is with mechanical connections, and I do a lot of that. On Dave’s Taylor’s advice I just acquired a pin nailer for these projects, BTW. I’d never heard of such a tool before.

I guess you’re never too old to learn something new!

I have little experience with plastics, Ken. Being a throwback to earlier days and ways, I generally work with metal and wood, and these are always the first materials I think of.

Do you find that plastics stand up to UV? That’s probably my greatest reservation about this material, aside from trying to figure out how to mak it stick. Your results are admirable.

#10

Thanks you all for the nice comments and ideas.

Shawn, figuring mother nature would topple this little structure I do have wire “spikes” anchoring it in to the ground. I also used drainage gravel under the little building in hopes that the wood will not be too affected by rain.

Yes, Shawn we used to get a lot of snow here in Northern middle Tennessee but the last several years have seen very mild winters. Temp of 60 yesterday when I took the pictures.

Doc Tom

#11

John you would be suprised how long glue will hold up outdoors. I have a few outhouses made of cheap wood and they have been out for almost 6 years already. All my buildings are held with glue. Titbond wood glue is great stuff as well as the silicon Ken uses.

Pin nailer is a great tool. The pin nails are not strong when using alone. The main purpose is to hold the pieces together while the glue dries. No more clamps and waiting for glue to dry before moving to the next step. Next to my dremel the pin nailer is 2nd best tool on my list.

#12

John Le Forestier said:

Do you find that plastics stand up to UV? That’s probably my greatest reservation about this material, aside from trying to figure out how to make it stick. Your results are admirable.

I’ve had more luck with plastic or acrylics then anything else. About 75% of my buildings are made from it. And about 50% of those have a coroplast sub structure, which is easy to work with. And Goop works great as an adhesive on that stuff.

The only totally wood structure I’ve built is Chandlers Mercantile and parts of it have the plastic veneer over it where some of the wood started to warp. But all of the wood in it is Spanish Cedar and 3/16’s of an inch thick except those parts of it that warped. I use that stuff for the ties on my switches since it stays pretty straight and doesn’t warp. That whole structure was glued and pin nailed together.

Here’s the build log for it:

http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/12022/search/view/page/1

(Sorry, Tom, didn’t mean to hijack your thread)…:wink:

#13

We have sorta’ hijacked ol’ Tom’s thread here, haven’t we… Not on purpose, tho’. Titebond and Goop are on my shopping list… Ken, yr build is awesome!

Over to you and the folks at Tremont, Doc…

#14

Excellent building Doc,

I think the passengers at the D&BHW better not read this as management has yet to install a privy.

#15

John Le Forestier said:

We have sorta’ hijacked ol’ Tom’s thread here, haven’t we… Not on purpose, tho’. Titebond and Goop are on my shopping list… Ken, yr build is awesome!

Over to you and the folks at Tremont, Doc…

Do not see any hijacking goin’ on. Enjoying the lively conversation. Glad a picture of toilet facilities could “move” things along.

Doc Tom

#16

Jake Smith said:

Excellent building Doc,

I think the passengers at the D&BHW better not read this as management has yet to install a privy.

Hi Jake,

I built the Tremont logger’s cabins about a year ago and only got around to their loo a year later. I wondered why the logging staff was so irritable.

Doc Tom

#17

Bah, they are in the woods…there are pinecones all over the place. :slight_smile:

#18

Jake Smith said:

Bah, they are in the woods…there are pinecones all over the place. :slight_smile:

(http://freightsheds.largescalecentral.com/users/grabnet/pine cone.jpg)

Doc Tom:)

#19

That’ll hurt.

Use Skunk Cabbage, instead. :slight_smile:

#20

Wipe with the grain not against it…

ok I’ll stop derailing this thread…