Large Scale Central

Bill’s first Mik entry 2024

I have been lucky. I have only hit two deer and had one deer hit me. Of the two that i hit one was a very slight glancing blow no damage to me and I don’t believe any damage to the deer. Just both of us needed to wipe after. I killed the other. It tasted good (that was before the law change don’t tell fish and game). But honest to God on a trip to Canada a deer ran up onto the road and ‘smack’ right into my passenger door. Fortunately I saw it coming and it just rung its bell. I got out it ran off a bit crooked and our car was fine.

we call these things “cowcatcher”. because most animals caught with them are cows, donkeys and tapires.
nasty is hitting horses. with the longer legs, the cowcatcher just shovels them onto the hood, to glide through the windshield.

i love pickups with a cowcatcher. when i have to drive to the capital, a cowcatcher on a pickup has the same effect as a stop sign on the drivers of all the little passenger cars.

once, with stop and go on wet, oily road i hit the back of a chevette at half walking speed.
cowcatcher needed some little paint repairs, chevette needed a new bumper and a new trunk.
but repair a quarter-chevette costs less, than a new grille for a pick-up.

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This breaking news, just in…

As we start to wrap up our post Mik Celebrations, the pin nailer has been out and tested. There’s a fair bit of debris in the thin wood. But it won’t be seen, and the bond seems good.


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Now back to Korm & Devon, in the studio.

Bill i didn’t show the “blow through” on my MIK. Its a reality. One thing you will gradually learn is air pressure. Whats the right amount to sink a pin as opposed to how much will shoot it clean through. Cedar is soft. So it takes less than say oak or black walnut (or whatever people south of the equator have for hard woods, like say African lignum).

Your finger tips play a crucial role in this. . . Did I mention my medical bills. Pain and bleeding tend to educate a person. . . or not!!

I think my pins set well, and I knew I’d have some extension through the beams as the pins were longer than the wood was thick.

Do you leave them, clip them, pull them once the glue has set?

Well sometimes yes and sometimes NO WAY! I really try to use the shortest pin that won’t go all the way thru. These are 3/8" (9mm) thru 3mm siding and the 3mm ACM board I used…

Had to up on the top, so I could mount the roof… All the rest are staying…

Depends on whether I can see them. If I can’t no harm no foul. On the lean-to of my MIk you can see them if are able to hold it up and look. When it’s down and displayed on the layout they won’t be seen. Invest in a decent pair of nippers.

And then a dremel and for the ones seen you can cut them and grind them flat. Also remember that pins are more about holding things until glue dries as opposed to nailing things together. Once gluensets I have gone back and pulled offending pins and sanded flat the blown out. Pins don’t act as good nails. There is no head to hold them. So wood is free to move regardless of the pin.

Devon,
That looks like deontology hobby equipment! 🥸

This happened to a co-worker of mine a few years ago, 50 mph, at night. He came away uninjured, but nasty is a good description for all involved.

Cheers
N

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dirtiest accident i saw, was a horse that slipped through till the rear window.
we had to cut away the roof, to seperate horse from driver.

Instead of remembering where I can and cannot hold a part if I can I always at least flatten them so they do not make me bleed :drop_of_blood:

Engine Shed Windows a fresh debate

I’ve decided to put windows on my engine house doors and thanks to BD (@rmccown-admin) I didn’t have to go far to find Warehouse Windows. This lead me to the realisation, that perhaps the engine house may have also had need for functional windows to let in fresh air with minimal rain issues.

I found “hopper” and “pivot” windows were commonly used in warehouse type buildings.

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So I loaded up Bobs windows into tinkercad and made a number of derivatives to see what might look best for my building’s doors and windows.

I moved the transoms, mullions, grills and sashes around and fabricated a pivot hinge then 3d printed a hole for the pivot wire to fit.

As you can see with the original transom, I get a window that will want to stay closed, however moving the transom I can get a window that is counterbalanced but will want to follow any updraft or down draft.






Of course, these are huge windows when viewed in scale, so in any event there would have been some crank to open and close these.

Herself and I are equally divided in which look aesthetically pleasing so we thought I might ask for an opinion.

Nice modification Bill ! (I only used modification to reach the 20 character minimum) :innocent: :sunglasses:

Very breviloquent David! (20 back :innocent:)

brevi…- whatt?? 17 18 19 20

those look very nice. One question I have is what’s your bug situation like? I make sure all my buildings are sealed tight as we have wasps/hornets that like to nest inside things. Buildings are an ideal size and type for them to be right at home. So I make sure they can’t get in.

What I like about what you did is you made them functional so they could be closed most of the time then crack them for showing off. Very nice. If you do have bug issues do you plan to seal them or deal with the bugs?

Devon, I vent my buildings by keeping some windows open in different degrees of usage and secure window screening behind those open windows to keep out the bugs. JMP YMMV :sunglasses:

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Bill, since you want lots of light in your engine house you might want to make a few mor windows to run down the sides. Great way to show off what might be inside too.

Title

  • Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, Engine House, Along south end Thurmond, west of New River Bridge, Thurmond, Fayette County, WV

Names

  • Historic American Engineering Record, creator
  • Lowe, Jet, photographer
  • Lockett, Dana, delineator
  • Pearson, Julie E, delineator
    Library of Congress photo

I second the consideration of lots of windows. Here is a great shot but low quality image of the Idaho & Washington Northern RR engine house in Spirit Lake, Idaho. This was a small turn of the century short line RR that ran from its southern terminus in Rathdrum, Idaho to its Northern terminus in Metaline Falls, Washington. While it was a small line the builder had grand plans. The home of this Railroad was in Spirit Lake Idaho. A nothing town then and a nothing town now. But the railroad facilities were second to none and way more elaborate then the size of the railroad lent itself to. None the less its shop was prized and gained national attention. Hence this photo which is part of an article written about the operations in the American Engineering and Railroad Journal.

But as you can see it is wall to wall windows and what David said is EXACTLY what is described in the article. It was bathed in sunlight and, as you are making yours, the windows opened to ventilate the room.

Back in the day they didn’t have access to e l e c t r i c i t y So windows to provide for a full days work. :sunglasses: