Scroll Saw: First attempt.

Hi Readers,
I have been very nervous about having a go with my new scroll saw so yesterday I thought I'd give it a go. In my previous post I mentioned that I would attempt to use old blinds for the timber. Well I found it fairly easy to cut, but one downside was chipping. It didn't seem to happen over the entire piece of wood, but some parts I recut as I was not happy with the result. Anyway here it is. A sewing box. It will need a bit more sanding and then staining, but I'm pretty happy as it was my first attempt.

A Bargain?

 Hello Readers,
I have always wanted a power tool of my own so I finally bit the bullet and purchased one. On a few blogs and forum posts people mentioned using a scroll saw to make miniatures. After a bit of research I thought I'd look into it.

Many of our hardware shops in Australia sell cut priced scroll saws...so the question was...do I go with a cheaper one or do I go for something a little bit more pricey. After seeing (and HEARING....add swear words here!!!!) my boyfriend use cheaper power tools that failed within a few hours of use I thought.....pay a bit more and so I did.

So here is my new "baby" a Makita scroll saw. I had a quick go this afternoon and WOW, I was so impressed! NO TIMBER IS SAFE!!!!!!!

I know it won't be able to cut really small stuff, however for the items I want to make I think it will be great.

 Now to my cheaper find this week. I was looking for a cheap supply of timber and thought...what about an old timber blind. So with this in mind I was off to our closest recycling centre and found this beauty for $5. As you can see I have already pulled it apart, ready to use.

The timber is about 5cm wide and only a few mm thick which I thought would be great to use for my kitchen cabinets, bookshelves and other items.


If you have any ideas of what I could use it for...let me know.


Time to experiment!!!!!!

IndyPoppy

PS. Thought Id share with you a quick photo from a recent visit to Australia's capital city, Canberra. Each year they have a spring festival called Floride. They plant thousands of tulips. Here's just one of the many photos I took.

3D Printing...The next Generation Minis.

I have noticed a few people who are designing their own minis and wondered how do they do it? Well the answer is 3D printing.  With this  additive manufacturing process if you think it you can make it!
I have been investigating the idea of a 3D printer since I purchased my digital vinyl/paper cutter. As I found it so easy to use. But after much looking I decided that owning my own printer is definitely out of my price range at the moment. ($1400 is a lot, and imagine how many minis I could buy for that!) So what are my options?
Well I found an online store that could offer me the best of both worlds. I can get my own designs made or I can purchase other people's lovely work. If you haven't visited this site before here it is :
http://www.shapeways.comUsing the information from the Shapeways site I did have a quick go at designing a small piece. A small wall panel part that could be used  in modern scenes. I used a free online program http://www.3dtin.com which allowed me in under 3 mins create a fairly quick attempt. (I'm sure if I spent more time on it, I could achieve much better results) It was fairly easy to use.  I do like the idea of making something that is one of a kind. If I spent more time on it, I would create slightly larger opening or shelves that you could sit your mini art pieces onto. As you can see, I'm well away from creating such custom pieces as you see below. (But you've got to start somewhere right?)

As you know from previous posts I have started a collection of 1/12th modern furniture, my main problem has been cost. I almost fell over when I purchased a chair at the miniature fair. (Did I really pay $!! for it?) After looking for a while on the shapeways site....here are a few of my wish list items.

My first picks are mainly furniture, but it got me thinking.....

I have always thought of making my boyfriend a mechanic's room box. Look at these lovelies that I

could use for it!
 

One thing that I would like to explore is 3D printed animals. I have absolutely no idea on how to go about it but would love to have a 1/12th version of my "fur kids" especially the ones that are no longer with me.

Ksenia agrees with me "Who wouldn't want a 1/12th scale Border Terrier for their house?"

Anyway, I'd love to hear from anyone who has actually gone ahead and printed something. Or what items that you think you would like to have a go at printing. The possibilities are truly endless.
Talk soon, IndyPoppy

Busy, busy, no time for Minis.

Hello Readers,
Yes it has been a very long time since I have blogged about my house. Unfortunately my real life house has been in the way and taking up most of my time. We decided to finally put our house on the market at Christmas, so it meant painting, decorating and lots and lots of packing! One of the first things to be packed was my miniature collection. As we will be living in our studio until the house is built most things are packed up in the shed, so alas, not much mini making.

One thing I did get to do is attend the Sydney Fair. It was a great fair as always. Lots of great displays and of course lots of minis.

Basement front.

Hello Readers,

It's been a while, I've been super busy. (Wish I could say that it was mini-ing, but alas not). But every now and then I get a few minutes to stick a few more "bricks" to my house. I have finally completed the front of the basement and so its now on to the sides. They will be coated with a brick or stone like paint at a later date.

What do you think? Was it worth the effort. I hope so.

IndyPoppy

Modern Miniatures

Hello Readers,
It's been a while and I haven't had much time to make minis. As you may already know, I am collecting items for my Victorian dollhouse and so far I have resisted other eras but......

Well I came across this set on gumtree and I couldn't look away! This is volume 3 of the "Design Interior Collection". There are 9 items in this collection. I'm quite impressed with their details.

This collection is many miniature versions of Charles and Ray Eames famous designs.

Well its the closest I will ever get to one of their designs.

So the hunt is on. I'll be hanging out on eBay I'm sure to find the other sets.

Do you collect any of these and if so what's your favourite piece?

IndyPoppy

Chimney almost complete.

 Hello Followers,
Well its been a few busy weeks with work but I finally had a few hours spare to work on the chimney for my Victorian House.

From my last post you might remember that I decided to try my own technique to make miniature bricks. After cutting up a few hundred coffee stirrers and sticking them down I have an almost complete chimney. It needs two extra parts to be added to heighten the whole chimney so that it will be just above the roofline.

Now for a big decision. Should I used these technique for the basement or should I make it look rendered?  I probably will brick around the top part of the basement in places like below the bay window and veranda. But if I start it means hours and hours of cutting and gluing and will it look over the top?

Readers I'd appreciate your advice!

3 part chimney

HOW TO:
A few people asked how did I do it so here is a quick how to.
STEP 1: Measure starting from the top of your item lines that are 7mm apart using a lead pencil.
STEP 2: Measure your coffee stirrers. I made my bricks 20mm or 2cm. To be to scale they should be slightly smaller but with 1000's to cut, an easier measurement saves time.
STEP 3: (Optional) If you have a cutter like my Easy cutter, you can place a piece of strong tape on it as a marker. (This trick my boyfriend came up with after looking at me measuring and cutting and measuring and cutting)
STEP 4: Check the cut edges, some might need a quick sand.
STEP 5: Start at top of piece, glue your first 20mm piece, use an old credit card or store card as a spacer. Place it between your two pieces.
STEP 5: When you get to an area where your 20mm piece is too big, cut a piece to fit.
STEP 6: You can decide on how you stagger your bricks, you might it to be uniform or slightly more staggered.
STEP 7: Coat your finished product with a mixture of wood glue and water. This well help to seal your bricks.

Well readers, I'm off to decide on the next step. Don't forget to comment on what you think I should do for the basement. I would love to hear what your ideas are.

Easy cutter with tape.

7mm spaces.