Here’s a refresher on the postcard from 1917 showing a post office with RFD horse wagons picking up the mail. I want to keep most of the details of the original with a few changes.
I bought some half-scale Alessio Miniatures windows for the gables from Manchester Dollhouse and Wood Works. They are square instead of rectangular, but they fit my smaller, shorter structure well.
They fit perfectly with the 1/4″ thick walls, but I will need to adjust the depth with the siding in place.
The acrylic insert lifts out for easier finishing.
When HBS had their April Fool’s sale, I bought a pack of siding. It was way more than I needed for this building, but it’s a material I know I will use in the future and it was a great deal at 40% off.
I like to apply siding while the walls can be pressed flat for the best results, but if you do that, you have to take the corner joins into account. I’ve left excess on the overlapping edges – not to cover completely but enough to aid in construction later. The corners will be covered with trim. I use Elmer’s wood glue supplemented with dots of super glue gel to apply siding, taping the joins and edges, then pressing flat under magazines and books for at least 24 hours. Makes for a nice, flat wall.
For the window openings, I usually just cover the whole wall. I’ve tried piecing before, and it doesn’t end up saving you much in the long run for all the hassle. To get a cleaner cut, I hold the board up to the light to trace the outline.
I then make a scored cut along those marks with a fresh blade.
I finish cutting the window opening out from the back side.
This keeps the siding from splintering. The window trims cover any minor blemishes.
As you recall, I’ve flipped the building construction to better fit the horse. In the original, there’s a bump out in the gable over the angled door. I made a base for this from scrap wood. I’ll determine the final depth I need, add a surface board and then apply siding. I left enough space to apply siding to the part adjacent to the gable window.
