Warped Wood: I managed to flatten a piece of warped wood by soaking it in water and weighting it down flat with three cast iron weights of an old weighing scale. Weight it on a hard, flat surface - my surface bent and my wood warped in the opposite direction so I had to repeat the whole process.

Tracey

Copper Sheeting: Real Good Toys sells small, thin sheets of copper for dollhouses...it's about 1 square foot, can be cut with scissors, and even aged for a verdigris look.

Laura in OKC

Copper Sheeting: Copper sheets can be obtained from K&S Metals. Most miniature shops have access to this through Dee's. It is tooling copper and 3 square feet if memory serves me right. Or try any good craft store or train shop. They often have it too. Also a very thin copper sheet about 8" x18" may still be available from Real Good Toys. I think we have some in stock.

Sue

Cutting a straight Line: What I discovered was if I wanted a truly straight line, I lined up my "metal" ruler and took several shallow cuts with the Xacto knife against the ruler, rather than trying to cut through with one deep cut.

Suzi

Foamcore: You can probably use Foamcore to make a roombox as long as it's not too large and you are careful about preventing warping. If you apply a water-based product to one side, apply a water-based product to the other. Examples: paint both sides; or paint one side and use Tacky glue on the other. You don't have to do it at the same time, but don't wait too long or it will warp.

In addition to gluing the foamcore together, I would stick some straight pins in to hold the edges and maybe even tape the seams, then cover the outside with fabric or something to cover it all up.

Beth

Foamcore: I just finished teaching a class on building a two story English Tudor Cottage which was built from ½ inch foam core and turned out great no warping and a lot easier to work with than plywood. This is the first house that I've built using

½" Foamcore but it won't be the last. I will agree that the thinner 1/4" and 5/16" Foamcore does have a tendency to warp if not stiffened with beams or siding. When I built my Buttercup I glued 5/16" foam core on the outside to thicken the walls since it was a tab and slot house with very thin walls. So there it is, properly used it is a great building material but used improperly it can be a disaster.

Rik Pierce

Warping: Soak the piece in water, place it on the garage or driveway floor and park the car with one wheel on it. Leave overnight (walk to the grocery store). If it is a large piece, cover it with a larger piece of wood. Place wax paper between tire and wood if you care about car tracks.

Fannye

Foamcore: I have used foamcore for smaller scale houses and room boxes and it works great. Much easier to work with than wood for those of us who are "power-tool challenged". In the States, it is carried in office supply stores such as Office Depot as well as some craft stores.

Elaine

Foamcore: When using foam core it is necessary to coat both sides to prevent warpage. Wallpaper one side and paint the other, as long as you coat both sides with something.

Sylvia Brinkley

Cutting Dowels in Half: If you decide to cut dowels to get your half round, you will probably need one size larger such as a 9/16" in order for your finished half round to be the correct size (1/2" wide.) You have to allow for the material lost in the actual sawing process - what is called the saw kerf which is the thickness of your saw blade. Also to do the job safely and to prevent the dowel from twisting while you cut, the safest way is to tack your dowel down front and back to a scrap length of flat stock such as plywood.(Put two small brads or nails into the sides of the dowels- not the middle- so you don't cut through your nail.) You will end up sawing through both pieces at once. Run the straight edge of your flat stock along your table saw guide and you should end up with an even cut.

Bonnie Gibson in Tucson, AZ

Foamcore: I love foamcore. Another great medium to use to make walls and structures is the 1/2 inch insulation material that places like Lowe's sells. It comes in a 4 foot by 8 foot sheet and doesn't warp. You peel off the thin plastic coating on both sides, and you can cut it with an exacto knife or shop saw.

Anita Myers

Foamcore: On the subject of foamcore, Michaels carries two sizes. I think it is 1/4" and 1/2". Also I have used my table saw to cut foamcore and it works great. Just had to sand the paper a little bit. Have a 2 story General Store plan and I wanted to do it with foamcore and appreciate all the remarks about it in this digest. I just made a Sorcerer's Spell Book of foam core and really like it to work with. Made the base for the book to sit on out of it and used a granite texture ceramic paint on the base and my daughter said it looked like marble. I did not notice any warping but the granite paint was not that wet.

Elizabeth Cooper

Foamcore Thicknesses: Foamcore comes in 3mm, 5mm and 7mm and you can buy it from art shops, Staples used to carry it but I think they have discontinued it.It comes usually, 30 in by 26 in,sorry to mix up the measurements. Have used it a lot , I use it for small box scenes.

Hazel Dowd

Painting Foamcore: This is a trick used by watercolorists, works with foamcore, too. Use plain water on a brush or sponge to dampen the back of the foamcore before painting. The wetness of paint makes the foamcore's paper covering expand or shrink or something, which causes warping. If both sides are damp, they both expand (or whatever) and the piece stays flat.

Lee Menconi

Foamcore: Regarding the questions about foamcore - I am by no means a 'pro', but several years ago I built a garden shed from instructions in Nutshell News, and I was very pleased with how it turned out. I used a band saw to cut it nice and straight (but you can also use a utility knife) and then lightly sanded the edges to get rid of the paper fluff. Following instructions I was able to make that foamcore look like cobblestones, cottageboard and even siding on the outside. I used it to make the inside pieces as well - cupboards, counters, shelves, everything! It's light and very easy to work with. One hint though, when painting, (I used water based paints) don't get it too wet, for it will warp. Just do several very light coats instead. I did warp my floor, so I lightly sprayed it with water, covered it with wax paper, and put heavy books on it for a few days. It worked!

Jan

Builders Foam: I cut the foam (lots of layers) on the scroll saw just like it was butter. The foam stuff carves so nice. The latest carving tool I've discovered is one of those knives that you use to cut the V's in a watermelon. It makes a nice little groove in the foam and it's super easy to make it look like stones or rocks. We used hot glue to assemble them in the class, but tacky works if you have more time. You might want to tape the pieces if you use tacky cause they tend to slip and slide. We painted ours with a coat of creamy yellow paint with sand in it. Then I antiqued mine with acrylic washes scrubbed in.

Bonnie Lavish

Blocks of Foamcore - Try the home supply places like Home Depot or Home Base and look at the 2 inch insulation Foamboard used to insulate houses (real ones) it's a lot cheaper and very easy to glue using construction adhesives such as Liquid Nails. A 4' x 8' sheet costs about 20 bucks and you will have enough foam to build Mt. Everest. I use it to build my castle towers it's light, strong and easy to work with. You can cut it with a sharp knife or use a table saw or scroll saw for smaller pieces both work great. I personally find it indispensable in building and scenery ( hills and things).

Rik Pierce

Cutting Dowels in Half: A band saw is less dangerous FOR THIS CUT. If you do still want to cut the dowel in half, get a scrap piece of straight wood and temporarily glue the dowel to the scrap. Hot glue is good for this. This way there is something to keep the dowel from twisting, which is the dangerous part. Use push sticks to keep your fingers away from the blade. Miniatures are hard to make without fingers. While I don't believe power tools in general are particularly dangerous, you do need a healthy respect for them. It is just that I think cutting a dowel in half on a table saw is a dangerous cut for someone without experience.

Dean Jenson

Wood Warping - Solid wood moves with moisture content. In a heated house it will lose moisture and shrink a little, but not evenly. If you could see the growth rings on the end grain of a board they would be curved. As the wood dries out the growth rings tend to straighten. The only way to stop this is either to maintain the moisture content or capture the lumber by force. This is why dovetails on full scale pieces are marked and cut the same day the lumber is milled. This is also why it is proper to have the concave side of the rings on the outside faces of a box or drawer to keep the edges from pulling apart as the lumber dries.

Solid wood is not like fabric.... You can make it flat by ironing it or training an elephant to dance on it, but, unless you stress the wood and damage the structure, it will reassume its original shape.

It may stay flat for a while, but beware... unless you glue it or fasten it in some other manner it will almost always resume its bow.

Pete

Cedar Wood Source: IBEC in British Columbia sell miniature cedar wood- shakes, strips, all sorts. Their catalogue on computer is: http://www.ibecwoodproducts.com

Laura