Inland band saw: The Inland saw does not come with a wood cutting blade, but one can be ordered. Beyond that, I know nothing!

Wood blades have more "set" to their teeth, so they cut a slightly wider "kerf" out of the wood. This aids cooling, keeps wood from burning, etc. and is rather important. Metal and glass cutting blades have much less kerf. Please spend the money on the right blade, for whatever saw you use.

Barb Jones

Battery saw: I just purchased a black and Decker cordless saw. It is great but noisy, I got it at Wall Mart for $49.95. Then yesterday I decided to go ahead and get the Makita Cordless saw I ordered two weeks ago. It is much better than the Black and Decker for my arthritic hands, the safety is easier to use and it is quieter and has more power. I had to order it and they hit me with full price. I think I will set up the B&D for a table saw, put in a separate switch and tape the safety switch open. If you get the battery saw be sure to get extra batteries to be charging extra while using one. (or two for B&D)

Second hand Rhoda

Black and Decker Sander: Someone mentioned buying a Black and Decker Screwdriver at Wal-Mart so thought I would mention that they also have a great sander for us miniaturists - it is called the Mouse and is also by Black and Decker ($39.95). The shape and size is perfect for us in every way!

Sheena

Black and Decker Mouse sander. It is a little bigger than a computer mouse and has a nice weight and feel. It is shaped a bit like a small iron with a point for getting in to corners. I really like it, I got my entire shell sanded in about 30 min and it is not too loud.

Jeannette in San Jose

Faux tacky - put some white glue into an open jar and leave the lid off for a few days - the white glue thickens and you can control just how thick you want to make it. When it is about right for 'tacky' put the lid back on!

Another use for white glue is to make something that looks just like blackened metal (a little like wrought iron). You cut your pieces out of brown paper bag, coat it on both sides with the glue (messy) and move it back and forth through a candle flame. When it is bubbled and dry, repeat (3 times) and while it is still warm (careful of fingers) shape it as you wish. When it is cooled you can leave it as is or coat it with RubNBuff and you will have a great antique effect. We used to make flower petals like this and then attach the finished blossoms to drift wood. I am sure this could be adapted to minis.

Jacqui Marlin

How to make a mini lampshade: Determine the desired diameter of the top opening, diameter of the bottom opening, and height of the shade. Find or make 2 wire rings, one for the top opening and the other for the bottom opening.  Measure carefully.

On paper that is not going to be the lampshade, make a diagram (If only I could draw on the darned computer!) as follows:  Make an inverted "T", i.e., horizontal line with perpendicular vertical line going up from the center point.

Mark the intersecting point"A." Measuring from that point going up the vertical, mark the height of the shade as "B."  (The vertical will need to be higher than that point, so if it's not, elongate it.)
Mark the width of the bottom opening on the horizontal line, with A as the exact mid-point.  The outer points will be "C" on the left and "D" on the right.

At point B, and using B as the mid-point, mark the width of the top opening with points "E" on the left and "F" on the right.  This will be parallel to the bottom horizontal.
Connect C and E, continuing that line until it meets the center vertical, and then do the same with D and F.  The point on the vertical where they meet will be point "G."

Cut a strip of cardstock (index card works well) about 1/4" wide x 3" long, depending on the height and size of your shade.  Down the center of the strip, mark three points to correspond with points G, E, and C (or G, F and D -- same diff).  Put a decent-sized pin hole (large enough to accommodate a sharp pencil point) at points C and E.
Pin the paper you will be using for the shade to a piece of cardboard, cork board, or other surface to which the paper can be pinned.

Put a straight pin through point G on the strip, and pin it to the lampshade paper. With a sharp pencil point in point E on the strip, and carefully keeping the strip attached to the paper and board at point G, draw a large arc.  Make a complete circle if you wish; you can always trip later.
With the same sharp pencil (or a different one -- knock yourself out!) in point C on the strip, make another large arc or circle.  BINGO! You now have the correct shape to cut out.
To determine the length of the paper, measure the circumference of the two openings, and then measure out the same distances on the respective arcs, keeping the beginning and ending points of each arc in line with good old point G.  Don't cut on these lines, though; leave a bit(1/4"-ish) to overlap and glue.

Glue ends together to get your conical shape. Using thin strips of tape -- and a lot of patience -- tape the metal rings to the openings.

Rosemary

Quilt Display Rack: How about using one of those tie racks or belt holders that you attach to the inside of your wardrobe?   They flip from side to side (not the ones that go downwards). You could snip off the hook part, get some thinnish doweling, drill a hole and slide over the remaining stump.  I know we used to have one that I threw out when we moved and it had a double layer of hooks on it.  It was quite long - about 10" but you could always cut them down to size.

Yvonne

Quilt display rack:  Have you ever gone into one of those stores where they have the full size area rugs hanging on racks that you can leaf through.  That would be the same idea.  Also I think they use to have a thing like that to hang towels on.  It had a metal plate that was flat against the wall in the vertical position and they had metal arms that stuck straight out staggered one above the other so that you could fan them out to either side.  I would take a thick piece of wire and bend one end into a small L.  Drill a hole into a piece of wood and insert the wire through it so that the bent end caught right behind the hole.  If the hole was large enough or make a slot to either side and it should be able to move from side to side.  Although you would have to hold your wooden piece out a little from the wall so the metal leg can move.  That is just a rough idea.

Elizabeth

Quilt display rack:  Go to your wardrobe and look at your skirt hangers. Several of our rug shops here hang their rugs on equipment that looks very like skirt hangers. Our $2.00 shops sell very small pegs.

Raeleyne

Microscope & Musical Instruments: I found an odd little site, www.veghead.com, which has a huge assortment of the mixed-scale brass miniatures -- including a 1 1/8" microscope for considerably less than the HBS version, but of course you'd have to make your own case for it. Veghead also has a large selection of musical instruments, although few of them were 1:12 scale  (Most would be right for a Barbie orchestra) and quite a few egg stands, for those who like them as table bases.

Loretta

Storing Paints/Stains: To help paints, varnishes and things in a bottle or can from drying out - store them upside down. The liquid in the container acts as its own seal and stuff will stay like new.

Susan in St. Croix

Cleaning up: I just used a pair of latex surgical gloves while staining a 1/2-inch scale bookcase.  I wish I had thought of this a year ago!  No stained fingers, easy clean up...(just throw the gloves away - they are very cheap) and I could apply the stain with a cloth rather than a brush. For those of you in Oz they are made by Ansell and are called Conform (natural latex disposable gloves)... I got them at Franklins near the regular rubber gloves.  I could feel what I was doing and still kept my fingers clean... it is so simple I can't believe I never thought of it before.

Charlene

Painting on glass - This is easy if you use glass paint. There are several kinds, some oil base and some water base. I like the water base ones the best for cleanup reasons. If you don't like what you did, just wash it off and start again. To seal the paint, you bake the glass item for about 15 min. and it is permanent. Put the painted items in the oven, then turn it on. This way the glass doesn't have to adjust to a drastic temperature change. Let them cool in the oven, too. I had some avocado trimmed corel plates and since I hate avocado, I painted them teal and purple. They look absolutely fantastic and you would never know they used to be green.

Sandy

Teapots: To everyone who wanted teapots, I found some in the Oriental Trading catalogue. They have small crochet boxes, wooden fans, resin animals, rattail ribbon, just so many things and they have a web site. www.oriental.com

Alberta

Train Set/Car: SPENCER GIFTS (in your mall) has a tiny train set, about three inches wide (if that much) for under $3.00 which really works. That is perfect for a mini toy store or a mini boy's bedroom. THE DANBURY MINT has the James Bond 007's Aston Martin car with all the gadgets and very detailed. The antenna slides up and down. The console panel opens. The seats are genuine leather and the driver's seat tilts forward. The hood opens to reveal the stunning miniature six-cylinder engine. There is the gadget in the taillight which opens to dispense oil (but doesn't) like James Bond did when followed. The front and real license plates rotate. There is a telephone hidden in the driver's door. A whirling tire slasher slides off the left rear wheel hub like the original. Working "rams" pull out from both bumpers. Machine guns are fixed in the ready-to-fire mode. If you are interested, you can order if from The Danbury Mint, 47 Richards Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06857. It's half-inch scale and cost $149.00. I bought their LSU jalopy that came with a lot of extra minis related to football. Really tops in quality!

Karen

Raheb Books: You can purchase the Barbara Raheb mini books through a dealer named Larson or Lorson Books. They are in Anaheim, CA.

Michelle Geoffrion-Mahler

Mason Jars: Just found these mason jars yesterday. They look very good! They're at:

http://www.virtualdollhouse.net/basement.htm

Linda Peterson

Raheb Books: Barbara's books can be purchased/found on the House of Miniatures website - the link is below. Barb Syrcher has a fantastic selection of titles available and is great to work with. http://www.miniworld.com/house

Laura

Easter bunnies and chicks: Go to your nearest dollar store or drug store and find a 1" scale bunny in plastic. Make a push mold bytaking a piece of Fimo big enough to fit both the front and back of the bunny. Cut the Fimo in half, carefully press the front of the plastic bunny into the Fimo in one half and the back of the bunny in the other half. Bake Fimo, viola, a mold is made. Using the mold you have just made and some brown Fimo press a small amount of Fimo into your mold, remove it and trim excess Fimo (any color Fimo will do, they can be painted). Stick front of Bunny & back together gently pressing two pieces together. Bake bunnies! If you have not used brown Fimo paint the little bunnies with chocolate brown acrylic paint.

Chicks: glue two very tiny yellow pompom's together. Using a black thin line pen make one dot on either side of the "head"for eyes. Using small pieces of orange paper or felt cut a small diamond shape piece and fold it in half to make a beak. All done, one chick!

Marilyn

Pacifier Nipples: When I was working in 1" scale I made pacifiers by cutting the smallest eye pins to pacifier length (the eye became a ready-made handle) and then dipped the end into thick Tacky glue. If you sort of hang them to dry glue side down the glue forms a teardrop, or nipple shape. When they've dried they can be painted pacifier nipple color. I always used acrylics but I'll bet glass stain paints would really make them look realistic.

Pam