Wagon wheel templates hint: My hat goes off to Bill Hudson. I read his instructions for fabricating wagon (all types) wheels. Fantastic. He mentioned cutting out a template to mold the damp cardboard around. He was explicit in that it be round and the edges be true.

To accomplish this end, it pays to invest a few bucks in hole saws. These little babies come in various diameters and cut perfectly round discs. They usually are sold in sets of 3 or 4 cutters all of various diameters and are designed for use in power drills. The guide drill bit also gets the center of the circle for you.

Drbob...Delray Beach FL

Hole saws will work but it is hard to find the exact size you need and they are hard to get the cut piece out of without damaging the piece. Unless you set your saw up in a drill press it is nearly impossible not to cut the hole square to the piece so you still have to square up the edge of the blank. If you do use a hole saw I would recommend you buy only the very best. Saws available at home improvement stores usually wobble and cut egg shape holes. On top of all that they are expensive. A complete set can set you back enough to afford a decent scroll saw or drill press.

When I first built wheels at 15 I didn't have the luxury of power tools. We had just moved into our log cabin and at that time did not even have electricity. I had to make every thing with hand tools. I had only a hand cranked hand drill, a coping saw, some files and sand paper. Here is how id did it.

MAKING WAGON WHEEL FORMER BLANK BY HAND: I drilled a 1/16" hole in the center of a piece of plywood about six inches square. I set a pencil compass at the radius of my wheel blank and using the hole for the point, traced the circumference of the blank onto the plywood. Then I drew a second circumference 1/16" outside the first one. I cut the wheel blank out carefully with a coping saw. The better you saw this the less you have to work to finish it out.

I put a #6 1 1/4" flat head sheet metal screw through a washer then screwed it through the hole in the middle of the blank. Then I screwed the blank down to the flat side of a piece of 2X4 about a foot long. I then held a course file against the edge of the wheel i was going to finish off. I marked a spot on the base just out side the file and drove a long screw into that spot. I used this as a leverage and then turned the wheel blank by hand against the file until it was nearly filed down to the finish lines. Then I followed by a finer file. Use sand paper only to take the rough splinters of the edges. You can check the edge of the wheel with a square as you are working it.

Bill Hudson ... Eugene, Oregon

Wheel rims: RE: Cutting circular rims. - - - - Mount your Dremel router on a piece of plywood with pin holes set various distances from the inner/outer tangent of a 1/8" spiral cutter. This creates an electrical cutting compass. Set pin into board and into pilot hole on middle of piece to be cut out (or fixture) Route the outer circle first with the inner tangent of router bit. Stabilize the work piece then cut the inside diameter with the outer tangent of the bit. You can do this with hobby plywood or with wheel rim segments in an assembly-/-cutting jig.

Nice thing with segments, you can pre drill for spokes if you plan to use round pegs to align and secure. Two spokes per segment, and the drilling depth is the same for both..

Mel K.

Wheels: To my logic of having a round form to build wagon wheels around, wouldn't it be easiest to go on a jar lid search and use one of them for a form? Might have to go to the grocery store and find something you like to get one...

B Hudson's info was very interesting. I made a bunch of wheels about 25 years ago. I used macramé beads sawed in half for the hubs and dowels for spokes. At that time, I used plastic ice cream containers and cut 1/8 "wide strips. These were cut on the circular shape of the container already so the rounding shape was already there. Needless to say, hard to make exact. Later I found a good source for various sizes of plastic wagon wheels and purchased about a lifetime supply. I don't have any fancy tools so have to go by my own finesse. I have made a number of traditional size brier horse vehicles.

Margie Smith, in Mont

Suggestion for making round "wheel forms": Take some scrap wood and make your circle to the size you need using a compass. Make sure to press the point of the compass into the wood so the center of the circle is marked. Hand saw as close to the circle mark as you dare. Saw on the waste side. Now drill a hole where the compass point was indented and pass a bolt thru this hole and tighten it in place with a nut.

Insert the free end of the bolt in a drill chuck and turn on the drill so the wood starts to revolve. While it is revolving use a file etc. to make the round form for the wheels. When finished; unchuck and remove the bolt and nut. There you should have a perfectly round form for making your wheels.

Drbob...Delray Beach, FL

Queen Victoria Pictures: One of my favourite sites for pictures of Queen Victoria throughout her lifetime is http://www.victorianstation.com/queen.html I even have a miniature portrait doll of Queen Victoria at age 15 with her little dog Dash -- the picture appears on this site.

Nancy Faye Roach - Port St. Lucie, FL

Queen Victoria Pictures: my favourite place to look at pictures is at http://www.easyart.com/index.php

Pauline Amour

Sara Busch's Dealer Suggestions: Well, Sara has put me to work with her wonderful memory regarding what dealers will do which, and here are the contacts that I have found:

- Beauty Salon Fixtures from Wright Guide to Miniatures, Maryann & Grover Ledyard, 11559 Territorial Rd., Waldron, MI 49288,,419-237-2150

- Drugstore Items from Sue's Little Things, Sue Ayers, 2281 SE Binns Swiger Loop, Shelton, WA 98584,,360-426-4225

- The artist's box from Mrs. T's Tiny Treasures, Caroline Tabucchi, PO Box 4142, Antioch, CA 94531, email tiny_ts@pacbell.net

- Superb kitchen appliances and pots and pans and...from Hammer-N-Smith, Mary Carson,2621 Prescott Rd. #114, Modesto, CA 95350

209-527-2926

Barb Jones, Showcase of Miniatures (Good Sam show)

Metal Lawn Furniture by Alan Hamer: I believe someone mentioned a gentleman named "Hammer" who makes beautiful metal lawn furniture and garden gates. This is actually Alan Hamer, an IGMA Fellow in metalworking, and he may be reached by e-mail at vujojohal@webtv.net.

Beverly Gallerani

New Age. Mystical and Celtic items: I've added a page of some of the new New Age. Mystical and Celtic items I'll be premiering in June to my "Assorted Miniatures" album on Webshots. This page is best viewed by clicking on 'large' over the picture. I hope you'll take a look! http://cards.webshots.com/cp-23260502-mDLt-album/33320274APolyX

Alice Zinn- Pt. St. Lucie FL

Raggedy Ann & Andy Wallpaper: I have ordered some wonderful Raggedy Ann & Andy Wallpaper from nhupham@itsybitsymini.com

Nancy Faye Roach - Port St. Lucie, FL

Carriage wheels: There are wooden wheels at this site, under toy wheels, that might work if they are painted to look like metal. The thin spoked wagon wheel is 2 - 5/16" dia. And the ones with wider rims/tires are from 1-3/4 to 3" in dia. http://www.bearwood.com And Joy was right, there sure is "a lot of good stuff in there!"

Peggy, in Shoreline,WA

Murals: Who ever was looking for a source of murals, check out http://www.minigraphics.com/.

Nursemini

Cobwebs: That fake spider web stuff that you can buy everywhere around Halloween time (looks like a ball of white cotton when in the bag) makes good cobwebs or spider webs. You can pull the tiniest strands. To make a web you can carefully glue the strands unto waxpaper to form your web. When completely dry it should be stiff and you will be able to carefully peel it off. Tedious Job!

Brooke, Wa

Cobwebs: What I would do is with an eye loupe take apart a length of string or thread (depending on your scale.) Follow the photos in any text and make your own spider (cob)web.

DrBob

Cobwebs: Assuming you can find one, a snip of old hairnet makes great cobwebs. Another thing to use would be the "strings" that result from using hot glue. I frequently get itty bitty "cobs" in my dollhouse, but they never seem to put their webs where I need them!

Dani, in Bradshaw, MD

Patricia / Redwood City, CA

Victorian carriages: I don't know this artist (I wish I did) but he makes the most astounding carriages (horse drawn) that I have EVER seen! His work is very pricey, but if I had the money...I'd have all his stuff! His name is Larry Hanes, and his work is highlighted on Anita's site...she does mostly 144 scale, but his are standard scale. Even if you can't afford it, you might be able to get some great ideas. The first link is Larry's horse carriages, the second link (you'll be kicking yourself if you miss THIS...) is a gypsy wagon. I have pined over this piece since the moment I laid eyes on it! ( It actually crossed my mind, (seriously) at one point, wondering how much I could get for my used car, so I could commission my own Gypsy wagon...) Check it out. Satisfying eye candy, really extraordinary work, museum quality. (You will want to backtrack to see Anita's stuff, too She is a major talent in 144 scale.) http://www.anitamoriginals.com/larry.htm http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=676136&uid=162487 anitamorig Gallery (for the Gypsy wagon)

Sherise

Wilderness lodge: The last time DH and I went to a lodge, we had a cottage that was completely panelled in knotty pine: floors, ceilings, walls, cupboards, doors, the works. It had a small field stone fireplace in the living room and sort of Swedish modern style natural wood and rough wool furniture. DH said he felt like he was sleeping inside a hope chest. The bed was made of peeled logs.

We checked out the other lodges in the area and found one I loved by DH said looked too ratty. The common room had 30's cut velvet dark red oversized furniture, an upright piano, those needlepunched on velvet cushions, old souvenir satin cushions with long fringe, a moose head on the wall, ratty lamps with lots of fringe, threadbare imitation persian carpets. The walls and floor were dark stained planks. No TV or radio, but a great view of the lake off an equally ratty wooden porch. Looked like what someone's great uncle who hasn't decorated in 50 years might have.

Heather in Toronto

Wilderness lodge: I'm going to my favorite cabin-on-a-lake this weekend. Downstairs is built of granite quarried from the site, upstairs of half-round logs. The ceiling beams in the living room are whole trees about 18" across (bark removed, then left in the weather to turn a silver-gray). Heavy plank-type doors with massive black wrought-iron hinges and latches. Stone fireplace with a bookshelf built into a stone arch on one side. Firewood is stored in a cabinet under the stairs that has outside access for refilling. There's a black iron potbelly stove in the dining room. Victorian-era antiques, blue willow dishes, wrought-iron curtain rods with arrowhead finials and hand-woven curtains.
One of the great lodges is the Timberline--the exterior was used in filming "The Shining" the interior is much nicer than the movie; see a few pix at http://www.timberlinelodge.com/photos/PhotoAlbum_Lodge.asp A few more ideas: horn or antler furniture and light fixtures, spotted cowhide upholstery, log and twig furniture, fishing, hunting & boating memorabilia, Indian blankets, pottery, baskets.

Lee

Wilderness lodge: Thanks to Carol and Heather for ideas for what to put in a wilderness lodge. Here is a compiled list of their ideas and mine if anyone is interested but I would love to hear more ideas!
log holder with logs
fishing pole/accessories
hunting things
outdoor books/magazines
rifle
axe
mounted fish
moose head over fireplace
catch net
coffee pot and mugs of steaming coffee
braided rug
worn threadbare oriental rug
dark green/burgundy velvet furniture
coat rack
hats/coats
boots
door mat
bear skin rug
snow shoes
skis/poles
walking stick
plaid blanket and furnishings
dog by the fireplace
twig or log furniture
everything paneled in knotty pine
hope chest
velvet and satin needlepoint cushions with long fringe
ratty lamps with fringe
fieldstone fireplace
wrought iron fireplace tools

Parisa