Dollhouse Assembly: I'm on my 2nd house at the moment. For the first, I used tacky glue with absolutely no problems. The second doll house was of quite different construction, and required a lot of extra strength at the joints, so I'm using hot glue on it. Dry fit your pieces together, and see which type of glue works best for you and for the house you're working on.

Maggie Dickens

Glue & Stain: I stain before I glue. HOM does make the tinted glue and I've used it but I found that it's too thick.

Carol

Glue & Stain: I always stain before I glue. Unless you really saturate the pieces you shouldn't have a problem with fit. Make sure everything is very dry before you assemble it. I also don't like the colored glues because I can never seem to get a color that matches the stain close enough to make me happy.

Suzi

Stain & Glue: I found out the hard way not to stain before gluing. I got a HOM tester bed kit, stained first, and nothing would stay glued together! IT ended up in a heap with my using the wood for other things. I was so frustrated! You need to be very careful when gluing to wipe away any glue that seeps out between where you join it.

Marilyn

Staining And Gluing: You can absolutely stain before gluing. The stain may affect the gluing properties of the joint, depending on the brand of stain. The reason is that stain tends to fill the pores to some extent, particularly stains with a lot of pigment (that brown stuff that has to be stirred up off the bottom of the can). Glue depends for it's holding power on being able to get into the pores of the wood. What actually holds the pieces together is the fibers of the glue between the glue in the pores of both pieces of wood. This is why it is more difficult to glue surfaces like glass and metal. There's nothing for the glue to get a foothold in, so it has to just kind of hold on, and sometimes it can't. However, if you aren't going to be handling the piece a lot, once it is finished and put in place it will last very well. Finish carefully and be ready to reglue the occasional joint. It will help if the stain and then the glue have time to REALLY dry before the next step. The problem with sanding away glue spots is that the glue sometimes soaks deeply into the wood and either you can't get rid of the glue, or you end up sanding so much wood away that you actually create a depression in the wood or you change the shape of the piece. I have had success with pieces that I got accidental glue spot on in odd places (when am I going to learn to ALWAYS wipe the glue off my fingers before picking things up!?). I use a fine brush and acrylic paints. You need several colors to match your wood and you don't just lay on a solid coat of paint. You paint tiny strokes of color next to each other, trying your darndest to match the grain of the surrounding wood. Most finishes will go on over acrylic very well, without disturbing the paint and, carefully done, you can't see where you painted unless you know where to look. You could experiment on some of the pieces that you already have that arrived with glue spots. The good thing about acrylics is that they wash off easily, in case you are really dissatisfied with what you did and you want to start over. You can even put on a preliminary coat of finish over glue spots and all, then paint the grain in. The coat of finish makes it easier to wash off paint jobs you don't like so you can try again.

Jeanne

Staining And Gluing: Either stain first and scrape off the stain where you are going to glue, or glue first and remove the excess glue before you stain, either with a damp cloth or tissue before it dries, or with a scalpel or sharp knife when it has dried. Probably the first method is best as it is very difficult to remove all traces of glue.

Colin Bird

Staining And Gluing: if you are not a neat gluer, stain the wood pieces before assembling the kits. Let the stain dry completely, at least overnight. I assemble before staining because wood glue adheres better, but to do that you do need to be a neat gluer or be sure to get any excess glue off completely before it dries. Colored glue is NOT the solution!

Beth

Glue: I use masking tape to hold parts together when doing a doll house. Works for me. Elmers wood glue sticks pretty fast, but I always leave it on for a few hours or overnight.

Betti

Staining And Gluing: My comments on staining mini furniture and glue marks on this are - I don't do that anymore, I paint them with acrylic paint, which gives an excellent colour over everything. I do false graining (with a DRY brush trailed over the surface) so it ends up looking like 'wood' if I'm after that effect, or I paint them colors, if I want a painted furniture effect. The trouble with staining mini furniture is that most mini furniture is made from bass wood, which has no grain, and most other wood has grain which shows, so to get the grain showing, painting is the way - and no glue 'white-spots'. The other thing I do is veneering, especially of any big flat surface; chose a wood with small grain. Looks 'real' - which on reflection, it is. Veneering is one of those skills which is a myth maker.

Helen

Staining And Gluing: I almost always stain before gluing, and never have a problem. But all stains are not the same. I use MinWax stain and WOOD glue such as Elmer's, TiteBond or MiniRoo. Don't use a tacky glue. The important thing is to let the solvents of the stain evaporate before gluing. This may take up to 3 or 4 days. If you can still smell a strong solvent odor, it isn't dry. Other brands of stain and glue may not work in this way. I sometimes put glue on a Post-It to apply with a toothpick. If the glue strings when you pick it up with a toothpick, it has already started to cure and will NOT form a strong bond. If it strings, squeeze out a new puddle. If it strings from the bottle, the whole bottle is bad. This applies to Elmer's, TiteBond, MiniRoo, and most other WOOD glues.

Dean Jenson

Glue: I hate the "tinted" glues. They're never a color that matches any stain. You just get a dark blob instead of a white or clear blob. Someone clued me one time on the importance of letting excess glue dry, rather than wiping it into the wood. Then you can chip it off with an x-acto blade. If applied before staining, the mark, if any, is minimal.

Lynn O'Shaughnessy

Staining And Gluing: I have had wonderful results staining all the parts first. I think that the best tip was posted yesterday, saying to let the pieces dry and air out at least for 24 hours! I dip the parts into the can of stain one at a time with tweezers! Then I wipe off the excess with a soft cloth, (old piece of t-shirt or something). Then I set them out on paper towel for at least 24 hours! (That's the hard part!) I used the Instant Grip craft glue & clamps. For the best results, take your time. They really do turn out quite nice. Don’t forget to sand all parts smooth first.

Barb Lewis

Staining and Gluing: Try taping the glued surface before staining. Tiny strips of masking tape will work fairly well. Even normal Scotch tape helps. The stain will get under the edges a bit, but most of the wood will remain dry. When totally dry, remove the tape and glue as normal.

Judie

Hot Glue: If you need extra strength, hot glue won’t give it to you. On the contrary, hot glue tends to sit on top of what you are gluing and doesn't get down in the pores of the object glued. For extra strength, consider using a good, yellow carpenter's glue. There is a time and a place for a glue gun, but constructing a dollhouse isn't on the list except for shingles maybe. Even with them, hot glue can loosen and fail over time. GJ's uses hot glue for assembling Christmas trees. That glue gets nice and hot and stringy, but usually hot glue doesn't get hot enough to work that well. It cools off so fast that you're basically using warm glue and it globs on what you're building. In dry climates, especially, it means that you can end up with a pile of wood that's falling apart. Wayne Lasch taught us about Franklin's Titebond, a yellow glue that is really super.

Dottie

Dremel: I use the cut-off wheel to make slots in wood or to cut metal. I used it recently to slice some dowels to make cans. I fasten the dowel in a vise and just slice away.

Alberta

Dremel: I use it for all kinds of things from sanding to trimming windows and shaping things

Dorothy

Metal Ruler with Slots: Micro Mark sells rulers that are straight and have slots for marking precisely with your pencil.They're on Pg.45 of the winter catalog, pricey but well worth every penny IMO

Rose Stout

On Wallpaper pastes, I agree with Tom 100% when it comes to YES/Grandmother Stover's brand: do NOT dilute it. But I do use a LIGHTLY dampened sponge to spread it on the papers.

Laura in OKC

Wallpaper paste: Someone suggested using YES/Grandmother's glue.  This is what Brooke Tucker uses.  However, she recommends diluting it with water and if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me.  I also have used regular wallpaper paste with no ill effects on the tape wiring or anything else after many years.

Jeanette Zanio

DREMEL ROUTER TABLE: I have the new one and also the old one.  I like the old one better but it won't fit the new Dremel tools.  It is best to use the heavy duty Moto Tool in them as it is very hard on the bearings. I find it very awkward to change Moto Tools each time so I leave it in permanently. The tables come with a template to make a table to mount the table into.  Just build a nice box with a smooth top surface. I use MDO (medium density overlay)  It is a plywood with a craft paper surface. This box is open at the back and front so I have access to adjust height and replace the router bit.  It is great for making moldings.

BILL ROBERTSON- FRET SAWS:Yes,Bill uses the fret saw a lot.  I (Renee too) took his Chippendale shelf class a couple of years ago. We got good exposure to the Jewelers' saw there.  It is probably my most used tool in my studio.  I keep several hanging over the bench pin or small vise with different blades in each.  I prefer it over either of my scroll saws. It is the tool I used to carve all the metal work for the Cinderella carriage. The more you use them the easier they are to use.

Bill Hudson