Build a Toy Train to Fight for What's Right

Step 5 Mark and Cut Engine Block for the Cab

NOTE -- This step has 4 photographs, so be sure to click on them all; I am trying to reduce the stepifying a little so that stepification overload will not plague even a patient reader.

1. Make a V-cradle to hold round parts if you already did not have one from the sailboat mast you made previously. A V as shown will hold a variety of round parts for working on the bench (hang the holders from wall on cords when not in use), but you may want a few sizes for your various round projects. For long pieces such as masts to be planed round, you will want two or three of these V-holders.

2. Use compass to scribe around the outer surface of the engine block (boiler) to mark where cab will go after you cut into the cylinder (you are setting out the boiler/bab bulkhead inother words).

3. Set scribe to the thickness of the cab floor (~ 1/2 inch for pine, a bit less for hardwood) and mark. Scribe all around the flat bottom edge to set the sawing depth. Also draw that mark at the front of the boiler because you may want to carve a carriage/bumper line there. (a "character line" in car design jargon?).

4. Cut out the cab area with a saw of your choice (cross cut). You can then rip down the center for the final cut or make many cross-cuts and carve out the cab area with a wood chisel.

NOTE -- DO NOT mangle the piece you remove from the cab floor! It is not "scrap" but will rather form the roof of your cab, since you already put so much time into rounding it. Yes, a flat cab roof would be OK, but I like a rounded roof; it looks cooler.

ANOTHER NOTE -- Do what you want, though you can start with a flat roof then round its edges over a little as I did for the "caboose" roof you see in the finished train. In fact, I now think that is better: easier, stronger, more pretty. If you think otherwise, let me know and i will change my mind back to my first impression).

5. Do a little cross-grain planing to smooth the cab floor, with a block plane, but a rabbet plane will be better to get up right to the bulkhead (must get me a rabbet plane). I also use a wood rasp. Or....

5a. Use a wide forstener drill bit on the drill press as a "hasy milling machine" to flatten down the cab floor (out the central pilit-spike of the bit will leave many little holes on the surface). A special planer blade for the drill press is even better (gotta get me one of those).