Deer Creek Mine/My new Sierra West Layout

sdrees

Phil. You have go to get busy. You know what a sign of a clean desk is?

KKarns

Gee wiz Phil, that work area is way too clean to get anything done! If my bench was that clean I wouldn't be able to find anything...

Looks wonderful Phil!

MikeM

Messy workbench? Never underestimate the secondary thrill of the search!

KCSTrains

Don't worry guys. It will be messy before you know it. I'm just trying to figure out where I left off on my build of the mine. I then want to cross reference over to Bill's build of the mine to get those great building nuggets. Progress will be made this weekend. Phil

Karl.A

Great news Phil. Bills outstanding build will give you some great inspiration.

Karl.A

KCSTrains

Ok, I found the kit, figured out where I was when I stopped building the mine over a year ago, and got to work. I hope everyone is happy that my workspace is not longer pristine.



I worked most of the evening on finishing all of the bents and cutting the spacers. Brett, the template was really easy to work with. I finally realized that you have to get into that crafting flow. Once you get into this zone, things work so much easier and the building progresses at a nice steady pace. I guess that's why we should all try to make progress on our builds every day.



Finally, after doing all of this, I've already started putting the bents together. This is a slow process to make sure everything is square, but it is well worth the wait. You just can't get in a hurry on this part.



Thanks for following along. Phil

vietnamseabee

Great...that clean and orderly work space was driving me nuts ;-))....I’ll be following along as you get back into the mine as I have it on the shelf waiting to start...
Terry

KKarns

Great progress and nice to seeing you at it again...

mikemettelka

Love the progress

CarlLaskey

Phil all of this mess to build this. ...Carl.......

KKarns

Wow Carl...fantastico!...that bench is still too clean for my taste...

KCSTrains

Still making progress. It's great to have Bill's forum build as well as the great manual. I just finished the tipple assembly and headed toward the ore bin.



Phil

admin

A man on a mission, kicking some butt, dirtying up that brand new workbench. Love it!

KCSTrains

Brett, living in an apartment in Spokane away from distractions helps. Phil

Karl.A

Looking great Phil, the assembly is very apparently true and square and dead on.
The colouration looks superb and the texture seems just right.
Nice job!!

Karl.A

KCSTrains

Brett, living in an apartment in Spokane away from distractions helps. I did screw up the alignment of the holes somehow. I'm going to have to improvise when it comes time to put in the wire. Phil

kebmo

wow... that last pic is especially great. nice job on that scene. blends with the backdrop perfectly.

Robert.G

Great work . I like it very much.

KKarns

Wonderful timber work Phil! I'm with Karl...color is perfect.

KCSTrains

More progress. This time I'm working on the ore bin floor.



As I added each board, I realized the my structure wasn't exactly square. It wasn't bad, but I had to make adjustments.



The biggest issue with my lack of precision in building was that my chutes were slightly different lengths. I then made the executive decision to come back one board length to make things more even. Here is the structure with the side boards in place.



So, what have I learned from this process? First, you can't get in a hurry. Take the time to make sure everything is exactly square. You may not opt for super duper detail, but at a minimum you should always have a square structure. It guarantees that everything will fit well. Brett makes is very easy with his templates and jigs to do this. I was just slightly off, but it impacted the build. Second, when you do screw up, don't be afraid to improvise. However, think through the ramifications of what you are doing and its impact on the structure. In my case, I basically had to shorten the ore chute. I thought through it had decided it would have minimum impact on the overall structure.

Today I'll be working on completing the ore bin. Thanks for following.

Phil

KCSTrains

I forgot to include. I've always thought that dental tools would be great to use in modeling. I asked my dentist for old tools, but they send them to be refurbished. I then went on ebay and found a dental teeth cleaning kit for $8.40 with free shipping. These tools are really good, especially if you need to clean off that excess glue.



Phil

kebmo

i use the one that's second from left for nail holes. to me, it's easier than using a pin because it's easier to see exactly where you're putting the nail hole.

Karl.A

Great tip and advice Kevin, and info on where to get them. I've heard of their use before but never investigated availability... now I will. Thanks.

Karl.A

KCSTrains

Continued progress. This is the ore bin front wall.



Next up the ore bin side walls and trim.

Phil

KCSTrains

The ore bin side wall and trim are finished.



The next step is to install the three ore bin gates. This will have to wait. I'm headed back to Texas on Tuesday and will be away from the modeling table for two weeks. Stay tuned and thanks for checking in. Phil

brownbr

The ore bin looks great

KKarns

Wow Phil your wood weathering looks awesome, most impressive!

Robert.G

Very well done.

Karl.A

Looking great Phil,
Nice effect on the main metal chute in comparison to the surrounding wooden framework and ore bin. Nicely done.

Karl.A

admin

Bin came out wonderful, solid and true, weathered beautifully. Looking forward to more when you return to the bench!