# Grist Mill project with plans



## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Hello All, 


I drew a set of 1/2" scale plans and made templates from them to build a small grist mill.These plans could also be used to just build a small house,store or some other type of building,by replacing or adding doors and windows.I will use the construction method that I used on my weathering test piece as well as the same basic window design.I will make a random stone lower story from rigid polystyrene foam with the stonework carved in.


Feel free to use the plans for the templates to construct,by whatever construction method you prefer,to make your own structures.


I would recommend that you make your own drawings from the dimensions given,as the layout is distorted in the pictures.Unfortunately the scanner in my all in one printer would not work.


The graph paper that I used has 1/4" squares. 


Hope you find them useful.


Cheers,


Ron.














Here are the templates glued to the poster board with spray mount adhesive.





The templates cut out and mocked up to see what it will look like.











The same templates will be used for the rear and right side parts with a different arrangement for the windows as noted on the drawings.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Aw heck, Ron, with your detailed plans, what's left for me to do? :-( 

Seriously, you are one driven guy and a helluva modeler. I think we all will benefit from having someone lay the groundwork for a building project. Thanks. Now, what about Step Two?


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## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks Joe,


I am driven alright,sometimes to the edge of madness.He He !!!!!!


Well couple of pots of coffee later and here is part two.


Thanks for looking.


Cheers,


Ron.


All of the foam core board walls have been cut out.























Made the foundation parts out of the rigid polystyrene foam and started the brickwork.Also mocked up the scale 16 foot diameter water wheel.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Plans? Plans? What's with all these plans?


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Should be a Bobby Dazzler, as the Oz fellas would say. A grist mill is on my long list of future projects and I have some photos of a mill in Williamsville, N.Y. (near Buffalo) that's in the National Historic Register. I took a bunch of measurments a few years ago and made some sketches, but that's about it. Then there's a mill down south that looks tempting. It's very much like yours, only a bit wider (two windows per story on each side). I have a link to photos of it if I can find the dang thing (too much crud in my computer). 

OK, fun's over. Back to work, mister!


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## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks Joe, 


And yes it's back to work on this one.I made up a couple of cutting jigs out of scrap styrene sheet to make all the siding boards to the same length (I am going to buy a "chopper" the next time I go to my LHS),and then primed them with auto primer.














I removed the paper layer on the foamcore board wall sections and painted them with black latex paint.This will provide a good contrast between the boards. Once the paint was dry each board was glued on.The window and door openings where cut out after the glue had dried.The good part about the grey primer is that it allows one to pick out the worst looking pieces to get a very old looking siding.Should look ok once treated with some painting and weathering.











Thanks for looking,


Cheers,


Ron.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

My "Chopper" is a pruner. Anybody will have them in the garden department. Look for the "anvil pruner" type, not the "bypass pruner." 

Some prefer the bypass pruner for pruning bushes.

You prime all 6 sides? I'm worried about them warping outside.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

I'm curious, why do the upper walls meet corner to corner rather than one wall over lapping the edge of the other? Will there be a square corner post that both walls are glued to?


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## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Posted By placitassteam on 03 Nov 2012 04:36 PM 


I'm curious, why do the upper walls meet corner to corner rather than one wall over lapping the edge of the other? Will there be a square corner post that both walls are glued to? 


Winn,the corners will be beveled on the inside to 45 degrees and braced with square wood strips on the inside.


Cheers,


Ron


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## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Hi all, 


A wee update on this project.Finished planking the front of the structure and have been busy cutting the rest of the wood strips that are needed for the remaining two walls.


Cheers,


Ron.


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## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Hello All, 


They say necessity is the mother of invention,I believe they are right.Having a need for a "chopper" but not able to afford one right now and many planks to be cut,I came up with my own version made from parts from the hardware section of the dollar store.


Cheers,


Ron.


Bamboo cutting board _ 2$


Folding door stop_ 2$


Brass cabinet door knob _ $1.25 


Old broom handle _ 0$


Clip Board _ $1.50


Picture hanger strap _ 0$


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

That's a pretty neat idea.
Thanks,
Bob


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## tj-lee (Jan 2, 2008)

Very creative! 

Best, 
TJ


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## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks Bob and TJ, 


I added some clamps to hold stops and angle jigs to the chopper that were made from steel straps from the hardware store.I also added a shim washer to the pivot as there was a bit of sideways movement which caused it to not cut square and uneven lengths.It now cuts very accurately.I cut the remaining siding boards in no time at all and finished the planking on the remaining two walls.Also mocked up the roof to see what she looks like.























I now turned my attention to making the windows.I constructed a little jig that clamps the components for the windows in place so they may all be glued.A small spring on the jigs keeps enough clamping force to allow the parts to be moved into position using a little gauge to align the spacing between the mullions.The jig will also be used to glue the casings around the window panel.























Thanks for looking


Cheers,


Ron.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Very clever tools. I love to see people using things for alternate purposes.


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## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Thanks Winn, 


Yes I love to re-purpose stuff,and end up with a couple of tools that are very useful,and don't cost an arm and a leg.I made a trip to my local HS and picked up some strip styrene for the window casings and trim.All the parts for seven large windows and four small windows were cut and then assembled.Here are some pics of the finished windows and some pics of them temporarily set into place in the structure.


Thanks for looking,


Cheers,


Ron.


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Wow! With your home made tools you really put those together quickly! That is going to look great when you are done. I still plan to try casting for the many windows in the Alvarado, especially since a number of them have curved frames which are a real pain to build.


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## dieseldude (Apr 21, 2009)

Awesome work! I love your tools! Very creative. 


-Kevin.


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

Ron, very good job. I am a drafter by trade and I make a set of drawings each time I build a new building or freight car.So far I have 2 depots, 1 barn, several houses and two freight cars. I guess it is a habit after drawing for almost 30 years. I like you want to work out all the bugs before I start cutting the wood or styrene. I will give the windows trick a try. I tried to make a jig out of wood several years ago but it did not work. You gave a parts list for the cutter, can you list one for the window jig. Thanks. 
Ron


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## placitassteam (Jan 2, 2008)

Ron, I was a draftsman for 16 years and hated it! Now I work from the bare minimum of sketches on grid paper, which would mean little to anyone trying to duplicate any of my buildings. Different strokes I guess!


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## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Hi Ron, 


Thank you and here are the parts and materials that I used for the jig.


1/16" x 1/4" x 1 3/4" brass strip for the part that buts up to the styrene window parts.Lets call it the shoe.


3/32" brass tube 5/8" long and flattend on one end about 3/16" long.This gets soft soldered on top of the previous part.


1/16" x 6" long brass tube or rod.The end of this rod is soldered into the above tube.


1/2" x .040" strip 3 1/2" long with two slots 1/2" long x 3/32" wide for the adjustable base.two # 4 round head wood screws to hold it down.I drilled pilot hole as the bamboo is fairly hard wood.


3/32" x 1 1/2" long brass tube soldered to the base plate 1/8" in from the side and overhanging the front edge x 1/16".the 1/16" rod is a slip fit inside this tube


disposable lighter spring.This is a slip fit over the 1/16"rod and goes between the 3/32" tube on the shoe and the end of the tube on th base plate.I bent the end of the 1/16" rod and glued on a wooden craft bead for a handle.


The sizes of the above parts can be adjusted to what you may have on hand and the spring from a pen could also be used. 


Bamboo cutting board 6" x 12" or any flat piece of wood 


4" flat steel corner bracket screwed to the above.Check the inside edges for squareness and for burrs, gently file them off but leave the surface a bit rough so the styrene parts don't stick to it so much.I also drilled a small hole in the wood base to be able to insert a round head pin to act as a stop when the rod is fully retracted.


The best way to use this jig is to first place a square piece of wax paper,a little bigger than the window frame,under the corner bracket on two inside edges and covering the wood base under the frame. Roughly place the left half of the horizontal window mullions and center vertical mullion to the left frame piece and top and bottom frame pieces and clamp.A 1/2" wide spacer is used between the shoe and the center mullion.Only a small amount of pressure is needed,just enough to hold the parts.I used piece of 10mm wide styrene to properly space the horizontal mullions.Once all the parts are positioned I tack glue them with a # 10-0 round sable brush and Tamiya thin cement. Then the shoe is retracted,spacer removed and the remaining right side parts are clamped in and glued.Go easy on the glue as you dont want to soften the styrene so much that the parts will start to distort.(don't ask me how I know this.Ahem.) Once all parts are tacked glued in place I again touch each joint with a little more glue,this softens the plastic a little and allows the parts to even out a little.Also note that the right,center and left parts are cut to the same length.The top and bottom pieces are left longer than needed A simple stop is taped against the top piece to hold it in position.The jig was also used to add the window casings.A shorter version of the sliding mechanism should be used to provide tension in the vertical direction.I will make another one before I make the doors for this project.


Hope the above will help Ron and feel free to draw this contraption up and post it so others may make a couple.


Cheers,


Ron.


P.S. Ron are any of your drawings posted on the forum,would like to see them.Cheers


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

First, placitassteam, I am sorry to read that you dislike drawing. Each of us have different God given talents and drawing happens to be mine. I was drawing things when I was in high school. The only thing that I enjoy better than drawing is working for the railroad and that played out in the 80's. Second, none of the drawings are posted but Autocad Civil 3d can save a DWG file as a PDF file and I can email them. A guy in Colorado asked for a drawing of the barn I designed so he could build one. 
Ron


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## microboyca (Oct 9, 2012)

Hello all, 


Another little update for this one.Primed the completed windows and proceeded to apply the first weathering layer to them.Just used a brownish black wash and a little straight oil colors all wet blended with lacquer thinners.Also gave the back wall the same treatment.


I am very tempted to just go with a totally bare weathered wood look to this whole structure or with just the north side with some remaining paint on it.What do you guys think and thanks for looking.


Cheers,


Ron.


P.S. A co-worker, very kindly and for free, sawed and planed 46ft of 1/2" square pine strip for me to use for bracing inside the mill.MMMMmmm + some Popsicle stick planks = 1/2" scale mine tipple.Does anyone have plans for one or some reference pics?


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Ron, I like you window making jig and appreciate the tips on making the windows themselves. One of the posters on that other site asked about making windows and I will suggest he read your thread. As you know there are many way to make windows, but yours seems pretty simple--except for making all of those spring-loaded clamps and stuff. That's left to the inventive types like you who have a way of ruining the day for the ham handed fellas like myself.  Nice looking windows, BTW.


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

Ron, after you glued the casing to your window frame, is the sill just a strip you glued across? 
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.diylife.com/media/2010/10/parts-of-a-window.jpg 
Ron


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

www.blogcdn.com/www.diylife.com/media/2010/10/parts-of-a-window.jpg


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## mymodeltrain (May 14, 2013)

*USA NW2 loco*

Is the USA NW2 loco a reliable engine? and how about the pulling power? I am very hesitate with made in China engine but if the company has a good QC, it helps.


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