Gallery of Examples

These are pictures of several different rooms, from different dollhouses and roomboxes.  Although each room represents a different historical period and architectural style, I created the components using the same basic techniques we've been covering.  As always, please feel free to post any questions or comments.

I created these two rooms using the applique technique.  The white on green simulates the plaster appliques, which were so popular in Edwardian architecture.  The blue on blue simulates the comparatively simple woodwork, which was common in working class colonial American homes.

I created this half wall using the inset panel technique.  Paneling only one wall can help to add some architectural interest to the room.

Here, in the library of the Hampton, I combined floor to ceiling paneling with wainscoting. 

In the dining room of the Hampton, I combined floor to ceiling paneling with wainscoting.  Here, I replicated a classic Georgian style, where the door blends into the woodwork.  Georgians were obsessed with symmetry; it wasn't unheard of to go so far as to balance a working door at one end of the room with a pretend door on the other.  More practically, many Georgian architects compromised symmetry and practicality by hiding doors in the woodwork.

Here, in a roombox, I used trim to frame wallpaper panels.  In colonial America, wallpaper was very expensive; trading ships imported it from China, where artisans painted it by hand.  Even wealthy homeowners could only afford a little at a time, particularly since they had to replace it every few months.  In an era where artificial light came only from candles, kerosene and whale oil, decorations got very dirty very quickly.  Panels such as this were actually removable; the homeowner (or, more likely, his servants) could remove it from the wall, change the paper inside of it and replace it.  

I created a different look for the wainscoting by reversing the trim; instead of an inset panel, I created a raised panel.

Oh, No!

Woodworking is serious business; here, more so than with any other art form, you can actually kill yourself if you're not careful. It's absolutely vital to observe some basic safety precautions, because, believe it or not, you're risking more than just losing a finger or two. If you're not careful, then you're risking brain damage, skin cancer and even, for pregnant women, birth defects.

1. One of the reasons I prefer working with non toxic materials is, many traditional woodworking media are carcinogenic. An acquaintance of mine, a master restorationist, had to retire early, because he got skin cancer in his fingertips. His doctor told him that, unless he stopped working with the shellacs, dyes and resins of his trade, he would lose his hands. It goes without saying that this is an extreme example of what can go wrong--but it's also an important object lesson in the value of safety gear. If you're using shellac, then use plastic gloves.

2. My cousin, who is also a professional artist, works primarily with oils. He told me the other day about how so many people don't realize that oil paints contain lead, arsenic and a whole host of other poisons. If you use your fingers to paint, then you need to use some sort of protective lotion, like Art Guard Hand Barrier Cream. Otherwise, your fingers are going to absorb whatever is in the paint like little sponges.

3. If you use spray finish, and I do, then only use it in a well ventilated area. Even "non toxic" spray finishes can be dangerous. If you feel yourself getting light headed, or disoriented, then leave the room immediately and consider calling your local poison control center. The warning labels are on the can for a reason. When I was in college, a professor of mine told us that spray finish can cause birth defects.

4. Wear protective glasses. Even the most careful woodworkers have accidents. Small pieces of wood can catch on the gate of your table saw and shoot back out toward your eyes. Trust me, sawdust is the least of your problems.

5. Watch your fingers. Need I say more? This means not only paying attention while using power tools, but also never trying to make fine cuts with dull blades. If you put pressure on a dull blade, then it's going to slip right or left--and into your hand.

Tools are expensive, yes--but your biggest investment is in yourself. The reason you're reading this blog, after all, is because you're willing to invest time and energy in something you love. That's a big commitment, and it says a lot about how much you value your health and happiness. You spend so much time, money and energy on miniatures--don't let this hobby turn into a horror story.

A Note on Hardware

I, personally, think expensive hardware is worth the money. It makes a huge difference to the believability of your room. The most commonly available hardware is Houseworks, which is OK but not great. All of Houseworks' hardware is brass, for starters, and brass isn't exactly the right look for many houses. Its also extremely simple. Houseworks' whole product line is really best suited for Victorian, or modern, dollhouses. While there's absolutely nothing wrong with either, and nothing wrong with simple styles, in general, using Houseworks should be a style choice--not your default option. There's absolutely nothing wrong with vanilla, and sometimes vanilla is exactly what you want--but before you reach for vanilla yet again, try another flavor! There are so many flavors to choose from.

Some of my favorites are,

1. Olde Mountain Miniatures (available from Earth and Tree Miniatures, www.earthandtree.com, or directly from their website, www.oldemountain.com) makes historically accurate American colonial hardware in a variety of styles. The entire line is of wonderful quality, and perfect for a colonial or federal house. A noteworthy feature of the line is the fact that Olde Mountain Miniatures divides it up by time period and geographic area. If you're really into historical accuracy, then this is very valuable. I'm currently building a historically accurate New Hampshire colonial, and I appreciate the fact that I can purchase hardware that's historically accurate not only for colonial America, but also for colonial New Hampshire.

2. Designer Home (available from Earth and Tree Miniatures) has a wonderful line of Victorian hardware. Although its similar to Houseworks, its much more detailed. I used Designer Home hardware in the Hampton.

3. Mainly Minis (www.mainlyminis.net) sells a working Westminster chimes doorknob and doorbell. It comes with its own seperate electrical circuit and battery box.

Don't be afraid to get out there and look around!

Making Your Own Door, Part III

The third basic kind of door we're going to make is an inset panel door. This is probably the trickiest kind of door to master, not because it's so challenging but because it requires a high degree of accuracy and quite a bit of patience. If you can master these three kinds of doors, then you have the skill set you need to reproduce any door you want.

I personally find the inset panel door to be very fulfilling. It's fun to make, and it looks really beautiful when its done. As before, you want to start with two door panels. Here, I tend to use one 1/8" thick panel and one 1/16" thick panel. The 1/16th panel is going to become the inset side of the door.

Again, start by marking out guidelines on the door panel (see above). Then, cut and glue trim to form two panels. Here, instead of an applique, we're making an inset; look for trim with a small lip, such as wainscoting trim. When you cut the trim, make sure that the lip points outwards--when you set the completed trim panel into the door, it should be flush with both the outer panel and the inner part of the door. After you assemble the panels, place them on the door. You're now ready to form the outer panel.

First, cut and assemble the outer panel. For this step, I use 1/32" thick wood, because its exactly the same thickness as the lip on most trims. I'm a perfectionist, so I really want all of my pieces to fit together tightly.

When you assemble the outer panel, it should be flush with the edges of the inner part of the door. The completed trim panels should fit comfortably inside. Be careful not to make the fit too snug--wood expands and contracts when wet, and you don't want to carefully stain and varnish the trim panels, only to find that they don't fit! A good tip, here, is to stain and varnish the trim panels before you create the outer panel.

Now, using your glueing jig, very carefully glue the outer edges together. Here, I'm using a piece of scrap wood to make sure that the bottom edges line up.

Now, insert the completed trim panels into the outer panel. Make sure they fit, and that the fit isn't too tight. Very carefully, mark the edges of the panels, just under the overhanging lip of the trim.

Now, you're ready to cut the center section of the outer panel, and glue it in. Usually, I glue the center section with the completed trim panels in place, to ensure that, after my outer panel dries, they still fit. The fit should be snug, but not too tight--there should be just the slightest amount of wiggle room. Here, I taped the center section to the rest of the outer panel, to make sure that the pieces dried flush together.

At this point, you should have four pieces: the inner part of the door, the outer panel and two completed trim panels. Set the completed trim panels aside, and stain (or paint) the two remaining panels.

After they're dry, it's time to glue them together. When I'm staining a door, I prefer to finish the outer panel before I glue it on; I apply three coats of spray. However, I wait to sand the outer panel, or apply a finish coat, until after I assemble the door. Spread the back of the outer panel with quick grip, and lay it gently onto the inner part of the door. Hold the two panels together for a few minutes, and then weight them together. I, personally, wait until after the quick grip sets (about 45 minutes) to sand, because I think the final finish comes out much smoother. I sand the outer panel lightly, and then, using a small amount of tacky glue, I attach the completed trim panels. then, I apply a last, light, finish coat of spray.

Your inset panel door is now complete. This is a basic strategy you can use to create almost any door. Here, we used it to create sunken panels; if you reverse the direction of the trim, i.e. point the lip inwards instead of outwards, then you can use it to create raised panels. Also, depending on what kind of trim you use--thin or thick, ornate or simple--you end up with a very different look.

Making Your Own Door, Part II

The next door we're going to make is a variation on the simple door. Here, we're going to use an applique to create raised trim. We're going to start with the same two panels as the plain door. Here, before you start to cut any trim, you need to do a little advanced planning--what trim are you planning on using in the room? You want the door to match, or at least coordinate. When I'm working on a house, once I reach this stage I do a "walk through" where I place the trims and other components I'm planning on using in the appropriate rooms. That way, as I'm going through making the different doors, I have a constant visual reminder of what goes where. Especially with bigger dollhouses, it's surprisingly easy to confuse yourself.

Once you sort yourself out trim-wise, the next step is to mark out the door itself. Sometimes this is more important than other times. Below, is an example of one of those times when it's vitally important.

This is the dining room in the Hampton. I wanted the door to blend in with the panelling, so I measured the panelling at the same time I measured the door. Generally, this involves having some sense of how high you want the panelling to be. Don't be afraid to tape the door into the door hole and draw on it, right along with the wall. This isn't rocket science, but it does require patience.

Generally, I like to start my applique about 1" from the bottom of the door, 1/2" from the top of the door and 1/2" from each side. Mark the distances (whatever distances you choose) with a ruler, and draw them in. You're going to use the door as your template to create your appliques.

Select a length of trim and cut it on an angle using your mitre saw.

Place the trim against the door and, using your template, mark off the trim.

Now, you're ready to cut the trim. Below, I've made my own 45' angle jig. You can also buy an angle jig from the friendly folks at Smaller Than Life. They also sell PREAC saws, as well as many other tools. I place my trim against the stop and move the jig along the arm until the cutting mark is level with the blade. Then, I tighten the stop on the arm in place. I can move my jig up and down, and cut as many identical lengths of trim as I need. This is a very handy skill to practice, because it has all sorts of applications.

As you cut the lengths of trim, lay them out on the door.

Now, you're ready to assemble the trim. I use a gluing jig, from Smaller Than Life. It's worth its weight in gold--I absolutely love it and use it all the time.

Once the trim is assembled, it's time to stain or paint. Finish the door itself, before you glue the appliques to it--this makes it much easier to smoothly sand the door. Once the door and the appliques are dry, you can glue the appliques to it. You don't have any guidelines anymore, but you can mark guidelines out with tape or make very light pencil marks and lightly touch them up with paint after the glue dries. If you're staining, then you should wait to spray or paint on your finish coat of varnish until after you glue the appliques to the door.

At this point, you should have two finished door halves. Now, it's time to glue them together. I use quick grip for this procedure, although any tacky glue would work. Spread your glue along one door panel, and massage it around with your finger until you have an even coating. Remember, time is of the essence, here--you don't want the glue to dry! Work as quickly as you can, while still being precise. Very carefully place the two door panels against each other, and press. Hold the panels together for a few minutes, or until the glue begins to set. Now, lay the door down on a flat surface and, very carefully, weight it down. Unless you weight the door, it's going to warp, and you don't want that. Heavy books, in my experience, make the best weights. I use my old law school casebooks. Be very, very, very careful when you place your weights--you don't want the door panels to shift against each other.

Below, is an example of a door with raised trim. This is the master bedroom in the Hampton. Here, the height of the panels isn't important.

Making Your Own Door, Part I

Why make your own door?

1. It looks better.

2. It costs less. Finishing one pre-made door costs 14.00 for the door. Meanwhile, making one door from scratch costs 3.00 for a 1/8" thick strip of basswood and 1.20 for a strip of chair rail. Yeah, that's 4.20, so what? What if you want to use more expensive trim? Some trims are as much as 3.00 for a single length and, after all, if you want a complicated door, with recessed moulding, that's more! OK, well, let's compare. Doors are usually around 6.5--7" tall, which means that you can get 3 door pieces for every strip of basswood--that's enough to make 1.5 doors. If you add on trim (let's assume that you need 3.00 worth of trim for each door), then you bring your grand total to 4.80 per door. That's almost 3 doors for the price of one! If you use cheaper trim, then you bring your price down to 3.00 per door. That's 4.5 doors for the price of one.

The first door we're going to make is the easiest--the plain door. Below, is an example of a plain door already in the dollhouse. Doors like this were common in the "non public" areas of older houses--i.e. the kitchen, servants' quarters, or attic. Doors like this are still common in modern houses and apartments.

If you have a pre-made door, then start by taking it apart--you can use it as a template. The door should separate into 3 parts: the frame, the threshhold and the door itself. Also, don't be shy about using the door frame and threshhold for this door--it's easier than making your own, and it's less wasteful.

The next step is to reproduce the door. A standard door is about 1/4" thick, so I'm going to use two 1/8" thick lengths to form my door. I'm going to use my PREAC table saw, a must for any miniaturist's studio, to cut two pieces of wood the exact same length and width as the pre-made door.

Place the door length-wise along the arm of the saw, and snug the stop against the side. Remember to cut two!

Now, place the door width-wise against the blade, and snug the gate against it. Again, remember to cut two!

I suggest cutting the door length-wise before you cut it width-wise because it conserves wood--wood is expensive, and you want to preserve as many large sections as you can. It's pretty discouraging when, halfway through a project, you realize that you have plenty of wood--but its all half an inch too small.

Also, when you're working with a table saw, sometimes you can inadvertantly snug the gate too tight and end up with a length of wood slightly too small. A good trick is to slowly run the pattern piece (in this case, the pre-made door) in and out of the lane a few times. Make sure, here, that it doesn't hitch against the blade--if it does, then your lane is slightly too small. The pattern piece should glide easily in and out of the lane.

After you cut the two pieces, you're ready to stain, paint, or whatever else. At this point, if you're making a simple door, then you're done!