Aylesbury laser cut buildings

[david bigcheeseplant]

[/ATTACH] I have been designing and laser cutting the three main station building for our clubs P4 model of Aylesbury.

Each wall is made from two layers of 1.5mm Rowmark these are aligned using cocktail sticks through holes. The inner layer of each wall has larger apertures for the window frames and doors that can be painted and just dropped in later, including .5mm Perspex used for the glass

 

[Locomodels]

David,

That is superb, and in 4mm too. When you see items like that it makes you want to give up on scribing plasticard.
Beautiful work.

 

[JimG]

David,

Does a laser cutting firm do the work, or do you have your own machine? If so, which one?

Jim.

 

[Ian G]

Jim

Its a club lazer cutter

Ian G

 

[david bigcheeseplant]

It's our club laser cutter http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=102 it can take up to A3 size on the bed.

I have tried to ensure that the parts fit together well and the window frames and doors can be painted and dropped in to place later seems to work well.

It took around half an hour to assemble each wall and about the same time for the laser to cut the parts out.

I can get .5mm Rowmark windows to cut down to .25mm wide without distorting

David

 

[JimG]

It's our club laser cutter http://hpclaser.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=102 it can take up to A3 size on the bed.

Thanks for the information. What did you put in the Club Treasurer's tea to get him to write the cheque.

I have tried to ensure that the parts fit together well and the window frames and doors can be painted and dropped in to place later seems to work well.

It took around half an hour to assemble each wall and about the same time for the laser to cut the parts out.

The parts look really good. I do envy your square internal corners which I can't do on a mill. But the etching of the brickwork and the masonry looks spot on for after it's painted and weathered.

I can get .5mm Rowmark windows to cut down to .25mm wide without distorting

I must try some Rowmark some time. Cynric suggested I use it a year or two ago but I opted to stick with styrene since I could get a better range of thinner thicknesses. But with my recent experience I'm tending to start with thicker material and surfaee mill it down to thinner thicknesses.

Jim.

 

[BrushType4]

Dave,

I've been having success with very fine cutting with high quality card for windows. Is that something you've considered?

 

[david bigcheeseplant]

I have used MDF but prefer Rowmark although I did laser cut a panelled coach body from paper that worked really well.

As for the cost of the laser cutter when we worked out all the buildings and other things we needed for club projects if we had them done elsewhere we would have not saved that much, plus we have the advantage of not having to wait for things to be cut and posted back. So at our last AGM the vote to get one went thought without any hassle. I think if it had not gone through a number of us would have popped money together to get one anyway.

David

 

[Ian G]

The other good thing with the laser cutter, is it teaches others how to use a CAD package and design skills.

Ian G

 

[JimG]

As for the cost of the laser cutter when we worked out all the buildings and other things we needed for club projects if we had them done elsewhere we would have not saved that much, plus we have the advantage of not having to wait for things to be cut and posted back. So at our last AGM the vote to get one went thought without any hassle. I think if it had not gone through a number of us would have popped money together to get one anyway.

That seems like a good advert for having model railway clubs although the smaller clubs might not have the resources or the requirements to justify such a machine.

I did look at getting a laser cutter of my own a while ago but the cost of the larger format ones was a disincentive as well as the fact that these larger machines need a lot of room, water cooling and ventilation. I just couldn't fit one in my house. I've looked at the smaller desktop A4 format cutter from HPC whose cost is a bit more bearable, but I wonder how much the smaller format would limit its usage especially when a lot of the work might be for larger models like buildings and structures. Questions, questions.

Jim.

 

[david bigcheeseplant]

It's been a while but I am now working on the main building at Aylesbury, I have the original 1925 plans and am drawing it up in Fusion 360 which is a free download, once I have mad sure everything works I will laser cut and 3D print the parts.

 

[Peter Insole]

David, you should have loads of fun with those ridge tiles on the roof hips. We are on Love Lane at the moment, and we're working at a luxurious 7mm scale!

I am really looking forward to watching progress on this one.

Pete.

 

[david bigcheeseplant]

The roof hips are called bonnet hip tiles, they can fit any pitch of roof, I am not too sure how I will make them maybe a 3D print, any ideas please let me know!

I have all the original plans for the 1925 buildings at Aylesbury so at least I have the info to get it right, also currently the buildings are still standing and have not been altered that much, although work starts shortly on refurbishment so not too sure what that will involve but the current footbridge and canopies may be replaced.

 

[Peter Insole]

Thanks David for the hip tip, I won't keep it under my bonnet!

Indeed, 3D is the way we're going too. We have already laser cut sheets of plain tiles, complete with slight irregularities, and JB has had the decorative ridges printed, plus a super strip of the "bonnet tiles" drawn ready to go.

The fun I was referring to will really start when it comes to lining it all up on the roof and gables. Conventional ridge tiles sit over the edges, so any awkward ends are hidden. This style of roofing will demand a high degree of accuracy. The tiles are tiddly enough in 7mm to be a whole heap of trouble!

Pete.

 

[Oz7mm]

David

You'd be welcome to my drawing for the bonnet tiles (the ones that ran at a 45 degree angle up the gable) if you want to save some time. It would easy enough to scale it.

JB

 

[david bigcheeseplant]

Thanks for the offer the pitch at Aylesbury is 50 degrees, but will see if I can use them, what software package are you using?

 

[Oz7mm]

I'll reply off forum

John

 

[david bigcheeseplant]

I have been working up the building in 3D still plenty to do but with each component part I can export to a DXF file for the laser cutter. One thing I have noticed on the original drawing is that major dims are show as well as the width of doors and windows but the distance between windows and doors is not, I guess it was left to the builders to use full or half brick dims.

 

[david bigcheeseplant]

A few more images of the station building, each part is designed as a part thickness size etc for export to laser cutting, bricks etc. will be added in AutoCAD then the parts cut in Rowmark which I prefer to MDF.

 

[david bigcheeseplant]

More screen shots of the model of the main station building at Aylesbury, the portico and other door surrounds will be 3D printed, I really got in to using Fusion 360 and the door surrounds will be on the non viewing side of the layout!