June 10th, 2017 Blog: Building dolls house The Magpies

Part 3, June 10th, 2017:


Today we are going to place the floors and the room walls in the House. We do this not in the order of the manual, because that doesn't work well in practice. The problem is that the components should be placed in slots. As a result, these components larger than the space between the plates. Therefor you can not easily place the components without damage in the right plates.


We start with the first glued part of the House, such as the last time was put together (step 5).




We place this part with the side of the House on the surface and try if the roof components fit an a good and right manner in the slots. If the roof components have a good match on all sides, this part can then be disassembled. Now fill the slots in the back and side plates of the House, where this roof components will be placed, with wood glue. Regularly lubricate the wood glue with a brush. Now the roof component can be placed. Strengthen the connections with masking tape, so that the assembled parts can dry well.




Let this dry for an hour.


Now we can proceed with placing the inside parts of the House. To start we are going to place the middle partition of the shop on the ground floor and the partition on  the first floor.



We begin with the middle partition for the shop (step 10) and placing of the first floor (step 7), where the second floor and the second side wall have not yet been posted. First dry place the parts for the right fitting. Make sure that the House lies with the back on the surface. Place the platter, that later (step 9) will be glued at the underside of the bottom, in the middle under the back of the House. This serves to fill the space between the back wall and the surface, when the House is placed on it's back side. 
Important now is to see if all the parts are easy to place and fit in the right places. Place the middle partition with the bottom side into the slot on the bottom plate. Now place the first floor Board into the slot on the rear wall and the side wall. Make sure that the top of the middle partition of the shop fits into the slot at the under side of the first floor. If all went well, the first parts are on the right place. Place with a pencil near both sides of the middle partition of the shop a line on the rear panel of the House.
This helps with glueing this partition in the right angle to the rear panel.

Disassemble the parts and apply glue into the slot on the bottom panel where the middle partition for the store has to be placed. Also apply glue to the side of the middle partition of the shop, that will be glued to the back wall of the House. Regularly lubricate the wood glue with a brush. Fit the middle partition of the shop in its right place. Also apply glue to the slot at the rear panel, where the first floor will be placed. Regularly lubricate the glue again. Place the first floor.



Strengthen the glued connection of the first floor with the bottom with masking tape. While this part dries, we can continue with placing the next components.


We're going first to dry place the partsagain, which for these parts is very important. So you can find out for yourself the best and easiest way, to place these parts without damaging them.



Leave the House with the back on the surface. We start with placing the middle partition of the first floor into the slot on the 1st floor (step 11). Then we place the middle partition of the second floor in the slot at the bottom of the roof component (step 12). Now we are going to place the second floor panel between the two middle partitions and into the slots on the side wall and the back wall. See step 6 for the correct placement of the second floor.




We'll place the floor in a right angle against the back wall, but cant against the side wall (right side higher, left side lower as when the House would stand upright), so that the floor fits between the middle partitions, without touching these parts. Then we turn the floor in a right angle. Please take care that the middle partitions fit precisely in the under and upper slots of this floor. Place the side of this floor into the slot at the side wall and the back of this floor into the slot at the back wall. If all went well, now both of the middle partitions and the floor fit in the right place. Now draw a line at both sides of the 2 middle partitions on the back wall of the House. This helps with glueing these middle partitions in a right angle to the back wall.
Carefully remove the floor panel by taking gently the plate out of the slot on the back wall and side wall by lifting and rotating it. Hold the middle partitions against falling over.




Now we can glue the middle partitions. Apply glue in the slot on the first floor where the partition will come. Apply glue to the back side of the middle partition. Regularly lubricate the glue  with the brush. Place the middle partition with the bottom into the slot of the first floor and with the back between the lines that we had drawn earlier on the back wall. Check if the middle partition is [laced in a right angle. Now the middle partition of the second floor. Apply glue in the slot at the under side of the roof component where the middle partition will be placed. Apply glue to the back of the middle partition that will be placed against the back wall. Regularly lubricate the glue  with the brush and place the middle partition into the slot on the roof panel and between the lines that we had drawn earlier on the back wall. Strengthen the first floor and the roof edge with masking tape, so that the glued connection can dry.




After the glue of the middle partitions has dried enough, so they do not quickly get parted, we move on. Remove the masking tape between the first floor and roof. Apply glue in the slots of the side wall and the back wall, where the second floor will be placed. Apply glue in the slots on the under and top side of the second floor where the middle partitions will be placed in. Lubricate the glue everywhere evenly with the brush. Now place the second floor, as it has been dry practiced earlier. Make sure that all components fit well and seamlessly in the right slots. Apply masking tape to strengthen the glued connections.
Turn the House upside down to dry, so the most weight rests on the newly glued parts and pushes everything together.



To get the whole House completed, we will need 2 parts. The side wall and the board at the bottom against the sagging and for the free run of the fronte panels, when those have been placed.




First we're going to dry practice again. If we performed all the previous steps well enough, all parts will fit correctly in the slots of the side wall. Do not wait too long with placing this side wall, because then the floors will be somewhat flexible and can be corrected.


If all the parts fit correctly in the slots, the slots where the side wall will be placed, can be glued. Regularly lubricate the glue evenly in the slots with the brush. Place the side wall with all parts in the appropriate slots.
Turn the entire House gently, so the just glued side rests on the surface. This allows the House to dry properly and it press together.




As a last task for today we place the board under the bottom floor in the front side of the House. This can be done with the House resting on the side. Try out if the board fits between the two side walls, without bending up too much. Does it fit well, put glue on the board, divide the wood glue evenly with the brush. Place the board under the bottom and reinforce it with masking tape.




Let the House to dry properly. For today we are ready. Tomorrow we continue with applying the details, such as the stairs and chimneys.