Lead Adventure Forum
Other Stuff => Workbench => Topic started by: Sardoo on 24 September 2013, 06:56:10 PM
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I've just bought a ridiculously large number of wooden coffee stirrers to use as planking in a proposed project. Thing is they are a wee bit too broad to scale up with the figures I'm going to use. I vaguely remember reading about a tool which helps you cut wood/plastic to the breadth you want - can anyone give me any advice on this?
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"THE CHOPPER" is available from antenociti and other suppliers, and costs around 30£, if i remember correctly.
However, searching online for tools i've found something similar for 6-7£... i don't remember the link, i'm afraid.
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The CHOPPER is excellent, but it's a mitre tool, used for cutting to length.
To narrow down width you want a blade that runs parallel to the guide.
Like this http://www.antenocitisworkshop.com/master-airscrew-balsa-stripper.html
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I've found that there are several different styles of coffee stirrer, some are thicker than others and some are wider or narrower.
Doesn't help you cut yours down to size. But just an observation.
We use a ridiculous number at the school club, but wouldn't dream of letting the boys cut them down in width, some have enough trouble cutting them to length.
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With the absurd lack of cost involved, I'd definitely order up another 3-4 brands of coffee stirrers before I'd spend money on a special tool.
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I've just bought a ridiculously large number of wooden coffee stirrers to use as planking in a proposed project. Thing is they are a wee bit too broad to scale up with the figures I'm going to use. I vaguely remember reading about a tool which helps you cut wood/plastic to the breadth you want - can anyone give me any advice on this?
I cannot reccommend the choppeer enough! A couple of other tools that you might find useful.
The True Sander
(http://shop.osorail.com/images/1352489620170-2123337882.jpeg)
Wood Strip Cutter
(http://www.micromark.com/RS/SR/Product/14568_R.jpg)
I own all three and they are great! But, I tend to be a tool prostitute!
Snitchy sends.
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With the absurd lack of cost involved, I'd definitely order up another 3-4 brands of coffee stirrers before I'd spend money on a special tool.
....or, go buy a coffee, grab a handful of free stirrers. Go to another coffee place, buy another coffee, grab another handful of coffee stirrers. Enlist friends and family to do same....
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The CHOPPER is excellent, but it's a mitre tool, used for cutting to length.
To narrow down width you want a blade that runs parallel to the guide.
Like this http://www.antenocitisworkshop.com/master-airscrew-balsa-stripper.html
Aren't you confusing a ... STRIPPER
(http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=24730.0;attach=4099;image)
...with a CHOPPER...
(http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=24730.0;attach=4100;image)
Beware of this name confusion as it can lead to unwanted results in certain clubs.
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lol lol lol
But, I tend to be a tool prostitute!
lol
That cracked me up too!
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Aren't you confusing a ... STRIPPER
...with a CHOPPER...
Beware of this name confusion as it can lead to unwanted results in certain clubs.
Easy enough... one is found inside, other is found outside... :)
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That cracked me up too!
Since the board is kid friendly, I did not want to use the word that my wife uses to describe my tool addiction. Wow the Puns are flying!
I did not mix up strippers and choppers. Aside from where they are found, everyone else had mentioned the chopper. The only difference is that I have the old cast iron one one.
Sardoo, what scale are you building for that you cannot use the coffee stirrers as is?
Snitchy sends.
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This board is right fucking kid friendly, indeed.
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lol lol lol
Feck, that made me crack up at work, at the reception desk, now they know I am not looking at work related shit....cheers, Hammers!
:D
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Sardoo, what scale are you building for that you cannot use the coffee stirrers as is?
i'm trying to build a barn to go with 28mm figs. The stirrers just seem a bit too broad to represent planks of wood when put beside the figs.
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i'm trying to build a barn to go with 28mm figs. The stirrers just seem a bit too broad to represent planks of wood when put beside the figs.
I really agree! i've seen some works from others, they are ways too chunky.
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This board is right fucking kid friendly, indeed.
lol lol lol
Well, sometimes it is. But not always!
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....or, go buy a coffee, grab a handful of free stirrers. Go to another coffee place, buy another coffee, grab another handful of coffee stirrers. Enlist friends and family to do same....
With the price of high street coffee it would be cheaper to buy the stirrers.
Of course you could try the really blatant approach: walk in, grab a handful of stirrers, walk out.
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i'm trying to build a barn to go with 28mm figs. The stirrers just seem a bit too broad to represent planks of wood when put beside the figs.
I'm in two minds about this - they do indeed look very wide, but in days of old, you could get very wide planks out of old-growth trees. A 12" plank (not massive in those terms) is about 5.4mm per scale. Lots of coffee stirrers are less than this. I've used them on timber-frame houses and they scale out well enough against the one's I've measured and scaled from in York.
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I'm in two minds about this - they do indeed look very wide, but in days of old, you could get very wide planks out of old-growth trees. A 12" plank (not massive in those terms) is about 5.4mm per scale. Lots of coffee stirrers are less than this. I've used them on timber-frame houses and they scale out well enough against the one's I've measured and scaled from in York.
I know what you mean. They can look too big next to a 28mm fig but I guess there were all kinds of breadths back in "the olden days".
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Just a stupid question: how wide are your stirers? Mine are about 5mm which looks great next to 35mm (or heroic 28 as they are called) minis.
modern planks are less wide, but modern sawbills also have more advanced techniques to produce smaller planks (Side rant at timber industry: they don't even take tree stems as big as they once did, because modern saws cannot handle them anymore, now that is what I call progress, right?).
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Sometimes I would split my coffee stirrers in half lengthwise, if I wanted narrower boards.
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i'm trying to build a barn to go with 28mm figs. The stirrers just seem a bit too broad to represent planks of wood when put beside the figs.
How about just building out of sheet material and engraving the planking or covering the structure with planking-embossed plasticard?
Actually building stuff from scale planking seems... a bit much.
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How about just building out of sheet material and engraving the planking or covering the structure with planking-embossed plasticard?
Actually building stuff from scale planking seems... a bit much.
A bit much? Sir, you are not much familiar with the gentlepeople of this forum...
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A bit much? Sir, you are not much familiar with the gentlepeople of this forum...
Indeed...A short search for Gamer Mac or Akula should disabuse one of the notion that we encourage mediocrity....or sanity.
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You could always cheat and just buy the Renedra (http://www.renedra.co.uk/webstore.html) barn :D
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If the stirrers are wide enough you could just scribe them using a ball point pen or with a few passes of a hobby saw (not cutting through) to give the illusion of several planks. I've used both methods. Otherwise I cut them down with a steel rule and several passes a box cutter. The cut is with the grain of the wood and is quite easy.
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i'm trying to build a barn to go with 28mm figs. The stirrers just seem a bit too broad to represent planks of wood when put beside the figs.
Are they the round end or flat end stirrers? The flat end stirrers tend to be thinner both in thickness and width. I picked up 10,000 of them for about $30.00 from a restaurant supply shop. The flat end stirrers do look appropriate for 28mm.
Snitchy sends.
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I know what you mean. They can look too big next to a 28mm fig but I guess there were all kinds of breadths back in "the olden days".
As an inveterate fan of Norm Abram I remember watching a New Yankee Workshop show where Norm was making a replica of a Shaker blanket chest. He had to glue up three boards to make the top, but on the antique original (C19th), the top was a single board nearly two feet wide :o
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If the stirrers are wide enough you could just scribe them using a ball point pen or with a few passes of a hobby saw (not cutting through) to give the illusion of several planks. I've used both methods. Otherwise I cut them down with a steel rule and several passes a box cutter. The cut is with the grain of the wood and is quite easy.
I think that suggestion may be the 'Eureka!' moment!
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How about just building out of sheet material and engraving the planking or covering the structure with planking-embossed plasticard?
Actually building stuff from scale planking seems... a bit much.
On any other forum than this that may have seemed a reasonable conclusion. On here.....not so much! ;)
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You could always cheat and just buy the Renedra (http://www.renedra.co.uk/webstore.html) barn :D
Never take the easy route when blood, sweat and tears could be the way forward!
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Ready made stirrers? I'd expect at least a few members to build their own, fully functional miniature sawmills. lol
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Ready made stirrers? I'd expect at least a few members to build their own, fully functional miniature sawmills. lol
Now you're talking! :D
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Ready made stirrers? I'd expect at least a few members to build their own, fully functional miniature sawmills. lol
While mentioning how much money this will save over the long run. :D
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Ready made stirrers? I'd expect at least a few members to build their own, fully functional miniature sawmills. lol
Exactly. And harvest little bonsai trees for lumber.
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You could always cheat and just buy the Renedra (http://www.renedra.co.uk/webstore.html) barn :D
But Renedra only has minimal interiors :o They only save half the work. When I already have to do the half of the thing myself I might as well do the whole thing myself.
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Of course you could try the really blatant approach: walk in, grab a handful of stirrers, walk out.
NO no no no. Never do what you can send in another to do for you.
When i know peeps form work are heading down to the local Starbucks and they ask me what i want. Can you guess what i ask for? :-)
Grimm
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Is anyone besides me collecting the rounded stirrer ends from every project to use them as roof shingles? I've so far used only straight edge shingles and kept the rounded ones for something awfull like a guildhall (so far I have not started a project I deemed worthy for those special shingles though).
Safety note: Don't tile your roofs with coffee stirrer shingles. I nearly ruined my hand joint because I had to break all those stupid little shingles. And I would do it again, it looks great.