| Ok, first cut out all the
templates. When you print the scan, the box with three lines should
be 1 1/2" wide across the top. Try to get as close to that as
possible, otherwise your model won't turn out right...
I prefer to cut the mat board with the curved modeling knife. The dip of the blade lets you hold the knife in a more comfortable and ergonomic way. |
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| Using a hand saw, cut off a length of the 3/4" diameter pine dowel rod. The pictured piece is 3 1/4" long from the left to the top right. Cut it on a slant to make it look more like the DE Raider's main exhaust pipe. |  |
| Next, cut three 1" lengths of the 1/8" x 3/8" balsa wood, and glue them together in a stack. Using the round file, file a shallow depression onto the top of the stack. This will make it easier to glue to the wooden dowel. |  |
| 3/4" from the exhaust-end of the dowel piece, on the top, glue the stack of balsa wood pieces. |  |
| Cut out the piece pictured here,
and reinforce the base with two lengths of square toothpicks on either
side. Whittle the ends on an angle so they taper towards the mat
board. These toothpicks give the thin board a base to glue to the
stack. They also keep the board from warping.
Glue the piece to the stack, down the long center, mostly flush with the front end of the stack. |
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| Cut out the wings and try to keep them bisymmetrical. Using toothpicks, reinforce the bottoms of the wings. Make sure the vertical ones are flush with the edge of the paper because they'll create a flatter edge for gluing. |  |
| Reinforce the "nose" with more
toothpicks (about 2" long), tapering them on the ends as well.
Otherwise this narrow piece warps easily.
Glue the wings on either side, so that their backs are flush with the upright piece and parallel with the toothpicks reinforcing the nose. |
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| Cut out the square and retrace the two lines going though the shape. Slice along these lines but do not cut all the way through the board. With this scoring, you can fold the paper into a bridge like the one seen in the right picture on the left side. This is a very useful property of mat board |  |
| Glue the "bridge" piece to the dowel rod, pushing it flush against the triple balsa stack glued on earlier. Make sure the top of the bridge is directly level with the top of the rod. If it is not, your side platforms will be crooked. |  |
| Cut out the wings, again being as bisymmetrical as possible. Reinforce the tops and bottoms with toothpicks. A hint with cutting out the little windows in these pieces is to cut them out FIRST, then the entire shape. Otherwise it's a pain and very dangerous to have to hold a little piece instead of the larger chunk of mat board. |  |
| Glue the wings to both the bottom
of the sides of the bridge as well as to the wooden dowel. This is a
little tricky, and you will have to run beads of glue into the seams again
later to reinforce the bond further. If the edges of your bridge are
straight, the platforms should be fairly level.
The front platform tips should extend out about 1" from the bridge, as a point of reference. |
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| Cut another 1" long stack of the same balsa wood. But this time only use 2 pieces instead of 3 in the stack. Glue them together then glue them across the gap in front of the bridge. |  |
| Cut out the bottom of the bow, and glue it by the base onto the top of the 2-ply stack...making sure it stays parallel with the platforms when it dries...and also that it's parallel with and bisected by the long axis of the skiff. |  |
| Cut out both sides of the bow. See where I shaded with pencil? That area you have to slightly work with your thumbs to make pliable. Not a lot, but enough effort to slightly crease the board. These pieces will later be bent and glued together... |  |
| Using super glue, glue along the edges of the bow sides as depicted here. Connect them along the edge shown and give it time to dry as you have to pull this shape open and put it over the bow bottom like a sleeve. If the form doesn't get ample time to dry, the two side pieces will separate. |  |
| Slip the bow over the triangular
bottom piece, making sure the triangle point underneath extends to touch
the tip of the bow.
See the three "barbs" along the bottom? The bottom of the far right one should be flush with the bow bottom. This has to connect to the bottom railing later. |
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| Cut and taper lengths of toothpick for the railing. 7/8" long for the top, 1/8" long for the center, and 3/8" for the bottom piece. They should be parallel with the bow sides. |  |
| This is a little tricky.
Like the bow sides, you need to work the two long railing pieces with your
fingers until they bend. You need to curve them enough to where the
middle rail spoke is touched. It's ok to make little hairline breaks
in the toothpicks, as long as the wood stays in one piece.
This may be a good place to use a material other than wood. I'm sure plastic or wire would give better and easier results. |
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| Cut out and glue the "probe" under the bow. The tip of the bow should be about over the nook of the probe. |  |
| Cut out four 1/8" stumps and glue them to the top of the bridge, the first two flush with the edge, and the back pair about 1" away. Cut 1" lengths and taper them, and glue them over the tops of the stumps. |  |
| Finally, cut two 5/8" lengths of
the square balsa wood, and taper them down as shown (bottom should be 3/4"
wide). Glue them flush with the top of the triple stack.
Saw two 3/4" pieces of the 3/8" dowel rod. Angle both sides to taper down to 1/2" wide. Glue them under the balsa wood and then cut 1/2" pieces angled down to 3/8" wide. Glue them to the bottom. |
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