page 6 assembling the dollhouse

Page 6 Assembling the Dollhouse
TOOLS WOOD GLUE 3/4 INCH NAILS HAMMER DUCT TAPE DRILL with a small drill bit 2 SCREWS SCREWDRIVER
After you glue these pieces on weigh them down with books or use tape to hold the glue joint nice and tight. Give the glue lots of time to dry, before you go on to the next step	PREPARING TO ASSEMBLE Assembling the dollhouse is a lot of fun, at last all those parts begin to look like a dollhouse! Duct Tape can be your Extra Hand while working on assembling the dollhouse. Remember to use a good wood glue. A well sealed glue joint is stronger than the wood itself. To make sure that the glued seams bond well, you have to have the pieces held together tightly while the glue is drying. I use small nails to hold the glued walls of the dollhouse together tightly. The first thing to do is to glue on some 1/2 inch cove molding on the inside gable ends. We need these pieces to hold up the floors. Place the molding where the middle floor and the top floor have to go. Cut the cove molding 15 1/2 inches and glue it 1/2 inch from the front edge .See the photo left
Hammer in some nails, just part way in, 1/8 inch from the edges on the outside walls before assembling the dollhouse.	ASSEMBLE WE use both glue and nails to hold the walls and floors together. It is best to tap in some little nails into the walls, part way, before assemble. That way it will be easier to nail the floor and walls together when they are glued walls and the floors are put together. Measure 1/8 inch in from the edge on the outside of the walls and draw a line. Use this line as a guide for where the nails go.Hammer the nails part way in along the line before you start to glue. See Photo left It is nice if you have some one to help hold the walls while you are doing this work. I was too impatient to wait for some help so I used duct tape as temporary ''hands''. Apply glue the the edges of the floors, you don't need a lot of glue. Hold the pieces together one way or another, and tap in the 3/4 inch nails. Glue the bottom floor and the top floor to the gable walls. Make sure the joints are nice and tight. If I am working alone, I push one end of the dollhouse against the wall to help brace the dollhouse.
WOW! it is beginning to look like a dollhouse No need to glue the middle floor at this point. It is easier to decorate the inside of the dollhouse if it can be removed.	Attach the back of the dollhouse, using the same glue and nail method that we used for the gable end walls. No need to glue the middle floor at this point. It is easier to decorate the inside of the dollhouse if it can be removed.
No need to glue the middle floor at this point. It is easier to decorate the inside of the dollhouse if it can be removed.	THE ROOF BEAM Now would be the time to put in the roof beam. We need a 1inch x 1inch x 30'' piece of wood. Anything will do, I paid 59 cents for mine, from the fence section of the lumber store. Putting the roof beam in now is not crucial, but it would be best. It will help to keep the gable ends stable, while you are working on the interior and exterior decorating . Place the beam so that the corner lines up with the point of the gable. Mark it with a pencil. Drill a hole in the centre of the marks. Use a screw to attach the beam to the gable ends. Be sure to countersink the screw so that it won't show after we are finished decorating the exterior. Next Page 7 Finishing the Exterior

Build a Dollhouse Home	Build a Dollhouse Menu	Page 1 Cutting out the Dollhouse	Page 2 Cutting the gable end walls	Page 3 The Floors
Page 4 Cutting out the Windows	Page 5 Making the Windows	Page 6 Assembling	Page 7 Finishing the Exterior	Page 8 Finishing the Interior
Page 9 Building a Staircase	Page 10 The Roof	Page 11 The Final Assembly	Page 12 American Style Dollhouse	Page 13 Photos of the Interior

Visit my other Dollhouse and Miniatures Web Sites



	e-mail