Back In The Workshop

**Stubchain** · 14th June 2010, 06:26 PM

Well it's been nearly a year since I did any actual work in my workshop. Won't bore you with the details but it's to do with knees and knee replacements.

It's my grandsons 5th birthday soon so I thought I would make him a second Thomas the Tank Engine (wooden railway) roundhouse. He has one at our place but not at home.

This one would be a lot easier as I had something to go by, the original was made up as I went along.

The hardest part is trying to match the turntable connections exactly to roundhouse and to ensure that the "tracks" are machined correctly.

Everything was going fantastically, did the connection and started on the track grooves, there are 10 of them, two per track. Go a couple done, fairly simple although I had to consentrate on where I was clapping the straight edge for the 1/4 bit in the router.

So SWMBO walks in and starts wittering on about something in the local paper, what about this, what about that. Next thing I know I'm routing a groove on the wrong side of the line. It's all painted anyway so I got myself out of trouble with a glued up strip of wood.

I had forgotten how easy it is to get distracted, next time she comes in while I'm working everything is going to stop till she leaves.

**BozInOz** · 14th June 2010, 06:32 PM

At least it wasn't your finger that got routed.

Where's the pics?

**FXST01** · 14th June 2010, 06:39 PM

Women in the workshop, well i never !

**3 toed sloth** · 14th June 2010, 07:30 PM

Great to hear you're back in the workshop anyway Stubchain.

Might be a good time to apply for a bit of extra funding

**artme** · 14th June 2010, 07:42 PM

Nice little re-entry project to get going again!

Bet the grand kids will love it!!

**Stubchain** · 14th June 2010, 08:19 PM

I'll post some pictures when I start putting it together, it's just bits right now. I thought I had some pics of the original roundhouse but can't see them anywhere. I must have imagined it.

**Stubchain** · 15th August 2010, 08:04 PM

Sorry for the delay, had a bathroom to get out of the way that caused a bit of gyp.

Here is a picture of the Thomas The Tank Engine Roundhouse. No drawings, I just sort of made it up as I went along. Tricky bit was the interface between the turntable (purchased) and the shed.

The boy loves it.

**Christos** · 15th August 2010, 08:31 PM

Nice work

**Dave50** · 15th August 2010, 08:37 PM

mate that's a ripper, my grandy's are getting up to the age where this sort of thing will be appreciated, I gotta build one of them!

just one other thing, does it fit "shop bought" Thomas and friends or do you make your own!

**Stubchain** · 19th August 2010, 08:21 PM

The turntable is shop bought from the Wooden Train Sets series. It is a bit tricky tracing round the turntable lugs and making them fit. This is the second one I have made so this one was a lot easier. Once the turntable and the MDF base fit together I then routed the tracks. and laid out the rest of the shed.

The base is 12mm MDF, the sides and the top is 6mm MDF. The side angle joins are 22.5 degrees. There is one funny quirk with the turntable however. If you route the tracks and cut the base exactly parallel to the end two tracks to make it look correct, you would think it would make a 90 degree angle, but it does not, it's slightly out. I made the mistake originally of cutting the base to the exact size I wanted and then routed the tracks. It's best to make the base bigger and then trim to the track angles.

I have also made about 10 metres of straight track in 300mm lengths made from pine. The curves are too hard.

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