Western Storefront Craftcutter Project Here's a product indoor railroaders can make with even a basic craftcutter, as long as they have software that will allow them to import SVG files. I used this with CraftEdge's Sure-Cuts-A-Lot5, an old Cricut Expression (1) with a deep cut blade and a third-party hack that lets them talk to each other. But there's no reason you can't use this with modern Cricuts or Silhouette Cameos (except that you have to upgrade Silhouette's software before it will import .svg files). The basic procedure consists of cutting out several layers of card stock and gluing them on top of each other. You have the choice of cutting everything out of white posterboard and painting each layer. Or, for a shortcut, cut the two building face layers out of colored posterboard and the rest from white or some other color. I got the idea for this from reviewing several other folks' efforts. The "hard part" seemed to be keeping the battens in place. (Those are the skinny boards they used to use to cover up cracks between the vertical siding boards back in the day.) Then it occurred to me that if I anchored them top and bottom with lines that represented trim boards, there was just a chance that that layer would come out all in one piece and could just be glued over the backing layer. To be honest, there were many mistakes - I would design a cut, make the cut, then realize I hadn't cut all the openings for the windowframes out or some such. If I was working with expensive materials, I could cut them out with a Xacto knife. But since I was trying to make .svg files that other people could use, I went back and fixed and tested them. What I haven't tested yet is using these patterns on acrylic or styrene or some other material that can stand exposure to the weather. Most cutters fail to cut through any styrene thicker than .015", which is pretty thin. Seems to me, you could go to the trouble of cutting your battens out of that and they wouldn't really show up. Some of the higher-end cutters are claiming to cut thicker or more dense material, so further testing will ensure eventually. :-) The Layers There are about five layers to this construction, more if you want to make walls for the sides and back. If you want to download them all at once, right-click here. Otherwise, you can download the files individually by right-clicking on the drawing next to the description. Batten Layer - Battens are skinny boards that covered the cracks between the vertical boards that were thrown up as cheap siding in the old West. By adding a bit of trim at the top and bottom, we have created a layer that will keep the batten spaced out properly as you assemble your structure. Note: This is the most complex layer for your cutter. If you work in smaller scales, it's the one that's most likely to give you "fits." Solid Wall Layer - This layer represents the boards that the batten is fastened over. Its main purposes are to give you the rest of the color of your building front and to allow the mullions in the next layer to sit back just a little more from the building front. Mullion Layer - This layer gives you detailed mullions for the top half of each window and the top of the door. It also allows the lower panel of the door to be recessed. If you want the door to be a different color than the mullions, consider painting it before you glue it to the other layers. Double-hung Window Layer - This layer gives you the bottom half of each windowframe, recessed for a "double-hung" look. It also provides the panel for the lower half of the door. Again, if you want the door to be a different color than the mullions, consider painting the portion that will show through the hole at the bottom of the door before you glue it to the other layers. Window- and Door-Frame Layer - The pieces in this layer go over the top of the batten layer, to give the window - and door-frames a little more dimension. Additional pieces are supplied to represent the window sills and to go over the top of the door and each window. Signboard Layer - The pieces in this layer go over the top of the batten layer, above the windows, to provide a facade with space for the business name. The piece at the top has vertical cuts representing boards. If your cutting software will let you specify them as score lines, that's fine. Otherwise the fact that they're anchored top and bottom will keep them in place as you assemble the rest of the board. The piece below that is a sort of "frame" for the business name. The pieces below that are attached in order to the top edge of frame, to build out the kind of protrusion typical of the top edge of these signboards. Batten Layer for Sides - This is an alternate batten layer for making the sides of your building. Use with the "Solid Wall Layer for Sides" below. Then use the "Mullion Layer," "Double-hung Window Layer," and "Window and Door Frame Layer" as you did for the front. Yes, they will cut some holes you don't need, but they won't show. Solid Wall Layer for Sides - This is an alternate solid wall layer for making the sides of your building. Batten Layer for Back - This is an alternate batten layer for making the back of your building. Use with the "Solid Wall Layer for Back" below. Then use the "Mullion Layer," "Double-hung Window Layer," and "Window and Door Frame Layer" as you did for the front. Again, they will cut some holes you don't need, but they won't show. Solid Wall Layer for Back - This is an alternate solid wall layer for making the back of your building. Note: If you want the door to be windowless (as back doors to businesses often are), use the "Solid Wall Layer for Sides" instead. Sizing My source files are appropriate for Large Scale, the scale I model most often. If you want to make smaller buildings, there's no reason you can't cut them down to about 60% to work with O gauge trains, 50% to work with S gauge trains (and most Christmas villages), or 33% to work with HO gauge trains. That said, you should experiment with inexpensive materials to determine: If the reduced size seems in proportion with the buildings you already have on display, and If your cutter can handle the batten layer. Business Names How you label your business is up to you, of course. If you're used to using your craftcutter as a labelmaker, sign maker, or t-shirt emblem printer, you already have the skills. If you have an application that will allow you to use fonts from your computer, the Internet seems to have an endless supply of "Western" and other old-timey fonts. If you want a "sketchy" or worn look to your lettering, you can try stenciling. I created two files of stencil building names for another project, so I'm putting them here. Some of the names use traditional Western fonts that I chopped up so they could be used as stencils. Some of them use "Maverick," a Western-looking font that is created for stencils. You should be able to find it in a downloadable free version by googling "Maverick font." Or, if you just want to print business signs off on your color printer, you can click here for a sampling. More to Come Ordinarily I'd end an article of this sort with a "conclusion," but I hope I'm just starting a flood of new ideas. If I get a lot of requests for other kinds of stencil patterns, I'll try to oblige, but only if I see a bunch of photos of finished projects using the stencils we have so far, hint, hint. Finally, the vast majority of articles on my web pages come as the result of more than one reader asking the same questions. So get in touch with any questions, corrections, complaints, similar projects, or what-have-you, and we'll be very glad to hear from and to help you if we can. Enjoy your trains. Especially enjoy any time you have with your family in the coming months. Paul Race Hobbycutters.com FamilyGardenTrains.com BigIndoorTrains.com BigChristmasTrains.com CardboardChristmas.com
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