permutations

I deleted a bunch of the pictures I previously attached to posts because I was at my limit. I uploaded them to my Gallery, instead:

The L-brackets are too bulky. But molding will work - molding along both the ceiling and floor. I'm using quarter round for ceilings and corners, baseboard molding along floors. Once all that is glued in place, it will be solid.

Pole, columns - same idea. I'd like to avoid obstructions in the space if I can. I'm currently looking into L-brackets. I have what I think may be the smallest ones made. I wish they were thinner, but they might not be rigid enough if they were thinner. If I use L-brackets to attach the 2nd story divider to the ceiling and the floor, it will hold up the floor so it can't sag. Problem: 1/8" thick wood is not thick enough to screw brackets (or screws) into - unless they are very short screws. I'd have to glue (or also glue). I hope that would be strong enough. Also, I'd need to figure out how to deal with the bump. The L-brackets are about 1/16" thick.

I made a big mess of the hinges with all the sanding I've been doing to expand the dollhouse and hinge the front. I'm going to take off the windows, paint (gesso, actually), then put the windows back in using linen hinges, which I just bought. They're meant for matting fine art, but they should work perfectly for this. The glue is very strong, the tape is thin fabric and very strong, and it's acid-free.

I was able to move most of the burnt edges with a Dremel sanding wheel on a flex shaft. You can see the burnt edges on the stairs are gone, and most of the burnt edges on the outside trim. The picture with the open front was a test of a divider to support the second story (not a solution - see picture comment for more).

I had the second story divider in the wrong place in the picture above. I've since fixed that. The 1st story ceiling / 2nd story floor needs additional support or it sags. I can't do this with a divider because making the space into 2 mid-size rooms puts the divider between the double windows - no good. I need to run a very rigid material, like a metal bar, across the 1st story ceiling, and drill slots on either side to secure it. I don't know where I'm going to find a metal bar that fits my specifications. The only other way I can think of doing it is to put a pole in the middle of the floor, but that's inelegant. The other structural puzzle is how the two front panels will attach and open. Since the dollhouse wasn't meant to be opened this way, the fit is very tight. It's easier to remove the panels completely than to swing them out on hinges. Maybe that's okay - still thinking about it and tweaking things.

The expansion panels in the main structure are glued in now. Still not roof or back, still need to hinge the front.

I'm making progress on the expansion. I glued in several more expansion panels today. The thinness of the wood makes it prone to bend and warp, so I'm weighting it down with books. The books also support the expanded floors/ceilings on the upper stories while the glue dries. I cut the holes for the two windows in the expansion panel on the front. Anything with white tape is permanently glued. The tape (acid-free artist's tape) reinforces the joins. I'll add the roof back in when the main part of the house is done (structurally).

The problem is removing the kit bannisters when it's already assembled. I can't get a good angle to cut them off. New bannisters also would be hard to put in place, but cutting off the original ones is the harder problem. The second staircase is not assembled (or even cut yet), so that's no problem.

Steps to an attic are usually enclosed between two walls with the bannister (if any) screwed into one side. I can think of three full-size houses with a stairway to attic rooms, and they all look like that. Usually the stairway is narrower, too, but the main stairway in the Rosedale is already quite narrow.

I was thinking about doing something similar. The main thing stopping me is how difficult it would be to cut off the existing bannister with the stairwell already assembled.

The other thing I need to do is make a second stairway. It will be tedious to cut all those little shapes out of basswood, but it's do-able. I've always been ambivalent about the bannister in the Rosedale. It looks fake - too simplistic. But on the other hand, the bannister in the house I used to own looked very much like that. It was made from square, rough-cut wood. Not every bannister has turned posts, etc. Maybe I'm bothered by it because it doesn't match the style of the rest of the house, which is more "turned wood" than rustic.

One of the gadgets I bought at the art supply store this week is a syringe that I'm using for glue (though I think it's meant for paint). It cost $2, and it makes glue application 10x faster with much less waste. The additional panels for the expansion are going up very fast now. After I glue each edge, I reinforce it with artist's tape (acid-free) in the areas that are either going to be gesso'd white or hidden under flooring, siding, or shingles. The expansion panels also support each other. I'm cutting them in a way that helps keep everything together - e.g., avoiding making joins symmetrical, horizontally or vertically, so a join on one side supports the join on the other. If both sides were joined the same way, it would make the addition weak - easily broken off at the seam. I think it will hold fine, and once it's finished (with gesso for the interior, and shingles/siding for the exterior), you won't be able to see the expansion panels at all.

That's beautiful - it's wonderful that your father and you could share that. My father was extremely sexist. He had one son and two daughters, and the only child he really cared about was his son. My brother got 100% of his attention, caring, and pride. He didn't really care what my sister and I did. I ended up not using the Dremel to cut out the window holes. The utility knife was sufficient - I was able to cut a very clean hole.

I also love tools (and also interesting materials), and have a lot of them. I've been building things since I was a kid. I was always getting into my father's workshop - it so fascinated me. My brother was a klutz - I (the girl) was the one who inherited my father's mechanical ability. But my father was a typical sexist man of his time (Mad Men era), and didn't want to teach the girl. He spent time with my brother, showing him how to do things. He never showed me anything - that was for father/son bonding, not father/daughter. So I figured out how to use the tools on my own. I remember I wanted to make a marionette and asked my father for advice on how to create the attachments. He said that what I wanted to do could not be done. But I went ahead and did it, and it worked great. I often used tools and materials in ways other than intended - not what they were made for. Perhaps it helped that no one told me what a tool "should" be used for. After high school, I went to art school and majored in sculpture. A lot of tools are used in sculpture, and that's when I bought many of the tools I still have and use today, 40 years later. I've loved and collected miniatures since I was a small child, but I only started making them recently. That prompted another big outlay for tools - the Dremel with all kinds of attachments, razor saws, tiny clamps, etc. I often buy things without knowing exactly what I will use it for, then at some point it turns out to be exactly what I need. I use those little brass clamps from MicroMark all the time. In fact, I could use more. I have a little box with magnets for cutting perfect right angles that I've used in making mini furniture. Etc.! I am so loving this dollhouse project. Being in the art supply stores reminds me of how I felt about arts and crafts when I was young - before art school ruined it for me. It feels like going back home again, after a long exile. It makes me happy.