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Posted by Kris Krieger on May 17, 2006, 3:28 pm
> FezHasLotsaToes@gmail.com wrote:
>> We agree wholeheartedly about simplifying the roof. Unfortunately,
>> it's not always an option for clients who are trying to build
>> multi-million dollar homes at all kinds of angles and heights, etc.
>> Assuming that the roof plans themselves can't be changed, can anyone
>> offer any advice?
>
> Trying to build a roof that complicated is a bitch no matter what you
> do. Funny thing is it's just as annoying to frame and roof it in real
> life. This is one of those situations where somebody had better learn
> to cut some corners (off). That roof is guaranteed to leak, no ifs
> ands or buts. It's just a question of when.
>
> In an earlier life I used to be a professional model builder. Using
> materials that are the correct scale thickness will make it easier to
> build such cut up roofing. I primarily used foam core for massing
> models as it's about the easiest to work with and you only have to deal
> with covering the cut edges. Sometimes I'd cover them with matching
> paper stock, and other times I'd use wood trim - that really punches up
> the roof edges, looks great, simple to do, but you don't want to do
> that on the roof surface itself.
>
> You could also use foam and a hot-wire knife, then spray the roof with
> a textured paint to simulate the roofing. That would hide a multitude
> of sins, but you're trading off one thing for another - less precision
> required, but another process.
I was also thinking of foam-core board, but re: cutting, aren't there
inexpensive, hand-held mat cutters that allow you to change the angle of
the cut? I looked on amazon.com, and saw only fixed 45 degree angle
cutters.
But Google revealed this one - cutting angle and depth are adjustable.
It's bloody expensive for a hobbyist - over $1000 - but might be acceptable
for a professional:
http://www.framingsupplies.com/Fletcher/Fletcher2100.htm
This one is cheap, under $25, and is described at being both depth and
angle-adjustable:
http://www.artstuff.net/dexter_mat_cutter.htm $23.95 but I haven't yet
found the shipping info
Amazon.com has what *looks* like ti might be the same thing, $27.99 plus $8
S&H
The thing I'm thinking is that, any time one tries to cut a board-shaped
material so as to make a polygonal shape, the sides have to be angled, or
there will be gaps on top. That's why I was thinking of hte adjustable-
angle mat cutter.
OTOH, I suppose they also could just do 90 degree cuts and then cover the
gabs by gluing narrow strips of paper onto the top (I'm assuming strips are
glued to the bottom to help keep the pieces stable during positioning).
Or, it might be possible to fill in the gaps with some sort of
sealant/caulking.
> You could also build the roof using a darker board. The little black
> gaps between pieces that don't fit so closely really stand out against
> snow white board. I wouldn't go with black or anything really dark,
> but something approximating a normal roof brown would help.
Yup, there are a variety of colors available even in someplace as "mundane"
as Michael's Arts and Crafts - I think it was all 1/4' thick, though. The
white comes in a variety of thicknesses. I haven't looked for it in Texas
Art Supply, so I don't know whether they display a greater range of sizes
and/or colors. But the main point is that there are colors available.
OTOH, an inexpensive air-brush, a bottle of arcylic paint, some distilled
water, and some extender medium would also solve the color problem.
((Always use *distilled* water to thin acrylics, if you intend the object
to last for a decent length of time - the minerals and chemicals in non-
distilled water weaken the chemical bonding of the acrylic and can cause
eventual flaking and peeling.))
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