RandKL's
GI Joe Modeling Page
Wooden Dogsleds
This is one project I almost wished we hadn't done, since Hasbro released the Rescue of the Lost Squadron set not long after we finished this one. However, after buying the Hasbro set, I realized once again that Hasbro will never be a competitor to any modeler.
This project will yield you one perfectly 1/6 scale dog sled that you can proudly display alongside your other models. It's not a toy as the Hasbro set is, so the detail possibilities and diorama ideas are endless.
First thing to do is gather the supplies....
- you'll need quite a few 1/4 inch square sticks of basswood (available from your local model or craft shop). We won't be using many that are overly long, so just go for the 24 inch long ones and just one of the 36's to save a buck or two. About six 24 inch long sticks and one 36 inch stick will do fine. You'll also need one 1/4 inch x 1/8 inch x 24 inch stick as well. You *could* use balsa sticks if you prefer, but pick the densest and stiffest ones you can find. Walnut or oak sticks from your local home supply store are perfectly acceptable as well.
- a spool of waxed linen thread/string from your local craft store and a needle for tying knots.
- a couple of dozen or so round toothpicks
- a bottle of cyanoacrylate (you can use white glue if you prefer, but it'll really slow you down).
- two steel food cans (one 4 inch diameter and one 6 inch diameter) for metal supports, runners, and measuring.
- the usual tools....an xacto knife, a razor saw, drill bits, and various grits of sandpaper.
Once you've gathered all your supplies, we get down to the fun part. Cutting stuff!
First thing we'll do is build the deck of the sled. You'll need to cut two lengths of stick to approximately 12-13 inches long. This is one of those projects that always turn out better if it just looks like you built it by hand the same way the real sleds were....and not perfectly matched to any sort of plans. In that manner, all measurements given will be approximations and not definite lengths. You can fit the pieces by hand and your sled will be an original, one of a kind model.
To those deck side rails, we'll glue five cross supports approximately 4 inches long and make the deck as in this pic.
Now we *carefully* notch the wood at the first and third cross supports as in this pic. The enlarged section shows where you notch the wood exactly halfway through.
Next step is to add the vertical supports. These will be notched exactly like the deck and hopefully fit together with it.
You'll need to cut two pieces of stick approximatley 6 inches long, and two pieces that are approximately 4 inches long. All four sticks, cut a notch exactly halfway through that's approximately two inches from one end of the sticks. They'll glue into the notches you cut on the deck and hopefully look like this...
Now comes decision time. You need to decide whether you want curved side rails or straight ones. Both are historically correct, so the choice is yours. Straight ones will be a bit easier to do and save a bit of time....but curved ones look better in my opinion.
Either choice you make, it brings us to the only really difficult part of this entire project....bending the side rails to form the handle.
On the 36 inch length of basswood stick you bought, measure and mark the exact center and approximately 3 inches to both sides of the center. Now with you razor saw, CAREFULLY start cutting slices (filets) approximately 1/4 inch apart that extend approximately halfway through the wood as in this pic....
Start 1/4 inch to one side of the center you marked, and do an equal number of slices on each side of that center mark....one slice on one side then one slice on the other and so on until youve got approximately 3 inches of slices on both sides of the center.
Now boil a pot of water on your stove and lay that sliced section across the pot to steam for a half hour or so. Of course, DON'T leave it unattended as it steams!!!
Once it's steamed to the point that it flexs easily, take your 4 inch diameter food can and GENTLY bend the sliced center section around it into a half circle. The slices you made let it bend easily and keep it from breaking during this step.
Rubberband or tape the bent stick in place around the can and let it dry overnight....then CAREFULLY remove it from the can and even more CAREFULLY glue all those slices you cut.
You want to end up with a solid 4 inch diam bend in the center of the stick and two straight ends.
If you decided to go for straight siderails, then that step is finished....however if you decided on curved siderails, you'll need to steam the wood some more and gently bend both of the straight parts into curves.
One tip here....if you do go for the curved siderails, steam the wood and work with the wood soft....dont let it dry. You can flex and bend the wood as you're working to get your final adjustments.
The next step will be attaching the siderail/handle piece to your sled. You'll do that by positioning it as in the picture below and marking the spots where it intersects the vertical supports. Carefully notch the siderail/handle piece, and the ends of the vertical supports and taper the front ends of the siderail to fit the deck....and glue it into place as in this pic.
Once the siderails/handle piece is completely dry and securely glued into place, you'll need to cut one more 4 inch long cross support and glue it between the joints where the siderails/handle piece meets the rearmost vertical support.
Once it's all glued and dried in place, you can use some medium sandpaper and *GENTLY* round the corners off of the wood/sled so far. Just round the corners off....dont try to make the sticks perfectly round or it'll look like crud!
Once you get all that done so far, we get to the runners.
Do these exactly like you did the siderails/handle....steam the sticks until you can bend them and then tape or rubberband them into place on your 4 inch diameter food can. Cut filets into the wood if you need to.
The runners will butt up against the front corners of the deck, and flat against the bottom ends of the vertical supports as in this pic....and be sure to leave approximately 2 inches of runner sticking out in back of the sled.
You can leave the runners solid wood if you prefer, or you can cut two lengths of steel off the 6 inch diameter food can for a more modern runner. If you decide to add the steel to the runners, just be sure to drill the steel and countersink the holes for craft brads/tacks and GENTLY nail the steel to the wooden runners.
The last step on the runners is to cut a few small pieces of steel can and bend/tack them into place on the bottoms of the vertical supports. The runners are the only place you need metal bracings.
Next, you need to add the brush guard to the front of the sled. Gently bend the 1/4 inch x 1/8 inch stick around your 4 inch diameter food can to shape it and tack it into place on your sled with cyanoacrylate. You probably won't need to bother steaming it since the thinner wood bends easy enough. The brush gaurd fits around the outside of the sled.
Now for the decking itself....you can either tack glue some thin wood "planks" onto the deck frame or you can use your cotton/linen string and weave a netting. Both are accurate so just do whichever you like. I prefer the netting, personally.
Now we get to those couple of dozen round toothpicks you've been chewing on this entire time. Bet you wondered what those were for, didn't you?
Go back over your sled, and EVERY joint that isn't on the runner itself, drill a hole through the wood to match the diameter of your toothpicks. Now break all those toothpicks in half, rub them down good with white glue, and start pushing them through the wood.
If you build wooden sailing ship models, you know them as "treenails"....to the rest of us, they're just ordinary wooden pegs to reinforce the joints.
Once it's all dried thoroughly, trim the toothpicks off and sand it all smooth.
The last step in construction is to take your cotton/linen thread and securely wrap all the joints you just pegged with the toothpicks. Use the needle to hide the thread ends.
The braking board, I'll leave up to you to figure out :)
You can now "weather" the sled in your choice of washes....a good dip or two in some coffee will darken the entire thing quite nicely....
Another frame type you can try your hand at....
