The Modeler's Forum

Some time ago I was looking though my computer files when I ran across Brian Nolan's "Ullins Machine Shop." After looking over the photos I thought it would make a nice project. Now I know Deemery (Dave) is also in the middle of his Machine Shop build but his is a kit while mine will be scratch built.

Some personal history:
Quite a few years ago Rick started a thread in the RR-line Forum building a Shop patterned after the one built by Steve Pettit. It started out as a thread that Rick was building but as time went on more and more people jumped in; when the thread was finished it was about 120 pages long.

Being inspired by the thread I decided to have a go at scratch building my first Shop. Needless to say that was a learning build of what to do but more importantly what NOT to do. About the same time Karl Allison was kind enough to give me the link to his build on the SW Forum. I spent hours studying his great work and how he did things realizing I was going about things backwards but I did finish the Shop. Fast forward I made a second Shop and this time I used what I had learned previously so it turned out pretty good. Both Shops had rail coming into it for Loco repair.

Now I thought it would be a fun build to do just a Machine Shop, using Brian's Shop as inspiration, and see what I could come up with. After taking some measurements of my second Shop I sat down and started figuring what exactly I wanted this one to look like and how to go about the construction.

Welcome to Hank's Machine Shop

With this build I'm going to try and give more detail on various techniques I use. First thing was to come up with a size; nothing terribly large but a manageable size to be filled with machines and details. Also I decided to have the horizontal steam engine, boiler, and water tank on the side of the Shop this time around. Any rail will be behind the Shop this time more for deliveries more than anything else.

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To get started I taped a piece of 1/4 inch graph paper to my glass working plate with a sheet of wax paper over top so the glue won't stick to the paper. Like making any building in real life, I started with the bottom and will work my way up. The floor measures 36 x 20 scale feet. The base frame is made up from 8x8's grained where it'll be visible only.

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The floor joists are made from 6x6's grained and colored with chalks, clear alcohol then given a coat of A&I; again only what will be visible. With the floor having to support quite a bit of weight from the various machines I wanted to use a beefier size lumber.

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The floorboards are made from 4x10's grained, colored with chalks and clear alcohol then given a liberal coat of A&I to bring out the grain. Each row was constructed using either 2 or 3 pieces of flooring per row to look more realistic. Each joint received some extra graining on the ends with my plumbers wire brush and yes I did add nail holes throughout. Also I used a darker color for the floor to add some "age" to it.

My goal is to have a Shop that looks used over time but well taken care of. Too many times I've seen shops that look like they're "on their last legs", which is what the builder intended, but I'm sure there were many throughout this Country that were used but well taken care of.

The next task is to elevate the floor to the point where my Ford TT truck can back up to a dock in the front and be even with the truck bed for some modeling variety and for a different look from what I've modeled previously. Come along and join the fun. 

Looks great so far Larry. I'll definitely be following.

Larry, this will be another build to follow along and enjoy.
The base and floor are looking good.

Are you planning belt drive?  Need pulleys?  

dave

Curt and Rick thank you both and for following along.

Dave yes I'll be doing a primary & secondary belt drive. Not sure about
the pulleys yet; however I do have some I have recently acquired but I'll let
you know when I get to that point.

I'm looking forward to what you build. Brian was a good friend. I'm sure he is smiling down.
I'm working on my 1:16 machine shop. Stay tuned.
Mj

Your off to a great start Larry!

Larry it will be fun to watch you go full steam ahead with this build!!
Your off to a good start.

Jerry

Good for you Larry. This type of machine shop is perfect. I like your concept.
If you need any pictures of Brian's Machine Shop that were in Mario Rapinett's
Worldwide Modeling folders, I have many. He once told me to share anything I have with others.
Good luck with this build, I will be following along.

Rich

Mj it'll be nice having you tag along; of course no pressure here I just hope I can
do Brian's memory justice. Looking forward to your 1:16 build btw.

Philip thank you; great to have you along for the ride.

Jerry thank you so much and for joining in.

Rich thanks and for tagging along. I have a little over 30 photos of Brain's build; probably the same ones.
I'll be using his Shop as inspiration while adding my own twist to things just to keep it interesting.

Howdy Larry,

Hank's looks like a fun build.  Great start on the wall.  Looking forward to all those belts.

Have fun,
mike

Mike thanks so much and yes this is going to be a fun one.

Time for a small update:

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Now it's time to elevate the Shop floor. After thinking about different ways to go about the elevation I decided to take advantage of the dementional lumber; that way I would know everything would be the exact same height. With that in mind, and after doing some careful measuring, 2 pieces of scale 12x12 inch lumber would fit the bill. These were cut 2.5 ft in length then 2 stack one on top of the other. All the wood was grained, colored with chalk & clear alcohol along with a liberal coat of A&I. Anything that wouldn't be visible was left as raw wood.

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Here's what it looked like when completed. I also added a few pieces of 1x6's all around the base frame for a little added detail.

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And a "proof of concept" photo. The back of the truck is a little shy of being perfectly level with the dock but that will be fixed when the Shop is glued to the base and scenery material is added.

Next will be to start building the back and 2 side walls. These will be completed both on the interior and exterior as far as finishes are concerned. Thanks for stopping by for a look-see and for all your great comments and/or suggestions.

Great progress Larry. Do I understand that the platform will be mounted flush on your foam with the legs sunk in?

Nice flooring Larry.
Keep up the great work Brian is looking over your shoulder!!

Jerry

Curt thank you. No the base will be mounted on the foam as you see it in the photo. The entire front (about 5 boards back) will be a dock area so trucks can back up to it and unload.

Jerry thank you so much. I thought I could feel a warm breeze on the back of my neck. Lol. If I even come close to Brian's amazing work I'll be a happy boy.

Here we go again ;D  ;D  ;D......another fabulous build by Larry C* ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D I can't wait to see it come to life.....thanx for the inspiration :)  :)  ;D  ;) ............

KYLE CREEL
G&D Ry Co. 

So far so good.

Larry,

Looking back on p.1, you mentioned that the machine shop would be 36' x 20'. OMG that's a
small shop in HO scale! I don't think it would be big enough for me to fit in all of the
machines, with my fat fingers! LOL Keep on with the grind..  ;D

Rich

Kyle thank you so much for stopping by and you're welcome.

Rick thank you.

Rich you're correct the Shop is 36' x 20' BUT the steam engine, boiler, and water tank will be on the side of the building. There will be 4 or 5 machines at the most in the Shop. Also no  rail inside so that space isn't required for the interior. I figure the area for the steam engine, etc will add another 10 - 12 ft to the overall length; hope I explained it so it makes sense.

Quote from: Larry C on October 15, 2025, 06:00:58 PMMy goal is to have a Shop that looks used over time but well taken care of. Too many times I've seen shops that look like they're "on their last legs", which is what the builder intended, but I'm sure there were many throughout this Country that were used but well taken care of.
 

I wholeheartedly endorse that point of view.  I think that there are way too many in model building that seem to try and portray the worst of times, shameless copying a few 'masters' that model that way quite effectively but the tendency is toward conformity and lightly managed originality.

Most good machinists are particular about the cleanliness of their work places as medics...their livings depend on it.

Good start, LarryC

KS 

Karl thank you and your thoughts make a lot of sense. There's a machine shop about five minutes from my house that's been there ever since I can remember; matter of fact my neighbor was a machinist there for years. The outside and the grounds are kept up very nicely so one can only assume the interior looks just as good.

Larry, 

That base won't sag, nice work.  I've struggled with the "road hard and put up wet" look, and like your approach, worn, but clean and working.

Have fun,
mike

Mike thank you so much. I hear you on that one. The "rundown look" does have its place but I've seen too many modelers use that same approach on all their builds. If you're going that route you better do it very well and few do; IMO.

Larry, your pulleys are in the mail....

dave

Thanks Dave; I let you know when they arrive.

IMG_M0007.jpg

When I started this thread I mentioned I wanted to show you how I do certain tasks when modeling so hopefully I don't bore you. To start with I use 2 surfaces when building; this one is plexiglass I use for graining and color the wood while the second is glass I attach the graph paper to and build on.

After deciding on a color to use, I then take the Rembrandt chalk and use the same number of scrapes every couple of inches using a single edged blade. Darker colors I use less scrapes and lighter more depending on the look I want to achieve. After that I take a brush and clear alcohol and work the color into the wood and depending on the look I want to achieve I may or may not add a coat of A&I. This will be the siding and I used 2x10's as 1x10's tend to have "bleed through" and I want to use  different colors on each side.

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The tools I use are very basic. To cut thicker wood I have a brass mitre box and razor saw with a piece of sandpaper beside it to clean up the lumber after the cut. To cut thinner wood, like boards for siding, I use a block of wood. This one has a triple thick masking tape on the left to butt the wood up against and the single layer of tape on the right is the length I want each board to be. If you look closely you'll see it's had a lot of use.

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So now it's time to build my first wall from 6x6's. All the measurements are taken directly from the graph paper. Once the wood is cut it may have the end sanded some to get the exact fit. The top and bottom boards are glued with just a touch on both ends to stick to a piece of waxed paper to hold it place. The rest of the wall is built off that. Once finished and dry I use a thin piece of metal to carefully lift the wall off the paper.

Continuing on:

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The inside of the side walls are built. If you notice the one on the left has the siding extended above the top of the frame. This is done intentionally and gets trimmed off and all four sides get a light sanding so everything is flush and square. One of the side walls actually was built twice. The first time I thought I might have more of a finished wall inside so I built it with interior boards going horizontally. NOPE! Did not like the look at all. To me a Machine Shop should have the beams showing so I removed the boards and rebuilt that one side.

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Obviously this is the back wall and I built it with two window holes to accept windows but still have plenty of wall space. You'll also notice the side walls are windowless for the same reason.

Next the exteriors on the walls will be finished and the windows installed. Going to use two laser cut windows that Jerry gave me, one of which I'll have to assemble, because they look very promising and the look should be great. Thanks for stopping by and as always I appreciate all your comments and/or suggestions.

Some thoughts about machine tool layout in the shop:

I scanned the floor, but you could just draw it onto a piece of paper.  I made cut-outs for the footprints for the candidate machines.  I used these to plan the tool layout, the shaft (drive shaft and aux shaft) locations, where to put the various pulleys on the shafts, shifter and shifter handles, etc.  I spent a fair amount of time on tool and shaft layout design.  In my case, the walls were framed but there was no siding, and the roof was open, which made it MUCH EASIER to do all the belts and connections, etc. 

You should consider if you can build your model by attaching the two ends and the ceiling framing, installing the tools, then adding the 2 side walls after the machines are installed. 

For each machine, you need to figure out the power run. That includes (a) how to turn the machine on and off, (b) the location of the drive pulley/step pulley from the shaft to the tool, (c) if you model it, the belt shifters.  In my case, each machine has its own auxiliary shaft.  The drive shaft/aux shaft pair got either 2 pulleys each, or a wide pulley on one side and a pair of narrower pulleys on the other side.  For the pair(s) in the prototype, one pulley is actually coupled to the shaft, and the other pulley spins free.  When the belt is on the free-spinning pulleys, the tool shaft/tool is not powered.  Then a belt shifter moves the belt between the two drive pulleys (or the drive pulley and wide pulley), or between the two idler pulleys (or idler pulley and wide pulley.)  The belt shifter moves the belt from one set of pulleys to the other.

Then you connect the shaft down to the tool.  If the tool has a cone pulley, you need a cone pulley on the shaft, and of course those are reversed.  (small end on the tool lines up with large end on the shaft.)  In theory, those 2 sets of cone pulleys have to be exactly the same diameter.  (In practice, that's kinda hard to do when you're sourcing machine tool models from different sources.) 

Now on my shop, sometimes the driven/idler pair and the cone pulley were close together.  But sometimes that wasn't convenient, so other times the driven/idler pair are on one end of the aux shaft, and the cone pulley is at the other end.   Needless to say, using an aux shaft means you need a pair of shaft hangers for that, as well as the shaft hangers for the main shaft. 

Some shops had a way to disconnect the steam engine from the drive shaft.  (Not a problem if you're using an electric motor.)  I did not model that. 

If you're going to model machinists, think about the figures and how they're positioned to the tool and maybe to the belt shifter handle if you're modeling that. 

Now attaching the belts, after you've glued the tools into position,  turned out to be more annoying than I thought it would be. I used leather-colored construction paper.  What worked for me was to cut the paper over-length, and add a bend (around a drill bit or rod) to make a U shaped belt.  I marked up and rough-cut the belt length slightly long, and glued it into position on the shaft pulley.  Then I put Deluxe Materials Tacky Glue, which is thinner than the Aileens product.  If you use Aileens, thin it a bit so it's easier to apply to the tool pulley.  Test fit, trim and then glue the belt to the back side of the tool pulley, and do the same for the front side, wrapping that piece around the bottom of the pulley.  I left a gap in the back bottom of the tool pulley where it's least visible. I used decal scissors (or use embroidery scissors to cut the paper, you need something thin that cuts precisely.  Besides the embroidery scissors, I used tweezers and a needle in a dowel to position the belts.  It might be worth creating a testbed to practice attaching belts to pulleys.

The Iron Jonsey videos are the best set of 'what's going on here?' videos, particularly this one that shows the belts and belt shifting:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=730XhT4B0H0 

I hope these notes help!

dave

Looking great! I would like to say the piers longivity may be short ;)

T.jpg

Philip

Dave thank you so much for the notes and the link. I've read them over bit & will read a few more times. I usually use 2 different sets of tweezers and a skewer stick to help position/hold the belts. Being O scale I use Tyvek, USPS envelope, cut to size then painted with Raw Sienna craft paint. I do have belt shifters that I'm going to attempt to include in the build. For me doing a belt line I take my time and plan things out beforehand. Of course I'm a long ways from that as I still need to order a few machines yet.

Philip thank you and great cartoon.

Sorry man couldn't resist.  ;)

Philip

Larry the walls are looking good and so is the color.

Jerry

Nice job on the walls and also the coloring.

Philip I thought the cartoon was funny.

Jerry and Curt thank you both so much.

Larry, the walls look good.

Howdy Larry,

The walls look very good.  Thanks for the chronicle of your building process.  I garnered a few ideas from it.

Have fun,
mike

Rick thank you.

Mike thanks and that was my intention to maybe help or give someone else modeling ideas.

Larry,

Just came across this thread. Not sure how I missed it but I'm here now.

I love the interior walls, very well done and the old brown color seems to fit an older building's interior.

Looking forward to it coming together. Oh yea, I forgot, great job on the decking as well.

Tom

Quote from: Larry C on October 20, 2025, 11:48:48 AMRick thank you.

Mike thanks and that was my intention to maybe help or give someone else modeling ideas.

Doing a detailed machine shop is quite an undertaking!  The more experience we can share about how to do it (or not do it...  ;D ), the better others will be prepared to decide if they want to take on this challenge.   And of course, lessons learned on things like 'attaching belts to pulleys' could well be used for other modeling problems.  

dave

Tom thank you and glad to have you along for the adventure.

Dave I couldn't agree with you more, building a Machine Shop is a challenge but hey that's half the fun.
Almost as challenging as building a Saw Mill.

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After figuring out most of the details and making templates for the machines I wanted to include I realized things were going to be a lot tighter than I would like. The solution was to add another 8 ft. to the length of the Shop but still leave the steam engine, boiler, and water tank on the side of the building. In order to keep the windows centered on the back wall I added 4 ft to each end instead all 8 ft. at one end.

IMG_M0011.jpg

So now here's what the inside of the Shop looks like after the addition. I realized if I was going to make the Shop interior bigger now was the time to do it. There is a line where the flooring butts up against to original one but between all the details, machines, etc. the eye will be too busy to be looking at the flooring; at least that's my hope. Also the ladder, if you notice is taller than the left side wall. This is so it goes into the rafters when I get to that point. I grabbed my SW template from the Wood Cutters Shack and made it twice as long as the template called for.

IMG_M0014.jpg

This is the outside of the back wall and I decided to go with a green color for the exterior with a coat of A&I added to bring out the grain. The 2 widows are laser cut that Jerry gave me and they finished off really nicely and painted a coffee color from a rattle can. I like the effect of the chalks making the outside look worn but still in good shape.

IMG_M0015.jpg

I decided to go with a different look for the outside of the end walls so I used some large cut stone sheets from Cooch Enterprises then added some 4x10 boards on each end to cover up the edges of the stones. The gable ends will be green boards to give some contrast.

This is where I'm at for the moment so now it'll be details time and populate the walls before the they are glued to the floor; a process that's definitely going to take quite a bit of time so I get things just the way I want them before any machines are in place. Thanks for stopping by and for leaving all your great comments and also for your suggestions which are helping a lot.

Larry nice coloring on the outside walls.
I see you didn't have a problem with the windows they came out nice!

I like the stonewall good contrast to the rest of the building.

Jerry

Howdy Larry,

The shop is looking great.  I like the colors inside and out.  The wall studs look perfect. It's a good idea to add details to the walls before they are assembled, IMHO.

Have fun,
mike

Outstanding Larry.

Jerry thank you. The windows were easy to make and I love the look. I thought the stone walls would be nice for something different for a change.

Mike thanks. The first machine shop I made I added the wall stuff after they were glued in place. That was one of those things NOT to do and it's sooo much easier to do the walls first and IMHO they look better when finished.

Curt thank you so much.

Larry, the inside and outside of the walls look good.
Congratulations on your latest order from SW.
Good that you found out you needed more room before you got too far.

Rick thank you so much. I'm looking forward to the new lathe I only wished he had different machines available. When I realized things would be too tight I knew I had to make a decision now on expanding the shop.

Larry,

A bigger shop is great, but where's the toilet?  ;)
Do they really have to go outside?? :o

Rich

Looking great Larry!

Rich thanks. Haven't gotten that far yet but I hear Hank is "old school" so I'm sure an "outhouse" will show up at some point.

Philip thanks; taking my time so I get it right.

Very nice Larry, I will be following along.

Gary thank you and thanks for stopping by; nice to have you following along.

Did you get the box of pulley parts?

dave

Yes I did. Thanks.

For the next several posts I'll be covering details, details, and more details:

IMG_M0016.jpg

So this is the process I generally use when painting details. I have 2 paint stirrer sticks I use to hold the details so I can get at all the different angles. While some modelers drill holes into the details and place skewer sticks into them I much prefer to use masking tape to hold them in place. Also I find using a primer first helps the chalks/paint adhere better. Usually I use a grey primer so the colors show up better but black, which makes the colors darker, does have its place.

IMG_M0017.jpg

This is the front of the finished product. This particular item required about 2 hours to complete. Usually I start with the most predominant color, in this case brown for the cabinet, and do all of that inside and out on the piece. Then I go through and paint the fine details one at a time using various colors. Lastly I go back through and do any required touchups. This is a process I really enjoy but it's still a process and takes painstaking time.

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Here is a side shot showing the details on the outside of the cabinet.

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And.....the other side.

So what's next? Yup you guessed it....many more details to paint. After that's finished then I'll start detailing the walls themselves before gluing them in place. Thanks for stopping by and for your support, comments, and/or all your great suggestions so stay tuned.

Very nice Larry.  Great choice of colors.

Jerry

That is outstanding Larry.

Larry,

This is one project I put off. I like building structures, but the details?? No.
Although it has to be done or the buildings look naked!  And we wouldn't want that. Noooo.

Rich

Jerry, Curt, and Rich thank you all so much.

Rich that's interesting how you view details; for me it's something I really enjoy doing and I like seeing a structure come to life.

Great job Larry, always said it's in the details and this is outstanding.

Gary thank you; appreciate your comments.

Cool man! 8)

Looking good.

Philip and Rick thank you both.

Larry,

Very well done. I'm sure Hank is very proud of the large new shop.

Tom

Tom thank you; appreciate it.

I really like the shelf with the cans and such. I always struggle with what colors to choose.
Great tutorial.
MJinTN

Larry, Larry, Larry;

I step away for a few days, and WHAM :o you're off and running... ;D  ;D this whole thing is looking so damn great I don't know where to begin..... ::) I know, let's start with the modeler......you're so talented my man....I just get the 'Willie Nelsons' (well I gotta get drunk) :o  :o  :o  all over when I see your fine work..... ;)  ;)  ;) It all looks incredible Larry.......keep it up...... 8)  8)  8)

KYLE CREEL
G&D Ry Co.

Mj thank you so much. As far as colors I try and mix them up and not have 2 of the same cooker next to each other. Glad you liked the tutorial.

Kyle you're too kind. Thanks for the very nice comments; they're appreciated.

Howdy Larry,

Nice work on the details.  They look great.  I hope they will be viewable in the shop.

Have fun,
mike

Thank you Mike. They should be viewable with what I have planned for the Shop build.

Here we go.....more details:

IMG_M0020.jpg

Moving along this one was a quickie, compared with the previous ones. Just a simple closed cabinet colored with chalks, clear alcohol, then given a liberal coat of A&I to bring out the grain in the wood.The hinges and knob were painted with gun metal. The pair of boots on top of the cabinet are from SW that I had in the parts bin; I think they belong to Jerry.

IMG_M0021.jpg

This is another shelving unit that will go on the righthand side of the Shop and was colored the same way as the previous one.This one was about a 2.5 hour project when all said and done.

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Here's the side with all the nice molded-in details; this side will face the front of the Shop so it can be easily seen. Next will be more of the same.....details. Also I should have the lathe from Sierra West tomorrow (Monday) so that will get added to the to-do list; and no NOT the honey-do list. Thanks for checking in for a peek and for all your great comments and/or your suggestions as well.

Larry,

"This one was about a 2.5 hour project when all said and done". Huh?
I think I waste more time than that just looking for my details, and
when I finally find them, then my 2.5 hour time begins... Oh well!
Nice painting and colors used on yours.
Rich

Excellent looking details Larry. Very well done.

Rich and Curt thank you both so much.

Yup you guessed it.....more details:

IMG_M0023.jpg

This is a little "make shift" bench sitting on top of two stacks of wood blocks. Theses were a few of the details that I acquired from Jerry awhile back; may as well put them to good use. The box of metal parts and a couple of other metal parts on the bench were colored with gun metal paint. Everything thing else was colored with chalks and clear alcohol. The bench was weathered with black powder.

IMG_M0024.jpg

Another view of the same bench.

IMG_M0025.jpg

Her's a wooden barrel with more metal parts inside and an old washtub with even more metal parts. Theses were colored in the same fashion as the bench.

IMG_M0026.jpg

So if you put all the details together you have what the left hand side and back corner will look like; of course nothing is glue in place until after the walls are detailed. I needed something for the corner so I went through the parts boxes and came up with a 50 gal. drum and a few 25 gallon ones to help fill the corner and another small drum with a propane tank sitting on top. Added a broom, have to be somewhat neat in the Shop, as well as a trash can filled with discarded metal parts.

Now it's onto details for the right hand and the back floor areas before starting on the actual walls themselves. I already have the four machines and they will come later but they do fit to give me the look I'm going after. Thank you for following along and for all your great comments and/or suggestions. Stay tuned.

They look great. You should come here and paint mine!

Good stuff!
Devils in the details!
 ;D
MJinTN

New details look very good!

Larry a great job on those details!!

Jerry

Curt, Mj, Rick, and Jerry thank you guys for your kind comments.

Curt not sure if I could even do HO sized details; those are really small.

Goodness Gracious :o  ;D Larry C*,.....where to begin ::) OK......IT ALL LOOKS SOOO DANG GREAT!!! ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D.....how 'bout this :o ....I'll trade you 90% of my backdrop skills (I still have to finish my backdrop) ;D  for 1% of your 'details' skill??? :o  :o;....I love your work my man........... ;)  8)  8)  8)  8)

KYLE CREEL
G&D Ry Co.

Kyle thank you for your kind comments; they are really appreciated. The swap sounds good to me.

Great progress!

Philip thanks; much appreciated.

Did somebody say details?

IMG_M0027.jpg

A couple more details colored then weathered with just a hint of rust to kick back the gun metal paint on the metal items.

IMG_M0028.jpg

Here's a couple more small details. The metal old wash tub was colored to look like an old tub. Had scale coal left over from the Blacksmith's Shop so that was added. The barrel has a wooden box on top with a wrench inside. The barrel had the bands colored with a black pencil so they'd show up better.

IMG_M0029.jpg

This is a large parts bin from Rusty Rail. This one gave me fits. First I had to sand the crap out of the back to get it to sit properly. Then the cabinet was colored using chalks and clear alcohol. After that the little metal details inside were painted with gun metal. When dried the entire cabinet was weathered with chalks.

IMG_M0030.jpg

This is where the cabinet sits at the moment but that may change. Also the cement pad, which will have a potbellied stove on top, was cut from picture framing mat and spray painted grey. One thing I neglected to mention is the "glass" in the windows is acetate sprayed with a cheap hairspray to look dirty. So this is where I'm at for the moment. As always thanks for stopping by for a peek and for all your great comments and/or suggestions; stay tuned.

Howdy Larry,

Nice work on the details.  The colors and placement look great. 

BTW, the images in your last post didn't load.

Have fun,
mike

Mike thank you so much and I'll check into the previous post concerning the photos.

More great looking details.

Larry nice jobon those details.  The coloring and weathering is great!!

Jerry

Larry, nice job painting those details.
We all know you can't have too many details.
I can see the photos in your previous post.

Larry, I don't think anyone would say you have too many details.
They all look great the way you chose the colors. I find it difficult
as to placement, but it appears you have that mastered.

Rich

Curt thank you.

Jerry thanks a bunch.

Rick thank you and for letting me know about the photos in my previous post.

Rich thanks. I usually finish off the details I want then move them around to different locations a few times before I settle on their permanent home.

Ok, if you can stand some more details these are the last of the major ones for the Shop:

IMG_M0031.jpg

I had mentioned previously using a paint stirrer stick to tape the details to for ease of coloring and/or painting; this to me works the best without drilling unnecessary hole in the details. This is the top portion to a workbench from Rusty Rail.

IMG_M0032.jpg

So here's the finished bench. It came in 2 pieces, the bottom and the top, so it was much easier to color. While the quality isn't quite as good as SW's it came out pretty well and it will be against the back wall behind all the machines.

IMG_M0033.jpg

Here's another angle of the same bench. This project consumed about three hours to get it the way I wanted it with lots of "touchups" along the way. Before it gets glued in place I'll probably add some more weathering just to tone down the colors a little and get the look I want.

Now it's onto detailing the walls before they get glued into place to make my life easier. As always thanks for stopping by and for all your great comments and/or suggestions; they really do keep me going so stay tuned.

Larry C*,.....I'm plumb dumfounded :o  :o  :o  :o  :o!!!!!

"Wowsah, wowsah, wowsah ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D step right up folks; witness this 'beauteeful woik'........'and for only ah dollah'" :o  :o  :o  :o  ::).....gotcha!!!!! ;D  ;D  ;D  ;D .......sooooo cool.... 8)  8)  8)  8)  8)  8) ................

KYLE CREEL
G&D Ry Co.

Outstanding Larry. I have several similar pieces and am scratching my head about how not to get brown over everything.

Kyle thank you so much for your kind comments.

Curt thank you, much appreciated. If you're doing like a workbench start with the predominant color, let's say brown, and color the entire piece. Don't worry if you get the paint on the other things at this point. When you're satisfied with the look then take a fine brush and start picking out all the individual details. If you happen to get the paint on the wrong thing you can go back and touch it up. I went back 3 or 4 times doing touchups when I did the work bench. Take your time and don't get frustrated with it. I personally prefer using Rembrandt soft chalks and clear alcohol, I only used gun metal paint, but that's just me. They're available through "Blick.com" and about $4.95 for one full individual stick but I think they're well worth the $$ and they last quite awhile. Hope this helps and if you have any questions please don't be afraid to ask.

Thanks Larry. That's what I'll do. ;D

That's another fine addition to your model.

Larry,

Outstanding work on all of your details.
I too, like using the Rembrandt chalks and Alcohol.
It gives such a fine patina to the wood items in a real natural way.
They look more subtle and subdued using that medium rather than acrylic paints. IMHO

Rich

Rick thank you; much appreciated.

Rich thanks and I couldn't agree with you more on the chalks and alcohol. I especially like the fact you can add as much or as little as you want to get the desired effect you going after.

Looks pretty good for rusty rails. Better wear steel toes in that shop. Sitting kinda precariously on that drum.

Philip thank you. I do have a solution to the uneven drum as a another feature; stay tuned.

Larry great job on that last piece!!

J

Howdy Larry,

Those details are fantastic.  Nice work.

Have fun,
mike

Jerry and Mike thank you both.

Time for wall detailing:

IMG_M0034.jpg

Started with the left wall first with detailing. I did leave some space between the front and the cabinet so I can build a front piece when I get to that point. Didn't go too nuts on this wall since there is quite a bit of details on the floor. Added a couple of signs and a couple lengths of chain hanging off the wall, I used HO scale track nails to hang the chains on to make it look more realistic.The parts bin I decided to move to the back left corner just because it looks better in that position rather than the right wall.

IMG_M0035.jpg

A couple more signs and a bunch of small details either on shelves or hanging off the wall. The window glass is acetate sprayed with cheap hairspray to look dirty. Along with the large "monkey wrench" are a couple coils of cable made from florists wire wound around a pencil then squashed to add more length.

IMG_M0037.jpg

I felt like I needed something in front of the main workbench so I colored up 2 resin blocks  and gave both a coat of A&I to look like wooden blocks.

IMG_M0036.jpg

Here's the back right corner. I decided that would be a good place to have a pinup of my girl for the fellers to look at during the day. The grey concrete slag was made from a piece of photo mounting board spray painted; this is where the potbellied stove will sit once it arrives from Berkshire Valley.

This is where I'm at for the moment. Both walls, and associated floor details, have been glued in place. Next will be to detail and finish the final righthand wall before moving to the machines. As always thanks for stopping by and for all your great comments and/or suggestions; they really help so stay tuned.

When I'm in your area, I'd love to see it up close Larry.

Dave Buchholz
Rochester NY

Wow, looks like an actual work site Larry.

That's looking Very Good.  But you need to weather/dirty the floor.  All the photos I've seen of machine shops show dirt, stains, etc, particularly around the walls and stuff on the floor.  You can do that easily with alcohol & ink wash to start, and then maybe add some pigments to get more dust/dirt.

dave

Howdy Larry,

I hope those walls are well braced.  All those details might pull it over... ;D  Nice work as always.

Have fun,
mike

Dave we may be able to arrange that sometime.

Curt you're too kind, thank you.

Dave I was waiting for someone to point the floors out. I'll probably do that after the last wall is completed and before I add the machines.

Mike thank you; your comments are appreciated.

Larry your detail are really adding to the scene.  Great work!

Jerry

Jerry thank you so much.

Just put of curiosity. How many hours do you think you have into this project?

Larry, I think this is your best detailing a scene yet.
Very well done.

Dave that's hard to say; an hour here a couple hours there. Probably somewhere around 20 hours so far.

Rick thank you; appreciate the comments.

Very nice work on all of your details Larry.
That parts bin I bet was a bugger to paint with all of those parts in it.
And all of the rest of the details look really good too. I'll bet that pin-up
will either keep the men from working or they might get hurt staring at it all
day not paying attention to their work. I could have sworn the hoses were solder,
until I went back to re-read, excellent modeling.

Rich

Rich thank you for your nice comments and yes that tall parts bin was something for sure. I use Florists wire for all sorts of things since it's strong, easy to cut, and manipulate; and yes I even use it for welding hoses.

Larry,

I love that machine shop. Fantastic interior detailing as well. I'm assuming you will "muck up" the floor. Can't have a clean machine shop.

Also, looking forward to the addition of the machines.

Tom

Tom thank you for your kind comments. Yes the floor will be dirtied up some soon; then even more after the machines are built and glued in place.

Moving right along:

IMG_M0038.jpg

This is the right side wall which is the last one to be detailed. Didn't go too nuts since it's a short wall. Added a couple of signs, the storage shelves along with a 55 gal. drum and three 25 gal. ones added to the grouping. The two pulleys are some that I acquired from Dave which are blacked, buffed, and held in place by a couple of HO track nails.

IMG_M045.jpg

Here's the same corner completely finished off. Added a pot-bellied stove from Berkshire Valley spray painted flat black then weathered with a little rust around the "fire pot" as well as grey chalks overall. Also added just a hint of rust on the stove pipe. Made the cement slab dirty with coal dust and some coal spilt on the floor and beside the coal bin. I did add a coffee pot on top of the stove; the boys need their coffee while they drool over the pinup.

IMG_M0045.jpg

Since I've had a couple of comments on the clean floor I followed Dave's suggestion and went all around the walls and details with A&I to show dirt collecting. Also went over the entire floor with black chalks sparingly to add some dirt areas; I may hit it with some dark brown yet.

Next will be onto the machines themselves although I'm still not 100% sure what they'll all be yet with the exception of a 24 inch lathe from SW. Probably about 4 total so I have some LP wiggle room. As always thanks for stopping by and for all those great comments and/or suggestions; they really do help.

Yeah, the floor looks better.  You could do pigments around the base of the machines, dark grey would be good.  And once the machines are located, you could add some 'oil spills' by small amounts of gloss varnish over dark grey puddles.

dave

Outstanding detailing Larry.

It's all looking very good.

Looks great Larry!

Jerry

Dave thank you and yes the floor is coming along. Usually when I want to do oil spills I use 3in1 light oil, just a drop, blot off the excess then drop some black weathering powder on top and hit it lightly with a brush; seems to work pretty well.

Curt, Rick, and Jerry thank you all so much.

Howdy Larry, the stove, coffee pot, base, and exhaust pipe look great.  Good luck with the machine choice and placement.  ...and have fun, mike

Well...I am amazed again! It looks like you have over $200 worth of details here,
plus the countless hours of painting them. There's no wonder why these dioramas
sell for big bucks. But should you not sell it, you can sit back and be happy
about how you masterfully accomplished what you set out to do. And, it looks fabulous!

Rich

Mike thank you so much and I'll have the machines figured out soon.

Rich you're too kind but thank you. Yes details can add up quick when doing a project but thankfully most everything I had on hand already. I couldn't imagine anyone actually giving me $$ for a diorama which is ok since I don't plan on selling it anyways. Some day when I can't do this sort of thing anymore I can sit back and look at it remembering the fond memories I had building it.

Quote from: Larry C on November 11, 2025, 07:56:19 AMDave thank you and yes the floor is coming along. Usually when I want to do oil spills I use 3in1 light oil, just a drop, blot off the excess then drop some black weathering powder on top and hit it lightly with a brush; seems to work pretty well.

Curt, Rick, and Jerry thank you all so much.

I'll have to try that, there's a couple places on my Machine Shop that could use a bit more oil staining.

dave

Nice shop!

Philip thank you.

Did somebody say "machine time?"

IMG_M0039.jpg

The milling machine is the first up. This is a Crow River product which needed some filing and drilling but not too bad. Assembly was straight forward and the kit went together well. Most of the machines I decided to go with a blue-grey color to get away from the usual green. Unfortunately the blue-grey didn't cover very well so I went with the green instead. The premise is Hank bought this "gently used" and hasn't gotten around to change the color; that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Since this is a used unit I added a little rust here and there. The belt is made from Tyvek (USPS envelope) painted with raw Sienna craft paint.

This is the other side:

IMG_0041.jpg

And the end:

IMG_M0040.jpg

The next machine in the crosshairs will be a drill press which hopefully I can make the blue-grey color I'd like just for a change from the norm followed by other modelers. As always thanks for stopping by and all those great comments and/or suggestions so stay tuned.

Very nice job on the milling machine.

Nice job Larry!

Jerry

Curt and Jerry thank you both; your comments are appreciated.

Looking good Larry.
Only thing I'd change is the rust on the gear teeth.
Those parts would stay rust free from use.

Howdy Larry, 

Ah!  8)

Rick thanks and for the suggestion. I did remove most of the rust on the gears and it does look much better.

Mike thank you. I'm trying to stay away from the green since I see it so much in other  Shops; I like to be different than everyone else.

Philip thanks.

Machine # 2:

IMG_M0042.jpg

The drill press is another Crow River product which required much the same prep work as the Milling Machine. The piece was primed with a grey primer and I was able to get the blue-grey color I wanted. The belt is made from Tyvek and painted with raw Sienna craft paint. Also added some metal filings to the drilling plate and more will be added around the drill once it's permanently glued in place.



Here's the other side

IMG_M0044.jpg

Now that I have the "well used look" I want the challenge is going to be making the lathe look the same as both completed machines.

IMG_M0043.jpg

Lastly here's looking at the front of the machine that the LP will see. Next will be assembling the 24 inch lathe. That should be interesting since everything is 3D printed and some of the details look quite fragile. I'm thinking the lathe will go in the front of the Shop and the drill press will be in back of it on a secondary belt line. Also I did order a pedestal grinder and a shop blower from Wiseman I would like to incorporate into the second line.

That's about it for now. As always thanks for stopping by and for all those great comments and/or suggestions.

How did you attach the belts?  That was a challenge on my (HO) machine shop.

dave

Dave I use a glue called "Rapid Fuse" by DAP which can be purchased at hardware stores. It's supposed to glue any material together in 30 seconds and takes a couple of hours to fully cure. It's a little pricey but I use it for most non-wood material and it works pretty well. I use it on white metal and also 3D printed parts of resin. Also I try and put the joints of the belt where it won't show.

I'll have to look for that stuff next time I'm at a hardware store.

dave

Awesome machine Larry. Does crow river do HO? Thanks for the glue tip. Next trip to ACE I'll be looking for it.

Quote from: PRR Modeler on November 15, 2025, 03:19:57 PMAwesome machine Larry. Does crow river do HO? Thanks for the glue tip. Next trip to ACE I'll be looking for it.

They do some stuff in HO, and it's very nice.  But their belt drive kit is a bit too big, particularly shaft diameter, for HO.  They've recently done a steam engine in HO  https://www.crowriverproducts.com/product_info.php?products_id=68&osCsid=q88vgn3q5uenn9pqtft3qup646

dave

Curt thanks. Like Dave mentioned they do HO as well, although I've never looked at the items. Their O scale items are well made but do require some prep work being pewter/white metal but the prices are reasonable and their service is quite good.

Quote from: Larry C on November 15, 2025, 01:19:08 PMDave I use a glue called "Rapid Fuse" by DAP which can be purchased at hardware stores. It's supposed to glue any material together in 30 seconds and takes a couple of hours to fully cure. It's a little pricey but I use it for most non-wood material and it works pretty well. I use it on white metal and also 3D printed parts of resin. Also I try and put the joints of the belt where it won't show.

I recently used some of the DAP Rapid Fuse Super Glue to assemble some pieces of a large hand blown glass lamp shade the Doll had, it works well.  I then used it a couple of other places and finally became careless with it and found out that it also glues the 2 pieces of the top together quite firmly, QUITE.  Beware that there is another product that hangs from the next pin over DAP RAPIDFUSE Ultra Clear.  It has a top similar looking to the old Standard Oil Crown.  It is really decent, but...takes 30 minutes or more to set up.  A real time killer with the glass project. 

Looks good Larry.
Shop is starting to fill up nicely.

Howdy Larry, two thumbs up on the milling machine.  Excellent work!  Have fun, mike

Karl I've had the same problem with the top glueing itself down but if you keep the nozzle really clean, and don't screw the top down too tightly, I've had good luck with it.

Rick thank you.Slowly but surely it's coming along.

Mike thank you for your kind comments.

Here's another machine:

IMG_M0047.jpg

This is a 24 inch engine lathe from Sierra West. Everything is 3D printed and comes in 8 separate pieces. What I decided to do was prime all the pieces with grey primer, color with blue-grey chalk and clear alcohol then after everything dried it was assembled. The metal color was dry brushed with gun metal paint which took longer but the end result looked much better than applying the paint in one coat. Probably the trickiest part to painting the metal color was to get the threaded rod in the front to look right.

The other side:

IMG_M0048.jpg

And the end:

IMG_M0049.jpg

While the lathe has fantastic detail some of the pieces are extremely delicate. A word of advice; if you decide to build one of these for yourself take your time using tweezers, toothpicks, and ONLY use enough pressure holding the glued parts in place until the glue sets. Now the challenge was to make this machine look "well used" like the Milling Machine and Drill Press. To that end I went over the entire machine with a dusting of black chalk used sparingly.

IMG_M0046.jpg

Before any of the machines are glued in place I added some brown chalk to the entire floor and blended it in with a soft brush; now I'm happy with the "dirty level". I have a pedestal grinder coming from Wiseman which should complete the machines I want to use inside the Shop when it arrives. While I'm waiting for the grinder I'll be starting to figure out how I want the belt lines to go and also how much detail I want to put into them. As always thanks for stopping by and for all the great comments and/or suggestions.

Larry thanks you for the glue suggestion. I got a tube yesterday and used it today on several items. It sticks well, is easier to use, and doesn't leave a mess like epoxy.

Curt you're welcome; glad I could share some of my knowledge. Word of caution make sure you keep the tip clean or the top will get glued to it.

Howdy Larry,

The lathe looks great.  The color is spot on.  I like grey machines, and the chalk did the trick.  Your work is making me want to add a mill.  I have the Mill Boiler kit...but where would I put it on the layout?

Have fun,
mike

Mike thank you so much; that was a fun kit to build. Do I smell a future expansion coming up?

I can tell you're having fun by the way you're knocking out the machines one after the other.
Looks good.

Good stuff Larry!
Have you ever tried the AK interactive dark steel powder?
Makes almost anything look like polished steel (even your fingers!)

I highly recommend it
MJinTN

Rick thank you and yes this project is very enjoyable.

Mj I have never tried that but I'll have to look into it; sounds interesting....thanks.

Very well done Larry!!

Jerry

 Looking good Larry

Jerry and Philip thank you both, your comments are appreciated.

I have learned that a silver magic marker also contains no metal flakes.

The mig stuff looks worthy also.

Philip thanks for the tip....pun intended.

Couldn't resist! ;D thumbs up.jpg

Funny that!

The shop is looking really nice now Larry, with the addition of each piece of machinery and multiple details.
In fact, you are giving me inspiration to want to build something similar. Thank you for the tips.

Rich

Rich thank you for your kind words. Glad I could help to get your juices flowing.

Now for the final machine:

IMG_M0051.jpg

This is a pedestal grinder I bought from Wiseman which arrived a couple days ago. Now I'm not sure if he changed the white metal material or what but this small machine gave me "fits" trying to glue it together. I use a very good glue that's guaranteed to glue anything to anything....nope didn't work. Finally I filed the areas that needed to be glued together until they were shiny; they were dull prior to filing. Then the glue decided to stick.

IMG_M0052.jpg

Here's a little different angle. After assembly, and the glue was dry, the whole thing was spray painted with a grey primer. After that was cured the entire grinder was finished with blue-grey chalks and clear alcohol then it received a dusting of black chalk for weathering. Also the grinding stones were painted with grey paint with a touch of black added for more of a stone color.

IMG_M0050.jpg

So now I have to add the belt lines and these are the hangers I'll be using. I really like these, and have used on every shop.There is ample distance between the rod and the wood to allow for larger pulleys to be used. Theses were spray painted with a flat black primer.

Obviously the next step is to add the belt lines. The secondary will be short and will run the drill press and the grinder. The primary will have the lathe as well as the milling machine and will extend through the right wall so the steam engine, boiler, and water tank can be outside the shop; at least that's the plan.

Thanks for stopping by and for all your great comments and/or suggestions; they are appreciated and really do help.

The grinder looks great Larry.

Larry,

I miss a week and I see you've been very busy in the machine shop. The machine tools look fantastic, very well done.

Keep up the wonderful modeling.

Tom

Curt thank you; that was a tough one to assemble.

Tom thank you for the kind comments; much appreciated.

Nice looking grinder and hope the belt drive install goes well.

Rick thanks. Hopefully the belt install will go fine. I'm using a narrow pulley on the line to accept the narrow belt coming off the grinder; at least that's the plan.

Howdy Larry, 

The pedestal grinder looks terrific.  Sorry you had glue difficulties.  I had the same with the metal fire truck.  What I learned was that glue doesn't like to stick to paint.  The most important thing I learned was to clean the part really well in the ultrasonic bath. You may have done all those things, and the glue still didn't stick.  In that case, it was probably sun spots that caused it...

Have fun,
mike

Mike thank you. Since I don't have one of those cleaners I can't comment. I think whatever the dull finish was, was the culprit. As soon as I filed the gluing areas shinny then the glue bonded well; I'll need to remember that for future reference.

I missed this one Larry.  Very well done.

Jerry

Mike thanks for the ultrasonic bath tip.
I seem to always forget about about the rule #1 "clean it"

I also agree about needing to remove the oxidized patina from metal parts. It gives a better surface for the clue to attach to. Wouldn't surprise if the scratching aspect of filing or sanding increases the bondable surface area as well.

Once again something I'm guilty of not always remembering to do.(Next to never)

Fifth Dave to the right

Yup that sounds about right Dave; I'm as guilty of not cleaning the parts as the next guy; live and learn.

I have a jar of water, vinegar and dishwasher soap that I drop castings into.  The idea is to clean and lightly etch the castings.  After they soak for an hour, I rinse thoroughly and let dry.  It seems to work.

But the best stuff to clean castings is Super Clean.  I keep a 10% solution of that stuff in a bottle, pour it into a container when I need to really clean something.  When done, I pour the solution back into the bottle, and wash off the part.

dave

Very interesing! I have always wanted an ultrasonic cleaner. 8)

Sometime I use a cheap air eraser from Harbor Freight with baking soda on metal figures. It really makes the paint stick and make the parting line and imperfections dissapear.

Guys it always amazes me the different approaches  used by different modelers; I think that's what keep this hobby so interesting.

Deemery(Dave) I have a Shop question: when using a cone pulley on an overhead line does the "belt changer" need another pulley or does it simply move the belt along the cone until it no longer powers the machine. Thanks in advance.

Quote from: Larry C on November 24, 2025, 05:45:53 PMGuys it always amazes me the different approaches  used by different modelers; I think that's what keep this hobby so interesting.

Deemery(Dave) I have a Shop question: when using a cone pulley on an overhead line does the "belt changer" need another pulley or does it simply move the belt along the cone until it no longer powers the machine. Thanks in advance.

I think you need a separate pulley set to connect/disconnect the cones.  The way I did it was to put the cone and shifter pulleys (one driven, one idler) on a separate shaft.  On this note that the main shaft pulley is a "double-width", so it will keep the belt parallel to either the driven pulley or the adjacent idler pulley.
IMG_1019.jpeg

I think the other way this is done is to have some sort of clutch between the driven pulley and the cone pulley. 

(Note the tweezers on the bottom right, those are used to hold the bottom of the belt into position while the glue cures....  The pieces of tape on the floor remind me where the doors are, so I don't put any machines or tables in front of the doors.)

dave

Dave thank you. I wanted to make sure before I get too far along on the primary belt line.

Prototype photo, I think this is from the Iron_Jonsey videos on YouTube.  Those are VERY MUCH worth watching if you want to see 19th century machine tools used to repair 19th century machine tools.  Belt-driven shop (but an electric motor rather than steam engine.)
Screenshot 2025-06-30 at 18.05.58.jpeg
You can also see how the far pulley is (more than) twice the width of the belt.  That belt is roughly the same size as the two pulleys in the front right (driven and idler.)

dave

Just to confuse y'all
The live and dead pulleys are what make the machine operate or not.
Cone pulleys change the speed (with inverse sizes)

Let me know if I need to illustrate

MJinTN

Dave thanks for the photo and screenshot they helped. I'll add another pulley for each cone pulley plus the shifter.

MJ thank you for the explanation; I understand what you're saying.

Interesting conversation.

Sometimes you will see sets of reducing cones, identical, but staggered in opposite directions on drive line and machine. That way you can still change the speed of the machines feed, but the belt length can stay the same. Just a idler clutch pulley in-between is needed to move the belt from side to side to change speed.

Quote from: Dave Buchholz on November 25, 2025, 12:49:09 PMSometimes you will see sets of reducing cones, identical, but staggered in opposite directions on drive line and machine. That way you can still change the speed of the machines feed, but the belt length can stay the same. Just a idler clutch in-between is needed to move the belt from side to side to change speed.

I think the cones HAVE to be in opposite directions, because you can't change the length of the belt!

dave

That. And if the cones are in the same direction, it would result in a constant speed anyway. Using opposed cones maximizes the potential rpm differential possible on the machine spindle.

Dave #5

I don't know how you do it Larry C*.; it always looks so amazing :o  :o  ;)

KYLE CREEL
G&D Ry Co.

Kyle thank you so much; lots of practice I guess with maybe just a smidge of talent thrown in.

Dave #5 and Dave; yes I belief the cones have to be in opposite directions from the directions I've seen from various manufacturers.

Since there's a lull in the cooking, thought I do a small update:

IMG_M0053.jpg

Started with the second belt line first since the primary will be closer to the front. Whenever I do an interior detailed build I always start at the back and work my way forward. The beam going across the Shop is a scale 6x12 grained and colored with chalks, clear alcohol, and a liberal coat of A&I. I decided to go "old school" with all the pulleys. After filing they were soaked in a blackening solution. After drying they were buffed with my Dremal and a soft cone pad. After looking over the directions for a belt changer I decided to keep it simple since any details for that won't be seen by the time the building is completed. Because the grinder wouldn't be used all that much I opted to have that and the drill press on the same line with a belt changer that would stop both machines for service and/or repair. Made a simple "changer handle" colored with the end painted yellow for visibility; drilled a small hole in the side of the beam having the handle held in place with a HO track nail. Also of note the uncolored 6x6 is there to take the "sag" out of the beam. Once the primary line is installed, and the belts in place, then I plan on tying in all the top of the walls with 6x12's then run a couple of beams front to back to hold the belt lines level so the 6x6's will go away; at least that's the plan.

That's about it for now so stay tuned. As always thanks for stopping by and for all your great comments and/or suggestions.

That looks good!   I would agree with your shop design to run grinder and drill press off the same shaft, a continuously operating grinder would make sense (not much hazard and no reason to stop except to change the grinding wheel.)

dave

Outstanding Larry.

Dave thank you so much. That was my thoughts with the grinder.

Curt thanks a lot; much appreciated.

Larry,

I'm hoping you are having a Happy Thanksgiving day today with your family.
I'm stopping in to see this part of your project up close and it's personal.
I must do a similar routing of belts to machines on two of my own recent
projects, which I put off due to not knowing what attaches to what. I hope
you can figure this out and your up-close pictures surely will come in handy.
You are doing a great job with this. Thanks for sharing.

Rich

Rich thank you and yes we had a nice Thanksgiving with our Daughter. Glad I'm able to help you sort out the belt lines; any questions don't be shy about asking. Check out Deemery's (Dave) Shop he knows what he's doing with the belt lines.

Larry, good plan and execution on the tool and belt placement.

Howdy Larry,

The machine shop continues to get even better with each tweak. What machines are next?

Have fun,
mike

Larry nice job with the placement of the machines and the belts.

Jerry

Larry, did I miss what the belt material was made of. Maybe colored construction paper?

5D2r

Just catching up Larry C*.;

This is an amazing piece of art my friend ;) .....it reminds me of the projects you so graciously adorned my layout with....such talent ;)  ;) ..........thanx for the inspiration... 8)

KYLE CREEL
G&D Ry Co.

That's sure a nice looking shop, Larry, each update is more frosting!

Rick thank you; trying to think a few steps ahead.

Mike thanks. The primary line will have the lathe and milling machine, each with their own belt changer.

Jerry thank you so much, appreciate your comments.

Dave the belt material is from a USPS large Tyvek mailing envelope, they're free, then was painted with raw Sienna craft paint.

Kyle thank you; much appreciated. Glad I can inspire others.

Karl thank you for your gracious comments.

So the machines are drill press, lathe and milling machine.  From the little bit of reading I've done on machine shops, that strikes me as 'minimal useful set' for general work.  But maybe Bernd could comment on that.

dave

Dave you forget the pedestal grinder. Lol. There is a bolt cutter and one other machine, can't recall the name, I've seen I other modeled shops. SW used to make more machines but only has the lathe in 3D prints. Besides I don't think I'd have the room for others without making the shop look too crowded.

Larry,

The shop is looking fantastic. Love all the details.

Tom

Tom thank you; appreciate your comments.

Quote from: deemery on November 28, 2025, 07:23:17 PMSo the machines are drill press, lathe and milling machine.  From the little bit of reading I've done on machine shops, that strikes me as 'minimal useful set' for general work.  But maybe Bernd could comment on that.

dave

Answering that question would take a few days of research. The number of machines and types depends on what the machineshop is building or repairing. A good example is the East Brad Top railroad facilities. I don't believe they have a mill. Why, beacuse they have planers and shapers. These two machine preceeded the milling machine. They were used right up to when the railroad shut down.

Here's a link to what they have in machines. These would be the basic machines used to build and repair railroad equipment.  LINK: https://oldeastie.com/Shops/ (https://oldeastie.com/Shops/)

A machine shop contracting work of any kind would have a deversity of machines to do the job asked of them. Think of bascis, lathe, planer, shaper, grinder, drill press. Then into the 1920's, 30's, milling machines. Large bridge milling machines to replace the planers and small horizontal or verticles machines replacing the shapers. Also depends on what year you are modeling. That would narrow down the machines needed. Obviously you won't have a CNC machine in a 1900's machine shop.

That's about all I can add to this conversation. There are more machines that I don't even think they have models of. I did some searching but couldn't find what I'm looking for in pictures so you understand what the machine is and looks like. I bet nobody has heard of a "verticle lathe"? Hope it helps.

Bernd

Bernd

Bernd, are you thinking about something like this machine?  https://presse.surplex.com/pressreleases/precision-work-in-xxl-7-facts-about-vertical-turret-lathes-3300472  Apparently vertical lathes were widely used for large gears.

dave

Bernd and Dave thanks for the info and links; interesting stuff.

Quote from: deemery on November 29, 2025, 06:39:48 PMBernd, are you thinking about something like this machine?  https://presse.surplex.com/pressreleases/precision-work-in-xxl-7-facts-about-vertical-turret-lathes-3300472  Apparently vertical lathes were widely used for large gears.

dave

Nope. That's just another tool. Yes that machine turns "gear blanks". It is not not made for gear cutting. Where I worked we had two of them. They bored out the large cradles for gear cutting machines. A fixture would hold the curved shape of the cradle so the internal bores could be turned.

Anothe interesting link is the "Vintage machines" site.

http://vintagemachinery.org/ (http://vintagemachinery.org/)

It says it's not a secure site. I was there and  didn't run into any problems.

Bernd

Bernd thanks for the link; I'll check it out.

Moving right along:

IMG_M0054.jpg

The primary belt line is in with the shaft going through the stone wall outside to the right; this is where the steam engine, boiler, and water tank will reside. The milling machine's belt was pretty easy to install and make look right. The lather however was a different story. I didn't realize it when I was coloring/weathering it but the belt would NOT go under the cone pulley; no room was made for it to slide under when printed and that was rather disappointing. Looking at it I figured I'd have to make it "Look" like it did. Started on the front side getting one end of the belt right in the crack between the lathe and the pulley. Once that was glued in place then the belt went up and around the other cone pulley on the line then glued on the back of the machine the same way as the front. Presto, now the belt looks like it should. Also added a belt changer for the lathe and the milling machine.

IMG_M0055.jpg

Here's a little different view and hopefully those 2 posts will disappear during the next step in the build. Speaking of next steps, next will be to add a narrow wall along the front then tie the entire top of the Shop together before adding 2 cross beams over the entire width so I can remove those 2 posts. As always thanks for stopping by and for all your great comments and/or suggestions.

To pick a nit:  On the shaper, the cones are slightly misaligned.  The small pulley of the top cone should be directly over the large pulley of the lathe's cone.   And is there enough room for the full travel of the shaper front to back? 

Your approach with the lathe is the same as what I did with all my machines.  I looped the belt over the driveshaft pulley, then trimmed the bottom to cover as much as I could to the bottom of the machine pulley, on both sides.  So there's a gap that can't be seen at the bottom of each of my machine pulleys.  I had the advantage of access from all sides, since i didn't affix the walls until after the machines and belts were installed.

This is the kind of work that is both frustrating and rewarding, particularly as you think through and understand the shop and tool engineering.

dave

It looks superb Larry.

Dave unfortunately the milling machine's pulleys are off just a hair. I had to glue the top cone to the shaft in order to get the belt on properly and was off a smidge but they are on the proper part of each pulley. good eye though.

Curt thank you so much.

What I did was set the machines, then glue (drop of CA) the shaft pulleys into position, to make sure they line up.  (I mention this for others contemplating the joy of a belt driven machine shop.  i learned A LOT from studying build threads by others.)

dave

Larry, the machine shop looks fantastic.  The pulley wheels in the ceiling are amazing.  Nice work.  Have fun, mike

Dave thanks for your input; I'm sure others will benefit.

Mike thanks so much; it's slowly getting there.

Larry, congratulations on getting the belt line, belts and pulleys installed.
I know it's not easy to do.
Looking good from where I'm sitting.

Sweet!

Good work Larry. Hank will be happy!  ;D

Rich

Nice job Larry.  You did a fine job with the belts.

Jerry

Rick, Philip, Rich, and Jerry thank you guys for your generous comments.

Here's what I've been up to:

IMG_M0056.jpg

After looking at the Shop I decided I wanted more of a finished look in the front. To that end I made a 2 foot tall wall going across the length of the Shop. Used 6x6's for the frame and 2x10's for the siding as well as some 2x10's to finish off the ends of the front walls. Also added a post in the middle to help support the front made from 6x6's.

IMG_M0057.jpg

Then I tied in all of the walls with 6 x 12's all the way around on the top; by doing this I was able to run 2 beams across the entire width which eliminated the 2 posts I had previous used to help support the belt lines. I also used some florist wire to further support the beams at the joints. 

Next I'm going to start on the 2 end rafters and yes I'm going to add a roof and possibly add some sort of lighting up in the rafters as well. As always thanks for stopping by and for all your great comments and/or suggestions.

The valance looks good Larry. Smart idea about the florist wire.

Valance was a good idea and looks good.

Curt thank you. I wanted to make sure once I get the Shop all together there was some extra protection in case the glue ever failed.

Rick thanks; much appreciated.

Howdy Larry,

The valance looks terrific and certainly finishes the front of the shop. The subtle grey coloring is spot on.

Have fun,
mike

Thank you Mike for your comments; they are appreciated.

Larry nice job on the valance and the coloring!!

Jerry

Thanks Jerry, it's slowly coming along.

Looking great Larry, workers can move in soon.

Rich

Thanks Rich. I have one LP already which I need to paint and install in the back of the Shop before I go too nuts on rafters. Don't want to break stuff trying to get my mitts in the back.

Larry,

The machine shop is really starting to take shape and as everyone else has said the valance looks great.

Larry,

As others have stated, the valance looks perfect for the front.

Absolutely a fantastic build my friend.

Tom