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How to Make Miniature FurnitureBasics Skills Develop the Miniatures Craftsman...As you review my site you will learn how to make miniature furniture. I have tried to present things so you can build a complete room, making miniature furniture step by step. Of course you can just move about The Art of Dollhouse Miniatures to gather information about miniature furniture and other fun to make miniature furnishings. Then work these miniature projects with your own techniques. This section of how to make miniature furniture outlines some of the more general miniature furniture making techniques that would apply to all dolls house furniture. Each of the step by step how to's will have more specific instructions that would apply to that specific piece of miniature furniture. I have broken this section down into additional sections, with links to more detailed instructions, so that there would be individual pages you can refer to when building the actual piece. I have placed timely links within the step by step instructions to these general pages as you progress on a particular set of how to make miniature furniture instructions and plans. Cutting Miniature Furniture Parts...I use the Xacto knife to cut most of my miniature parts from the wood strips, making several passes for each cut. Align the wood strip over the drawing and align the razor knife to the cut marks. Use a rocking motion front to back to begin the cut. This leaves a groove in the wood for you to follow as you use several cutting strokes to get clear through the wood. (More About Cutting Miniature Furniture Parts) Gluing Miniature Furniture Parts...I use Loctite's Gel Control Super Glue for just about all of my small wood projects. It provides just enough time to get the pieces into position, dries fairly fast (10-15 secs) and gives a real strong bond. Follow all instructions and safety warnings on the glue packaging. (More About Gluing Miniature Furniture) Sanding Miniature Furniture...When you look at real furniture you don't really see the rounded edges created by the sanding and finishing of the furniture piece. When making miniature furniture the sanding has a tendency to round the edges "out of scale" and your miniature furniture looks bulky and more toy like. (More About Sanding Miniature Furniture) Painting Miniature Furniture...When painting miniatures there is always a slight build-up of paint. I choose a good quality paint and thin it slightly. You still get good coverage on you miniature furniture without the excessive paint build-up. I cannot give you a specific amount of water to add for thinning because the paint formulas vary and thin differently. Experiment with a scrap piece of wood until you are satisfied with the color coverage, but have the thinnest coating possible. (More About Painting Miniature Furniture) Staining Miniature Furniture...The stains I use are solvent based. When using these stains on your miniature furniture the wood grain does not raise up like with water based products. I generally don't sand my pieces after staining them. I might see a spot and give it a touch then wipe the stain back over it, but usually for me its "good enough". (More About Staining Miniature Furniture) The Finishing Touch...Once your miniature furniture is completed you can top it all off with a spray coating of polyurethane. This can be one of the touchiest phases of finishing your miniature furniture or your hand made miniature accessory. It is the one step that I believe will set your finished miniature furniture apart from the rest. (More About Finishing Miniature Furniture) There you have it. A quick Start on How to Make Miniature Furniture. Now you should be ready to begin making your own miniature furniture by following my How To Make Miniature Furniture and Miniature Furnishing & Accessory projects. Top of How to Make Miniature Furniture(This Page)
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