The base will support the cork contouring which the house will sit into. The base was very quickly constructed using 12mm MDF. Firstly, a rectangular piece 290mm x 210mm was cut using the Circular Saw, then strips 70mm wide.
The strips act as the wall of the base and have mitre joints. To minimise the amount of measuring, both ends of the strips are mitres at 45 degrees using the Bench Sander,( the strips were long enough to cut one long and one short piece ) then the pieces were placed on the base for a exact lenght. The excess is cut off using the Band Saw and the pieces were mitred.
The pieces were fixed to the base using a combination of PVA and wood screws. PVA was applied to both pieces, then they were rubbed together to ensure an even spread of the glue, once in correct position, clamps were used to hold the pieces while the PVA drys.
Once the PVA was dry, guides hole were carefully drilled through the base into the walls using a Power Drill. The drill bit used was slightly narrower than the screws so they can bit into the MDF. We needed a flat finish, so in order to hide the screw heads, a Counter Sink was used to bore holes for the heads.
Material - MDF, Medium-Density Fibreboard.
MDF is an engineered wood product formed by breaking down hardwood and soft wood residuals into fibres, combing it with wax and a resin binder, and forming it into panels by applying high temperature and pressure.
It can be purchased in a veat variety of different thicknesses and dimensions.
It can be cut using a hand saw, or a band or circular saw.
It can be bonded using PVA, Solvent free glues, Superglue, Contact Adhesive, double sided tape and Uhu.
It can be bonded to itself, card, styrene, perspex, foamex, cork and blue foam.
It can be painted with cellulose or enamal paint, but only after sanding sealer has been applied to treat the surface so as the paint is not absorbed by the MDF.
It can be purcahsed from any DIY store, price is dependant on thickness, dimensions and quaility.
Tools
Circular Saw
The Circular saw is used for cutting all different types of materials in straight lines. This is achieved by running the material along the table where it meets the circular blade. Guides can be used to give extremely accurate cuts. All the pieces that were required for the base were cut using this tool prior to assebly.
Bench Sander
Another handy tool, the bench sander. This can sand materials using a round spinning disc of sand paper. Naturally different coarseness of discs are available for differnt jobs. Similar to the circular saw, the sander has a fences that can be used to achieve angles. This is how I achieved the 45 degree angles on the walls of the base.
Power Drill
Another handly tool in the workshop. This cordless power drill can be used for all manner of drilling and screwing. It has a Key-less chuck which means the drill bit can be quickly placed and changed by hand. This drill has controllable speed which is useful for screwing. It also has a hammer function to be used with a masonary bit for drilling concrete and stone.
