Dave at Honley Tank

First solo attempt – a GCR 6 wheel brake After much following of tutorials, re-reading pp1 to 37, groping around in the dark, test drawing, test cutting, raising questions here and with my friend RalphR, swearing, more swearing, I’ve finally started on my first ‘Portrait’- assisted project. I think I’ve settled on drawing in CorelDraw X6 (full version); using my normal settings and drawing full model size in mm; using layers of differing line colour, matching layers to cut or scribe methods and saving as .dxf. Open this in Studio3, ensuring that dimension units are mm, and that Edit>preference>.import dxf, is set at: “centred”; and that “white lines black” and “polylines” are ticked. (I’ve no idea what all that means, but it works for me! However the file sizes come out much larger than expected and this can/does slow down Studio). In Studio I first carry out any scribing by using “Select by colour” to delete every thing except the scribe lines and then set the m/c to my “scribe 10” settings. That done, I revert the Studio drg to its original using the “undo” button and repeat the select by colour & delete to leave only the cut lines. Set the m/c to “cut 10” . I have decided to leave the blade set at depth 10 (‘cause I kept forgetting to change it anyway!?!) but as yet I’m not sure that I’ve found the best cutting pressure (thickness) for my m/c and the various materials I wish to cut. The machines seem to vary in this area – what works for one seems not to work elsewhere. Another decision is to design around using 0.010” styrene and laminate as needed. I have been totally unable to cut through 0.020”, and even ‘snap-off depth has not always been achieved; - ~OK for marking-out and achieving a reasonable scribe depth for cutting by hand, and future research will be looking at that feature and its application to brass/nickel silver sheet. The following pictures show up my poor camera ability but, for what it’s worth, here they are:- The two examples are; one in laminated 2 x 0.010”, the second is in 0.020”. From above From the side, with pencil dust rubbed in to high-light the scribe marks End & Three-quarter views

Sorry for delay in picking this question up; - I've been bashing my brain trying to get to grips with CorelDraw, Studio3, my 'Portrait', cdr versus dfx', plasticard versus styrene sheet, scribing and cutting and keeping alive! So I've done very little 'ontinternet'. I'm trying to cut and scribe the sides and ends for a GCR 6 wheel brake van. The .dxf file is only 4.1Mb but the studio3 file comes in at 6.3Mb and it has certainly slowed down 'Studio'. It keeps sending me the " not responding" message, but if I'm patient (like go and have a cup-o-tea!) then its worked by the time I return. The scribing of two sides, two inner ends & two outer ends took my 'Portrait' almost two hours to complete. Cutting was a bit quicker but some where along the line the 'digitals' got their nickers in a twist and the whole lot ended up in the bin. Looked as though the hick-up had been while scribing because nothing lined up. Swear time!!!!! So, Yes! it looks as though there is a large-file problem Dave

Thanks for your comments Mike. Since using CorelDraw X6 I have had no dxf problem with Studio3 opening files correctly; (actually not in same page position as in Corel, but dimensionally correct!). When I ask C-D to save as .dxf I get a drop-down menu which offers me a selection of various autoCAD 'years' listed as 2008-2013. As, the first time round I had'nt a clue, I ignored making any year selection leaving it as dropped down;i.e. 2008-2013. It's worked OK with that, so I still hav'nt a clue but I have a method that works. Your "Autodesk R12/LT2" selection in Autosketch is not an option in C-D; (as far as I can see!!??!!). Dave I now need to gain experience about material type & thickness, and the related blade settings

Nearly a month since my last post, but this Christmas thing does interrupt modelling projects! Also the well being of the aged bodies of both my wife and I leaves something to be desired. However I certainly should take time to acknowledge Nick's input about cadstd; sorry for the delay Nick. I have used cadstd in the far distant past but was given a copy of CorelDraw X5 two or three years ago and I was directed to its use for producing drawings for an etching company who accepted .cdr drgs sent by e-mail (.cdr is the accepted CorelDraw std format). As I have a good few etching drawings saved and backed-up, all in .cdr format and as my version of CorelDraw has become corrupted, I decided to buy the least expensive version of CorelDrawX7 - 'Home & Student', only to later find that it did not save to the .dxf format needed by my card cutter. It was returned as unsuitable and I got my money back. However as all my etching drawings would be lost if I could not find a drawing program that opens .cdr files, (and that represents a lot of time and effort) I had some research to do. Eventually I found some one selling a genuine, and un-opened copy of CorelDraw X6 at a little bit more than I had paid for the returned disk. So my drawing problems are solved; at least as far as having a program I know quite well; a program that can open .cdr drawings (phew, still got my etching stuff!); and a program that can save drawings in a format that my card cutter can read. All I need now is to learn much more about the card cutter's abilities and to totally master how its program accepts .dxf files with no corruption. I posted a picture of the huts but the drawing files had been produced by following tutorials on here, using Inkscape ( not bad) or Studio3 which comes with the cutter(not so good). As neither of these would open my etching files I think that getting a working copy of what I know, was the correct approach. The first project with my new set-up is to be a styrene card body for a 6-wheel GCR brake van. Current position is: .cdr complete; saved in .dxf ; imported into Studio3; all scribed and cut, - but not as well as I expect!! Still a lot to learn. May all your modelling in this New Year be good. Dave

Machine and laptop close to going through window!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am totally unable to get the 'Portrait' to cut direct from either Corel or Inkscape. The driver is installed but.....................? Just now ,I've gone back to page four, and Mike T's posting of 2.12.13 and followed that to the letter (incidentally my 'print pref>basic setup' page is like Mike's not Jason's). When I then click on 'print' I get a Silhouette Series drop-down that asks me to click 'print' if I'm ready to cut. Pressing 'print' results in the cutter giving a brief grunt, and then nothing. Disgruntled of Honley. edited27.12.14

Hello Mick, (and others!) I had a sizing problem with Corel12, dxf & Studio, in November; you gave me the answer then - thanks. Getting the latest, albeit the cheaper version of Corel, lost me the ability to save Corel in dxf. It looks like you have given me the answer again, therfore double thanks! In your November 17th posting it looks as though you gave the answer before I asked the question. Curses on 'old-age-memory'! Curses too on 1s & 0s and their digital ability to tie things up when you don't know what your doing. Dave

Hello all, Sorry its been so long but various things have kept me away from this blog. The Silhouette cutter and all the problems of computer programs that refuse to talk to each other is slowly driving me up the wall. The drawing program that comes with the cutter is really of no use for the type of engineering drawings we use to draw for our scale models. Some people are managing to drive the cutter like a printer, direct from their chosen drawing program; I just can't get my set-up to do that. The Silhouette program is therefore needed to drive my cutter but it will read only a small number of drawing files and it will not read .cdr files produced by CorelDraw x7 family & student which I purchased for the purpose. The full version will, but 60ishGBPfor one and 600ishGBP for the full version puts the mockers on things some-what! Excuse me; I'm off to bash my brains some more Dave

Hi everybody, I think I worded my last post rather badly and caused some confusion among the ranks! I’ll try again with my full CorelDraw story: 1. I had a free download version of issue x5. This worked but with too many hiccups for my comfort. However I produced about ten drawings suitable to send to an etching company and these are on my hdd & back up. Then it started to lock-up the computer every time I tried to boot up the program. 2. A friend loaded me CoreDraw 12 when we both got our Silhouettes. He is able to cut directly from CorelDraw 12 but we could not get my system to do so. However, I could save in dxf, and Studio3 could then drive the cutter. All hunky- dory. Except version 12 could not read version x5 so my etching drawings were still unavailable to me. 3. Next I found Amazon offering CorelDraw X7 Home & Student at about 60GBP and decided that owning that would solve my problems and the cost would be worth getting my etching drawings back. 4. On delivery, and to save any possible conflicts, I deleted both X5 and 12 versions and loaded my new ‘all singing, all dancing’ new program… 5. Result:- I now have access to my etching drawings but I find that Home & Student will not save in dxf so now my cutter drawings in CorelDraw cannot be read by Studio3, so I have no access to the Silhouette for them. 6. I no longer have versions x5 or 12 available otherwise I could open .cdr from X7, in either of them presumably, and then save as dxf. A bit of a bind! 7. I’ve contacted Corel who basically say” buy the full version” (GBP600+!!!) 8. I’ve contacted Silhouette America who suggest buying their add-on program and using .svg files, but I seem to recollect reading on here that that was doubtful. A some-what frustrated Dave at Honley Tank With so many pages to look through I was hoping someone with a better memory than I could advise.

I'm sure this has been covered but with 36 pages how does one find an answer quickly? I've been using CorelDraw12, converting to dxf and opening in Studio3: No problem! However CorelD12 will not open some files I have archived and drawn with CorelDx5. In deep frustration of being unable to open the x5 I purchased x7. Result? I can open all my old x5 files but I can no longer save cdr files as dxf; version x7 does not support that feature. I can find no way of saving my corel files to a form accepted by Studio3. There must be a way! Any reliable guidance from any one here please? A very frustrated Dave at Honley Tank

I think I've got to where I want to be in order to use this machine in my modelling, treating it as an aid similar to my lathes; miller, profile miller etc. I want some windows for a factory for my EM layout and that will be my next drawing job; using CorelDraw and Studio3. I doubt my ability to reach the standards some of you on here have already reached but if I live long enough, who knows? My steep learning curve over the last two or three weeks has left me with four little huts I shall probably never use:- From the left: From Jason's tutorial about Studio3; From Mike's tutorial about Inkscape; From my Corel Drawing, poorly converted to DFX and luckily(??) very close to 3mm scale; Finally, from my Corel drawing but correctly exported to Studio. No2 was drawn to what I thought a more likley size/shape; its not an error! No4 was modified to a right-hand side, outward opening door with cast steel hinges (too big- that is an error).

Thanks gentleman, I knew I could rely on those using this forum. Cromptonnut:- thanks but everything was set for A4 Siberian Sleeper:- thanks, but Mick's answer worked so I did not need to try yours. Mick Ralph:- spot-on! Problem now solved so a perhaps bigger "thank you" to you. My 'Portrait' is currently doing the 0.010" cut of doors & windows & my third hut should be ready for inhabitation later today. That's three huts; one from Jason's tutorial with Studio; one from Mike's tutorial with Inkscape and one from my own efforts with Corel. What a learning curve! Now for a respite while I read a few more pages of this lot; only about 12 more to go! Dave

Hello all, Can anybody save me reading all 34 pages? I'm still only up to p23! I can't remember anyone listing this problem so far. I've mastered drawing in CorelDraw and saved as .cdr leaves no problem. ("mastered" is perhaps not really true!) Equally, saving in .dxf(autocad) is no problem. However when opening the dxf in Studio the dimensions are incorrect- I've got a nice little shed that is meant to be to 4mm scale but which is closer to 3mm scale. I must have missed something but what? A very frustrated Dave

Thanks for the "like" ticks PT & Jock. For KH1 and any one else interested in this approach to card or styrene cutting I recommend that you go to forums and search on "topic 79025" &/or "topic 80563". Both these include easy to follow tutorials and you too could quickly have one of these dinky little huts! (Always assuming you have access to a Silhouette cutter - about

I've hardly been in the workshop in the last week or two; I've been scrabling about on the computer and spending a lot of time on the web. Not quite as wasteful of time as one might think because I've been reading about CAM - computer aided modelling! Mr Christmas (Margaret) arrived early with a computer driven cutter and it has produced bits of immaculately scribed and cut styrene sheet which MEK allowed me to weld together; the result is:- Not too bad for a first attempt and using previously un-met programs. These cutters are going to introduce another approach to scratch building. Try searching 'Forums' with - "Silhouette" to see what is possible, but be prepared to use a lot of time! Dave

Hi All, Just put a picture of my hut on Jason's thread about the cutter. It proves my photographic ability is even below my modelling ability but I have an end product from my investment...... Ralph R is visiting me later this week; the real purpose is to discuss the modelling tutorials we run at Manchester Model Railway Society but I bet that the word "Silhouette" crops up too. Subject of a new course perhaps. - Talk about the blind leading the..... Now get out of that armchair and start cutting! Dave

Since Tuesday I've drawn a Silhouette file produced by following Jason's tutorial and on Friday cut some plastic. End result I have a tiny shed. Photographed it, then found that I don't know how to load the pic here. Blasat!

Thought I should let you all know that I ordered a 'Portrait' from Yolo on Saturday and it was delivered on Tuesday. So I've cut my first bit of card! Now I need to finish drawing that dam*** coal hut or yard office, first in 'Inkscape', then in 'Studio' and yet again in 'Corel'. Whether I shall make three huts remains to be seen. Possibly one in card and one in styrene and perhaps cut a third in card just to see which program best suits me. Without this thread and without Jason's thread it seems unlikely that I would have gone down the path of machine cutting laminae. Please accept my thanks Mike & Jason; brilliant tutorials Dave

Hello all, I'm new to this thread and am about at page three with the yard office tutorial. Thanks Jason! I've also worked through Mike Trice's thread in this forum, using Inkscape. Santa has come early - looks like I'll get an empty box on the day! Ordered a 'Portrait' from Yolo on Saturday, took delivery and cut first bit of card on Tuesday, using 'Studio' I hope to start doing my own thing using Corel-Draw when I'm happy that 'dipping-my-toe' in via the tutorials has worked. Thanks to all on here and on Mike's thread too,- the tutorials and the other inputs have proved very very helpful Dave

Mick was correct. Repeatedly I had missed reading one line of Mikes instructions. Today I reached the end of the section of the tutorial to cut the yard hut.- i.e. I'm about up to January 2014 with the tutorial! Then I decided to read through all threads relating to this machine and now my brain is screaming for a rest!!!!!!!! Can any one help me save some brain bashing and tell me what I need to order along with the Silluoette in order to be able to drive it with Inscape drawings. Some posts seem to me to suggest that the machine is driven by its own program which does not readily accept files from Inkscape and that I need some 'extras'. Any help much appreciated, Dave

Thanks for that quick reply Mick; I'll give that a close look later. I am aware of the other threads about these cutters but I have been spending most of the time I allot myself to be on the computer in following Mikes tutorial on Inkscape. In the past I have used Corel-Draw to produce drawings for etching but I don't like the delay waiting for the etching company to deliver, nor the expense of correcting the mistakes. (I'm pretty prolific at making mistakes!). Unfortunately I no longer have access to Corel-draw but Inkscape looks to be a reasonable replacement as long as I can get to understanding its little foibles. I hope do have some simple drawings for windows and doors initially by the time Santa brings me the machine. Keep at it or get to it everybody. Dave i

Mike, You are really stretching well beyond the call of duty with your tutorials and I’m laboriously working through them in order to get to grips with this Inkscape prog. Many, many thanks However there’s always a “but”! I’m on page two and have duplicated the rectangle that we are supposed to bend into a gable end shape. I’ve got that rectangle into “node edit mode” but the two top nodes totally refuse to be selected, meaning that I can’t get the desired extra nod when in “add node”. I’ve gone back to the earlier exercise abode nodes and repeated them but I just cant get this bit to work. The prog. has closed on me several times while trying to select the two nodes saying something about an internal fault. Any ideas please Mike. Indeed has any body else some idea of what I can possibly be doing wrong. Dave

That second Saturday in December is getting too close! Both chassis are now running at some-where approaching an acceptable standard. But what a struggle I’ve had. One would think that with all the experience I’ve had, - about 1965 when I made my first scratch built loco; (C13, No.7402, which is one of the subjects in this project) – I should be able to build a simple chassis in an evening almost. But not so! I seem to have learned nothing about bogies and how to attach ‘em to an otherwise smooth running chassis. Gaining clearance of the loco main frames has left me with a need to trim away so much main frame that I will now need to add some fake main frames and guard irons as part of the bogie. Having sorted the swing problems I was then faced with finding the correct amount of vertical play. Too much one way allows the trailing wheels, (rear pony, but read earlier post, ‘cause it’s not a pony!), to rise to a very easy to de-rail height. Too much in the opposite direction and weight is lost from the driving wheels which spin pleasantly but add no linear motion. And after you’ve made that minute adjustment, don’t forget to check buffer height !?!?! It should be possible to calculate all this but I’m not clever enough to do so; even if I were, am I skilled enough to work to the needed accuracy? I’ll have to stick to ‘suck-it-&-see’ and learn even more Russian! As both locos still need things like brakes, sand boxes & pipes, ejectors & injectors etc it’s beginning to look as though the club’s competition will have no entry from Honley Tank. I’ve also been distracted by a theme currently running under “Skills & Knowledge Centre/scenery, structures & transport/Silhouette Cameo cutter” in the forums section of this rmweb thingy. Sorry; no pictures this time. Thanks for reading; now go and do some modelling. Dave

About 3-4 years ago I saw this machine or one like it on a TV craft programme that my wife was watching (she's very much into card crafting - among other crafts). The presenters made no reference to connecting to a computer, it worked by plugging in cartridges which were purchased separately. I did some research &| decided that it was possible to connect to a pc. The next time this programme was on the same subject I suggested to Margaret that the machine could be useful to both of us & would she like one as a birthday present, - it was about £300 at the time! As she's not particularly happy using digital devices her answer was no; and I dismissed the idea because I was still uncertain about compatible drawing programs and it seemed a dam*** expensive way of cutting card. A chance lost, but now regained; and I thank you lot on here, particularly Jason & Mike. Santa already has my letter! Incidentally I went down the route of producing etching drawings and had some etches done, but with too many errors for boosting my confidence! Another missed chance, now also an accepted method; is extruded polystyrene.About twenty five years ago I found out that our new caravan was of "bonded construction". Questions revealed that that meant that the caravan body was basically expanded (actually its "extruded" but what's in a word?) polystyrene, bonded to aluminium on the outside and to high quality plywood on the inside, and rigidity is all down to the foam. My brain was then shot into railway modelling mode with "how can I use that idea to make my baseboards lighter and more rigid?" Ah well! perhaps one day I'll follow up one of my 'brilliant' ideas. Thanks all; this is a brilliant thread; wish I'd found it ( been directed to it - thanks Ralph ) sooner. Dave

The more maintenance I did, the more seemed to be required. I’ve already spent so much time on this and on layout improvement(?????!!!!!) that production of new stuff this year currently stands at next–to-nowt and at a recent visit to Dean Hall (MMRS HQ) I was asked what I was putting in the competition. Because MMRS is not holding a show in 2014 the member’s competition will now be in a different, simpler format and at the club’s Christmas Bash on the second Saturday in December. As the C13 chassis were put away as reasonable runners before I started all this maintenance lark, and, as this project is to put modern chassis under existing old bodies I decided to try to finish the project and enter the two chassis. Time will tell! One is now running beautifully as an 0-6-0. The C13s were of course 4-4-2 but I have organised mine such that the trailing wheels are not on a pony but are in the main frames which, with a bogie up front will make them much closer to a 4-6-0 than a 4-4-2. The bogies on my chassis will be as heavy as I can make them; will hopefully carry no loco weight; and will really only trundle along for the ride, allowing the four coupled wheels to carry a very high percentage of the total loco weight. As I write this, the adhesive holding the bogie side frames to the rubbing plate is curing. I tried a new method of frame assembly today. I needed four identical side frames but cut six. The extra two are part of a system of frames and a parallel pair of 2mm dia silver steel rods. The pictures should explain better than words. The rubbing plates are, in 4mm scale terms, ‘massive’ chunks of ¼” mild steel bar, milled accurately to width as frame spacers and also milled to the maximum length to fit between the two axles. The idea is that this ‘heavy engineering’ will provide high weight at low centre of gravity. Here a tool-maker’s clamp is holding the side-frames tight to the mild-steel rubbing plate while the adhesive cures. The 2mm axle holes in the frames have 2mm silver-steel rod threaded through them to help in getting parallel axles. Note the colour coding; orange indicates that this is destined for 7402; red indicates the inside face of the frame. The blue is marking ink, used to show up the pivot slot centre line, which lines up with the frame centre line. This shows how the silver-steel rods are held parallel on correct wheel-base. There are six, 0.018” nickel-silver ‘frames’ all of which had their axle holes drilled and slowly opened to 2mm diameter while being stuck together as one work-piece. The white background is a piece of ¼” thick opal glass, giving a reliably flat surface, - (a nice cheap surface-plate!). The blobs of blutak are applying gentle downward pressure to the rods keeping the top face of each side frame flush with the top face of the rubbing plate; and, to ensure that any stray adhesive does not stick the lot to the ‘surface-plate’, there is a length of silicon baking sheet under each bogie assembly. Here are both would-be bogies; - on the left, orange and for 7402; on the right, yellow and for 7439. My current thinking is that neither will be sprung or compensated; the short wheel-base and the comparatively heavy mass ‘should’(????) give good riding. While you are reading this, you are wasting good modelling time, get your tools out. (All in the best of good taste of course!), Dave