Cutting Out Freight Doors on Plastic Modules

Do you want to save the door? If so you can use a razor saw. If not you can drill holes at the corners and use a coping saw or a saw blade made for an Xacto knife.

I use styrene square stock to reinforce the walls with solvent cement but I have seen some use wood and epoxy.

Pardon the very old photo.

Pete

I use a bandsaw to cut out the freight door from Ameritown and similar building kits, or built-ups that I am bashing, then usually put a  shallow - maybe only an inch in places, interior. 

 This is a scratch building which I cut out.  The interior is just 1/2 inch deep but looks much deeper.

This station was made with Ameritown panels.  I cut the door out, then cut it in two and glued it in the open position; worked out well.  

This is made from a solid-brick Ameritown panel, just cut where needed.  

This building was made from the first floor of an MTh Susquehanna Hat factory.  They coome with a freight door cut out and a very nifty overhead rolling door in place, which I had to remove because it takes a lot of interior space.  

Rattler21, Norton and Lee, great stuff! Thank you for your quick replies. Once it is done, I will post some pictures of it. It will be my new REA Office/warehouse. Any and all suggestions are always welcomed. Lee, I'm waiting impatiently for Veranda to cross my threshold!

Paul,

If you have no problem making the vertical cuts, then a simple "score and snap" should work well with the DPM's styrene plastic on the horizontal ones.  Simply draw a line with a hobby knife where you want the horizontal cut to be, and continue scribing it a few times, then bend the door away from the scored line.  It should snap off fairly cleanly.  I've used this technique for years in scratch building styrene structures.  I've also used it in DPM bashing.  Good luck, and post photos of your progress!

Jerry

Jerry, Thanks for the info. I will try that method.

On my Korber buildings I have used a razor saw to cut out and cut in half their swinging freight doors. Then I glue a length of floral wire along the back edge with 1/4 inch projections top and bottom. These I fit into holes drilled in the timbers I have on the inside of the buildings. This allows me to open and close the doors as needed. They swing IN.

I have seen others make sliding barn doors using screw eyes or hooks on wire runners. Others have used mini hinges (like from Micro Mark) on their engine house doors. They swing OUT.

I have also cut out Ameritown building doors/windows using Exacto knife blades by scraping the points to remove plastic. Admittedly that takes a lot of time, and you have to be careful not to let the knife slip and mare the surfaces.

Paul Goodness

Paul,

Regarding bracing....

I am in the process putting together a building out of DPM modules.  The building is 8 sections long, one section deep and one story high, so a singular wall section consists of one riser at the bottom, one wall section, and then one cornice section at the top.  I made a jig out of poplar wood using 1/4"x 1-1/2" stock screwed onto a 1 x 12"base to create a squaring jig.  After sanding off the flash and getting all the edges square, I assemble the entire wall height and length using Plastruct styrene solvent (3 pieces per wall x 8 wall sections = 24 pieces).  The jig kept the bottom edge square.  I glued the 3 wall pieces together first and then joined the wall sections together.  All the glue joints were butt welds.  Believe it or not, the bonds are pretty strong.   I then ripped a piece of the 1/4" stock the same height as the risers and the entire length of the wall.  Usng the squaring jig, I then glued this to the back side of the wall using ACC.  So that gives me sufficient bracing along the bottom and across all the riser/wall seams.  I also cut a piece of the 1/4" stock about 3/8" wide and this will be glued along the entire wall length and over the cornice/wall joint.  In addition to providing bracing, this piece will act as the surface to which I can mount the roof.  After I glue the front and back wall sections together, I will put in 'rafter' bracing between the front and back walls and lined up with the joint between each wall section.  These rafter won't be glued directly to the wall but rather to the long piece of bracing that covers the cornice/wall joint. I am at the point where I have two assemblies, the front wall with one side wall and the back wall with the other side wall. So far everything is very square and strong.  My hope is that this will provide enough bracing to keep things together.

Dave

Use a (Dremel tool w-cutting disc and a flat file)to cut out plastic.

Make a door plug out of a block of pine.

Paste door material or printout decoration on the front of it.

Add a pin for handle.

I want to thank everyone for your help. I've got good ideas from all of you! I ordered a few more sections from Woodland Scenics to complete the modular design. As things progress, I will post pictures.