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Clinic - Individual Wooden Shingles...made easy

For the sub roof I use a piece of wood from Midwest that is meant for making wooden aircraft.  It is a thin sheet of Birch but it is thick enough that doesn’t warp easily.   I have built some roofs with cardstock and they have warped up on me at the edges leaving a pagoda look. 

For the hand cut shingles I cheat.   I learned this trick some time back and it works very well.  Go to your local cigar store and ask them for the cedar sheet from the boxes.  Most cigars come with this sheet in between layers in the boxes.  The shops throw them away and most will give you several without much fuss...especially if you tell them what you are using them for.  Then using an Xacto, cut the sheet into strips about six scale inches.  Next lay them next to each other.  A little space is OK if the building is going to be run down.  Take 1/16 inch vinyl chart tape (glue won’t stick to the vinyl) and lay it across the strips.  Start about the width of the tape off of the edge.  Place the tape across the strips with about an inch over each side.  With each additional row always leave an open space about the width of the tape.   Once you have done this across the sheet then take a pair of scissors and cut behind each piece of tape.  This should leave a row of shingles that are individual pieces.  Each row should be half covered by the chart tape. 

To glue the shingles on, first draw a few straight lines across the roof to keep you rows even.  Put the glue down on the roof.  Lay the strip of shingles with the chart tape toward the bottom.  With the second and all other rows put glue on the roof and a little on the exposed edge of wood from the previous row of shingles.  Once the glue has dried you can pull up the chart tape by the overhang.  Remember to space the rows so that no seams match from one row to the next.  Look at the shingles on the roof any house.  If they are laid correctly the gap between two shingles should be about in the middle of the shingle on the rows above and below it.

That's all there is to it.   

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