TO SCALE A Miniaturist's Guide

Booklet Cover

Set printer to print this page at 7.55"w x 10.36"h

If you want a booklet cover print onto cardstock.

-----------------------------------------------------

IN SCALE

Reducing full-sized pieces to a correct scale can be a challenge to many miniaturists.  Here you will find charts and illustrations to help make this challenge easier by saving the time and hassle of researching with each new project.   Do keep in mind that there is always “an exception to the rule” and one can generally modify the measurements found here, to a certain extent, to accommodate space limitations in your settings.

Of course knowing how to use a ruler…as in “what do all of these little lines mean?”… is the first thing one needs to know.  Online, How Do I Read a Ruler, http://www.onlineconversion.com/faq_05.htm  has an excellent, well-illustrated, easy to comprehend guide to understanding rulers.  Check it out.

You can use the scaled rulers included here, on the People pages, to help accurately reduce the size of  a room or piece of furniture.  Jim Collins’ printie site http://www.printmini.com  offers scaled rulers that once printed can be laminated.  Here you will find the 1”=12” ruler http://printmini.com/printables/rulers/1=12rule.pdf  .  Hard versions of scaled rulers can be purchased from miniature dealers.  This type of tool is a time saver and a must for the DIY miniaturist.

Turning the illustrations of the Scaled People page into “paper dolls” (by printing them onto cardstock, cutting them out and then laminating them) will also help you to judge, by the eye, whether a room or object is in scale.  Well, done and perfect scale 6” action figures (such as some McFarlane creations) also work well for “eye-balling”.

Unless fantasy or whimsy is your goal it can take just one out-of-scale piece to ruin an illusion.  Do keep in mind that the in-scale we strive for in our hobby does not mean just the height or length of a piece, it also includes the thickness.

Viewing a photo or scan of your project is a good way to check for scale, as an “offending” piece will usually “scream at you”.  In lieu of a photo or scan, form your hand into a telescope and observe your work through it….a quick and easy way to spot problems.  You will find that the more you work in the scale of your choice the easier it will become to “eyeball” your projects for accuracy. 

Print out the pages and stack them together to form your own TO SCALE booklet.  I have added instructions to the sidebar here on how to print my pages in black text without a black background.

Keep creating and sharing …the secret to the Miniature Hobby,

Joann

-----------------------------

Set to print this page at 7.78"W x 10.56"H

---------------------------------------

Set printer to print this page at 9.41"W x 7.24"H

-------------------------



Set printer to print this page at 8.74"w x 4.45" h

---------------------------------------

FULL SCALE LUMBER—ACTUAL DIMENSIONS:

·         1x2’s =  ¾” x 1 ½”

·         1x4’s = 3/4” x 3 ½”

·         1x8’s =  ¾” x 7 ¼”

·         2x2’s = 1 ½” x 1 ½”

·         2x4’s = 1 ½” x 3 ½”

SHINGLES:

·         16” L - 5” of  shingle exposed

·         18” L – 6” of shingle exposed

STRUCTURE ELEMENTS:

·         Ceiling height – standard is 8 feet with some newer, grander homes up to 10 feet; older homes 10 – 12 feet or more.  Note:  a typical miniature room box has 12 “ceilings for ease of viewing.

·         Door height – 80”

·         Door widths – exterior 36”; interior 24”,28”, 30”, 32”, 36”, 42”

·         Door knob, floor to knob – 36” – 38”

·         Stair riser – 7”H

·         Star treads – 10”D

·         Stair’s hand rail – 30 ‘ -34”H

·         Standard brick – USA, 8” x 4” x 2.25”; United Kingdom, 8.5” x 4” x 2.5”

MATTRESSES:

·         Crib -28”W x 52”L; 5” to 6” long

·         Twin -38”W x 75”L; 8”thick

·         Double or Full – 53”W x 75”L; thickness can vary from approx. 5” to 22”

·         Queen – 60” W x 80”L; thickness can vary from approx. 5” to 22”

·         King – 76”L x 80’L; thickness can vary from approx. 5” to 22”

---------------------------------------

Set printer to print at actual size

----------------------

---------------------

Set printer to prnt this page at 7.61"w x 10.04"h

------------------------------



Set page to print out at 7.66"w x 10.01"h

--------------------------------



Set printer to print page out  at actual size or 8.00"w x 10.72"h

----------------------



Set page to print at actual size or 8.06"w x 10.62"h

-------------------------------------------------------

=============================

Hello Everyone...Yes I am "alive & kicking", but it was nice to be missed by so many of you that wondered where I was.  Sometimes a body & mind just needs a little rest and the older I get the more I tend to listen & obey.  I have been plugging away here and there at the TO SCALE pages for you and I hope you find them useful.  I have laminated copies of the pages tacked up in my workroom/studio (I call my space a studio the few times it is neat and tidy and workroom the rest of the time) for instant access as needed.  I also have the pages in booklet form by my computer.  I remind you again that I have added printing instructions on the sidebar so you can print out in black text without the black background of the blog....I know the black background bothers some of you but it is the design I chose and I have to stick with it for the time being.

I have started a Hallween project for your enjoyment and it will be a progressive one with bits and pieces added over a couple of weeks, so stay tuned.  Hopefully you can have it finished in time for October decorating.

See you soon,  

Joann

===============================