Proper Terms and Construction

When I taught scale modeling to students I would start with this chart and lots of cardboard. Safety instructions are very important when working with knifes. The x-acto knife is a very useful tool but can be deadly to people who are careless with tools. Everyone received a 'baby step' lesson in types of joints so they could build the most professional-looking models possible. For 'bare' models the edges need to be clean and straight. If you plan on putting 'skins' on your scale model, you can use the easiest of all joining systems - the butt joint because your corners and edges will be covered. This is what I did for my bird's tree house. I knew my birds wouldn't be too critical of my engineering skills and they were planning on pooping all over it anyway!

 

Centering rulers are great for cutting the windows with a perfect measurement.