Castle Making

Castle Making – This castle is designed so that walls and towers could be folded away for storage. The walls and towers are build completely from hardboard and strips of softwood. Mark out the battlement and cut them out with a coping saw.

The arrow slits and look-out window are cut with the pad saw. Drill one or two holes in the waste part of the piece to be cut out; you will then be able to geet the point of the saw in to start cutting. All the cutting operations will be far easier if, before you start, clamp the work down on the bench, leaving a minimal overhang so that the saw can move freely.

The main gateway houses a dowel rod with a handle on the outside to raise and lower the drawbridge. After marking out the drawbridge, being cutting with the pad saw. Be very careful to keep on the marked line, since the piece you are cutting out will be needed for the drawbride. Carefully glass-paper the edges.

The drawbeidge is raised and loweres by nylon cords attached to cross piece at the top. The hinge or pivot is formed by a dowel rod. Cut two small blocks and drill two holes to take the dowel rods. Fit them into the holes. Now prepare a strip of wood for the bottom of the drawbridge. At erither end of this piece, drill a hole to take the dowel rods that are protruding from the two small wood blocks.

The wood block are screwed and glued on the inside of the tower. Wax polish on each dowel rod will ensure that the drawbridge, drill holes in the wall and small holes in the winding bar to take the ropes. With the drawbridge lowered, arrange two equal lengths of rope, tying them fast to the winding bar through the small holes prepared.

The other two ends are knotted to the cross pieces on the top of the drawbridge. It is important to keep the ropes of the same length, for as the handle is turned equal strain should be on each rope as the drawbridge rises.

The keep and two small towers are made in the same way. On the inside edges, glue and panel-pin strips of square section timber to back and front edges. Now glue and screw the sides in place. It will be helpful if someone is holding the pieces while you are working. Assemble all the towers in the same way. The lengths of wall joining the keep to the tower can be as long or short as you wish.

Behind and just below the battlements I screwed a small strip of wood for the soliders to stand on. The walls are held upright by slots fitted on the towers. The slots are made from strips of timber. Fit the first strip, place the wall against the position with a pencil, the remove the wall and fix the second strip of wood in position. the two strips now form a slot for the wall to fit into. The platforms in the towers are made, like the rest, from hardboard. The platforms rest on the strips glued and screwed on the inside.

In the keep, drill a hole to take the flagstaff. The flagstaff is made from dowel rod with a small slot cut in the top to take an offcut of material.

I mixed different quantities of black and white polyurethane paint to make a tone colour. When dry I used black paint to give detail. On the outside of the drawbridge I painted a portcullis.