Popsarsi - 1/8th Scale Model Horse Drawn Vehicles, Jewellery Box's and Carved Timber Works

Kia ora

Greetings from Aotearoa/New Zealand,
an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean,
next stop Antarctica.

This site is to share my love of miniature woodworking, and may be of interest, and with luck, spread ideas and encouragement to other saw-dust addicts out there, just as I have shared from others over the years.

I am a member of the national and local woodworkers’ guilds. You need to reach out to other woodworkers, even if they are turners, and I only make a round object if I really have to. Also a small world wide group of Scale Model Horse Drawn Vehicle builders who with their enthusiasm for these vehicles wish to retain the knowledge of them for future generations and build 1/8th or 1/12th scale replicas of the original vehicles. There are now many plans available to the waggon modeler. For plans and books on all subjects for this hobby, see Wild Horse Books for almost all the knowledge you need. Other models are reproduced from photographs or even, in my case from conceptual designs. We also spend time recording the old waggons that still turn up in some parts of our countryside.

Check the Scale Model home page and their forum, also the
Guild of Model Wheelwrights site to see what is going on in the
SMHDV world.

Many of these vehicles are built as Museum quality models, they are exact replicas in miniature. My models do not meet that criteria, as I will not stain or paint good timber, but rather use the timber colour and grain as the decoration.

I also tend to adapt whatever material is available at the time, including plans or photographs. The challenge of making a model wagon from scratch and ending up with a showcase model is well worth the effort.
It helps to have a magpie instinct for collecting things that may be useful some time, including odd bits of wood.

The box’s and other items are mainly my own design. If I borrow I give credit to the wood worker. But if we think about it, we all borrow at some level. Thank goodness no one patented the original box.

Where ever possible the timber used is recycled, mainly from house demolition, which is the best method of obtaining the old indigenous heart woods I like to use. Other timbers are home harvested (industrial waste or trade off-cuts in rare cases). Only rarely do I buy new timber, and then only for special items.

I now have a well equipped work room, however simple tooling will suffice. My first waggon (bow top) was built using an old panel saw and plane, to mill the timber from a piece of old house framing. A hack-saw blade, Stanley knife and fret saw to shape the timbers, then a handheld power drill and tack hammer for assembly. A little sand paper helped. The only purchased items used in the model were the brass nails and hinges (and possibly a little glue).

I have problems with people wanting to know how I achieve the finish and colour on my timbers. It is all natural timber. We are blessed with some wonderful timbers here and all I need to do is a light sand and oil with a proprietary brand of Danish or vegetable oil, then finish with fine furniture oil.