Jody Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 As a college-educated person (although it's been over 20 years admittedly) I thought I could handle shingling my Orchid Witch's Cottage. But, alas, I am having grave difficulties with these dad-gummed gables and I couldn't find any specific help on this in the blogs. I'm sure maybe others have had this problem? I guess my lack of mathematical abilities is hindering my being able to cut the proper angles for the shingles that meet and go out the gables. Any advice or help? Thank heavens it is a witch's cottage and therefore does not need to be 'perfect.' Thank you. Jody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Minis Dollhouses Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I have a shingling guide on my blog http://moreminis.blogspot.com/2008/05/shingling-guide.html Making templates is the best way I know of to shingle angles in gables, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 Thank you, Gina. I will go there and read it and see if I can improve my techniques which are sorely lacking! I've decided that if I were a millionaire, I'd pay someone to build them. I prefer decorating them! Jody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 Oh, Gina! Why didn't I find this before I started? I always blunder right in and then realize it's not quite working out as planned. Now I am putting them on basically one by one. May take months. Jody Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Aren't most shingles put on one by one, except those that are the asphalt in long strips, and the Greenleaf ones? At any rate...after shingling the Garfield clumsily, I always make simple templates of the roof pieces, and then use those to cut the proper angles. The EZ-cutter comes in really handy for that sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
More Minis Dollhouses Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Jody, Im glad I could help. Putting the shingles onto a template first really speeds it up because you can put all the shingles and then cut them all at once. It takes forever to put them one by one while cutting them to fit as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Posted September 8, 2008 Author Share Posted September 8, 2008 Yes, I am learning how difficult it is to put them on one by one . . . by one. .. . by one. . . ... . by one . ........... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 I take a sheet of scrap copier paper and lay one edge even with the bottom edge of the roof section and crease the paper along the seam where the gable/ dormer meets the main roof section. Then I take two of my stained shingles face-to-face and use the EZ Cutter to cut the angle and glue one on each section of the roof and continue with whole shingles on out to the straight edges. For the second row, I take a shingle & a half and repeat the process, to get the staggering between rows. Of course, for the Orchid I used sandpaper for the shingles and made them roughly lozenge-shaped... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justmesue Posted October 8, 2008 Share Posted October 8, 2008 Any pics of your cottage yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skymeat Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 I have a shingling guide on my blog http://moreminis.blogspot.com/2008/05/shingling-guide.html Making templates is the best way I know of to shingle angles in gables, etc. Thanks! I've been trying to figure out how I was going to do it. This house has nothing BUT angles. Your technique is working great! Skymeat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxxie Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Ewwwwww! I have been doing them one by one also! Using the shingles from the Orchid for something else. I am having a time getting them separated without tearing them into little splintered pieces. Should you have to sand them one by one also? There must be an easier way! I don't like roofing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madtex1967 Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 (edited) Making the templates out of graph paper works great! I used this in shingling the gables of my Garfield. I make a pattern with scrap paper of the area I want to fill, then line it up on the graph paper. I make sure the bottom of the graph paper is lined up and shingle on the paper. I make sure i have a good tight fit on the pattern. Then I use the grid lines as my guide for the overlap spacing. It works great. At the edges, I let the shingles lap off the paper and when the whole section is dry, I take a very sharp x-acto knife and trim along the paper line. I used this technique for all the gables of the Garfield, and when done, the whole panel fit into place. I glue it in, and it looks great! Garfield Gable Edited November 25, 2009 by madtex1967 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 25, 2009 Share Posted November 25, 2009 I line shingles up along a strip of masking tape, rightside down. I take a sheet of plain paper and line one edge along the bottom of the gable/ dormer roof and crease along the gutter to get the angle along which to cut to get the shingles to fit. After I cut the angle I run two beads of glue along the back of the shingle row and lay it in position on the roof. Once the row is dry enough to remove the strip of tape I can put on the next row. I start every other row from the outer edge of the roof with a half shingle to get the staggered pattern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Crafty LaDy Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 Good advice, and just in time for me, as I am ready to shingle my Orchid tonight. Can't wait to see how it turns out for Jody. By the by, where do I post picts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfkelly Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 I have a shingling guide on my blog http://moreminis.blogspot.com/2008/05/shingling-guide.html Making templates is the best way I know of to shingle angles in gables, etc. I tried to shingle the first part of a roof on my first house the way the directions said - what a nightmare. Then I saw her blog and tried the postal paper way - what a difference!!!! Try it - it really works! And, thanks, of course to Gina, whose advice is always stellar! Holly also gave me some great shingling advice too using masking tape which should work as well! Kirsten Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Good advice, and just in time for me, as I am ready to shingle my Orchid tonight. Can't wait to see how it turns out for Jody. By the by, where do I post picts? Once you have five posts under your belt, you'll be able to start a gallery here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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