54 GARDEN RAILWAYS FALL 2019
RELATED ARTICLES
■ (^) Turn your own wheelsets,
Dec. 2018
■ (^) Scratchbuilding day
coaches in tinplate, Oct. 2014
■ (^) Building a metal through-
girder bridge, Feb. 2012
Initially, I considered using ½" furniture-grade
plywood for the frame and plow blade. You’ll
need to cut a compound angle for the blade (in
this case, 96 degrees). Note the trailing edge of
the “V.” I should have cut it 90 degrees to the
frame so that it filled in the triangle-shaped gap
between the plow blade.
The most popular
form of recreational
welding is Metal Inert
Gas (MIG) welding. A
continuous solid wire
electrode feeds
through a welding gun.
Pull the trigger, and the
wire carries the current
to cause an arc. While
MIG welding doesn’t
take a lot of skill to
stick stuff together,
it takes practice to
create solid joints.
The problems with
MIG welding are two-
fold. As soon as you
pull the trigger, heating
and welding happen
quickly. Secondly,
because the solid MIG
wire does not combat
rust, dirt, or other con-
taminants well, more
time is needed to
prepare the welding
surfaces beforehand.
Tungsten Inert Gas
(TIG) welding is con-
trolled versus the quick
flash of MIG welding.
TIG uses a whip with
an internal tungsten
electrode that is held
in one hand. The
amperage delivered to
the electrode is con-
trolled by a foot pedal.
Your other hand holds
a filler rod that you
feed into the puddle of
molten metal to com-
plete the weld.
You’ll find lots of
instructional videos
and websites online
for both welding
types. In either case,
please wear appro-
priate personal pro-
tective equipment
and follow safety
measures at all times.
MIG VERSUS TIG WELDING WOOD VS. METAL FRAME
My photos show the “V” pieces having their
trailing edges cut to match the width as the
floor, which would allow the body to slide
down over the cut angles. I would change this
and instead cut the trailing edge so that it is at a
right angle to the base. This piece would line up
with the back edge of the blade. In the end, a
steel frame worked better to obtain the weight
to keep the plow securely on the track.
■ (^) Build your models of
tinplate, Oct. 2010
■ (^) Build a wood burner,
Oct. 2010
■ (^) Learn soft soldering,
Dec. 2010
■ (^) Brass tacks, Dec. 2005 and
Feb. 2006
■ (^) Scratchbuild a metal
windmill, June and Aug. 2001
■ (^) Build a simple snowplow,
Dec. 1999
NEXT ISSUE
Part 2: Building
the body,
making details,
and final assembly
Argon
gas
TIG
welder
Foot
pedal
MIG
welder
Ground
clamp
Ground
clamp
Control
knobs
Underside
view
Cut out
plywood
sections
for trucks