9' Wooden 5 Plank Wagon Kit

An example of the parts supplied in the kit. Please note the kit may vary overtime, and vary from this image, but the instructions will be updated to suit.

Assembly Instructions for 9' Wooden 5 Plank Wagon

This page contains assembly instructions for the 9' wooden 5-plank wagon kit I have developed in conjunction with Dave at Bunters Yard. It utilises my standard 9' chassis and the wooden laser-cut bodies supplied by Bunters Yard.

This kit is for sale by contacting me through my contact page, or sometimes via my eBay account.

Coupling Variations

To provide a wider range of coupling compatibility there are three build options:

Dapol medium-D tension locks
NEM pocket (no coupling supplied)
No coupling block (used for three-link couplings - not supplied)

An example of the wooden 5-plank wagon built up

What tools do I need?

The kit comes straight off the printer, so some preparation is required. You will need the following tools to prepare and assemble the kit.

Small, sharp, flush-cut side cutters (Or sharp craft knife)
Tweezers
0.5mm drill bit
2mm drill bit
Pin vice / small chuck (to hold drills)
Course, medium, and fine grit abrasive papers and a flat surface for sanding, or alternatively emery boards with course, medium and fine grits
An engineer's square or similar for assembling parts perpendicular to each other. The wagon chassis and solebars must be assembled true, or the wagon will not roll as well as it could.
Your preferred adhesive for plastic. (Plastic solvent weld does not work, but superglue does)

Some of the tools required

Additional useful tools

- Fine point tweezers
- 3.0 or similar drill for adding countersink to 2mm holes
- Needle files (for dressing areas with print marks)
- Cocktail stick
- Paper towel

Additional useful tools

An example of the parts supplied in the kit. Please note the kit may vary overtime, and vary from this image, but the instructions will be updated to suit.

What is in the kit?

PLEASE NOTE:

The photo left (or above on mobile) is only a guide to what you get as the kit may change slightly over time to improve the kit quality. The list below, however, is definitive.

The wagon kit features:

2x Dapol spoked wheels axles
4x H&A brass bearings
2x 5g sticky ballast weights
1x FDM 3D printed main chassis
2x FDM 3D printed sole bars
2x FDM 3D printed standard brake blocks
1x FDM 3D printed reversed brake block
2x FDM 3D printed outer V hangers
2x FDM 3D printed standard brake levers
1x FDM 3D printed reversing brake lever
2x FDM 3D printed brake lever "rack"
1x 0.4mm dia x 30mm long wire
2x SLA 3D printed buffer beams with buffers and hooks
4x SLA 3D printed axle boxes and springs
Either:
- 2x SLA 3D printed NEM pockets without couplings or,
- 2x SLA 3D printed receivers for Dapol medium-D tension hook couplings, along with 2x Dapol medium-D couplings
A laser-cut, real-wood, 5 plank body base
Two laser-cut, real-wood, 5 plank body sides
Two laser-cut, real-wood, 5 plank body ends
Two laser-cut card side frames
Two laser-cut card end frames

Please state the coupling options preferred at the time of ordering.

Standard 9' Chassis

The chassis utilised is my standard 9' wagon chassis kit.

To save duplication of effort there are separate instructions available for the wagon chassis, available here.

Once the chassis has been built, then proceed to the preparation of parts below.

Preparation of the body parts

Please read all steps in the preparation and all steps in the assembly first, before attempting the build.

This is to familiarise yourself with why some steps in the preparation are critical for the successful assembly of the wagon body.

A sharp craft knife

Sharp Knife

Equip yourself with a very sharp or new craft knife or scalpel blade.

The wagon body frames need to be cut from the supporting card, and some parts are very fine. A blunt blade will likely rip the parts and make them un usuable.

⚠ Note: Although this is a labour of love, the sharper the knife, and the more gentle the cuts the better chance that the frame will not be damaged removing it. Some parts of the frames are incredibly delicate.

Cutting Out the Frames

Place the frames and supports on a cutting mat. Using the sharpest blade you have, very carefully cut the frames from the support card. The laser cutting may not go all the way through on all pieces, and there are also small "bridges" which are not cut at all to prevent the parts falling out rom the supports in transit.

These are very delicate and care is required. Prefer many light gentle cuts over single deep hard cuts.

Work away from the corners.

Keep making gentle cuts until the parts become free.

Cutting the frames free from the supports

The frame becomes free

Work from the corners

Remove centre support sections

Cut away small parts of the support at a time

Extra care around the door frames

Parts free of supports

Optional Step

At this point an optional step is to extent the edges for the door by scoring them to the top.

⚠ Note: Do not cut right through unless you want to affect the structural integrity of the door and side.

Congratulations!

You have now prepared all the parts ready for assembly.

Select your preferred adhesive for wood and card. I have tried both PVA and super glue. Both work well but the extended glue tome of PVA irratates me.

⚠ Note: You may choose to paint the parts before assembly, but do be aware if the parts become too wet they may warp.

Assembly of the model

Ensure all preparation stages are complete before beginning assembly.

Laying out the body parts

Lay out the body parts so you can familiarise your self with the "overlap".

The ends are the same width as the body and they are fitted first.

The sides are longer than the body and they overlap the body and ends, so are fitted after the ends.

Fitting the First End

Using a square or similar fit the first end with the base of the end flush with the work surface, the same as the wagon body base.

Fitting the Second End

Using a square or similar fit the second end, again, with the base of the end flush with the work surface, the same as the wagon body base.

Fitting the First Side

Using a square or similar fit the first side with the base of the side flush with the work surface, the same as the wagon body base and ends.

Ensure the ends of the side are flush with both of the wagon body ends

Fitting the Second Side

Using a square or similar fit the second side with the base of the side flush with the work surface, the same as the wagon body base and ends.

Ensure the ends of the side are flush with both of the wagon body ends

⚠ Note: You may want to tale this time to dress up the ends with abrasive paper to ensure the edges are all flush.

Fit the body to the chassis

Fit the newly built body to the wagon chassis you built using the standard 9' wagon chassis instructions found here.

Ensure the body is centralised both width-ways and length-ways. The body should be very slightly shorter than the chassis with the buffer beams already fitted. Once the frames are on they should be almost flush with the buffer beam face.

⚠ Note 1: You may choose to fit the body frames to the body before assembling the body to the chassis. I feel it is easier to fit the body frames after the body is fitted to the chassis

⚠ Note 2: You may choose to paint the body and chassis separately before assembly, but do be aware that the wooden parts may warp if they become too wet.

Fit the ballast weights

Now the body and the chassis are attached you can fit the two ballast weights centrally in the chassis voids.

Ensure these are fitted centrally so there is equal clearance for the wheels on either side.

Ready for the frames

Once the body is on the chassis it is time to fit the frames.

The side frames are the same length as the wagon body. The end frames are as long as the wagon body is wide, plus the thickness of the wagon frames. This means the end frames overlap the side frames and go on last.

Use a cocktail stick or similar to apply the adhesive to the back of the frames

Fit the side frames so the are aligned with the wagon body sides at the ends. the tops of the frames should be flush with the tops of the wagon sides and protrude below the sides and overlap the chassis.

Fit the end frames so they overlap the side frames. The tops of the end frames should be flush with the tops of the wagon ends.

The Wagon is complete. Gently sand the corners of the frames flush with each other if you wish

Printing these instructions

If you have a "Chromium-based" browser like, Chrome, Safari, Opera, MS Edge then you can right click on a blank portion of this page to open the page context menu, and select Save as PDF... and save this to your PC. The PDF file can then be opened for printing.
PLEASE NOTE:

The Print... option from the page context menu does not appear to render this page very well for printing.

The most up to date version of this document can always be found here:

https://sites.google.com/view/dibsyard/3d-printing/standard-9-wagon-chassis

Any Feedback?

If you have found these instructions difficult to follow, or have any feedback on how they can be improved, please use the contact form to send your suggestions. I strive to make the instructions as clear as possible, but I may have overlooked key steps.

If you have any ideas which may improve the kit in general, please also fill in the form and indicate your suggestion.

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