Build Your Own Wooden Doll House!

A wood dollhouse can bring years of joy to its owners. Wood dollhouses are also probably the most popular type of dollhouses. The challenge these days is finding the right wood to use in constructing a wood dollhouse. As little as five years ago, wood dollhouse makers were forced to fit plans in a restricted market because hobby shops typically carried balsa wood cut specially for airplane models and local lumber yards carried a very limited supply of woods and moldings in thicknesses that could be used to make a wood dollhouse.

That doesn't mean it's not possible to find wood fit for making a wood dollhouse, it's just difficult. A good source is Albert Constantine & Son in New York. If you'll send them $1.00, they'll send you a catalog full of woods that can be used to construct a wood dollhouse. Another supplier is Craftsman Wood Service in Chicago.

Start with common woods. For example, the best wood for carving projects is a clear-grained soft wood such as sugar, or white pine. Bass, cottonwood, and poplar are also good carving woods. Each of these has particular advantages; naturally it's easier and faster to work the softer woods, but you can do a cleaner, smoother job with the hard varieties.

Balsa wood is fine for constructing a wood dollhouse although it's certainly no the strongest of woods. Balsa wood is soft and light but strong enough for most miniature work and not nearly as "splitty" as some other woods, and even the hardest grades are easily shaped and worked, making it a good wood for beginning wood dollhouse makers.

Sugar, or white pine is another soft, easily worked wood, easy to obtain and relatively cheap. It has enough body and strength to produce clean sharp edges and stand considerable undercutting. If your knife is good, this wood lends itself to such accurate and clean cuts that little sandpapering is necessary. However, it does split easily.

Poplar is noted for its light color and even density, and for the beautiful finish it will take. It is used where a relatively hard wood is needed, and can hold a wealth of fine detail with will not chip or shred easily. There are many other soft woods which are easily worked. California redwood cuts easily and cleanly if your knife is properly sharp, and doesn't split too readily. Another possibility is cypress, which is usually straight-grained and easily worked to clean sharp edges.

The hard woods such as oak, beech, hickory, and the nut woods may be difficult to work with for beginning wood dollhouse makers because it's difficult to get fine light cuts and clean sharp notches and angles. It should be noted however, that some of the finest wood dollhouse makers in the world refuse to work with anything other than walnut, maple, and mahogany.