Book Review- Making Character Dolls' Houses in 1:12 Scale by Brian Nickolls

Making Character Dolls Houses in 1:12 Scale is a comprehensive book for making five very different dollhouse scale buildings, including a thatched forge and cider house, a country pub, a watermill, and a Georgian mansion. The book assumes the reader has reasonable familiarity with woodworking from measurements rather than scaled plans. Instructions are given for trims, moldings, doors and windows, important accessories and finishes, but commercial examples could be substituted to simplify the project. Strong reading skills are required to work through the detailed, well illustrated constructions which include wiring runs for lights.

Brian Nickoll's second book Making Character Dolls' Houses in 1:12 Scale contains complete instructions for building a very creative range of five widely varied buildings in dollhouse scale. This is a continuation of his first book Making Doll's Houses in 1:12 Scale. Anyone who wants to construct country village buildings, or who loves buildings that feature traditional occupations will enjoy this book, but there is also great scope for at least two projects for traditional dolls house lovers in the Georgian Manor and the traditional country pub, which could be adapted to a village shop with living quarters above, or a farmhouse. The detail and the design of the watermill are wonderful, and instructions are included for setting up a chain drive system on a electrical motor to make the waterwheel operate the millstone, sack hoist and the flour dresser.

The character dolls houses include a traditional thatched cider barn, a forge, a country pub, an electrically powered water mill, and a grand nine room Georgian house with a pull out garden drawer. The cider barn includes instructions on thatching using coconut fiber, as well as a cider press and an apple mill, and the forge, with the same basic building as the cider mill, has a hearth, anvil bellows and workbench. The watermill has a operating millstones, sack hoist and flour dresser and a small attached one up one down cottage. The slate roof country pub has an attached stable, and an upstairs bedroom, landing and living room. Without the bar fittings in the downstairs room, it would make a wonderful farmhouse with attached stable for a child who loves to integrate horses in their play.

All the buildings are built with 3/8 inch birch plywood carcasses with lap (housed) joints. The book was written for the UK market, so adjustments will need to be made for wood types. Measurements are provided in metric as well as inches and feet. Finishing details including lighting runs are provided.

Instructions are given for making all the necessary windows, doors, stairs and handrails and chimney breast. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with power tools and has access to a table saw and router, as well as hand tools. Instructions are given for turning some items such as balusters on a lathe, but these are available for purchase from several companies. There is a chapter on basic construction, tools and woods at the end of the book

Price and Availability - Making Character Dolls' Houses in 1:12 Scale published by David and Charles, UK,1995 ISBN 0-7153-0200 0 Hardcover and more recent (2000) paperback editions available. Priced from $4 to $20 for new and used copies.