HO Scale Small Town Bank

An HO scale model of the Bank of Olar building in Olar, South Carolina.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/mG8dEoK1gKR7LG2d9

Overall size of the building is based on counting bricks from Google Maps photos and from a 1939 fire insurance map. I've taken liberties with the front door and window details - the model is much more ornate than what is on the building now. This was originally a bank, so I think the original doors and windows might have been more impressive that what we see today.

The model features interior wall, door, and window details and a removeable roof. Parts are separated for printing in different colours or for easy painting. glazing.zip contains an SVG file for the door and window glass. Print the file on overhead projector sheet and cut out the door and window glass manually, or send the SVG to a Cricut machine for easy cutting.

The parts are designed for a close fit, so some light sanding will be needed to get parts to go together.

Printing

Print with 0.4mm extruder at 0.2mm layers

walls.stl - print 1

sanding_block_front_door.stl - print 1

sanding_block_front_window.stl - print 1

sanding_block_side_door.stl - print 1

Print with 0.4mm extruder at 0.1mm layers

floor.stl - print 1

roof_interior.stl - print 1

roof_subroof.stl - print 1

Print with 0.2mm extruder at 0.1mm layers

door_front_external.stl - print 1

door_front_internal.stl - print 1

door_side.stl - print 2

frame_front_door.stl - print 1

frame_front_windows.stl - print 2

frame_side_door.stl - print 1

frame_small_windows.stl - print 4

roof_collar_tie.stl - print 8

roof_collar_tie_end.stl - print 2

roof_rafters.stl - print 1

roof_ridge.stl - print 1

roof_sheathing.stl - print 2

sill_front_door.stl - print 1

sill_front_windows.stl - print 2

sill_side_and_back_windows.stl - print 4

sill_side_door.stl - print 1

window_front.stl - print 4

window_small_external.stl - print 1 for each closed window you want

window_small_internal.stl - print 1 for each closed window you want

window_small_open_external.stl - print 1 for each open window you want

window_small_open_internal.stl - print 1 for each open window you want

Supports

walls.stl - manually paint supports under the window and door openings and under the bricks overhanging the rectangular recesses on the front wall. I used tree supports.

No other parts require supports.

Seams

roof_sheathing.stl - manually paint seams at one end of the part. Automatic seams may result in what looks like a mismatched joint in the panel; random seams may result in coarseness throughout the part. It may look odd, but this part prints very well in the provided vertical orientation. I use a 5mm brim on the part and trim away the brim and a tiny portion of the bottom edge of the part with a very sharp hobby knife.

Assembly

Door and Window Sills

Fit and glue the door and window sills to the bottom of the door and window openings. Install the door and window sills first as any sanding needed to make the doors and windows fit will depend on the sills being in place first.

Walls

Glue sandpaper to the arched side of the sanding blocks and trim the sandpaper flush with the sides and ends of the sanding blocks.

Use the sanding blocks to clean up any support residue in the door and window arches. Sand the tops of the door and window openings until the door and window frames fit into the openings with just a little friction and without deforming.

Floor

Drop floor.stl into the walls, with the plank detail facing up, and glue in place.

Glazing

glazing.svg contains outlines of the door and window glazing. I get excellent results cutting these parts out of overhead projector sheet on a Cricut. The SVG file readily imports into Cricut Design Studio and the parts cut cleanly.

You can also print this file onto overhead projector sheet and carefully cut out the glazing material with a sharp hobby knife.

Doors and Windows

Assemble the door and window halves back-to-back, sandwiching the glazing material between the parts.

The side door does not have any glazing and uses the same parts for the inside and outside faces of the door.

The front windows use the same parts for the inside and outside faces of the windows.

The front door uses unique parts for the inside and outside faces. The outside part has a cornice above the door; the inside part is plain.

The side and back windows use unique parts for the inside and outside faces. The outside part has a decorative ogee shape on the top sash; the inside part does have have the decorative ogee on the sash. Position the inside part so that the thicker frame is at the bottom of the window.

Glue the frames into the door and window openings from the inside of the walls. Sand the top of the window and door openings so that the frames fit with just a little friction and without deforming.

Press the assembled doors and windows into the openings from the outside of the walls, locating the assembled doors and windows against the interior frames. The doors and windows should hold in place without glue.

Roof Rafters

Carefully fold roof_rafters.stl along its center. You may need to very lightly score the fold line with a hobby knife to fold the part; be careful to not cut through the fold line.

Fit the roof_collar_tie.stl parts into the notches in the rafters. You may need to flex the parts slightly to get them to fit togeher. The collar ties will lock into place without glue and hold the angle of the rafters.

Fit the roof_collar_tie_end.stl parts into the end rafters, positioning the cross-member to the inside of the roof. When assembled, the end rafters should be flush on the outside of the rafter assembly. Glue the roof_collar_tie_end.stl parts into place.

Slip the rafter assembly into the recess in the walls. The rafters are designed to be removeable. Do not glue the assembly to the walls if you want your rafters to be removeable.

Roof Interior

Carefully fold roof_interior.stl along its center. You may need to very lightly score the fold line with a hobby knife to fold the part; be careful to not cut through the fold line.

Locate the roof_interior.stl part on the rafter assembly, fitting the locating slots over the rafters. The roof interior, subroof, and sheathing assembly is designed to be removeable. Do not glue the roof interior to the rafters if you want your roof interior, subroof, and sheathing assembly to be removeable.

Subroof

Carefully fold roof_subroof.stl along its center. You may need to very lightly score the fold line with a hobby knife to fold the part; be careful to not cut through the fold line.

Locate the roof_subroof.stl part on the roof interior part. The lip around the edges of the subroof has a recess on one end; position this recess towards the front of the walls. The subroof and roof interior parts should fit together snugly. You may need to lightly sand the edges of the roof interior for a snug fit.

Glue the subroof to the roof interior.

Roof Sheathing

Glue roof_ridge.stl to the peak of the roof.

The roof_sheathing.stl parts are oversized to allow for trimming. Trim the parts to fit with a sharp hobby knife. I leave a slight overhang on the sides of the roof and make the sheathing flush with the ends of the roof.

Glue the sheathing to the subroof, pushing the sheathing up against the roof ridge.