Assembly Instructions - Scifi Apartment Module

The Scifi Apartment Modules from The Mews at Windsor Heights set were designed for rapid assembly and easy modification. 

Equipment:

• 150-220 grit sand paper

• hobby knife

• PVA glue

• masking tape, rubber bands or clamps

• damp rag or paper towels

The parts are ready to assemble as they are shipped but we recommend you give them a light sanding with some 150 or 220 sand paper to remove any cut marks from the laser. We recommend using an electric palm sander for this because it is faster but a basic sanding block will work fine as well. You only need to sand the flats and not the wedges. The laser leaves a very clean edge that is normally free of splinters and we try to catch and clean up any before the items are shipped. If you do find one though, you can clean it up with either sand paper or a hobby knife. 
For glue, I recommend  Aleene's Original Tacky Glue is the best glue ever made for craft projects like this. It doesn't run and gives you plenty of wiggle room for alignment. It also is easier to control and clean up than regular PVA glue. The tape, rubber bands and clamps are just for holding parts as you assemble then and let the glue set.



Begin by laying out all the parts and grouping them together. The kit is designed with extra pieces to allow you to  modify the design to suit your needs. The parts shown are the essential pieces needy to build the unit. Most cutout will easily fall out but occasionally they need a little encouragement. Use a hobby knife to score the wood and remove the parts.

Lay out the top, bottom and 2 sides. If you want to make the units with opening roofs then the parts are scored to make this modification easier. The biggest thing to remember if you do is to make the parts mirror images of each other otherwise parts will not line up correctly.

If you want to use the ladder option on the units there are also locations to need to be clipped as shown to allow the ladder to fit. 

With the parts cleanup complete slot the 2 sides into the bottom piece as shown and secure them with glue.

Next add the front and back pieces and secure them with glue. 

Finally attach the top piece to complete the basic box. If you decided to make the units open then do not glue this piece in place. Just set the entire unit aside to dry. I recommend using a rubber band to hold it all together while the glue dries. 

 Next attach the 8 magnet blocks to the top and bottom of the unit. The spaces are designed to accept 1/4" dia x 1/8" thick magents. As always with magnets be careful with the polarity if you want to stack multiple units together. 

The kit includes 2 balconies. The only time you will really need both is if you are building a stand alone unit that will not be added to the stacking tower.

Glue the parts together as shown.

If the balcony is for a ground level unit cut out the center section using a hobby knife.

The kit includes 2 different door designs that can be added to the kit. Additional door designs will also be made available at a later date to for further customization.

Assembly Instructions - Stepped Paint Storage Units

With the new Stepped Paint Storage Units getting out to users we have been getting questions on how to assemble the units. The process is simple but can appear daunting when you open the box and are greeted with so many pieces of wood. Fear not, like any kit the goal is to make the process as painless as possible. So lets begin.

Equipment:

150-220 grit sand paper

hobby knife

PVA glue

masking tape or clamps

damp rag or paper towels

The parts are ready to assemble as they are shipped but we recommend you give them a light sanding with some 150 or 220 sand paper to remove any cut marks from the laser. We recommend using an electric palm sander for this because it is faster but a basic sanding block will work fine as well. You only need to sand the flats and not the wedges. The laser leaves a very clean edge that is normally free of splinters and we try to catch and clean up any before the items are shipped. If you do find one though, you can clean it up with either sand paper or a hobby knife.

For glue, I recommend  Aleene's Original Tacky Glue is the best glue ever made for craft projects like this. It doesn't run and gives you plenty of wiggle room for alignment. It also is easier to control and clean up than regular PVA glue. The tape and clamps are just for holding parts as you assemble then and let the glue set. For this build I used both but the tape was the most beneficial  The clamp was more for the photos than the actual assembly.

Now that we have our assembly tools and the parts are clean we can begin. Start by grouping the parts together by shape. This will speed up the assembly a bit and keep the parts you need readily available. Lay out the sides, the logo shelf front, a shelf bottom and a shelf back as shown in the picture. 

Using a small amount of glue attache the shelf bottom to the logo shelf front as shown.If any glue squeezes out use a damp cloth to clean it up. I left the glue in the photos so you could get a look at where the glue was being placed.

Now attach the shelf back to the shelf bottom just like you did with the logo front piece. When assembled they should for a U shape like the one in the photo.

Put a small amount of glue on the edges of the U and slot it into the side piece. 

Now take another shelf bottom and back. Glue them as shown in the photo. Note the location of the notch.

Turn the assembly around, add some glue to the edge and slot it into the side piece. This may be a little tricky because the piece needs to go in at a slight angle. Once the pieces are in use a piece of tape to help hold things in place while the glue dries.

Repeat this process with the remaining 2 shelves. 

Next attach the other side panel using a small amount of glue on the mating surfaces.

Once both side panels are in place add the final shelf back.

This completes the setup of the stepped part of the unit so if you are assembling the units with out drawers you just need to let the glue dry and remove the tape to begin using the unit. If you are assembling a drawer unit then continue on.

The kit includes 4 drawer supports that need to be slotted and glued in place as shown in the photo. If you are not using Tacky Glue, you may need to let the glue dry a little before proceeding. 

 

The last parts to add to the unit are the drawer stop and cross bars. These pieces glue in place in the slots provided. 

 

The final part is the drawer itself. It just requires a bit of glue around the edges and some tape to hold it together while the glue dries.

When everything is dry just slide in the drawer and the unit is ready for use. You can leave the unit in raw wood but would recommend giving it light spray with sealer to keep the wood from changing color or being effected by humidity. You can also paint the units. Again we recommend spray paint with a light coat or two to seal things.

Now go and pull those paints out of the show boxes and move the to their new home.