Fabricating the Model's Wood Parts

Welcome to my Star Destroyer's wood parts fabrication webpage. This webpage describes the materials, equipment and processes I used to create the wood parts sections of my 6' model. For clarity, I have broken the discussion down into major sections of the model.

Equipment and Materials

Almost all of the wood parts making up my Star Destroyer were made from various thicknesses of red oak. This material was all purchased from a local Home Depot. I like working with red oak because it is a very hard wood and it is also fairly resistant to humidity and warping. The power equipment and tools I used to complete this phase of the project are listed below:

Parts for the Main Wedge

The first six pieces of the model that I cut out formed the main wedge shaped part of the model. These were also the largest single pieces of the model as well. The first four pieces were cut from one 10' foot long, 1' wide board of oak that was 3/4" thick. The other two pieces, forming the side rails of the wedge, were cut from two boards of oak that were each 7' long and 4" wide and 3/4" thick.

All of the parts were first drafted onto the bulk wood from planemetric printouts derived from my CAD system's 3D representation of the model. The picture below shows the design bible's rib #3 planemetric front view and the resulting wood part.


After the parts were drafted onto the wood, I roughly cut out the parts using my band saw. Next, I very precisely glued wood paint mixing sticks completely around the perimeter of each rough piece so that the mixing stick's edges were perfectly parallel to the eventual edges of the finished piece. I did this so I would have a very clean edge that would serve as a guide to run each rough piece through my band saw and generate a very clean and accurate final cut. Below is rib #3 prepared and ready for its final band saw cuts that will form the resulting piece. Note the mixing sticks around its perimeter.


Once the six pieces were released from the bulk wood, I had to drill various holes in them to support the model's air circulation pathways, neon tubes and wiring. This was done by simply clamping each piece down to my drill press table so that they could not move, and then drilling each hole. See the picture below of rib #3 in the process of receiving an air circulation hole.


Below is a picture of four of the model's six main wedge pieces after finishing. These pieces are now ready to be attached to the main square shaped internal aluminum support that runs through the center of this part of the model. These pieces required about 30 hours to cut out and finish.


Internal/External Landing Bays

Engine Area

Upper Building Structure

Last Updated: January 7, 2000
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