"Tree grouping bases for backwoods AWI " Topic

I like how a few stands of these can suggest a large, old forest and want to make some myself:

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Does anyone have a guess on what material was used for the base on these? Would a plastic placemat, with some foam board added on top work? Any suggestions for bases that don't involve the use of saws?

From an AWI perspective, do these trees seem too tall for the backwoods?

I used cardboard for these the first time I made my own. The problem became when the glue holding the flocking material on caused the cardboard to bow a bit.

In hind site I should have used something firmer, such as plastic, for my base.

Hope that helps.

U.K.

I've use CDs as bases. No problems with warping.

I use canning lid inserts for my multi-tree stands. Cheap and durable.

As U.K. suggests, I've had success using Evergreen PLASTIC SHEETS from the hobby store, or -- on the more affordable but slightly tougher to work with side -- vinyl floor tiles from Home Depot.

I'm doing some bases with trees and rocks right now using cd's.

i use 3mm MDF/Hardboard to make tree stands like that. cut to shape, and then sand the edges down so they blend in better to the underlying sheet. looks something like this:

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At the AC Moore (arts and crafts stores) near my house they sell these thin wood pieces in round and oval shapes (I think they're supposed to be baseballs and footballs). They're only .30 each and work very well as tree bases.

Thank you for the suggestions.

I would like at least a few of the stands to be sort of a rounded triangular shape

Crucible Orc, can the mdf be cut with scissors or does it require a saw?

Craft stores, and some hardware stores carry basswood. If you get 1/16" thick, and do not have such extreme curves, it can be cut with shop shears, or a hobby knife. Basswood is soft enough, yet close grained, that it will cut fairly easily without cracking along the grain.

A more affordable solution, and one with small figures, is to use sign material. Hardware stores, and home improvement stores carry them. Just pick out the cheapest, largest peice you need, and cut to size. It is the same material as the hobby store styrene stuff…but a lot cheaper, if you do not mind one side with print on it. If it is to thin, super glue a couple of sheets together.

I have not seen MDF, or Hardboard thinner than 1/8" in large sheets. If somebody knows where to find it, PLEASE let me know. I would like to use it for an unrelated project.

Not meaning to beat you to the punch, C. Orc, MDF and Hardboard cannot be cut without large shears or a saw at that thickness.

ilodic.

Crucible Orc, can the mdf be cut with scissors or does it require a saw?

You'll need a saw. Preferably a table saw.

Redcoat 55 wrote:

"Would a plastic placemat, with some foam board added on top work? Any suggestions for bases that don't involve the use of saws?"

I have 1.5 mm triplex or basswood for my bases. I use scissors to cut kidney shaped form which I could glue four or five trees to; these are from Busch and come 25 to a pack.

The base edges were sanded and the entire base painted with latex paint (prevent warping), later covered with sand, painted/dry-brushed and flocked around the edges.

Photos of a battle in a forested area can be seen at my blog, 18th Century Sojourn:

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Cheers,

There are some good suggestions above. Another is getting 5mm balsa as you don't need a saw to cut it. You can cut shapes as desired and bevel the edges with a stanley knife.
Strong enough for general handling, yet lightweight for storage.

If you use model railway type trees you can easily drill and push the bottom of the tree into it and glue in place. Some putty or greenstuff around the base of the tree will help make it strong enough to last years.

i used a small hobby saw(sort of like a small hacksaw). i now use a power jigsaw. you can also get large sawlike blades(smalelr tehn razor saw blades) for exacto knives that will work as well. scissors will not. fortuantely MDF is easy to cut, so even though you need something heavier tehn a knife, it goes fairly fast.

most materials robust enough to not warp easily, or be durable enough to hold up trees up without deforming will not be cutable with scissors. at the very lease a sharp hobby knife is required, even for evergreen plastic.

I try to make my terrain as robust as possible. i assume that clumsy people will be around, and so materials like balsa wood I avoid like the plague. it's just too easy to break. planning for the worst case scenario when building your terrain will save you a lot of time fixing and touching up(or totally rebasing) in the long run.

I just glued the removable base bit that came with the railroad trees to the MDF base with a hot glue gun. that way the trees are still removable. its useful for more compact storage that way.

if you go with large railroad trees form companies like woodland scenics,(the clump foliage trees i have are the most durable) soak all the foliage on the tree with watered down white glue. it will fall off much more slowly. the trees will last 10 years instead of 2.

Probably one of the best representations of "dense forest" I've seen on a wargames table was at a show almost 30 years ago. It involved several large, irregular-shaped bases, each with a single line of tree trunks arranged all around the outside, quite close together; the central area of the base was left open. On top of the trunks was placed a clear acetate sheet, the same shape as the base, to which was glued masses of lichen and flock to represent the canopy. As well as looking the part, it allowed troops to be hidden within the forest, but above all was amazingly cheap. Strangely, I've never seen it replicated on a table since.

All of this is very useful information. Thank you everyone!