This week, I focused on punching out the parts. The picture below shows all the pieces that will make up The Beacon Hill Dollhouse, and they all need sanding. I prepare my kit differently than most would recommend, so I don't advise beginners to follow my method. I punched out every part and put them in a pile without labeling anything because I'm very familiar with this kit. To sort similar, unlabeled parts — like the rectangles for staircase treads and risers versus those for the chimney — you can pile them up and count them against the schematics. For instance, if the schematics indicate 12 risers, you should have 12 identical rectangles for those risers, which cannot be used for the chimney.
Keep in mind that this approach is for experienced builders only; beginners might find it overwhelming.
I did encounter some brittle wood that caused a few parts to break during the punch-out process. I'll repair these during sanding and will show you an easy way to fix any broken parts. Wood can be easily mended, so don’t worry too much about breaks; they are common when punching out parts, as they tend to be firmly attached to their sheets and require some force to remove.
I cut out the box photo of the dollhouse because it’s often more helpful than the instructions. I also found a simpler way to dispose of punched-out sheets: I neatly stacked them and secured them with a plastic tie wrap. Sanding will take as much time as punching out the parts, so I have a lot of work ahead of me.
