How to Make Model Power Poles Out of Wood

Building scale model scenery often requires that you do a good deal of DIY work. While there are many models available that represent most real-world objects, there are times when finding the perfect ready-made object in the right scale is impossible. A standard looking US power pole is a quick build. By using a few bits of wood obtained from a hobby shop, and nails bought at any hardware store, you can build a power pole worthy of any modern model display, at a speed which can populate your model scenery no matter the number of poles needed.

Things You'll Need

• ¼-inch round wooden dowels
• ¼-by-¼-inch wooden crossbeams
• Hobby knife
• Wood glue
• Double-headed nails
• Needle nose pliers
• Black paint
• Paintbrush
• Dremel
• Piano wire

Instructions

1. Create the body of the pole using a round wooden dowel. Cut the dowel to scale using a hobby knife. The height of a standard utility pole in the U.S. is 40 feet, so for a pole built to an HO train scale of 3.5 mm equal to 1 foot, the pole body should be about 5 1/2 inches tall.

2. Create the two cross bars for the pole using the wooden beams. Cut the beams into 2 1/2-inch sections.

3. Carve a ¼-inch-wide horizontal notch with a hobby knife about ½ inch from the top of the dowel on both sides of the dowel. Make them parallel to each other to hold the crossbeams.

4. Paint the double-headed nails black and allow them to completely dry. Double-headed nails are also known as duplex head nails and can be purchased at most hardware stores. Find the smallest double-headed nails you can as they will serve as the power connectors for you power poles.

5. Holding the nails with the needle nose pliers, cut the head from the nail about 1/8 inch below the nail heads.

6. Using the Dremel with a drill bit, drill holes into the cross beams halfway through on a single side, four holes per beam, with two each at ¼ inch and then ½ inch from each end.

7. Place glue on the bottom of the nails and firmly set the nail heads into the drilled holes.

8. Glue the two crossbars centered into the notches on the dowel with the nail heads pointed upward. Allow the glue to dry and then prop the pole wherever needed. You can simulate a connected power wire using piano cord.

Tips & Warnings

• You can use basswood for the building materials as it's strong and easily worked.

• Stain and seal the wood for different colorings to blend better with your scenery.

References

• Poolside Rails: Taking the Pole Position on the Garden Railway

Resources

• Building Your Model Railroad