Building/Shed for a Tabletop Nativity Scene

My daughter Andi, asked me if I could come up with some sort of structure for the nativity scene which she was making for her family. She made, fired and painted some remarkably beautiful ceramic figures. I thought that a "shed type" structure couldn't be that hard. I decided to use 1/4" strips, cut from some 1 x pine as "2 x 6's" to make the framework for this miniature building. The next thing was to come up with some sort of design which would look kind of like the sheds or buildings they might have had 2,000 years ago. I sort of made it up as I went along but I was happy with the result.

This small building when completed measures 17 1/2"W x 7 1/2"D x 11 1/2"T.

By including in the design, a support beam under the rafters at the front of the frame for roof support, the roof then slopes down to the back of the building, where the rear of the roof rests on another, but lower support beam.

I started the construction of the frame with the 2 ends. After deciding on a 10 degree slope for the roof - the tops of both were cut at 10 degrees, the rear piece being 1" shorter than the front. I decided to make the top piece of each end wall to serve as the end rafter. Each of the uprights had a notch cut from the top outside edge, so that a rafter would fit nicely.

Before assembly, a series of notches (total of 5) were nibbled out of these 2 beams with my table saw to a depth of 3/8" or about half the width of the rafters and the width of your "2 x 6's".

Assemble the end frames first. Then attach the lateral "support beams" to the inside face of both end frames. This will ultimately be the support for the roof which is attached by either glue and/or small finishng nails.

TIP: For assembling the frame work I used 1" finishing nails which of course went right through both pieces. Then I ground off the protruding nail points with my belt sander,,, this is a very neat technique since it has a very "finished" look!

This project was a kind of a "fly by the seat of your pants" project. You can add to it or replace things to make it whatever you wish.

I remembered seeing cross beam supports attached to the exterior of buildings in various old drawings. In the shot to the right, I've added these supports. In this case, they are purely decorative but do add a touch of realism.

To cover the structure, I used 3mm finnish plywood. Windows were cut using my scrollsaw. A jigsaw could have also been used.

BILL OF MATERIALS

- Sufficient 1" pine from which 1/4" strips are to be cut for the "2 x 6's" required for framing

- 3mm finnish plywood (1/4" plywood would also work)

- 1" finishing nails

- wood glue

This project was easy and fun to make and should be enjoyed for many years to come.

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