How It's Made (2001–…): Season 15, Episode 8 - Miniature Furniture/Garden Steam Locomotives/Hovercraft/Folding Bicycles - full transcript

Narrator: Selecting furniture
is a matter of scale,

Especially when
it's a dollhouse room.

Miniature furniture is sized
for really small spaces.

A popular scale is 1/12
of full-sized furnishings.

But as far
as attention to detail,

There's no need to scale down
one's expectations.

These are replicas
of full-sized antiques,

Meticulously copied
in miniature.

This grandfather clock is
modeled on an 18th-century one,

And for the craftsman,
no detail is too small.

He first measures
and cuts numerous components



From pear-tree wood.

This wood's small grain
scales down well

To make the miniature clock
look more authentic.

The parts are too thin
and small to nail,

So he glues them together,

Beginning with the front
of the clock's trunk.

He applies the glue sparingly
with a tiny brass tool

To prevent messy overflow.

He installs the sides
on the front of the clock trunk.

And he adds

A substantial-looking
pearwood base.

He spiffs up the front of
the base with veneer paneling

That's protected by a layer
of tape for now.

He carves angles and trim



To make it fit neatly
around the paneling.

He now peels away the tape

To reveal the swirled burl
of the veneer wood,

Which has been cut from the root
of a south-asian tree.

He rubs the paneling
against sandpaper

To smooth its surface and expose
more of the wood grain.

Once the feet have
been installed on the clock,

He applies a strip of molding
above the trunk.

The crisp profile
of this limewood trim

Is a classic touch.

Carving a mini gable
with the thin blade of a fretsaw

Is tricky, especially
with this intricate design,

Called a swan neck.

He sands the edges
to finish off the job.

The swan-neck gable is one
of numerous little parts that,

When pieced together,
form the hood of the clock,

Which holds the face
and clockworks.

He joins the hood to the trunk,

And with the basic structure
now complete,

He glues a tiny wooden crest
to the center of the swan neck.

He tapers it
with a surgical scalpel.

After staining the clock
a deep antique mahogany,

He sands it to make it look
more authentic.

He then brushes on coats
of shellac sealer.

It both protects the wood

And provides a smooth surface
for the next finish.

After the sealer dries,
he sands it a little

And then applies two coats
of traditional french polish.

This mix of alcohol and shellac

Gives the cabinetry
a high-gloss finish.

Once it dries, he buffs the wood
with wax to enhance the sheen.

The clock door
with its exotic veneer

Is also stained, polished,
and waxed.

Then, using tweezers,

He positions tiny brass hinges
on the door.

He presses little brass pins
into holes in the hinge

To secure it to the door.

He files the pinheads
until their flush to the hinge.

He now dips the pendulum
and its weights in acid,

Which gives them
an antiqued finish.

He installs them in their
compartment in the cabinetry.

He now sets the clock upright...

And paints the back basic black.

He inserts a piece
of clear acrylic

Into the opening
of the clock hood.

Acrylic has a slight wave to it
that looks like old glass.

This small watch movement

Is what will make this miniature
grandfather clock tick.

Using double-sided tape,
he attaches it to the dial.

He fastens the hands
to the clockwork shafts,

And then he lowers the dial
and clockworks

Into the hood compartment.

He signs the back
with a paint-filled pen

Which makes his signature
stand out

Against the black background.

And finally, he glues a tiny
tassel to the door handle.

Including drying time
for the various finishes,

It has taken over three days

To make this miniature
grandfather clock.

No small effort,
but it's the little details

That make a difference
in a small space.

Narrator: It's out of the
basement and into the backyard

For the model train set.

This trend
is called garden railroading,

And it merges two hobbies --
gardening and model trains.

These outdoor train sets
are often larger

And more rugged
than indoor ones,

So people can hop aboard
for a tour of the perennials.

These garden-variety train sets

Have become the fastest-growing
segment of model railroading.

People design gardens
to the scale of these trains

To provide the perfect backdrop.

This particular locomotive

Is a quarter of the size
of the 19th-century original.

It starts
with a sheet of copper,

Cut to precise measurements
with a guillotine blade.

An employee then turns
the crank of a machine

To curl the sheet
into a cylinder shape.

This cylinder
will serve as the barrel

Or outer casing of the boiler.

The next worker assembles the
boiler's internal components.

He groups together
numerous copper tubes

And welds them
to a firebox at one end

And a copper plate at the other.

He's now ready
to enclose the firebox.

He installs it on a base plate

And then builds
a protective shell around it.

He then encases the heat tubes
in the barrel.

These boilers
come in various sizes,

Depending on the scale
of the locomotive being made.

Next, a lathe spins as tools
contour a bronze cylinder.

This sizes it to fit a piston

That sets the steam engine's
wheels in motion.

The cylinder on the right is the
one that's just been machined.

More tools transform basic steel
disks into the train wheels.

They make four wheels
per locomotive.

The next worker inserts
a pre-cut sheet of steel

In a device that,
when activated,

Bends it in two places.

The folding action
shapes the sheet

Into the locomotive cab.

Then it's into the paint booth
for seven coats of epoxy paint.

This gives this model train cab
a heavy-duty gloss.

With a steady hand,

A painter now applies
plastic tape

Around the perimeter of the cab

To create
a kind of linear stencil.

He arcs the tape at the corners
to soften the look.

And then he brushes
two coats of oil-based paint

Into the tape stencil.

He allows three days
for each coat to dry.

Then he peels off the tape

To reveal the crisp, clean lines
that now frame the cab.

He adds black border
next to the white

To give more depth
to this custom paint job.

They carve a piece of bronze
into a valve

To control the flow of steam
to the piston.

They assemble the locomotive
chassis and paint it.

They install the wheels

And the network of pipes
and parts that make them turn.

They run compressed air
through the system

To confirm everything works.

The worker adds a little oil
to lubricate the wheels

And the rest of the parts.

He then opens the steam chamber

To check
the valve-and-piston action,

Which is the driving force
of this steam locomotive.

He pulls the forward
and reverse lever

To confirm that the wheels
run in both directions.

He applies the brakes
and the wheels grind to a halt.

Now that everything
on the chassis is checked out,

This steam locomotive is ready
for the chimney and boiler.

The steam dome
and safety valve go on next,

Followed by the cab and roof.

And this garden steam locomotive
is now complete.

A worker now shines a light
through the boiler tubes

To examine them
for any obstructions.

He pokes a brush through them
to be certain

And then gives them
the all-clear.

It's time to fire up the boiler
using real coal.

Hot gases flow through the tubes
to heat the water in the boiler.

Like a big kettle,
this locomotive builds up steam.

The pressure increases
until it's ready to roll.

Aboard one of these
garden locomotive replicas,

One can relive the heady days
of steam engines.

Narrator:
A hovercraft rides on a cushion
of air created by powerful fans.

This enables the craft to travel
over both land and sea.

The concept
actually dates back to 1870,

But it wasn't until
the middle of the 20th century

That a british inventor
perfected it

And the idea got off the ground.

This model of hovercraft
is equipped with a single fan.

It both inflates the skirt,

Lifting the vessel
about 10 inches,

And creates thrust
to propel the hovercraft

Over virtually any surface.

Production begins with a hull

Made of lightweight
polyethylene.

The fabricator installs aluminum
skids on the bottom

To protect the hull during
landings on rough surfaces.

He screws plastic attachments
for the hovercraft skirt

Into pre-marked positions
on the hull.

The technician drills
65 holes around the hull.

The fan's air
will pass through these holes

To fill the hovercraft skirt.

The hull consists of a thick,
hard outer layer

And a low-density inner layer
that makes the material buoyant.

It's what keeps the hovercraft
afloat during stops on water.

The crew now fastens
the seat base and console

In the front of the hull.

Once it's secure, they fit
the gauge panel in its slot.

The team then moves
to the back of the hull

To install the drive belt,
pulley,

And the main drive frame.

This pulley will transfer power
from the engine to the fan.

Once they confirm
everything moves freely,

They assemble the fan
to the main drive frame

With high-tension bolts.

This duct will divide the fan's
air into two streams.

One stream will be directed
under the craft to provide lift.

The other will be routed
out the back to generate thrust.

They now return to the cockpit

To attach handlebars
to a steering mechanism.

The engine can be either
a two-stroke or four-stroke,

Depending on
the amount of power desired.

They connect it
to the drive assembly

And protect that connection
with metal casing.

Once the engine
has been bolted into place,

They equip it with a radiator...

An air filter...

An exhaust system...

And a waterproof box containing
the electrical components.

Then they connect the fuel tank
to the engine

And cover the engine
with a polyethylene hood

To keep it dry.

They install seating,
including a rear bench,

That accommodates three.

Then the installer attaches
two rudders to the fan duct.

He links them with a bar
so they'll move in tandem.

These steering parts
are made of marine-grade steel

To prevent rusting.

A quick check confirms
the rudders are operational.

The hovercraft's skirt
is made of the same material

Used on shoe soles --
sturdy polyurethane nylon.

They assemble the skirt to
the hull in 65 different pieces.

The worker loops each segment
over a side bumper

And secures it
with a steel clip.

He then attaches
the bottom of each skirt piece

To the little hooks on the hull.

He uses plastic cable ties
for this job,

And there's a good reason.

If the skirt
becomes snagged on something,

These ties will break
and free that section.

Then other parts of the skirt
will balloon out

To fill the breach
and maintain the air cushion.

And they also won't have to
replace the whole skirt,

Just the section
that's been damaged.

After a final inspection,

They take this hovercraft
for a test spin.

They check the steering
and overall performance

And enjoy gliding on air.

Narrator: A folding bicycle
is a compact set of wheels.

In seconds, it folds up
into a neat little bundle,

Less than a third
of its full size.

The concept has been around
for well over a century,

And in recent years,
it's on the comeback trail

As urban commuters
discover the advantages

Of downsizing
this mode of transportation.

A few quick folds and this bike
no longer carries the rider.

He carries it.

The bike can then be carted
onto public transit

Or into the office,

And that makes it a handy way
to get around town.

They lubricate
the rim of tubing,

Which makes it easier
for machinery to pinch that end.

The next machine
uses several blades

To trim the pinched end
and cut a small groove.

These exact cuts
will enable the team

To precisely install
a hinge to the tube.

Hinges are now gripped
by a moving clamp

That angles them for contouring

And the drilling of holes
for bolts.

It's computer choreographed

To produce a hinge that will
attach snugly to the main tube.

Once the hinge has been bonded
to the main tube,

A technician checks the job

By exposing it
to a magnetic field.

Variations in the field
would indicate a flaw,

But he finds none.

So next, he secures the tube
on a work table

So a tool can make scoops
in the other end.

Scooping this end will enable it

To interconnect with another
part of the bike frame.

A hydraulic tool
then bends the main tube

To give it a slight curve

So it will arch
around a bicycle wheel.

You can see the difference
in this before-and-after shot.

The main tube of the bike frame

Now undergoes a process
called shot blasting.

An operator turns a crank

To make the tube revolve
in an enclosed chamber

As nozzles blow fine grit
at the hinge point.

This cleans up
some of the rough patches.

A little manual filing smoothes
the area around the hinge.

Smaller parts
of the bicycle frame

Take a tumble with ceramic bits,

And this agitation action

Improves the finish
on these parts.

Further down
the production line,

A worker locks the main tube
in a jig.

He butts a bracing tube to it
at just the right angle...

And then melts metal
into the joint

In a process called brazing.

As the metal cools
and solidifies,

It seals the two parts.

He now fits the bottom bracket

Onto the scooped end
of the main tube

And brazes them together.

The frame of a folding bicycle
is much more complex

Than that of a conventional
one-piece a-frame bike.

There are six parts to assemble
in tight alignment,

And that means there's
absolutely no room for error.

Once the main frame assembly
has been painted,

It's ready to be joined
to the rear frame.

He attaches it
by bolting the hinge.

He twists the bolts
to just the right torque.

He tests the folding
and unfolding action

Of the rear assembly

And then checks the lock

To confirm
that it functions properly.

He installs
the steering mechanism

And wheel fork
in the front of the frame...

And bolts the front wheel
to the fork.

He verifies that
the assembled steering column

And handlebars
are in working order...

And then slides them into place
at the front of the bicycle.

He adjusts the position
of the column

So it folds
at just the right angle.

He then attaches the rear wheel,

Along with the gear hub,
to the frame.

He secures the chain wheel
and pedals to the bicycle

And fits the chain
into the sprockets,

Joining the two ends

So the chain will travel
in a perpetual loop.

He flips the bicycle around
to install the seat,

And it's time to fold.

The rear frame flips neatly
under the main tube assembly.

The front wheel locks on
to the rear frame.

Sliding the seat pillar down
locks the fold,

And he lowers
the steering column.

After a final inspection,

This folding bicycle
is ready for the big city.

And when dodging traffic
becomes too much of a hassle,

Its owner can always fold it
and take public transit.

-- Captions by vita -&www.M

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

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