Washington resident puts handmade model cars on display at library

WASHINGTON - Charles Thompson is a collector of two things: small cars and big challenges. In 1948 he saw a tractor, decided he wanted to have it and hand built a model version of it. After taking a 70-year hiatus, Thompson is back in his wood shop and has put his collection on display at the Washington Public Library.

It all started when he was in the eighth grade. A cabinet maker in Ainsworth took him under his wing and taught him everything he needed to know about woodworking, he said. After working together for a while, Thompson said he wanted to build something himself and looked around for inspiration.

He settled on cars because they are, 'a lot easier to build than animals.”

In 1948 he was in the eighth grade when he became fixated on his dad's 1935 John Deere tractor. He taught himself how to make a scale drawing and sketched it out on graph paper. He soon realized he would need something to hitch to the tractor and decided to sketch out the horse drawn manure spreader to fit.

Using only a coping saw, a hammer, a hand powered drill and sandpaper he was able to get the job done. He said when he first started, his only goal was that the wheels had to turn. Once he accomplished that, he moved onto another challenge: make something else move.

The wheels, doors and gates on all the vehicles are functional and made completely out of wood. He said he has mastered the craft of turning things to be as small as 1/16th of an inch in diameter which comes in handy when he's making wheels- the hardest part.

'If you can't make the wheels you can't make the rest of it,” he said.

When he first started, all the tires were simple discs. After seeing a 1917 Model T Ambulance with spoke wheels while at a car show, he decided he had to figure out how to make those to make his creations as authentic as possible.

Making the vehicles can take anywhere from 10 days to a month and a half he said. There are too many parts to count, he said, but estimated by the time he gets done creating all four wheels he has already made about 100 pieces.

For inspiration, Thompson said he finds it all around him. If he sees a car he likes, he said he stops and takes some pictures to take back home with him to sketch.

'By drawing them out I can get perspective on what part is related to another (so) I can make it look right. They're not to scale, I just try to make them look like the original,” he said.

The drafting process is a self-taught skill, he said. He took a mechanical drawing class in high school but otherwise has received no training.

He said although the drawing process is not hard, his biggest challenge is finding what he wants to draw. Once he settles on something and has it drawn up he then has to figure out how to convert it into wood.

Completing the project is his favorite part, he said. At home, he has all his creations on display in a cabinet and brought his 25 favorites to the Washington Public Library where they will be on display in the front window until Nov. 27 for people to enjoy looking at them as much as he enjoys making them.

'My object originally was to have something each one of my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren could have and I have accomplished that at this point,” he said. 'Now, it's just something I like to do.”