Square water tank? Finished CHB yarder!

[lab-dad]

I need to build a square water tank for a donkey engine (yarder).
I cant seem to figure out how one would create a square wood tank that would not leak like a sieve.
I need to understand how a real/1:1 would be built to build an accurate model.
I think the horizontal boards could be tongue & groove.
But the corners? May be run the horizontal boards into a groove in the 4 corner posts?
I know there are iron rods also, but the stresses would be in several directions.........
May be I am over thinking this, especially in 1:48?
Any ideas?
-Marty

[eTraxx]

This might help .. or not. Isometric front view of Evergreen Hill Branchline Water Tank

[finescalerr]

I think they sent me that kit for review about ten years ago. If I have it, and if you need plans, I could scan them. -- Russ

[marc_reusser]

Sent you 7 pics I had on hand, of donkeys with square tanks. HTH

M

[lab-dad]

Thanks guys!
But,
What I need to know is how is it built to keep the water in?
I see no way in hell a butt joint keeping water in.
That iso view of the EH tank looks like but joints at the corners......
I will study the pics Marc sent.
If I cant make sense then I will go with my original plan.
Thanks
-Marty

[marc_reusser]

There was such things as pitch, asphalt and rosin in those days that could have been used to fill or line a water tank.

Remember, round water tanks were all just butt joints as well...as are common barrels....heck, so were many wooden sailing ships.

When the wood gets wet, it expands/swells, and helps seal a joint as well....especially when the outside frame is compressing the whole unit (like tank bands, barrel hoop, the cross bracing on the square tank image posted, and the diagonal tie rod bracing in one of the images I sent.)

In Michigan and Minn. for winter logging, the Icing wagons were all rectalinear wooden tanks (these were large rectangular tanks on horse drawn sleds, used to wet down the snow on skid/sled roads, to make them ice over.)

[shropshire lad]

Thanks guys!
But,
What I need to know is how is it built to keep the water in?
I see no way in hell a butt joint keeping water in.
That iso view of the EH tank looks like but joints at the corners......
I will study the pics Marc sent.
If I cant make sense then I will go with my original plan.
Thanks
-Marty

  Go with the idea that the boards were grooved  into each other and sealed with tar , resin or whatever . Smaller tanks might have been lead-lined .

   So will you be actually filling the tank with 1/48th scale water that you need to have it water tight ?! 

   If there are pictures in existence of what you are trying to build , just accept that they found a way of keeping the water in the tank . Because , even a chap with your skills , you won't be tongueing and grooving your 1/48th boards , will you ?  No , don't say you are , because then we'll all know that you have been out in the sun for too long .

    Whilst your question is an interesting one , you are definitely overthinking the answer for your model .

  Happy modelling ,

   Nick 

[Terry Harper]

Here are two photos of tank sleds used here in Maine. Poor quality but they get the point across. Note the tie rods. I imagine once the wood dries out they leaked like a sieve.
Looking at the corner posts size versus the location of the boards I would say the post is grooved to accept the boards. There is a tank nearly identical to these in the Patten Lumberman's Museum in Patten, ME. But I cannot for the life of me remember the details - at the time I was focused on thier gasoline Lombard so everything else was blocked-out!





Best regards,

Terry

[lab-dad]

Yes barrels are but joints but cut at an angle, this seems more water tight than a straight joint
The tar/pitch also explains it some too.

Thanks Terry!
That last image helps too!

I know I am overthinking but i want to be as accurate as possible
And besides 1:48 water molecules are pretty darn tiny!

Nick, Of course I will be making tongue & groove joints in my scale 6/4 boards!
Would you (or anyone else) expect less!

-Marty

[lab-dad]

Here is a mock up.
The skids are 48 feet long.
The tank is 5 foot square and 9 feet wide.
This gives it a capacity of about 1500 gallons.



Comments, recomendations and suggestions appreciated.
-Marty

[marklayton]

Marty -

Perhaps tank builders used the same techniques as ship and barge builders?  Heavy side planking was chamfered to about half the thickness of the plank on the wet side.  After the planks were in place, that left a v-groove about 3/4" wide at the surface.  Into that groove was pounded oakum caulk ropes, using caulking irons and mallets.  When the sound was right, the caulk was sufficiently packed.  Then the surface was coated with a tar mixture.

Mark Layton

[lab-dad]

Here is what I came up with;





Just mocked up on the skids as the customer wanted a machine that had been sitting for a season or two.

Marty

[Mr Potato Head]

is it water tight? I would assume there would be staining where it would leak in the corners?
nice job, how do I order one? : - )-)
MPH

[finescalerr]

There is a dog hair on the left side. How could you possibly have overlooked that? -- ssuR

[marc_reusser]

...um....let's hope it's only a dog hair.

M