I first saw the Citroen 2 CV when I was stationed in Stuttgart Germany in the early to mid-80's. They were an inexpensive way to get around and usually, sounded like an out of balance washing machine going down the road. They were not the vehicle to use on the Autobahn but for country driving and around town, they were great. They were a wonderful vehicle to drive and were simple to keep maintained.
This is a terrific project and a lot of fun to build. As usual, Dutchy created a wonderful plan and it provided all the detail and complexity one could ask for. (This is not a plan for the entry level woodworker.) I used a variety of materials on this model, with Butternut being the primary body material. For those not aware of Butternut, it is a hardwood from the Eastern and MidWest areas of the US. Some call it "White Walnut" because of the grain pattern. It is not as dense as Walnut but works just as easily with both hand tools and machines. The finish on this is a 1/3 mix of Linseed oil, Mineral Spirits, and MinWax Wipe-on Satin poly. The oil brings out the darker hue in the Butternut. Final coat was a beeswax/mineral oil mix.
I used a CNC to cut the sides of the vehicle, the tires and wheels, rear fenders, and the bumper parts. I used a laser for the number plate engraving. That said, there was still plenty of work for the scroll saw and the band saw to do. The construction is pretty straight forward but there are a couple of places that presented some thought and innovation. The touchiest parts were the Windscreen wipers. For those, I used 1/8" dowel for the base and round toothpicks for the arm and wiper blade. Instead of trying to assemble them by hit and miss, I created a simple assembly jig from a piece of scrap.
THE JIG: First step was to determine a base for the jig. For that I just used a piece of scrap and router a shallow (0.68mm) lip on the top of the base. It is roughly 1/2 the dimension of a toothpick which here is about 1.91mm. The I used the bottom of the rabbit as the Top of the dashboard pattern and drilled one 03mm hole. I also saw that the angle for the wiper arm is about 20 degrees so I marked that on the jig. (Photo 4)
Next, I attached a small piece of double stick tape to the rabbit to hold the wiper blade ). After drilling a 02mm hole in the 1/8" dowel base, I placed it and the arm and wiper parts together and installed it on the jig, with the wiper blade on the rabbit. Note: I left the wiper blade longer than finished length. Using a small round diamond file, I filed the wiper blade with a shallow groove at 20 degrees and used super glue to join the arm to the wiper blade . A shot of accelerator dried the Super Glue and I then cut the parts to size.
The front view picture shows the wipers in place. I only had to make them once. . .the jig solved most of the problems. You still have to be gentle with them, but it’s not hard to create them.
I am really happy with the outcome of this model and I look forward to making other of the plans offered.
GR8Hunter, LittleBlackDick, thank you both for the kind words. About the jig, it was a moment of “inspiration” while in the morning shower. 🤣😂🤣😂. Decided a jig would make those little details less frustrating. And I agree that usually the “jig” takes longer than the product. But now I have an excuse to make other windshield wipers. 🙃👍🏼
Thanks everyone. I am proud of this but will have to give credit to the outstanding plans that Dutchy provides. There are tons of details and ideas. I have made a couple of the Toys and Joys plans, as well as others, and none are in the same league. And SplinterGroup, you are 1000% correct. . .I unwittingly opened the door and as you can see LBD happily entered the party. But I would have expected nothing less. :-) Rahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
