Details, Details -- In A Nutshell, Dollhouse Builders Are Accustomed To Thinking Small

PORT ORCHARD - You can't say Stan Ohman doesn't sweat the details.

On his custom-built dollhouses, windows slide open, doors click shut, lamps light and mirrors shine: all in a scale of 1 inch to the foot.

"I get a kick out of trying to duplicate something in a small scale and making it look just like the real thing," he said, showing a visitor around a workshop full of band saws, planers, shapers and lathes.

A retired carpenter, the 66-year-old Ohman once worked in a larger scale: He built highway bridges.

"Dollhouses are a lot easier," he said, grinning.

That is, until he started his latest project: a one-twelfth-scale model of Mount Vernon, the Virginia home of George Washington. It's to be a gift from the people of Washington state to the Mount Vernon Estate.

"When I first said I'd do this, I didn't realize how much work it was going to be," he conceded. "I probably have put about 2,000 hours into it in the past 1 1/2 years."

The Mount Vernon house is a collective project of several Washington state miniaturists. When Ohman has finished the structure, it will be decorated and furnished by other Northwest artists who specialize in miniature furniture, draperies, paintings and so forth.

"When it's complete, it will be exactly as it was when George Washington retired from the presidency and returned to Mount Vernon in 1796," Ohman said.

The hobbyists hope to present the finished model to Mount Vernon sometime in 1996. It'll be housed in the interpretive center at the estate and used to explain the mansion to schoolchildren and other visitors.

Even half-finished, the miniature is a marvel. Windows with panes the size of thumbnails slide up and down in their casings. Doors open and close firmly. The rooftop cupola boasts a meticulous copy of the original weathercock.

The unfinished model will be the centerpiece of the Seattle Dollhouse Miniature Show, which opens today at the Seattle Center Flag Pavilion. Fifty other exhibits will include dozens of dollhouses and miniature rooms by Northwest craftspeople.

"When you see some of the things people are building in miniature, it's mind-boggling," said Pat Williams, a retired telephone company supervisor who organized the show.

Her own contribution is a three-room suite that fits into a lunchbox. On one of two little twin beds rests a tiny knitted sweater, about the size of a fingertip. Under the other bed are two tiny pompon slippers the size of pencil erasers.

"Miniatures were first introduced as a way for traveling salesmen to show furniture samples," said Williams. "Today they are part of one of the fastest-growing hobbies in the country."

About 10,000 people belong the the National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts. There's even a miniaturist magazine, Nutshell News.

Stan Ohman got into dollhouse building at the request of his wife, who wanted a place to keep her miniature collection. One dollhouse led to another, and now he makes them for sale in a shop called "Little Habitats" about five miles from the Southworth ferry terminal.

The shop is a traffic-stopper on Locker Road: the facade is a replica of a Victorian mansion. His workshop, with a collection of power tools for every purpose, is upstairs.

A perfectionist, Ohman selects his own trees - usually alder or cedar - has them milled to order, then air-dries them for three years. He builds his dollhouses according to several floor plans, including an elegant Victorian that sells for $490 - unfinished.

"Most people like to buy the shell and then finish it off themselves," he said. "You can buy miniature shingles, shutters and so forth, and people enjoy putting on the final touches."

For the Mount Vernon project, Ohman requested copies of the original blueprints, which he keeps hanging in a rack in his workshop. He also visited the mansion, armed with a tape measure and a camera, and took down every dimension, from the depth of closets to the height of chimneys.

"It's not a real fancy house, but it's interesting," he said. "When Washington acquired it in 1758, it had already been through three remodelings, including the addition of the second story."

To make the 16,000 split cedar shingles for the roof - each the size of a matchbox end - Ohman had to invent his own cutting machine.

"Made it out of an old water pump and some other junk I had lying around," he said, feeding in a stick of cedar and flicking a switch.

A wheel began to spin, a blade knifed up and down, and a handful of tiny, neatly sliced shingles dropped into a basket.

"Would have taken me forever by hand," he said.

"This is the fun part, for me: developing a tool to make something small and make it come out right." ----------------------------------------------------------------- Seattle Dollhouse Miniature Show

Runs through tomorrow at the Seattle Center Flag Pavilion. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. tomorrow. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, $2 for children (no strollers).

The Little Habitat Dollhouse Shop is on Locker Road near Port Orchard. For directions, call (360) 871-1100.