Making Square Bales - Making the Straw and Building a Baler

Within this page I aim to explain the process for making square bales. The process is applicable for both large and small bales and 1/32 & 1/16 scales.

To start with you will need some straw to bale. There is an array of materials that can be used but the most realistic I have found, both in appearance and behaviour is fine chopped sisal rope. Making this is the most tedious part of the process. How you chop the sisal is up to you, a knife is suitable (check out this video which seems to be a very quick method of production), as are scissors (for thicker rope tin snips are a suitable substitute for scissors). My preferred method is with a guillotine, you want to be chopping the sisal into about 5mm stands so it separates out from the rope nicely. Chop as much as need, as a guide I find a large quadrant bale requires about 30 grams of sisal, a small bale 2-3 grams.

Guillotine

About 5mm strands are best for making bales, the rope should seperare nicely as its cut, if it remains in a rope untwirl it by hand or cut your strands smaller. It takes a while to build up a good level of stock, I find the guillotine fastest, a 500g back could be made in half an hour.

Now you have the straw you next need a baler. I will add to this section at a later date with 2d plans for one but for now this sectional view should suffice. The basic principle is a bale chamber, that you fill with straw, and a plunger to compress the straw. Added to this are guides to hold the twine where you want it, and a slot at the bottom to push the bale out. Dimensions for a small baler and a quadrant baler chamber (x,y,z) in 1/32 are included units are centimeters. For ither bales a quick google should give you the real dimensions and then just divide them by 32 or if making for a particular model make to those dimensions. The bales tend to grow a little as the stretch into the string so consider making the chamber shorter (z) than the actualll measurements would suggest. The following photos should show the construction method I have used.

The baler, constructed from laminate flooring and pine strip wood, both left over materials. Anything strong enough and easily workable will do. Note the slot for the bottom, this allows the bale to be built up and then it is slid out and the bale pushed out. The slot is milled out using a pillar drill.

The guides for twine. These are drilled out and then notches cut down, the notches make tying the twine easier.

The sides where built up with appropriate sized stripwood. A thin Mount board layer was sandwiched between, set back from the timber, to create a groove. This produces the line down the middle of the bale like a real one.

Looking up the bale chamber, note the groove on each side.

Showing the bottom plate slid into position

With the straw chopped and baler made its time to make some bales by clicking here.