bfishma1 posted: "I figured sub-framing would allow me to give the impression of some broken boards and gaps to shine through ... ". That is what I was thinking. There will be a few boards broken/missing. This isn't going to just be be a barn build, but a mini diorama too, with some "repair" work going on.
I use the pins to keep everything aligned while the glue sets. The work surface is a piece of particle board salvaged from a old compter work station. It's nice and flat. I then laminated a piece of foam core board on top of that. It's the foam core that holds the pins in place.