Christmas Benchwork Newbie

[Lionel1947]

Hi All,

I was hoping that you can help me.  I am trying to create 4'x4' Christmas tree base.  My thought is:

- it will run O-Scale Fastrack, with O-36 curves.

- In the middle of the board, I want to put this tree stand

- I want the board to be raised only 6 inches from off the ground

- the stand should be raised 1 foot

- i want to add a switch that will allow a siding of about 8 feet of straight track that will travel against the wall for train 'staging'

- the board shoud not be bigger than 2'x2' for storage purposes.

[fifedog]

For several years I had a similar set-up.  I used 3/4' plywood, and cut out a circle the circumference of the tree bottom.  Then I cut out 1/3 "wedge", which went to the back of the tree.  I put that down first, then placed the stand in a pre-cut center hole.  Decorated the tree completely, before setting the front 2/3 of the train board in place.  I used O-54 Gargraves, which gave a simple wide trip around o' tananbaum.

Looks like you are going the real tree route, so have a bottle of Goo Gone on hand to periodically clean the track.

Skip the turnout, and instead install several animated accessories.  Crossing gate, a warning signal, maybe a gateman.  If little ones will be viewing, make them all push-button activated.

[lionelsoni]

I suggest a variation on the way I built my (everyday) layout:  I use ordinary 15/32-inch ("half inch") CDX plywood stiffened with perforated steel angles and supported by PVC pipe legs.

Cut four 2-foot plywood squares.  Put one leg on each square, 6 inches in from the edges.   Each leg is a 5 1/2-inch-long piece of 1 1/2-inch schedule-40 pipe with a 1/2-inch bolt through it.  The bolt length is the same as the pipe's outside diameter (2 inches) and is held in place by two nuts inside the pipe.  The bolt goes through the eye of a 1/4-20 screw-eye, which protrudes from the top of the leg, through a hole in the plywood, and is snugged to it with a washer and nut on top.  This makes a very strong and rigid joint.

The steel is 1 1/2-inch perforated angles, fastened to the plywood with short carriage bolts, head up.  Put four pieces of steel angle, each about 33 inches long, from leg to leg, with a bolt at each end and two in the middle, on each side of the plywood joint.  The steel doesn't need to touch the legs, but just come close.  It will be under the middle of the track at the joints, which will keep the plywood level across the joints.

To store the thing, just unbolt the steel angles and the legs from the plywood.

For the tree, you can cut a circle out of the center of the complete 4-by-4 table and make the tree freestanding.  Or you can put the tree stand on the table, but add a fifth leg under the center, which will otherwise be poorly supported.