SO the time has come to start the great adventure. Space available is 2 foot by 6 foot. Yes a check of scrap yields a piece of 5/8 plywood. now due to a vast lack of knowledge of space and the mysterys of the saw. I end up with a piece of plywood 17 5/8" by 6 foot I move it into house where "she who must be obeyed" favors me with the LOOK. I am not cowed, after 40 years I can survive even "the LOOK" Now question? Should I frame it up or just mount it to shelf brackets
You could add a 1"x 2" or 1" x 3" edge to your plywood using "glue Blocks" to help support it. It will give you a more finished look and help conceal any wiring you might have under the table. It will also help stiffen the plywood and keep the raw edge from making splinters which tend to draw blood and mess up your scenery.
The home center or lumber yard has "select" grade which is a better choice for jobs like this.
Have fun, Ed
I'd say you definitely need a reinforcement along the edge, using at least a 2" board. If you attach it to the side of the plywood, it would gain whatever width the thickness of thye boards lost if you ended up cutting narrower than it needs to be. Mounting them underneath would be stronger, though, as you wouldn't have to depend in screws into the edge of the 5/8" plywood, which could be iffy; drilling down through the plywood would be stronger.
Why? Ed mentioned to hide and hold the wiring, which is important as you don't want to snag it. But any piece of 5/8" plywood that long will eventually sag, unless you have more than two shelf brackets (at least 3, but better 4) to hold it up. Even then, you'll find the added reinforcement along the sides stiffens the top of plywood board and will make it easier to work on.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Frame it. No brainer if you want it to keep dimensional stability. IOW, don't build on sand - referencing your forum title.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I'll be the contrarian this time - 5/8 plywood on metal shelf brackets on every stud (16" centers) is NOT going to sag with the weight of a model railroad on it.
A front edge on it will make for neater appearances, but a full frame is not necessary if using shelf brackets. Some scrap wood cleats, or even some metal angles, will serve to mount a fascia to the plywood. To put legs under it and make it free-standing, then yes, a frame is needed.
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
"To build on sand" Huh?
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
NP2626 "To build on sand" Huh?
Maybe he meant "sanded" plywood? In the old days you would see plywood specs. "sanded one side" or to that effect.
Randy, lots of the plywood I see today is sprung so bad out of shape it's a real pain to even get the first few nails in it when sheathing a roof or wall (corner bracing). I've had 5/8 and even 3/4 so sprung that one corner would pop up a good 8" when you push down the opposite corner.
Even the so called furniture grade stuff is twisted like a strip of bacon!
Ed
Be sure you seal/paint all your exposed wood surfaces. This will help eliviate problems of warping or seperating later. I'd put one coat on before assembling, then another coat when it's together. This wil protect it from environmental and scenery building moisture.
Good luck,
Richard
Beehunter:
You have two threads going on the same topic. Perhaps you could ask the moderators to remove one so that all the information is all in one place. If you do that, you need to mention here that you are modelling John Allen's Timesaver puzzle.
17 5/8" would seem to be lots of space since as far as I can determine the original Timesaver was only 12" wide. If you still have 10 fingers left after using the saw then you are doing just fine!
OH, please explain the reference to 'sand'. Some of us aren't so quick.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
cowman Be sure you seal/paint all your exposed wood surfaces. This will help eliviate problems of warping or seperating later. I'd put one coat on before assembling, then another coat when it's together. This wil protect it from environmental and scenery building moisture. Good luck, Richard
The only place I can see where the high moisture has caused problems is the bare Homosote surface of my staging yard. This material does shrink and expand enough to cause some track problems in the summer. The saving grace for me is I do not operate my layout during the summer, being involved is other activities at this time. The main yard, on which scenery is completed, seems to have been sealed by this process as it hardly moves.
My opinion is that both plywood and cork roadbed are very stable and move little with humidity changes.
Still, even with these opinions, were I to start over, some of the materials I used in the construction of my layout would probably be painted, now.
Sounds like you're putting this in a climate controlled situation, so the wood should be pretty stable--it is plywood which has different layers running in different directions after all. It's 6 feet long and so at 16" stud spacing with 4 brackets, it will be attached well with say #10 x 3" screws and heavy steel brackets. It won't sag with large brackets--12" or more.
To me, the question is how do you want it to look. Do you want it to look like a nicely finished wall shelf or a piece of plywood sitting on some large metal brackets. As pointed out by others, the 1 x 3s or even 1 x 4s can hide wiring under the layout. It also gives you a place to attach plug ins for your DCC for example or even car cards, etc.
You may want to go check out some furniture grade shelving and bracketry.
hon30critterOH, please explain the reference to 'sand'. Some of us aren't so quick.
So the OP isn't embarrassed by thinking nobody got it, I'll explain. The "sand" reference is based on "shifting sands" being a metaphor for "things change". I assume his reference here to mean that his space is only available until the wife changes her mind.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
carl425 hon30critter OH, please explain the reference to 'sand'. Some of us aren't so quick. So the OP isn't embarrassed by thinking nobody got it, I'll explain. The "sand" reference is based on "shifting sands" being a metaphor for "things change". I assume his reference here to mean that his space is only available until the wife changes her mind.
hon30critter OH, please explain the reference to 'sand'. Some of us aren't so quick.
Your right, I certainly did not get that explaination from the O.P.'s original post.
Matthew 7:24-27.
Build Your House on the Rock. 24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
If you simply lay the ply on the brackets you are being like the foolish man building upon the sand, ;-) ....
Plywood alone will risk some sag, not much but it really doesnt take alot to create issues. Build your layout upon the rock...IOWs add some framing under it,I like 1x3, even though 1x4 tend to be cheapest, heck even 1x2s do wonders. It also gives you a ready made wiring chase to hide all them pesky wires. But if it was me I would use 1x3s min, each side continuous on the edges and cross ways every 16 inches in a way that they correspond to the studs in the wall, then you can mount the brackets to the the studs and lay the cross pieces onto brackets and secure it down. It simple and its solid insurance that the layout will be 100% stable, like a rock. then add 1 or 2 inches of foam over the top, helps deaden the sound and gives you terrain to dig into.
Have fun with your trains
vsmithMatthew 7:24-27
I always miss the biblical references.
The O.P. has not been back since he posted the original.
I guess I'm just not religious enough to understand these biblical quotes about model railroading from the Bible!