Hollow core doors...

[WaxonWaxov]

Do hollow core doors work worth a darn as a layout foundation or not?

thanks

 

[jimk]

That is what I use for my HO scale layout-and it works great.  I take the layout to the Syracuse train show, so i wanted it to be portable, and this fits the ticket.  I have it sitting on top of a frame of 2x4s that is attached to the wall.

 Jim

[WaxonWaxov]

That is what I use for my HO scale layout-and it works great.  I take the layout to the Syracuse train show, so i wanted it to be portable, and this fits the ticket.  I have it sitting on top of a frame of 2x4s that is attached to the wall.

 Jim

Just curious as to what the spacing is of your 2x4s.

Thanks a lot.

I'm going to be building a 8'x2.5' modular shelf layout that will eventually grow into another location, so I want to be able to take it apart and move it fairly easily. I was thinking I would get two 30" by 72" doors, cut them to 4' lengths, redo the cut ends, and use that for my base.

 

[fwright]

Do hollow core doors work worth a darn as a layout foundation or not?

thanks

They can be a good layout foundation.  Like all solutions there are strong and non-so-strong points.  I used an old hollow core door (picked up for free) as a workbench for about 5 years.  I used it outside on a couple of saw horses, and put it back in the garage standing up when done.

Good points are that they are light weight (manageable by one person), rigid (a couple of sturdy supports are all that is needed), and cheap (if you find someone getting rid of one, or a damaged one at the store).  They are readily available in various widths up to 36".

Not so hot:

• cutting a hollow core door's length requires you to fill in the hollow edge with precisely cut piece to gain back the strength and rigidity.
• width lends itself to small N scale layouts, or an HO switching layout.  But if you have to do much customization or cutting/modification of the doors, their cost/time advantage over traditional benchwork disappears pretty fast.  Similarly, joining more than 2 doors for a continuous surface eats up cost/time advantages.
• you must build a minimial support platform with braced legs.  Just attaching legs to the door seldom provides enough rigiditiy from wobble or racking when leaned against, especially at contemporary layout heights.
• you have a flat surface which cannot be removed for below track level scenery without detroying the rigidity of the door.  Typically this is over come by gluing on layer(s) of extruded foam.  You are still limited in below track scenery depth to the thickness of the foam layers.  In my area, you are talking about $30 worth of foam per 2" layer.
• the foam layers combined with the door make running wires under the door awkward.  Also the wiring underneath can easily be snagged when transporting the door because it protrudes from the bottom surface.

My bottom line:  if the size of the doors can fit reasonably with your layout plans, and you can get the doors at a reasonable cost, hollow core doors are a pretty good option.

my thoughts, your choices

Fred W

[kcole4001]

I found they're great for a trial layout to get a feel for tracklaying, wiring, and scenery techniques before making the jump to a full, permanent layout. You'll save the money you'd otherwise spend on benchwork materials, and also save the time spent measuring, cutting, and assembling/adjusting the benchwork. That's not an insignificant amount of time saved, but perhaps it would be better to get experience at building benchwork as well.

They would also make good staging yard platforms, since they are flat and easy to move/change around. That's what I'll most likely do with mine when the full layout gets built.

fwright has laid out the pros and cons very well, keep these in mind when deciding whether to use these doors.

[maxman]

I'm inclined to agree with Fred W.'s reply.  If you were using the entire door that would be one thing.  But it sounds like you are cutting off 24 inches of each door to arrive at the 8 foot total length you want.  I forget what exactly is inside a hollow core door, but if I remember correctly there is some sort of honey-comb stuff that gives the surface of the door some rigidity.  When you cut the door, you will have to deal with cutting back some of this to install the finishing piece to restore the cut edge.  You will also need the proper saw to avoid ripping up the face surface of the door.  And then there is the doorknob hole to deal with.

If you have the ability to cut and repair the door, why don't you make your own hollow core tables?  You could get a 4 X 8 piece of 1/4 inch plywood, have it cut lengthwise down the middle to end up with two 2 X 8 pieces, and then have these cut in half to end up with four 2 X 4 pieces.  Then get some 1 X 2 pieces to make the internal grid.

Or not!

Edit: Sorry, you did say 30 inches wide, not 24 inches, so that does mess up my suggestion a little bit.  You would need two pieces of plywood to do as I suggested.

 

Regards. 

[WaxonWaxov]

...But it sounds like you are cutting off 24 inches of each door to arrive at the 8 foot total length you want.  I forget what exactly is inside a hollow core door, but if I remember correctly there is some sort of honey-comb stuff that gives the surface of the door some rigidity.  When you cut the door, you will have to deal with cutting back some of this to install the finishing piece to restore the cut edge.

The trick is after you make the cut, take the 'scrap' piece of door and you can pry the front, back, and sides off of it and end up with the solid peice that makes up the original end of the door. Spread some glue on it, insert in the cut end of the main piece you want to use, mallet it in place, a couple nails for reinforcement, and presto! a shorter door that is 100% as strong as the original. No measuring, no cutting.

You will also need the proper saw to avoid ripping up the face surface of the door.

The trick is to set your curcular saw to a very shallow cut... like 1/4 inch and make tow cuts, one for each side. The 'ripping up' you mention is caused by the 'up swing' of the circular saw blade (the backside after the cut is made) By setting the blade shallow the cut is more parallel to the surface.. very little if any rip up.

And then there is the doorknob hole to deal with.

Brand new hollow core doors with no doorknob hole can be had from Home depot for about $20 a piece.

:)

 

[maxman]

Yes, you can do all that, but it is still $40 for the two doors you need plus all the slicing and dicing.  What you basically are trying to do is make modular pieces 30 by 48 inches.  My opinion is that you could do this using a more traditional method using plywood and stickwood. You would end up with a structure that is just about as sturdy and also have more flexibility (as in options) when you try to join all the pieces.

Is there some advantage to using the doors that I just don't see? 

[WaxonWaxov]

Yes, you can do all that, but it is still $40 for the two doors you need plus all the slicing and dicing.  What you basically are trying to do is make modular pieces 30 by 48 inches.  My opinion is that you could do this using a more traditional method using plywood and stickwood. You would end up with a structure that is just about as sturdy and also have more flexibility (as in options) when you try to join all the pieces.

Is there some advantage to using the doors that I just don't see? 

I think it's a "to each his own" kinda thing.

I wil say one more point in favor of what I am describing is that the doors are square (meaning accurate 90 degree angles)