riogrande5761Sievers is still around? From what I've heard they are pricey.
Yep, still around, and they have an excellent product line. I know of two local layout built using it. These were both built by elderly retirees that wanted to get to layout building without any fuss or delays.
For people with more money than time, nothing is pricey. They meet a need and meet it quite well from what I have seen.
I would never use their product, but that is because I enjoy building, have plenty of time, and I need to be responsible with my money now.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Sievers is still around? From what I've heard they are pricey.
I'm using shelf brackets for the upper level and they support up to 1000 lbs per pair. But to mitigate any bending down at the outer edge I've got some threaded rods I'll be installing at intervals. They are only $7 and change each. That way you don't have to bug your welder friend or spend time making wood brackets which probably don't have the weight capacity of the steel brackets.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
I think it would be possible to put the Sievers, um Seivers, uh Seieivers benchwork under an upper level supported off the wall, as it is to my mind rather low.
Dave Nelson
Their benchwork is very rugged and high quality (I have it). Depending on the size and configuration of the second level, you could add vertical supports secured to either the perimeter horizontal framing or the legs with diagonal bracing (if necessary). Those vertical supports can be either rear only with diagonal bracing or front and rear or if T-shaped for stiffness, you might omit diagonal bracing. Depending on your druthers, there can be ways to do it.
Dante
rrinker my GF's one nephew is a skilled welder, only problem is he lives 6+ hours away and can't just drop by if I need more brackets. So I stuck with what I know, which is wood.
my GF's one nephew is a skilled welder, only problem is he lives 6+ hours away and can't just drop by if I need more brackets. So I stuck with what I know, which is wood.
After being a carpenter for TOO long I stick with wood too Randy I dug up an old notebook file and have used this sort of bracket before. They can be made any size.
They are easy as ABC to make and easy to install. The 1 x 2's have to be high strength wood glued to the OSB and either shot or screwed. 1 x 2's never failed me but 1 x 4's would be even better I suppose. The angle brackets would be mounted to the wall first, centered to the stud before the bracket is bolted in place. 32" every other stud would be fine.
Trust me, this type of wood bracket is overkill as the silent floor system I-beam joist made for homes have proven this over the years. Those (I joists) are only quarter inch OSB.
TF
I entertained the idea of making my own - I don't have a welding machine, but hey, more tools = more good, right? Plus I think it's a skill I could learn, at least to be good enough to make brackets like that. Plus my GF's one nephew is a skilled welder, only problem is he lives 6+ hours away and can't just drop by if I need more brackets. So I stuck with what I know, which is wood.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
doctorwayneMy since-deceased brother-in-law did the welding for me, so I can't say how much it would cost if you had to hire someone to do the welding,
One of my neices married a welder. It has been so nice having a welder in the family.
I used custom-welded brackets to support the partial upper level of my layout. Most of the vertical members are 1.5"x1.5" angle iron, about 7" long, and are lag-bolted to the wall studs. The horizontal supports are 1"x1" angle iron, and vary in length, depending on the depth of the layout area which they support. They range in length from 26" to 31".
There's also a compound bracket at one of the outside corners in the room. Its upright is also lag-bolted to the wall studs, but because there are two horizontal members projecting from it, its total length is 18", mostly hidden by the curved Masonite backdrop....
I purposely used a fairly deep fascia on the upper portion of the layout, as the part of the layout beneath was always intended to be operated from a rolling-type office chair. When seated, the brackets bolted to the wall studs are not visible.
My since-deceased brother-in-law did the welding for me, so I can't say how much it would cost if you had to hire someone to do the welding, but it's extremely sturdy, and needs no angled supports - an important consideration, especially for the upper level.
I have lain on the upper level at the end of the aisle in the last photo, to paint rail, as that area is over 38" deep, and the curved track there is out-of-reach when standing on a step-stool.
Wayne
BigDaddy I before E except after C, do they have those rules in German?
I before E except after C, do they have those rules in German?
No - when names are concerned. I think it is just a question of respect to spell and pronounce a name correctly!
Misspelling a name can have a funny twist to it - like when Sarah Wiener´s name is spelled Weiner. I doubt that the world-renowned Austrian chef would like to be called a cry-baby!
Happy times!
Ulrich (aka The Tin Man)
"You´re never too old for a happy childhood!"
In German, the rules are rarely violated, unlike English. Also which way it is pronounced is usually opposite of most English words with the IE or EI combination.
Well I think I know the way I'll be going, I think I can get those brackets at Home depot or Loews, one would think that Sievers would have benchwork for multilevel layouts, Thanks for the infomation,
I bet they do Henry, usually the rule is true but neither glacier, weird, forfeit, albeit or seize follow the rules either
This Hardware would be good enough for any wall layout. I'm familiar with these brackets because we installed them to support 30" computer countertops in office buildings for a rather large gig.
One bracket holds up to 600 pounds. It's kind of Overkill but sometimes Overkill comes with a rather large bracket.
For liability purposes we didn't want any of these countertops falling off the wall and breaking someone's ankle.
For a 24" to 30" width wall layout I would space these brackets every 4 foot and lay a 1" x 4" flat on top parallel on the bracket. Then build 1"x,4" - 4' cribbing (benchwork) with the rafters running parallel to the wall.
These brackets are $13 a pop at Menards. They work great. You just want to make sure you find each edge of the stud and Center them on the stud adequately.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
The company is called Sievers, not Seiver.
Unless you fon't mind front and rear supports for the upper, not really. There's not an easy way to get a wobble-free vertical to cantilever an upper deck off their benchwork. By the time you engineer all that, you might as well just built your own. Rear legs all the way down tot he floor, front legs to hold up the lower level, diagonal braces for the upper level depending on the depth. The rear legs can be C or U beams made up with dimensional limber, or even 2x4s with the 2" edge facing the benchwork (like the studs in a stud wall), which will make them less likely to lean in.
Hi Everybody, Hope that your summer is going well, I have a question, I might have ask this before, but at the time my planning was in stall mode, but things are finally starting to move, anyway, I would like to build a two level layout, now I understand that Seiver only makes benchwork for single levels, would it be possible to build a second level on top of that benchwork?? I have a trackplan that calls to build a around the room layout, Take Care & happy modelrailroading