I have purchased the tool and had an opportunity to play around with the spreadsheet. The tool is very specific for his benchwork design and not easily modified for other benchwork designs. The tool does not have built-in checks to prevent benchwork design errors and requires being familiar with benchwork guidelines or have a copy of Linn Westcott's Model Railroad Benchwork on hand. For example, the tool did not flag a module that was 20 ft long, 1 ft wide, 1 cross brace, 1x2 side rails, and only a pair of legs mounted to each module end. I was only playing, checking for flags. Watch the video closely to see if his design appeals to you, follow appropriate benchwork design parameters, and consider adding additional bracing for stability.
Maybe on the spread sheet he gives different leg widths, corresponding to the width of the bench top.
I would think that a 6" overhang would be fine.
Mike.
My You Tube
Hi Mike, loved your buildings in the other thread! I was hoping you would weigh in. I always appreciate advice from a professional carpenter!
For $10, you get the spreadsheet, instructions on how to use the spreadsheet, list of pieces for cutting, how to construct, and a video demonstration. Quite a bit for $10 which is much less than a detailed freight car. In my view, it is a good deal, especially for new or inexperienced modelers. All the information you need is in one place.
I agree about adding diagonal bracing on the back side. Wonder if there is a minimum width to prevent the modules from being tippy?
So, for the $10 you get the spread sheet with the dimensions of the pieces?
I guess it's the builder in me that says anybody can come up with something like this, for the space they have to fill, and what bench work they need for a particular track plan.
They have tape measures that read both, if your worried about the conversion.
I guess it is kind of unique how the sections fit together, but I would still want diagonal braces on the back side instead of the single brace he uses.
Have fun!
I'm curious how the more experienced layout builders would evaluate his system for building shelf layouts. Looks pretty good to me but I may be missing something. Feel free to post comments on his design!
A big plus, it helps in developing material lists for various size pieces of benchwork. His spreadsheet is metric, hopefully can be switched to English units for old yanks! LOL
I participate in a model railroad shelf layout group and today there was an interesting post, describing a benchwork design tool. I have not investigated the tool very far but did watch the video. May be worth a look. I have no affiliation with the poster. I probably will purchase the tool since I like his approach and it is relatively inexpensive ($10). Video is here: https://youtu.be/C6DAPSxHG4Y