benchwork

[tdk6060]

Thank you for all the help the layout is going to b 50" and i will have a lot of room to get under it fot all the wireing that i will have to do.this will b all DCC.so thank you to all that help in my question.

[dknelson]

The problem, if it is a problem, is that I think there is one ideal height for building/maintaining the layout (laying track, installing scenery, wiring, and so on) and a slightly higher ideal height for operating and viewing  The even bigger challenge is that  working under the layout is yet another issue.

But when all the smoke has cleared I find the ideal height to be basically even with the upper range of your stomach.  A layout higher than that can look great and be fun to operate, but there can be a lot of arm fatigue when track laying or track cleaning.   And as Andy Sperandeo recently pointed out, it might also make a difference whether you use coupler magnets with your Kadees or need to manually uncouple them.  Unless you have a good angle reaching your cars and engines you can do some damage if the layout is too tall.

I suppose yet another consideration is that if like me you use braced 2x2s as your layout legs, you don't want them to get too tall and wobbly. 

I might also add that my layout is at what I think is the ideal height for me, but I am very tall and most visitors find it far too high to see stuff.  If I had kids or grandkids -- which i do not -- I would probably want to rethink my layout height choice, or build a special viewing area for them. 

Dave Nelson

[Medina1128]

I'm 6'1", too, and I found that 48" measured from the top works best for me. I also found that I could make sturdier (and lighter) legs with 1x4s than using 2x4s. I glue and nail the 1x4s in an "L" shape. At one end, I glue a piece of 2x2 that has a hole drilled in the end that's long enough to insert a "tee" nut. I install a 1/4-20x2" carriage bolt into the "tee" nut. Not only do I have lightweight legs, but they are adjustable, as well. This comes in real handy when building layout in a basement, as most basement floors slope towards the center of the room or to one side for drainage.

The other benefit of having my layout at 48" (44" at the bottom), is that I can use an adjustable office chair to work under the layout. Lower it all the way, release the locking mechanism so I'm able to lean back, and I can roll around under any part of my layout.

The screws protruding through the wood have since been cut and ground off. The electrical box was the terminus for the home run that I ran from an auxiliary electrical service panel. It runs to another box that feeds the power strips for power packs. There is also a half-switch plug in that second box (the upper part has a switch, the lower has a regular receptacle). I can kill power to the whole layout by turning off the switch. At the far end, looking just past the box support leg, you can see a fixture I made using 1x2 and a length of 1/2" dowel. It holds two spools of wire and it makes pulling wire under the layout A LOT easier. I buy 10 gauge wire in 500 foot lengths.

[Phoebe Vet]

There is no "correct" height.  Mine averages 40 inches, but unless you are making a module that will be attached to a group layout, the choice is yours.  Some things to consider include how far you need to be able to reach into it, how much time you will be spending UNDER it doing wiring or construction, whether or not you need to duck under to get to the interior of it, and whether or not it will have multiple levels.

Some people like it near eye level so that it looks more realistic when operating.  If you do that you will need a ladder or stool to reach into it for maint.

[tdk6060]

just got my fom to 2 4x8 x1 for 10$thats good as i have not a lot to spend on this hobby.

[superbe]

I took the easy way out with the legs on my layout. using lumber (2x4's) 8'  long.  I just cut them in half to get two legs from each piece 48 " long. I added 1/2' plywwod and 2 sheets of 3/4" foam (all that was available) so the total height is about 50".

As has been mentioned select a height that is comfortable to work underneath. That is important.

Also keep in mind that after you get the wiring done you can use the space under the layout for storage. I have 4 two drawer filing cabinets under mine now and slide them out if they get in the way. So consider that when you decide on the height.

Bob

 

[G Paine]

This is probably going to start quite a discussion, everyone seems to have their favorite layout height

Two things to consider:

• Enough room under so you can work comfortably. Not so low that you are cramped, but not so high so you are stretching overhead for wiring and other work. You will be spending hours under there, after all!
• A general height of the tabletop so you can reach to do scenery or to correct something like a derailled train near the middle without busting up the forground details.

I like a base height just above waist level, for me about 46" to 48", I am 6'1" tall, so this might be somewhat too tall for you. This way I can reach in comfotably and see all that is going on. Others will say just below chin level since that is how we see the real world, not looking down on the roofs of everything like you are in a helicopter all the time. I think this is way too high - just my opinion

[tdk6060]

hi all got my bench work all most done , just have to put the 4x8 done the layout is a 2x6,2x8,4x8 all 2x3 pine and 4x8 2/1 ple wood .now i like to know how tall i should make the lags.im 5,5 tall . thank you for all the help, happy 4th to all the good USA frinds.