Supporting Your Model

[ndbprr]

At the risk of telling you more than you want to know the basis of a good model railroad is the sturdiness of the substrate. Now shift gears a little to the building of a modern skyscraper. It was figured out early in the 20th century that the maximum strength for a beam was the I Beam. That is because the maximum tension and compression are at the edges and that is where you need the mass of the beam. Lynn Westcott modifed this for model railroads to an idea he had called the L girder in which a 1 x 2 is glued and screwed to a 1 x 4 to form a length of structural work capable of spanning long distances with very good rigidity. A pair of those two feet apart with 1 x 4 stringers on top to support the whole width will be reusable and give you the stability you need for your modeling effort.

[CBQ_Guy]

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[Jetrock]

I have a shelf layout 1' or so deep--it is supported on a frame of 2x2 lumber (1x2 across the front) screwed directly to wall studs and supported from underneath every 2 feet with a metal bracket.

[Anonymous]

my 4x8 will be faom, not plywood, and will be supported on a couple of sturdy, cardboard boxes. I am using this light weight alternative because the layout will have to be leaned against the wall when not in use.

[Hawks05]

i have a 4x8 layout supported by saw horses. i have 2 2x4's running under the plywood, the 2x4's are connected to the saw horses.

depends on the size. i didn't have room for anything besides saw horses so thats what i'm using. its good enough for me.

[Fergmiester]

There are several methods to use. If your talking a light weight 4x8 you can use the folding table leg sets ( the ones you find in church halls or schools) that Home depot or other supplier sells.

Whatever system you go with make sure they are fastened to the layout and are sturdy enough to prevent buckling, folding, twisting and bending. In my opininion it should be able to support your weight.

If you do use a design where the legs can fold away make sure you use a system that will allow you to lock the legs.

Regards
Fergie

[Anonymous]

LOL....Sorry about the confusion i guess at a modeling sight i should be more specific. I meant the complete model the sheet of plywood that holds everything togeather that should help.

Benjamin R.

[Anonymous]

What model?

[Anonymous]

What is the best way to support your model? I was planning on using saw horses but are they stable enough? If not what elso could I use?


Thanx for the help

Benjamin R.