rrinker Why can it handle such static loads (plus the dynamic load of people walking across it) but not 5 pounds of trains? Makes no sense.
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OSB in large sheets is amazingly strong. It is practicaly unbreakable. It makes absolutely wonderful hurricane shutters. Put a 4 by 8 sheet on a two by four frame with only one crossmember and you can dance on it.
When OSB if cut into narrow pieces it becomes fragile. At three inches wide you can snap it easily with your hands. At two inches wide it almost crumbles.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190 When OSB if cut into narrow pieces it becomes fragile. At three inches wide you can snap it easily with your hands. At two inches wide it almost crumbles. -Kevin
I was recently given a 3/4" thick 4x8 piece of this stuff. I thought about using it as a subroadbed for my shelf type layout. I was put off by the really heavy weight of that sheet, much heavier than plywood. Then a little corner of it got damp sitting in my carport on its edge,...it quickly fanned out and became unusable in that small corner. I subsequently made some 18" deep sheves out of it in my other storage shed. But it lost a lot of its stiffness when cut into those more narrow strips.
To tell the truth I wouldn't build ANYTHING out of it,...crap recycle stuff.
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
SeeYou190 rrinker Why can it handle such static loads (plus the dynamic load of people walking across it) but not 5 pounds of trains? Makes no sense. . OSB in large sheets is amazingly strong. It is practicaly unbreakable. It makes absolutely wonderful hurricane shutters. Put a 4 by 8 sheet on a two by four frame with only one crossmember and you can dance on it. . When OSB if cut into narrow pieces it becomes fragile. At three inches wide you can snap it easily with your hands. At two inches wide it almost crumbles. . -Kevin .
Again, in all fairness, in thicknesses similar to osb, all but the most expendive plywood is fragile when cut in narrow strips. Sheathing osb is only 7/16 thick.
I have never liked 1/2" plywood cut in narrow strips and supported on risers as being strong enough. I more typically use 3/4" thick Poplar boards for straight runs..........
Yet others use foam?
Sheldon
railandsail SeeYou190 When OSB if cut into narrow pieces it becomes fragile. At three inches wide you can snap it easily with your hands. At two inches wide it almost crumbles. -Kevin I was recently given a 3/4" thick 4x8 piece of this stuff. I thought about using it as a subroadbed for my shelf type layout. I was put off by the really heavy weight of that sheet, much heavier than plywood. Then a little corner of it got damp sitting in my carport on its edge,...it quickly fanned out and became unusable in that small corner. I subsequently made some 18" deep sheves out of it in my other storage shed. But it lost a lot of its stiffness when cut into those more narrow strips. To tell the truth I wouldn't build ANYTHING out of it,...crap recycle stuff.
osb is not a good choice for wet/damp locations or even wide swings in humidity.
In buildings it is never left exposed to the outdoors, it gets covered and protected.
It is weather proof enough for the "normal" exposures during the construction process, but does not do well beyond that, but then again the same can be said of exterior sheathing grade plywood and untreated framing lumber. None are intended for prolonged weather exposure.
My HO scale model trains are indoors, in a heated/cooled and insulated building.......
SeeYou190When OSB if cut into narrow pieces it becomes fragile. At three inches wide you can snap it easily with your hands. At two inches wide it almost crumbles
So what your telling me;
If I use a 2in strip of OSB to lay track to carry a couple of lbs. of plastic. I should not walk on it, grag and twist it, beat on it with a blunt object,or clean it with a power washer.
Correct?
UNCLEBUTCH SeeYou190 When OSB if cut into narrow pieces it becomes fragile. At three inches wide you can snap it easily with your hands. At two inches wide it almost crumbles So what your telling me; If I use a 2in strip of OSB to lay track to carry a couple of lbs. of plastic. I should not walk on it, grag and twist it, beat on it with a blunt object,or clean it with a power washer. Correct?
SeeYou190 When OSB if cut into narrow pieces it becomes fragile. At three inches wide you can snap it easily with your hands. At two inches wide it almost crumbles
And, it might need a few more supports than some thicker 1/2" birtch plywood.
I cut OSB into 3 or 4 inch wide strips for subroad bed and supports spaced about 10 to 12 inches apart. It was quite solid and no issues with sagging or crumbling.
For larger areas I used a sandwich of 1/2-inch Homasote and 1/2-inch OSB supported about every 12 -14 inches:
I put a long straight edge on top checking it periodically and it remaind nice and flat. I will say it was pretty heavy though.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Sorry to be off topic, Rio Grande. But could you show me more of your layout? Looks very interesting. Thanks.
Tinindian Sorry to be off topic, Rio Grande. But could you show me more of your layout? Looks very interesting. Thanks.
It was torn down last summer and I have moved but if you follow this link - there are additional photos. There used to be more but photobucket stopped allowing hot links so I moved most, but not all over to a new host:
http://atlasrescueforum.proboards.com/thread/3737/jims-layout-progress?page=2
I need to find a source of good playwood. The 'birch' plywood they have at the big box stores is garbade - one outer ply of birch and the rest is the same as any old plywood. And the places that DO have the real stuff around here are all wholesale only. And those places do indeed have some VERY nice wood products, not just good plywood. If I was going to build some nice cabinets or something.
They do have something similar to that HDF I used long ago, I have a 2x4 piece of 3/4" plywood as well as a 2x4 piece of this stuff in 3/4". VERY heavy compared to the plywood, but it's not OSB, it's more like tightly glued together sawdust instead of big chips.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Randy, don't you havd any good indepentent lumber yards? That likely sell mostly to contractors?
Thry should have good quality domestic Birtch ply, about $70 for 3/4".
Randy, you commented a while back in this thread about homasote.
Well, no question, homasote is not good in any damp environment. And that will make it lose it best features, like holding nails/spikes tight enough but not too tight.
Generally I have had great results with homasote sheets for flat areas (over plywood) and homabed roadbed on wood subroadbed.
But my layout space is dry, above grade, well insulated and heated/cooled as needed. Because it is an outbuilding, I do not heat and cool it to comfort temps all the time, but in extreem weather I keep the heat at 50 and the cooling at 85 when I am not out there.