Driline wrote: They are a little more expensive than bulk lumber, but they are straight and perfectly smooth. Don't buy the cheap stuff.
They are a little more expensive than bulk lumber, but they are straight and perfectly smooth. Don't buy the cheap stuff.
Here here! I learned the hard way (several times!). To get straight and smooth boards along with the massive reduction of frustration is worth the extra expense. I have found that finding quality 1x3s can sometimes be very difficult and hense it is sometimes easier to get 1x4s. The next layout (moving soon) will probably see at least some use of benchwork framing made from ripped plywood if I can't find good 1x3s.
I use 1x4's for the outer framework, and 1x3's for the cross-rafters. I put the 1x3's even with the bottom of the 1x4's, which gives me about an inch recess to protect the foam inside the outer frame. My layout is 5x12 feet, supported on 2x3 legs. It's also on casters. A year and a half ago, it looked like this:
I don't use any plywood, just foam, so I would not put my weight on the layout table. (Come to think of it, I don't know that I'd put my weight on the table even if I did have plywood on it.) For a layout, though, this has been rock-solid. I can easily push it around on a medium-pile carpet, and even non-glued figures remain standing.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I switched to 1X3's instead of 1X4's on my latest layout. I used quality 1X3's from Lowes and Home Depot.They are a little more expensive than bulk lumber, but they are straight and perfectly smooth. Don't buy the cheap stuff.
I used the 1X3's becuase I built an around the room shelf layout and didn't want the extra weight.
Ryan BoudreauxThe Piedmont Division Modeling The Southern Railway, Norfolk & Western & Norfolk Southern in HO during the merger eraCajun Chef Ryan
I use 1x3s and 1/2" plywood with no problems. The longest span is 5' but I really shoot for 4' or less. Here's a couple of pictures while under construction:
It is sturdy enough for me to climb on with no worries and it is on rollers:
Engineer Jeff NS Nut Visit my layout at: http://www.thebinks.com/trains/
I have used both (and had problems with quality with both) and my benchwork is the David Barrow "domino" approach so no table is longer then 4 feet. It does seem that 1x3s are of furring strip quality in many cases with slightly rounded edges and thus a bit harder to work with in terms of clean flat edges with pine that really holds screws and nails. I think it is more a function of the quality of the pine than whether it is 1x3 or 1x4, at least for my purposes. If I was dealing with 8 or 12 foot lengths maybe 1x4 would have advantages.
Dave Nelson
I was planning on using 1x4 pine for most of the benchwork but I was wondering if I could use 1x3s without sacrificing too much support or stability. Will it make much difference in weight? Most of the scenery will be made of foam insulation and other lightweight materials. I want to be able to lean on the layout without anything breaking or bending. Here is a diagram of the benchwork. A sheet of 1/2" plywood will cover the whole frame. Thanks in advance for any help.