Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
I use cookie-cutter with 2-inch pink foam. I cut a long piece about 3 inches wide (for HO) and then support it on trestles whenever it crosses a rafter. The foam is stiff and strong enough to span the gap without sagging, and it won't distort with humidity like plywood will. The top and bottom need a bit of rounding so the transition isn't abrubt.
I did try making a triangular ramp out of foam. I had a hard time getting a straight cut. It was very early in both layout-building and foam-cutting, so I don't think I was doing a very good job of it. Still, the cookie-cutter seems a lot easier after I've tried both methods.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Extruded polyurethane foam (the pink or blue stuff) is surprisingly flexible, as well as easy to cut. While I don't like to use cookie cutter construction (I prefer single-level track per layout level, cutting into a foam base to make scenery grades), it would be pretty easy to cut the foam into 1" wide strips up to eight feet long. Cut the grades out of the strips (no "precision cutting tools" needed: just use a chalk line and a boxcutter) and glue them to the base and to each other. Three strips per track will give you 3" under each mainline, which is more than enough for the track and roadbed.
And all of this will cost you about 20% of what the Woodland Scenics inclines cost!
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
orsonroy,
How thick is the stuff you are talking about (i.e. pink or blue stuff)? Are you talking about that Owens-Corning insulation you can get at Home Depot or some other uber foam?
If I understand you correctly (bear with me because I am slow, hehe), you cut three 8 foot triangles that is 1 inch wide and then glue them together to make a 3 inch wide x 8 foot long 'ramp'?
Just making sure I'm getting this down. I'd rather not spend all my budget on WS foam products! :))
Mike/Nightshade
Nightshade wrote:How thick is the stuff you are talking about (i.e. pink or blue stuff)? Are you talking about that Owens-Corning insulation you can get at Home Depot or some other uber foam?
I'm talking about the plain old blue or pink insulation foam, that stuff that's at HD. I've successfully cut and bent 1/2" and 1" thick foam. In fact, all of my roadbed was 1/2" foam hand cut into 1.5" wide strips and laid like cork ($9 for 250 linear feet of the stuff!). I can curve the 1/2" thick foam down to 22" radius curves without it snapping on me. I've used the 1" foam as curved tunnel walls and as retaining wall backing. I forget quite how much I can successfully curve the thicker material, but I do remember that it works best if you're trying to bend longer pieces.
If I understand you correctly (bear with me because I am slow, hehe), you cut three 8 foot triangles that is 1 inch wide and then glue them together to make a 3 inch wide x 8 foot long 'ramp'
Yep. It's deceivingly simple. If you're unsure about bending the thicker material, do what WS has done and kerf the sides: adding a series of thin cuts along the sides will help bend the foam without breaking it (if you've got one, a table saw will make FAST work of this: cut to about 1/2 or 2/3 of the way through the material). It may be a little more work, but cutting your own foam risers will STILL save you a lot of money versus the WS stuff.
I agree with cccpro. In fact, I have three boxes of 4% grade WS inclines left over. Since my grades were short and I changed my height by an inch last minute, I was able to get 6 separate grades built from 2 boxes of 3% WS inclines. I never even needed the 4% grades.
I am also using foam insulation on my layout but since my grades were only 2.5 feet long and the radius is 21 5/8", I was hard pressed to bend the foam insulation in order to use it for grading. But I suppose on a straightaway or broad turn, it would work just fine. However, as I've mentioned in another thread, if I'm going to build this layout in my lifetime I have to cut corners somewhere. WS inclines were a great way to accomplish what I wanted quickly and easily.
Here's a photo of one of my grades:
Surfstud,
I saw the other two pics on that other "Beginner" thread. Where do you get your pink foam? It looks like it's various thicknesses and in sheets (4'x8')?
Surfstud31 wrote:Nightshade, it's foam insulation board from Home Depot. Comes in thicknesses of 1/2", 3/4", 1", and 2". I found it in 2'x'8 sheets which were easier to work with than 4'x'8. I love using foam - wish I had it many years ago when I built my first layout.
I guess it's to HD for me. I miss Menards, but none down here. Maybe HD will be inexpensive anyway, as the cost of living is less than up north....
Does everyone here use plaster cloth on top of their foam? Or are the hills finished off another way?
Nightshade wrote: I guess it's to HD for me. I miss Menards, but none down here. Maybe HD will be inexpensive anyway, as the cost of living is less than up north.... Does everyone here use plaster cloth on top of their foam? Or are the hills finished off another way?
Hello,
I don't have a lick of plaster on my layout. I texture the foam with various tools such as rasps, carving knives, palm sander, hot knife and a woodburning pencil. Then it's sealed with a coat of latex housepaint, then it's off to whatever scenic material is going to be required. In fact, I'm giving serious thought to trying my hand at carving a layout out of two or three layers of foam insulation bonded together. Sort of the way an artist sculpts a statue. Create all the terrain, then start cutting away the areas where the track will be laid, etc. Probably won't be getting started till next spring if I do it, but it's something I'd like to play around with.
Respects
I have had good luck by cutting the foam at the incline that I want........i.e.1%, 2%, etc......then I run a length of tape(in my case Gorilla Tape) along the side of the incline....then on the opposite side I cut it at 1" intervals........once you fasten it to the layout it is very strong and substantial.....it works for me.........you have to decide which direction your curve will take before you place the tape.......the tape has to be on the inside of the curve......this procedures allows me to tailor my inclines.......i.e. I can make it anything I want......1.1%, 1.2%, etc....
Sam