Foldable legs and Hollow Core doors

[Anonymous]

I am new to the hobby. I picked up the free pamphlet "Getting Started in Model Railroading, published by MR at a train show. It shows a layout built on a hollow core door with metal legs. They look like the kind of legs you see attached to those long folding tables that you rent for parties, etc.....

Is there a place to buy this leg apparatus? Many thanks.

[AltonFan]

You should be able to buy folding table legs at a Menard's or Home Depot, or a well-stocked hardware store, lumber yard, or home center. (I bought mine at Menard's for about $20.00.) You might want to mount the legs on some 1x4s screwed into the door.

Try to get the widest door you can find.

[Anonymous]

I would just repeat Dan's caution (above) about fixing the legs to the door - it is hollow after all. You will need to strengthen the door so there is something for the screws to bite into. Some 1x4 running the width of the door so the ends can be secured to the perimeter frame of the door would be good. You can use No More Nails or other adhesive in addition to the screws.

Andrew

[Anonymous]

Just an observation from when I was thinking about doing this myself in the past, the legs may cost more than a whole table can be bought for at times. A few months ago Staples had whole 4 foot tables with the legs for 20.00 and I seem to remember that legs cost 30.00 at the time. I gave it up as it's hard to wire a layout through a hollow door. FRED

[Anonymous]

To wire through a hollow core dor, you need a 2" or 3" hole saw (size it to fit your fingers). Cut through one side(the "bottom side") only! But allow the pilot bit to drill throught the "top side" too. If you have styrofoam on top of the door, you can poke/drill/melt you way thorough that as necessary for the wire.

You may have to remove some of the cardboard web (or whatever is inside the door) to tidy things up.

Andrew

[GerFust]

I've used those legs before and recommend against it. They are way too short for good viewing (and aging backs), and they allow the table to wobble too much. I used two pair on a four by eight layout and they just weren't very stable. The thing shook when you breathed on it. It would be better to construct your own (longer) legs using techniques in Model Railroader magazine.

-Jer

[AltonFan]

I wouldn't use folding legs for a layout much bigger than a typical door. Traditional type layouts are best supported by the methods indicated in most manuals for benchwork construction.

However, MR did build a project railroad on a hollow-core door, supported on folding legs. To get more height, they inserted lengths of electric conduit into the folding legs, with lag bolts secured to the bottoms of the conduits for leveling.

IIRC, the late, great, Gordon Odegard used a couple of sets of folding table legs on the Clinchfield project layout.