My layout uses much of a medium sized bedroom. In order to get at an outside window, a closet and my workbench, I had to build the whole layout on rollers so it is movable.
A planned yard, measuring 2 ft. X 6.5 ft., is on 3/4 in. plywood over a frame of 1 in. X 4 in. lumber, with crossmembers on 16 in. centers, more or less.
Right now, the baseboard is 3/4 in. plywood, and that has made the layout significantly heavier to move.
I'd like to know if you think using 1/4-inch plywood with 1/2 in." foam would be structurally strong enough to not warp? In HO scale, the trains, track and structures are not the concern.
ScottGroff wrote: My layout uses much of a medium sized bedroom. In order to get at an outside window, a closet and my workbench, I had to build the whole layout on rollers so it is movable. A planned yard, measuring 2 ft. X 6.5 ft., is on 3/4 in. plywood over a frame of 1 in. X 4 in. lumber, with crossmembers on 16 in. centers, more or less. Right now, the baseboard is 3/4 in. plywood, and that has made the layout significantly heavier to move. I'd like to know if you think using 1/4-inch plywood with 1/2 in." foam would be structurally strong enough to not warp? In HO scale, the trains, track and structures are not the concern.
If you use a quality 1/4" birch ply and bond the 1/2" foam and weight until dry, you should have no problems at all. Try to find the ply at a lumber yard not HD crap. Not sure if HD or Lowes even has 1/4 in birch.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
1\4 in. ply is a bit thin...even if you have a super dry area for your layout, it will warp,especially if you put a lot of glue on it to hold down the foam. If it were me, I'd use at least 1\2 in. ply and make sure it was screwed down really well.
LD357 wrote:1\4 in. ply is a bit thin...even if you have a super dry area for your layout, it will warp,especially if you put a lot of glue on it to hold down the foam. If it were me, I'd use at least 1\2 in. ply and make sure it was screwed down really well.
I used 1/4" ply with 1/2" foam overtop for my N scale layout. While it is pretty lightweight, it did warp a lot. If I were to do it over again I'd use at least 1/2" plywood.
LD357 wrote: 1\4 in. ply is a bit thin...even if you have a super dry area for your layout, it will warp,especially if you put a lot of glue on it to hold down the foam. If it were me, I'd use at least 1\2 in. ply and make sure it was screwed down really well.
Where did you buy the ply and what type. 1/4" AC in pine or fir or even 1/4 luan can warp. A "quality" birch should not warp unless exposed to very severe moisture.
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Use 1.5" or 2" foam and stay light with nice rigidity. It might be noisy, though.
Otherwise, you could spray a sealant all over the 1/4" quality ply. I would make sure to get the edges, particularly.
jeffrey-wimberly wrote:1/2". At the very least, 3/8". I work with 1/4" birch plywood 5 days a week and I've seen it do some pretty strange things. Of course, I'm in Louisiana, it may act differently whereever you are. Here, it's very humid and wet. That, with the heat, can make some very interesting warps, and that's with the wood being indoors.
I aint that far from you here in Arkansas. You wont believe what wood will do when left unattended this time of the year.
I see Birch 1/2 inch and am attracted to it. But is there a specific grade I need to ask for? I used to supply Lowes and Home Depots years ago with a variety of wood products off a flatbed and cannot remember all of the codes to seperate the intended use of the wood.
What will be the code I need to look for with wood that is intended for Interior "Cabinet grade" high quality finish and resistance to warp etc.
selector wrote: Use 1.5" or 2" foam and stay light with nice rigidity. It might be noisy, though.
I use 2-inch foam. Period. No warping, no laminating needed, very lightweight. Using WS foam roadbed, I find it no noisier than cork on ply, etc. YMMV.
Reducing weight is good, but also use big wheels for rolling the layout. I have found that using 4" wheels makes things easy to roll. If the layout is really heavy you might want 6" or 8" wheels. The smaller wheels especially if you have carpet don't work well.
Enjoy
Paul
nucat78 wrote: selector wrote: Use 1.5" or 2" foam and stay light with nice rigidity. It might be noisy, though.I use 2-inch foam. Period. No warping, no laminating needed, very lightweight. Using WS foam roadbed, I find it no noisier than cork on ply, etc. YMMV.
Safety Valve wrote: jeffrey-wimberly wrote:1/2". At the very least, 3/8". I work with 1/4" birch plywood 5 days a week and I've seen it do some pretty strange things. Of course, I'm in Louisiana, it may act differently whereever you are. Here, it's very humid and wet. That, with the heat, can make some very interesting warps, and that's with the wood being indoors.I aint that far from you here in Arkansas. You wont believe what wood will do when left unattended this time of the year.I see Birch 1/2 inch and am attracted to it. But is there a specific grade I need to ask for? I used to supply Lowes and Home Depots years ago with a variety of wood products off a flatbed and cannot remember all of the codes to seperate the intended use of the wood.What will be the code I need to look for with wood that is intended for Interior "Cabinet grade" high quality finish and resistance to warp etc.