Hi !
You will probably get a lot of answers on this, so I'm glad I can be one of the first to reply. I'm not sure what your level of expertise or knowledge is on this stuff so you may end up with more questions than answers........
I've built O gauge, N gauge, and a few HO layouts. All of the layouts had the surface made from plywood. If your layout is in a humid area (basement, garage, ?) particle board will absorb moisture and can get nasty. Normally, trackage would rest on overlay to the plywood, such as sheet cork, homosote, or cork roadbed or a number of other possibilities.
There are a number of styles of benchwork, and all have their points. On my current layout (15x11) I chose a grid work of 2x2 legs, bracing of 1x2s and 1x3s, and a surface of 1/2 inch plywood with sheet cork overlay. Yard tracks are put directly on the sheet cork, main lines are on traditional cork roadbed. The grades and such are done via the "cookie cutter" method.
This was built 12 years ago, and if I had to do it again (which I will in the next couple of years), I would retain the 2x2 legs and 1x2,3 bracing, but the surface plywood will be the next size up from 1/2 inch (9/16 or 5/8). I would also retain the sheet cork, and the regular cork roadbed as well.
As with track laying and wiring, taking the time to build your benchwork "right" will pay off many times over in the future. Oh, almost forgot........ my layout's benchwork has zero nails in it. Everything is affixed with sheetrock screws. This is a breeze if you have two drills, one to take care of pilot holes (1/8 inch), and the other to screw the fasteners.
ENJOY,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
nryans34 wrote:I AM GETTING READY TO START MY BENCHWORK FOR MY TRAINS LAYOUT. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT PLYWOOD, PARTICAL BOARD, AND OSB BOARD. MY QUESTION IS THIS. WILL THE PARTICAL BOARD OR OSB BOARD WORK JUST AS GOOD AS THE PLYWOOD. I HAVE THE REST OF THE BENCHWORK FIGURED OUT BUT THE TOP OF THE BENCHWORK. THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR RESPONES. DAVID
n:
You might be able to use OSB for a solid tabletop. Apply oil-base paint to any cut edges. The paint already on them when you buy it isn't just decoration. It's there to prevent moisture absorption into the wood at the board edge, which can cause it to swell.
I think, however, that you would be better off with CDX plywood. The extra cost isn't that much, and it's nicer to work with, and a lot less splintery.
You could also try MDF. I have no experience with it, but the British seem to like it.
M. started the carpentry confessions rolling. My layout is built on a grid framework. The grid is made from L-girders, glued together from 1 x 2 and salvaged 1 x 3. This turned out to be overkill; 1 x 4 would have been fine, but the 1 x 3 were free, and I can put in all screws into the top from below, which is somewhat nice. Legs are 2 x 3, which I would definitely use again. They're very cheap and make good corner blocks and brace supports. The top is 1/2" CDX plywood (I think it's actually 13/32). All fasteners are bolts or screws, except for nails which were used to hold the L-girders together until the glue dried, and left in place afterwards.
Track is nailed directly to the plywood with brads. Strange to relate, it's not that noisy. Eventually it will get cork.
I have used 1/2 inch particle board successfully for over 30 years. I've had layouts in garages and interior rooms. I've found no problems with moisture absorbtion or heat sensitivity, although our climate ranges from about 24 degrees with wet and foggy winters, to 114 degrees in the summer. I built my first "open grid" benchwork in 1975. The particle board is the sub-roadbed, cut into strips and curved sections a bit wider than the roadbed itself, to the contour of the track plan. I use cork roadbed on top of the particle board sub-roadbed, and fiberous building board sheets for flat yard and industrial areas. I see that "sheet" cork is now available for flat areas as well.
Today, I would certainly consider using extruded foam over a similar particle board base.
Plywood, particle board and OSB (Oriented Strand Board) have their advantages and disadvantages.
Plywood is probably the most versatile as it is available in several grades to suit whichever part of your benchwork you are working on. CDX plywood is fine for the actual benchwork and supports, but a better grade of plywood is desirable for sub-roadbed. The greatest advantages to plywood are relatively stable dimensions, good strength for longer spans between supports, and the ability to be curved as needed for reasonable inclines and declines. Price ranges from relatively cheap for CDX to rather pricey for cabinet grades.
Particle board's biggest advantage is its exacting dimensions and uniform surface finish. Price is comparable to plywood. The major disadvantages are weight (this stuff gets heavy fast), sagging or cracking between supports, and cracking when curved for inclines and declines. Long term failures can be more of a problem with particle board, too. Particle board is best when exacting panel dimensions are critical in smaller projects, such as scratch building a turntable pit.
OSB is typically used as shear paneling in building construction. It was never meant to be used in applications where it would not be covered over with other materials. Though it is cheaper and sometimes lighter than plywood, it does not posses the same strength characteristics. More importantly, OSB does not have very stable dimensions and the surface finish is rather lumpy, worsening over time. OSB will become a nightmare when exposed to typical scenery materials.
My choice would be a lower grade plywood for all of the supporting benchwork and a high grade plywood for a ribbon style sub-roadbed. I would fill in scenery areas using rigid foam insulation.
Hornblower
Heres my To keep it light wieght I'd go with 1/4" luan plywood with 1" ridgid foam on top. This will also help keep your costs down.
Empire under construction !
The early bird catches the worm.
But, the second mouse gets the cheese!
I use plywood, 1/2", on a grid made of 1x4's. I use BC. CDX may be different elsewhere but what I have seen is very rough - more than I want to fool with. I don't like particle board because I have had a couple of pieces disintegrate (fortunately I wasn't using it for the trains). OSB I have not used.
Enjoy
Paul
I'll jump in with my
I stay away from particle board, mdf, and osb, they all can absorb moisture and are harder to fasten to except with adhesives, than plywood IMO. 1/2" construction grade plywood and construction grade 1" X 4" lumber for L-girders and joists. It works for me. Then I cover it with scenery etc. and tell eveyody that asks that I used oak or something even more exotic so they don't think I cheaped out on the benchwork...
Sheetrock is a bad idea. It will bend, warp,crack and absorb all the moisture in the air, it's too brittle, plus you'd have to put braces at least every 16 inches to keep it level, and I suspect you'd have problems with landscaping and track laying.
I like OSB, it's fairly cheap,easy to cut and as long as it's not too moist in the layout area it won't warp. The cost of ply has gone up a bit lately so if you're ona budget do some price comparison at a couple of the huge home improvement centers.
Plywood is a good choice. I used 2X2's with diagonal bracing made out of 1X2's and they are fine.
Regarding using drywall/sheetrock, in addition to the problems mentioned above it won't hold a screw or a nail to save your life and it's messy to cut...probably even worse than homosote and if you use the wifes vaccuum to clean up you will ruin it!