Hand Spiking into Pine - bad experience.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm - possible false alarm.

Are 2x4's usually made from Pine? A quick Lowe's search tells me they're douglas fir.

Hmmm - just did a search on wood densities - pine and douglas fir are the same density.

So I still have a problem! I just hate the idea of happily spiking away, then running into dense wood right where I need some spikes. Arggghhhh!

[Anonymous]

I'm now starting to ponder the hot glue method...

read some cool things about using pliobond after doing a google search.

Gluing would allow me to use cork roadbed instead of custom cutting pine or homasote. (yes, I've seen homabed, but the prices are a bit much for my super-cheap track construction I'm trying to pull off...)

[Medina1128]

How about predrilling the ties and wood with a bit smaller than the diameter of the spikes? It would allow the spikes to be driven and still hold tight.

[Virginian]

Homasote is perfect. Consistent texture and holds spikes well. There are also several other varieties of wood you may want to try that might do what you want. I would take a handful of spikes and head for Lowes or Home Depot and see what's what.

[Anonymous]

So I was doing some handlaid turnout construction practicing tonight. Things were going well. My frog was looking sweet. My switch points were sharp and burr-free.

But then when I went to spike everything into place, things went downhill.

I was practicing on a piece of scrap 2 x 4. I quickly discovered that the density of the wood varies enough to make spikes impossible to drive into some spots. And if it's where I need spikes, I'm out of luck!

So I'm looking for alternatives, including homasote.

Has anyone used it for hand spiking? I like the idea of wood - seems like it will hold spikes forever, but the natural variation is just too great. I suppose an alternative may be to get some real high quality wood or something.

I may also consider soldering to PC ties instead of spiking. The cool thing about spiking is that I could ballast first - which gives perfect-looking ballasting.

Hmmmm.