Wood vs Styrene - which is better - for what ???

[Anonymous]

Newbie ... having trouble making clean cuts in basswood, even with the proper tools ... maybe I'm just too fussy about how things fit together !!!  Semi-circles are IMPOSSIBLE !!!

Would like to hear opinions from those of you who have scratchbuilt using BOTH mediums - which do you prefer and why - and for what type projects ( some people like styrene for bridges yet use wood for structures ).

Maybe I just need a sharper eye and a steadier hand ... don't we all !!! 

 

 

[tutaenui]

I prefer wood for unpainted or stained structures, such a bridges and trestles because it is easier to represent a natural wood finish, otherwise I prefer styrene.

[on30francisco]

I use wood to build structures, rolling stock. bridges, and trestles whose prototypes are wooden. To me, nothing looks more like wood than wood. It is easy to stain and paint with ordinary brushes and techniques and mistakes are easy to correct (viva sandpaper). I use styrene or brass to represent non-wooden items. Small pieces can be very fragile, especially in HO and smaller scales, and in those instances styrene or brass would hold up better than wood.

A NWSL True Sander is a must when working with wood (and styrene). You should always cut the piece a little larger than required and use the True Sander to gradually sand it to the proper length. This is the only way to get two or more pieces the exact same size. A NWSL Chopper is helpful in cutting stripwood and styrene for HO and smaller scales but you can also use a sharp single-edge razor blade. For cutting pieces in the larger scales, a razor saw works well.

All in all, wood is good for certain things and styrene or other materials work well for others. 

[hminky]

Styrene is the superior material in the smaller scales. It makes construction quicker because it can be bonded more readily with solvents and ACC. There is no grain fuzz in styrene and it cuts cleaner. It takes finishes better because it has no natural finish. Because it has no color it can be made to look more like wood.

An HO Atlas trackside shanty

I find it represents wood better than wood because there is more control over texture and color.

It can be mixed with wood in the larger scales where large sections in styrene are unavailable

The thinner board is a coffee stirrer and the smaller piece is styrene

A timber tunnel portal done with wood and styrene in O scale

I have a web article at:

http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/weathered_plastic/

Thank you if you visit

Harold

 

[orsonroy]

One word: PLASTICS.

I suppose that there might be a use for wood in model building that makes it better than styrene, but besides natural wood color, I haven't been able to figure out what that use is. Plastic does a LOT, and does it better than plastic: cutting, gluing, speed of assembling, finishing, etc. I've built stuff out of wood before (I'm working on several AMB cabooses now, in fact), but if I had to scratchbuild using wood, I wouldn't bother. (for example, all the stuff shown above was done between Thanksgiving and Christmas. With wood, I'd STILL be working on it!)

[jecorbett]

You can make styrene look like any material but wood will only look like wood no matter how you treat it. Styrene is stronger and more durable. It isn't affected by changes in humidity the way wood is. There are some advantages to wood but I think they are outweighed by the advantages to working with styrene. The only time I use wood is if it is in a kit or I have a small project and can use some left over scale lumber from another project.