layout benchwork

i saw somewhere on here that you can use 3/4 extour plywood cut to the the size of 1by4spine what what does the group think sounds alot cheaper more board feet for the dollar rich

 

Ripping plywood to get your benchwork is smart in many ways. It is cheaper, but more importantly, it doesn't warp. I bought some wood and let it cure for a year, thinking I was being really smart (it cured in the layout room). At the end of a year, the wood looked liked laid back pretezls; that is why I went to MDF; however, plywood would work just as well.

 

i was thinking that i lost my train room in the house due to kids moving back in going be setting up in my barn(shed) so the waping would be a problem with no heat or air the air i think i can take care of that part

 

If warping is a problem, consider MDF and Foam as two other alternatives.

 

whats mdf

 

Medium Density Fiberboard. I think it is called craft board in the USA - can anyone confirm?

Basicly it's stronger than particle board but not as strong as plywood.

 

Medium Density Fiberboard. I think it is called craft board in the USA - can anyone confirm?

Basicly it's stronger than particle board but not as strong as plywood.</font>[/QUOTE]I take that all back (well almost) MDF is MDF in the USA

I found a web site that has the low down.

And yes - MDF is way heavy stuff.

Plywood and MDF info page

 

80 % of my layout is mdf of two different thickness. The stuff is really heavy. I bought two pieces over an inch thick and made L brackets out of them to hold the layout. My benchtop is also a thinner MDF. I have butt jointed a number of pieces together to form one solid block. Eventually all the pieces will be butt jointed together in U shape pattern.

I have even debated the necessity of gluing or screwing the U shaped MDF down to the L braces as the material is so heavy, it won't budge anyway. The primary reason I am using it is that I got a deal on this maple laminated MDF that a contractor ordered, then walked away from it.

If I hadn't gotten a deal, I would have used L brackets with foam. The major negative of MDF aside from its weight is that it can only be glued or screwed but not nailed or pinned.

 

In my every day life I use more MDF then the average person. I hang doors for a living. Yes MDF can be nailed, stapled, glued, screwed to gether. The one problem with nails is they have to come from a nail gun. If you try to use a hammer the nails just bend. Guess how I know about the bending nails.

How have you guys attached the road bed and track to the MDF. Do you just glue the road bed down and use short nails that do not go through the road bed or do you just hammer the nails into the MDF too???

There is suppose to be a new type of MDF coming out that is half the weight it is now. MDF is easy to work with. It sands, glues, cuts very well. Just keep the water away from it. I have seen a 1" X 2" piece of MDF swell to almost a 2" X 4" . There is a water proof version out there. It goes by the name of MEDEX. It is made with a water proof glue so it is not affected by water as the standard stuff.

 

thanks for the help guys i want to move it back in the house after the kids move out, my shed isn't the best place for it ,i can lease get one started out there, got a logo and name and a part of a plan going,if i can get the bank to release the funds all is a go,got to clean out the shed and move elec outlets figure out were to put the lawn and garden stuff.

 

I have 180 feet of AMI ready to be used for my road bed (sticky on both sides) so I'm not concerned about nails for the track.

Here is a link to AMI:

http://ami-roadbed.com/

[ 05 May 2002, 19:10: Message edited by: rsn48 ]