…of benchwork construction. Tonight I started on the last 2 of 3 ‘fixed’ sections of benchwork. Tomorrow comes a trip to Lowes to get more wood. Once these last 3 fixed sections are in place, it’s time to construct a pair of lift out sections, and allt eh basic benchwork will be DONE, other than the cement plant penninsula, which will come after I get the track all down and backdrops in place so I can have maximum working area. Still have fascia to do as well - some will go up before the penninsula is installed, the pieces in the corners will wait since they will be curved around the inside corners between the perimeter and the penninsula.
Is this a new layout replacing an old one, I assume?
That trip to Lowes. How do you get the wood home. Pick up truck? Van?
I envy you. I have two four door sedans, one with a fold down back seat. But, there are limits to what I can fit. No 4 x 8 panels, no wood strips (like 2 x 4’s) longer than 8 feet.
What is your timetable to complete the bench work, the track work, the structures, the landscaping.
Always fun to live vicariously as others’ layouts take shape,
Not really repalcing anything, this is an all-new layout I’ve been workign on since I moved here a little over a year ago.
I cheat - I pay more and buy the pre-cut wood in 4 and 6 foot lengths. I don’t have a vehicle that can handle 8 foot or longer pieces. 4 and 6 foto pieces fit easilt in my Kia. I MIGHT be able to handle an 8’ piece in my BMW if I drop the ski pass-thru to the trunk and live with ridign home witht he wood up next to my head - it’s only 2 miles to the Lowes though. I built the whole thing thus far withotu buying anythign longer than 6’, sure it costs more but the precut stuff is also a higher grade than the generic 8 foot pieces. Since I built in sections - a pair of 4 foot long 1x4’s and I cut a couple of 4 foot 1x3’s in half to make the cross pieces. Legs I make with a 4 foot 1x3 and 4 foot 1x2 in an L shape, and while at my old palce I was just goign to use the whole thing as the leg height, having to make the layot a couple inches lower for this place to accomodate the sloping ceiling means I have to cut 3 1/2 inches off the end of the leg set. For that I finally got tired of the hand saw and bought a small power miter saw. The rest thoush I saw in a hand saw miter box - last night I cut up pieces to make the box part of a 1x4 foot section and a 1x2 foto section AND assembled it all in a half hour. I need more wood for the legs and for the last 3 foot by 18" wide section, thus the Lowes trip shortly. My stockpile of wood is now completely exhausted.
And who’da thunk, I picked up a sheetof tempered hardboard to use as fascia, and had it cut into convenient 1 foot wide strips. And first thing I did when I got home wa clamp a piece to the layout - huge difference. But it also causes a problem - to gain adequate clearance I need to support it in 2x2’s - so, an inch and a half out from the edge fo the frame. Total distance fromt eh back of the fascia to the edge of the foam tabletop is on the lines of 2 1/4". Not insurmountable, I can web it in with tape and plaster gauze or what have you to fill it in with scenery. What I didn’t figure though was how much this would take away from my already limited aisle space. with a penninsula in the middle, on each of 4 sides I’m eating up 1 1/2" for the 2x2 and another 1/8 for the hardboard. total for all 4 sides, 6 1/2 inches. That shrinks the aisles to 27", realistically probably ok but practically, way too small. How to get more? Shrink the width of the penninsula? Seems like the only way to go. But those cement plant buildings are HUGE. So I doodled for a while (electronically - no cheating on track centers or turnout size) and I managed to get what should still be a reasonable representation of a cement plant in 18" of width, opening the aisles back to 30". That’s still tight, but what I had planned on all along. And I’ve tested it, and it seems to work fine. I don’t see any other option at this point.
What would be an ideal situation, getting me just enough space behind the fascia while maximizing the aisle, would be standing it off exactly 1", not the 3/4" of 1x lumber or the inch and a half of 2x lumber. I’ll have to see if I can find 5/4" in less than 5/4"x4, that’s just too wide and would block up too much space behind the fascia. No, I do not have a table saw to rip wider ones.
If you shop at Lowe’ s most of the time you can save $10 using the free coupons at the Post Office, in their ‘Change of Address’ packets. The packet has Lowe’s coupons for $10 and $25. I just got 2 more this week and they (USPS) will give you all you want. I found out about them when I saw them for sale on Ebay. A little Googling and found they were free at the Post Office. They were 10% of up to $200 on one sale, but the new ones are $10 of a $50 purchase (20%). Just another way to conserve precious funds that could go tor true RR stuff.
BTW, what is your new layout going to look like (track plan?).
5/4 is 1" actual. I measured the Singlet unit again, it needs to be a bit over 1" depth behind the fascia to prevent a nasty bend in the connector wire. SO the heck with it, I will stnad it out with 2x2’s, 2x4’s at the joints between fascia panels
It has to stand out for the turnout controls, I am using Tam Valley controllers and servos. Witht he wires attached and bent over, the Tam Valley controller is about 1 1/4" deep when screwed tight to the fascia. Fromt he bottom of the side rail to the top level of foam, there is about 6 1/2 inches. If I make the fascia even or a bit higher than the top, with 12" wide panels, I have 5" or so with ‘unlimited’ space behind. Which is an awful narrow area to mount controllers for what on the yard side is 4 rows of track - plus my UP5’s for my Digitax DCC also have to mount there. I have to stand it out at least a little to clear the leg bolt heads, if I use a 2x2 to mount it and stick it out 1 1/2", I can fit the controllers anywhere across the width of the fascia piece. Had I gone with a single layer of foam this wouldn’t be an issue. Too late now.
Track plan and all sorts of pictures as I progress are on my web site, linked in my signature.
Put up the first section of fascia tonight. What a difference. I went with the 2x2’s for the supports to give enough clearance behind for the Singlets. Seems solid with the supports on 16" centers (plus that’s all the 2x2 I had on hand, enough to make 4 pieces, so 16" centers it was.). Each support is screwed intot he side of the layout, and then at each one I have 2 #8 wood screws though #8 finishing washers to hold the tempered hardboard fascia to the supports. No controls and no tape track lines yet. I’ll have to go pick up a couple more 2x2’s to cut more supports tomorrow so I can maybe finish down the one side of the layout. Pics to come.