Anyone have experience with commercially available, portable layout tables? Is it better/less costly to make one’s own?
Portable is kind of a relative term depending upon what kind of sub-roadbed that you use. I’ve had good success with Sievers benchwork and have used it for portable modules in HO. The quality is very good and they offer great customer service. The legs are easy to attach and remove with bolts and wingnuts. Many will tell you that making your own is cheaper but that assumes that you have the power tools and wood-working experience needed. I didn’t.
The Sievers tables as they come are a bit low for my tastes but they have the virtue of using good quality wood – versus my continuing temptation to go for low price versus quality and/or being unable to find comparable quality wood at the local big box do it yourself type store. And the finished product is as a result very clean and neat looking.
If I lived in a condo or apartment with no workshop there is no question I would go the route of the table “kits” such as Sievers and some other makes.
Dave Nelson
Sievers and Mianne are the leaders and both are good.
http://www.miannebenchwork.com/default.htm
You can also buy the work benches from Global - very sturdy, too.
It’s certainly less costly to make your own. Probably not better.
Most people assume you need a lot of power tools - you don’t. In fact I built a 5’4" x 12’ table for a layout last year and the only power tool I used was a drill with bits. I also used a handsaw, square, tape measure, miter box, and 4 clamps - and maybe a couple of other miscellaneous hand tools I have forgotten… While not essential, I used 4 saw horses for assembly as I don’t like working in the floor. I also had Lowes make the one cut I needed in each of 2 sheets of plywood. (If you cut your own plywood you’ll want a power saw - jigsaw preferred as it will do curves and straights.)
One of Kalmbach’s benchwork books or basic model railroading books will have plans and instructions.
As happens so often in this hobby you can trade time for money and vice versa. In this case benchwork kits or make your own.
Enjoy
Paul
It’s pretty much always cheaper to make your own. Sievers uses hardwood, and there’s no reason why you can’t, also. That adds to the cost, however.
Power tools are never necessary. They are only a time and energy saver. I grew up in a house that was built in 1740, using nothing but hand tools. Still there, and still weathertight, centuries later. But it wasn’t put up in 3 months like a lot of new construction these days.
It’s really about how much of your own sweat you are willing to invest. Pre-fab benchwork is a great time saver if cost is no object, but unfortunately, for me, cost is always an object. I actually enjoy major woodworking projects, if I can do them at my own pace. It’s also useful to have a second set of hands.
FWIW, I have a radial arm saw with miter / bevel capabilities, a circular saw (for cuts over 36"), a scroll saw, a saber saw, cordless drill / screwdriver combo, a corded hammer / std drill, an orbital sander, and a table-top disk / belt sander. There’s nothing I can’t tackle with this array. But I’d really only NEED a crosscut saw, a coping saw, drill (hand powered works just fine), a screwdriver, and a sanding block. It would just take a lot longer.
The other tools you really should have: Clamps (you can never have too many, but 4 is the absolute minimum, and I prefer the Irwin “Quik Clamp” style that can be easily tightened with one hand), carpenter’s glue (the yellow stuff), a speed square (allows you to quickly measure all common angles), and a level.
If I had to prioritize the tools in terms of “sweat savers”, I’d say cordless drill / screwdriver combo, then the orbital sander, then the radial arm saw.
Just remember one thing – what most people characterize as “lack of basic carpentry skills” is really “lack of practice”. I wasn’t very good at first, but got better quickly with just a couple of really simple projects.
If you’re in the market
I have worked with the Sievers benchwork products for years. I have used them for NTrak modules and in my own layout. They can be easily modified. I have built legs to my specifications using a set of the Sievers legs as a template. The Sievers lumber is of excellent quality and never warped, not even in Florida humidity. I cannot say the same for some of the dimensional lumber I purchased in big box stores. The Sievers product is definitey more expensive than doing it on your own. But they supply all the hardware. I am not experienced in woodworking and so the Sievers solution was very helpful.
Sievers comes in 40" and 48" heights. I actually modified their legs a little and am using them for my first permanent layout which is an around the room shelf layout with a height of 50".
Sievers spec is for No. 2 pine, not hardwood.
Dante
Thanks to all for your input. In the past I have made some train tables from raw lumber and I do have my own tools. In general, I am a “rough” carpenter rather than a “finish” carpenter and was planning the next layout as part of a real room in our house, so was exploring using a more “furniture-like” look to the bench-work. If I wasn’t so lazy, I’d just buy some hardwood and make my own, but enjoy the modeling more.
Sounds like I’m not alone!