I saw a train table vendor at the train show a week ago in Springfield, Ma, and he had quite a few interested modelers at his area. I was wondering how many of you use these ready-made tables as opposed to building your own? The prices ranged from around $150 to over $1200 for a large multi table setup. Tables are all predrilled for running wiring underneith etc. but I suspect that this is too pricey for many modelers. Thoughts guys ?
Hi *** I supose if your making a two or three section swiching layout it would be all right as it would speed up your track and scenery stage but I think that with help if you aren’t good with tools or just going annd buyng the wood is likley cheaper in the long run. Rob
When I lived in an apartment, there was a guy near me that bought the “benchwork” from Sievers (sp). They are somewhere in the upper midwest. I think they advertise in MR.
The stuff was really nice. Nice grade, dry wood. Modular pieces to put together as you like. Everything predrilled., with hardware. Was this what you saw?
For the man I knew in that apartment, I guess it really made sense for him. He had no garage at all, and he had no great urge to work with large pieces of wood. He just wanted to lay track and stuff.
I was able to drive over to my parents house and work in the garage, so I had no real need for it. Really, i couldn’t afford to buy it anyway. But i copied that modular design exactly, and still use it to this day. Only these days, I have my sons doing the work!
Jim
Benchwork is one of my favorite parts of the hobby. I would never consider buying it premade, especially given the quantity I need.
Beside, I’m not sure they have one of these on the rack.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a helix in O before,that’s one impressive piece of work. Would you like to come to my place and finish my benchwork? Please say yes I hate woodworking in my case it usually hurts[B)][B)][xx(][xx(]rob
Thanks Rob, you’re the second one to request my services on benchwork. Perhaps I missed my calling, and I should be the guy selling it.[swg]
I’m not one to buy pre-made benchwork, but I tend to like mine made to order anyhow. I find benchwork to be a cheap and easy part of the hobby.
Now, if I could only get wiring pre-made off the shelf!!
It was more of a curiosity factor with me. I have DeWalt 12" sliding compound saw, and being a homeowner for 45 years, I have no problem whatsoever working with wood and other materials also. But when I saw so many people at the Train Show at this companies booth, I thought to myself," am I missing something here"? But I too prefer to design my own.
BTW Elliot, I am VERY impressed with your helix, you do excellent work. Did Big_Girl help you? Just kidding Elliot…
Thanks guys for all your inputs…
I am using a 2 1/2 by 6 foot folding table picked up on sale for less than $30, tax included, at local home improvement emporium. It fits great under a 3 by 6 N scale layout, built on simple wood frame with styrofoam. Layout’s in two 3 by 3 foot sections that latch together and clamp to the table. Very sturdy. Control panel is under construction now. It will be detachable for easy moving to train shows. This is a great system for very small railroads.And yeah, that helix is totally awesome, man!
Thanks ***. Actually, there were times when I was on the inside that I asked her to hand me things. It was much easier than crawling out every time.[;)]
I’ve seen a couple of reviews of ready-built baseboards, they usually offer them on a 1sq ft “grid” system - you pay per sq ft then extra for accessories like legs, backscenes, etc. Prices seemed reasonable - think it was around £120 for a pair of 4x2 boards with legs and backscene. I would seriously consider them if building a layout designed for exhibitions, as all the tedious work of making sure they always go together properly at the joints is done for you - this is the major problem with modular layouts especially in N scale. If/when I get round to building somewhere for my German N scale collection to run I’ll be taking a good look at the prebuilt boards, as I’m not exactly skilled at woodwork and would happily pay for a decent quality set of boards rather than trying to build them myself. The advantage here is it leaves you free to concentrate on the electrical side and scenery, and you’re able to run trains that bit sooner.
I just purchased benchwork from Sievers this past week. Put it all together this weekend in just a few hours for a 10x12’ L (3’ deep).
For me, premade was the way to go for a few reasons. Mainly… A) I’m in an apt and don’t have a garage or anyplace to do any real wood work stuff, and b) i don’t own any tools to really do the work myself, and c) I’m not the greatest carpenter 
I’d say if you meet the above three conditions, premade is certainly the way to go. I probably spent about $300 more than it would cost to do it myself, but I honestly think it was totally worth it.
The product itself is great. Predrilled holes for everything. section can be easily bolted together. 3/4" holes in the center beams for cable running (which I really like).
Sievers gets an A+ from me.
My local hobby shop/club layout is built on top of kitchen cabinet bases. http://www.k-10smodeltrains.com/images/lg013.jpg I thought this was a great way of geting benchwork done and getting some built in storage.
I am in the thinking stages on my second layout and I have been holding off doing the benchwork untill I do a bit more reading. I looked into buying it but then I would not be able to justify the table saw I am about to buy.
My first attempt at a 4X8 table turned out ok. I put some shelves between some legs and it looked OK but it was really obvious that this is and was the first time I had built anything like this with out haveing a helping hand… Jospeh
Ive always made my own. I would not be interested in pre-made.
Not here.
I made everything from scratch,
I started off using 2x4’s for the first two sections then I went with 1x4’s.
1/2" plywood for most of it, I’m using 3/4" plywood only because it was free.
Gordon
Hello. I am looking for a ready made table. Would you happen to have a number or a website for the vendor you saw? If not does anyone know of any other places where i could buy one?
I have a radial arm saw, band saw, drill press plus assorted portable power tools and hand tools. Woodworking is something I enjoy so I have no need to buy prefab tables. This is one of those areas where you can trade time for money or vice versa.
Enjoy
Paul
For someone living in an apartment who has no power tools and no place to cut or drill wood even if they did have the tools, this pre-cut and pre-drilled benchwork might be the only choice they have.