Has anybody tried using foam for support legs? Are alternate products getting to the point wood might be a last alternative due to costs?
no, what type of foam would be strong enough?
If all you are after are cheap legs for your layout, broken and/or odd sized pallets are free for asking at most places (and made of oak sometimes). Foam might be the highest priced way to make legs if it worked. 2X4s ripped into 2X2s are still pretty cheap. I use old pallets and make a L beam for each leg with sheetrock screws and a drill. I then attach them with more screws. Don’t normally need any cross braces as the Ls are their own cross braces. Hardest thing is taking pallets apart, they use screw shank nails. I now cut the heads off with a demel and throw the nail rich pieces away (the part that was on the floor made of 2X4). FRED
I like foam for all types of scenery construction, from landforms, tunnel portals, and retaining walls to subframes for building (you get that free when you but meat). For construction practices, there’s no structural foam in my house and I want my layout to stand as long as my house does. You can get plenty of free construction materials at construction sites, ask the forman, they pay to have it removed. Most of my sub roadbed is made from free 5/8 5 ply ext grade plywood from new house construction. It was free for the asking. AL3
where do you get foam from
Usually, “foam” refers to the extruded styrofoam panels that is made for home insulation applications. It comes in various thicknesses (1", 2", etc.) and sizes (4’ x 8’, for example). Depending on your location (some parts of the country don’t need a lot of home insulating!) you can get it at places like Menard’s, Home Depot, etc. It comes in various colors (pink, blue, etc.) depending on the manufacturer.
Wood 2x2’s are still inexpensive, and will provide you with more than enough structural strength.
Home Depot sells 8’ 2x3 for a buck. You can’t go wrong. My layout bechwork is built with them including the legs.