I have an idea to build a layout on top of a hollow door. Has anyone done this and how did it go?
I’ve never done it, but I’ve read where people do it all the time. It must work out ok.
Easy for N scale. All you have to do is get legs and youre set.
I have a 32" x 80" door that I want to use under the preverbial cristmas tree. It will be HO scale and sit on saw horse legs that will be screwed together to keep it stable. It is a shorter artificial tree. I need to make it square and will cut and reassemble the door. This I have not heard of?
Just follow the link in my siganture block and you’ll see step-by-step how I built mine. Enjoy!
Oh… HO, huh? Well, you’re not really going to fit a loop on a 32" wide door. Even at 15" radius curvature (which excludes almost all locomotives and anything larger longer than 40’), you won’t make it. Trust me; I did HO for 20 years before going N. Cutting and reassmebling the door won’t work (it’s hollow inside, right?). You’re best buying plywood and starting over.
Oddly a HO layout can be built on a 36" x 80" HC door.[:D]
http://www.thortrains.net/marx/drlayho1.html
Agree one will need small 4 axle locomotives and 36-40 foot cars…
The “magical” 36" x 80" door car be use for O Scale 3 rail.
True! It would be a good candidate for a logging operation, maybe a dock area (using 4-wheeled tank engines or a 44-tonner), or maybe narrow gauge. No Big Boys for you!
I used to be a master locksmith for many years and have built light duty hollow dutch doors before. It is no problem to rip a 2x4 to the width of the space and insert and glue simular to how the original door is framed. A sheet of 4x8 luan will rejoin the pieces to a square again. The door is a quick alternative to a conventional grid of 1x3’s under plywood. You gota love liquid nails.
Sounds good, then. Good luck! Let’s see pics when you’ve done it!
LOL! The logging/mining operation was my first thoughts when I first saw those HO door layouts…[:D]
The original poster wants to do a layout and place his Christmas tree in the center. I doubt there would be room for the stand if it is a real tree he will use. I would also want to support the door under the stand as even an artificial tree can weigh up to 75 pounds and might cause a sag in the door if not supprted in that area.
First let me say that Dave Vollmer’s layout on a door is excellent!! The pics on his website are excellent also - there is only one thing he omits from the project, although he shows it in the pics. The door must be reinforced to support almost anything over time. 1.He has used 1x3’s (or4’s) under the table to reinforce the leg mounting. 2. He has been careful to use mostly styrofoam on top of the door - track & buildings being the exception. 3. 40+ years as a carpenter/cabinetmaker tells me that almost any Christmas tree in the center of such a door is guaranteed to make it sag if not break. A hollowcore door is 2 pieces of 3/16" luan or birch plywood with 1 1/4" square strips around the perimeter and slightly wider pieces where the lock would be installed and a zig zag configuration of corregated cardboard glued in the interior to make it somewhat stable. A frame of 1x2’s on 12 or 16" centers, covered with 1/4" birch plywood would do the trick & last for many years. The door thing would work if the Christmas tree was suspended above the door/table!
He says it’s a shorter artificial tree. Don’t know about weight.
By the way, the door does warp with time. I highly recommend sealing it on both sides before doing anything else to it to minimize moisture penetration which accelerates warpage.
Thanks for the kind words!
Our entire 20x40 foot HO-scale club layout, and my HO-scale home layout, are built on hollow core doors with a one-inch layer of sound board on top. Hollow core doors are less prone to expansion and contraction with changes in the weather than plain dimensional wood, so we have never had any problems with track warpage, even with 40-foot long straight runs along two walls.
With 4 wheel locos and critters and such, you can go down to about a 6" radius. That’s plenty of room on a door. It’s also NOT unprototypical, either. Lots of private industrial lines use radii that small.
Would probably work without the tree. The older hollow doors used wood strips inside the " newer & better" use cardboard strips. Not much support in the middle. Not much problem to shorten them, just cut to size & cut a piece of wood to slide in between the plywood skins, Glue & nail in place. I’m leaning on one right now.I made my computer table from one, but it is the older model with the wood strips inside. Keep your eyes open on trash day, you may get lucky. Jerry
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[swg]Of course you could always build in HOe (aka HOn30) Judging by some of the microlayouts presented in Tetsudo Mokei Shumi, a 32 x 68 door is big enough for an empire!
Of course, the Japanese prototype 762mm lines ran extremely small equipment - but fascinating!
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - including two 762mm gauge lines)
I will be using a small light artificial tree so weight should not be an issue. Thank to everyone for their replies. My head is full of ideas so it is time to take tools in hand.
I will be using a small light artificial tree so weight should not be an issue. Thank you to everyone for their replies. My head is full of ideas so it is time to take tools in hand.