While cruising my local lumber yard I thought to myself, why not use oriented strand board, OSB, instead of A/C plywood, it’s a 1/3 the cost for one and for what I am doing, which for the time being is to take two 4x8 pieces and make a 10x6 “loop” so as to run a passenger train on 33" curves instead of the quite tight 22" curves that I’d have to run on a 4x8 piece. I know I could do 24" curves but I’d like to have something of an edge. Aside the fact that OSB might need some more care to cut, because of increased use of resin binders, what other issues might I come across in using OSB over A/C plywood?
This subject has been talked about many times. There are several Pro/Con’s about using the material.
Expense - it is cheaper
Cutting it - You will go through saber saw/circular saw blades fast. The resin is tough stuff.
Rigid - this may be the weak point of the material. Though it is a combination of resin/random loose particles - it seems to be rather fragile when flexed like with cookie cutter layout construction. I believe with careful construction, you can build a fine layout using the material. And it will be hard to spike and you may have to pre-drill for every screw you use. Some folks are concerned about water loosening the material, but I suspect the resin may make it pretty weather-tite(it is used in home construction for ‘stiffening’ the corners of exterior walls).
Myself, I used 1/2" sanded plywood(not cheap) for the sub-roadbed. It cuts/sands quite nice, and has been solid since I laid track over 20 years ago. I have had no ‘sag’ issues(joists are 16" OC). A friend just built a large basement layout using 3/16" plywood with 2" foam glued to it. Other than finding that the extruded pink foam was not flat at the ends - it worked well. The big issue wit the foam was getting wire drops and Tortoise linkage through that foam. He also had to make individual ‘pads’ to mount the Caboose Industries ground throws to(which were glued to the foam with PL300).
I used OSB for my layout and it works fine for me - Over 9 years and no trouble. To get the rigidity that I want, I glue two sheets back to back (rough side to rough side), using liquid nails and screws. I remove the screws after the glue drys. The only downside that I know is the odor; it smells like glue for a long time after you stop cutting.
OK - let me see if I have this straight. OSB costs 2/3rds less. Sounds attractive. However, there is the old adage that says “you get what you pay for!” Then there is the issue of how much money you are going to spend on all of the stuff that is going to go on top of the OSB!?! Personally I don’t gamble except on the occasional lottery ticket. However when I do buy a lottery ticket I know that there is no underlying cost if I don’t win. In your case I would ask "why take the chance to save a few bucks? You are going to put lots of expensive stuff on top of your base. Why risk it? How much have you saved relative to the potential cost of it going wrong? I’m sure if you do it right you can make it work. Others have. Shayfan84325 laminated 2 sheets of OSB together which I am sure would be pretty strong. That doubles the cost of the OSB plus the cost of the glue and adds a whole lot of work and kills a few saw blades. Your choice. Sorry Shayfan84325 - I’m really not trying to diss your methods - I just think there are simpler options.
Last point I will make is - what are the risks with using 3/4" plywood?
Used BIRCH plywood from H.D.[3/4" now $45 p/s] when t’was only $27 per sheet. PROS: Is very lightweight[a BLESSING!], cuts very easily. CONS: Only the price, to-date. My 2 cents…papasmurf in NH
I’d bet that just about any material that is flat has been used successfully by someone. We even had a post recently about using cardboard in place of cork. I know people who have used MDF also and some who use nothing but high quality pine boards. then there are those who use masonite strips with pine spacer blocks because it forms natural easements. As usual more than one way to do everything.
Indeed, and if the layout builder is happy that’s what counts.
For the record, the OSB sheets, like 1/2" or so will likely be framed with pine shelf-boards and again, it is not a layout per-se, it is a test loop and of course, a way to just learn some useful things in preparation for layout building in the future, and as such I do not wish to spend a great amount of money on it. This may not be the strongest material, but I don’t see it as flimsy and failure prone either.
You get what you pay for. Its a third of the price and a whole lot less than a third of the quality. THe fellow for whom it work used two thicknesses and glued them together … how far ahead is he in truth, costwise? I’m all in favor of saving money where it works, in fact many of my friends call me a cheapskate (makes me wonder what my enemies call me …), but with wood products, it doesn’t work. OSB is garbage personified. I’d never buy a house built with OSB and I wouldn’t use OSB in my benchwork. Think of, not just the money, but all the TIME you are going to spend on the stuff that goes on top of your benchwork. Do you really want to take a chance and economize on that benchwork? I’ve personally SEEN a potentially beautiful layout ruined by benchwork warpage.
For what it’s worth, I’m the guy who used OSB and it works for me. I chose it because I like the qualities of the material. It’s rigid, has no voids, cuts easily with a laminate trimmer (small router), etc. My decision to use it had nothing to do with cost; I really like the stuff. I’ve tried the regular fir ply and homosote approach and I liked it, too. One thing I’ll say about using OSB is that it’s a little hard to drive track nails and rail spikes into, but if you’re gluing down your track and pre-drill for wood screws it works fine.
I don’t know if it’s the OSB or something else, but my layout doesn’t have any track-related gremlins (where you inexplicably start getting derailments, but the track used to be fine). In fact, I haven’t had a derailment since 2003.
It’s just my experience that it really is good stuff.
Sorry if I put you on the defensive. I work in the residential roofing industry. For homeowners in our climate (southern Ontario) it is often bad news when it comes time to redo the roof. Even the builders here have figured out the that OSB is not a good roofing material, and if they won’t use it to save a buck there is a message there. I guess that is why I am a little biased. Model railways will (hopefully) never go through the same stuff that a roof does so OSB is not really a big issue if it done right. You obviously did it right.
No derailments since 2003! Gomez Adams would be very disappointed!
I’ve never been a fan of OSB. It is basically waste material mixed with glue and pawned off as regular wood. Many have had success with it including the building industry but when you put the 2 side by side on a completed project, standard plywood even looks better IMO.
