My benchwork is sized to use conventional sized lumber. For example I want to use 8’ 1X4’s to construce an 8’ square layout. (1’ tabletop around the room) What, if any, are the CONS to putting a 16" top on the 12" benchwork? I could use the extra real estate on the inside of the square.
As long as the top is plywood and it is 1/2" or thicker, I don’t foresee it drooping if that’s what you mean.
Oops, forgot that. Yes it will be at least 1/2" plywood with 1" foam over that.
If you haven’t built it yet, I would build it 16" deep.
Otherwise, a 4" overhang shouldn’t be a problem. With 3/4" plywood you shouldn’t need any extra bracing. Assuming conventional bench work with 1/2" plywood, I would add wood triangles as support pieces every foot or so to prevent sag. Use some of your left over 1x4 pieces cut at 45 degrees.
Enjoy
Paul
Overhanging the plywood won’t give you an easy way to attach any sort of facia. If the benchwork is already built to the 12" and you want more width, then do use the overhang. Scraps of 1x4 can be added to hold the facia in this case. If this isn’t built yet, just build the frame to the desired width. A facia is always desired for hiding the under workings of the layout, mounting toggles an controls. Plus it gives a finished look to the overall layout.
Actually an overhang of some sort might help prevent one of the hazards of a fascia and that is snagging yourself, or your clothing, on the toggle switches, turnout controls, drink cup holders, waybill card bins, and other stuff we tend to put on the fascia. For appearances sake, and to prevent slivers, perhaps a nice baseboard trim piece would provide a uniform look for the edge of the plywood.
One thought about your determination to use 8’ lumber for an 8’ layout. In my experience, this is problematic due to the quality (lack of quality) of the pine we seem to be getting these days. My layout dominos are 2’x4’ and I usually buy 8’ long pieces, hoping against hope that I can get usable lengths out of it, because there is usually some part that either due to knots, warping, or just bad wood, is not usable, at least not for external purposes (ugly wood can be underframe supports etc).
If I thought I needed a clean flat and nice looking 8’ piece, in other words, I’d probably end up buying 12’ long pine.
Dave Nelson
I would recommend that you be mindful of a few issues that might develop as a result of this type of contstruction.
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The overhang if built out of plywood less than 5/8 or 3/4 inch thick may " Warp" past the edge of the framing , in other words it may dip up and down with out any frame to hold it fast. Even the thicker plywoods may do this but it will be less likely to do so.
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The edges of the plywood tend to be very course because of the orientation of layers of the strands in the plywood itself. I would recommend “ripping” 3/4 " (or wider to suit your needs) piece out of a 1x4 and attaching it on the edge with nails and glue. This is commonly called an “edge band”. By doing this you will accomplish several things . First an edge that will not snag clothes , second provide a stiffner for the overhang , thirdly it will provide a nice finished edge and look better , fourthly it will help to tie any joints in the plywood together.
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If an edge band is not applied and you decide to paint or stain the edge of the plywood any finish applied will "raise " the grain. In other words the finish will cause the opposing strands of plywood to swell and protrude past the strands that are parallel with the plywood.
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A money saving tip - for the 1x4 that will attach to the wall and the intermediate supports use “finger joint trim” it usually cost substantially less than say a #2 or clear 1x4. I would not recommend using Finger joint " material on the outside edge. Finger joint is a bunch of small pieces that have been fitted and glued together at a factory and thus not recommended for structural installations. Also not recommended for staining , the glued joints look terrible stained and to any one in the know will see this and know that it was installed by a rookie.
Hop
Slightly [#offtopic], but possibly useful:
When I need a perfectly straight, warp-free length of benchwork building material, I buy a steel stud of appropriate length. While it will twist, it can be un-twisted simply by fastening it properly at both ends.
The cut off ends of my studs become risers (L girder benchwork, cookie-cut subgrade only where needed to support trackwork.)
In the dessicated desert, ANY forest product is subject to deformation during dessication. I have a 2 x 4 sheet of 3/4 inch plywood that I can make into a free-form salad bowl if the spirit ever moves me - and it’s not the most extreme example among my collection of odd ends.
My fascia lines are well clear of my L-girders, but the roadbed close to the edge is supported by joists. The idea of having as little as four inches of unsupported plywood with working track on it makes me cringe.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Chuck , What is this ? “In the dessicated desert, ANY forest product is subject to deformation during dessication” I have never heard of dessication.
True metal studs are a good substitute , however few people really know how to install the stuff or where to buy it or which piece is used where. But if you do it is great , no cords to drag out , no saws hammers, air guns , compressors, cleaner to work with , light material etc…
To dessicate (V): To rapidly remove moisture content, especially by heating in a vacuum or zero-humidity atmosphere. 120+ degrees F is plenty hot enough in an area where a humidity reading in double digits is considered ‘high’ - even if the digits are (in order) one and zero.
Can’t speak for everywhere, but all the local big-box home improvement centers carry steel studs. For non-standard sizes, check the yellow pages for building supply houses. The little bitty screws I use came from Ace Hardware. As for tools, try tin snips, vice grips and a power screwdriver. (No saws, no sawdust - and even the cutoffs can be used. All the real waste from assembling more benchwork than needed for most model railroads hasn’t completely filled a box that originally contained 100 deck screws.)
Come to think of it, the OP could make some really effective brackets to support that four inch overhang out of (nominal) 2 x 4 steel stud material. A single 8 foot stud would make about 18 brackets…
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on steel ‘C acts like L’ girder benchwork)
The layout here is a shelf layout. It is built with 1 X 4 framing with 2 X 2 recessed into the 1 X 4 “box” by 3/8th inch which is the thickness of the table top. There are no legs as there are 2 X 2 angle braces into the wall studs. The layout is also attached to the wall studs with lag screws.
The layout is 16 inches deep which allows three sections to be made from a sheet of plywood. The layout is also four feet off the floor which allows book cases, shelves, and other storage. the room is thirteen feet (four metres) square.
E-mail me and I can send photos.