I want to put back up my small 2X8 foot long railroad but am wondering how to go about doing ti again. It is build on plywood and 1X4’s. The top is plywood is screwed down and the screws are completely covered in scenery and have been sitting here for weeks now trying to figure out how to bascially remove the plywood top ( which is made up of 2 pieces ) and put it back down on top of new benchwork. I dont think there is going to be a way of doing it without major damage.
I just keep sitting here thinking, theres got to be a way,lol
Do you have a small rare earth magnet handy? Run that over your scenery and place push-pins over the places where it wants to sink into the scenery…there will be a metal screw there. It may not work well if you have a lot of foam and goop covering the screws, but you can probably find them if you hold it gently and let it do the signaling.
Dig out screw head, clean it with a pick, and remove it. Later, when you have your base restored to new framing, you can repair the scenery.
There are such magnets on the bases of Philips Sonic Care electric toothbrush stems, as an example of where I got mine. [;)]
One way is to drill of the screw heads and then fill the holes that were made and redo the scenery where the holes are or plant a tree in them. Or run a hack saw between the 1" x 4"s and plywood and cut the screws.
thanks for the suggestions guys, I thought about drilling the screw heads and taking a hack saw but I think I will do too much damage to the layout that way. If it were one piece of plywood It would be easier but I think Im going to get alot of bending of track.
Why remove the old 1x4s under the layout, instead of just incorporating it as is in the new bench work? Just cut out a section of the new benchwork and fasten in your old benchwork instead.
I have to agree it would be easier to incorporating the existing framework into the new layout’s framework. Also, if you decide you want to take the new layout down, you can still salvage the original section.
I was wondering what the best thing to use for legs would be? maybe 2X4’s with some 1X3 as supports? I also thinking that using nuts and bolts instead of screws would be the best way to go.
Caution: 2x4s, and even 2x2s, can have a tendency to warp. If you go this route, be sure that “your legs” have had ample time to dry before use as layout legs.
My preference for legs has been to use (2) 1"x4" screwed (never nailed or glued) together in an L-shape – Very solid! Screw the top of the L-shape legs into the inside of each of the four 2’x4’ layout’s corners (1"x4") benchwork.
Use 3, 4, or 5 screws on each side. For example, if you you use 5 screws per side it means a total of 10 screws (or nuts+bolts) at the corner/top of each leg. With a 2’x4’ layout, using 1"x3" L-shape legs should also work. You can never be too rock-solid with a layout’s legs as they will take a lot of abuse from layout-leaners.
I use wood screws driven into blocking around 1X2’s that are also braced with sway bracing… Braced 1X2’s that are stabillized for about a week prior to cutting them to length and drilling into them will work well for a light framework bench.
I got it back up today and it is more stable and stronger now then it was before. I had about 6 2X4 in 8 feet lengths that have been in my basement for a few years now and I used those. I made each length 4 feet so only had to cut them in half and made each leg a “L” and also put 2 in the middle for some additional support. For The cross bracing I used 1X3 and braced both sides and the ends of the layout. That thing is so heavy and stable now I can easily stand on it. It will make working on the layout alot easier now.
