Laser Cut baseboard construction for 1st Layout

[Jonno]

Hello everyone...first post from me...my 12 year old son is very keen on having a layout and so his interest has become mine. Not being the handiest , I've but together some Grainge and Hodder baseboards in a spare bedroom. I've some pattern makers dowels to align the 3 units and toggle clamps to be fitted to the sides to keep them together. The idea of the layout is that it's semi-portable in that it can be broken down when the room is occasionally required for other duties. 

 

So the question - what is actually the structural point of the cross members underneath the boards? I'm guessing I just glue them in the position shown but they are not tightly braced in, so I'm struggling to see how they serve the purpose of preventing twisting. Should I use shims to eliminate the gaps between the beams and the cross members? The ones in the middle are quite loose, the ones on the edges will need a trim to fit

 

Perfection is the enemy of good enough so I'm not looking for perfection, just practical advice. The idea is to get trains running without too much delay.

 

Thanks for reading, as the build progresses I'm sure this will be the first question of many...

 

 

 

 

[DCB]

Triangulation.   They were banging on about it on impossible engineering on channel 25 the other evening!  Old style 2X1 framing used the hardboard surface as a diaphragm to keep the framing square but these thin ply frames need the cross bracing . Those baseboards look beautiful. I use any old tat, after my brand new DIY store timbers decided to sag and warp within months of being purchased.

[MPR]

Once these triangular elements are properly glued down to the underside of the baseboard the torsional rigidity will be enormously increased. Be sure that the baseboard is on a truly flat surface when you do this!

Edited April 25, 2020 by MPR

[Happy Hippo]

If you haven't already glued it together, I'd suggest drilling the end plates for the pattern makers dowels (as matched pairs)  whilst it's still in flat pack form.

 

On my latest creation we've  also used the toggle clamps to carry the power between baseboards (DCC).

[Jonno]

Great info thanks, I'll glue them in place then. I've only got a small shed other than the room to work in so thought that the laser cut baseboards would help make up for lack of working space and skill...

 

Hullo Mr Hippo,

 

I've glued them together but there are already 25mm holes in the end pieces, conveniently enough. Plan was to glue ply behind the hole for the and inset the male former and for the female, glue ply behind and fill the hole with the cutout from the hole and screw it to that so that it sits proud of the surface.

 

Toggle clamps to carry power sounds interesting but possibly a bit A level for me. I was just going to use connectors underneath the board. 

 

I started this project a little reluctantly on behalf of my lad but as it progresses I'm finding my interest deepens and I'm learning by the day how much of a huge subject this is, an art and a science. So much to learn...

[Pete the Elaner]

I had always built my own boards. There were either not rigid & strong enough or too heavy for my liking.

 

Then I helped a friend exhibit his layout built on laser cut boards.

They were light, felt very strong & were exactly the right size to go together neatly.

I was sold by the idea so I bought some for my next layout.