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Styrofoam Baseboards ?


Kallaroonian

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What size is it Tom?

 

I would suggest that you add a piece of bracing on the front edge. I found that unless it fully framed and braced the polyfoam does have a tendency to warp a little, otherwise it's a brilliant material to build baseboards from and I will always be using it for future projects! 

 

This one has been made over five years ago and shows no sign of any movement.

post-6728-0-77690100-1424265152.jpg

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Oh, it will be fully cased - this is just a small test so I have left one side open for access and to allow me to see it in cross-section as I am trying stuff out.

 

How did you get on with your ply trackbed? Has that all sat still? What did you laminate it to the foam with, out of interest?

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Hi,

 

If you have strips of ply on the top of the board, you could simply match them with a similar number of strips on the bottom.  You will end up with a girder structure which is very strong and warp resistant.

 

I made a 3' 6" by 2' board from 50mm PIR foam, supported it right at the ends and stood on it [well over 10 stone] - it moved   ....   1 [yes one] mm

 

attachicon.gifimage.jpg

Right, I have built a very small segment of board to test my plans on. I should add this has been built whilst looking after two off-colour children, the eldest of whom is two, hence using what came to hand, over-length screws and all!

I used an unopened but maybe five-year-old old cartridge of yellow solvent free gripfill. Never used it before and I am not persuaded by it so far, for the woodwork at least, although it does seem to be going off (16 hours curing so far). The foam seems to need a 'key' to stand a chance at bonding.

What's missing off here is the second layer of 50mm foam, which will set the trackbed height. Much of the layout is embankment and so the lower 50mm sheet provides the structure and the upper provides the contours. I will need to bore into the lower sheet to make access space for point motors etc, but in these cases the top sheet will add strength, the holes being able to be smaller and bridged with ply for the track.

I'm using scraps of Chinese ply here and was set on using 9mm birch ply sides to make the boards sturdy externally. I was then planning on using 3-4mm birch ply for trackbed. I am reading of issues with distortion but am presuming this is happening where a large amount of ply has been added to one side, rather than just under the track? N gauge track-width strips surely can't be that strong?!

I'm going to add the top layer, some ply and some track etc, just as a feasibility exercise. I don't want to waste money, time and foam sheet building a layout's worth of boards and then struggling to lay the track!

Grateful for any thoughts arising...

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  • 1 year later...

I'd like to resurrect this thread . Firstly are there any updates on people's experience.

 

Secondly I'm going to try a4mm ply(top) foam -ply(top) sandwiched together and glued overall , edge to be added purely to protect the foam. I wonder if this method would on obliviate the need for further bracing. This type of construction. Is used extensively in boats to create decks.

 

Wrapping tends to occur when ply is glue only to one side as the thermal coefficients n the material will be different and you are creating a form of bimetallic strip. both sides bonded , one cancels out the other

I dont intend to breach the sandwich to fit point motors , I will design a fitting that allows the motor to sit on the lower ply and reach up through the foam to operate the points

 

The alternative is ply framed with ply.

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Ply, shunting - plus another 3' 6" still unwarped.  No additional bracing needed - it's already there in the "mesh" of bubbles in the foam.  Used in boats, full size aircraft and R/C Models and bracing not required.

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/75123-light-sandwich-kadees/

 

Unfinished as yet -

 

9350590376_a2b812a19d_c.jpgDSC_0283 by Julian Redfern, on Flickr

 

Track layout view

 

9350597592_9047750e97_c.jpgDSC_0280 by Julian Redfern, on Flickr

 

Under the Board, as you can see, two separate pieces of PIR foam.

 

8228970247_0978f80342_c.jpgShunting Game Board 3 by Julian Redfern, on Flickr

 

An example here, which includes channels under the top Ply Board prior to second Ply being added, as the strength of the rest is sufficient to stand on.  Channels also keep the 'lectrics safer.  Sides for decoration only and to keep little fingers fron digging divots!

 

Regards

 

Julian

 

 

 

 

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