Baseboard - material and thickness?

[M.I.B]

I am about to build an inglenook/photo plank/shunting puzzle type diorama.  2m x 30cm.

 

It will be sat on dining room table/workshop bench etc,so ne need for serious support, but it may end up being stored vertically, so I would like it to be rigid/warp free.

 

I will be using under board point motors so I can use bracing strips underneath to also give neccessary height for motors.  I was thinking 25mmx 25mm spars.

 

My question is then - what thickness and what sort of material to make the board from?

 

Thanks.

[peter220950]

I can only suggest what I would do, there are many alternatives, and probably no rights or wrongs, just different ways of doing it.

 

The only observation I make is that I don't think 25mm timber is going to be sufficiently deep as a bracing for most 'usual' board toppings, as today's timber seems to be still growing when you buy it, and prone to movement, I'm not sure it's sufficiently deep to provide a suitable framing, I would go 35/40mm minimum, probably at least 50mm deep, thickness is less of an issue, 25mm is probably still o.k. On balance I think I would go for ply, or MDF (sealed with varnish) as bracings as it's generally more stable.

 

Suggestions for what I might use, depending on cost, availability, and how adventurous I was feeling:-

 

1.  50mm Styrofoam board with edges of 75mm plywood 6mm thick. There shouldn't be any need for cross braces with this, though I might put a stiffening piece of 25 x 25 around the perimeter, attached to the 6mm ply and the underside of the Styrofoam. It's light weight and should be stable. Styrofoam or equivalent is available from Sheffield Insulations and builders merchants such as Travis Perkins, and comes in 2.40m lengths.

 

 

2.  9mm ply top with 50 x 25 framing and cross bracing, plan ahead to ensure no bracings lie beneath the point motors. Should prove o'k for what you propose.

 

3.  Perhaps a bit more radical 6mm ply on 50 x 25 framing and once the track is laid and the layout is wired screw a further 6mm ply on the bottom to make a sealed box, this will protect all the wiring etc. when moving it about, while still allowing access if required.

 

4.  If the 2m is a bit flexible you could try using a flush door, cut down to width. They are lightweight, stable and available to about 1.98m long, (you could always screw a batten on the end to make it up to 2m. A fillet of suitable timber along the cut edge will restore the integrity of the structure. Point motors can be installed by cutting out pockets from underneath, there is a downside in that wiring probably needs to be top surface mounted, though there's nothing to stop you using 25 x 25 to make a service void under the board.

 

 

5.  Beams of 2 skins of 4 or 6mm ply, around 60mm deep, held apart by 25mm square blocks, to form longitudinal beams, attached to 6mm ply surface.

 

6.  If you have access to woodworking equipment, or a joinery shop, 4mm strips with halved joints set into a grid, which is in itself sufficiently rigid to mean even 4mm ply topping is sufficient, or just a trackbed of ply wherever it's needed.

 

 

Also worth throwing into the equation is whether you are having a back-scene, as a vertical ply at the back will help with keeping the board rigid, and with only a 300mm wide board, will mean you should be able to cut down the bracings a bit.

 

Peter

[Shunter 08]

Personally I use MDF, anything up to 15mm thick, although 6-9mm normally does the job with no issue. Sturdy, albeit heavy but cheap when you buy a big sheet and cut it down yourself. I know many people use ply, all down to preference

[M.I.B]

Great answers.   9mm ply sounds like my preferred option.

 

I will be having a back scene, which will also form the ends and also another "wall" across the piece about 1.6 m along the 2,0m length.

 

I may make a protective box underneath as suggested, but screwed on to allow for "adjustments", and glue felt to this as a non scratch surface.

 

I may as well make a lid for this too, supported by the back scene supports and end walls.......

 

Many thanks - truly inspirational.

[MarcD]

Have a look at Grainge and Hodder's web site they now do base boards in 6mm ply. I have used them on my new o gauge layout. for a board 1200x400 they are about £30. All lasercut and the glue and pin together. They are strong and light and they go together well.

 

Marc   

[lofty1966]

I wouldn't use MDF for baseboards at all.

Heavy prone to warp and disintegrates/blows apart when wet.

[MarcD]

Agree with not using MDF very heavy no strength and turns to mush if wet. But if your not intending to move your layout and it's not going to have any thing other than track on it in a dry place then it's probably ok

 

Marc

[hayfield]

I wouldn't use MDF for baseboards at all.

Heavy prone to warp and disintegrates/blows apart when wet.

 

Whilst I accept what lofty has written is very true for bare boards, a club member made me 3 small baseboards for my 0-16.5 layout out of MDF. The 2 main boards are 44" long and the short one is 24" long. The first thing I did was to paint both sides with satin emulsion paint to seal it. It was kept in the clubs unheated (dampish in the winter) clubroom for 2 years, without any problems. The track on one board has been ballasted, but this was on closed cell foam which was stuck down with Copydex.

 

Now Ply would have been much better, stronger and lighter. Don't use chipboard, but if using MDF just seal it with waterproof paint/varnish

[BG John]

Don't use chipboard

That long lasting material that I built a moderately successful exhibition layout from in the mid 80s, that was still in perfect condition 20 years later after a decade dumped in the loft!

[hayfield]

OK  I was a bit wrong, but a layout we have at the club Ehon Bridge which is an early P4 layout had to be rebuilt as the chipboard used just warped to hell and my chipboard flooring in the loft is also showing some signs of weakness over the past 28 years

 

I guess its all down to the way you prepare the boards and the conditions it is to be kept in as well as how much water is splashed on whilst doing the scenic part. 

[chris p bacon]

There were many varying grades of chipboard, some were only intended for use as flat roofing material and some for flooring. The better denser board weighs a ton.

 

As with John we have a club layout (Sutton) that was started in the 80's and used chipboard, with 2 boards bolted together they take quite some lifting and there are now fewer in the club who can lift it. It's served its purpose and has done a good job but we would never use it again. There are 2 new layouts under construction, the first started a few years ago uses 6mm Birch ply with solid top and ply sandwich for bearers and the second started this year is laser cut ply with shaped baseboards and a honeycomb substructure (for want of a better description)

[BG John]

My first exhibition layout was chipboard with 2x1 framing, and it soon started to sag in the middle. I stopped it getting worse with a 4mm ply backscene and front edging, and it was fine for years, but I wouldn't use 2x1 again. The one I mentioned above had a deep frame made from chipboard, and that didn't move.

 

I agree about the quality of chipboard. These two used good quality stuff made in the mid 70s and mid 80s, but my current Cheapside Yard is built from old MFI (or similar) bedroom furniture chipboard, and I don't expect that to last as long, although it may well do.

[CloggyDog]

Will the 200cm x 30cm be one piece, or split into 2 x 100cm x 30cm??

 

If one piece (which simplifies things) you could do a simple board in 6mm or 4mm ply, or even foamboard. The thick insulating styrofoam that Peter suggested earlier, with a 4 or 6mm ply outer wrap would be equally as good. You don't saw what brand of point motors you are using, but 25mm depth sounds too shallow to me - 50mm or more would offer better protection to the motors, etc. And rather than square or rectangular-section softwood for framing, I'd go with simple ply cross-bracing - much lighter and you can cut holes through for wiring runs.

 

If you want to really go for it, you could add a facia/lighting rig to the front to match the backscene/ends to create an open-topped box structure which would protect the scenics/track admirably.

 

Have a look at the boards that Tim Horn offers: http://www.timhorn.co.uk/baseboards/(no connection other than as a *very* satisfied customer)

 

And plenty of previous topics on here about baseboards, materials and making.

 

HTH

[M.I.B]

Thanks - lighting rig idea is good, and I like the idea of ply offcuts to make bracing underneath.  Cuts down the cost.

 

I'm set on 9mm ply now, rather than board, mdf or a door.  Good ideas tho.

 

I'm using PM2s from underneath.

 

The board could be 2 x 1-and-a-bit metre lengths - it may be if that's what comes for free.....joins will be hidden by backscene and ballast and ash scatter.