Joining baseboards

[sharris]

I've got to the point where I'm designing the baseboards for my layout - it has to be portable and easy to set up, so the layout is divided into 5 42x18 inch boards (the size is determined by the size of the room where I'll be working on them which has a 7'-and a bit free wall so I can assemble them 2 at a time).

 

Surface material will be 9mm (or 6mm if I can get away with it on these relatively small units) birch ply. End plates I'm thinking will be 18mm ply for a good solid interface to butt neighbouring boards - Eileen's Emporium dowels (which I already have) will be sunk into these for alignment. I'm still thinking about longitudinal front and back because that brings me to me next question.

 

Board to board connection:

One thing that caught my eye as being neat and quick for set-up was the butterfly type catch normally used in flight cases, many of which are recessed and would need a thick (18mm?) front and back longitudinal panel, but look neat, while the alternative surface mounted ones might not look quite so neat, but I could use a lighter hollow beam structure.

 

Has anyone used these successfully, or should I just stick to the traditional split hinge arrangement?

 

Belt and braces wise, I also have some (not enough though for all the boards) board joining bolts that C&L used to sell (I think they go through Precision these days) - is it overkill to have both - not having to fiddle with bolts under the boards would be an advantage.

[Gordon A]

I use M6 bolts and T-nuts in the wood work.

I drill out the thread of half the T nuts so the bolt passes through a blind T-nut then screws in the threaded T-nut of the adjacent base board.

A smear of electrolube oil and I find this method good enough to act as an electrical connection.

I have three bolts on each connection; track, accessories and common return.

 

Gordon A

[sharris]

Thanks Gordon, although I'm not going for DCC at the moment so I'll be handling the electrical side of the connections separately.

[HLT 0109]

I have just completed baseboards for a layout that measures 2m x 1m comprising four boards of unequal sizes and assembled in a square formation.  Alignment dowels have been used at each joint and the two front boards are connected by nuts and bolts, as are the two back boards, but, I have used the small sprung toggle catches in this link: https://www.stationroadbaseboards.co.uk/cart_catches.htm to attach the two backs to the two fronts - ie a catch is affixed to each end of the joint between front and back assemblies.  They are surface mounted.  Alignment dowels have also been used at this joint. This is proving entirely reliable.  I was pleased that the catches in question are lockable - ie there is a convenient hole to accept a nail, spli pin or whatever, to prevent the catch being unintentionally released.  They may be suitable for your arrangement and, as you say, they obviate the awkwardness of uing nuts and bolts

 

Harold.

 

PS. I also like the springiness in the fastening.

Edited January 3, 2019 by HLT 0109

[sharris]

Thanks Harold

 

Those catches look interesting.

 

The ones I had my eye on already were these surface mounted ones

 

https://www.pennelcomonline.com/Mobile/en/Penn-Elcom-Medium-Butterfly-Surface-Latch-L0915Z/m-m-8460.aspx

 

Or flush Ones such as

 

https://www.pennelcomonline.com/Mobile/en/Penn-Elcom-Mini-Recessed-Butterfly-Latch-Shallow-3759/m-m-8556.aspx

[Jeff Smith]

Board joining and track alignment go hand in hand. My method, as many no doubt, is to ensure that the board join is rigid and the track beds are level. Then lay the track across the joint, when glued and pinned, cut with a slitting disc. Whether you use rail joiners is up to you.

 

A method of track alignment I have seen here in the US for modular layouts (boards from different club members) is to square off the track a couple of inches short of the edge and use short joining pieces across the joint.

[HLT 0109]

Thanks Harold

 

Those catches look interesting.

 

The ones I had my eye on already were these surface mounted ones

 

https://www.pennelcomonline.com/Mobile/en/Penn-Elcom-Medium-Butterfly-Surface-Latch-L0915Z/m-m-8460.aspx

 

Or flush Ones such as

 

https://www.pennelcomonline.com/Mobile/en/Penn-Elcom-Mini-Recessed-Butterfly-Latch-Shallow-3759/m-m-8556.aspx

 

Both these examples look as if they would need rather deep frames to accommodate them - particularly the flush fitting one - but they look very neat and appear not to be susceptible to accidental release. Mine came complete with fixing screws.

[davefromacrossthepond]

Those recessed butterfly catches do look interesting.  While perhaps more work, they do, I think, have a certain visual appeal.  I might need to get a few to see how they work.

[Robin2]

Having helped assemble layouts that have location dowels and over-centre latches one additional feature that I think would make the process much easier, and less prone to damage, is if one of the pair has a ledge on which the other one can sit before the dowels engage.

 

That means the people can let go of the board to get a new grip if necessary and the process of alignment is then one of sliding the board onto the dowels with all (or almost all) of the vertical alignment taken care of.

 

Another good idea (IMHO) which Iain Rice has written about is using "jigsaw" pieces so that the joints in the track do not coincide with the joints in the supporting baseboards.

 

...R

[doilum]

I use M6 bolts and T-nuts in the wood work.

I drill out the thread of half the T nuts so the bolt passes through a blind T-nut then screws in the threaded T-nut of the adjacent base board.

A smear of electrolube oil and I find this method good enough to act as an electrical connection.

I have three bolts on each connection; track, accessories and common return.

 

Gordon A

Despite their reliability on commercial products like beds, I have found the DIY T nuts less than perfect and prefer an M8 nut spot welded to a 50mm repair washer. The washer is secured by three screws as is a plain washer on the adjacent board and the hole is an easy 8.5. Steel dowels provide the exact location. I do like the idea of a ledge, if only to help when setting up alone.

If you lack welding gear a local garage may be able to help.

[Crewlisle]

This was my reply to a similar question back in September:

 

My 8ft 6ins x 7ft 6ins DCC 00 gauge layout Crewlisle is on three inter connected levels with the mid level continuous run representing the WCML with OLE.  To get all my design in such a relatively small area, all my track is curved where it passes over the baseboard joints so it would have been unwise to use the standard method of soldering track to copper clad Paxolin at the baseboard edges due to the track having to be cut at very shallow angles ‑ especially running trains at realistic speeds on the WCML!  The slightest misalignment would be disastrous.

The track & foam underlay (2mm polystyrene wall insulation) were laid over the joint, but the foam was not stuck 80mm either side of the baseboard joint.  The track was cut 80mm each side of the baseboard joint with a razor saw and the short section lifted out and reinforced with thin card on the underside & ballasted.   The rail ends of this section were carefully filed, rail connectors soldered to one end and sleeper chairs cut at the other end to allow the fitting of sliding fish plates.  This allowed accurate and reliable track alignment & electrical continuity every time by having the track continuously joined with normal rail connectors.

I have been exhibiting for over 30 years & have had no trouble with this method of connection.  I even have three points on the high level & a pair of crossover points (not cut) on the mid level WCML fitted across baseboard joints in the same way.  The baseboards themselves are aligned with cast brass hinges with their hinge pins replaced by 50mm x 1.5mm steel pins bent at one end to make them easy to remove.

 

Peter

[Robin2]

.  The track was cut 80mm each side of the baseboard joint with a razor saw and the short section lifted out and reinforced with thin card on the underside & ballasted. 

That is my preferred solution. It also helps to disguise the location of the joints. Also if the two baseboards are at slightly different vertical angles it halves the angle at each joint making the motion of the train smoother. Indeed it probably removes the need for alignment dowels.

 

If there is a ledge to support the adjoining baseboard the fishplates on both ends of the "jigsaw" track can be soldered in position and the connections made as the baseboard is slid into final alignment.

 

...R

Edited January 6, 2019 by Robin2

[Sturminster_Newton]

Ideally keep it simple.

 

Flight-case catches are heavy duty in the form you are investigating, they do need a good chunk of solid material to reinforce their mounting on both parts.

 

The actual grip is a J shape in the butterfly that interlocks with another J in the catch and is about 1mm long.

 

The two parts need to be close enough together for the catch to work and far enough apart to apply closing pressure.

 

You also need to work to very fine tolerances otherwise the catches won't 'pull' evenly.

 

So one will be a 'soft' close the other 'hard' and the soft will open or rattle when you think it is closed.

 

They also rely on the aluminium moulding around the flight case lid to give registration. So are not accurate enough for track alignment the J section is up to 25mm wide so it is easy to be 35mm out of alignment and still close the catch.

 

When flopping about without their matching catch they can be an utter pain catching on any protruding item feet, shoes, legs, laces and scratching polished surfaces.

 

If you close their moving section with the butterfly finger grip it saves them hooking into cables etc.

 

But their awkward nature means do not sit neatly in their mounts and fall out under gravity so remain a problem with catching on anything local.

 

I learned all this in a previous life where I was moving sound desks amplifier racks etc all with similar butterfly fastenings some were easy to open and close others were struggle.

 

But all without fail could be frustrating and cussed, lids will only fit one way around. If you have two lids they won't interchange etc, etc, etc.

 

They do have potential for muddle wailways BUT they need to be tamed with extra add-ons which add weight and annoyance factors in about equal proportion.

 

You will still need locating dowels or similar to register the surface and rail to perfection and then use the catches to 'pull' and 'lock' the assembly into one piece.

 

Personally I would not use them as they are not an answer.

 

So save a deal of cash and angst by going with your first thoughts - the mould makers dowel-pin and socket, plus a few coach bolts and wing nuts.