robrailltd Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Right Guys basicly I'm on a budget. is 6mm plywood ok for baseboards? how much re-inforcing will it need from the frame would roughly 12 inch square build be ok? biggest board will be 5 foot by 3 foot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
corax67 Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Nothing wrong with 6mm ply for layout tops - my last 3 layouts all used it including my shunting puzzle which regularly gets dragged around shows and tolerates huge abuse. The majority of my boards are 4'x2' and are made with a frame of 3"x1" softwood planed timber in a simple rectangle with no cross bracing at all since I use Tortoise point motors which have a large footprint & cross bracing would not have been equi-spaced (and a pain to work out as I do not really plan ahead with most of my builds). To be honest I don't suffer warping or other problems and as I all my stock is Kadee fitted I guarantee I would know in very short order if the boards became out of shape. On your 5'x3' there is no harm in popping a brace in at the 2'6" mark then 2 diagonal braces in the created rectangles to give some torsional rigidity. Good deals at B&Q last week on the timber, I picked up a 4-pack of 8'x3"x1" for £11 and that is a whole lot of timber for the money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted March 14, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 14, 2011 6mm is fine for the surface but I would tend to go for 9mm for the framing. If you do want 6mm consider making the outer frame as a beam section with a 6mm skin, then some 10-15mm softwood spacers (every foot or so) followed by a second 6mm ply skin. This will give you extra rigidity. With 6mm board you would not want to go more the a foot without bracing. If you do purchase your wood from a DIY chain make sure that you have a good look at each piece as some of the wood is less than straight. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
meil Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 6mm ply is fine. Use the "Barry Norman" sandwich construction for the framing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike G Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 If you do purchase your wood from a DIY chain make sure that you have a good look at each piece as some of the wood is less than straight. That is really good advice, don't catch a cold just because you didn't examine what you were buying. Don't forget to seal 6 mm ply with a good varnish. Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robrailltd Posted March 14, 2011 Author Share Posted March 14, 2011 cheers chaps. i think the sandwich frame construction is currently a no go. but everything else is being taken on. i plan to get the baseboard shape lay track plan i have(x-tackad) and work out where all framing can go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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