Talltim Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 MDF is pretty stable, when it gets damp it absorbs like chipboard rather than warping. It is rather heavy for its tensile strength, a good piece of ply half it's thickness would be better for baseboard purposes. However, good ply is hard to find nowadays, so it loses some it's advantage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bxmoore Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 If you store boards that have MDF surfaces holding trackbed in anything other than "always-dry/room-temperature" conditions, e.g. a garage, outside hut etc, you may find that it eventually warps and potentially causes you all sorts of unforeseen problems, no matter how well it is braced. In my albeit limited experience, MDF is fine for permanent "indoor" layouts, but not so suitable for portable modules that get stored for long periods in less-than-perfect conditions. Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Brian Cheers for that,i'm going to use ply and timber,just got to make my cutting list. Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 30, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 30, 2013 Fort Myers boards are MDF with 2" x 1" softwood framing Whne they were built we used a sheet of ply that had been stored in a friends workshop so when we built the obards they were fine till moving them into a centrally heated house. After I had started laying track, the NDF shrank and bowed the timver framing. Once this framing was repalced the boards remained straight and after 19 years they are still fine. So the anwer if you are using MDF is to leave it to acclimatize along with the framing before building the boards. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 How long Ian,i've only 368 days left!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted June 30, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted June 30, 2013 How long Ian,i've only 368 days left!! 367 days... you will manage!! Seriuosly, I would say a week indoors should be enough The friend workshop was an old stables and I should have thought about that. I tned to leave any timber in the house to aclimatize. Once built the layouts are stored in a dry insulated garage attached to the house and they are fine in there. Ian PS - more recent layouts have generally been built using chipboard as its cheaper, easier to get hold of and generally safer to work with as there are various concerns over MDF dust. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 PS - more recent layouts have generally been built using chipboard as its cheaper, easier to get hold of and generally safer to work with as there are various concerns over MDF dust. ....Unfortunately the phenolic resin used in Chipboard, gives dust when cut, which isn't good for you either!!! My layouts are usually offcuts of MDF from my B&Q Supershed in Inverness (either plain or with a "surface" of a melamine like plastic that has been printed to resemble boards or woodgrain) - it is then clamped and glued to a 2"x1" or 4"x1" timber frame on edge with cross-battens at 1' or 1.5' intervals - all remain dimensionally stable No nails or screws used at all, although two boards may be bolted together with bolts , washers and T nuts - my current layout is different as I'm using UPVC bargeboard offcuts that were remaindered after my house was done Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Between you all you have infinite times more exhibition layouts built than me, but I'm suprised at you using chipboard, its heavy, awkward and not very strong Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Timber/ply now aclimatizing, 366 days to go!!!!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted July 1, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 1, 2013 Between you all you have infinite times more exhibition layouts built than me, but I'm suprised at you using chipboard, its heavy, awkward and not very strong I get the chipboard cut to size in the timber merchants. I like the thickness of ply as it has enough depth to screw things into it and also helps space the solenoids away from the turnout (still needs a little bit more spacing blocks). I have used foam and that has worked well but the boards end up being deeper plus if there is a lot of turnouts it needs more blocks of wood inserted for the solenoids under the turnouts. One day I will build the new layouts from foam but with either 3ft or 4 ft boards by 2 ft. with chipboard, they are easily handled. Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 So, is the event going to look like this? http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:FREMO-ses-e25318.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Yikes. Want to be there Dream Layout Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted July 1, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 1, 2013 Yikes. Want to be there Dream Layout One hell of a lot of track cleaning to do there each day!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortliner Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 If you are hoping to do that at Armitage, you will need a VERY big shoehorn Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_long Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 If you are hoping to do that at Armitage, you will need a VERY big shoehorn You could get Armitage in that hall I reckon! I wouldn't want to organise the running order for that lot... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted July 1, 2013 Share Posted July 1, 2013 Don't see why not,there's 3 rooms at Armitage,that all link together,then it would be a typical shortline,all we would need is some narrow 6" boards(no scenery) to link the rooms together. Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 Don't see why not,there's 3 rooms at Armitage,that all link together,then it would be a typical shortline,all we would need is some narrow 6" boards(no scenery) to link the rooms together. Ray or even a carfloat between rooms Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 As we are bring modules,will we need to provide claps to connect up,what size/type? Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted July 2, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 2, 2013 As we are bring modules,will we need to provide claps to connect up,what size/type? Ray good point. I have some of the grip type clamps and a couple of the screw type G clamps which will fit round 2 x 1 framing of two boards but I suspect many modules are in ply and deeper framing? Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 One hell of a lot of track cleaning to do there each day!! A point of practicality, say you brought a small train and it chuffed (or diesel noised) on its merry way. How the hell would you find it again in the midst of that lot? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
298 Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 As we are bring modules,will we need to provide claps to connect up,what size/type? Ray I've always taken a pair of F clamps with a 50mm reach, although a G clamp with a similar reach would be fine. There really is no standard clamp, all it needs to do is hold two boards together. On another note, I've used 15mm thick pine for the ends- it's more solid than the MDF sides, and is thick enough to take screws without glueing in an extra block, so the legs can fit directly into the corners, increasing stability. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 A point of practicality, say you brought a small train and it chuffed (or diesel noised) on its merry way. How the hell would you find it again in the midst of that lot? I think the idea is,you are assigned a train and have a switch list ,then you follow your train around the layout,thats the basics,i think!!!!! Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted July 2, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted July 2, 2013 I think the idea is,you are assigned a train and have a switch list ,then you follow your train around the layout,thats the basics,i think!!!!! Ray SO you could end up in the centre of a maze of boards and not be able to find your way back out again! Unless you want to do the limbo dance under them all!! Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edge Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 Ah, I thought that you stayed on your own section and acted as the signalman, ferrying all of the trains through with the fewest number of crashes possible. This sort of a spectacle could get a guy interested in 'HO' Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
long island jack Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 This sort of a spectacle could get a guy interested in 'HO' Welcome to the darkside,this is how we all started Ray Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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