ben pez Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Hi all Wondering if anyone has already done this before or can share some knowledge,info,pics etc Ive finished building the baseboard frames for my loft layout As you can see by the photo theres a cupboard door to the central heating boiler Obvouisly i need to span this with another baseboard,that can be easily removed Ive been thinking of using drawer runners,so it will slide in and out,rather than a hinged section. Obvouisly it has to be a good tight fit to allow trackwork to mate up either side. Any suggestions welcome! Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted February 9, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 9, 2014 Hinged flap fixed to one of the permanent frames. Drop in frame guided by lips on the fixed boards. Don't make it too tight lengthways as wood will breathe i.e. expand and contract with temperature variations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Chimer Posted February 9, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 9, 2014 You can't get away with sectioning the door and just opening part of it, above and/or or below the baseboard, to get the access you need, I suppose? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRat Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Ian rice came up with a sort of swivelling hinged which opened inwards away from the door, on wheels.whole lot just revolves in, no lifting or alignment issues etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben pez Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Cheers for the replies I cant section the door because I need access to the boiler and pipework behind it. im thinking either a hinged section or a section that would slide in on drawer runners probably answered my own question!! Just thought someone may have done something like this already that could share a pic? Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted February 9, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 9, 2014 Do you need the drawer runners? Can you not add a ledge to the ends of the two fixed boards and have a drop in/lift out board that covers the gap and rests on the ledges. It would be held in place at the back by the wall and at the front by a short piece of (say) plywood attached to the corners of the two fixed boards. Alternatively, fit a strip of plywood to the front of the lift out board that extends about an inch past either end of the drop in board. You could then bolt or screw the plywood into the fixed boards or have bolts/screws permanently in place on the fixed boards and cut-outs/notches on the lift-out board's plywood strip that slide over them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyMay Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Take the door off its hinges and put it back on the other way round so it opens out, then crawl under it? It's not the most basic carpentry but compared to building baseboards, it's not too bad. Edit: You'd have to be pretty damn stupid not to be able to understand this, but apparently some people are: Here it is in words of one syllable for the hard of thinking: Take the door off its hinges. Reverse the hinges. Make some alterations to the door frame. Put the door back on so it now opens out. Apologies for using some very long complicated words. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben pez Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 Cheers for that ray,much apreciated Think youre idea is the way im going to try and have a go With a sort of ledge on either side of the fixed boards,so that the spanning board will just drop in and sit on those. As ive used 2x1 for all the baseboard frames i,ll obvouisly have to use something a bit smaller for this sectional bit Thanks for your help Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted February 9, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 9, 2014 here is the method i used for my shed layout..... carpentry at its most basic, thought about all sorts of ways of doing it, hinges etc but settled on a bit of simple back to basics woodwork http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/69543-a-new-shed-and-layout-from-the-ground-up-follow-on-from-birmingham-central-thread/?p=1032394 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I think it depends on how often you need to open the door. If it's just for access to the boiler, tank etc then presumably once a year for servicing and rarely(hopefully!) for repairs. If so, then Jim's idea is fine. If it's an airing cupboard you need frequent access to then I think some kind of hinge would be necessary. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ray H Posted February 9, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 9, 2014 Fix the ledge to the underside of the 2x1 on the fixed frames so that it overlaps far enough for the drop-in board to rest on. Then you can use 2x1 for the drop in board as well and avoid any problems of aligning the tops of the boards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hesperus Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Either make it wife proof or be really organisied about when the central heating repairman comes round. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dazzler Fan Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 Door already opens inwards.A two part split door solution, would allow a crawl-in access.- buy a door for the purpose to placate the wife. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 I have experience of several lift out and lifting sections, and keeping, rather than getting the tracks aligned is the major probem. Storing a lift out section is also a pain. Personally I would use a hinged lifting section, keeping the hinges as rigid as possible, People often use domestic door hinges on wood block spacers to get the hinge line above rail level but these are anything but rigid. For muy last lifting section I used much hacksawed around car bonnet hinges (Ford Escort) screwed to the sides of the lifting section with about half a dozen wood screws in holes countersunk into the hinge, They are only about an inch wide which maximises available width and are very rigid and can be shimmed for minimal sideplay, well down into the 1000th of an inch range. I have seven tracks at the hinge end and fingers crossed they have needed no adjustment since I fitted them a couple of years ago. The lifting section could be 2X1 framing like the rest? , in your case at the non hinge end I would make sure the lifting section has something really solid to land on maybe the last inch of a 3X1 screwed from underneath the existing frame, not 15mm square timber screwed to 2x1 across the baseboard end. I would make the last few inches of baseboard top beyond the non hinge of the lifting section adjustable vertically in relation to the frame to allow easy adjustment of the trackbed to allow for any warpage. Basically it should be possible to let the lift out slam down into position without damage, why, because it is going to slam down sooner or later. To keep the rails aligned I drill a single vertical hole through and tap a gently tapered pin in to index the lift out with the baseboard, this soon becomes a nice sliding fit and you can trim it to a suitable length. I use a simple hinged sprag to hold the lifting section up, it flops down automatically and you have to flip the sprag up to let the section back down. Wiring. from the hinge end obviously, I run it at rightangles to the hinges so it twists along its axis and doesn't hang down too untidily, I used mains wiring "Trunking" to run layout wiring up and over the doorway rather than run it across the lift out with quick detatch wiring connectors, I used Right angle Din plug connectors on a previous lift out section but they soon become loose. To make a job of it in a domestic setting I would put an easily removed "bottom" on the lifting section. One further point, if you have two levels you will need seperate lifting sections for each level. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordon s Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 This may give you some ideas…Post 136 onwards. http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/63300-stockrington-happy-new-year/page-6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Fix the ledge to the underside of the 2x1 on the fixed frames so that it overlaps far enough for the drop-in board to rest on. Then you can use 2x1 for the drop in board as well and avoid any problems of aligning the tops of the boards. Building the lift out section from the same material and in the same style as the layout sections it connects to is much the best plan for simplicity in alignment. For a 'once a year' access to the boiler for servicing I would go for a lift out rather than a hinged section. Two basic principles to keep in mind. Decide on and install a securing method to retain the lift out section in the gap, before fixing down any track. Lay the track across the lift out section continuously, with provision in place for fixing the rail ends at the gaps, fix the rail ends, then slit through the rails at the gaps. Securing the rail ends, my choice would be small brass screws, a pair under each rail either side of the gap. These can be height adjusted to come up onto the rail underside, and the rail may then be soldered on. That holds the rail ends solidly in position when slit through and maintains alignment, also protects the rail ends from being ripped up if snagged when moved. Planning a storage location for the lift out section when the boiler is to be serviced is also a good move. Now, this is one of thise things that is never going to happen, but you ought to think about electrical interlocking to ensure that no train can ever be driven into the hole with the lift out section removed. How I do it: several feet of isolated rail sections either side of the lift out piece, which are connected by plug and socket to the lift out section to get their power. The power supply plugs into the lift out section and is then passed on to the isolated sections either side: the plugs have to be removed to allow the section to be lifted out, as they act as simple mechanical latches under the end framing. So when the lift out section is removed there is no way that the approach rails to the hole get power. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaneofFife Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 What I did was to have a similar section completely separate from the layout - a sort of pop it in section and whenever it needed to be moved I just disconnected the bus bar multiplug connectors on both sides of the lift out "bridge" and voila! If you layout is a roundy then tbh you might only need a bus bar connector at one end as its not recommended your bus bar runs a complete circle on such layouts so this could be you turn back point of the wiring. Makes it even easier. Maybe fit some clasps on both ends to hold the rails in line. Far easier than creating a piece that is hinged. One batten on each side just to suppport that small section and it will be fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted February 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2014 Hi all Wondering if anyone has already done this before or can share some knowledge,info,pics etc Ive finished building the baseboard frames for my loft layout As you can see by the photo theres a cupboard door to the central heating boiler Obvouisly i need to span this with another baseboard,that can be easily removed Ive been thinking of using drawer runners,so it will slide in and out,rather than a hinged section. Obvouisly it has to be a good tight fit to allow trackwork to mate up either side. Any suggestions welcome! Thanks A bit of lateral thinking. If you moved the boiler, would you have more space for the layout? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted February 10, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 10, 2014 Design of this piece of the layout depends a lot on whether it is to have any scenery or is in a "hidden" part without scenery. With scenery the whole hinged option becomes a bit more complicated and the raised layout section will most likely interfere with passage through the doorway. I would definitely go for the "resting on ledges" option as it is only a small piece of baseboard. Put in some extra legs against the wall and you could even drop down the level to have your tracks go across a bridge. You might like to make the backscene from some fairly thick ply so you can fix a carrying handle to that which will make it easier to get hold of the baseboard when it needs to be moved. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben pez Posted February 10, 2014 Author Share Posted February 10, 2014 Many thanks for all the help and replies Really is appreciated! Its what makes this forum great. After reading through the posts,im going to use the drop in method rather than hinged. Funny how its now been explained to me it becomes so obvouis and should be a straight forward job to do! Famous last words!... Many thanks again Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 You could always hinge the trackbed on a narrow "Bridge" and have the scenery pull out or slot in seperately, it is so much easier to flick a catch and drop the hinged section into place than lift a section out. I struggled with a lift out section for some years because I did not have enough headroom for a hinged (lift up) section and could not work out how to make it drop down, it had to be held down with nuts and bolts both ends to keep the tracks aligned and plugged in with Din Plugs, But then again the track height on the liftimg section was 5 feet 2", so it didn't have tp come out that often... Had to stand on a chair to work on it.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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