Catkins Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Hi, My finances are going to improve in the coming months, and I am thinking of starting a new, my first solo, layout - in OO scale. I'm not great with woodwork, and whilst searching the DIY store websites on an unconnected item, I noticed that Wickes do a couple of cheap doors. One of the doors is roughly 6' x 2'9" and the other door is 6' x 2'6". Can any one think of any pitfalls or issues that I might encounter? Alternatively, has anyone had this idea before and used it successfully? Thanks in advance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Kris Posted February 19, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 19, 2014 Wiring on a door layout can be a pain. You either need to put a frame below to prevent exposed wires getting dragged or come up with an alternative approach. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium idlemarvel Posted February 19, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 19, 2014 If you're planning to use just one door in OO scale then be aware you can't have an oval track. There are lots of examples of (US) door sized layouts on the Internet. Bear in mind that: a) US doors are typically bigger than UK doors (taller and wider) b) they use HO scale (1:87) which is over 10% smaller which does not sound much but matters in micro layouts Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith George Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I had all the doors in my house replaced a few years ago. I then used them as baseboards around my 22ft x 10ft garage. No problems, it worked well. Keith. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Hi Catkins. I've used a Wickes flush door (internally softwood framed ply faced) on an N gauge layout and as Kris says, wiring was a nightmare. If I were to do it again, I'd add a softwood frame to the door. As Mickey quite rightly points out, wiring can be surface run and hidden but that's creating an awful lot of work. The size is great for N gauge but I'm not sure what sort of track plan you're thinking of. In OO, you won't get an oval and I would have thought the width would be too great for an end-to-end? Also be advised that a door-sized lump of wood is one Hell of a size to manage if you need to move it around. Seriously consider using a sheet of ply with a basic softwood frame. That way you can tailor it to the exact size you require. A timber yard can cut the wood to your specifications and all that you really need is a screwdriver and some wood glue. Just be sure to get right angle corners and do your assembly on a level surface! Edit: Just thought of another pitfall... we used the cheapest hollow core door we could find from Wickes during our house renovation. We needed a basic door to partition off a study. It warped like crazy after a year's worth of open fire and central heating. Doors ain't what they used to be... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Just be sure to get right angle corners and do your assembly on a level surface! What, like a door......................................... Sorry, couldn't resist that, Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete 75C Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 What, like a door......................................... Sorry, couldn't resist that, Jeff What a great idea! Buy the door but just use it as a workbench to assemble your baseboard on! D'oh..................... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 What a great idea! Buy the door but just use it as a workbench to assemble your baseboard on! D'oh..................... I've already done that, I recycled a surplus fire-door from a loft conversion and it makes a great work bench when mounted on a metal frame. It is nice and flat, and when (if) I wear out/damage one side, I can turn it over! Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenton Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Can any one think of any pitfalls or issues that I might encounter? A sore back! The well made ones are not very lightweight, have an awkward size (constraining for modelling*) and are not exactly conveniently portable (getting through .. ahem .. doors). The lightweight ones will warp - they are designed to hang upright not to be laid flat with the weight of scenery on the feeble hardboard panels. * I'm afraid I am for designing the baseboard to fit the layout not for cramming a layout into a given space dictated by the baseboard. So I would advocate deciding on the layout first and learning a few basic woodworking skills. They may help with future DIY. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KalKat Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 ................ and they can 'drum' like bug...... billy oh! Emma Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sheep Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 The cheap ones are a thin hardboard skin, softwood frame and a cardboar honeycomb fill I used one as a desk strung between two drawer units making sure the monitor was over the drawers, took a while but did start to curve - could make for uneven track work on a layout. You could apply a skin of ply over the current hardboard and cut the other side open and add some more bracing to make a stiffer board from a cheap door.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maunsel Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Don't overlook bookcases. They often come as self assembly jobbies and are full of lovely nicely finished square cut timber to use as a baseboard framing. Then just fill in the baseboard top using foamboard, foamcore or the shelving panels. Here's a good example of a complex arrangement of square cut timber, meet Albert:- http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00111994/ and Laiva:- http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/60128208/ The danger with cheap hollow core doors, is that their rigidity is greatly reduced when one starts cutting into them. And of course the beauty of a visit to Ikea is that t' other half won't tumble to your devious plan until you've bought her breakfast and you're well over halfway round the store Good luck Eric Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
clecklewyke Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 If you are feeling flush there are companies which will make baseboards to your specification. Alternatively, do try making your own. Using ply and MDF is not really difficult, especially if you get a sawmill to cut it into appropriately wide planks from which to make the frames. Iain Rice's layout design books are full of ideas on how to make baseboards. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarryscapes Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Don't overlook bookcases. They often come as self assembly jobbies and are full of lovely nicely finished square cut timber to use as a baseboard framing. Then just fill in the baseboard top using foamboard, foamcore or the shelving panels. Here's a good example of a complex arrangement of square cut timber, meet Albert:- http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/00111994/ and Laiva:- http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/60128208/ The danger with cheap hollow core doors, is that their rigidity is greatly reduced when one starts cutting into them. And of course the beauty of a visit to Ikea is that t' other half won't tumble to your devious plan until you've bought her breakfast and you're well over halfway round the store Good luck Eric I have a baseboard that used to be a bookcase. When I moved I had nowhere to put it, so it was dismantled and turned into a baseboard! It still has no layout on top though! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catkins Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 Thanks to every one who has responded so far. As this would be my first layout, I have no prototype in mind, but I have an image of some sort of "widget" manufacturing works, so I wouldn't be looking for an oval, it would be in OO/HO, and portability is not a major issue, as I don't have any plans to exhibit it. I didn't consider the issue with wiring, I was thinking 'one engine in steam' so just a single feed, and insulated frog points - but that could change. Any sort of track plan would be done to fit the door, but not to the extent of filling all the space - I would probably have a few bits of track, some stock and scenic items, and shuffle them about until I'm happy. Finally I'm not flush enough to go for a professionally made baseboard - yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold unravelled Posted February 19, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 19, 2014 I've used flush doors as baseboards. I got over the wiring problem by using 2 layers of 3mm cork. The first could be grooved to hide the wiring, the second was the conventional trackbed. The ground finish would have covered the wiring, but I never got that far... Dave Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted February 19, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 19, 2014 It's not just the wiring, it's what the wires run to - point motors. A nightmare to install in/under a door. I contributed 4 designs to the NGS Journal. As part of that, I suggested that the door should only be used as the base of a box to keep everything nice and square. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Put "foamboard Baseboard" or similar into the search box and you'll find alternatives that don't involve doors, which to my mind are totally impractical when you need to move them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingsignalman Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 If you're planning to use just one door in OO scale then be aware you can't have an oval track. There are lots of examples of (US) door sized layouts on the Internet. Bear in mind that: a) US doors are typically bigger than UK doors (taller and wider) B) they use HO scale (1:87) which is over 10% smaller which does not sound much but matters in micro layouts I managed it using a 6'6" x 2'6" door. It was a short term layout for me and my grandson to use before I started a bigger layout in the garage. I used 2 pieces of radius 1 track connected by a short length of flex track (and a lot of pins!) for the curve at the end nearest the camera; at the other end I used flex track hoping I could get it done in one piece - but I couldn't. The radius was about 13.5". It was surprising which locos would go round the curves and which wouldn't. A Bachmann pannier wouldn't but the Jinty and J72 would, also a Mainline Dean Goods would go round but the cab side and the tender were touching! Originally the loop on the right in the first picture was intended to be hidden but later I decided to have it in the full view so the layout was altered to bring the main station nearer to the left hand side. The buildings were going to form a "backscene" between the two halves of the layout. It was only dismantled when I started on the new layout. I also seem to remember a dock layout that featured in the Railway Modeller on a 4' x 2' board some years ago. (EDIT: - size of door amended) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCB Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 That is brilliant Flyingsignalman. The old Triang Track was 12" radius and up until the tender drive 9F all Hornby locos would get round the 12" curves, I guess I woud cut ties and curve 1st radius 14.5 inch radius that bit tighter, but you certainly have maximised the usable straight area of the baseboard, and if the trains get round the curves that's all that matters! I have used an old door for part of my uncompleable loft layout, as part of the hidden sidings, it is cheap and nasty ply with a honeycomb cardboard filling, I cut another down for the exchange sidings on my old spare bedroom layout, They are light and strong, but don't take pins well. You can drill right through for wiring but it looks ugly or drill from the side with a long drill (Masonry drill?) you can also dig holes from underneath for point motors. I suppose th smooth underside is a nice feature especially in a duck under which holes would spoil. I have also stripped down1970s fire doors and removed all the heavy fire retardent compressed wood fibre which lightens them dramatically makes them manageble weight wise, and of course you can strip off the outer skin fit additional strengthening, wiring, point motors etc and then put it back on again, Storage, think not laterally but vertically, hang vertically it on some lift off type hinges like a door, maybe it could hide the hot water tank when not it use, maybe not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sigtech Posted July 4, 2014 Share Posted July 4, 2014 My layout Sproston, is built in the loft, using two spare flush - pannelled doors that I found up there. The doors are bolted together with a pair of flush fitting door hinges ( seemed the obvious solution....). I fitted a thin timber frame around them which gave an overall layout size of 6'7" x 5' 1" and mounted the board on legs of 2"x1" timbers, fixed with angle brackets to the doors and to the chipboard loft flooring, a couple of thin wooden cross - beams were attached at the edges of the frame to provide additional support to the middle of the layout. - it's been up there two years now and seems fine. The loft is not insulated, so the layout has to endure extremes of temperatue. The scenery is made of polystyrene blocks, covered with modroc, and scatter material. Track (Peco code 100) is laid on 1/8" cork and ballasted with chippings and pva glue. Points are electrofrog, with "seep" motors fitted into cut-outs in the doors (from below). Wiring is tied into looms using zip - ties , and held close to the underside of the board using adhesive tabs. Layout is conventional dc with cab control. SIGTECH. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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