Boxfile Basics

[Kenton]

OK having a bit of a clear out today in the garage as space becomes more of a premium I discovered a pile of 5 boxfiles.

 

Enough for a layout I hear you say, or more...

 

But what exactly is the general opinion on what to do next?

 

Examining the product I find very quickly a pretty weak structure of, I think, thick card joined to other walls and a thinner base and top by a 'skin' of paper.

 

A very heavily sprung metal contraption with about the same effect as a mouse trap is riveted on the bottom short side and a rather feeble catch is fitted in a hole on the long side and 'lid'.

 

So there are two initial questions:

1. what is the best way to remove that sprung contraption?

2. what is the best way to go about strengthening the whole unit?

 

I am sure that when I start cutting this thing it will be reduced to waste.

[Stubby47]

Welcome to the world of Boxfiles !

 

For the large, sprung loaded clamp, I just use a hand drill to remove the rivets from the inside.

 

Depending on the type of box, each of the six 'sides' can be made from cardboard or thin chipboard. Once you start cutting in to any of the four walls, the structural integrity can collapse - how you make it stronger depends on where you cut, the scale of the stock you want to use, etc.

 

For example, the fiddle yard exit on Laterite has a beam of 1/4" strip glued across the top of the hole, which allows 4mm stock to pass underneath - 7mm stock would not fit.

 

Adding a second floor can help - especially if you can afford (height-wise) to add spacers to form a 3 ply floor.

 

Another point to consider is that, normally, you'll be laying the boxes on a solid surface, when in use. The lack of rigidity is compensated for by the support underneath - there's no need to have 4' x 2' base-board like strength, as you'll not be using trestles, etc. Provided you're careful when handling the boxes, they should be solid enough when connected as a layout.

 

Hope that is of some use...

 

Stu

[Kenton]

Stu, Thanks

 

So a hand drill and once found a suitably sized metal drill bit. And one mouse trap in the bin.

 

It is only when you plonk a point in the box that the realisation hits you - what little space there really is !

 

I think this is going to be a multiple box (4+FY) layout so most of the side walls will have to come out anyway.

 

I am thinking of the fronts being folded down in use and the backs held vertical in the usual way of backscene with the exception of the FY box that will be reversed.

 

I'm also thinking some track support base is a must to help put back some rigidity.

 

Still chewing the cud ...

[Ravenser]

It's probably a bit late now but drop front boxfiles do exist from specialist stationers . I used two (I ended up getting them from a legal stationer) and this saves one set of cuts . These had hard chipboard walls , probably to compensate structurally - unlike the standard Ryman's type - I suspect this design is a bit old fashioned.

 

Subjects enclosed by tall walls are a good idea , and if there is scope for leaving parts of the side walls intact, take it. If you are using one file for the FY, then I suggest you just cut a hole in the end of the last 2 files sufficent for one track , thus minimising the waekening of the structure

 

Two Peco small Y points will just go in afile back to back, leaving just enough for aheadshunt taking a small tank engine

[Stubby47]

That's a good tip on where to get the drop-front boxes from.

 

Cheers

 

Stu

[Kenton]

It's probably a bit late now but drop front boxfiles do exist from specialist stationers.

Good info for any future project - but these were free - as in a rescue from the dust bin.

 

Though I am having serious doubts now.

 

Taking a knife to the paper edges reveals that the card - I've used thicker in buildings - is held together by 6 staples and the wrapping paper that covers the outside.

 

 

cutting a new board to fit from 6mm MDF and then thinking just how to rebuild the sides to it ...

[buffalo]

In the last few weeks I've read a number of posts in track building threads by people who think plastic chairs on wooden or plastic sleepers are too week and promoting the strength of soldered pcb for trackbuilding. Now we have Kenton taking a sledge hammer to a boxfile What do people do with their layouts that needs so much strength? Boxfiles are easily strong enough once you start adding some internal strengthening in the form of scenery provided you don't pull them apart first.

 

Anyway, to the point of this post, another way of using a boxfile is to detach the cardboard front from the chipboard sides, fold it down and fold the cardboard lid back underneath. This, together with some internal strengthening makes for a pretty solid base. For an example, see the second and third photos in this blog entry. As you will see, I decided to build on top of rather than in the box, although the bridge section is in an open box. These two boxes are very strong, they've survived twice being catapulted off a shelf by a climbing cat

 

Nick

[Kenton]

Anyway, to the point of this post, another way of using a boxfile is to detach the cardboard front from the chipboard sides, fold it down and fold the cardboard lid back underneath.

Chipboard - I wish !

This flimsy thing is pure card and paper. The lid - in this case will form the backscene so is required visible and the front is required to fold down to give a little bit more depth to the layout. This will be a total of 5 boxes joined together - or at least that is the intention. The sides have to be removable to enable the "boards" to be joined together. (Does that disqualify it?)

 

I accept there are alternatives though and probably if I was making a single boxfile I would not deconstruct it quite as much leaving the corners intact. However, these are very weak and I would opt to ditch these boxes and go for something made of a more substantial construction.

 

Under the board will go wiring and some mechanism to control the single point a thin strip wood frame, so as not to lose too much of the height.

[buffalo]

Chipboard - I wish !

This flimsy thing is pure card and paper...

 

I thought at first from the photo that is was some sort of fine grained wood derivative, but now I see what you mean about the card sides. If its any use, mine came from Staples, but I think it needs the black paper covering to hold the chipboard together.

 

Nick

[Kenton]

What surprised me most was that it wasn't glued together. with only one staple along each edge and the base/back having a slight rebate to take the sides+front I wouldn't want to use it to hold and organise any important papers on a shelf - none that I didn't mind getting an occasional shuffle.

[Kenton]

getting a little ahead of myself I've been wondering on mechanisms to align and connect the box file modules.

 

Thoughts are around a pair of these at each end(side) of a module(box) though I think they might be a little heavy/large for the task.

 

 

What do others use to connect/align their boxes say to a FY box or other module boxes?

[Matloughe]

I used standard locking bolts, pretty much what you'd find on say a bathroom door. I had them fitted alternate ways so each side bolted the opposite way this ensuring the boxes didn't come apart. It was moderately successful, I did have to buy the wooden boxes the first time I tried it I never realised the boxfile was of the card variety.

 

Cheers,

~ Matloughe

[Stubby47]

I used the over-clips on Porth Byhan, but also found them a bit large for the task.

 

For Laterite & Co, I used magnetic handbag clasps - these have the advantage of holding the box files together, accurately positioning them, and if required, can be used to pass current between the boxes.

 

I put the magnetic part onto mounting pates (5mm foamboard), which fitted into suitably sized holes in the boxfile end.

 

 

The non-magnetic plate was attached direct to the box side.

 

 

When the boxes were empty, I could hold one up (vertically) and the other would hang on just the two magnetic connections.

 

For the fiddle yard (a third box, connected in the same way using magnets) I just use a length of track connected with fishplates.

HTH

 

Stu

[Kenton]

Hi Stu. Nice idea and I like the fact they would provide a truer alignment.

From where were they sourced?

[Stubby47]

I got them from our local indoor market haberdashery store (they have lots of bits for modelling !), but they can be bought from any similar type establishment.

 

Stu

[Kenton]

A bit more progress here,

As I may have said, each boxfile will form a small module with the intention that they can be connected to form a reasonable layout or can potentially stand alone as a dioramic scene that may or may not be operable.

So each step requires some standardisation and quite a bit of duplication.

 

 

I have decided to use these simple power plug and sockets to link each box together.

 

 

The socket, a standard panel mounting variety, seems to sit quite well on the spine/back of the boxfile it is, after all, only 2mm thick ! We can also see here the very flimsy nature of the box withe the side folded back and under only attached by a thin layer of paper.

 

 

The bus and dropper wires are connected to the sockets.

The new insert baseboard of 6mm MDF with its frame is now positioned squarely on the base of the boxfile and glued (NoMoreNails) on to the spine/back. It is critical in the rebuilding of the box that everything is square - something I doubt will end up being maintained over all boxes.

 

 

The frame is not glued to the base, which can now be hinged down from the baseboard to allow wiring to be accessed and completed.

 

 

Box No 4 (the only point)

[Ravenser]

For what it's worth , alignment on my 2 file job is courtesy of a couple of fishplates on the track - several of them Peco isolating ones. Crude but it does align the rails themselves , albeit a little awkward to slide together

 

Power connections are by a cable into DIN sockets . There's only 1 interboard connection to be made and I required at least 4 wires, as there are motorised points. I had bought a couple of cheap job lot packs of cables and connectors from someone's mail order catalogue so I selected one . Another cable , with DIN plug at only one end became the feed cable from the Gaugemaster to the layout, though connecting the fine wires to the screw down terminals on the controller is a little tricky , and a label listing the clolour code had to be added very quickly so I knew what was what

[Kenton]

Next up, the the track positions are marked and the dropper wires fed through the board ready to be soldered to the track later.

 

 

The side panels and the front panel paper hinges are cut through releasing them for further modification.

 

 

As can be seen access to the underneath of the board is easy

 

 

Box No 3 (the alignment board)

[Kenton]

A more substantial hinge is added to the front which is put back on the box. This in use will fold forward and down at an angle from the baseboard and will form part of the scenic area adding another 50mm to the depth. I need to take care that any scenics along this edge has space allowed inside the box when closed up or is removable.

 

I would have preferred a more lightweight hinge but this was available at zero cost from the scrap box in sufficient quantity for all the boxes.

 

 

You will also see that copper clad sleepers have been added to the board to secure the between box track joins

 

Those huge holes will be filled and papered over.

 

I'm still thinking through the options for securing the closed up box, remembering that it needs to be fairly unobtrusive to the overall scene when opened.

[Kenton]

Guess it is about time to put up the full plan - as much as it is

 

[Stubby47]

That looks quite a good plan, FY at both ends, simple track layout but allows plenty of different moves.

 

You could also enter just one of the boxes in the 2011 Challenge...

 

I'm still thinking through the options for securing the closed up box, remembering that it needs to be fairly unobtrusive to the overall scene when opened.

 

I put a low relief building along the front of one of the boxes for Laterite & Co, and left a hole in the roof for the box closing catch. When open, I filled the hole with a chimney.

[Kenton]

You could also enter just one of the boxes in the 2011 Challenge...

Now stop that immediately :D you are trying to doom this one with such a suggestion - you know I never finish a challenge.

 

I have moved on a bit and ended up employing metal catches, well a magnet and metal plate. The sides have also been shortened and are removable in upvc slides.

 

 

Hiding the magnets will still be a bit of a problem but the upvc a little more difficult, though some will be easy behind the structures.

 

showing one of the between board jumper leads

 

Also ended up using those catches to hold the boxes together (keeps with the £0 spend premise)

 

Another one of those questions - how to hold the backscene "back" open?

 

Not long now I may just get around to laying the track!

[Ravenser]

This is a very crude solution , but I bought one of those cheap folding desktop lamps (mine says halogen on the box) to provide illumination. The two file lids are held together with a small bulldog clip and the light behind serves as a prop

 

I did say it was a crude solution...

 

[Stubby47]

Wow, that's really come on !

 

I like the lamp idea, very practical.

[Donw]

I think the real point of using the boxfiles is the discipline. You could easily build a plywood box to hold a layout much stronger but without the discipline of sticking to the boxfiles you would make it a bit bigger here, deeper there and totally destroy the idea. I do like the lamp acting as a backscene support.

Don