Mianne Benchwork Question

You absolutely can assemble it yourself.  Very Easy and comes with instructions.

Yes, you can do it yourself. I actually enjoyed assembling it, which is a surprise for me! Tim provides excellent illustrations and directions. The best part is no mess, simple tools, and Tim's support via phone.

If you have the ability to to turn a screwdriver and can lift a couple of pounds, you can easily assemble Mianne benchwork. Once you get a couple of leg sets assembled, each additional piece is attached to the already standing pieces. It builds upon itself. The hardwood, straight grained poplar wood is very light and the unitized construction of the poplar/MDF beams (up to 4' long) are as well. Full color coded assembly instructions and drawings along with high grade simply installed hardware removes all guess work. The finished assembly should give you a good feeling of accomplishment and you will be quickly moving onto the next phase of building your layout.

Tim Foley, designer/maker of the system provided the benchwork for my layout some 15 years or so ago. I have added onto it five times. My wife and I think so highly of his product that we help man the Mianne  booth at York and Springfield shows.

All great comments and I've been using this for about 7 years or so. Easy. I just tore my old layout down in order to build a new one and you just reuse the pieces. Great product! Terry

Mike;

You absolutely can do it yourself. I'm just a bit behind you at 60 with two bad knees and I assembled a 14'x16' layout myself over the course of about two weeks (I did a bit each day - no rushing). None of the parts, even when assembled, were particularly heavy. Even a nearly 48" square corner section was easy to pick up and move around. Frankly, I did 75% of the building while sitting on an old rolling desk chair I had in the basement!!!

As has been noted above, Tim supplies easy to follow diagrams and instructions. I'd say go for the Mianne. In fact, Tim posted a 20 minute YouTube video last month showing the assembly process which would be well worth watching to get a really good idea of what is involved. 

Yourself for sure. Plus the Mianne staff is great if you have any questions.  The product is excellent; everything is included and you only need a couple of tools. 

I just did it by myself last fall and I am a klutz. As said before I found the pieces light and easy to handle. No problems at all.

Now carrying in the plywood is another matter and nothing to do the with the product but a function of an old tired back and bad rotator cuff.

Thank you everyone for the replies. I think that is the route I will take. Even though this will be a small layout, I want the bench work to be simple for me construct. Seems like I can handle this without difficulty.

  You shouldn't have any trouble assembling it yourself. I built mine in one afternoon with only a cat helping me. The directions are good and easy to follow. If you have a problem you can call them and they will help.

  You are not getting any younger so give serious consideration to table height.

  If you need a customized shape they will be glad to produce one for you.

  Good luck.

Douglas

I have viewed the product and if I had to do it again I would use it.  These folks know what they are doing.

I've assembled the Sievers brand of benchwork ... the dry, light pine went together effortlessly. I know you could do that alone.

Good luck.

To put it in perspective, my Mianne layout consists of two 5 x 9 sections arranged as an L, somewhat similar to what you are discussing. The shipping weight of the whole order was 109 pounds. I put mine together by myself with no trouble.

Photo of all 109 pounds attached.

I used Mianne and it is very easy, you will have no problems putting it together yourself. It is very nice, light weight, well thought out and very easy to assemble. It is really a great system. As others have stated, they give you excellent color coded instructions. They will also help you with the design if need be. I talked to them a couple of times before ordering and they were very helpful. I put my 6'x16' table together in about 8 hours or so and was ready for track. The Mianne took probably about 4-5 hours and the rest was going to Home Depot to get the 3 sheets of plywood for the top and have them cut it into sizes I could handle myself. They guy at HD did all the handling of the full plywood sheets. I highly recommend Mianne.

Thank you guys for all your help. The video was very helpful. I can handle that. Also, the photo of the L-shape 5x9's was helpful, too. It's kind of what I'm thinking, except 12' x 8' with 5' wide tables so I can have a double track Fastrack main.

Marty F,

   I agree 100%, great engineering designs work, and quality wood products from the look of it.  I have only two questions, what is the total cost of each 4x8 bench work and will there be free shipping.

I especially like the Made in the USA Flag, in the corner of his display sign.

PCRR/Dave

will they design a custom table height?  thanks

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

Marty F,

   I agree 100%, great engineering designs work, and quality wood products from the look of it.  I have only two questions, what is the total cost of each 4x8 bench work and will there be free shipping.

I especially like the Made in the USA Flag, in the corner of his display sign.

PCRR/Dave

Dave;

Per Mianne's website, a 4'x8' benchwork is $359. Shipping is 10% of the cost. Considering the size and weight of the boxes for the standard 40" height, that seems reasonable. 

Yes, they will make you about anything you want. I don't know exactly what all they will be able to do for you custom wise, but height is one thing you can change. I believe 40" is their standard height and the cross members come in 6" increments. After talking to them before I ordered mine, I added some extra things for shelves under the layout. and later ordered their transformer cart. It is a very nice system.

Shipping was not free, you will have to talk to Mianne about that. My shipping costs were not that bad, IMO. I got mine a while back so I am not current on pricing, you will have to look at their website or contact them. Considering the time saved and quality of their product I didn't think mine was expensive at all.

From their order form --- *Standard shipping is 10% on all orders $100 or more. 18% on orders under $100 ($15.00 min.). These rates apply only to continental USA. AK,HI or Canada please call for quote. Standard shipping is via UPS or FedEx Ground Service

APPLES55,

   Is the $359 the total cost with shipping included or is there an additional 10% cost for the shipping, added on to the $359.00.  I do understand that they need to recoup the engineering cost for designing this bench work, remember however I am a Professional Engineer, if you are telling me they want $394.90 for each 4X8 section of Bench Works, when it arrives at your home, and then you must purchase your 4x8  3/4 finished ply, for the decking, and then you must build the bench work kit yourself.  You just told me that in reality I have approx a $500.00 cost for each 4x8 as a finished platform.  Now if the total cost including shipping is $359.00 delivered to the house, that is a much better deal.  

PCRR/Dave

wb47 posted:

will they design a custom table height?  thanks

Yes, they will.

Twice I've ordered pieces from them to add to my layout where I arranged to pick them up at York to save on shipping costs.  If you have a kit in mind, or a customized table size, and are attending York, I'd contact them soon.  Might actually be too late for Spring York.

When you compare costs, don't forget that you still have to add the tabletop to the Mianne benchwork and without Mianne you need to consider hardware costs. No doubt DIY will be cheaper, so it's a matter of how much your time is worth and how much you value the extras their system offers. You can put together a 4x8 table for the cost of a sheet of plywood, eight 2x4x8s, a few screws, some eyebolts for leveling, etc., probably less than $100. The price goes up if you use quality lumber and hardware. Mianne offers quality hardware, no warping, easy assembly and light weight.

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

APPLES55,

   Is the $359 the total cost with shipping included or is there an additional 10% cost for the shipping, added on to the $359.00.  I do understand that they need to recoup the engineering cost for designing this bench work, remember however I am a Professional Engineer, if you are telling me they want $394.90 for each 4X8 section of Bench Works, when it arrives at your home, and then you must purchase your 4x8  3/4 finished ply, for the decking, and then you must build the bench work kit yourself.  You just told me that in reality I have approx a $500.00 cost for each 4x8 as a finished platform.  Now if the total cost including shipping is $359.00 delivered to the house, that is a much better deal.  

PCRR/Dave

Dave;

The $359 is for the kit, you would have to add app. $35 for shipping. Personally, I don't think I would be able to do a decent job of designing/building my own benchwork, so Mianne offered a perfect solution for me. In addition, Mianne delivered a beautifully finished product directly to my basement door - if I tried building my own, I would have had to go and pick out a pile of 1x or 2x4's and 4x4's and get them home (I left out the plywood since that is needed for either solution). Based on a recent thread here and discussions with the contractor who built my deck and screened porch, getting decent dimensional lumber is not that easy. Mianne's legs and I-beams are perfectly straight. So, for me, the ready made solution worked best.

Dave, I never got into the pricing.  The company is about 20 miles from my home and someday with my friend LocoLawyer we plan on stopping by for a look see.  I always admire the product in the Orange hall at York.   

Pine Creek Railroad posted:

APPLES55,

   Is the $359 the total cost with shipping included or is there an additional 10% cost for the shipping, added on to the $359.00.  I do understand that they need to recoup the engineering cost for designing this bench work, remember however I am a Professional Engineer, if you are telling me they want $394.90 for each 4X8 section of Bench Works, when it arrives at your home, and then you must purchase your 4x8  3/4 finished ply, for the decking, and then you must build the bench work kit yourself.  You just told me that in reality I have approx a $500.00 cost for each 4x8 as a finished platform.  Now if the total cost including shipping is $359.00 delivered to the house, that is a much better deal.  

PCRR/Dave

As stated, each individual 4'x8' section is $359. However, if the sections are to be joined together, the second and on sections will be less expensive due to they use components that are already part of the first section. As noted in their catalog, a 4'x8' is $359. A 4'x16' is not 2x that price, $718 but is $639 due to the common sharing of some component pieces.

I agree with most everything stated in the thread.  Tim's benchwork kits are a great product, and he is a pleasure to do business with.

I have attached a photo of my completed benchwork from February  2013. I assembled this by myself with no problems or issues. 

This product gets my vote!

Aflyer

Aflyer - Thank you for the photo. Gives me ideas. Are the main sections on the right the 30" wide sections?

Mike,

I have seen the Mianne benchwork and spoken to the rep at the TCA meet at York and agree with all the posts about the high quality and service...even though I have not used the product.  Reason for my post is to also consider their motorized lift up unit ("lift gate"). I have a train room of nearly the same dimensions and it is an around the room design. Now temporary, but soon to remove and build permanent layout.  I had a similar design as a teenager (50 years ago) and created a swing up section of double track for an around the room design...and it actually worked.  Nowadays there are lots of good resources to build a swing up section and I will either do that again, or go with the Mianne unit.  It is really slick. I saw it in action at York.  Only issue is cost - they start at $639. My wife was aghast, and my son said go for it!!  You can see the unit in their on-line catalog.  Just wanted to share this as an option to consider when you design your layout.  Have fun!

Michael

Mike Donahue posted:

Aflyer - Thank you for the photo. Gives me ideas. Are the main sections on the right the 30" wide sections?

Mike,

Hi, the main section on the right is actually 36", and the add  on is 18". I did it so I could use 54" radius curves.  I have added a photo of the track plan to show why I went so wide.  There are places that I can not easily reach , but I did it knowing the drawbacks.  And Maine was able to provide it for me.

One of the obstacles I face is that three sides of the room are basically comprised of all sliding glass patio doors. My sister and my wife feel I need to leave access to these doors. This basically leaves me with a center of the room layout, leaving access on three sides. Leaving a 24" walkway on three sides limits me to a 5'x11' table. Not a lot of room, but better than no layout at all. 

I found the Mianne 2016 catalog online and am intrigued by their second deck option. They show a 4x12 layout with a second deck. I'm thinking if I can't go out, I 'll go up. So, I'm thinking of a 5'x11' table with an upper deck added like they show for the 4x12. What do you guys think?

Mike,

Once again, I'll refer to my layout.  I also built up.  I have two main levels...and even a short line on a 3rd level just to serve the Lionel 175 Rocket Launcher.  Double track on upper level, and single main line on lower level with a yard and several sidings. I would certainly support multiple layers.

Michael

Using Mianne Benchwork was one of the best decisions I ever made!

I turned it into a layout building party with members of the modular group.....March/April 2011.

Tim has engineered an amazing product!

Peter

Mike Donahue posted:

One of the obstacles I face is that three sides of the room are basically comprised of all sliding glass patio doors. My sister and my wife feel I need to leave access to these doors. This basically leaves me with a center of the room layout, leaving access on three sides. Leaving a 24" walkway on three sides limits me to a 5'x11' table. Not a lot of room, but better than no layout at all. 

I found the Mianne 2016 catalog online and am intrigued by their second deck option. They show a 4x12 layout with a second deck. I'm thinking if I can't go out, I 'll go up. So, I'm thinking of a 5'x11' table with an upper deck added like they show for the 4x12. What do you guys think?

The upper level can be added to any size layout. The height can also be adjusted. As designed, it is meant to be separate from the main level. The rise from one level to the other would be too steep for a restricted size layout.

Cape Cod Northern posted:

Mike Donahue posted:

One of the obstacles I face is that three sides of the room are basically comprised of all sliding glass patio doors. My sister and my wife feel I need to leave access to these doors. This basically leaves me with a center of the room layout, leaving access on three sides. Leaving a 24" walkway on three sides limits me to a 5'x11' table. Not a lot of room, but better than no layout at all. 

I found the Mianne 2016 catalog online and am intrigued by their second deck option. They show a 4x12 layout with a second deck. I'm thinking if I can't go out, I 'll go up. So, I'm thinking of a 5'x11' table with an upper deck added like they show for the 4x12. What do you guys think?

The upper level can be added to any size layout. The height can also be adjusted. As designed, it is meant to be separate from the main level. The rise from one level to the other would be too steep for a restricted size layout.

To add to what Al said, my 3 levels......lower is 6x8 Subway......middle is main layout, dual loops and 6x16......upper is engine yard 2x16......none have any connections.......I believe they are about 16" apart......

Peter

I'm thinking of treating the upper level as a separate layout. Either Christmas themed, or Flyer since I collected a little Flyer over the years.

Mianne benchwork is an excellent product for kits!!

Not sure how limited your ability is but there is an outfit down your way in Lakeland FL trading as modelrailroadbenchwork.com who make some real nice custom benchwork and they can set it up in your home.  224.201.9868

Check out their gallery of some real slick benchwork.

Satisfied Mianne customer here. Highly recommended!

Mike Donahue posted:

One of the obstacles I face is that three sides of the room are basically comprised of all sliding glass patio doors. My sister and my wife feel I need to leave access to these doors. This basically leaves me with a center of the room layout, leaving access on three sides. Leaving a 24" walkway on three sides limits me to a 5'x11' table. Not a lot of room, but better than no layout at all. 

I found the Mianne 2016 catalog online and am intrigued by their second deck option. They show a 4x12 layout with a second deck. I'm thinking if I can't go out, I 'll go up. So, I'm thinking of a 5'x11' table with an upper deck added like they show for the 4x12. What do you guys think?

Mike,

A second level is allot of fun and challenge, if you check out my track plan you will see I have two different levels, but only 5 - 6 inches between them, and at one point both tracks are on the same level, so you can switch trains between them.  

This requires no more benchwork, just some cookie cutter plywood with spacer blocks.  Here is a link to more shots of the roughed out plywood table tops.

http://www.trainweb.org/acsg/CD/CD_mem.html

I hope this is a help, and not more confusion.

Aflyer

Gentlemen,

    I really think the Engineering & Quality in this product for the modern era is just fantastic, especially for todays Train layout building.  The cost is a little on the high side, for an Engineer like myself, because I build most everything from homes two Space Shuttles.  In reality however for most layout builders, this product is big time great. You must understand the engineering behind this product is simply sound, and the company is charging a fair price for that engineering and the quality limber, they are using.  Even with my Engineering experience, if I had the space for a permanent layout I would definitely invest in some of this bench work myself.   

PCRR/Dave