Plywood bench top

On my On30 layout, there’s really nothing heavy that should ever be there so I decided not to use very heavy plywood. I built the benchwork with 1X4s and decided to use thin plywood to keep the weight down.

Looking back, I used ¼” and that’s really too thin as when I installed the blue points for my turnouts, they needed thicker stuff to anchor themselves to. I’d have used ½” if I could go back and do it again, but even then it was no big deal as mounting the blue points to little scraps of plywood turned out to be a far easier method of installing them regardless. You can see the thicker plywood just under the blue point here, cut down very tighly to fit in an extremely small space under a turnout:

I’m not using plaster anything for the scenery, going with foam insurlation sheets and a new technique I read about using caulk-impregnated cloths for terrtain forms. Once that’s done, you’ll have no clue how thin the deck plywood was:

If your in the area, try Builders Surplus in Northeast Maryland.  Well worth the drive for the savings.

If you don't plan on standing on the layout, a well supported panel of the pink or blue or green foam will do the trick.

Maybe you can try Ace hardware or 84 Lumber for some decent plywood.

I agree with the comment about Home Depot having bad wood. I went there for some 1 by 2's and nearly told off the store manager because the wood had knots and wasn't level enough for a drunken sailor to walk on.

Lee Fritz

7/16" particle board topped with 1.5" foam board serves as my base.  

I second the recommendation on 84 Lumber as a good source for plywood.  In my area in Upstate NY, they have stock that, in my opinion,  was much better than the big box home stores, and the price was the same.  I would use them again.

My experience with Home Depot lumber has been pretty good. Just as good as anything I have gotten from a lumber yard. I haven't used a lot of lumber from HD, but what I have gotten there was pretty good stuff. I did go through the pile a little to pick it out though. We have an 84 Lumber that I have tried twice now and was very disappointed both times. Maybe they are different in different areas, but the one here is not very good at all. At least not the time I was there. Parking lot is always empty too, so it might not just be me? I don't think many people shop there.

As for the old lumber yards, they are about as scarce as train stores are around here. There are some left, but I think they are now all mostly commercial or wholesale and deal exclusively with builders only and not the public. There is still one good lumber yard I know of that has been in business for many years, but it's quite a drive for me so I don't go often. They are the only one in town that has Homasote. They also have an excellent selection of hardwoods and many other things that Home Depot and Lowes don't have. They have a very good reputation here and have had for many years.

Good luck getting good lumber these days. I went through a stack at a local lumber yard to build a work bench. Got some half way decent one's. bought 20, good thing i did. One of them looks like a gorilla got hold of it a few days after i bought it. How they are building houses out of this stuff is beyond me.

     I went to Lower to get the 1 by 4's for the trim around the layout. From my view in the wheelchair I could not tell witch boards were the 8 footers. I asked a worker and he pointed and said those ones. I looked through 180 boards to get 10 straight ones. I took them to the front to pay for them and the girl told me they were 10 footers. I told her about the worker giving me bad information and she did not seem to care. Back to the lumber racks put the 10 footers back and start digging through the 8 footers. I went through at least 80 boards to get the 10 I needed that were straight. Almost 5 hours total to get 10 boards and not one worker offered to help. Shop at your local mom and pop hardware store as much as you can because when they are gone they are gone. Choo Choo Kenny

Tom Tee posted:

Instead of solid wood 1 X 4s  (which are really 3/4" X 3 1/2)   You can go to  a quality genuine lumber yard and have them rip a 4 X 8 sheet of "shop grade" Maple or Artic Birch 3/4" 7  ply  into 13 strips of 3 1/2" X 8' boards.  You will never have to pick thru a pile of 13 of these to find a good one.  They are all good!

This will be a much more stable side, end or cross member than any  solid dimensional lumber which usually warps.

This frame work was made entirely from ripped 4' X 8' X 3/4" shop grade Artic Birch into thirteen 3 1/2" strips 8' long. Most real lumber yards have the ability to do precision ripping for a modest fee sometimes free.  My local  shop charges a buck a cut.  Great deal, no carrying full sheets.

Hi Tom,

What is the size of your layout?  It is very similar in design to what I am trying to come up with plans for.  If you're willing to share your plan as well, please email me an image, it looks wonderful just looking at the bench.

-Mike

Mike:  I thought the very same thing when I saw this.

Tom:  From one woodworker to another....Very Impressive!  I also like the predrilled/bored holes in the middle of each cross piece for running wires through.  That's some terrific work on your end.

Are those jigs of some sort on the wall?  For bending GarGraves?

Tom Tee posted:

The layout is aprox. 12' square.  There is a subway below and an loop to loop eleated commuter run.

I could not find email  in your profile:

 

I have updated my profile, sorry I missed that when joining.

That is some very good advice about getting arctic birch ply ripped down to "1 x4" size. I think that is the best option to get stable lumber in the modern USA. Dimensional lumber offered these days is terrible.

For decades I have been salvaging wood removed from buildings being remodeled/torn down. Most of these buildings were built in the mid-1800s and had actual 2" x 4" 2x4 studs cut from Old Growth yellow or white pine. Grain counts going over 150 years, just for construction studs! Most of this wood I use to construct furniture, but am considering some for the upcoming layout construction.

I was also lucky to acquire the wood used for shelving from a local hardware store that closed. These boards were installed as shelves in the 60s and measure 3/4" x 15" and 3/4" x 17". One solid piece, not multiple boards glued together. A few at 14' long. Some have grain count over 80 tears. And since this wood has been mounted horizontal for decades it is fully dried and stable. You just cannot get wood like this anymore. Most of these boards I have turned into table tops, but I have a few ear marked for layout use.

My point is that modern dimensional lumber is more or less useless for any permanent quality structure. It is usually very young, very wet and bound to warp. Even if you go through 100+ boards to find straight ones, after six months to a year, when they start to dry they will warp.

I am about to start construction of my layout benchwork. I plan to construct my layout in transportable modules with furniture grade wood, with an eye on making the layout last for many years, so this discussion on plywood got my attention.

With all that said, Tom's suggestion of ripping arctic ply to strips is the ticket to stable bechwork.

As for the top, I'm planning on 1/2" Baltic Birch. With a structure spacing of around 16" it should be solid enough if I have to climb on top of it.

And a few questions for Tom about his benchwork. Why did you install the gussets in each corner? Are they really needed to reduce flex? And what are the gussets made from?

Mr. Nabisco:  I'm practically salivating over all of the old wood that you mention.  It really does make for amazing furniture.....or just about anything wood can be used for.

There's something about wood that has been drying for 30+  years.  It's a true pleasure to work with....but it feels and smells different.  The saw dust is sweeter and lighter.  The grain.....often beautiful.  And it didn't come from China, Vietnam, or Thailand, etc.

FWIW:  The 1x4 framing that I place beneath my 1/2" Baltic birch typically fluctuates between 14-20 inches or so.  I don't really use the "industry standard of 16".  Rather, I see how much space I have to play with and then try to "average it out" as best I can.  (For example, if I have a 42" span, I'll go with 14" centers.....not 16, 16, then 10.  In case the screws or nail holes are exposed, I prefer to be symmetric, so to speak....just b/c it looks better.  I can still walk on 1/2" Baltic birth on 20" centers of 1x4 w/o problem. 

Tom Tee posted:

Instead of solid wood 1 X 4s  (which are really 3/4" X 3 1/2)   You can go to  a quality genuine lumber yard and have them rip a 4 X 8 sheet of "shop grade" Maple or Artic Birch 3/4" 7  ply  into 13 strips of 3 1/2" X 8' boards.  You will never have to pick thru a pile of 13 of these to find a good one.  They are all good!

This will be a much more stable side, end or cross member than any  solid dimensional lumber which usually warps.

This frame work was made entirely from ripped 4' X 8' X 3/4" shop grade Artic Birch into thirteen 3 1/2" strips 8' long. Most real lumber yards have the ability to do precision ripping for a modest fee sometimes free.  My local  shop charges a buck a cut.  Great deal, no carrying full sheets.

The layout has just taken the lead from the innovative equipment.  This looks very nice indeed, and very well made too. Although my woodworking days are long past, I like the idea of using the plywood strips. Good idea and very stable after installation, no warping to worry about with that. That benchwork really looks nice, even the quality of the holes is impressive!!

OK. I see it is a butt T joint, but are the gussets on each side necessary?

Wouldn't a properly glued/screwed 1/2" ply top act as gussets?

Extra support is always good, but I'm wondering how much strength they add and if they are really necessary... Don't get me wrong. It is some beautiful benchwork. I'm just wondering if I need gusseted joints in my layout's benchwork.

Hard to tell...is that a table top or a violin? 

Bruce

Ah, J-3 ribs... I was thinking that benchwork construction echoed aircraft ribs. And I almost used the term "stressed skin", but just couldn't get myself to apply it to a toy train layout.

I'll probably add the glue blocks (which I called gussets), especially since I'll only have a top skin.

Superb work on the industrial extension. That waffle bottom is genius.

And not to bombard you with questions... But what wood did you use for the curved outer edge? Steam bent ply? Bendable ply? I'm sure you've developed some wood bending techniques while working on hydroplanes and aircraft. That is a woodworking skill I've yet to learn.

Thanks for sharing your wood fabricating expertise.

I never thought I'd say this.....but Tom's wood work is almost too nice to cover up with a model train layout. 

That's some very, very impressive work.

Gorgeous!  Great work and impressive.

Wow.

Very nice Layout,

Integrated Signals Systems .com   

Good luck,John

My tabletop layout uses all pine lumber, 1/2" (actually 15/32) B-C  grade plywood top with 1x3 framing (every 18") and 2x3 legs.  Never had an issue with my 195 lbs. on top of the layout. 

Aside from the cost, my other reason to choose 1/2" over 3/4" is that full sheets of 1/2" plywood are much easier to handle than 3/4" sheets.

My main suggestion would be whatever dimension and type of plywood you decide to use, try to purchase it all at one time.  You don't want to accidently buy plywood that might be a couple of 1/32's different from what you already purchased. 

Jim

I am curious why Tom deleted his posts and photos... Gone. ???

Good question, Mr. Nabisco.  I thought they were works of art unto themselves.

And I still owe you an email.  Appreciate you reaching out.