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Reply to "Inuslation Foam top vs Plywood"

I'm a little late to this thread, but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. At the present I'm in the final stages of track-laying and fine-tuning for a layout that goes around the walls of a 10 x 28 foot room. I use a wheelchair (see my earlier thread here: https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...helf-layout-underway) and built a cantilever girder system. It is screwed directly to wall studs and further supported by angled braces. I can roll around freely underneath, yet the benchwork (made with 1 x 3 pine) is extremely sturdy. It is topped with 1/2 inch plywood decking. For those considering the pros and cons of plywood versus foam, it's my position that plywood (or OSB) screwed down to the benchwork adds a lot of lateral strength. Also, anyone building a permanent layout who wants to screw down Fastrack, be aware that it's difficult to find #4 screws any longer than about 1 inch. If you have a half inch of foam underneath your Fastrack, the screws would scarcely penetrate the bottom of the foam and would not bite into the sub-roadbed. 

For that reason, I have decided to experiment with commercial neoprene rubber, purchased from a distributor in a large roll. It is only 1/8 inch thick but surprisingly dense, yet it cuts easily with scissors or a hobby knife and can be glued to the plywood using spray adhesive. There are still a few steps to complete before I start that phase, but I hope to report soon on the performance of the neoprene.

 

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  • March 3 2020 update 1
  • March 3 2020 update 2

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