Mianne benchwork???

I have been using using Mianne bench work for the past 8 years and I have never attached it to the walls. The layout is very stable and I have taken it down 3 times and put it back up because of moves with no problems. 

Of course you can cut the legs, they are solid wood. 

Dave

The legs have adjusters that will accommodate at last one inch of adjustment. No need to cut anything.

Hint- Don't try to level it until the plywood is on. It is very light and won't want to "sit down" of its own weight.

Bob Delbridge posted:

Bob;

I have a 14' x 16' around the room layout (with an attached 10'x30" freight yard) which uses Mianne benchwork and I think it is a fabulous product - saved me a ton of time and effort getting my layout started, especially since I am no carpenter. 

Is there a way, or any need, to attach the benchwork to the walls for an around the room layout?  I plan on topping it with 1/2" plywood. 

My layout is freestanding, but has one length resting against a wall. The benchwork, when assembled, is  very stable, even before attaching the plywood top. If, for some reason, you still wish to attach the benchwork to the wall, I see no reason you could not do so using some L brackets or long screws running through the legs.

I didn't see any stringers over 48" long, what's recommended for a 60" space?

If I remember correctly, Tim indicated that he can do custom lengths, just think in increments of 6". That being said, I think that 60" may allow sagging in the section. Two 30" segments may be a better bet.

Can the legs be cut down?  About midway in the length of my upstairs room (old house) there appears to be a 1" rise in the floor, to keep the top of the layout flat I'd need to cut 1' off 2-3 legs.  I don't think I'll know what the height is until I actually get to it.

The bottoms of the legs all have levelers to adjust the height, so cutting off the bottoms would be a bit problematic, and the tops are where the stringers attach, so that is impossible. Again, if I remember correctly, Tim stated that he can do custom height legs.

I've emailed Mianne but haven't heard back yet, I guess they're getting set for York.

Mianne definitely has a setup at every York, so you are probably correct that they are pretty busy right now!!!

Here's the latest rendition of my proposed layout:

The 45 degree corners make it more pleasing than a sharp 90 degree.

I know Mianne can do 45 degree corners - I have one in my yard addition. I opted for 90 degree corners for most of the layout since that gives me some room for buildings.

Good luck with your project... I look forward to seeing your progress.

Paul

Bob Delbridge posted:

Is there a way, or any need, to attach the benchwork to the walls for an around the room layout?  I plan on topping it with 1/2" plywood.

I didn't see any stringers over 48" long, what's recommended for a 60" space?

Can the legs be cut down?  About midway in the length of my upstairs room (old house) there appears to be a 1" rise in the floor, to keep the top of the layout flat I'd need to cut 1' off 2-3 legs.  I don't think I'll know what the height is until I actually get to it.

I've emailed Mianne but haven't heard back yet, I guess they're getting set for York.

The 45 degree corners make it more pleasing than a sharp 90 degree.

"Need" is a relative term. The modular layouts you see at shows are similar to around the room layouts and they are perfectly fine standing alone in the showroom space given them. Anchoring to the wall makes they sturdier and accidental bumps will not knock things off the rails. Anchoring also does away with the need for legs along the wall side. In your case, it appears that the width of the room is going to be slightly larger that the width of whatever Mianne comes up with. Remember though that their designs are based on 6" increments, so if your room is 13' 9" wide, there will be a 3" difference that will need to be considered. If you want to anchor things to the wall, you will probably have to add shims to the I-beams in various locations to match the actually width of the room and run the anchors through the I-beams at those locations. Remember too that all Mianne measurements are from the center of one leg to center of the next. That means that a 48" rail is NOT 48". It's 48" from the center of one leg through the rail to the center of the other leg. That also means that when you add your 1/2" plywood decking, it won't cover the outside part of the legs. Note too that the top part of the legs are rounded, so you have to consider the exposed part of the leg lower down and any shim needs to be thick enough to account for that. Of course, you could run the anchors through the legs, but then they'd have to be positioned over studs. The 2nd image shows an around the room layout that I don't think is anchored.

As far as the 48" stringers go, you'd have to add a leg and use a 48/12 or 30/30 combination. That's something Mianne will figure out. I don't recommend trying to figure out what to order on your own because there are things you probably won't think about and they will.

Obviously, the legs can be cut down, but then you'd have to deal with the leveling hardware, assuming you include that in your order. I believe the levelers can be adjusted up to 2", so I'm not sure you'd have a problem if all you need is an inch or so. Another thing to talk to Them about.

I suggest you call, multiple times if necessary given that York is coming up. I got a response to my first email when I tried contacting them around the time for York, but it took awhile, and subsequent emails went unanswered. I ended up having to change my plans, so I didn't follow up, but I was pretty disappointed by the lack of response. Still, if I hadn't been forced to change plans, I would have followed up. If I build the 2nd layout I want, I will still consider them. They are expensive, but if you compare prices of comparable materials, the expense is not that different considering the time saved for assembly not to mention the lack of a mess.

Thanks folks!!!

Does anyone paint this?  It almost looks too good to paint.

If the 1/2" plywood top is larger than the frame, say a 24" frame with a 30" plywood top (or 30" frame and 36" plywood top) would that be stable?  A 3" overhang at the back walls and 3" on the front wouldn't be a big concern for me as far as looks or function.

If you find there's pieces you don't use, will they take them back?

How do you fasten the plywood top to the benchwork?

Bob Delbridge posted:

Thanks folks!!!

Does anyone paint this?  It almost looks too good to paint.

If the 1/2" plywood top is larger than the frame, say a 24" frame with a 30" plywood top (or 30" frame and 36" plywood top) would that be stable?  A 3" overhang at the back walls and 3" on the front wouldn't be a big concern for me as far as looks or function.

If you find there's pieces you don't use, will they take them back?

How do you fasten the plywood top to the benchwork?

Not an engineer, but I think that the slight overhang would not effect the stability. If you plan on walking or crawling on top, I'd be careful on the overhanging edges.

Don't know about painting, but there was a thread a couple of years ago from a gentleman who moved with his layout and the new location was in the living space of the new home, so he stained the benchwork to match the room - looked quite good. I left mine natural, but it resides in a crappy basement!!!

The benchwork comes with small plastic fasteners which you attach flush to the tops of the legs, then screw up into the plywood. I had several 48" stringers and the plywood didn't lay snugly on top, so I bought some optional metal L-brackets from Mianne which clamp onto the top of the I-beam stringers and into the plywood. They both work well.

Thanks Paul!  I've used some metal "L-shaped" brackets to hold down plywood before, so i think I know what you're talking about.

Sounds like all I need to do is contact Mianne and get the ball rolling

Do they close down during York?  I would hope/think not.  I'll give them a call tomorrow.

I figure i can start on the end of the room that doesn't currently have any benchwork in it and when it comes time I can tear down what I have in the 12x12 section to extend the new stuff.  I'm not one to take my time so I doubt the old layout will stay up long.

Bob Delbridge posted:

If the 1/2" plywood top is larger than the frame, say a 24" frame with a 30" plywood top (or 30" frame and 36" plywood top) would that be stable?  A 3" overhang at the back walls and 3" on the front wouldn't be a big concern for me as far as looks or function.

I wouldn't think stability would be an issue, it'd be no different than a 24x24 frame made with 1x4s and covered with a 30" wide piece of plywood, though you might want to add extra fasteners. Like Paul said, the overhang shouldn't be an issue unless you climb on it and put all your weight on that 3" edge. When I was considering Mianne for one of my designs, I had planned a 1" overhang in the back along the wall and a 5" overhang along the front because I wanted the legs set back from the edge.

Dave, that sounds like what I want to do with the overhang.

Hey, I've lost about 45lbs so I don't think I'll be breaking any plywood

I started a layout with Mianne, and I will attest to its strength and ease of setup.  I agree with those who do not see a need to attach it to a wall.  It is not going to move, once it is assembled and a deck is applied.

Bob,

Here is some pic’s of my 10’ X 21’ x 30” Mianne around the room layout. I just started to put it together. I used 1/2” MOD 7 ply plywood for the top. It stands alone as the other guys said it’s real steady once the plywood is on. I’ll be working on it tomorrow. 

Looks good, I'm going to be using the same stuff to do mine soon.

Dave makes a good point about the center to center Mianne uses for the dimensions. It's the center of the cross pieces/legs to the same centers on the opposite side. The actual size of say a 4'x8' table will be about 3/4" to 7/8" or so more on each side. The 4'x8' table would actually be 4' 1-1/2" (to 1-3/4") x 8' 1-1/2" (to 1-3/4"). I didn't think to mention that earlier in the other thread. 

I think the others have covered about everything pretty well. Just let Tim figure out the parts needed to fit your space. They put it together for strength and stability and supply you with very detailed plans. They also include all hardware including the hardware to fasten the top down with. All you need to get is the plywood. As others say it will be plenty strong as a self standing unit with the 1/2" plywood installed. 

There was one forum member that stained his Mianne benchwork and it really looked nice! He built shelves for trains between the legs too and it really looked nice. I believe it was in his family room or maybe even living room and looked like nice furniture. If I can remember the thread I will post a link. There were some great pictures in the thread.

Nice photos!!!

 The bench work really looks sharp and appealing to the eye.  I may need to do something about the plastered walls so they don’t distract.

RTR12's comments remind me that I believe he had Tim add extra rails along the bottom so he could add shelving beneath the layout, something you might want to consider. You can see some in one of the photos I posted earlier.

Bob Delbridge posted:

Hey, I've lost about 45lbs so I don't think I'll be breaking any plywood

Congrats on the weight loss, I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs myself.

Thanks Dave!

 The problem with this is I now have to buy smaller pants!!!

Bob Delbridge posted:

Thanks Dave!

 The problem with this is I now have to buy smaller pants!!!

It is a good problem to have.  I did that too; lost about 40 pounds 5 years ago.

Good deal Mark!

Someone asked me once “How many really overweight people do you see still alive in their 90s?”.  Not many so I decided if I wanted to live longer I’d try to lose a few lbs.

Hey... I’ve got grandkids and trains to play with!!!

Bob:

I used Mianne Benchwork for my current layout in CA and my prior layout in PA using essentially all of the same parts re-configured to fit the new space. I did need to trim down the legs 4" which I did on my miter saw and then re-installed the levelers which worked quite well.

Nothing is attached to the walls and the train table is very strong and stable.

I submitted an article to OGR which I expect to be published in the February issue with more details about my experience building a layout in the living space that I also refer to as "three dimensional art in motion with sound"©

Good luck with your project!

When I installed the 1/2 inch plywood top, I brought the plywood out to the edges of the legs and trimmed the plywood edge with 3/4 inch moulding:

On the side of the table that does not show in the room, I built a section I call the "power distribution center", shelves for transformers and a convenient ledge for my Legacy controller to sit.

Stangtrain,

Your layout looks great!  I see how you extended the plywood and put moulding on, and it really gives a finished look!  The shelves both front and back look great and are very functional.

This is my first comment on this topic, but I have joined in on other discussions about Mianne.  I will be starting a new layout in a finished room late this fall, I hope!  Thank you everyone for your input!!  I hope to visit the Mianne booth at York this week.

GAD!  How much power did you need for that layout?  I see ZW's, KW's, and at least four PowerHouse 135 transformers!  

Yes, Dave is correct about the added cross braces for shelving on my Mianne. I talked to Tim about that before ordering and he added holes in the legs for the extra cross braces. That is why it's good to talk things over with Tim before ordering.

Also it was StangTrain above that had the beautifully stained Mianne with the train shelves added. He posted the pictures I was going to look for today. Thanks StangTrain, really does look nice! 

WOW!!!  Nice job on the layout and your neighbors must hate it when you run trains cause the whole area must suffer a "Brown Out" with their lighting

That's a lot of power you got there.

I called Mianne earlier and the machine said they'd be closed all this week, but I may call back and leave a message letting them know to contact me and that I've email them a plan (or 2).

Give them some time to get back as I'm sure they are on their way to York and won't be back in MA until next weekend.

LOVE the shelves stangtrain - can you elaborate on if Tim did them or if you did afterwards?

Paul

Thanks Paul!

I called, but the machine didn't ask if I wanted to leave a message so I guess I need to wait until next week

I too am extremely pleased with my Mianne benchwork.  Tim did a great job adapting a published track plan to fit my space, and that was a free service!  I concur with the others who have said the benchwork doesn't need to be fastened to the walls.  My layout is a 20' x 18' folded dogbone with walk-in access, and it doesn't move at all even when I climb on it to work on scenery.  Regarding custom heights, I wanted a slightly lower height than the standard 40", and Tim accommodated me at no extra charge.  (From viewing the Mianne website, I gather that heights greater than 40" incur additional charges.)

I had built the benchwork for my previous two layouts from scratch, but at this point in my life it was either buy Mianne or not build this, my third and probably final layout.  If I had it to do all over, I would go with Mianne again.  The time savings that came from the screwdriver assembly was huge.  From the day I received the 7 cartons until I had laid all my track and had trains running as you see them below was less than 2 weeks.  (The truss bridge later replaced a plywood filler section.)

Tim didn't see all of my emails early on, so if you email twice with no response, call.  Once I had made that first phone call, our communications were clear sailing.

I've posted early images of my current layout in another thread, but it seemed pertinent to include one of them here:

Stangtrain, I like what you did with the moulding on the table edges!  I'll probably go with something similar.

Joel,

Your's looks great too!!  I like seeing your turn-back curves and the angles involved, because that is what is on my plan.  Even though I have a fairly local Forum member who I am going to team up with helping on each other's layouts, I don't really feel up to figuring out and building my benchwork from scratch again either.

Seeing these layouts makes me eager to get going on mine!

It's been said several times ... but I'll chime in, too.  Mianne Benchwork is free-standing and - IMO - is better not to be attached to the walls.  In fact, that's one of the reasons (among many) that I bought Mianne so that there would be no layout noise sent to the walls.

Mianne is great.  Very happy to be a buyer.

Thanks for all the great photos and advice!!!

 I wish York would hurry up and end so Mr. Foley can get back to his shop 

gunrunnerjohn posted:

Seeing these layouts makes me eager to get going on mine!

What John Said

RETINPA posted:

I too am extremely pleased with my Mianne benchwork.  Tim did a great job adapting a published track plan to fit my space, and that was a free service!  I concur with the others who have said the benchwork doesn't need to be fastened to the walls.  My layout is a 20' x 18' folded dogbone with walk-in access, and it doesn't move at all even when I climb on it to work on scenery.  Regarding custom heights, I wanted a slightly lower height than the standard 40", and Tim accommodated me at no extra charge.  (From viewing the Mianne website, I gather that heights greater than 40" incur additional charges.)

I had built the benchwork for my previous two layouts from scratch, but at this point in my life it was either buy Mianne or not build this, my third and probably final layout.  If I had it to do all over, I would go with Mianne again.  The time savings that came from the screwdriver assembly was huge.  From the day I received the 7 cartons until I had laid all my track and had trains running as you see them below was less than 2 weeks.  (The truss bridge later replaced a plywood filler section.)

Tim didn't see all of my emails early on, so if you email twice with no response, call.  Once I had made that first phone call, our communications were clear sailing.

I've posted early images of my current layout in another thread, but it seemed pertinent to include one of them here:

Stangtrain, I like what you did with the moulding on the table edges!  I'll probably go with something similar.

Joel,

I didn't see an email in your profile. This track plan looks very familiar. Would you share the source? Offline if you prefer, my email is in my profile.

Thanks,

Carl

RE: Mianne.

Thought I’d mention this because it’s York week. When I bought my bench work from Mianne at York (this was several year ago) they waived the shipping fees. This was their policy at the time (buy at York and shipping is free). That’s not an insignificant savings when you consider the cost to ship heavy bench work.

Another satisfied Mianne customer.

Another benefit of bringing the plywood out to the edge of the legs is to provide a lip to attach (from underneath) controller switches for interactive accessories as well as switch track control - I attached my DZ 1002 controllers in this fashion as well near all switch track locations. While my trains are Legacy controlled (using SC-2s for switch tracks) it's nice to have the push button handy as well.

Plywood overhang is a good idea. Also something I sort of regret not doing, but didn't think of it at the time. Maybe I can change a few things during my expansion one of these days.

Mark Boyce posted:

Joel,

Your's looks great too!!  I like seeing your turn-back curves and the angles involved, because that is what is on my plan.  Even though I have a fairly local Forum member who I am going to team up with helping on each other's layouts, I don't really feel up to figuring out and building my benchwork from scratch again either.

Might be worth sending your plan to Mianne to see what they can do for your layout. IMO, the Mianne is well worth the cost and it's so easy and fast to assemble with no mess! I think I said this earlier, but I am sold on using Mianne from now on. My wife even likes it and wants to make a table out of it for her projects.

rtr12 posted:

Plywood overhang is a good idea. Also something I sort of regret not doing, but didn't think of it at the time. Maybe I can change a few things during my expansion one of these days.

Mark Boyce posted:

Joel,

Your's looks great too!!  I like seeing your turn-back curves and the angles involved, because that is what is on my plan.  Even though I have a fairly local Forum member who I am going to team up with helping on each other's layouts, I don't really feel up to figuring out and building my benchwork from scratch again either.

Might be worth sending your plan to Mianne to see what they can do for your layout. IMO, the Mianne is well worth the cost and it's so easy and fast to assemble with no mess! I think I said this earlier, but I am sold on using Mianne from now on. My wife even likes it and wants to make a table out of it for her projects.

I think you are right about letting them look at my plan.

My wife and I help Tim and Lynn out in the booth both at York and Springfield. They got here Sunday and us Monday night. We will be setting up the booth tomorrow and Thursday morning. I spoke with him and alerted him to this thread and he thanks all for the nice comments that have been posted. The focus this week is on the show and a short time after until they get back to Massachusetts, unpack and get things settled. After next week, don't hesitate to call him at the shop. He is the only one who answers the phone.