7/8" DUO-FAST style staples are used to attach the decking to the Mianne. 1 1/8" is used for mounting the fascia blocks, 1" screws will be used to fasten the Homosote. The fascia finish will be applied with urathane adhesive.
What he said. Tom, it it time to go find underlayment padding? 
Floor Muffler has the highest decibel rating for both STC sound class and IIC impact transmission. It is also carries a double adheared certification. Meaning you can trowel glue it down then trowel glue a surface over it. Amazon has the best pricing. Stocked at most HD.
WOW, I looked it up and Amazon will ship 100sq/ft for $43, and HD has it for $65, that's quite a difference? Is this something that makes sense for my layout?
Top fastening may be the weak spot in the Mianne system? I didn't do as nicely as you are doing, but I did add quite a few angle brackets, like the ones supplied with the original kit. As you, I was also a bit leary of the 4' spans and anywhere it looked like there was a gap between top and benchwork, and then a few more spots just for good measure.
With the way you guys are going at it you should have maximum sound deadening and top notch stability when finished. I don't think vibration will be a problem there at all. Hopefully you will still be able to hear the trains coming... 
Or maybe not hear the trains coming?
When assembling my first section of Mianne, I thought of the wide spacing of the top anchor brackets. I'm not inclined to fasten it from the top, I will go the route RTR12 did and add some more underside anchors. I intend to show my daughters and sons-in-law how this is fastened together. Actually, I think they could figure it out since they are familiar with Ikea furniture. I don't intend to leave a hefty mess for them to clean up and dispose of like my dad left us. Though Dad is still living, he has been in personal care for 2 years, and we still have a long way to go on getting the house and property ready to sell. 
I guess it boils down to, that is just the kind of guy I am (for better or worse - take your pick).
So,I forgot to thank both of you, John and Tom, for sharing all these neat construction methods! I am picking up a lot with this topic for sure!!!!
I didn't want anyone to getting hit by a train!
Mark Boyce posted:So,I forgot to thank both of you, John and Tom, for sharing all these neat construction methods! I am picking up a lot with this topic for sure!!!!
I'm picking up a lot more here on the front lines. I've learned enough to know what I don't know, that's for sure!
That is one of the nice things about this forum, many different skills, resources and ideas are shared for the common good.
We pretty much took the day off. I had a little time in the afternoon so I did a few more blocks prepping for the fascia. A couple of these needed to be slotted for the joints under the layout, they all get glued to the surface, so they have to be flat to the table top. We have a lot more of these to put on yet. I feel like the turtle, slow and steady wins the race. Next week the hare will come back, then there'll be more progress!
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JD2035RR posted:
Funny - but spot on
I was going to ask about time off for the master craftsman. Never want to over exert or exhaust them completely! So I'm glad to hear the 'hare' is finally getting some rest! And 'turtles' need some rest too!
I'm trying to do some "busy work" before the next artistic shot. There are tons of little blocks to make and glue in place, something that even a dummy like me can do.
Got around to gluing those fascia support blocks and some more down today. I also cut a bunch of them to size as well. When the glue dries, I'll move all my clamps over and do the other section. After all of these, we still have more to do, but a few steps on the journey...
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Mounted more fascia blocks and secured one of the bump-out humps that was taken off after the initial fit.
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LOOK-N-GOOD. 
Some day I'm going to count all the fascia blocks, I had no idea there'd be that many! I've been putting them on for days and I'm not done! 
John thank you so much for the update. This is what I wanted to see being done or should I say how it was done. Now I have a question are you going to use a piece of thin flexible wood on there for the first layer? And if so then what will it be followed up by ? I understand the part that the next piece will be taller to cover the homosote but what will it be made of? Or from.
Here are the two pieces, they're both three-ply, obviously the inside piece is much thicker. If you wet these, you can apparently make pretty tight corners with them, that's the plan for the corners on the layout. This is Tom's design, so I'll be watching intently as this goes on to see how it's done in detail. I'm trying to get all the blocks on so we can move to this step.
The thick one goes on and just comes up to the top of the plywood, the thin one also extends up over the Homasote and slightly below the thick one. That's the "finish" piece, and I'll probably stain that one.
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Okay that's what I thought John. Thank you very much for your reply. now I understand we have that wood here at work that's why I figured that's what you would be using or something similar but that's exactly what we have in a few different thicknesses to.
And the sad part is they put tons of those strips about 3 or 4 inch wide into the dumpsters on a regular basis.
Which dumpster? I may need more! 
Lol. Over here you cant pull stuff out of dumpsters and walk out. Its considered stealing. Unreal.
The tall outside layer of plywood is 1/8" Birch. Seconds of this material is often used as shipping skins for other plywood skids.
John, I can always provide more of either material.
I was joking about the dumpster Tom. I haven't measured, but I suspect we have enough of it here to do the fascia, at least I think so.
So, John/Tom, are the blocks for the fascia ~6” centers(within reason), and the length going back to the Mianne benchwork? Are they attached to the Mianne also?
Tom Tee posted:The tall outside layer of plywood is 1/8" Birch. Seconds of this material is often used as shipping skins for other plywood skids.
Yes Tom. We use that to ship radiators throughout the system. They go in the dumpsters too. No one wastes money like the nycta.
The fascia mounting blocks extend back to the benchwork. For longer ones, there's a backing block to prevent the Mianne I-beam from twisting if there's weight on the cantilevered top in those places, those go on after all the blocks are in place. The shorter ones are also glued to the Mianne benchwork I-beams and the top.
The Mianne frame work is OK for it's designed purposes but has it's limitations. The cross members are not designed to provide torsional support. This form of deck installation exceeds the anticipated bench work use.
Yes the fascia blocks go back to the Mianne frame members for a precise full depth 3 1/2" contact/interface. At that point any downward force on the edge the plywood deck could be putting pressure on to the bottom cord of the Mianne cross member. However this decking material has exceptional stiffness. Very minor action expected
So....drum roll...if John could provide a photo.......There are precut, a series of back up blocks designed to be installed tight to the opposite side of each fascia block behind the perimeter Mianne cross member to assist in transferring force to the bottom of the decking.
The Mianne perimeter frame becomes an inert sandwich core. On overlapping Mianne deck installations the blocks have no attachment to the Mianne bench work. the deck can be lifted off and the benchwork reused.
The Mianne cross member, although weak torsionally has enough vertical strength to become the fulcrum for the cantilevered deck. The rigid multi ply decking makes this very doable.
Ask... and you shall receive!
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Wow that’s some beautiful craftsmanship!!
Alex
You can thank Tom for the craftsmanship, I'm to gang laborer working in the trenches. He shows me what needs to be done and I do my best to execute some of it. It's been a learning experience, I figure after another four or five layouts I could venture out solo.
The ah hah moment... But to tie a bow on it, and if it’s no trouble, could you take a photo of a mock up of the application with a fascia block to mianne(or simulation piece of benchwork), then the back up block(s) orientation on the backside of the mianne sandwich?
Well, I could, but soon I'll have an actual picture of them installed.
Great! Thank you sir.
Normally I would say that benchwork is a means to an end (running trains). In this case its almost a shame to cover up all of your (Tom's) great work.
Bob
That is a very good question, Ted! I'll wait for John'd photograph!
Bob, I am with you! I think I said it before, My benchwork provides incentive to get the scenery roughed in at least!!
