Layout base alternatives?

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Prime12

New Member
Greetings everyone, a first-timer checking in :).

Recently I acquired a fair amount of HO tracks and some old equipments from my cousin for $20. I've always been interested in model railroading since I was 9, so I thought, why not take this opportunity to get started?

After doing some reading and poking around, I've decided that something like a 4x8 or a 4x6 layout is what I want to try. Here's a problem, however; I don't have anything that I can build a layout on, and don't know what I should use. The owner of a hobby shop I went to suggested that I build one, but I am completely clueless when it comes to woodworking, and don't own any kind of woodworking tool.

What are some things I can use as a base? Although it'd be nice to have a layout on some kind of table, I'll put it on the floor if I have to. Can I just buy a 4x8 foam and build on that? Some of the modelers here seem to be having success with hollow core doors; can someone possibly provide a picture?

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to being an active member of the forum :).
 
a 4x8 is a stranded sheet of plywood, not hard to work with, little hard to set up on legs with out a few tools. where are you? how old? do you have access to a pickup truck having a few battery tools is always a good thing. (i abuse mine every day at work)
 
South Jersey and 24 yrs old :). The only tools I have aside from general household tools are the ones I use for working on my car.

No... don't have a pickup or a SUV :(. I can always ask a friend though.
 


i don't own SUV or truck either and IMHO one doesn't have to have one. plywood sheet can be split into two 2x8 pieces and that will fit into your average sedan. when sheet is screwed onto a frame no one will know its a two piece. although some woodworking knowledge will be highly helpful when constructing that frame...
 
If I were you I'd invest in a decent battery tool kit, ie dewalt, makitia or something along those likes, get a good drill, circular saw and jig saw. Also south jesery aint that bad of a drive, I'm more then willing to lend a hand to help get ya started.
 
you said "decent" yet you suggested top of the line brands there, LOL
nothing wrong with them of course (contractor friend reported dropping his dewalt drill 1.5 stories, picking it up and working on. ) but thats a serious investment. if budget is not unlimited i'd say look at lower stuff as well - both me and my dad use ryobi brand stuff. in my hand it seems as more or less solid build, the first battery kit (drill/driver, circular saw, reciprocating saw) we got still works very well after over sheesh, 6 years nor, with batteries refreshed several times (it does look rough thoguh).
 
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eh, I don't think I can afford both tools + railroad right now :o.

I suppose there is no way of getting around this?
 
home depot guys can cut the lumber to size for you. but you will need something to assemble it all together.

what tools do you have already ?
 
like I said in my post as well. I'm willing to drive down to south jersey it aint that far from me to lend a hand. I make my living with tools, so I apt to spend more money on them but yes rayobi makes nice home owner type tools.
 
You dont need to buy brand new tools either. Look on your local Craigslist. There are plenty of tools for sale there, and with the building construction and contractor industry really hurting right now. There are a lot of guys out there looking to sell off equipment to make ends meet.
 


If you're really that strapped for funds, I suggest you spend some time doing some track plans and reading the beginner's guide at www.nmra.com rather than trying to start building right now. In the big scheme of things, the benchwork is often the cheapest part of a model railroad. There's nothing wrong with being an armchair modeler until you have some more disposable income.
 
Like Jim said, there is nothing wrong with being an armchair modeler for a while. But if you really want to get going on the layout I would suggest buying a corded drill, hand saw, and a few drill bits. Get a box of screws and some nuts, bolts, and washers and you can do all the woodwork required. The reason for the corded drill instead of the cordless is they are generally cheaper and don't have batteries to worry about.

Buy a 4X8 sheet of plywood (have the lumberyard rip it in half for ya if ya don't have the vehicle to haul a whole one) and a couple of 1X4's and that is all the wood you need. Search this site and others from some good woodworking tips on building the table. It is quite simple once you look at it step by step and not just the whole thing.

Oh, I forgot you will need a tapemeasure also.

If your budget is really tight (like most people's) just buy one piece at a time. Harbor Freight has some cheap tools that might suit your needs. Or you could ask your neighbors if you can borrow a tool for an evening or something. You never know, your neighbor may be a railfanatic too :D
 
Tools are as important to this hobby as anything else. You don't need to have fancy-dan tools to get started, but you do need all the basics. Skills to use them will come with trial and error. Many of us on the forum are skilled enough to guide you through the use of tools and the construction of your benchwork. As you progress, we can help with the rest of the layout. You will just need to bite the bullet and buy the tools.

For basic tools, I suggest:
an affordable variable/reversible speed, 1/4 inch drill (battery is best but not necessary)
Philips bit for drill and used for driving Philips head screws in assembly.
24 inch level (at least this length).
assortment of flathead and philips screwdrivers.
If you can't borrow one: a circular saw (you have to cut the wood some how) Do you have a friend that will cut to size?
framing square will help keep the base square while assembly.
12 foot tape measure
COST Estimate: for low end, I would guess these could be purchased for around $100.

Again, the tools do not have to be the best unless you want to spend the money; just don't expect them to last forever. Many discount stores have cheap tools. Shop around.;):)

Don't worry about making mistakes (You have to start somewhere.), as even the most skilled craftsman will make errors and have to start over.
 
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I know it dont mean much but heres the story . I currently have been out of work since september of last year . I was going nuts around the house with nothing to do so what i did was this. I used 2 old fold up tables that were here and bought 2 cheap peices of plywood to get started . the fold up tables did a great job for a base until they started building one of those storage building villages (i call them) close to here as the stuff came in in crates i got the empty crates and used the wood for the bench work of my layout:cool:. so that put me out a whole 30 bucks i think for bench work and all i had to have tool wise was a circular saw tape measure sqaure,and a hammer and some nails to start with.

Now for the tools ,

I borrowed the saw from a neighbor to get started then was lucky enough to find an old one that my grandfather had tucked away in a corner of a storage building here (God love his heart he was a pack rat, never threw nothing away):p so it just goes to show IMHO that where theres a will theres a way.

also what i would suggest for you is this :), if you are a very tight budget look around at flea markets swap meets or pawn shops or the like there of for your tools they dont have to be the best that can be bought and usually you can find them fairly cheap cause just about everybody who does this kinda woodworking scenario has them already and they are not in that high of a demand.

Also wal mart and the likes have the Battery powered kits from black and decker or the likes fairly reasonable from time to time.

Keep in mind that you can look around for a while cause this hobby is like the old saying Rome wasnt built in a day! Ok now my fingers are cramping from typing so i`ll shutup now!!!:D
 
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Hi Prime, & Welcome to the forum.
You do want to have your layout on some type of table and Drew S's offer is a pretty generous one for sure.

I have pics on the site here of how I constructed my bench work which is light weight yet more than strong enough if you don't intend to stand on it. I guess I could but would rather not. I'm using an open grid work type of construction but if you just wanted to put plywood on top of the L girders, 1 [3/4] x 1-5/8 for the top and for the side 1 [3/4] x 2-1/2 for the side, you could do that too and give you a strong yet lite base. The L girders are made from Pine or Fir strips, and I do use Carpenters glue when I screw them to gether to form a strong joint. The bracing is 1 [3/4] x 1-1/2 and screw into the inside of the longer side of the L girder and then to the 2" [1-3/4]x2" half 2x4 leg of whatever height you determine is apropriate for you. I made mine 40-1/2" long but added on to this is another 3-3/4 for cross, Lgirder top plate & 2-1/2 joists and table work which amounts to 1", 1/2" of OSB board & 1/2' of Sound Board for the ground area. Then I cut longer strips of the bracing to go criss-cross between the two side frames, I made my base L girder table 24"
wide and hand have a 6" over hang of the table in most areas.

Now as far as obtaining materials on the cheap check your local lumber yards if there are any close as they usually have a scrap box and lots of useful stuff can be obatined for free just for the asking as if your state laws are like Calif. they are not allowed to sell
anything less than a full 4x8 sheet and often an individual may only want a 4'x4' piece or maybe even a 2'x8' piece so the extra is left over. This also applies to 2x4's etc. so you usually can find enough stuff to make a nice table with for free.
Something else you should do is buy some 1/4 to 3/8" carriage bolts and TEE Nuts to go into the bottom of the 2x2 legs for adjustment to level the table with carriage

You will porobably need to buy some dry wall screws, Philips head + type for ease of bite of the driver bit, and this is where a drill, cordless prefered, even check with Harbor Freight - item ITEM 91396-9VGA under cordless drills is a very nice unit for only $29.99 and has plenty of features, 18 Volt, 3/8 Keyless Chuck, Reversable etc, plus charger & Light, this would be very helpful with any construction.

Just remember not to force the tool beyond it capability, a nice steady pressure, straight in on the bit, is all that is needed in most cases and always have a piece of scrap 2x4 under your work so you don't drill into something else and DO NOT drill toward your hand or leg

A set of Titainium drill bits was $8 and a good buy. A set of Drill bits comes in handy. Always try and get HSS - [High Speed Steel] Drill bits or these Titaninum as they will hold their cuting edge a lot longer and drill a cleaner hole to work with. Also, a predrilled hole give a much stronger grip as the screw bites into the wood evenly all around rather than a () type of entrance you might tend to get by just driving the screw into the wood without a predrilled hole. Btw: The size of the drill bit should be the size of the shank of the screw or just slightly larger so the Dry wall screws bites into the surrounding wood as deeply as possible. Some carpenters glue is also helpful but not always necessary If you do have hand drill to work you can get seperate driver bits to chuck up to drive the screws in with which sure saves your arm muscles.

Hope I've made everything clear enough? Feel free to contact me if you need moire help, ok.
 
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Thanks for the suggestions guys! I was expecting maybe 3 replies at most. It just shows how close-knit the community is :eek:.

Irongrave, that's a very generous offer, but it's almost too generous for me to accept (no other meanings intended or implied). After thinking about this for a few days (and doing a lot of reading) I think I'll start off with a 3x5 N scale layout instead (This website certainly had a lot to do with my decision :D ). That way, I can just use my old bed frame as a base for the plywood.

I haven't touched any power tools ever since my right eye almost got impaled by a broken drill bit when I was 9 years old. Even now I don't use any air/power tools when working on my car.

Shame on me for opening my wallet before thinking this through.. I impulsively ordered a HO locomotive (Athern RTR SD40-2) last week, which got here today only to find itself on ebay again. Lesson learned I guess.
 
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No worrys man, most times I'm running all over the area working on cars/trucks. Power tools are an extension of my body by this point.

Cant wait to see progress on your layout and lesson's learned always a good thing
 
prime, this was a nice, sensible read. his advanced layouts are bit to clatterd to my taste and i would not touch the 'time-saver' at all (IMHO only), but generaly i agree with everything he said.

as for your HO loco, you could also offer it for sale here (hmmm, wondering whir roadname you got)
 
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