new guy
Active Member
If that 3/4" paper board is what's known as MDF (medium density fibreboard, which is very smooth and very heavy). It is bad enough in very dry environments, in damp, disastrous. It has a tendency to sag between supports and delaminates. Use 5/8th ply of a lesser grade (marine ply is overkill), such as is used for structural bracing, you don't need a prom queen's thigh (although on second thoughts)(no, that will take your mind off MRR'ing) and seal it with primer, top and bottom (see, now you've got me distracted).
LOL That is a buzz-kill but you are correct, the dampness is a factor. Thought about a countertop type of product for the top since I will be putting foam on the bench for roadwork and scenery. I don't plan on laying track directly on the bench itself, taking up the sections of foam seems better than tearing up the bench every time I want to change something Plus foam gives me some depth to work with in areas like the roundhouse pit and water effects. (LOVE the video where the guy forgot about the roundhouse pit and had to cut a hole in his nice benchwork and SCREWED it up BAD!) Looking to get a "rolling countryside" kind of feel to the landscape with the trains going up and down some small undulations and through cuts just like you see them do. 1/2% - 1% grade changes up and down every so often, no real roads are as flat as plywood for very long, plus I've got the room (30"x 15" +)
Stay positive!
"A 'succsesful' man is someone who establishes a goal and works to it's completion, no matter what that goal is."