plywood for L-girder?

[Myowngod]

I've use the traditional pine 1x2's and 1x4's for past L-girder benchwork, but my Dad brought up the suggestion of using ripped down plywood to make the girders. We would glue and screw all joints. Almost like making our own engineered beams, like in houses. Has anyone ever tried this or heard of this used in the past? Any good or bad point anyone can think of? I know it would be alot cheaper to do it this way, but would it be stong enough?

thanks
Ron

 

[jbaakko]

My recent planning called for something similar. The "T" or, well "Y" leg framing holding up the layout will be 2x4 center post, 2x2 wyes, all laminated between Masionite, screws & glue. How ever it MAY be cheeper to use 1/4" plywood, finishing style for the smoother stonger build. If you do it, lemme know how it turns out.

 

[grove den]

strong enough

I think it will be strong enough!! > IF< you work very precisly: with the right screws and glue and a sawingmachine.(straight and rightangeled)
The space between the girders had to be apr. 25 inches(=50 - 60 cm)
The hight of the L, to me it seems to be better to make a T!, has to be at least10 cm= >4 inches.
May be a thought: use fot the T : 1/2 inch playwood I would not use thinner than that .

If you use very thin playwood: 4 mm, you can make 2 right-angeled beams from 4/5 inches to 2 inch and "put"the girders on it ( they use(d) this technic in building gliders!)
A problem could be how to fix them together because the material is very thin( that's why I think use only >1/2 inch playwood, can use screws and glue!).
Hope this information is usefull
Jos

BTW you like gardening too? What is its style and how "big" is it?

 

[leghome]

Ron;
I used 3/4" plywood to make the boxes my layout is on. I riped the plywood to 5" strips and glued and used my air nailer to hold it until the glue dried. I spaced the cross members about 24" apart. Parts of my layout are 24" deep and others 30" deep with 1 1/2" foam topping it. Two of the sections are about 8' long, two ae about 4' long and the pennisula is 7' long making it kind of a C shape. This method made it light weight and more of a modular form. The 4 of the 5 modules are set it on 2X2's with the 5th module is resting on storage drawers that came for a remodeled Hallmark Card Shop.The 2x2's are made into a shelf like bracket attached to the wall with a 2x2 angled from close to the floor to the edge of the modules. If I ever move or decide to start another layout this one will be easy to disassemble, just cut the track and scenery where the joints meet and it could become a portable layout. Here is a link to a few pictures of what the modules like. http://members.iquest.net/~leghome/construction.html
I have more pictures some where but cannot remember where I have them stashed. This will give you an idea of what I am talking about. Good luck with your layout.

 

[Myowngod]

JB - I think I will use the T-girder instead.

Grove Den - I'm into "Ron" gardening. Not much of a style I guess, what ever looks good to my eye. I've always made Flowerbeds at ever apartment I've had, but at my new condo I'm on the 3rd floor. I guess I can have alot of air plants,hehe. Actually I do have some house plants, that's it. I appease the craving for gardening at my inlaws house. They live only 10mins away.

Leghome - I love the cloud wallpaper. I bet that made it easy to make a sky. Check out my post on the progress of the layout.
http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4961

Thanks guys
Ron

 

[grove den]

Gardening

I know it does not belong in this forum but what do you think of :one bonsai? Ha ha you do not need a garden for it.
I started gardening biy making my first bonsai. Now I am still making them ,not living creations but artificsaly: scale HO and N and that's how I came on/in this Forum

Jos

 

[ARTHILL]

The only thing to be careful bout is the screws, you cannot use normal wood screws, you need thinner screws like dry wall. Some of the newer ones are self tapping and they reduce splitting even more.

 

[jbaakko]

DON'T USE DRYWALL SCREWS! They're made of a more brittle metal, and the heads WILL break off, at around 15lbs of torque (hand tight). Trust me, I learned this the HARD way many times over, considering we ran out of the wood screws in HS woodshop/carpentry class. Use the silver wood screws, but you HAVE to predrill.