Why 1x4 and not 2x4??

[AllenB]

I was looking at lumber today for the layout. The 2x4s were less expensive. They are obviously more sturdy. The firing strips were cheap with lots of knots and most were not straight. The 1x4s are certainly easier to work with, but why are they most recommended over the 2x4s?

 

[Rico]

Personally I prefer 3/4" plywood ripped into 3" strips.
Pretty much the same dimensions as the 1x4 but less likely to split, crack or warp.
The reason 2x4's aren't used as much is likely due to the weight and space used.

 

[Larry]

1 by 4's look a lot better than 2by4's. Takes a lot shorter screws, lot easier to move, takes less paint to cover it all, easier to attach a plywood top, when drilling thru to run wires from track to buss wires it's a lot easier to drill thru 1" boards than 2" boards.
Just a few of my perks. The rest of my layout is all steel legs & cross members welded together. If you use 2by4's the PT lumber is cheaper, but heavier. You can get PT lumber in 1by4's, but they are higher in price. Have I confused you enough yet? Well, now I'm confused. What was the question?

 

[steinjr]

I was looking at lumber today for the layout. The 2x4s were less expensive. They are obviously more sturdy. The firing strips were cheap with lots of knots and most were not straight. The 1x4s are certainly easier to work with, but why are they most recommended over the 2x4s?

If you want stability, it makes a lot more sense to take two 1x3" planks and glue them to gether to a beam with an crosssection shaped like an L:

Lighter, stronger, better to fasten to stuff like legs, risers, plywood sheets and so on and so forth.

2x4s are good for building a deck behind your house. For a layout, they are way heavy and harder to work with than 1x something materials.

Smile,
Stein

 

[RexHea]

Simple answer is 1x4's will do the job while 2x's are overkill (I do use 2x4's for legs). Price differences are probably because of the "lumber grade" differences or type of wood. However, higher grade 1x4's in certain lumber are harder to manufacture than 2x since they are taken from the slab portion of the log and sometimes have a higher price that the standard board feet price. Generally, the price is based on total board feet, grade, and type of wood. That's not saying some suppliers won't jack-up the price on the more popular sizes.

 

[weekendrailroader]

When my Dad and I built my benchwork several years ago, we wanted a strong table, so we made the frame out of 2x4's. However, we thought that 2x4's would be too weak for the legs, so I have 4x4's holding the benchwork up! They're held on with carriage bolts!

And if that wasn't bad enough, one of the sections (somewhere between 6 and 8 feet long) has 6 legs total!

Let's just say I'm not looking forward to the day when I have to tear the layout down to move it.

 

[RexHea]

Wow! that will handle most anything: lawn mowers to car engines.

 

[NH Mike]

Many years ago Kalmbach Publishing ( the Model Railroader folks ) had a book on benchwork by Lynn Wescott. It brought what we call L girder into the hobby on a widespread base. It was very thorough in giving span dimensions for supports and distances between legs. Stein shows a pic in his post of how the girders are built. About 30 years ago I built my benchwork with that method and 2 others as well. Done according to Wescott's specs it is light, strong, and quick to construct as there is little need for exact measurements and precision cutting. For legs I ripped 2x4's up the middle to produce a pair of nominal 2x2's from each 2x4. Cross girder joists are 1x4 and risers and supports are 1x3 or even 1x2 as needed. I use either select grade or clear grade pine stock. What is graded as #2 - construction grade these days is barely suitable for firewood. Spend a little more on the framework now and you'll have a lot less problems as the layout ages.

 

[SlavaK815]

Why pick one size or another? I use 2x4, 1x4 and 1x3 for my benchwork. All glued and screwed. It is sturdy and not too heavy for my taste. 2x4 is actually cheaper than 1x4.

This is my first benchwork though, would like to hear suggestions from more experienced folks.

 

[Selector]

If it is cheaper to use 2X4, and you don't intend to move your layout (ever, if it is substantial), then by all means. Doesn't hurt, and you can't argue it's strength and heft if it is assembled well.

However, if you can get milled lumber cheaper in dimensions slighter than 2X4, and particularly if you want to disassemble it and move it in modules or sections in the future, 1X4 and 1X2 make a lot more sense. Such construction is plenty strong particularly if you use the L-girder construction suggested by (the late) Stein (RIP, buddy).

This is my 6' diameter helix constructed with 1X2 legs blocked at the top against the 1X4 outer frame.

 

[SlavaK815]

The layout/benchwork I am building is meant to be movable. It will consists of four tables modules with legs and shelves plus three top sections across. The table modules can be disassembled into top frame, shelf and the legs, I used carriage bolts to attach them together. However in the construction on the top frames and shelves I decided to use combination of lumber - 2x4 x 8 for longitudinal and legs, 2x4 for cross members next to the legs, 1x3 cross members in the middle and 1x4 on the ends. To me this felt like the best combination for price, strength, weight and work effort.

On a side note - is it a good idea to paint the wood after the benchwork is done (and before attaching the track) so it does not get affected by change in humidity?

Slava

 

[Burlington Bob]

Wow, that looks bullet proof! Is your train room heated and air conditioned? Those are the two biggest factors regarding wood stability. By keeping the relative humidity as near a constant level as possible year round you will be doing the most that you can to keep your layout from warping. Remember, the greastest dimensional change will be in the width of your lumber verses the length.

Number 2 or 3 SPF (Spruce, Pine, Fir) lumber is not dried to the low levels that are generally present in our homes. It would be advisable to set the lumber in the room that it would be used in for up to a week or so to let it acclimate to the room's humidity level before building your layout. Painting wouldn't hurt but is usually not necessary.

The greatest stability would be achieved by ripping 3/4" AC plywood to 1x4 strips and using the L-girder method described earlier by others.

What you have built should not pose too much of a risk for warping after the first month of being consructed. There is no doubt that it is over built; I've seen much, much lighter layouts built from hollow core doors.

Looks solid as Sears from here!

 

[otiscnj]

What's the benefit of overbuilding, except for potential 'what ifs,' or 'its cheaper?' Sorry, I studied engineering, but am not licensed....

 

[bnsf971]

What's the benefit of overbuilding, except for potential 'what ifs,' or 'its cheaper?' Sorry, I studied engineering, but am not licensed....

Overbuilding may be an advantage if you have to climb on the layout. Of course, I have had to climb on my layout that I built with 3/8" plywood and 1x3s. Nothing broke, even though I am not the lightest guy in town.

 

[RexHea]

It doesn't matter what size other than having it strong enough for your needs. 1x4's do the job for most applications, but if you have a reason to use 2x4's and weight is not an issue, then do so. More important is to use a good grade of lumber for all your construction.

 

[Psapple83]

For my first layout - I just finished the benchwork. I definitely overbuilt. I used 2x4's for the outer frame and 2x6's (2x) for the legs in 9 different places on the 8'x13' layout. I then used 1x4's for the cross beams under the plywood.

Its super heavy and I can't move it alone. But I'm also on the most unlevel ground I've ever seen AND I can sit on my table with no problems at all (I weigh 250).
Definitely not as sleek as Selector's, but I'm proud of it!

Benchwork

 

[Iron Horseman]

The 1x4s are certainly easier to work with,

You answered your own question. I inherited a layout made with 2x4s once. I soon found, as almost everyone else has already pointed out, they require longer screws/nails, harder to drill holes through for wire, there is more mass in the way when drilling down things from the top or positioning things on the bottom (like tortoise machines), I weighs a ton. I hate that thing. and...

not related to the inherited layout but when I purchase dimensional lumber I don't go to the construction grade stuff, I buy #1 grade (no knots, no warps, not crooked). In #1 grade lumber a 1x4 IS cheaper than a 2x4.

 

[Oh5oh]

Pardon me for being an L-girder killjoy, but I have to say that the innovators who brought us the modern miracle of L-girder benchwork to a large degree have sold the hobby a bill of goods.

For starters, an L-grider made of two 1x4's has the same cross-sectional area of a single 2x4 and thus weighs exactly the same. If you use 1x3's in lieu of 1x4's for your L-girder components, then a 3-foot-long section weight only one pound less. So the point of weight savings is a myth. And unluss you truly plan on moving your intact layout around, who really cares what it weighs anyway?

As has been mentioned, 1x's are at best comparably priced to 2x's, and typically cost a bit more piece-for-piece. So you double the cost of your benchwork. You also get to double your labor by fabricating your L-girders before assembling your benchwork.

Connections are also a concern, as you need to drive fasteners into the side grain of a 3/4"-thick piece of wood. So unless you first drill a pilot hole (see comment above about labor doubling) you're inviting a split at each screw.

I took this photo of my benchwork long ago

I used 2x4's throughout because I was able to scavenge them from the scrap pile of a home construction site. Note that the bottom members are vertical (for strength) but the top members are laid flat. There's no need to drill holes for wiring - just use screw hooks on the bottoms of the flat pieces and all of your wiring runs 1.5" neatly below the benchwork surface.

I'm not saying that L-girders are necessarily a bad idea. I'm just pointing out certain realities the show they're not the be-all/end-all that some might have you believe.

Jim

 

[Burlington Bob]

Dimensional stability is the main reason for the L-girder style construction. The orientation of the wood counteracts the tendency to warp in any given direction. As far as weight savings goes I doubt that there are any. Also the amount of labor for a given amount of layout space is higher but the payoff should come in long term stability especially if made from ripped pieces of plywood for the L-girders.

 

[waltr]

The other reason for 'L-girder' construction is that screws can be run from under the 'L' up into the any cross piece.