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i HAVE BEEN working on a small 2x4 layout that is on two inch foam. I bought some lumber a little smaller than 1x4's to use as a frame underneath the foam for support. I got the straightest pieces I ccould find. When I'd cut it all to length with square corners, I assembled it only to have one corner warped three inchs up, out of line. I had to take the ends off and then lay the rest on a flat table, then recut the ends over a quarter inch off square to get the thing to lay flat so I could glue the foam to the fram.
Has anyone ever found any square, warp free lumber anywhere? This came from the home depot store where i work.
I personally wouldnt use anything smaller than a 2x3 these day and a 2x4 would be better.
I prefer to use metal studs on 12 inch centers. Very strong and wont warp. I have a 24'x32' layout and used metal studs thru out and have had no problems. There are posts on this as well in this forum.
Good Luck
Red Oak is usually pretty good and strong, and tends to have little warping.
No matter what you get, your going to have some warping occur over time. There is no preventing it....
Another option you could do is to get 3/4" Cabinet Grade Oak Plywood and make your frame out of that by ripping it into strips. This is usually a good and fairly lightweight option, it just takes a little more time and effort
true, but red oak is not cheep and using that for a benchwork is IMHO very wasteful. cabinet grade plywood is what, ~50$ a sheet last time i checked? and even that warps if conditions are right.
piko, but to answer your question as asked - Yes. i purchased lumber with negligible amount of warp before.
true, but red oak is not cheep and using that for a benchwork is IMHO very wasteful. cabinet grade plywood is what, ~50$ a sheet last time i checked? and even that warps if conditions are right.
That is very true, but if your willing to pay more to have less of a headache over time, then its worth it. I know alot of people who have made there benchwork and modules out of the the Cabinet Grade Plywood and have little to no problems with them warping or being damaged easily. I will for sure be using the Cabinet Grade Ply for all my layouts and modules to come lol
Unless using dry lumber (cabinet/furniture grade), building a frame without covering it with plywood or some other option will warp as the lumber dries. If I were you, I would cover the box frame with 1/2" plywood and then put the foam on it. The plywood will resist any tendency of the frame to warp. Make sure you use screws for attaching the plywood to the box and space them no more than ~4" apart. BTW: Nothing wrong with using 1x4's if the frame is constructed right with joists spaced at 12-16". I have a double garage "open grid" layout with a frame of nothing but that size lumber.
the key is DRY lumber. Mine is built with 1x2 (yes, 1x2, sometimes doubled to 1x4) that I sorted and selected personally, glued and screwed to 3/8 plywood and it hasn't budged in 20 years. Even after me sitting on it a lot.....
Part of the problem is with the lumber today. A lot of it comes from fast growth pine and then is rushed through a drying process. It used to be that #2 grade was decent quality because it was the old slow growth and properly kiln dried. All my layout framework was built with 1x3 and 1x4 #2 wood over 30 years ago. There is absolutely no twisting or warping or shrinking anyplace. As I continue now to add on to the benchwork I am buying clear select grade pine in the same sizes to avoid the warpage of what now passes for #2. Pull a few pieces of so called #2 or construction grade out of a pile and take a good look at them.... hockey sticks, just cut to length and add some tape. If you feel the need to use hardwood in places, maple is the least expensive and the softest of the common hardwoods. I wouldn't spend the extra money for maple over select pine for general benchwork framing though, just use it where distortion could create a problem.
If you know how to weld or have a friend that has a Mig welder, make all the framing out of 1/8th by 2" by 2" steel angle.
Larry, I've often thought about the idea of using steel channels and angle iron and just drilling holes and bolting everything together. You'd need a good cut-off saw to make it work but you'd sure never have to worry about anything warping.
When selecting lumber try to avoid any that came from close to the center of the tree.
Also try to choose 'Quarter sawn lumber', this is where the growth rings are perpendicular to the widest side of the lumber, avoid pieces that have the growth rings parallel to the wide side of the lumber, also the tighter the growth rings, the better the lumber will be.
Also make sure you never leave the lumber on bare concrete. Always put scrap pieces under the pile to let air under it. If one side of the lumber gets damp, it will swell on that side and cause to the lumber to bow when it dries.
Construction grade lumber is no longer what it used to 30 years ago. But it is still possible to get some decent stuff if you look through the pile.
Gord
I use 2-inch foam with no framing and have no problems with sagging but I support it on shelf brackets on 18-inch centers (screwed into wall studs). I assume your 2X4 is free standing so you need something to attach legs to and thus the framing.
Most of the lumber I've seen at big box stores is low quality unless you buy aspen, oak or similar ( = $$$$).
I had always thought the closer to the core of the tree, the better and stronger the wood.
I went to a local lumber yard to get mine. Unfortunately, they didn't have any hardwood plywood, but I got some nice 1x4 and 2x4s.
Baltic Birch plywood is the strongest plywood I have ever come across. It comes in 5' x 5' sheets. When ripped down into boards it will not warp and has absolutely no voids between the plys. While expensive it is nowhere near as pricey as oak and is much stronger.It is commonly available in 1/8" to 3/4" sizes. The number of plies is dependant on the thickness. 1/4" is 5 ply and is just as strong as 1/2" regular plywood. It is usually good both sides and is usefull for all kinds of things including model railroading and making jigs. It is available at better lumber yards. Ron.
ok your first mistake is to buy lumber at home depot (trust me I worked there)or any big box store
as long as you go to a quality LUMBER yard you should get ok pieces
as far as plywood unless your underwater, plywood is ok and can be stronger than regular lumber, cabinet grade is way overkill ,pricey too
hope this helps
Thanks guys, tons of great advice, I think I'll look into metal studs, or use 1X4's with a plywood top to stiffen it up, use glue and scresw. I just wanted to go lght weight, but that may not be an option. I can weld, done it for years, but never thought of using angle iron as a frame.
Thanks for all the advice and suggestions guys. What a great hobby and great people.
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