Originally posted by Gwiwer

This was posted in another section by Gwiwer as part of his "The coming of the surf beach" article, which is here :

http://yourmodelrailway.net/view_topic.php?id=4454&forum_id=52



Penhayle Bay has reached a stage where I can at last begin to put in place the final piece of the jigsaw. As befits a Cornish coastal locality it has always been my intention that, in addition to the small areas which are already well known, there shall be a wider expanse of surf beach backed in typical Cornish fashion by a mix of sand dunes and rock.

This is what it looks like at the moment - with a fair bit of the existing modelling done (plenty still to do though!) - but with the car park suddenly sticking out into space.


This area is going to have a scenic section added along the front of the tracks. It will not contain any railway itself but will add to the overall scenery and will, with the use of some smooth curves, blend the area into the narrow section of layout above the workbench and along the wall of the house.

So to begin at the beginning I needed a new baseboard.  Here is how I arrived at that first but critical step.

You will need some basic tools, some woodworking adhesive and screws and a couple of hours. If the wood comes ready-cut it can save a little time as well. There is nothing fancy about this and I don't profess to be an ace carpenter. This is intended to be a "How I did it" for this board from start to finish.

I am using 9mm particle board and 2x1 softwood in lengths as straight as I could find.  

First the size of the piece required is measured and marked onto the board itself; in this case the nearest shop-bought size is too wide and will provide me with a useful strip of spare for odd jobs later. I use the jig saw to make the long straight cut but a circular saw would give a straighter cut. I can plane off as required later.

As there is an existing support to negotiate I have also made a cut in the board to allow for this.



To ensure the 2x1 bracing is positioned correctly I first drill a hole through one end of the board and into the 2x1 which is held in the correct position behind; this image shows the effect with the 2x1 placed up on top after the drilling.

All holes are countersunk to permit screws to be flush with the surface; the countersink is also visible in this image.


I then drive my first screw through the hole just far enough to lightly purchase in the 2x1 behind - only about this far …..


… and I then position the 2x1 onto that screw while drilling the first hole at the other end. A screw is also driven part-way through this hole so that the bearer is held lightly at both ends. What you have is a full-bored and countersunk hole at each end of your baseboard and a pilot hole in the bearer to receive the screws.

Then spread some woodworking glue on the 2x1 bearer; I wiggle it as that seems to make it spread out evenly when the two pieces are tightly screwed together.


Now you can drive your first two screws fully home safe in the knowledge that they will purchase in the pilot holes and the bearer is exactly positioned. This one needs just its final part-turn and is illustrated so that the effect of countersinking holes can be seen.


Next take a straight rule long enough to run the length of the board (or a good true piece of timber if you prefer) and mark the locations of the intermediate screw holes along that side. I screw through at about 12" intervals.


You now have the baseboard with one bearer fixed,  straight. and square.  Repeat this process on the other side of the board.

Then measure and fit cross-braces by the same technique remembering to glue and screw each piece of wood to every other it makes contact with. So you are going to be drilling through the baseboard surface to secure the cross-members but also driving screws through the pre-fitted side bearers into the ends of the cross-pieces. On a simple rectangular or square board you would take the bearers to the ends and achieve four square corners.

I need to make this into an odd shape to gain the smooth curve at one end. So the bearer was not taken all the way to the end and the curve was cut with the jig saw.


To brace the end here I cut an angled bearer with the hacksaw having first marked the angle and the cut all the way around the end so as to ensure I was cutting straight!


This piece is then offered up to the rest of the structure and fitted the same way; with care it is possible to drill vertically down into an angled surface and also to countersink the hole.


Finally everything should look neat and tidy from the top and viewing sides; any rough or irregular edges can be sanded or planed away.
Here is a screw driven fully home through the top of the board showing the marking as well.  They should all look like this!


And lastly for today we see the result of two hours work in the shape of the completed board, both top


and bottom
.

This is now ready for a coat of protective paint and fitting to the rest of the layout.

My thanks to Bob for copying this into another area where it can be used as a reference.

Perhaps I should add here that using the method I do it is possible for one person to construct even a fairly large and / or irregular-shaped board single-handed; a second person is not required to "hold the other end" or to true up the bearers if they are assembled and fitted as I describe.

I have successfully and single-handedly built boards up to 1800 x 900 mm by this method.