Hi All

I have been looking around for some more information on Boards that he or others had made.
I am hoping to get something on getting started in making these, I have done a search on Google that lead me to this site
I would like to get hold a video or pictures
I have seen a few pictures, but more help will get me getting forword

Thanks

Do you mean this type of Barry Norman construction ? :



He showed this method on one of the "Right Tracks" videos.  I was impressed and, thinking they were lighter than "conventional" 3 x 1 subframes, made a few for my "Maxmill Junction Railway".  In fact, they didn't work out to be much lighter afterall and took much longer to build.  I am however, building another one at this very moment for a small shunting puzzle layout.

Hi Petermac

this is a start, with a nice picture

I have 2 module made by the Club from 7mm ply, with the same used for the underbracing with corner wedges at the joining ends

more later perhaps

I don't bother with all that ply and wooden blocks nonsense.  I build my baseboards as solid and as heavy as possible.  When I want to move them I just get the missus to shift them!

Terry

not likely to get married  again

Hi kiwi42,

That's an awful lot of sawing/gluing/screwing! From  past experience double the time. 7mm ply corresponds to just over 1/4",  at which thickness ply is prone to warping. 2 layers corresponds to  14mm, so why not use that in the first place? (or 12mm, which is  probably the nearest to 1/2"). If you are looking for stability from flexing,  increase the height of the sides to 5-6" and have cross members every 12", if weight is an issue go for  high density foam*. If you use ply, use B-grade Baltic/Finnish/Russian birch ply  (not the stuff from China, it's not dried enough) which is used in furniture construction. Dimensionally stable and much less prone to  warping.

The big drawback to this hollow girder method is that drilling holes  in the cross-members for wiring, weight reduction, etc. immediately compromises  stability. Adding DCC control points on the sides also means going through 2 layers, another potential place for structural instability. I also like to screw the top board every 4-6 inches to the  frame, impossible with this type of structure. Plus that hollow beam is  just the place for sound resonance and amplification.

Nigel

* I'm allergic to the pink and blue types, it can off-gas for a year, so I only use 12mm Baltic birch ply.

Hi Graeme
You did not happen to say what you were going to use the boards for. Should the boards be portable, what life span are you looking towards and what are you going to be putting on top.
I am a strong believer in the right tool for the job.
I watched in fascination as a bricklayer I knew built a scale model keep /castle from crushed stone and real mortar. He used second hand brick pallets as a base, then needed a forklift to relocate it.