What to use

Hi

I have not made a railway for many a year, now 73 years. There seem to be various types of material that can be use for the base board with 9mm ply the one to go for. However I have a supply of 9mm 'Stirling Board', compressed wood chips that is waterproof, that take track pins easily and my question is :

Has anyone used this material and what are the pro's and con's of doing so?

Ps. I would use 2 by 1 as support.

Thanks

John

Hello John, welcome aboard. Sorry can't help you with your question about using "Stirling Board", however, I sure some one on here will be able to advise you. I've used plywood and hardboard in the past had had no major problems with either of them. Good luck with your baseboard whichever material you decide to use.

Hi John and first of all welcome to the club.I also have no experience of Sterling board but i would hazard a guess that if it is made of wood chips,although waterproof,once you start sticking track pins or screws etc into it and it gets wet around them areas it might swell up.You could do the usual thing and varnish it.

Cheers Barney

Hi John, from a rather chilly Essex.

:Welcome

I used MDF for my boards and I know a lot of people have used Ply, but someone might come along that's used Stirling Board.


Ed

This thread appears to be in the "Index" section Alan - ought it to be moved ?
 

I think sterling board is the same as OSB board that is used as hordings round building sites,shed floors and roofs so I would think it would take a few track pins and a bit of wet OK.

Welcome aboard John

:hi:cheers

I'm not familiar with the brand name Stirling Board but can vouch for the durability of 9mm chipboard as a baseboard.  Mine's outside as well!

If Stirling is close to that rather than the soft "Sundaela" or pin-board style it should be perfectly fine and 2x1 should brace it well enough.

If we are talking the softer material then beware.  Some modellers use it and some swear by it but the softer it is the more prone ti damage it is and it may not take kindly to being cut, bored, drilled and sawn as we often do to our baseboards for a variety of reasons.

Hi John and welcome to the club . IF your board    is OSB 3 or 4 ( moisture resistant ) then it should be fine, as long as its well braced and your are using it in sheet form and not open lattice as its not got quite the same strength as ply if cut into thin strips, but is widely used in house building as as replacement for ply these days. If in doubt about being the water resistant type then as mentioned, seal it with varnish or diluted WATERPROOF PVA ( yes there are two types , the cheap one you can dissolve with hot water to lift your ballasted track and the better quality that once dry is a PITA  to remove ) Also seal any cut edges as you go ( I do this even with ply as once you cut it you expose the inside of the wood sheets which might NOT have absorbed the glue / resin mix used to make the ply )



 Matt

Thanks Matt

I had a look in B&Q and the material I have is described as OSB 3. I also saw a video on u tube where some one was using the same

So thank you all for your comments

John

[user=6]Petermac[/user] wrote:

This thread appears to be in the "Index" section Alan - ought it to be moved ?
 

I really should read the headers more carefully Peter.Note to self,go to Specsavers.

Not to worry Alan - I see you've moved it so all's well that ends well. :thumbs

Re Sterling Board - or OSB (Oriented Strand Board) or "straw board" (call it what you will), is very hard but also, very strong (in the direction of the wood strands), not so strong the other way.  It's manufactured by resin bonding wood strands (very similar to wood shavings) in a carefully designed direction (hence the "Oriented").

My feeling is, whilst it would do as a baseboard material, there are other far more suitable materials.  My first choice would be ply followed by MDF then chipboard.  Sundeala used to be considered the king of baseboards but time has proven it to be unsuiatable.

Getting track pins into very hard boards, however they are made, can cause problems as can cutting holes etc. for point motors or whatever.  Ply has some slight "give" in the grain so it's much easier to work with.

I think John has some of this board already Peter , so is just checking its OK to use it ?



 Matt     

:oops::oops::oops::oops:

Sorry Matt - missed his comment …………….:thumbs

Hi Alan             I have four portable baseboards, on legs with castors, all the boards are made of 12 mm ply(44"x 24") on a 2"x 1" frame, but now the boards are getting heavy, not a problem in situ. But is there a way to lighten the load(without setting fire to them)                                                         Kevin

I've got 5 baseboards from Tim Horn. They are 6 MDF and very light. I'm not building a portable layout so weight isn't an issue. I've got 1 board covered with 1/8th cork for the OO layout and the rest are covered with Sundeala board for the O14 stuff. No problems with either.

Hi Henry      When I constructed my baseboards, I chose, what in some parts of the world what some people call "Modules", and with modern house construction, you don't know what you are drilling into. Chipboard has had a bad press, as far as damp is concerned.                                        all the best  Kevin

[user=1801]Passed Driver[/user] wrote: 

Chipboard has had a bad press, as far as damp is concerned.                                        all the best  Kevin

Chipboard is OK if it is sealed with varnish/paint if the area may get damp.
That said, I have use both chipboard & MDF not sealed with watery PVA and so far after many years, all is still OK.

Hi Ron.     When you new are to "Modern Ideas" you read a lot of misinformation, and you have to sort the wheat from the chaff, but  I know that you only supply wheat, it was the stories I have heard about my choice, 12 mm Plywood getting damp that concerns me:???:
        All the best. Kevin

Kevin, if you think dampness may get in to the ply, seal it a good painted sealant first !