Whats yourbpreference for an occasionally portable layout

 

Just wondered if members had a particular preference for how their layout was supported ?

If you have a home layout that may just occasionally go to a local show what would your preference be  from the following  list?

 

1    Supported on Folding  Wooden Trestles

2    Supported on Extendable telescopic  metal stands

3    Supported on Pairs of Wooden legs strengthened with cross braces

4    Supported on Individual  Wooden Legs

5     Supported on  a purpose built stand

6     Baseboard placed on  tables supplied by venue or taken from home

7     Any other method ?

Of all these ways has anyone had any particular good or bad experiences  - I know I have seen layout trestles collapse  when they were not designed strongly enough to carry the weight of the layout or boards that  been pushed off their supports by the spectators in front of a layout that had no protection from crowd barriers.

Finally any tips on construction methods for trestles or legs etc,

 

"Finally any tips on construction methods for trestles or legs etc,"
'Phone a cabinet maker?

I intend to exhibit Much Wittering by invitation and that is the main reason I've been making it lightweight.
I will either use the venue's tables or take suitable tables myself.
… always with crowd barriers.

However, I get the feeling you are a leg man, Richard.

Hi Wheeltapper

My layout, Much Murkle is an terminus to fiddle yard layout designed to be erected permanently at home but is freestanding and portable just in case anyone would ever consider it good enough to exhibit in the future. Of course that would rely on me finishing it which is another matter altogether :roll:

The boards are made of 6mm ply and are 250mm deep. The 50 x 50mm legs are in braced pairs and locate into sockets the full depth of the board. The legs are a snug fit in the sockets and there is little movement. Each has adjustable feet so the the layout can be levelled easily.

The first board has legs at each end and the other boards just one pair. I haven't found a need to brace the pairs of legs together along the layout. They seem quite stable, although they have not been tested in any other environment yet.

Personally I would be wary of legs that are not fixed to the layout by some means in an exhibition environment. I'll be very interested to hear the responses on this from those here who do exhibit their layouts such as ElDavo and Dukedog to mention but a couple.

[user=394]ddolfelin[/user] wrote:

However, I get the feeling you are a leg man, Richard.

 

You are getting to know me  far too well Peter    :oops::oops:  but dont tell SWMBO !!  

 

I didnt mention that Lesspoint has its own purpose built metal framework stand  which slots together like a market stall that the baseboard sits on but when you add all the pieces that make it up together the weight is quite substantial -  but it makes  a good solid base though.

 

I've used an old ironing board to support both Porth Byhan & Wheal Tiny, and I'm thinking of buying two to support Polbraze. It certainly gets odd looks when I first erect the ironing board at an exhibition…

[user=373]Wheeltapper[/user] wrote:

I didnt mention that Lesspoint has its own purpose built metal framework stand  which slots together like a market stall that the baseboard sits on but when you add all the pieces that make it up together the weight is quite substantial -  but it makes  a good solid base though

I had exactly that type of stand made when I was building Pontymister Docks for exhibition use. It cost me over £240.00 for a 12ft x 12ft (outside dimensions) square which is 2ft wide all round. The advantage of it is that it can be made up into dozens of different shapes.
Sadly it will now probably never be used by me and I will end up selling it at half it's cost exclam:exclam:

If anyone is considering such a stand, don't order one until you have contacted me. :roll::roll::roll:

In mho the tables supplied by the venue are usually too low.   The floors can be uneven so some adjustment may be needed to be built in.  A proper stage is higher at the back than at the front ,so if exhibiting on a stage as part of a hall it would be prudent to carry extra means of levelling off the layout.  Our club found trestles quite forgiving when it came to bad floor levels ,various means of adjustment there.  Worth making up several pairs of wide but shallow wedges, mount one above the other facing different ways.

Hi, on my base boards I put two on the first then piggy back each next one up against it, I make my legs from 2x1 hinged at the top and adjustable feet on the bottom, I put 2 supports in held in place by choc or removable conti blocks see below


 

Nigel:cool wink

I bought a set of four of the telescopic metallic stands when Aldi had them on special. They are ok at home but I wouldn't like to lug them about much or try to fit them all into a car.

I'm a bit late to the party on this one!  For Cramdin I use the folding steel trestles that some have acquired at bargain prices from Aldi et al.  In my case I had to pay street price and they were £16 a pop.  In fact they are so good that I have just bought 4 more for Waton but they are now nearer the £24 a piece mark from Screwfix and others!

Yes they are heavy.  Yes they are expensive(ish).  I didn't price the cost of timber to build my own for Waton 'cos after much thought I changed my fiddleyard plans so I could use the steel jobbies.  The timber, hinges and sundry fittings would have cost me a fair bit and frankly my woodworking is no good.

The big plus for these things is that they are immensely stable.  They can support up to 150Kgs each and are fairly rigid.  The layout just doesn't move when sitting on them and that is what I am after.  I don't clamp the baseboards down they are stable enough under their own weight (which isn't much).

One huge bonus I hadn't really spotted when I started is because the trestles are so stable you can bolt/clamp lighting rigs etc. to them.  No need for the lighting gantries to reach the floor and no need to have it fixed to the baseboards.  Similarly control panels, storage boxes and other stuff can be clamped on.

If you can arrange for legs to fold into the baseboards then these obviously take up the least space though of course it makes the boards heavier. The steel trestles do take up a bit more space than folding wooden trestles but not a great deal more.  You can easily carry two of these at a time so the weight isn't that bad.  Of course it helps if you have a van or people mover to shift the layout in.  ;-)




It's a case of you pays your money and takes your choice.

Cheers
Dave

Dave,

Can I ask the width of those trestles please ?
(Or if they were laid on their side, how tall are they…) ?

Ta

Stu

[user=465]Stubby47[/user] wrote:

Dave,

Can I ask the width of those trestles please ?
(Or if they were laid on their side, how tall are they…) ?

Ta

Stu

Stu,

I just went down to the shed and measured one of the latest ones I acquired. When fully folded and telescoped i.e. the top bar down as low as possible the dimensions are:

Floor to top bar:   82cm
Across the top bar:  68cm
Width/thickness across the folded legs: 19cm

Somewhere in there is probably the dimension you are looking for.   Looking at them end on as they are loaded in the car the width of each is approx 19cm.  The ones in the car are not fully telescoped down and have been left at layout height.

Cheers
Dave

 

The screwfix price is  currently still considerably less than the price wanted by some of the baseboard suppliers for ready made wooden layout legs  or trestles.

Dave,
Thanks for the measurements. The 68cm is the important one, to see if the trestles would fit in the estate car against the side window ( where yours are but in a boot with less height, so they would be laid down on their side).
Stu

Hi you can find some legs and baseboards here http://stores.ebay.co.uk/ModelRailwaySolutions?_trksid=p4340.l2568

Nigel:cool wink

Well looking at those prices the Screwfix trestles seem like a bargain!

Cheers
Dave

I know, I can make that kind of leg up and fit adjustable feet for just under a tenner a set.

:cool winkNigel

Then there are these :

http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?hl=en&q=trestles&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=9403748994274930754&sa=X&ei=DT5uTeyTOoamhAf1xJEw&ved=0CFcQ8wIwAw#

As an alternative, this might be worth considering - leaves plenty of storage space under the layout:

httpkyHooks.com

[user=394]ddolfelin[/user] wrote:

As an alternative, this might be worth considering - leaves plenty of storage space under the layout:

httpkyHooks.com

Hmmmm…. this is a better link…

http://www.skyhook-gb.com/  :thumbs