What type of wood do you use as a base?

[Irish Rail]

Evening guys,

 

What type of wood do you use a base?

 

I'm thinking 8'4 as next part of my layout..

 

I remember sundela use to be popular in the UK years ago..

 

Cheers

 

MJ

[murrayec]

Lung Problems.

 

In the early days of MDF it had some pretty nasty glue in the mix- lung cancer was the result if dust extraction and lung protection was not used. We're talking in the early 80's now, the manufactures realised this and quickly revised the product back then- but the myth still prevails today.

 

MDF is no more dangerous than any other building product- cement, bitumen, paint, insulation, plastic, glue, etc. Especially when these products are used in home workshops where there is no inspectorate, due care and caution is required by the user- that includes a lung protection mask or extract system.

 

Lidl do a hover that works as a dust extractor, it even has a power socket for the tool your using to switch the unit when the tool is powered on, its basic but I recommend all home workshops are equipped with one. Last time I saw it I think it was for around €60.00

 

Waterproof.

 

MDF comes in different grades, the standard grade- which is the common one, is not waterproof. Its surface will repel water for a few seconds but after that it will mess up, and if left for long period it has a disastrous affect.

 

There are MDF sealer products, paints, and varnish which will render it waterproof.

 

MDF does come in a waterproof grade but it is rather expensive.

 

Materials Used.

 

I use a lot of different types of materials in the workshop, I'm a sound believer in recycling and use everything I get my hands on, so its quite varied and some if not all are hazardous- information is the key to safety, know what your using and protect against it. Its that simple

 

This is a good argument for using someone like Baseboard Dave to do the work, he is set up for exactly this purpose. You will pay a bit more than you would doing it yourself but I reckon its better and get it right first time- sure look at the pictures above and see, most of us cannot provide that quality....

 

Eoin

[Junctionmad]

As I mentioned before I'm experimenting with epoxy foam core ply sandwich construction, I will revert later with the results of a test board I've made up, rather then expensive marine foam core, I'm using a ridig foam I got in b&G .

 

Personally , having used a lot of MDF in various projects over the years , using a variety of grades of MDF , I still blow hot and cold on the subject. I find it heavy for its sze and it sags if unsupported ,more then good ply. Until I sold my last house I had a scoring panel saw, so I could machine it very easily.

 

I still think it's hard to beat good birch ply. The trouble is , it's expensive

 

I would contend , if you have reasonable carpentry skills and a modicum of good power tools , building a top class baseboard yourself isn't difficult.

Edited June 6, 2015 by Junctionmad

[irishthump]

I used 10mm MDF for my the baseboards on my new layout. It's bog-standard grade from my local building suppliers but I find it fine so far. I used 18mm ply for the last layout

but it was normal "B&Q" grade so it was less than satisfactory for many of the reasons already mentioned. I looked into birch ply but, as was said, it was too expensive. I also had a few issues with the ply warping because of the temperature changes in my attic. It wasn't too severe but it caused some problems where baseboards butted against each other.

Another thing is that you will seldom get any plywood sheets from a supplier that don't have some distortion, usually from poor storage. The likes of Woodies and B&Q are even worse!

The new baseboards are supported on a frame of 2X1 softwood. Sounds a bit lightweight, but this frame is itself supported by the rafters in my attic so it is more than rigid enough. Track pins aren't an issue for my as I glue my track. I use clear "No More Nails" for fixing the track to the foam underlay which is itself fixed to the MDF board with the same adhesive.

 

One more issue which hasn't been mentioned; if you are planning to use point motors you need to give some thought to the thickness of the board. Using a "sandwich" of foam and other materials will make it very difficult to install point motors under the baseboards.

[Junctionmad]

 

One more issue which hasn't been mentioned; if you are planning to use point motors you need to give some thought to the thickness of the board. Using a "sandwich" of foam and other materials will make it very difficult to install point motors under the baseboards.

 

Yes and no, it just requires longer turnout operating units.