I have been calling all the hardware stores in the Ohio Valley for the past half hour or so looking for a 9x5 piece of plywood to go on top of my ping-pong table to start my model train layout, well the biggest they make is 4x8!!!
Sorry, I just had to say that.
Sorry for wasting your time, it's just so frustrating that nobody, even Lowe's carries it. Well, you can special order it but that's 60 bucks down the drain.
the male species know that 4 X 8 foot plywood is normal size. That size is mentioned in a lot of mrr articles on layouts.
lex
Try a true 'lumber' dealer. They quite often have it in 4' 5" x 5' size for building folding ping-pong tables.
That's what my mom suggested, and I tried 2 locations of 84 Lumber and neither have them. I have another idea but I'm at my grandmas now (no school) and will be home later tonight so I can measure it.
thanks
what i would suggest is buying that 4x8 sheet, plus a 4x4 panel. cut the panel into 1 foot wide strips (they will do this for you at lowes) and use the strips around the outside of the 4x8 to get your extra foot of width. the excess plywood can be used to splice everything together.
thanks jeff
Dont forget to seal both sides of the plywood before you start. will help prevet warping problems in the future.
2ยข
NM
The last time I toured a plywood mill, about 6 decades ago, they were producing 8' x 16' sheets, almost all of which were immediately cut into 4 x 8's. But larger sheets were available on special order. I suspect they still are.
More to the point, if you need plywood the size of the top of a ping pong table, why not just buy a ping pong table? I suspect you could find a used one for less than what the plywood top is worth. I just checked our local Kijiji (do you have that in the USA?) and found one complete with legs, net, balls and paddles for $29. If you don't want the net, balls and paddles, put them on Kijiji for $5 and reduce the cost of your plywood to $24.
Jim
Thanks Jim but I have a ping pong table and the model railroad needs to be portable so that's why I need a base.
I think Jim meant that you could use the used ping pong table for the base. we know you already have a ping pong table.
If you want the layout to be portable I would make it on 2 sheets, much easier to move. jerry
I realize that you have your heart set on a 5'x 9' train table...but Kalmbach books has a resource that may meet your needs. It is a downloadable book on numerous 4'x 8' layouts and looks interesting: http://www.kalmbachstore.com/mrpdf048.html (http://www.kalmbachstore.com/mrpdf048.html)
You could use a 4'x 8' piece of plywood on the ping-pong table - which would allow a little bit of table for: leaning (BIG problem with visitors), tools, extra rolling stock waiting 'off stage', your power pack.
Another option would be to use the extra space for scenery. I envision using pieces(s) of scrap plywood to fill in the 1'x [whatever] space (left over from a regular piece of plywood on the ping-pong table base). This area would contain only structures (easily removed) and scenery (which could be removed along with the piece of plywood filler. This would preserve the 'mobility' of your intended layout.
As you have surmised, from my earlier post, placing your train board directly on another surface will cause you heartaches in the future...but this course of action will (hopefully) be a learning experience. What are you going to do with the track feed wires? How about the switch machine wires? They all take up space. Running them underneath the plywood train table will probably make it unstable. I sincerely hope you have thought this through.
Ray
For my switch wires and so on I willl have a piece of Styrofoam on top of the wood and make holes in the styroofam and run the wires from the switch machine to the outside and run them olong the edge
When I was a kid (50's) my Dad set the Lionel trains up on a ping pong table every Christmas. We had a 9' X 5' piece of 1/4" thick plywood which was backed with an open grid of 3/4" X 3/4" framing and this frame backed board was layed on top of the table. Wires for lights, switches and accessories ran through holes in the framing then up through holes in the 1/4" board. (Of course, this doesn't answer your question re: where to get a 9' X 5' board today).
Robert
Trains rock : Have you figured out the weight of a 9' x 5' piece of plywood with layout & how you are going to manuever this through doorways , steps and hallways. Most modular sets are much smaller . John II
I just need to move it for a month during Christmas because my family uses that table for wrapping.
Try a hardwood dealer. baltic birch is multy ply plywood that comes in 5' x 5' sizes regular plywood can be special ordered in just about any size but hold on to you wallet. there is a lot of ways to join plywood together just do a little searching. Dale
Trainsrock - It seems that your ping-pong table is only used for a month/year. A 5'x 9' table takes up a lot of real estate for such limited utility (assuming you aren't in training for the U.S. Ping-Pong team). In your case, I think I would get rid of the table (easy Mom...by 'rid of' I mean fold up and put in storage) and build a smaller layout with wheeled, and folding, legs. This would give you the benefit of both worlds: a transportable layout (that can be either stowed along a wall or rolled out of the way), and a ping-pong table for wrapping presents or playing. The February 2010 issue of Model Railroader magazine has an article on benchwork with fold-up legs (pp. 40-45).
I guess I just don't see the profit in the direction you are going with this project...but you are happy with your plans - and that is all that counts. Keep us informed of your progress.
Ray
I have decided to have a 4x8 layout since it is easier to find and is cheaper. It will still be set up on the ping pong table with 6 inches of room on every side. I have already done the track plan but can not put it on here because i have to print it out, scan it, and save it as a picture, upload it to photobucket then put it on here and my scanner isn't working.
cody
Or you could just save the file as a bmp or gif, and then upload it to photobucket...
Quote from: Guilford Guy on January 10, 2010, 01:49:53 PMOr you could just save the file as a bmp or gif, and then upload it to photobucket...
How can he do that when he has his track plan drawn out by hand on a piece of paper, and his scanner is not working. How is he going to get it on to his computer without a scanner or other means to upload it.
Quote from: trainsrock on January 10, 2010, 12:37:57 PM
... can not put it on here because i have to print it out, scan it, and save it as a picture, upload it to photobucket ...
I suspect both Guilford Guy and I were led to believe the drawing was in trainsrock's computer, not sketched on paper, when we read the highlighted part of the above quote. Depending on what program he uses to draw things on his computer, he may well be able to do as Guilford guy suggests.
Another suggestion, if trainsrock has a digital camera available, is to photograph a printout or even even photograph his computer screen (with the camera flash turned off.) Assuming trainsrock is using Windows on his computer, he could use the Print Scr (print screen) button on his keyboard to grab a screen shot, then paste it into Windows Paint as an image. He can then crop and size the image (if needed) and save it as a .jpg for uploading.
Jim
p.s. to illustrate what you can do with a screen shot, the image below took about 2 minutes to grab, process and upload to a website.
(http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/posting.JPG)
Quote from: Jim Banner on January 10, 2010, 03:23:37 PM
Quote from: trainsrock on January 10, 2010, 12:37:57 PM
... can not put it on here because i have to print it out, scan it, and save it as a picture, upload it to photobucket ...
Thanks Jim, for pointing that out, I missed the print it out part, I went from "...cannot put it on here because" directly to "scan it, and save it...".
So now, he's in business if he has a digital camera or if the program he used supports the image type or if he is using a windows computer. So, he actually has a nice selection if he should want to show his track plan.
I am using Atlas Right Track software, my digital camera is not with me, and I tried saving it as a .bmp and when I went to upload it to Photobucket I couldn't find it. So sorry guys but I can't put it on here today. Tomorrow after school I'll have my digital camera so I'll do that then.
cody
Quote from: trainsrock on January 10, 2010, 03:54:46 PM
I am using Atlas Right Track software, my digital camera is not with me, and I tried saving it as a .bmp and when I went to upload it to Photobucket I couldn't find it. So sorry guys but I can't put it on here today. Tomorrow after school I'll have my digital camera so I'll do that then.
Did you try taking a screen shot, then pasting it into a program where you can save it as a compatible document?
No.
As promised, here is the 4x8 track plan.
(http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk49/trainsrock96/104_0429.jpg)
I know the yard is incredibly weird shaped but I don't know of any other way to design the yard.
Dear TR,
Are you using HO Atlas track or Bachmann HO EZ-Track?
Would you like board cuts/splices to change a solid sheet 4'x8' into a 5' x 9' (or so) doughnut?
(Hole material used to expand outside ring.)
You can use the divergent route of the turnouts as the main on a curve and use the straight route as the siding.
Detail: The curved portion of the turnout is actually up the straight by 1-1/2". You must compensate for that additional 1-1/2" on the opposite side of the oval, or put a turnout there, too.
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
Edit: Added "(Hole material....)"
Hi,
Why not make the oval as big as possible and put the yard inside so the tracks can be straight. You will have lots of trouble coupling and uncoupling on curves. Also, you would be able to use 22" radius in the oval. Bigger is better when it comes to curves.
Good luck,
JRT
Thanks James. I guess I never really thought of that.
Joe: I am using Bachmann Nickel Silver EZ-Track.
I am also not understanding what you mean by hole material?
(http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk49/trainsrock96/104_0432.jpg)
I have put the yard inside the oval. I am using 22 inch radius on the oval and 18 in the yard and industrial spurs.
The spur with the building is a lumber yard. Atlas Lumber Yard & Office.
The spur farthest to the top is the Walthers Dayton Machince Company which I will be using as a furniture factory.
The last spur is a coal mine.
I will have some sort of hill between the lumber yard and the rail yard and between the coal mine and the rail yard. I might even have a lake or something in the big open space, consediering my layout is set in the middle-of-nowhere, west virginia.
Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on the layout?
Cody
Ditch the last 2 yard tracks, and build a mountain(scenic divide) between the lumber yard and railroad yards. This makes the mainline seem longer and makes the layout seem like less of an oval.
Then I won't have as much car storage. I can move the lumber yard to the area between the mainline and the spur then I'll have rooom to build a mountain.
(http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk49/trainsrock96/104_0434.jpg)
I think I can build a long, narrow hill about 4.5 inches high between the rail yard and lumber yard track. And a couple hills around the lake.
I'm saying that because your yard tracks are so short you'll only be able to fit one or 2 cars on the furthest ones...
I was planning on using at least the farthest track or maybe the last two tracks for my locos.
my advise is to go back to the 5x9 you were originally planning on. you can then add an extra foot to your yard tracks. you can also add 9" straights in the middle of your turnback curves on the end and buy yourself some more room in the middle for that mountain..... it is very hard to do much in 4X8 especially if you are using the 18" radius ez track switches.
I would like to do that but it seems horribly expensive for a 9x5. 60 bucks to special order plywood, or to splice some together would be challenging for me and finding 9x5 styrfoam would be hard. I found some 4x8 styrofoam at Lowe's that is really great it is like hard styrofoam and won't break easily. I think i will be better off with a 4x8 although i would like 9x5 but sometimes you have to make secrifices.
I would like to suggest that you create your own 5x9 piece of plywood "sort of. Just buy plywood half the thickness you want, off set it and add strips as suggested earlier in this thread. But I would use spray contact adhesive and glue them together and then short screws in a grid pattern to hold it together.
Build your dream don't compromise you will be happier with your layout in the end.
NM
What type of benchwork are you using? I built a frame of 1x4s for a 4x8, but to gain a little extra space, I used L brackets and 1x6s to extend the benchwork. After adding foam on top it will be pretty much invisible.
It's going to be set on top of a 9x5 table, i have absolutely no carpentey skills.
Something I just thought of after reading through the post again, if you are planing on moving this layout off of the table without ribbing/stiffeners you will likely damage it from the flexing of the plywood.
NM
Dear TR,
On the previous page you asked:
"I am also not understanding what you mean by hole material?"
My apologies. My use of that term wasn't meant to confuse.
In retrospect I would have been better off leaving that statement out.
I was offering you some patterns to cut a 4'x8' sheet (see "subject" line) into pieces that would splice into a rectangular ring measuring 5' by about 9'. The results would have a rectangular hole in the middle.
I was trying to be "clever" by saying the enlarged outer measurements are the results of the material that "was moved from where the hole now is".
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
Quote from: Joe Satnik on January 12, 2010, 09:12:53 AM
... I was offering you some patterns to cut a 4'x8' sheet (see "subject" line) into pieces that would splice into a rectangular ring measuring 5' by about 9'. The results would have a rectangular hole in the middle...
Can you describe those patterns Joe? Unless they're proprietary, of course.
Thanks,
Robert
Dear Robert,
Here is an 18" wide pattern. Gives a 5' x 8-1/2' rectangular ring.
Note that these are just from pencil drawings on 1/4" division graph paper.
I have very little wood cutting and splicing experience, e.g. how do I cut an inside corner in the middle of the sheet?
I'm not sure of the best way to splice, perhaps with biscuit joining system? Dunno.
Use at your own risk. Be safe. Dimensions are in inches. Drawing not to scale.
48 l------l--------l------------------------------------l
l l l l
l l l l
30 l l l /l----------l l
24 l l l-/--------------/-l l l
18 l l--------l/ l l l
l l l l
l l l l
0 l--------------------------------l----------l--------l
0 18 36 42 54 60 78 96
Dispite my poor keyboard character drawing, all cuts are parallel to the edges of the sheet using a vertical blade.
Exception, the last two cuts: 36,18 to 42,24 and 54,24 to 60,30 are 45 degrees with a vertical blade.
The resulting triangles could be spliced into the 2 remaining square inside corners.
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
P.S. A different width pattern tomorrow.
joe
here's how i do the cutting and splicing. i work primarily with pine board, but this will work just as well with plywood.
the easiest way to cut a corner with a jigsaw is to drill a hole there with a bit slightly larger than the jigsaw blade you are using.
splicing is best done with something solid. leftover scraps of plywood, 1/2" or thicker, work well as does pine board. while you can splice the entire joint between the two pieces, it is really only necessary to have a solid joint where the track will be. i like to have at least 4" of good solid wood on each side of the joint, on the splice plate. use wood glue, clamp the splice if possible, and use screws driven from underneath the layout to hold everything together. if the ends of the screws protrude above the plywood, trim them with a dremel if you have one, or file them down. make sure you have an even surface between the two sections, you don't want a hump in your track.
Quote from: Joe Satnik on January 13, 2010, 12:50:12 AM
Dear Robert,
Here is an 18" wide pattern. Gives a 5' x 8-1/2' rectangular ring ...
Quote from: jward on January 13, 2010, 05:48:17 AM
joe
here's how i do the cutting and splicing. i work primarily with pine board, but this will work just as well with plywood ...
Thanks Joe and Jeff!
Robert
Dear All,
Here is a 16" wide ring. Gives 5' x 9' (or optionally up to 5' x 9'-8") outer dimensions.
Use at your own risk. Be safe. Dimensions are in inches. Drawing not to scale.
Option 1:
48 l------l-------l------------------------------------l
l l l l
l l l l
32 l l-------l--l\----------/l--------------l l
l l l \ / l l l
l l l X l l l 5' x 9' w/ 4 triangles to splice to inside corners
l l l / \ l l l
16 l l----------l/----------\l---l----------l l
l l l l
l l l l
0 l--------------------------------l----------l--------l
0 16 36 40 56 60 80 96
Dispite my poor keyboard character drawing, all cuts are parallel to the edges of the sheet using a vertical blade.
Exception, the last two cuts: 40,16 to 56,32 and 56,16 to 40,32 are 45 degrees with a vertical blade.
The resulting triangles could be spliced into the 4 square inside corners.
Option 2:
48 l------l--------l------------------------------------l
l l l l
l l l l
32 l l--------l--l------------l--------------l l
l l l waste or l l l
l l l splice l l l 5' x 9'
l l l mat'l l l l
16 l l----------l------------l---l-----------l l
l l l l
l l l l
0 l--------------------------------l----------l--------l
0 16 36 40 56 60 80 96
Option 3:
48 l------l--------l------------------------------------l
l l l l
l l l l
32 l l--------l-------l--------------------l l
l l l l l
l l l l l 5' x 9'-8"
l l l l l
16 l l---------------l----------l----------l l
l l l l
l l l l
0 l--------------------------------l----------l--------l
0 16 36 48 60 80 96
Hope this helps.
Sincerely,
Joe Satnik
Edit: Changed 9-1/2' (error) to 9'-8", added "outer dimensions."
Quote from: Joe Satnik on January 14, 2010, 03:09:21 PM
Dear All,
Here is a 16" wide ring. Gives 5' x 9' (or optionally up to 5' x 9'-8") outer dimensions ...
Thanks a lot Joe
:) Robert
try googling or other search engine for plywood/custom sizes i know they make different sizes its just a matter of locating one and also wether its cost effective