I went to Lowe's to price materials for the bench work and found this, It seams this may work instead of using the foam insulation.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_15387-157-00634_4294858109_4294937087?productId=3014222&pl=1¤tURL=/pl_Acoustic%2BInsulation_4294858109_4294937087_?cm_cr=Insulation-_-Web Activity-_-Insulation Accessories _A1_Activity-_-SC_Insulation Accessories_Area1-_-22108_3
Thanks
Les
Les - I haven't heard of this stuff - unless it is produced under a different name. This might be what I am looking for as I construct my next mini layout...I'll have to check it out.
Thanks,
Ray
My Lowe's doesn't carry this product, according to the web site, so I can't go look at it. The potential problem I see is that it is a fiber board product. Personally, the vast majority of materials I use to make scenery are water based. I'd question the Lowe's folks about how well this product resists moisture. I notice that it says "don't expose to the elements," which is another way of saying, "don't get wet." Good luck.
Old Timer
What are you going to use it for? sound deadening underlayment?
If its the stuff I think it is, if it gets wet it will swell up, when it breaks it comes apart sort of like ceiling tile.
NM
It could be a homasote variant.
NarrowMinded:
Yes I was going to use it for laying over the OSB board, But thinking about it you may be right, when I looked at it and felt it, dose kind of feel like ceiling tile so there is a good possibility that it may fall apart if it gets wet.
What about layering it with the blue foam, the only size that is carried out here for blue foam is 1/4"X 48"X 50 feet and it's $35.00, and they don't have any pricing for the thicker stuff so it's hard to compare if it would by cost effective to just use the blue foam and keep layering it to the thickness I want which is about 2" and that's for the depth of the turntable.
Thanks
Les
I was looking for the foam board a while back, I was looking at the big box stores, it was all special order for my area in So. California. I ended up finding some at a construction sight the forman was willing to sell me.
I would be sure to use some VERY stable materials around your turntable to help prevent alignment problems in elevation from occurring.
NM
I have used JM Insulating board (called 'black board' in the South and probably a variant of Homasote) with success. My last permanent layout was in our garage where the temperature and humidity were all over the scale. I experienced no problems with this product (which, incidentally, I purchased at Lowe's). The John's Mansville board was laid (and glued to) some 3/8" plywood...black side down.
This is not to say this product is without its problems. Unless you put a fascia around the layout it will 'shed' small pieces (actually similar to dust or grains of salt). On the positive side, it will accept spikes readily and easily becomes part of the scenery.
Ray
Once the builders start building again, they will usually let you have the pieces of foam insulation that they trim off. I have picked pieces up that were 2' by 8' and there was no charge. These trimmings are usually thrown away by the builders so they readily let you pick them up. You are doing their clean-up for them.
Your right about the freebies Trainmaster, the peices I bought from the foreman where full size he only charged me what they cost them, he let me take as much scrap as I wanted.
NM
This material is very much like Homasote. I wouldn't use it as sheet material over my whole layout for two reasons: First, it's just too expensive and too much work since it is only a half inch thick. Second, as a Homasote-like material it will move quite a bit with changes in humidity. (Temperature won't make much difference directly, but relative humidity changes due to temperature changes will play havoc with changing dimensions.) It would probably work very well as a subroadbed as long as it is painted/sealed on all sides to block as much moisture penetration as possible. If you use it for your subroadbed, do the cutting outside and try to find a saw blade that looks like a scalloped-edge knife rather than a toothed blade. This stuff makes an incredible mess when it's cut with conventional saws.
another type would be celotex.