# what do ya think of osb + birch?



## Severn (May 13, 2016)

I've got plastic tables now for the "under structure". And I might be done with the concept. So I'm thinking of wood. I happen to have some osb 4x8s I don't really need. I think they are either 1/2" or maybe 5/8". And I have some birch panels, these are maybe 3/8".

Anyway if I had nothing I'd go with plywood. But I have this extra stuff and so maybe the two together is ok. I'm not a fan of osb in general but... I have it.

And the birch is nice enough. What do ya think?


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## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

Best practices include foam, open frame construction, shelf layouts, and so on. Having tried many of them, a slab of plywood on top of a plastic table is less expensive and provides a reliable "canvas." Any warpage can be corrected with those spare 2x4's, shimming or screwing down the offending swale directly to the table top. People that enjoy hours upon hours of measuring and cutting and measuring and adjusting, well hats off to them. I prefer a simple approach. If it was up to the likes of me, mankind would still be waiting on the invention of the wheel. 









Henley in OO


So, here's where I am at. Got my first train set in 1966, I believe it was a wind up Wren, while Dad was on sabbatical in the UK. Somehow, over tens of thousands of miles, I was able to hang on to and preserve one of the original wagons from that set, a lovely old Golliwog piece. Not too PC by...




www.modeltrainforum.com


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Severn said:


> I've got plastic tables now for the "under structure". And I might be done with the concept. So I'm thinking of wood. I happen to have some osb 4x8s I don't really need. I think they are either 1/2" or maybe 5/8". And I have some birch panels, these are maybe 3/8".
> 
> Anyway if I had nothing I'd go with plywood. But I have this extra stuff and so maybe the two together is ok. I'm not a fan of osb in general but... I have it.
> 
> And the birch is nice enough. What do ya think?


OSB is not very dimensionally stable, and is a very poor choice for use under a layout. I wouldn't do it, no matter what you have on hand. 3/8" birch would work, if properly supported (probably joists on 12" centers).


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## Severn (May 13, 2016)

Yeah I'm leaning against but I got this osb and ...

I could cut it up into pieces and burn it. It's blazes well. Just what you want in a house.


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## prrfan (Dec 19, 2014)

OSB and water don’t play well together and many of our scenery materials and methods utilize water or are water based.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

When I built my platform back in the mid 80s, I used whatever I had on hand or whatever was the cheapest. Much of the platform is ¾” particle board, a cousin of OSB. As PRR fan said, OSB does not like water, but 40 years later, the particle board is still doing just fine despite being in a sometimes humid attic.

If I was doing a new platform now with a few more bucks to spend, OSB or particle board would not be my first choice, but you do have it so I would go with it.


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## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

At the prices lately, I say sell the OSB on craigslist or something. 
Use the money to buy 2” foam, or alternatively metal window screen (not plastic) and staples.
Cut up the birch for roadbed. Cut 1x3 risers to lift roadbed 2” above an open frame or L girder design. Use the 2” foam as fill (or the screen with no cutting & less mess). Or a combo of both methods.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Lehigh74 said:


> When I built my platform back in the mid 80s, I used whatever I had on hand or whatever was the cheapest. Much of the platform is ¾” particle board, a cousin of OSB. As PRR fan said, OSB does not like water, but 40 years later, the particle board is still doing just fine despite being in a sometimes humid attic.
> 
> If I was doing a new platform now with a few more bucks to spend, OSB or particle board would not be my first choice, but you do have it so I would go with it.


This is probably one of those cases of confusing luck with a formula for success. I have seen and heard of two many layouts buckling or warping to be able to recommend OSB or particle board, your isolated example notwithstanding.


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