# Wood choices for layout styles



## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

Ok so I bet this is asked here and there, and I dont see a sticky on this...

but people will say they are starting their layout and using X sized wood and X sized plywood, etc...

so my questions...

I have searched and read other places where people say 
2x4's are total overkill (HO - for O as well?)
2x4's are more $$$$$$

BUT..
what if you have them so they are free?
is 2x4 still overkill?

my brother works for a company where they get items shipped in crates. I told him I needed 2x4s or 1x3 or 1x2 and plywood..

whelp he dropped of a ton of 2x4s and full sheets of plywood!!! I think 3/4" !!!!!! it was dark...


so other than them being deemed overkill due to cost and weight... if you have it use it?


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I used 2X4s and 3/4" plywood for my layout. Most of the 2X4s were free...came from pallets.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

No right or wrong answer.

I started with Mianne Benchwork, but it morphed into something else by the time I was finished with the benchwork.


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

use whatever you want, i used 1x3 plywood ... got the lumber yard to cut most of it ...
i didn't have a source for free wood, other than trees , lol


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> No right or wrong answer.
> 
> I started with Mianne Benchwork, but it morphed into something else by the time I was finished with the benchwork.
> 
> ...


what height is that?
I am at 41" legs as they were already cut... so no bother to me.. but im standing here going.. WOW this is tall!!!!


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

The legs on my layout are 2”x4”s. Unless you are attaching the layout to the walls the legs need to be braced. A quick way to do that is to pre cut some triangular pieces from plywood. Here is a picture of them installed with the legs.
My layout is 39” to the top of elevation 0”, so the legs are 38” long. This put the +12” track at 51”, I am happy with the outcome.


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

AmFlyer said:


> The legs on my layout are 2”x4”s. Unless you are attaching the layout to the walls the legs need to be braced. A quick way to do that is to pre cut some triangular pieces from plywood. Here is a picture of them installed with the legs.
> My layout is 39” to the top of elevation 0”, so the legs are 38” long. This put the +12” track at 51”, I am happy with the outcome.
> 
> 
> View attachment 528836


thx... ok guess i thought it should be shorter... hah...
i know it is up to the person running it... 
a google provided people running anywhere from 38 to 48" !!!!!

im at 41.. so will venture on. since this is free wood and im going to move hopefully within a year... nothing perfect and nothing solid. just something to get motivated to run some trains and plan for my next house. then i will slow down, do things perfect...

my plywood wasnt square, legs are off kilter a bit... 
just like everything i do..
half-azzed :cheeky4:


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

2 sets of 5x4 done.. next is 2 sets of 5x2...

there will be a 2nd level so the legs will get braced then... gotta plan 2nd level..


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## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Free is the controlling principle here. Unless you are striving for portability. both 2x4's and 3/4" ply are over kill, but free rules. You could rip the 2x4's, but again why bother if you have plenty! And as AmFlyer shows, the Plywood triangles on the legs make a day and night difference!


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

Lemonhawk said:


> Free is the controlling principle here. Unless you are striving for portability. both 2x4's and 3/4" ply are over kill, but free rules. You could rip the 2x4's, but again why bother if you have plenty! And as AmFlyer shows, the Plywood triangles on the legs make a day and night difference!


sounds good.. on permanent, next house layout.. ill look back at those triangles...

i cant rip 2x4s down as i have no table saw. im not a wood guy. im a metal guy.. i can weld, cut, etc.. hah... 
:smilie_daumenpos:


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

As others have said, this is something you'll have to give some thought to and settle for yourself, and.....KEEP NOTES...to self. Your next layout, when you finally build one (and you'll almost certainly do that), will be vastly improved, more enjoyable, and will last you that much longer because you kept records of things you must change next time. This applies to track geometry and utility, to wiring, to 'industries' and how to service them with rails, and so on.

I prefer higher layouts, especially the yard, because it is easier to reach and to appreciate as if standing in place...right on the surface. That comes at a cost of needing a stool to reach further back into a scene or module, but otherwise you can set yourself partly on a bar stool with a cuppa and enjoy your trains as if you were right there on the ground. 

One other advantage of a higher frame and surface is ease of access under it to wire it, but if you skirt the fascia you can hide the wife's twenty-six 30 gallon Rubbermaid totes with all that infernal Christmas crap...or whatever it is.


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

hah gotchs.... 

i cheated and just needed to get the top done. got few 2x4s to line outside with but ...wow.. its huge but i know when i lay the track.. it isnt.

going to goto home depot to get green outdoor carpet to cover this... or just paint it. this isnt my final. just a fun till wife says master bathroom is done... everything else is too. pack it all up and cleanup...so 6 months ish...


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## D&J Railroad (Oct 4, 2013)

Ohhhh, no, no, no. You should just use thin wall paneling and a few 1x2s for legs. A friend of mine told me he did his like that and you should do yours like he did his. The thin paneling makes it easier to put nails through it for track and turnouts and the 1x2 legs will be easier to kick out of the way when the kiddies are crawling around underneath the layout so they don't get hurt.


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

D&J Railroad said:


> Ohhhh, no, no, no. You should just use thin wall paneling and a few 1x2s for legs. A friend of mine told me he did his like that and you should do yours like he did his. The thin paneling makes it easier to put nails through it for track and turnouts and the 1x2 legs will be easier to kick out of the way when the kiddies are crawling around underneath the layout so they don't get hurt.


🤣 🍺


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Better hustle over to the store and get that carpet so track laying can begin!


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

AmFlyer said:


> Better hustle over to the store and get that carpet so track laying can begin!


lol guess what. its EST here...

tomorrow 4pm..

when the free is free keeps coming.

guess im doin a winter theme. neighbor is gettin rid of white carpet...


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

You're already moving ahead, and that's a good thing.

I wanted to clarify the "overkill" issue (because I'm often the guy who brings it up). The point isn't that you shouldn't use 2x4's and 3/4" ply. It's that there is no need to. Too many people start thinking like they're building furniture and have to make something that can support the beer guzzling neighbor wo weighs 300 pounds. It doesn't have to bear that much weight, our layouts only weigh a couple of pounds per square foot. 

Was the OSB free too? Even at free, it might be a source of trouble later, because even the tiny unevennessinherent in OSB, exposed to moisture, can cause some big bumps that can wreak havoc on your trains and track work.


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

CTValleyRR said:


> You're already moving ahead, and that's a good thing.
> 
> I wanted to clarify the "overkill" issue (because I'm often the guy who brings it up). The point isn't that you shouldn't use 2x4's and 3/4" ply. It's that there is no need to. Too many people start thinking like they're building furniture and have to make something that can support the beer guzzling neighbor wo weighs 300 pounds. It doesn't have to bear that much weight, our layouts only weigh a couple of pounds per square foot.
> 
> Was the OSB free too? Even at free, it might be a source of trouble later, because even the tiny unevennessinherent in OSB, exposed to moisture, can cause some big bumps that can wreak havoc on your trains and track work.


all free.. obs too.. 
this is in my basement BUT... 
dehumidifier running.. 35% so no moisture.

and 10x6 means my 200lb azz with a beer in hand will be ontop of the table. lol


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## PrairieKnight (Nov 10, 2015)

Just a thought... would it be possible to have some type of hinges on the legs so that you could fold them under the table when you move. You could use the cross braces that will run between the legs to keep the legs from folding while you are building and running trains. I am thinking that it will be pretty heavy and you could damage track or anything else on the layout trying to turn the layout sideways and maneuver it through doorways with the legs still screwed on the table.


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## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Hey John. The benchwork looks great. Is that 1/4 birch facing. It really makes a nice finish. :smilie_daumenpos:


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

Patrick1544 said:


> Hey John. The benchwork looks great. Is that 1/4 birch facing. It really makes a nice finish.


🙋‍♂️


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## AmFlyer (Mar 16, 2012)

Riggzie, I like winter theme white, even better when its free!


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

Riggzie said:


> 🙋‍♂️


im not sure why this happens.. seen it a few times on the site... weird...:dunno:


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## Riggzie (Dec 24, 2019)

winter theme goin down!!!!


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## ftauss (Sep 18, 2012)

For an O table. I made rectangles of 2x4s 4 feet long and around 36 inches high. I made 3 of these and added anchor point on the inside. They get tied together with with 4 2x4s 8 feet long. I drilled holes in The 2x4 and the anchor points and used boots to hold them together. Each of the 3 frames had 2 casters one in the front and one in the back. The whole thing made 4 foot by 8 foot frame that could move so I could push it against the wall yet move it out to get to the back, if needed. The top was a 6x10 frame made of 2x4s and topped with plywood I think was 19/32. It was HEAVY. But I could stand on it and for a couple years put the Christmas tree on it with a Christmas layout.

Overkill? You betcha. But it worked.


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