# Need some ideas for a train table



## crackymule (Nov 1, 2018)

Hey there partners,

I don't have the tools or experience to build a train table from scratch like a lot of people do. If I want something dedicated to my layout, are there any makeshift table ideas?

Like thinking maybe I can find some cheap tv stand or table from walmart or something, and then just screw a piece of wood to it.

Any ideas?

Thanks!


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## Viperjim1 (Mar 19, 2015)

Some people used hollow core doors to do layouts on. Lightweight. And inexpensive and sometimes you can find them from a house getting renewed. Then it's really cheap and they come in different widths but you will want a 30 or 36" wide and standard length is 80" hopefully this helps, and just throw some cheap legs on it or put it on a table of some sort, but have the ends supported for bending warping puprposes..


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## BNSF Fan (Feb 27, 2010)

I use a hollow core door, laid across a couple of saw horses. I also used some screws to tie it down with.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

So pardon me for being blunt, but whenever I see a post that essentially says "I can't..." I have to push back. If you are going to stay within your current skill set and abilities, then find a different hobby, because this one encompasses a lot of different ones, and you will constantly need to broaden your horizons.

Moreover, making a table to support a train layout is not fine cabinet making. It doesn't have to be pretty, just functional. If you can drive a screw and cut a reasonably straight line, then you have the necessary skills. And you can get an inexpensive circular saw at Wal-Mart for about $50 (or hit your local Sears -- because they're going out of business you might find something on deep discount). Harbor Freight often has some great tool bargains, although some of their stuff is really cheap crap. Or you can look on it as an investment and the first step in acquiring quality tools that will last a really long time. At the other end of the scale is an old fashioned crosscut saw, which can be had for less than $15.

The one thing your table DOES have to be is sturdy though, and this pretty much rules out cheapo TV stands and the like. Even a folding table is kind of risky -- while it won't collapse, a good wobble can derail trains, and even knock them to the floor. Another consideration is height. Most tables are 30", and that's a murderously low height for most of us to work on standing up.

All that said, if you want to take the minimalist approach, Viperjim's suggestion of a hollow core door is a good one.

You can also use a piece of 1/2" plywood for a slightly bigger area. Laminate two extruded foam insulation panels to it for some added rigidity and to make scenery construction easier. Get a pair of sawhorses and put it up on those. To raise the height, you can use cinder blocks or paver stones. If there is too much flex in the plywood, screw two 2x4's as beams underneath (mount them perpendicular, that is, with the 2" edge next to the plywood, so they resist flexing). You can screw from the top down -- the foam panel will hide the screw heads.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

And a second thought occurs to me. If cost is no object, there are several makers of prefabricated benchwork out there.

Sievers, Mianne, and Kam Konnect are 3 big names. Scenery products maker Woodland Scenics also sells prefabricated modules. None of these requires significant tooling, and all look extremely neat when assembled, but they aren't cheap.


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## Dennis461 (Jan 5, 2018)

For a quick start, IKEA INGO Pine Table.
Buy one or two.
Next at Home Depot buy some of the 24" square 1" thick pink foam, a razor knife, caulk gun and the cheap latex caulk cartridges.

On the way home, stop at the liquor store for some beverage.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Table tips*



crackymule said:


> Hey there partners,
> 
> I don't have the tools or experience to build a train table from scratch like a lot of people do. If I want something dedicated to my layout, are there any makeshift table ideas?
> 
> ...


 crackymule;

The hollow core door idea is a good one. I have built two N-scale layouts on doors, and both came out well. Home Depot and Lowes sell folding table legs that can be fastened to two 3' sections of 1x3 or 1x4 lumber and the lumber then attached to the door with Elmer's glue and a few screws. I recommend not using sawhorses to support a model railroad. if you put plywood on sawhorses, it will sag and warp out of shape without a grid of lumber supporting it. Also, it's all too easy to hook a foot on one of the sawhorse's legs and dump trains, or the whole layout, onto the floor. 
If even that's more construction than you want, you can buy a finished table with the folding legs already attached. The common 6'x3' institutional utility tables are made of pressed wood, which makes them very heavy. Their top surface is similar to Formica, and won't accept track nails. However, if you use extruded foam board as a layout base, then it could be glued to the top of one of these tables. The extruded foam board makes it easy to carve out stream beds, road underpasses, and any other below-track-level features. Pieces of foam can be glued in layers to for hills and any other above-track-level scenery you want.
Another pre-made table, available at Costco, and maybe through Walmart, or Home Depot; is a plastic table with metal folding legs. They come in two sizes. 4'x2' and 6'x2.5'.
Again, these have a hard plastic top that wont accept nails. If you glue your roadbed, and track down with latex caulk, nails won't be necessary.
You might also consider a shelf layout. Simple pine plank, supported on commercial brackets would work. One bit of very simple bit of construction I do recommend would be gluing 1x2 lumber to the the bottom of the plank along both long edges. The 1"x2" should be perpendicular to the 1"x12" plank with their 1" side against the plank. The purpose of the 1x2 strips is to stiffen the plank, and prevent it from warping.
The file below give more information on layouts in general, and shelf layouts in particular. If you think a shelf layout might work for you, they may help.

good luck with whatever you choose;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:

View attachment Where do I start (revised version).pdf


View attachment How to better model railroad the first time. Part 1.pdf


View attachment How to build a better model railroad the first time Part 2.pdf


View attachment How to build a better model railroad Parts 3 & 4 benchwork and more track planning.pdf


View attachment How to build a better Model Railroad part 5.pdf


View attachment How to build a better model railroad the first time 6.pdf


View attachment Model Railroad Terminology 2.2.pdf


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Table tips*



crackymule said:


> Hey there partners,
> 
> I don't have the tools or experience to build a train table from scratch like a lot of people do. If I want something dedicated to my layout, are there any makeshift table ideas?
> 
> ...


 crackymule;

The hollow core door idea is a good one. I have built two N-scale layouts on doors, and both came out well. Home Depot and Lowes sell folding table legs that can be fastened to two 3' sections of 1x3 or 1x4 lumber and the lumber then attached to the door with Elmer's glue and a few screws. 
If even that's more construction than you want, you can buy a finished table with the folding legs already attached. The common 6'x3' institutional utility tables are made of pressed wood, which makes them very heavy. Their top surface is similar to Formica, and won't accept track nails. However, if you use extruded foam board as a layout base, then it could be glued to the top of one of these tables. The extruded foam board makes it easy to carve out stream beds, road underpasses, and any other below-track-level features. Pieces of foam can be glued in layers to for hills and any other above-track-level scenery you want.
Another pre-made table, available at Costco, and maybe through Walmart, or Home Depot; is a plastic table with metal folding legs. They come in two sizes. 4'x2' and 6'x2.5'.
Again, these have a hard plastic top that wont accept nails. If you glue your roadbed, and track down with latex caulk, nails won't be necessary.
You might also consider a shelf layout. Simple pine plank, supported on commercial brackets would work. One bit of very simple bit of construction I do recommend would be gluing 1x2 lumber to the the bottom of the plank along both long edges. The 1"x2" should be perpendicular to the 1"x12" plank with their 1" side against the plank. The purpose of the 1x2 strips is to stiffen the plank, and prevent it from warping.
The file below give more information on layouts in general, and shelf layouts in particular. If you think a shelf layout might work for you, they may help.

good luck with whatever you choose;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:

View attachment 471686


View attachment 471688


View attachment 471690


View attachment 471692


View attachment 471694


View attachment 471696


View attachment 471698


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

traction fan said:


> I recommend not using sawhorses to support a model railroad. if you put plywood on sawhorses, it will sag and warp out of shape without a grid of lumber supporting it. Also, it's all too easy to hook a foot on one of the sawhorse's legs and dump trains, or the whole layout, onto the floor.


I guess it's worth emphasizing that you MUST do something to make the plywood rigid, but laminating foam panels to it will to that, as would the 2x4 girders (it doesn't require a web if you place the girders at the 1/3 and 2/3 points).

Since a 4x8 sheet of plywood is significantly wider than sawhorses, it would take a superhuman feat of clumsiness to stick your leg far enough under the edge to hook a sawhorse, but I wasn't recommending just perching it up there, but screwing or bolting it to the sawhorses, creating more or less permanent legs. Remember, "it must be sturdy". You don't want ANYTHING just sitting there, especially on a plastic surface that may have low friction.

It's also worth noting that ANY unfinished wood in a non-climate controlled space will potentially warp and expand and contract with changes in humidity.


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## crackymule (Nov 1, 2018)

Wow, thanks for the ideas! Cost is definitely a factor. 

I'm considering those options, thank you.

And actually I'm taking the advice here as well. I didn't realize that it's only $99 for a basic miter saw on Amazon, which I think should be more than enough to make the cuts, and though I have never built a table, there is one lionel video for a 4x8 table that seems ridiculously simple. I just thought I would need to spend at least $200 on a saw.

This should be sufficient, right?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07217ZVP5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I also saw those Woodland Scenics kits. For about $250, this looks like a great layout for a first setup to develop my skills and follow a plan that will work.

https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/woodland-scenics-n-st1482-scenic-ridge-layout-kit/


Many thanks for the suggestions!!! Should I still go to the liquor store before I fire up the saw?? :-D


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

crackymule said:


> And actually I'm taking the advice here as well. I didn't realize that it's only $99 for a basic miter saw on Amazon, which I think should be more than enough to make the cuts, and though I have never built a table, there is one lionel video for a 4x8 table that seems ridiculously simple. I just thought I would need to spend at least $200 on a saw.
> 
> This should be sufficient, right?
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07217ZVP5/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


That will definitely take care of it. And yes, simple benchwork is almost ridiculously simple. Now you know why I push back when people say they can't build it.



crackymule said:


> Many thanks for the suggestions!!! Should I still go to the liquor store before I fire up the saw?? :-D


Only if you're cool with an odd number of fingers....


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

crackymule said:


> I also saw those Woodland Scenics kits. For about $250, this looks like a great layout for a first setup to develop my skills and follow a plan that will work.
> 
> https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/woodland-scenics-n-st1482-scenic-ridge-layout-kit/


Actually, that isn't what I was referring. That is a prefab layout, with scenery materials and a tutorial video. It doesn't include track or buildings, which are sold separately. Probably closer to $500 for the whole shebang.

I was thinking of these: 

https://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/category/ModURailSystem


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Another source*



crackymule said:


> Wow, thanks for the ideas! Cost is definitely a factor.
> 
> I'm considering those options, thank you.
> 
> ...


crackymule;

Actually you could get by with a simple electric saber saw, or hand -held circular saw. The saber saw would be cheaper, but you would need to keep it cutting along a pencil line drawn on the piece of wood you are cutting. This is fairly easy to do. The circular, or miter, saws would be better at straight cuts. Any of these saws would work.

Liquor mixes with power tools about as well as it does with driving a car, or firearms.  I'd skip the liquor store and keep all your fingers attached to your hands!  

Have you looked at the thread, "Basics of building a layout" in our "Beginner's Q & A" section of the forum? It gives some nice info on building a train table. You might want to check it out.

happy building;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## crackymule (Nov 1, 2018)

CTValleyRR said:


> Actually, that isn't what I was referring. That is a prefab layout, with scenery materials and a tutorial video. It doesn't include track or buildings, which are sold separately. Probably closer to $500 for the whole shebang.
> 
> I was thinking of these:
> 
> https://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/category/ModURailSystem


I didn't know they had that. Pretty neat. I'll take a look!

Thanks everyone, these are terrific tips.


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## Eilif (Nov 6, 2017)

One other possible source of cheap benchwork that includes surface, frame and legs is a ping-pong table. 9x5 (standard for Table Tennis) is a big size for a room and about the limit of what you can reach into (might need to cut an access hatch in the middle, but check your local craigslist because used ping pong tables are dirt cheap. I bought a really sturdy wooden home-made example from the 60's for $50.

Also, if a 4.5x5 foot table is big enough for you, you may be able to use just half a ping pong table. A $50 ping pong table with a layer of foam on top and you could be ready to start laying track for well under $100.


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