# Coffee table N-scale layout idea



## Artieiii

I am off work next week so I was thinking about a new project. I have an HO shelf layout in my man cave but I can't really model scenery cause it cant be seen from the ground. I was thinking about making a coffee table with a glass top and glass sides to house a small n-scale layout. Here iis the pic that inspired me:
Any thoughts/suggestions?
-Art


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## tjcruiser

Would look great in MY living room ... I'll PM you the address. 

Here's some coffee table threads ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=10274

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=12759

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=11609

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=10028

Keep us posted on your thinking / progress!

TJ


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## Carl

Looking forward to your progress.


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## Artieiii

I like this layout. No turnouts simple design and the opportunity to make 2 bridges from scratch and styrofoam hills. In my research I have learned that turnouts are problematic and this design has zero turnouts. I want a drawer to hold the controller.
-Art








Here is a pic of this layout in a coffee table. I don't think I want the mountains to cover this much track.


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## tjcruiser

I have a very similar basic layout on my 4x8 HO layout, albeit with two small dead-end turnouts. It's simple (and on DC), but my kids love it.

Pic here ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/gallery/files/2/2/6/7/tj_ho_train_layout_jan2010_11a.jpg

TJ


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## Artieiii

*Top under construction*

Ok, progress is underway with the coffee table layout. I made the top out of an old glass top from a TV stand that was in the basement collecting dust. I cut a groove for the glass and wrapped it with some 1x6" pine. I cut 45 degree angles and glued them together with biscuit joinery like a picture frame. Waiting for the wood glue to dry then sand it and stain it. Tomorrow I will finalize the design for the base.
-Art


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## tjcruiser

Artieiii said:


> ... and glued them together with biscuit joinery ...


Strong stuff. :thumbsup:

Question, though ... is the glass fully captive in your groove? What happens if it breaks and needs replacement down the road? (Hopefully not, but one never knows ...) If a groove, as you say, why not a rabbet, instead, with a backing strip tacked in place to hold the glass ... easily removed to access the glass for repair?

Keep us posted!

TJ


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## Big Ed

I have a rattan coffee table and the glass just sits down on the top. It is set down in so it can't move.

Easy on off for cleaning.

We have had this table for a long time, it went through our twins growing up years fine. And numorous partys with little rug-rats running all around.

The glass they use must be fairly strong, I would suggest just laying the glass down in it, as then you can pop it off easy for cleaning or working on the RR.
I agree with there are too many mountains in the one pictured.
You can use the space for a nice village scene or some industry instead.

Go, Art, Go.:thumbsup:


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## Artieiii

Well TJ, I suppose if the glass breaks I will pull out the pieces and use a router to cut out 1/2 of the joint to make a rabbet joint and do as you say for round 2. This glass is about 1/4" thick so it should be pretty strong. I've been busy sanding the table top most of the morning. Time to get back to Home Depot for some wood for the base and legs.
-Art


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## Artieiii

*Table Legs*

Ok, new update. I got some pine and used my biscuit joiner to put them together as legs. This biscuit cutter makes quick work of joinery. The legs measure 17" long by 2.5" by 4". I think I will use 2 X 10 or 2 X 12" pine boards and join them to the legs with the biscuit cutter. I still have to figure out how to construct a 3 1/2" high drawer to hold my MRC Tech4 260 transformer.
-Art


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## Carl

Very impress woodwork. Looking forward to the final product.


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## Artieiii

No more woodworking tonight.....glue has to set on the legs. Carl, I like doing woodworking have had pretty good results in the past despite not having all the "right" tools. I was jonesing for a better table saw today. Really good tools allow for more precise cuts/fitment. I have learned to "make do" with the tools I *do* have nobody seems to notice the imperfections except for me LOL. The coffee table project is right about at the limit of my woodworking skills.
-Art


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## tjcruiser

Maybe Santa will bring me a biscuit-joiner, too! 

Nice work on the legs!

TJ


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## Artieiii

Some photoshop joinery for you TJ LOL
-Art


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## tjcruiser

When I was a kid, I spent the entire Fall asking Santa for an HO set for Christmas. You should have seen the look of disappointment on my face Christmas morning when I found a box of HO Oats under the tree. I nearly died. Unitl Mom and Dad cracked a smile, and pointed my toward my very first Tyco set a few boxes over.

I don't think I'll ever forget that moment of sadness and joy!

TJ


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## Artieiii

My head is spinning :lol_hitting: trying to think in 3D to get all my boards cut properly and put the biscuits in the right places without messing up. I started gluing up some of the parts just don't want to make any mistakes. If the design did not include a drawer for the controlled this would be easy LOL.
-Art


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## Artieiii

*More Pictures*

Merry Christmas to all!
Here are some updated pictures of the coffee table project. Here is the top which is covered in saw dust from finish sanding. 








Here is the table itself upside down for gluing.








I got these 60" clamps from Harbor freight for $14 ish. 
-Art


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## Artieiii

*Still progressing on the table*

Making progress here is a look at the table so far. I still have to make the drawer. It's looking really good so far.
-Art


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## Artieiii

Drawer is made, waiting for the glue to dry. I sure hope it rides properly on the sliders. This is a tricky procedure. The drawer and the side supports need to be perfectly square or it will get stuck or even worse it could fall off the sliders. Fingers crossed hope I got it close enough.
-Art


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## Artieiii

The drawer is installed slight misalignment issues but braces were re-glued now it's good. I still have to make the drawer face plate and add a drawer handle. I started staining it. I think it looks great so far. The stain is an almost perfect match for the bookcase in the living room. The wifey is gonna be happy
-Art


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## Big Ed

Coming along nice.:thumbsup:

You probably could get a good buck for that, 
if you decide to mass produce.

And you can add........MADE IN THE USA!:thumbsup:

What are you planning for the inside?
Passenger station, some rolling country side, dotted with houses?
Maybe a little bit of industry mixed in?

Looking good.:thumbsup:


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## Artieiii

Well Big Ed, I don't think there is any chance of mass production. I estimate I have put in at least 60 hours of labor and about $400 in material (including the biscuit cutter). Of course I could make a second one much faster. There were may wasted hours of thinking and rethinking the plan. 

My idea so far is to use styrofoam to make some hills with 1 bridge and 1 tunnel (with a removable lid). My wife wants to help with the decorating so I really don't know what it will become LOL. I am going to go solo with the track laying process. I hope my MRC Tech4 260 controller will fit in the drawer. 
-Art


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## Artieiii

Staining is done, started applying polyurethane last nite. Table construction should be done tomorrow. Layout to get started soon.
-Art


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## Artieiii

*Table Finished!*

Coffee table construction is done. Whew that took allot of time! Here are some pictures.
-Art


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## Big Ed

Sweet.:thumbsup:

Now you can start on the fun stuff.

Looks good.


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## tjcruiser

Looks great, Art ... nice craftsmanship.

Q -- why the black inset margin around the perimeter of the glass top? Looks nice, but less viewing area for the trains. Just curious.

TJ


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## Artieiii

TJ,
Good question, simple answer. That was a piece of glass from an old TV stand that has been sitting in my basement for 4 years. It seemed about the right size and the price was right . At this point I figure I will take the top off to run the train but I can still display some of the track/scenery with the lid in place.
-Art


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## tjcruiser

Ohh ... so the black border is in the glass itself? Not something (painted wood) underneath the glass?

Got it, if that's the case. Always great to see some recycle / reuse stuff going on!

If the border is simply factory paint on the back of the glass, could you scrape it off with a sharp single-edge razor? Again, just curious.

TJ


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## Artieiii

TJ, 
I have no idea how the black is on there but It will NOT scrape off....I tried that LOL. It's somehow baked into the glass. I felt a slight bump with the razor but it simply won't come off. The black looks kinda classy to me. Life is a compromise....I will have to live with it. Started making a scratch built N-scale bridge tonight. 
-Art


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## Artieiii

*Bridge construction*

Here is my first attempt at a scratch built N scale bridge for the coffee table layout. So far so good. When the glue dries I will work on the other side. It looks a little crooked in the pic but that's just the camera playing tricks. I used wax paper to prevent the excess glue from sticking to the support frame. I used a magic marker to make alignment stripes but they are covered by the wooden sticks.
-Art


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## Artieiii

*Bridge progress*

Updates to my bridge. Almost all the supports are in place.
-Art


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## N scale catastrophe

Looks great!


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## tjcruiser

Gotta love a truss structure ... simple, strong, fun!

Nicely done,

TJ


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## Artieiii

I picked up my PRR GG1 in Tuscan Red with single stripe yesterday at my LHS. It fits nicely inside the bridge with the catenary extended. Today I will take a trip to Home Depot to get some paneling for a base inside the coffee table. Then glue some styrofoam with contact cement to the foam paneling to add structural rigidity.
-Art


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## Big Ed

Hey Art did you rag the stain on or paint it on?
See the arrows?









I know it is kind of late to point this out since the poly is on now.
But you posted this picture as the finished product, every time I look I can see what looks like a little more stain would have been nice on these spots.
I use a nice clean soft rag when I work with stain.
I don't like using a brush.

But it still looks great, I like the black border myself.:thumbsup:


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## Carl

Excellent workmanship.


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## tjcruiser

Sometimes that's residual glue, Ed ... prevents the stain from soaking into the wood.

I'm not saying that's the case here with Art, but just in general it happens.

On my woodworking projects, I really try to wipe up glue joints with a warm, moist cloth thoroughly to prevent stain-block like that.

TJ


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## imatt88

Really neat idea! Maybe someday...


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## Big Ed

tjcruiser said:


> Sometimes that's residual glue, Ed ... prevents the stain from soaking into the wood.
> 
> I'm not saying that's the case here with Art, but just in general it happens.
> 
> On my woodworking projects, I really try to wipe up glue joints with a warm, moist cloth thoroughly to prevent stain-block like that.
> 
> TJ


And the camera might exaggerate it too, I know that first hand.


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## Artieiii

Big Ed and TJ,
Yes that is some residual glue that prevented the stain from taking properly. I used the warm wet rag trip but it still happened. I is much less noticeable in real life the camera exaggerates it. 

I started on making elevation changes with styrofoam today. Can't really show any pictures because I have paint cans to weight things down while the adhesive dries.
-Art


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## tjcruiser

Back the the example pic in Post 4. I agree with you on that layout ... a bit too much mountain coverage of the track. I' anxious to see how you make out with your topography.

Great build thread ... keep us posted!

TJ


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## Artieiii

*Layout started*

I spent the last 2 days cutting styrofoam for the coffee table layout. After cutting the foam I used paper mache' to smooth out the edges. The 2 stripes of paper mache' were used to smooth out the foam joints. I have 2 loops that circle continuously and pass through a tunnel. I had to give up on my girder bridge it just was not going to work. It is coming together nicely. The whole unit just slips into the coffee table. This way I can work on the interior on my workbench.
-Art


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## wingnut163

what happened to the open sides?


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## Artieiii

wingnut163 said:


> what happened to the open sides?


Wingut163,
The plans have evolved. My skill level determines the limits of construction (it's a compromise). The glass sides would cost more and would reduce the structural rigidity of the table. I also had to give up on the center figure of 8. The corners would be way to tight. Right now I am sanding the foam so that the transitions are a bit smoother to avoid uncoupling at the transitions. I am also considering adding 1 turnout so the train can go to the center flat section. If I make the y on the turnout face one way and only use it to back the train into the flat center section then it will greatly reduce the chance of derailment at the turnout. I found some really cool spray paint at Home Depot that has multiple brown colors and has texture to it. I think this would work nicely on the sides of the risers to mimic the look of carved out granite .
-Art


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## tjcruiser

Nice progress, Art!

Refresh my memory ... are your plans for access to the train to have the cabinet top lift up or hinge up?

Thanks,

TJ


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## Artieiii

tjcruiser said:


> Nice progress, Art!
> 
> Refresh my memory ... are your plans for access to the train to have the cabinet top lift up or hinge up?


Original plan was to hinge the top but that idea has changed as well. Now it's a simple lift off top. I was worried about the heavy top getting slammed down by mistake so I went with a lift off design.
-Art


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## tjcruiser

Thanks ... some alignment cleats screwed/glued to its underside? Give yourself a little extra play/gap there ... you don't want the thing so tight that it swells shut on a hot, humid day.

TJ


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## mafokken

This is awesome. Watching this evolve is one of the reasons I joined this forum!


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## Artieiii

tjcruiser said:


> Thanks ... some alignment cleats screwed/glued to its underside? Give yourself a little extra play/gap there ... you don't want the thing so tight that it swells shut on a hot, humid day.
> 
> TJ


TJ,
On either side of the drawer I built platforms for the interior to sit on. It's well supported the only area not supported is over the drawer. It seems that the paper mache' has added more rigidity to the structure. I have about 1/4 inch gap around the interior sturcture so it has plenty of room if it swells a bit.
-Art


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## tjcruiser

Sorry, Art ... I should have been more clear. I was talking about some simple cleats or similar to keep the top frame (with glass) in position and aligned.

TJ


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## Artieiii

tjcruiser said:


> Sorry, Art ... I should have been more clear. I was talking about some simple cleats or similar to keep the top frame (with glass) in position and aligned.
> 
> TJ


TJ,
The glass is completly "trapped" in a groove all the way around the support frame. It does move a tiny bit in it's groove but not enough to fall out. Plenty of room for expansion/contraction. It was tricky cutting the groove in the frame just the right depth so the glass cannot fall out and still keeping the frame the correct size . I have a bunch of experience with this technique. I made 9 similar frames around the glass panels I used on my train shelf display case.
-Art


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## tjcruiser

Sorry ... again ...

The whole top (wood frame & glass) lifts off when it's not normally sitting on top of the table frame box. How are you maintaining the position of the top on the frame box, so that it doesn't get pushed sideways with someone's knee? That's what I was asking. I assume you have some small wood cleats glued/screwed to the underside of the wood top that are inset slightly from the inner faces of the frame box?

Didn't mean to overcomplicate this ...


TJ


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## Artieiii

tjcruiser said:


> Sorry ... again ...
> 
> The whole top (wood frame & glass) lifts off when it's not normally sitting on top of the table frame box. How are you maintaining the position of the top on the frame box, so that it doesn't get pushed sideways with someone's knee? That's what I was asking. I assume you have some small wood cleats glued/screwed to the underside of the wood top that are inset slightly from the inner faces of the frame box?
> 
> Didn't mean to overcomplicate this ...
> 
> 
> TJ


Yes TJ there are wooden strips that hold the table top in place.
Here is a picture of the test fitting of the interior inside the table. Sorry for the crummy picture.
-Art


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## Big Ed

TJ is taking notes so when he builds his he will be set.

Did you think about using hydraulic pistons? 
The type that a rear window on a pickup trucks cap has?
Not the same as a pickup's, but something like it. They retract when the top goes down and they go down slow. 
Just a thought, as much as your going to have the top off, I think the lift out top is fine.

Looking good!:thumbsup:


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## Artieiii

*More Pix*

Here are some updated pix of the layout inside the table with paint and grass. I used a texturized paint from Home Depot to mimic granite and used craft paint and saw dust to make the grass and glued it down with 50:50 mixture of elmers glue and water. I think it looks great so far. Off to the train show in NJ with my wife.
-Art


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## tjcruiser

That textured "granite" paint looks great ... easy!

Have fun at the show ... come home with some goodies!

TJ


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## Artieiii

At the train show I picked up a barn with some farm animals, a church a general store and a few other small buildings for $5 each. I also got a pair of lighted cross bucks a street lantern and some lighted billboards. Total spent about $75 I will post some pix when I get my track laid for a test run.
-Art


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## 93firebird

That track layout looks familiar!!:smokin:


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## Artieiii

I laid the track last nite using bathtub caulk to hold it in place. I spent the day trouble shooting the track. I had some solder that was derailing the engine (fixed). A few spots where the track had reverse banking so I had to shim a few spots with some thin cardboard strips (fixed). The GG1 seems to be running pretty reliably at this point. I picked up 3 old Atlas PRR passenger cars at a local train show (see other thread). I also got some fine ballast today but I am going to wait until I am sure the track works reliably before I do that. I figure the ballast will cover up the white latex caulking (that is butt ugly).
-Art


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## Artieiii

93firebird said:


> That track layout looks familiar!!:smokin:


Haha....after some trial and error this is the only layout that I could fit in the table. I originally wanted an outer loop with an inner figure of 8 but the turns were way too tight to pull that off. Process of elimination, and we have the same layout LOL.
-Art


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## Artieiii

*Updated Pix*

Here are some close ups of the coffee table layout. I laid the flex track then spent some time tweaking it. After I was satisfied with the track work I tried my hand at laying ballast that I picked up at a local train show. I painted the walls of the table to add depth. I love how the tunnel looks . The grass is pretty good for sawdust LOL. I have plenty of saw dust in my basement.
-Art


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## Artieiii

*New pix up*

I posted some new pix with the track laid and the ballast.
-Art


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## Artieiii

I added a center spur over the weekend. It's a fake turnout but I wired the spur so that I can park some lighted passenger cars "in town". The plan is to purchase the Kato Broadway Limited 4 car add on set for the GG1 to pull.
-Art


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## mafokken

That looks great. Maybe when I make a coffee table train I'll make it a big coffee table!


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## Big Ed

Hey Art, how long are you going to keep us in suspense?

How is the layout looking?


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## mattoboy

I would love to try this once!

When I was part of the local train club back in 2010/2011, a widow donated a coffee table layout that was Z-scale! There was lots of talk about finishing it and maybe doing an auction to earn money for club, but I got out of their soon after before poop hit the fan!


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## spoil9

Any updates?


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## Big Ed

He has been MIA since last April. :dunno:

I would like to see more of it too.


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