Well, I've done it now. I finished putting up the base shelf of my around the room O scale and screwed the track in place yesterday. Everything is wired and operational. Now all I have to do is put on the plexi shield (I don't want any accidental derailments at 7 feet), attach the various dress mouldings and paint it. Then I can worry about the scenery etc. (and my n scale layout rebuild) My question is this: does anyone have any tricks to minimize the inevitable expansion and warping of wood shelves? These are pretty securely in place. They are hung with L brackets every 16" (into studs) and the one side where I have a siding will be more heavily fortified with iron shelf supports. (I found the design for using the upside down corner braces on Trains.com I think) Any advice on the care and feeding of wood shelving would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jacob
I primed all my wood benchwork as my layout resides in my basement. This along with a dehumidifier has kept any expansion in check so far (over 2 years).
well, somethign i know better than model railroading. keep the humidity constant or allow for movement. here in florida if you scre glue and other wise imobilize a piece of pine board it will destroy itself. it must move. if you are using standard spf (spruce, fir, pine) 11-1/4" and the humidity does not make big swings. there should be no problems. if you use sealer, paint, etc. do all four sides. respectfully david oglesby
Thanks guys. See this is my problem. I went off once again half cocked. What I wanted to do was to leave the top of the shelf raw so it would be easier to draw wiring diagrams etc. on. I had planned on priming and painting the bottom and outer edge. Now I'm doubting the wisdom of this and I've already screwed the track down to it. Man I really don't want to tear this up again. Uggh. Oh and yes it's just pine board.
Jacob, I once had to "bite the bullet" and seal my boards too! Then to be able to draw on the up side, I sprayed a light coat of white over the sealer and put it all back up. I did seal all four sides and tripple coated the end grain! It was no problem for 13 years, then we moved away. It will save you untold grief to just do it now. Sorry. Ask before... next time, we will be glad to help if we can. A derail 7 feet up makes scrap when it hits the floor!
OK, I decided to do the right thing and seal it all in. So, last night I came home with my gallon of sealer and got to work. I started with my switching side and took out the track. After painting on a chair for about 30 minutes I started to get a little over zealous with the paint and it got on the wall. With my wife's voice in the back of my head I say it really is time to do it all. So I also start to prime the walls as well. Now I'm stuck emptying the rec room and painting. It's funny how a job is never as simple as you think. I thought putting in a shelf layout would take about a week to get it up and running. Then finessing it. Well, week 3... Go ahead and say it. I'll be happier in the end. (You know I don't think you can have trains in prison though, after you've buried your wife's body in a shallow grave in the basement after critiquing your painting for the 100th time) Grrr.
Jacob, I think we've all had a simple-looking project go "bad." Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the most important success factor for this layout is going to be how well you seal those boards. 1 x 12 pine is going to be mostly "plain-sawn" and subject to cupping and warping. But--you now seem to have the situation mostly under control. Good luck! Pete
Getting in here a little late since you've already sealed the boards. But screwing a 2" facing strip ripped from birch plywood (or something else relatively light but stout and stable), and screwing from the top, would help a lot. You'll have additional support for fascia and, I guess, something extra to bump you head on, too.
Pete and Steamghost, I'm not too worried about it at this point. The shelf is actually only 8" wide for the most part. The switching side is 10". It is a very narrow around the room layout. And it is supported every 16" into a stud. I had considered the moulding underneath as well for added support, then for some reason I bought a few decorative supports to give the side with the turnouts a bit more strength. I don't think it needs it, but they do look nice. All of this makes me wonder though why the site I got the design from recommended pine board (or plywood).
You said Train.com? Milwaukee-based? A northern clime. Good plywood would be an excellent choice; cheap plywood not so good. At 8" to 10" wide, your worries go down a lot. If it ever does start wavering, 3/4" steel angle, instead of molding, can really help. I did a lot of casework in the 70s in New England, and reinforced a lot of spans with steel.
Pete, that's a good idea. Right now it is hung with corner angles from above. It hangs from them so you don't see the supports on the shelf. (at least once I put in my backdrop you won't) I will keep an eye on it and see if it needs any shoring up. Having $3000 worth of trains plumeting to the floor would be a bad thing. That's why I'm probably being a little overcautious with this. I've built more benchwork than anything else, so I've gotten fairly adequate at it, but at 7' you don't want to underdo it. On a bright note, I took all of your advice and last night I stayed up late, took down all of the shelves, sealed them twice on each side (3 times on the ends ), primed the wall behind and then this morning rehung them. Tonight I'll probably reinstall the cork and track. I'm really tired today because I had to stay up late to get the several coats on, so it's a good thing I'm at work and can rest.
Jacob; I would use a wood sealer and then paint the shelving the color you want. This will prevent the wood from warping.
