Intro and question about layout construction

Hi,
I'm new here and have my first dumb question. I'm just getting back into the hobby after 30 years or so and am planning an N scale layout using the hollow core door / foam construction concept. I'm thinking about wiring and wondering what others have done when it comes time to drill down though 2" of foam and the door, for wiring track, turnouts, etc? I don't have a 4" long drill in such a small diameter! Do you measure each hole from the layout edges then transfer those measurements to the under side? Drill a larger hole through the door then a small one through the foam?

Any help is appreciated and thank you!

Pete

 

It is a good question, not a dumb one.
Welcome to Trainboard.
I don't know the answer.

 

Hi Pete, and welcome aboard; there are no Dumb questions. Well in reference to your wiring I've read around here in a Thread not long ago that you can chisel out a channel place your wiring into it and cover it with scenery. Which sounded like a good idea to me.
You'll find some quite helpful folks here. There will be some more good suggestion here in a little bit.
Hope you enjoy your ride with us, and your renewed hobby/layout

Glen

 

I bought a long, thin drill bit for exactly this purpose from my local hardware store for $9 Australian. I figured it was worth it for the number of holes I needed to drill. And then my son used it for his layout too.

 

I used an ice pick to poke the hole. Then I attched the wires to a brass tube and ran them through the foam and door. Worked OK for me.

Eric

 

Lowe's and Home Depot both sell 12" long drill bits. Chuck one in the portable drill and run it through the door a few times. Stick a 5 1/4 inch mini straw through the foam and the door.

I bought a plastic box of 250 straws at the local Walmart. ( found them in the cocktail mix section). You can glue the straws into the hole or simply run the wire through the composite and pull straw through with the wires.

Be sure to mark the wires for polarity when you pull them through. I tied a simple half hitch in all the "outside rail" wires. When I started running my main bus (DCC) I soldered all the drops, I didn't have to go back and trace what went where.

Mark

 

Welcome, Pete!

My local Lowe's has 6-inch drill bits as small as 1/8" diameter but nothing longer or smaller. A Google search turned up some online vendors who sell extra long, small-diameter drill bits.

Drill Bit Warehouse has long drill bits in many diameters down to 1/16". Look for Aircraft Drill Bits and Long Boys. They have drill bits up to 18 inches long.

Sloan's Woodshop sells a 3-pack of 6-inch bits in either 1/8" or 1/16" diameter for $8.95.

- Jeff