Bob, for what it's worth, I've had a hard time with the Archer rivets as well, couldn't get a straight line on a styrene tender shell. Maybe there's a trick to it but I've yet to figure it out... Otto
Sorry Mark...try as I might, I am unable to figure out your question. Maybe I can clarify things a bit. The first fascia piece goes down first, gets screwed and glued to the pine fascia gussets, which are supported by the 2X2 redwood baluster pieces which are glued and screwed to the tops of the "L" girder(s). The second fascia layer gets glued and clamped to the first layer, hiding the screw heads which are at least level with the surface of first layer (or a little less) because they're screwed into countersunk clearance holes. You don't want the fascia joints to be right on top of each other, so you cut the second layer shorter (or longer) than the first layer to make the joint be in a different spot than the joint in the first layer. The first layer's joint is reinforced using a vertical 1X3 with both ends of the first layer hardboard pieces butted up against each other, and glued and screwed to the vertical 1X3. The second layer's joint is just two pieces butted up against each other, glued to the first layer and clamped between two removable 1X2's (one on the inside, one on the outside) which are held in place with clamps until the glue dries. Unlike soldering flextrack before you bend it, there is no "slippage" between the two layers of hardboard, and when they are glued together, they retain their curves or straightness and become extremely difficult to re-bend if you have to make a modification to your fascia (speaking from experience). During demolition/modification of several modules, I removed the fascia and they were stiff, and retained their curves....and were totally unable to be re-used. Hope this answers your question. Cheers! Bob Gilmore
I used hardboard on my layout (first attempt and it is not real preatty but I can live with it). I used a circular saw and some saw horses and had a pretty tough time cutting this stuff. Short of a table saw which I do not own, is there a better way to cut this stuff like maybe a jig saw?
Here are a couple of suggestions to help. 1) Try putting a 2x4 or a piece of 3/4" plywood under the hardboard on your sawhorses to make it rigid. Set you saw depth just deep enough to cut through your hardboard with about 1/4" clearance. 2) Use a straight board like a 1x4 for a cutting guide for straight cuts. Mark your cutting line. Then measure the distance from your clear edge of your sawblade to the outter edge of your base plate. Line your board up the same distance from your cut line and clamp it down on each end. Now you can simply run your baseplate along the cutting edge/board and "ta da" you have a straight cut. Hope this helps. Ron
Ron's way works for me too when my tablesaw is buried and I just need to cut a quick piece of Masonite off. However, this last time, I just had the lumberyard cut it for me when I bought it. The Home Depot will make two or three (maybe four?) cuts for free on any piece of lumber you purchase from them. I'm not sure about Lowes. Probably the same. Not only does that make it so you don't have to make your cuts at home, it also makes your 4X8 sheet(s) a lot easier to carry to your vehicle! Cheers! Bob Gilmore
I'm a bit late to this discussion, but what I did is have Home Depot do the cutting for me. I'm using 3/16th tempered hardboard, and they were happy to cut it into strips on thier panel saw to whatever widths I wanted. The cutting is free, and they do a nice clean job of it. Plus it is MUCH easier to get home that way - I have a Jeep SUV that won't take a 4x8 sheet, but 8' strips are no problem. I cut the strips to length with a sliding compound mitre saw. Kevin Rhodes Westbrook, ME Modelling a small piece of the St. Lawrence & Atlantic in HO on one 10.5' wall of my home office.
