Baseboard "legs - What Design Do You Recommend?

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
The Basingstoke Model Railway Society is about to start cutting wood for a new 7mm layout... the baseboards (all seven of them) are to be constructed from 6mm Birch ply with internal bracing. As the size of each board is 4' x 3' in plan... with two levels and a canal basin making a "depth" approaching 15".... there is some concern about the design of the legs to support the baseboards - maybe the time is ripe for something other than the "traditional" legs hinged from the side members.

So what might you recommend for this project?

regards, Graham

(and if you live close enough.. be prepared for a visit from the press gang ;) )
 

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
Hi Graham,

is the layout going to stay in one location or is it going to be on the exhibition circuit - that might help decide on the leg design and whether they are attached or not.

cheers

Mike
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
is the layout going to stay in one location or is it going to be on the exhibition circuit - that might help decide on the leg design and whether they are attached or not.

The entire layout has to be portable (hopefully for exhibition) and capable of being "stored" to allow for erection of other club layouts. Current club hut has a floor with more ups and downs than a good soap story so a large dose of adjustability is required in whatever design is chosen.

regards, Graham
 

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
and they do not take up valuable modelling time in their construction, other than a spreader beam across the top to suit the baseboard width - great idea that man:thumbs::thumbs::thumbs:

cheers

Mike
 

John D

Western Thunderer
This sort of Builder's Trestle is becoming very popular

Hmmmm!.... they are what they are....builders trestles, sturdy & cheap.....but I found them..

Not exactly lightweight....worth bearing in mind if you need lots
Do not exactly fold flat for transport thus take up more room than you think
and....... a bit 'clunky'.....chain rattling and things.

I think I still have two at the bottom of the shed , if anybody wants them they can have them,




 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
I am surprised that there has not been more suggestions or ribald comments for this topic.... does the lack of traffic imply that WTers do not build layouts which require supports/legs? Garden railways and dioramas excepted, what is done for the other layouts? Whilst we are going to build a 7mm layout I am interested in solutions / designs for any scale of layout.

regards, Graham
 

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
Hi Graham,

herewith two drawings of proposed boards and legs - I see no reason why the width of the leg unit could not be increased to suit your purposes and obviously, with the addition af suitable 'adjustable feet'

cheers

Mike

IMG_0001.jpgIMG-001.jpg
 

JimG

Western Thunderer
I am surprised that there has not been more suggestions or ribald comments for this topic.... does the lack of traffic imply that WTers do not build layouts which require supports/legs? Garden railways and dioramas excepted, what is done for the other layouts? Whilst we are going to build a 7mm layout I am interested in solutions / designs for any scale of layout.

Graham,

I was waiting to see what others might suggest. :)

I hope to exhibit my Banavie Road layout sometime in the not too distant future. At the moment, the baseboards are supported on a diamond shaped frame in my back bedroom and I intend to provide a similar type of frame for exhibition use, with the frame corners supported on brackets clamped to four cheap "Workmate" tables. The design for the present supports is shown at the start of this thread.

http://www.westernthunder.co.uk/index.php?threads/banavie-road-caledonian-in-s-scale.686/

The beams on the exhibition frame will be bolted to the supports such that the support frame and the Workmates will provide a stable base with resistance to sideways forces. I get a bit worried with layouts sitting on trestles since they do not have much resistance to horizontal forces which could cause the trestles to tilt then collapse. At least the traditional baseboard legs attached to the underside of a baseboard with a triangulated spar will not allow the legs to tilt.

Jim.
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Mike, thank you very much for the drawings. I think that I know the answer to this question... where do the legs fit into the baseboard structure?

How does the baseboard-plus-leg structure gain stability along the long length of the board? (that is, resistance to wobble / flex if a load is applied at the end of the baseboard).

The presence of alignment dowels indicates that there is more than one board for the layout.... how many of the boards have two sets of legs?

Might these boards be for Slattocks?

regards, Graham
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Thank you Jim, appreciate what you are doing / propose and I agree with your thoughts about lateral stability.
regards, Graham
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Heyside's supports are very similar to Mike's drawings. Each pair of legs is braced and slot into pockets on the sides of the boards. One of the things we have done is moved the legs in from the ends of the boards. I have never understood why the (unwritten) rule seems to be legs at ends. I feel there is much less chance of sag with legs partway along the sides. But then, some of our boards are 8 ft long.

Richard
 

Ressaldar

Western Thunderer
Mike, thank you very much for the drawings. I think that I know the answer to this question... where do the legs fit into the baseboard structure?

The legs fit into the outer slots at the board ends and the top horizontal beam takes the weight of the board - the verticals stop short of the top of the board and therefore there is no chance of the top being pushed off of the sides.
How does the baseboard-plus-leg structure gain stability along the long length of the board? (that is, resistance to wobble / flex if a load is applied at the end of the baseboard).

The stability is gained by virtue of the leg being a snug fit into the slot and if two leg units are used on every other board the lateral stability is also 'built-in' as it were.
The presence of alignment dowels indicates that there is more than one board for the layout.... how many of the boards have two sets of legs?

As many as you wish, obviously one board has to have the two sets so that whether with a straight run or an oval
it is the anchor board - first up last down and everything else radiates from it.

Might these boards be for Slattocks?

No, they were for a branchline extension off of the continuous run which could also be exhibited as a branchline end to end with an optional fiddle yard. Unfortunately, events overtook the whole plan - our landlords gave us notice to quit as they needed the site for redevelopment and the rest as they say is history.

However, we (Wirral OGG) have just moved into new premises - just finishe dthe redecoration this week, and will be erecting our test track shortly and there is a proposal for a similar type of extension for consideration, once we have everything up and running again.

Hope this answers your querries, but come back again if you need anything else. By the way, this leg arrangement is also used by the North Wales and West Cheshire OGG on their test track - 35' x 15' and it is very stable and has to be taken down after every running session and stored until the next one.

cheers

Mike
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
Thank you Mike, all is now clear.

Sorry about the confusion as to layout... I said Slattocks because the drawing has MMRS rather than Wirral OGG.

regards, Graham
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Hi Graham

I don't have many, or even good, pictures of the basic construction. The following 3 are about the best.

Heyside Layout 058.jpgHeyside Layout 024.jpgHeyside Layout 025.jpg

All wood shown, including the tops is best quality 9mm Baltic Birch Ply, all joints glued and screwed. Actually, the corner blocks and blocks to screw the top on, as well as the pocket spacers are are 1'' softwood. The Board shown is one of 3 identical fiddle yard boards some 7' 3'' by 2' 9''. The middle framing is spaced to avoid point motors.

They have been up for 3 years now and are showing no sign of sag. Not light though, and definitely a 2-man lift. Mike is right, when all the boards are bolted together, it is incredibly stable.

Yours

Richard
 

Alan

Western Thunderer
We use the Wickes type legs on Potterbourne, admittedly a much smaller layout. But one thing it does allow is adjustable height as well as being very stable.
 

Dikitriki

Flying Squad
Graham

I would also mention that the legs are nominal 2'' x 1'' planed timber, and the whole thing is plenty strong enough to support the weight of an adult climbing on it to replace a fluorescent on the wall!

Richard
 

Dog Star

Western Thunderer
I would also mention that the legs are nominal 2'' x 1'' planed timber, and the whole thing is plenty strong enough to support the weight of an adult climbing on it to replace a fluorescent on the wall!

This sounds like a WT Challenge... "how many adults can stand on a baseboard at one time?"

regards, Graham
 
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