# 4x8 board for layout



## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

Hello. New forum member here. I am planning to build a 4X8 HO layout that is screwed down. I would like the board to be as light weight as possible, but still be rigid enough to not bend when I have to move it around in my home. I want it to be at least 4x8, and I don't think they make a hollow door in that size. The plywood sheets at Lowes are either quite heavy or very bendy. Any suggestions?


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

Sure.....a foam sandwich....

Take two sheets of the 4' x 8' 1/4" inch Luan (floor underlayment) and put a sheet of 2 inch ridgid insulation foam between them...

Lay the first sheet of luan on a good hard flat floor.........smear a tube of liquid nails all over it...

Lay the foam on it (make sure to strip the plastic covering off the foam if ther is one...you want the glue to bond to the foam really good)....work it down flat and get the bubbles out of the glue if any...wipe off any glue that might ooze out...

Then smear glue all over the foam....and lay the other sheet of luan on it...

Work it flat...make sure you edges are all flush.....( you might have to lay it on edges and gently tap it flat from one corner)...

Lay if flat and place books or jugs of water on boards or basiclly anything wide and flat and heavy to can put on it....

Next day it should be as a solid as any foam core door can be.....and 4 x 8 !

You only need to dress up the edges...:thumbsup:

I used this method for all the elevations built on my table base....


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

Excellent Suggestion Crimnick!


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

Yes, thank you very much. Sounds like it will work great. I think I'll try it.:thumbsup:


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## Tycoarm (Jan 7, 2006)

Make sure to use adhesive made for foam as any that are petrolium base will eat throught the foam and not work.


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

Sounds like the liquid nails has worked for Crimnick, so I guess I'll just stick with that recipe.


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

Yeah Liquid nails is used to stick the foam to several different types of surfaces in many construction applications...rigid insulation foam is the blue or pink stuff....not the white foam...

It's much more dense...

I dont know If I'd jump up and down on your table on sawhorses....but it should be plenty sturdy for a portable slot car track....

I can climb on my table....but the table base is 2x4 framed with 3/4 plywood surfaced....



then everything else is built on top...





More pics of the build in my photos...starting about page 5.

Feel free to steal...er...use any ideas you can get from it...:thumbsup:

BTW...I used TOMY track and counter sunk #4 wood screws to secured the track to the luan...

You have to be gentle when counter sinking the screw holes....I did it by hand with a phillips screw driver....small bit to start the hole..then a larger one to get the bevel just right so the screw head sits flush......You can use brad nails to pin the track right where you want it then when you get to that spot you pull the nail...counter sink the hole...and there is already a starter hole for the screw...

I didnt paint my track , so I hit the screw heads with a black sharpie and they blend right in...

If you REALLY want to get fancy..You could use 1" foam...and make your elevations changes in the sandwich itself with layers cut to match the layout.....a slight hill on the end or middle sould be much a problem...kinda like a layer cake...as long as all the luan gets glued down pretty good it should be reletively sturdy as well...and you could always use a long counter sunk dryway screw to pul the top and bottom layers together...

My table is made by:

the base

a layer of foam to give the desired hight (I used 2" and 1" foam for elevation changes)

then the top layer of luan...

a dab of liquid nail as you place it...

Then a couple counter sunk dry wall screws to nail it all down to the table...

There is then a solid 1/4" roadbed under all the track..no matter the elevation...

You can also see how I built the high bank supports with luan and angled block supports and my easy peasy power tap method...



I used luan because it's just sturdy enough to mount track to...yet flexible enough for make smooth elevation changes...

Rolls used the same method on his track with great success just without the foam...



Pretty slick!


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

Here's a shot of the road crew at work..


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

Thanks, Crimnick. Nice pics. That's a cool setup you have there. I am using Aurora MM track, so I don't think I will have any difficulty screwing it down.

I like the old MM track. I am surprised at how many people don't. I haven't used TOMY, but I have dabbled in both Tycopro and new Tyco track, and I will take the MM track over that stuff any day. MM track works fine with all my cars, it feels sturdy, has never broken on me, and the cars don't seem to click around the track any more than they do using the new Tyco. It also has those cool white stripes, and I've just gotta have those!


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

I went from the old side locker AFX to Tyco and used that for quite a while (tyco is still pretty cheap on the bay)...and then sitched to Tomy for the new track build because of the wider selection of curves and the ability to do 4 lane high banks.....

One of our club layouts is done with MM track....works just as good as the new stuff..

Keep us informed how your build goes with pics and stuff please...


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

I just got done making my "foam sandwich."

I didn't know there was more than one kind of Liquid Nails. After reading a ton of labels I ended up going with Tite-Bond "Foamboard" glue instead because it was the only kind I found that specified that it sticks to both wood and foam. I hope that wasn't a mistake.

I used two big tubes of the stuff and really gummed up my caulking gun in the process. It turned out the boards would have easily taken 4 tubes or more, so I hope the two tubes (one for each side) was enough.

I didn't even have the option of running out to the store for more glue because the stuff was getting tacky real fast. The foam went on top of the first board perfectly. The second board was a little harder to get even. I held the sandwich up vertically and hit it against the floor, which made it more even, but it would only go so far. It is very close, but not perfect. Just a few millimeters off at two of the corners. Looks like it should work just fine.

I've got heavy tiles, books, etc. whatever I could find on top of it now. We'll see how it turns out tomorrow.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

Sounds like you used the right stuff. Some adhesives will melt foam board so getting a product specifically designed for foam is perfect.


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

Cool!

I used the general construction LN...didnt seem to melt the foam board at all......

Sounds like you will have it bonded quite well...

I might end up doing on of these myself for a portable....the one I built isnt quite as "portable" as I would like.....it's still pretty heavy...


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

spider89119 said:


> I just got done making my "foam sandwich."


I just got done with a turkey sandwich. All this talk of work and sandwiches was making me hungry.


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## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

Glad you stated Turkey, I doubt if a foam sandwich would be very good, in terms of sandwich flavor.

Boosted


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

It's all a matter of condiments! :tongue:


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

Here's the continuing saga. The lauan boards began to lift at the corners, so I drilled all the way through the "sandwich," and used machine screws with nuts and washers on the underside to flatten the boards and reinforce the bond along the edges.




























I used plastic wood to fill in the depressions and cover the screw heads. Before sanding the plastic wood, I noticed that it would make a very good material for my desert landscape.










So I set up my track ( minus 2 one lane straights I hadn't yet received from Model Motoring) and traced it. Then I took down the track and strategically began molding my desert landscape to the board with plastic wood and a spatula.



















To cover the board and make my desert look more uniform I used Krylon "Make It Stone" spray paint. Tomorrow I am going to coat the board with matte acrylic clear coat.



















I realize this is not nearly as elaborate or difficult as what many of you folks have done, but not too bad for a first effort so far, and I am having fun.


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

Looks great :thumbsup:

Having fun is what it's all about :freak:

Bob B.
Clifton Park, NY


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Bring on the scrub and cacti!! Looks great Spider!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: Cool thinking out of the box with the wood putty too! :thumbsup:


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

Scrub and cacti are definitely in the works, and I have some buildings and bleachers too. I am going to create a construction scene with a detour sign to go in between my Y tracks and single lane straights.

Thinking outside of the box comes naturally when you have no experience or knowledge of what you are doing to begin with.:drunk:


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## Mello Yello (Jun 22, 2010)

Spider,
That looks very cool. I will be putting a 1/32 scale track in my basement. It will be a 8x16 layout. Never done this before so I'm looking forward to it. I will have scenery with buildings bleachers & other things. I like the desert look. Keep posting with your progress. 
P.S. The track itself will only be about 6x12. 
Kirt


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

You're definitely on the right track to creating a great layout. One thing I've discovered (and that's what it is all about - discovery) when dealing with textures is to create a very thinned wash in a contrasting color to apply over the textured surface to create shadows and highlight edges. I'm talking a very thinned out, watered down wash. I use a couple of drops of contrasting paint in a couple ounces of water and isopropyl alcohol mixed 50/50, which makes it dry faster. You can also use inks or dyes, but whatever you use it should be barely coloring the water and when applied look more like you are mostly wetting the surface. Trial and error the mix until you get the underlying texture to pop when the wash dries. If you're looking for a subtle contrast use a lighter colored wash and for a deeper shadowing a darker wash. I also used this technique for creating shadows on my backdrop. 

My rule of thumb about the slot car hobby is that not knowing what you are doing is not an impediment for doing it. You learn by doing. I'm a strong proponent of the discovery method.

Here are some of my discoveries and lessons:

http://min.us/mehtrHj


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

I broke in the lanes today and am almost ready to screw the track down. Any recommendations on what kind of screws I should look for? Should they be self-tapping, or is it better to drill holes?


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

I used #4 wood screws and countersuck the holes by hand...it takes a light touch to not over bore the hole...

I used brads to "pin" the track where I wanted it....then pulled the brad to do each hole one at a time...this also leaves a small starter hole for the screw...

I used a black sharpie on the heads and they blended right into the track...


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## ggallin (Mar 5, 2010)

Layouts looking real good B er Spider. Wish I was out there to check it out in person but I'm stuck here in rochester, your brother:thumbsup:


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

I screwed down the layout. I am using old MM track, which already has the beveled screw posts, so it was just a matter of finding the right screws. I ended up using 4x1/2 wood screws and the second-lowest torque setting on my drill. The screws fit nice and flush. The next step will be the shrubs and cactii. I haven't figured out what I'm going to do for walls yet. I want them to be removable so I can hang the board on my garage wall when not in use without it sticking out too far. Any suggestions?


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## rbrunne1 (Sep 22, 2007)

Spider - check out Post # 39 here: http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=171878&page=3

and post #129 here: http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=171878&page=9

I would read Scaf's whole thread...many good ideas there. 
Another idea I found useful; sort the track building forum, descending by the number of replies. You'll find a wealth of information in those long threads...I know I did.

Bob B.
Clifton Park, NY


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

You can always use modeling clay for the walls.


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

The track is done, at least until I decide to add to it or make changes. I cut 2 2'x4' pieces of MDF lengthwise for the walls, and made them removable by mounting corner braces to the board to create slots for the walls to slide into. The walls are to keep the cars from hitting the concrete floor. Here are some pics.


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

Here's some more


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

Looking good spider!! :thumbsup:


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

And a better pic of this section, since the other one is blurry. The Coke stand looks crooked in the pic, but it isn't. The track is working really well. I had a slow spot, so I put a power tap at approximately the halfway point, and now the cars run very smoothly. The only things that are glued down are the bushes. Everything else comes off and goes back on really easy so I can store the track against the wall without it sticking out too far. The construction scene just lifts off in one piece.


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## slotnewbie69 (Dec 3, 2008)

hey spider!great job so far!looks like yer having a blast!maybe look into cork railroad bed for ho trains you can trace your curves onto it and make some skookum aprons for that layout and it'll blend easily into your desert motif.good job!:thumbsup:


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## ggallin (Mar 5, 2010)

Wow great Job Bil. Wish I was out there to race on it. The desert theme is fitting!
:thumbsup:


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## spider89119 (Jun 24, 2011)

slotnewbie69 said:


> hey spider!great job so far!looks like yer having a blast!maybe look into cork railroad bed for ho trains you can trace your curves onto it and make some skookum aprons for that layout and it'll blend easily into your desert motif.good job!:thumbsup:


What are skookum aprons?


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## Crimnick (May 28, 2006)

sweet...I'm glad that worked out for ya..


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## slotnewbie69 (Dec 3, 2008)

spider89119 said:


> What are skookum aprons?


skookum is just another word for good,and the aprons fit on the outside of your tuns to allow the cars to drift without falling off the track.otherwise the outside car can ride the rails giving an unfair advantage


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## clemedc (Feb 2, 2011)

Im loving your track spider thanks for sharing.


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