RMweb Gold big jim Posted March 17, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 17, 2013 (edited) If you have been following my previous "birmingham central" thread you may have noticed that it is now locked as there is nothing more to add as the layout has been dismantled and the baseboards sold on, the later part of the thread dealt with the new shed i had had built and the work i had done to it since delivery in early december, that shed is going to be home to the new layout which i am building from scratch. here is a basic rundown of what i have done in the last 4 months...... cleared the area behind the garage put a base in being built and 45 mins later, all finished, the perks of having professionals install it for you! insulated it with kingspan insulation and lined couple of coats of paint and that brings me up to today.................................. i decided that today would be a "woodwork" day, still need to give the lining another coat of paint but i didnt feel like doing that today! earlier in the week i bought myself a few new power tools, a plunge router from cash generator for £15 and a makita circular saw from the local flea market for £10 to go with my new jigsaw, i have decided to have a go at doing my own base boards, no mean feat for someone who got banned from woodwork in school because he used to break everything, they gave up and gave me metal to work with instead!! without going too far into the ins and outs of the baseboard construction first up i had a go with the router and cut 12mm wide groove 9mm deep into the wood i planned to use for the long edges just to see how it worked, it worked fine thankfully so i then did the same groove the other end and a couple more at regular spaces along the plank to give me 4 crossmembers, i actually lined up 2 planks flat side by side so the groove would be in exactly the same place on both sides when the cross member went in next up i drilled pilot holes for the screws that would hold the cross members in place before adding the cross members (59cm long) between the planks and screwing them into place then i added ends to the boards and screwing them in place too this is the end result, just over 7ft long and 2ft wide and that was the end of that for today, going to be screwing it to the walls of the shed with legs on the outer side which i will add when i decide on how high i should build the layout, the next baseboard on that side will only be 18" wide to fit at the edge of the door hole, i will then add a curved baseboard top for nice flowing lines, not decided on how im going to do the door area yet, make it fixed or removable, will decide as i get to that bit!! so next up i decided to have a go at putting the wood laminate flooring in, something i've never done and having done it will hopefully never do again, awful job and my back is killing me now!! picked up 4 packs of the flooring from the flea market for £8 the lot the other week too so if i made a balls of it it wouldnt be too much of a loss! so onto it, one pack covered a full width of the shed with the outer piece needing slightly trimming (5mm off), here it is without the last piece in 3 packs later... the join on the final pack was a pain though, couldn't get it to line up right but no huge problem i put the frame i made back in to see how it went size wise, should get away with doing a mirror image size frame for the other side but i wont leave me with much room to manouver at that end so i will put all the important gubbins like sockets and the controller at the door end the piece of wood at the front is 18" from the wall to get an idea of how wide it will be similarly the loose plank is 2ft from the right wall to get an idea of how much room will be between the parallel boards so there we go, a new thread for a new build, will be added to as i get time to do stuff Edited March 13, 2019 by big jim layout dismantled and new one being built in the garage 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Very nice work. Reminds me of nearly 20 years ago, mine was a concrete garage though. Nothing nicer than a brand new empty shed / garage and a head full of plans !!!!!! Brit15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruffalo Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 That's nice Jim! I have a 12x10 shed currently occupied by my son's MG Midget restoration project but that will be completed early summer. It is already lined with Rock-wool that is held in place with 6mm ply screwed to the main timbers. I have not laid a second floor, I like the idea of that however to help keep it all cosy! It is a significant space and I have had a considerable time to consider what will fit as a OO layout. My period is late 1920's, company is GWR and style is end-of-the-line terminus which limited me somewhat to the well-known Kingswear, Penzance, Fishguard and the likes. I settled on Penzance after inspiration from RMWeb contributors and will be making my baseboards starting in 10 days. I am planning on using 9mm ply, doubled up to form the frame edges, with a 6mm ply open deck. I chose this for strength with comparative lightness and a fear that softwood will warp over time. Except for fillets and linking spans, baseboards will be 610mm wide. Track is to be Peco Code 75, turnouts will all be live-frog and will be automated with a selection of devices. I am going DCC from the start - my first attempt at this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 When I laid my floor in my man cave under the house, I overlapped all the ends so that it become one huge floor floating on the concrete. The room is just over 6 metres long x 3.3 metres wide. Unfortunately full of work-related stuff but I have designed spaces to store my railway dioramas around the sides. I'm not sure how the individual panels of flooring will stand up to being walked on if they are not tied together or held down? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted March 17, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 17, 2013 ive got to put some beading round the edge of the flooring yet to hold it in place, hopefully it should be secure once thats done Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 That's good to hear. I would hate to hear that you have to pull it all up again in a couple of year's time! If you put a piece of 90mm timber around the sides (on edge) that could become the top surface for the baseboard legs (so they go down from the front of the board to the top of the 90mm timber on an angle). That way you have more room and less likelihood of kicking them each time you work in the space. Have a look at this (Troels Kirk layout) http://www.railroad-line.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=23577&whichpage=54 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted March 18, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 18, 2013 the sloping legs on that layout is something i thought about doing for the reason you said, so as not to knock them but i was worried that they may not be strong enough however that link shows it can be done, i will put timbers (or even proper skirting) around the edge instead of beading and go with that method for the legs, thanks for the link regards the flooring i dont know if your under the impression that its loose panels but it is "clicklock" flooring so each panel is locked to the other, its basically one big piece of laminate! i had trouble closing the last gap as you need to hammer it on the long edge to close the long gap between the panels then gently podge it at the short end to close the gap between the existing laid panels however the last run is virtually up against the shed wall so it was difficult to get a podger in to move it, i may well lift the final few bits i did and relay them as i think i can see a way of closing the gaps a bit as i think the whole final run may be being thrown out slightly by the first sheet of flooring and how it is sitting against the wall, i.e. not completly square Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Yes - you have used similar flooring to me. And yes, get the floor right before going any further - you won't be able to get at it shortly! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Pix Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 (edited) Hi big jim Good use of a shed put in an otherwise useless space in the garden.I put mine along side our bungalow and a fence making good use of a long thin strip of garden that didnt gate much light. Making good progress here. Jez Edited March 18, 2013 by Mr Pix Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tender Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Hi Jim. Don't want to worry you but when laying click- loc flooring you usually lay in a brick fashion to avoid the long horizontal joint you seem to have going across the shed. Could be a weak point that might fail with time. Also don't forget to leave an expansion gap around the edges. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted March 18, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 18, 2013 thanks tender, i was going to lay it the other way (width ways) the correct "brick" way and had originally started doing it that way but it meant a lot more cutting and waste and i figured that laying it the opposite way to the existing flooring planks would distribute the weight a bit too, although yes admittedly i should have still layed it in a brick fashion too, if i really wanted to i could lift it and relay it as i still have spare panels and have not secured it fully yet but its only the shed which will be seeing minimal use anyway, ive got a nice big rug that i can put down on the floor too which should prolong its life there is a gap round the edge which will go under the skirting i will be adding soon, i think it will hold out ok, most of it will be under the baseboards anyway with no weight on it as the boards will be screwed to the wall with the legs fixed in a manner similar to the ones in artizens link above Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted March 31, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 31, 2013 got the rest of the wood for the baseboards, was hoping to get the frames finished today but i lost the keys to the garage and hed so i had to spend while hunting for them and eventually cutting the lock off the shed so i only got a little bit done being as i didnt chronicle the first baseboard construction i thought id take some pictures this time round....... first up i clamped up the long pieces of wood on the workbench, i put them along side each other to get the cuts perfectly in line i then used the original board to mark out where i was going to rout out then i used a piece of wood laminate as a guide for the router the wood is 18mm thick, i routed to a depth of 10MM, here is the router cutting tool before i started cutting i then cut the groove into the wood and the same futher along and thats as far as i got before i had to go back in the house, got 2 more cuts to do on the sides, then cut the cross members and finally the end pieces which i'll photograph as i go along, hopefully early next week, then onto the smaller boards i've also bought the skirting board to fit to the shed too 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ohanlonmartin Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Good luck with your build and not to worry you but there is no need to go quite so deep with those groove cuts, if you think about it the grooves are for locating and bracing the cross members as strengtheners and the more you groove out of the longtitudinals the weaker those become so a balance is needed. What you are doing with the router for grooves is a quick way of getting the same finish without using a mallet and wood chisel and that's fine but IMO don't remove more than 50% of the material from the thickness of the longtitudinals and ideally remove even less, by the time you screw (and glue?) those cross members you will have a solid framework anyway, the angling of the uprights from the leading edge of the framework back to a beam along the shed walls is definitely the way to go and it will be good and strong for what it's intended. There is also a correct way to use the router as in from a left or right hand starting point, while the router will cut either way you might find less chipping of the material and less resistance if you start from the correct side, if the cutting bit spins clockwise I think you need to start your rooves from the right hand side but a quick test run on a scrap piece should help sort that out, do be extremely careful as a router is a deadly piece of kit used in a free hand fashion as you are doing. For your click lok laminate floor do not be tempted to glue as well as click lok the panels, if you deide to re-lay the floor then run the panels as you have them but complete the first panel run from end to end of the shed by joining the panels end to end, you will then have to cut the overhang from a panel to fit the lenght of the shed, that cut piece than becomes your starting panel from the far end of the shed, followed by a full length panel, and by default you get a brick pattern with no waste pieces, that's one of the big selling points of the laminate flooring system. You also should lay a 2 or 3mm light foam flooring underlay and then lay the laminate flooring on that to create a sort of floating laminate floor, don't worry the laminate's own weight keeps it in place and it won't actually float anywhere, the expansion gap is a must also. You may not want to reverse anything you have done so far but if you want the best foundations before you start work on the actual layout now is the only chance you will get to do so. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted March 31, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted March 31, 2013 Thanks for the advice, im not going to relay the floor, for the use im going to get out of it i'll leave it as it is The router does have a direcion arrow on it so i make sure i cut the right way, it is a lethal machine however the good thing is you cant operate it without both hands on the handles so there is no worries about getting fingers in the way! I did wonder if the grooves were a bit deep to be honest, probably could take a few mil off the depth on rest of the boards as i do them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
d winpenny Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Coming along well, david Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted April 21, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 21, 2013 (edited) had a good day in the shed today, got loads done..... first up was to finish the 2nd wide board i was building, and after taking out the items in the shed placing it on the floor to see how much room i'd have between the boards, ok if i breathe in!! the board on the right had additional lengthways bracing which i will add to the other one before the boards go on then i went onto the skirting......... set to it using a new toy i got from an ex catalog shop last week, a nice mitre saw thingy loosely in place and screwed to the walls, it is screwed into the batoning at the bottom and into the lining ply at the top so once that was in place, apart from the rear wall as i need one more length for that i went onto deciding how high i should have the baseboards, i decided on having the top of the frames 900mm from the top of the skirt (1000mm from the floor), i worked from the top of the skirting as that is a constant where as the floor is slightly flexible, so i marked up the height on the wall..... i then clamped 2 temporary legs to the framing and screwed it to the wall with a single screw in the centre once it was secure to the wall i then made some angular legs that fit between the top of the skirting and the boards, 2 on each frame and the same on the other side..... which left me with this as i was on a roll i then went on to the smaller thinner boards, basically done the same method as the first board i built, slotted into place between the big board and doorway and screwed to the wall on 2 sides and big board framing on the 3rd side so very secure even without legs so i'm not going to bother fitting any to it as yet but may re-evaluate once the top boards are in place same again on the other side and looking out from the rear of the shed again i need to add the cross members to the boards before the tops go on but i need to see where i need to cut holes to reach the hidden track section i have planned for the left hand side before i secure anything in all a very productive day indeed, not shown is the piece of wood i've added between the big boards at the rear wall end, i've yet to decide how to do the baseboard accross the doorway, i'm thinking it will be removable as it should just be a simple 2 height track setup at that point as the inclines i have planned should be at their required heights before the doorway! Edited April 21, 2013 by big jim 15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
66702GBRf Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Great looking baseboards!! Can't wait to se some track laid, will the shed from your last layout be used?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted April 25, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25, 2013 will the shed from your last layout be used?? i'm hoping so, going to be an EMD class 66 depot though Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
66702GBRf Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 i'm hoping so, going to be an EMD class 66 depot though Thanks, should be a great sight!! Will the layout have similar trains as the last, or will it be more freight orientated? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
artizen Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 You know that the test of all good baseboards is that you can walk on them? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed a/c Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Nice build so far looking forward to seeing the layout develop. Regards Scott Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus 37 Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 Hi Jim Looking good there mate. Still plenty of time for modelling with the new job I see and I take it that new shed will be full of Colas work horses. Hope you are Well. Marcus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted April 25, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 25, 2013 lots of modelling time from now on just need to be able to get out of the house to do it!! i've sold all my chiltern units, i was going to keep a couple for old times sake then i saw what they were selling for on ebay and thought "old time my a***" and sold them!! keeping my chiltern 67, wrexham coaches and DVT as well as keith heller though, may well sell on the extra 67 ive renumbered and debranded/denamed as 67010 with no nameplates and oddball OHLE flash location as one chiltern debranded one is enough to be honest ive only got a colas 66 and 47 but have the sinfin tank train, the most 66s i've got are GBRf ones but i also have drs, fastline schenker and freightliner hence why i think the ex chiltern depot will be an EMD facility (like longport) so i can put the various liveries together passenger wise i have LM stuff (172 and desiro) a centro 150 and the wrexham stock, really the layout should still be midlands based going by that but they may well get sold on at some point for more north west dmu's 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swifty11 Posted April 25, 2013 Share Posted April 25, 2013 So are you seeing 67010? I will keep an eye out... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold big jim Posted April 27, 2013 Author RMweb Gold Share Posted April 27, 2013 so today was board buying day, went to B and Q and got 2 sheets of 9mm ply, had them cut to size while there, the biggest being 8ft long and 2ft wide anf pd he smaller being just under 4ft and 18" wide, got to trim the corner off the big sheet to create a curve towards the smaller board just to give you an idea of what i have in my mind here is what i think im going to do.... the 2 curves are 4th and 3rd radius, will have plenty of space to have a few sweeping curves on the layout similarly at the other end it should fit nicely, still not decided on how to do the door area yet as its going to be a figure of 8 layout there will need to be 4 lines side by side, 2 dropping from left to right at the rear while the inner ones will rise right to left to get up and over the outer line the 4 tracks running across the door area, i may well put them above each other at this point, the upper board height are no where near where they should be but its only to get the idea the lower line will have a hole cut alongside it in case there are any derailments and for cleaning purposes the upper level should be the practically whole width of the lower board, leaving me plenty of room for a substantial station area, the platform in the pic is the old one from the last layout which is 6ft long lots of room for platform space looking at the other end the track can be above each other then the lower track will swing out and cut under the top line, that will be the crossing point of the figure of 8 again, 4th and 3rd radius curves, these will actually be code 75 flexi track when i come to lay it and will probably be a gentler curve too along the back edge the 4 track width at the rear will leave me with a fair bit of space for the freight/ballast yard just need to work out how to do the door area and get a board between the rear big boards 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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