Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Build a frame from the 1 x 4 dimensional lumber. You'll need two pieces 8 feet long and three at 3 feet, 10½ inches. Working on a flat, level surface, large enough to accommodate a 4-x-8-foot rectangle, apply white glue to one end of a short piece and butt it to the inside end of a long 1 x 4, forming an L standing on edge. Repeat at the other end with a short piece, gluing it to the second 8-foot 1 x 4, then repeat the whole process at the other end of the long pieces. Check the corners with a T-square and, after the glue's dry, sink a pair of screws into each one.
Add bracing with three pieces of 1 x 3 dimensional lumber, each cut to 3 feet, 10½ inches. Stand two braces on the floor, about 2 feet from each end, and attach them as you did the end pieces. The braces will be an inch lower than the rest of the frame, and that's OK, for now.
Cut legs from the remaining 1 x 4 stock, at least 30 inches high, even for a child's-eye perspective, and up to 48 inches for adults (layouts are best viewed as close to eye level as possible). Clamp the first leg to the frame, not at the corner but at its intersection with the first brace (about 2 feet from the corner) and drill two 5/16-inch holes, separated diagonally, through the two pieces of 1 x 4. Secure the leg with the quarter-inch carriage bolts and their nuts and washers. Repeat for the other legs.
Square the legs. Even securely bolted 1 x 4s will tend to sway, losing a true perpendicular. Lightly tack the remaining 1 x 3 brace to the tops (the future bottoms) of the inverted legs to hold them 3 feet, 10½ inches apart. Add a 1 x 3 diagonal to each end pair. The diagonal's length will depend on the layout's height, ranging from about 4 feet 9 inches at 30 inches high to 5 feet 8 inches at the adult altitude (trim off the overhang at each end). Repeat for the other pair of legs.
Remove the 1 x 3 holding the second set of legs parallel and attach it to the frame as its middle brace. You can avoid some future crawling under the table by allowing now for your wiring connections. Drill holes in the 1 x 3 braces or screw eye hooks into their bottom edges. With a helper, flip the works over.
Slide the ½-inch plywood sheet into place on top of the frame and fasten in place with drywall screws, using as many as needed to get a tight fit against the 1 x 4s. At this point, you could use a felt-tip marker to begin translating your track plan to full-scale rendering on plywood. Many model railroaders, however, prefer to add a second ½-inch layer of Homasote, also sold in 4-x-8-foot sheets. A highly compressed paper, Homasote helps deaden noise and makes track-nailing infinitely easier. Secure with white glue or screws.