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How to DIY Train Tables

The basis for any good model train layout is the train table. A good train table not only provides a mount for the train and scenery, but is also a useful way to hide the wiring by allowing you to drill directly into the table to run wires underneath. While you can purchase a good train table, it'll be expensive and you'll often have to alter your setup to fit the table purchased. Going the DIY route opens up possibilities, allowing you to design precisely what you require to fit your needs.

Things You'll Need

¾-inch plywood sheets
1-by-3-inch spruce planks
1-by-4-inch spruce planks
Wood glue
Clamps
Finish nails
Hammer
Drill

Instructions

- 1
  Design the layout of your model, including the scenery, as well as the positioning of the track. Creating a wiring layout, noting where each wire will have to be run through your train table. Some portions of your layout will be heavier than others due to heavy scenery objects, mark these areas in your layout so that you can make adjustments to your train table to accommodate them.
- 2
  Purchase the wood needed for your table according to the layout dimensions.
- 3
  Build the tabletop by cutting the plywood sheet to the planned size. Cut and attach 1-by-3-inch planks to the underside of the tabletop where the heavy scenery will be placed for extra support, spanning the width of the table, with the 1-inch sides nailed to the table's underside.
- 4
  Create a skirt for your board by cutting 1-by-4-inch planks to the length and width necessary to go around the tabletop. Glue the planks to the sides of your tabletop and the reinforcing planks, creating a wooden skirt with the tops of the planks raised 1/4 inch above the surface of the plywood. Overlap the width planks with the length planks for extra strength in the joins. Clamp the planks into place and allow the glue to dry. Once the glue has dried, remove the clamps and use the finish nails to secure the planks firmly, placing a nail every 4 inches, beginning 3 inches from the ends of the planks, and into the sides of any reinforcing planks.
- 5
  Build your four table legs using a 1-by-3-inch plank secured to a 1-by-4-inch plank. Cut the planks to length, and then glue the 1-by-3-inch plank to the 1-by-4 plank, so that each side is 4 inches wide. Make sure the legs are at least 28 inches high for comfortable access to the table top. Clamp the planks while the glue dries, and then remove the clamp and place finish nails into the legs to secure them together.
- 6
  Glue the four legs to the inside of the wood skirting and the tabletop. Allow the glue to set and then nail the legs into place with the finish nails, using a diamond-shaped pattern of four nails per leg plank through the skirting.
- 7
  Finish the table by sanding all surfaces smooth and apply a wood sealant. You can sand a rounded bevel edge for a more finished look, and stain the table if you wish to do so. If not, just apply the sealant.
- 8
  Drill holes in the tabletop for the wires as indicated by your plans, and then layout the track and scenery.

Model Railroads