I second what Ed has said. I'm in the commercial cabinetmaking business, and MDF does sag over time unless it is supported. A jig saw is a must. A power miter saw can be very useful as well for making accurate cuts. I've seen them at Lowe's for around a hundred bucks.
Charles Weston --- On Sat, 8/21/10, Ed <[email protected]> wrote: From: Ed <[email protected]> Subject: {S-Scale List} Re: "S"ome questions To: [email protected] Date: Saturday, August 21, 2010, 3:00 PM > I do not have a jigsaw, Building a model railroad layout without a jigsaw is like spreading butter without a knife. You need to find a friend or neighbor with one or buy a cheap used on via Craig's List on the internet. > unless a handsaw can be used to cut MDF, I have never used MDF for a train layout, but the shelves I have made with it have always sagged a little bit. Then again, heavy stuff was on the shelves. But it is not really stiff stuff. > do I need plywood (or OSB) underneath the 2" foam? Many modules are built with 2" foam and they seem to work just fine. Add a few more under-foam supports if in doubt. > Would 1/2" foam be fine? Half inch foam would be not-so-fine. You have a two foot span to cover and the weight of an engine and car(s) will cause severe sagging. Too much strength is better than insufficient stiffness. Overkill is better than underkill. Have fun...Ed L. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/S-Scale/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
