Doors for Benchwork?

[ript73]

I've seen mention of using doors as your benchwork. I've got a couple of sliding closet doors about 4 x 7 that are hollow and wondering if they'd be good for benchwork or should I just stick to plywood?

 

[Matthyro]

Many starter layouts have been built on doors like these. No reason not to use them. Glue a layer of foam on it then lay track. Not easy to fit legs though.

 

[MasonJar]

Are the sliding doors a double layer? If not, they may not have the required strength... Bifold doors are good too.

As for legs, I have a set of plates that legs screw into. If you can find these (I got mine at IKEA a loooong time ago... ) they may work for you.

Andrew

 

[farmer ron]

Doors are great and have been used for years, as Robin says just glue some chunks of foam to the top and away you go. As for strength glue and screw ( near the edges of the door where it is solid) 1 x4's crossways. Go down to a second hand store and get a pair of cheap folding legs ( they type that fit under folding tables) like I mentioned these can be attached to the 1x4's that you use as braces. I you use 1x4's for braces build legs under these, or a set of saw horses (you can add small pieces of wood (1x4 or 2x4) to raise them up. You are limited to the extent of your imagination..Ron..

 

[ddavidv]

I used a hollow core door for my (unfinished) layout. Above comments are correct. Attaching folding legs was a bit of a dilemma but I mostly did what was suggested. Screw at the outer edges and enough construction adhesive in the middle gets the job done. :thumb:
The great advantage to using these (aside from the cost) is they are light. Very easy to pick up and move. The downside for me is the size isn't really what I'm looking for. So I'm probably going to abort this layout and start over.
Anyone in PA or MD wants a door with legs and foam already installed, drop me a line.

 

[ript73]

Thanks for all the info. The size may be an issue for my HO Scale layout, but I may end up using one of the doors for my son's N-Scale layout.

 

[ezdays]

A hollow core door works fine, the nice thing is that it doesn't warp. Attaching it to legs can be a problem, but what I did was to build a frame under it and attach it to the frame using door hinges. This allowed me to get to my wiring without crawling underneath. (which is why I did it in the first place) It also gave me some room to put a couple of drawers and a place for my power packs and a future control panel. No need to go to the extent that I did, but a simple frame would work. The frame gives the legs stability, which is what you want.

Here's a few pics of my layout table:

 

[ript73]

Thanks for the pics, ezdays. That's a pretty slick setup. Gives me some good ideas for my benchwork. Hinges so you can get to the underneath easily is definately a plus.

 

[zedob]

Ezdays,


Nice benchwork and idea. Kinda looks like my drafting table.

My luck, I'd lift it up and about half a second later hear my rolling stock and prized engine crashing to the floor.

 

[Russ Bellinis]

If you want to go around the walls with a sectional layout, hollow core doors might be the perfect choice for benchwork. You could lay track, scenic a door, and install it, then get another door to do the next section, etc. At 27 to 30 inches wide, they would be an ideal width for most sections.

 

[Papa Bear]

If you want to go around the walls with a sectional layout, hollow core doors might be the perfect choice for benchwork. You could lay track, scenic a door, and install it, then get another door to do the next section, etc. At 27 to 30 inches wide, they would be an ideal width for most sections.

Ron Kuykendall built his railroads that way. He even cut into the doors to build above and below the track scenery. His layouts can be seen on a video from Allen Keller Productions.