Wavy Homasote

[marty w.]

Hi all,
I have installed my last piece of Homasote roadbed. This sheet is very wavey. The thickness varies about 1/64". It looks like the cars are on a roller coaster. Other than a belt sander to smooth or level it out, does anybody have any other idea's?
Thanks,
Marty

 

[Vic]

Homasote

Hi Marty, I've been using Homasote for years (not the pre-cut roadbed). I buy it in full 4x8 sheets. I think that what has happend is that you got a piece from the bottom of the stack that was warped and compressed from the full weight of the bundle. For this reason I never accept just what they pull from the rack..I pick my sheets. At $25 a sheet the supply house doesn't seem to have a problem with me doing that

I assume that you have a plywood subroadbed under it. Homasote is not self supporting. Try this.... take the offending piece and lay it out on a flat smooth surface such as a concrete driveway or patio. Be sure you've got good weather so it doesn't rain on it and just let it lay there for a day or two. Turn it over every now and then and it should straighten out and the humidity in the air will make it expand just a fraction.

Hope this helps

 

[marty w.]

Vic,
I have cut all roadbed out of 4'x8' sheets.
Homasote is glued to 3/4" plywood.
Unfortunately the Homasote is glued down, so I can not use your idea, unless I remove from plywood and start over. This is a straight section of double mainline track 22' long.
I have used 4 sheets without a problem. I think you maybe right,
this sheet was the last of a stack, the other 4 were from the top of a new stack. Thanks for the tip.
Marty

 

[Gary Pfeil]

Hi Marty, I also used homasote sheets for years. I stopped for four reasons: 1 I had to borrow a van or truck to bring it home 2 It is very messy to cut into roadbed, 3 You have to build up the ballast shoulders, 4 the dips in the surface which you mention. I now use the product homabed, advertised in Model Railroader pretty regularly. This is delivered to my door, and installs the same as cork roadbed, and costs about the same, as I recall. Anyway, when I used the homasote and I needed to correct surface discrepancies, I spread spackle and used a wallpaper tool as a spackle knife. the tool I'm talking about was about 15" long and I used it along the length of roadbed. This filled in dips, I then used a sanding block to lightly sand level. Yes, this is also messy. Don't know another way to do it.

Gary

 

[marty w.]

Thanks all for your tips.
I think I'll try the spackle idea first. If that does not suit me, I'll remove Homasote from plywood and redo.
Marty

 

[Vic]

Hi Marty and Gary, I've always used #8X3/4 wood screws to fasten down the Homasote to the subroadbed. Since most of my trackwork is flat on the ground I only cut ballast shoulders where there would be a "fill" in the roadbed.

I too have noticed some variation in the product lately....maybe its gotten like a new car... never buy one/any that was made on a Monday!!!

A friend of mine will be buying three sheets this week and I'll be helping him cut it up this weekend. If I see any major problems with it I'll send y'all a report!

 

[marty w.]

The spackle idea worked!!!!
The cars now roll smoothly along.
Thanks,
Marty

 

[Gary Pfeil]

Cool!

Gary