How To Build A Baseboard - Model Railway Basics: Episode One
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- Опубликовано: 13 июл 2024
- Model Railway Basics: Episode One - A Tutorial On How To Build A Baseboard.
Well after the trailer went down so well I figured it was about time I share with you the first tutorial of my new series Model Railway Basics. As you may have guessed, throughout the different episodes I’ll be going over all the simple skills and techniques you can use to build your own model railway. While there won’t be anything out of the ordinary for more seasoned modellers the aim of Model Railway Basics is to provide beginners and newcomers to the hobby a concise series that demonstrates the more common techniques in a way that can be easily followed.
In this first episode we’re starting at the very beginning (which makes sense when you think about it!) by building a baseboard. Often this is what puts a lot of would-be modellers off as they don’t think they have the woodworking skills or any idea where to start. Luckily making a simple baseboard can be easily achieved with a saw, pva glue, a hammer and a little bit of time. It shouldn’t take you more than a day to complete and once you’ve done one side the other three are pretty similar!
While this isn’t a very model railway focused episode for a series all about model railways, it is important to get the baseboard right as the rest of your layout will be built up from this. With a bit of care and common sense however it’s not too difficult to achieve and before you know it we’ll be on to the more fun stuff.
Watch more episodes of Model Railway Basics: • Model Railway Basics -...
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
02:40 - What wood to use?
03:38 - Starting the frame.
06:30 - Completing the frame.
08:58 - Adding cross braces.
11:33 - An alternative method.
12:54 - Conclusion.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for tuning in to the first episode of Model Railway Basics! Don't forget to check out the trailer to see more of what's coming later in the series: ruclips.net/video/3c8rU5tmSO0/видео.html
Thanks - this was really helpful. Great to see a straightforward approach that just works.
Glad to be of service, I know these were the sorts of videos I wish had been around when I was a beginner so just trying to help out those in a similar situation. Thanks for watching 😃
Really easy to understand and very helpful! Thank you so much and I’m looking forward to seeing more of this series! Hope you’re well!
Thanks Harry, really glad to hear that! The rest of the videos in this series will be released over the coming weeks so you won't have to wait too long! Thanks for watching 😃
Thanks. As a beginner with poor woodworking skills, this was great in showing me to make the box using the plywood top. And I have made my first module this weekend.
I love getting messages like this! That's awesome David, so glad to hear the video helped you and best of luck with building up the rest of your layout. Thanks for watching 😃
You make it all so understandable. Thank you
My pleasure, glad to hear it was easy to follow! Thanks for watching 😃
Lovely clear advice that should guide and reassure any newcomers ( like me!).
Thanks again,
Ian
Thanks Ian, glad you found the video easy to follow! Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy 😊👍🏼
Thank You that was easy to understand, I look forward to more
Awesome, glad you found it helpful. There's a whole series of these beginner videos if you're looking for more tutorials. Thanks for watching 😃
Great video, now I’ll know what I’m doing when I decide to build a baseboard!
Awesome, so glad to hear you found it useful. Best of luck if you do ever decide to build one and thanks for watching 😃
Absolutely brilliant!
New subscriber to you’re channel and loving the content you have taken the time to create for all to enjoy!
Great advice and great tips! As much as I wish I had the space to create my own layout, I am really limited by space so creating a modular layout has really planted a seed!
Really looking forward to next episode!
Once again, thanks for the great content! ...... ps great 🧦 😃
Thanks Sam, really glad to hear you're enjoying the videos and thanks for subscribing!
Modular layouts are definitely a good option if you want something a bit bigger but are limited by space - and they don't always have to be huge either. I've seen people with modular layouts made to stack in wrapping paper boxes! Thanks for watching 👍
(Life's too short to wear boring socks! 😉)
Excellent video, thanks.
My pleasure, hope you found it helpful. Thanks for watching 😃
well I'm hooked... great stuff mate
Thank Neil! Got a few more videos in the this little series so I do hope everyone enjoys it 😂 Thanks for watching 👍
Great video lots of great information and ideas
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching! 😃
Very interesting video and lots of inspiration and information
Really glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 😃
Start of an excellent series might have a go myself. Thank you.
Thanks Tom, that's great to hear. There's plenty more videos in this series so I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone makes of them. Thanks for watching 😃
Nice video .Enjoy it thanks.
Thanks, really glad to hear that! There's lots more videos from this series coming very soon. Thanks for watching 😃
Now that you're releasing your new series of modular videos, I'm gonna go back and watch all the originals again so everything is fresh in mind XD
Great idea! There's a handy playlist on the channel for exactly that purpose: ruclips.net/p/PLrxCs5t2FkmxNd-_hB6asSke8Ss-sDgGe Thanks for watching 😃
I’m looking at making a subbuteo table and this was very helpful thank you
Hey Olly, that's awesome! Really great to hear that this video is useful for other hobbies too! Best of luck with building your subbuteo table and thanks for watching 😃
I love your relaxed style of presentation. You are too modest...clearly you do not have terrible woodworking skills. Looking forward to future developments. Please remember you offered to share your "hinges" on your fiddle yard.....
Thanks John, well I certainly wouldn't list woodworking as a skill I'm good at but I can get by with simple things like this. Don't worry I haven't forgotten about showing how the fiddle yard hinges - it'll be in the next Modular Layout update when I get round to making that. Thanks for watching 😃
👍👍Love your videos, very informative the touch of humor makes the videos entertaining as well! I'm from across the pond, I follow a number ok modelers from the UK, getting different perspectives is quite helpful! I do use Metric for measuring my layout, so much easier and accurate then fractions! After seeing your videos and others I wish I'd built my layout differently..."Module style" and built around the walls instead of the 10' 10' one I have, Which had to put in a hole in the middle to be able to reach all parts of my layout. Yikes I just built without much thought put in first! Keep the wonderful videos, always waiting for your next one to come out, Thanks! 🚂🚂
Hi Dave, really glad to hear you're enjoying the videos. The modular railway has certainly worked well for me as someone with limited space for a layout. It did take quite a lot of figuring out though to make sure everything would fit together in any configuration! Thanks for watching 😃
Hi great videos Guy, At the moment I have three 4ftx2ft mdf boards off the shelf from local diy store & 18mm baterns bracing them all together. I have covered this with 6mm expanded polystyrene sheets . 2ft of this is resting , now screwed down to a wardrobe tuned on its side at the back with back & side boards. At the moment I am waiting to cover the polystyrene sheets with 3 different grass mats from Jarvis scenics. I might just have an Airfield in the centre with a loop & sidings. I look forward to watching the rest of your videos.
Hi Jeffrey, awesome! Sounds like you have the start of a great layout there. Best of luck with the rest of your build and there's plenty more of these videos to enjoy in the meantime. Thanks for watching 😃
This seems like some good advice for baseboards
Thanks! Building a baseboard is often the first stumbling block people come across when starting a model railway so hopefully this will demystify the process. Thanks for watching 😃
Your presentation skills and camera work are very good.
Thanks, I tried to make these easy to follow and so having a decent amount of production value was paramount in my opinion. Thanks for watching 😃
very good advice there. perfect for a beginner. cheers tom
Thanks Tom, that's definitely the aim with this series so really glad to hear that. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy no worries. keep up the good work mate.
Very informative and above all simple :D I think the only thing I'd change is keeping the clamps on while the glue dries otherwise I completely agree with this method I used a very similar process for my layout.
Cheers :)
Thanks! Absolutely, as I said in the video if you want to be safe you should wait for the glue to dry but as I needed to get this filmed in a day I had to move quickly. The tacks do hold it all together even without the clamps but if you don't mind waiting then as you said, you might as well keep them on. Thanks for watching 😃
I built a 4x8 table very simple it was 1/2 inch ply wooded I used 2x4 for frame and legs I’m by no means a wood worker but it came out pretty good
Nice, yeah I'm not all that good at woodwork either but something simple like this I definitely think is achievable for most people with a little bit of guidance. Thanks for watching 😃
12mm? I thibk nails are 7mm?
Just a thought, if you're going to install point motors it would preferable to have deeper side timbers.
Hi David, as I mentioned in the video I was using the 25mm stripwood because I need my layout to be as light as possible, which is why I recommended something thicker like 2x1 for more traditional layouts. That said both solenoid and servo motors will fit under these boards no problem but if you've got the option it's definitely better to have a bit of extra room if you don't mind the added weight. Thanks for watching 😃
Although I have built my layout in the last couple of years I am watching this now as I might learn something bee.
Can I ask where you got the Sausage ?
Cheers
Thanks Charlie, yes you never know when inspiration might strike for another layout... or perhaps an extension 😉
By sausage I presume you mean the BR totem I used for the logo? (...or did I leave my lunch in the background of one shot!) If so I'm afraid I don't know. I've had a Photoshop file of that blank totem hanging around on my hard drive for years but it's been so long I have no idea where I got it from.
A quick Google search for a blank totem brings up a few results though so you might be able to download one there. Hope that helps and thanks for watching 👍
Thank you this is very helpful for a newbie like me. Question though: if I am planning a river running through my layout, is it best to cut the shape in the baseboard and raise part of the board for the train to run on; or is it better to use polystyrene on top of the baseboard and then to carve the river? Is there a RUclips episode you can point me to please?
Glad to help! Either way would work, it partly depends on your wiring. If you need point motors under the track on the raised section then having a wooden top is an easier way to do it rather than trying to recess everything into polystyrene.
Alternatively, if the river is the only thing you want below the level of the track but the rest of the landscape is to be relatively flat (or rise above track level) then you could cut a recess into the baseboard for the river. There's no real right or wrong way of doing things although unfortunately I haven't done on a video on this yet to be able to point to you. Hopefully that helps though and thanks for watching 😃
Great video, why would someone prefer nails over screws though? Screws provide holding power.
Tradition, speed, lack of a drill - take your pick. I agree though, I use screws for all my layouts. This video is from very early on when I first started the channel and I was avoiding trying to upset anyone 😅 Thanks for watching 👍
What about larger baseboards? I plan to build a layout in a "portable train table" style fitting on 8' x 5' (8' x 4' + 8' x 1' ply sections). With this size I am of the belief I may need a central brace lengthwise as well as cross braces for stiffness. The thing is I need legs on this and I want them to fold up inside so I believe I need quite wide and thick outside bracing and narrower bracing on the inside to allow room so that the legs can fold up into the space. The reason I need this is because I will build in my garage and will then transport into the house and so the legs need to fold to get them through the doors. I'll probably put wheels on so that it can be moved around the room as necessary. Thoughts?
The process is the same regardless of the baseboard size, you can add a central brace or use thicker wood. For my layout I have separate trestle style legs that the layout sits which works well. Thanks for watching 👍
I love this! Not to easy but not to hard. But something is bugging me. If I was to make lets say, a mainline how would I do that to this? I mean you have these hill boards that you put at the end of each boards to make it connect but for only one track? Could I have two? And how would that work?
Hi there, so you don't have to build exactly the same size of baseboard that I make in the video. If you wanted a mainline you could make, say an 8x4ft baseboard and have a few circuits so you could run multiple trains continuously.
The corner boards with the hills on are part of my modular layout which is also another option if you want to make a more portable or temporary layout. Yes you could easily have two tracks or even three and four on these - you'd just design it like any other layout and then split it up into sections. As long as you plan it that way from the beginning you'll know how much space you need for the tracks and then how much is left over for scenery. Hope that helps and thanks for watching 😃
I'm new to the hobby and have been given a 00 set. My question is, can you build this in 4 sections? I don't have room to have set up all the time. So I need to set up each board and connect together. The carpentry side I'm good at, it's the track I'm worried about. Many thanks and great video
Hi there, yes you absolutely can. You may want to check out my series "Building A Modular Model Railway" as I'm doing pretty much exactly what you describe. If you're worried about the track in particular this video might be of use: ruclips.net/video/IFPBPS6nOMU/видео.htmlsi=rpBLbnW7p5s4B9o5
Hope that helps and thanks for watching 😃
What is your favorite loco manufacture
Good video thanks, little bit confused re the bracings you added when you said be careful not to put them where the point motors are going to be...how do you know where they are going to be if this is the very start of the project ?
Hi Paul, usually if you're building a baseboard you've got an idea of the track plan you want to put on it so that you're sure it'll fit. While it doesn't have to be exact, generally if you know one area will have a lot of points it's best not to put the bracing there to avoid headaches later on. It just needs a little forward thinking. Hope that helps and thanks for watching 😃
ThaNK YOU@@ThatModelRailwayGuy
Hi mate :)
What pins do you use at the 5 minute mark?
Hi Steve, I have to be honest they were just generic panel pins from my local DIY shop - I don't think they were any particular brand. As long as they're big/long enough to go through the top surface and then grip into the frame you should be ok. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy cheers mate much appreciated!! !!
What thickness are the battens that you used?
Hi Jon, 25mm for this particular layout since it was designed to be portable/lightweight. I wouldn't go any smaller than that but for a permanent installation thicker battens would definitely be good. Thanks for watching 😃
What stand are you using for these?
Hey Ryan, these baseboard were build as part of my modular layout where I’m using Homebase pine trestle legs to support each section. Hope that helps and thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy I'm building a layout where i need to be able to take it down - if im on my VR headset or whatever. These Trestle legs sounds great
Millimeters? I hate converting to inches! Cheers from the U.S.!
Haha, I think Google have an app for that. Thanks for watching 😃
I just used 4, 100x60 IKEA tables tied together on the legs
Nice, that's definitely one way to go if that size fits your layout design. I've seen people use doors too! Thanks for watching 😃
What did you use for the leg's?
Hi Ken, Pine Wood trestles from Homebase! They used to be really cheap and since they're mass produced they're all exactly the same height. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuydo you secure the board to the legs? If so, how?
@@Twisty2012 Hey Susan, I don’t personally - in my case the layout just rests on the frames.
I know some layout builders prefer to make the legs as part of the baseboard but I think that requires building the legs from scratch too so that they fit your design. Thanks for watching 😃
I cant wait to annoy my neighbors with this project I already have two sheets of 9mm plywood not sure what mdf is but I think its not as soft as ply
Haha, awesome! Maybe invite your neighbours over to play with the layout when it's done, that'll win them back 😉 MDF is Medium Density Fibreboard, it's ok but personally I'd say plywood is a better bet, especially if you have that ready to go! Best of luck and thanks for watching 👍
What was the length of the board please
In this instance my baseboards were 122cm x 50cm but you can build baseboards of any size using this technique. Thanks for watching 😃
I would listen to someone with experience
I guess it depends on how experienced I appear in this video then 😂 Thanks for watching 👍
I don’t have plywood
No problem, like I said in the video you can pick it up from most hardware/DIY shops. Failing that MDF can work too but I'd personally use ply given the choice. Thanks for watching 😃
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy There are no DIY shops in Croydon (London)
Out of interest, why would "proper modellers" be against using screws? I would have thought they'd be more secure?
As far as I can tell there isn't really any reason for it 😂 It's just one of these things that people have got into their heads that keeps being repeated as a bad thing to do. I suppose with screws you've got slightly more chance of the wood splitting but if you're drilling pilot holes that shouldn't happen anyway.
As for how secure it is, it's actually the wood glue that does most of the work - the pins/screws are more belt & braces really. Personally I find it much quicker to build using pins but as I said in the video, I've used screws in the past. In fact I build a baseboard last week with a combination of both nails and screws and it's absolutely fine. Thanks for watching 👍
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy Great, thanks for replying. I'm planning on starting a layout this year, and had always assumed screws would be better because there's less chance of them pulling out. I'd not planned to use glue, so will keep that in mind. I'm looking at a larger board (1.2m x 2.4m) so will use larger wood for the supports, and that may make screws a better option.
Proper modellers complain about using superior fixings??????
"Proper modellers" will complain about anything if you don't do things exactly the way they do 😉 I'm joking of course but there does seem to be some division over whether screws or tacks/nails are best. Thanks for watching 👍
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy doesn't matter the clan, there will always be the nail screw argument, btw, I'm a screw guy :P
Why would a “proper modeler” tell you off for using screws? I thought screws were always the better version of nails. Genuinely curious here
It's more of a dig at those who complain that you've done it wrong no matter how you do it. Nails seem to be the more traditional way of doing it but screws are just as good. Thanks for watching 👍
@@ThatModelRailwayGuy Ah I see. Thanks for sharing these informative videos.