So what do you chaps use as a baseboard for your layouts?

I've thought of scouring the second hand shops and ads in the local press for a 6' snooker table, I've often seen them go for about a tenner. Obviously it wouldn't matter about the condition provided the legs were there and it wasn't bent double and 6 x 4 should hold a reasonable setup.

Any other cheap suggestions?

The tops of snooker tables are usually made from slate. Lots of people use interior doors.

I've been using Spaceboard (from B&Q) and trestles from IKEA. This keeps things light but is probably best suited to a permanent location (although it is robust enough to flip onto it's side)

How about a 2nd hand Table-tennis table ?

It ain't cheap but I've always used 9mm Sundeala fibre board, as it easily accepts track pins and has  good sound deadening qualities. It's also quite heavy unless you're joining smaller boards.

Quote from: poliss on November 25, 2011, 11:48:16 PM
The tops of snooker tables are usually made from slate. Lots of people use interior doors.

Modern doors are not great. They are mostly veneer over pretty much cardboard and empty space these days.

Snooker table would need the layout sitting on top of it - which is doable, and if removable you could even use it for snooker too.

They are heavy but they do come with six nice large cable ducts !

Remove existing kitchen door for use as baseboard. Replace with modern door. 

Ply is the only stuff I'll use thesedays. Its more than strong enough to build even the most complex open frame layouts, which means you get to model the land both above and below the track level, and it can be made to be extremely lightweight while still maintaining much of its strength. There is a reason it is the preferred exhibition layout medium

Im in the middle of my first adventure with foam baseboards, and loving it!
Click on the link in my signature to see more info. The fact that you can pin things in place easily is a godsend!

All my baseboards (plus ones i'm building for people) are 6mm Ply tops with a 2x1 timber frame.

It  is very very strong stuff and it is also very light which makes it perfect for layouts which need to be transported/moved alot

Ollie

Quote from: Ollie3440 on November 29, 2011, 10:35:13 PM
All my baseboards (plus ones i'm building for people) are 6mm Ply tops with a 2x1 timber frame.

It  is very very strong stuff and it is also very light which makes it perfect for layouts which need to be transported/moved alot

Ollie

Are you putting thin strips of ply along the sides or bottom to get a box structure, or bracing it other ways ?

They are done in the classic baseboard style, 2x1 around the edges with a cross beam or two to support the centre a bit better

Ollie

My carpentry skills are awful so looking to buy a ready made baseboard from Model Railway Solutions. For a 6' x 3' layout with legs and top works out about £160. Only decision is which thickness ply is better, 6 or 9mm. Any opinions? The layout will be a stay at home layout if that helps.

My carpentry skills are comparable to yours so when I purchased the Sundeala and nominal 2 x 1 timber, I got them to cut it to size for me. Total cost £64. This would leave you enough for a decent loco or nearly 100  raffle tickets

Hi Barny,

The choice between 6mm ply and 9mm ply will be dictated by the spacing between your track bed supports. 6mm will be fine up to about 250mm spacing but above that you will probably need to go to 9mm ply.