wood for a base frame

[iceboy]

Hi all
I've scrubbed my initial layout and starting again as my board wasn't level enough.
So I've seen the wood I want to build the frame at B and Q,(T)38mm-(W)63mm - (L)2400mm, Pack of 8 £24.
The question is,could I be absolutely sure this time would be level and not warped?.

[GaryAlan]

No!  You need to eye it up, look down the length, lay it on the floor and check, also look for knots and any splits.  I look for packs at the rear of the stack, as the ones in front may have been 'looked at and discarded'.  Hope you get them OK:)

Gary

[Rabs]

I'm not quite sure what you are asking.  If you mean "can I trust B&Q wood to not be warped?" then I'm afraid that you almost certainly can't but careful selection in the shop should get some reasonably good ones..
If you mean "how do I construct a baseboard so that it won't warp over time?" or "how do I construct a baseboard so that the joins are neat and it starts off square and level?" then there are as many answers as there are modellers.  Can you give us some more details of what you are building?  Size? Flat-top or relief terrain?  Point motors above or below the board?

[Malc]

Some Timber I've looked at in DIY stores was growing about 1/2 hr previously. Some is so warped that if you throw it away, it comes back to you.
A general tip, but it's only my opinion, is to build the baseboard in smaller sections. I.E.  4x2 sections. Frame around the edges and cross braces every foot like a ladder. That way you will minimise warping. 2 X1 on edge is the way to go. Make sure you drill plenty of holes in the cross braces first for cable running.

[Newportnobby]

Buy cheap, buy twice. There have been far too many adverse comments on the forum about B & Qs timber so I reckon it's worth checking out your local timber merchant (if you have one), and then follow Malc's advice.

[iceboy]

 (The question) I've decided to build a baseboard from scratch (I have the board,its building a frame really) and I'm not sure where or which is the best place to purchase it from as it needs to be level.Should I actually go into B and Q and pick it out and have it delivered or purchase online?. My car isn't big enough to transport wood of that length.My location is outside the city of Derby if anywhere springs to mind to anyone.

[Mito]

Build the frame with ply. Double skinned with blocks of wood between. Very strong and very light.

[Newportnobby]

Build the frame with ply. Double skinned with blocks of wood between. Very strong and very light.

That would have the advantage of being able to transport plywood and wood in your car.

[Stuart B]

I've found Wickes timber to be fairly consistent and reasonably priced.  My local timber merchant is cheaper but it's not so easy to check to see what you are getting before they deliver.

[Steve Brassett]

On a sample of one baseboard I would not touch B&Q softwood again with a bargepole.  You can pick the straightest piece in the shop, and it will warp as soon as you get it home.

[JasonBz]

Both B&Q and Wickes sell decent timber - IF you pick it out piece by piece!
DO NOT have it delivered or at least 30% will be warped!

[Sparks]

You can only really guarantee flat and level frames if they are made up from plywood.     All of the standard DIY stores stock fast grown cheap pine,   which WILL  warp or twist when you get it home,   even if you are really careful picking it out.
You may be lucky and have as little as a 2mm change over 6 foot,  but I've seen as much as 10mm,  even when hard screwed to a 9mm top board.

[Ditape]

I have found in the past that you need to leave the timber for a few days in the room /area you intend to have your layout before starting the build and then use the best /straightest lengths for your frame this seems to avoid the worst of the problems of warping.

[JasonBz]

I have just bought several 2.4m lengths of 38x64 C16 timber - At the moment it is straight as a die..

I bought it mainly cos it is on offer and always comes in handy; I may make a baseboard frame from some of it and see what happens

[kirky]

There really is a lot of misconception about timber. All wood will bend. I have some high quality kiln dried and aged oak in my workshop, and some of it is bowed and bellied. That's what wood does. It is a natural product that moves and changes with the atmosphere. All we can do is to minimise the amount of movement in the timber. You will of course get less movement in kiln dried oak than green oak, but in days gone by carpenters used the properties of bendy oak to build houses!
One way to minimise warp is to use lamination, that is sticking two bits together. Two evenly matched pieces of timber with their grain running in opposing directions stuck together will find it harder to warp. That is why ply wood doesn't warp as much as softwood. And the more laminations the less likely you are to get bows and bellies.
It's true of course that some timber is grown quicker than others, and the growth rings are often wider. The moisture content can also alter considerably. As others have mentioned bringing your timber in might help, but most people won't want to do woodwork in their train room.
On our Northallerton project (link in sig has quite a bit of detail about board building) we used ply and softwood 'girder' construction for the open frame construction. The legs are softwood and unlaminated but it doesn't matter if they bow as they have adjustment built in. Our boards have not failed in four years.
Hope this helps.

Cheers
Kirky