Earlier this month I announced my new little timesaving / timewasting project Canute Road Quay. Last weekend I took the opportunity to visit the excellent Scaleforum exhibition and collect from Tim Horn the kit of laser cut parts for the 4ft x 1ft main baseboard for this project. Tim classifies this design as a ‘Scenic/Photo plank board’ which includes the rear and side backscenes boards and top fascia.
This is the first time that I have used Tim’s laser cut board components and all I can say is ‘wow’ and that I totally recommend them. Tim can supply his baseboards with either with MDF or birch ply tops, the later being my chosen option. The quality and fit of each of the components is excellent and results in a very simple assembly using only wood glue, a small number of screws and a few clamps. Including allowing time for glue to cure between stages assembly was completed without rushing in a few hours last Sunday.
It certainly makes things easier for someone like me whom carpentry is not really my thing. The result is a totally square, robust, lightweight, professional looking baseboard assembly, that now awaits a coat of white primer, including the underneath, to seal it all around, followed by a matt black top coat coat to the front, side and rear fascias. Tim also includes a single piece 3mm ply fascia to go on to the front to cover all the tab joints, giving a totally smooth final finish, which I have yet to affix.
I have taken the opportunity prior to painting to cut the trackwork to size to allow for holes to be drilled in the correct places for the point motors (As on Fisherton Sarum I will be using Cobalt slow acting point motors), and track feed / point frog droppers etc. The well thought out design of the Tim Horn baseframes include cuts outs at the top of the baseframe cross members for cable runs etc.
I also took the opportunity to discuss with the Tim the possibility of obtaining a small 1ft x 1ft cantilever section for the left hand end ‘fiddle yard’ to support the off scene cassette. Due to the fact that I intend to utilise the 12″ locomotive cassette from Fisherton Sarum (along with a small number of other items such as the transformer box) the top surface of this section needs to be 4mm lower than the main board to ensure the rail and cassette heights line up. As it happens I am not the first the first ask Tim for such a board and in fact he had one on display that uses the same modular construction concept as the main board, to ensure it matches and aligns correctly, but allows him to change the final top height, during the cutting process to suit a customers needs depending on the type of cassettes they are using. The back of this board will match the rear of the main board and I will add some simple supports to be able to hold a number of the cassettes out of the way. This ‘fiddle yard’ board has now been duly ordered. The front face of this section will also contain the switches for the point motors, track sections (yes I am still DC control) and the uncloupler push buttons.
So the next step is the priming and painting of the baseboard…
It’s never been a better time to buy baseboards and my woodworking enthusiasm is not matched by my skill. I saw Tim Horn’s samples at Scaleforum. I was impressed by the accuracy and the theatrical presentation, but there was a lot of beautifully machined joints on show. I will be interested to see how your efforts turn out.
Hi Simon
As I said in my post Tim also provides a single piece of cut birch ply as an overlay for the front fascia that covers all the visible joints which I have yet to affix to my baseboard. Also the joints are so well cut by the laser that I am pretty certain once painted those on the side will be invisible too. I am certainly impressed by Tim’s product.
Hi Graham. I’ve used Tim’s boards for Borrud North Camp, they are absolutely excellent. Pity I didn’t know about the ability to drop the fiddle yard to cope with cassettes though, would have made life a lot easier. Also have one of his 4mm stock stands for my weathering demo, it gets as many admiring comments as the stock does… Elliott.
Hi Elliott thanks for your comment I think the drop fiddle yard board option is very much a new development that has arisen out of a commission.
Hi Graham. As an incentive let me know when you are ready to exhibit and I’ll bribe our exhibition manager.
Hi Dave
Good to hear from you and that’s very kind. I would be happy to attend the Worthing show again, we had a very enjoyable weekend with Fisherton Sarum last year. I hope to have Canute Road Quay pretty much complete before the end of this year!
I hope last weekends show went well for you and the club?