Due to limitations in free time, I am working on migrating the current site content to a WordPress install on the site. This may take me a day or two, so expect content to be a bit light, at least temporarily. Once complete I will resume regular posts. In the meantime, my first table didn’t come out quite as intended, so I will be revising my design and changing my approach to constructions. More details will follow soon.
Revised Plan Outcome
So after the neccessary consideration, here is my modified plan. It delays things by only a couple of days since I have to get a few more pieces of lumber and 8 more of my leg level T-nut and bolt assembles, and the necessary washers, nuts and bolts to join tables, but the biggest change ended up being that there will be 4 smaller tables instead of 2 larger ones. Ultimately I figured it just made more sense to put legs under all of the table and reverse the gussets on the top frames themselves.
So ultimately, I now need 10 – 1x3x6 boards (1 more than planned), 14 – 1x3x8 boards (4 more than planned), 8 – 2x2x8s for the legs (was 4 originally) and 16 T-nut and bolt assemblies for the leg levels. It adds probably $40 to the cost of the tables, but all things considered, that’s not a bad price, and it sure beats the heck out of building tables that I then have a struggle to pull out if we were to move.
A Smart Alteration
So as I was falling asleep last night, it occurred to me that even though my tables won’t be a full 4 foot across, at 8 foot long they might be a bit hard to get in / out of the basement. so in the interest of saving myself a bit of frustration, I’ve modified my design just slightly so that rather than two 3 x 8 tables, I am essentially going to build 4 tables that are 3 x 4, with each paired and using a single leg set. This way I still have two 3 x 8 tables arranged in an L shape, but when we eventually buy a home, I should have less of an issue getting the tables out of the current place and into whatever space I have in the future. The only change in material requirements are the purchase of 1 more 1″ x 3″ x 6′ and a set of 4 bolts to hold the table segments together. There will probably also be some sort of wood plate under the adjoining sections for alignment purposes, but I’ll figure that out as I go. I’m not going to bother updating any of the photos on here for now, but down the line I might post the finalized images.
Well, So Much For That
That sure did suck. Due to a rough (very rough) night of sleep, I just didn’t have the energy today for doing much of anything. I only finally got the lumber into the basement now. So I guess that construction will be delayed by a few days.
That’s OK, though. It’s not a big setback in the grand scheme of things, since even if I got the table frames done today, I would need to wait a week or two for putting on the tops. So I’ll pick up during the week with this project.
Construction Begins Tomorrow
Well, I picked up all of the framing lumber and hardware today. The original plan to put casters on the bottoms of the legs was dropped in favor of using T-Nuts with 2 ½ inch bolts. I realized the floor here isn’t level enough for casters, and while it might not matter in a larger scale if there is a touch of unlevel flooring, in N scale, that is NOT such a good thing.
I’m going to finish organizing the space in the basement tonight and make it my goal to knock out framing the two tables tomorrow. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours to do and then I just need to get some 1/2 inch plywood sheets so I can do my table tops. That’s going to require me harassing a friend with a truck.
Anwhow, I will post up photos once I have the tables constructed.
Cut Sheet Image
Personal Site Restart
This is my personal site. I’m using this for personal projects that are not (generally) commercial or professional in nature. Among the topics I’ll be covering on here is my model railroading content, woodworking, baking and occasional personal essays I write on various topics.
Some of this content is defeinitely not meant for everyone. I’m not saying I’m going to be posting anything that’s intended to be offensive, but one of the things I haven’t really had for years is a place where I can post my opinion or thoughts on topics freely. I’ve decided that this will become a place for that once again.
With that in mind, a lot of the time the topic will be more or less harmless stuff on the hobby stuff. Again, model railroading, woodworking and baking. The personal essays will be denoted as such and once I have some system of management in place, I’ll provide a way for people to filter those topics out.
In the meantime, I’ll start off with something light-hearted… we all could use something that doesn’t carry negativity (I sure as heck need something inspiring) so here it is.
I’ve decoded to begin building a new train layout for my N Scale collection. Much of what I have has been collected over the last 15 years, although there are still a few pieces left over from my father’s original forray into the 1/160th scale models. These days he does more with G Scale since it’s easier on his hands and less eye strain, but since I haven’t concerns of that nature yet, I’m going with what I have space for… I definitely don’t have space for G scale. I should also note that I am moderately involved in a live-steam club, though for the moment that has to be on the back burner due to time and financial constraints.
So in the interest of having my hobby without a strain on the necessities for my family, I’m putting this together. As of now I have a rudimentary plan for an L shaped layout. The plan is to build two 3 x 8 sections that will be used for holding the layout. Track will be Kato Unitrack, which is a bit pricey, but after all this time, I have to say is worth it. Power will be provided by an older Digitrax system, which I will expand / upgrade as necessary with a wireless received and
