Page 13 - B2B 1 to 7

Back2Basics
PART 4 - Baseboards and Benchwork section 1: fixed layouts
Tom Winlow
Most of us have mixed feelings about benchwork. Either the whole woodworking business scares us rigid, or we view the time taken to build benchwork as an unfortunate evil on the way to the fun stuff of running trains. In addition there seems to be a huge range of benchwork styles. So which one to build? I read somewhere that most people spend much longer agonising over their choice of a benchwork system than actually building it.
Well, here’s a secret. All the common ways to build benchwork give good results. All you need to do is decide which best matches the layout you are planning. For example, will it be a flat industrial area or dramatic mountains? Will it have a permanent location or be portable? This short guide should help you choose what is best for you. You may find also that different construction methods work best for different parts of your layout. Don’t skimp on materials though. Unreliable track work arising from poor benchwork will soon lead to disillusion with your layout.
If you are not sure that you have the woodworking skills to build a layout there are companies who will build your benchwork for you. Some people have also had good results by employing a local joiner.
This guide is in two sections. This first one will look at some ways to build fixed layouts; the later one will cover portable and modular layouts.
Tools
If you are going to build your own benchwork you will need some woodworking tools. Fortunately most of these are basic DIY tools, so there is a good chance you will have most of them already.
Drills and drill bits
An electric drill is almost a necessity and a cordless one will be much more convenient. A
selection of drill bits will
also be needed,
depending on the size of
screws you plan to use.
Those in the left half of 1
are twist drills. The inset
shows how the large black twist drills have points to help centre them and “spurs” on their cutting edges to help them drill straight. To the right of these is a countersink bit. The two bits on the far right are combination bits used to drill holes for screws as explained later.
Saws.
It is possible to do the work with a hand
saw and mitre block but a powered mitre
saw (sometimes called a “chop saw” -
see 2) will be much easier and is almost
essential for frame benchwork as Photo of chop explained later.
saw.
2
Clamps.
Clamps are like staging tracks - you can never have enough of them! The pistol-grip style clamp at the top of the photo is very convenient as it can be operated with one hand.
Screws and screwdrivers.
It is much easier to use cross headed screws than slotted ones and you will need screwdrivers to match your screw sizes. If you have a multi- function electric drill, screwdriver bits for it will also be useful.
Besides these tools, you will also need a suitable wood glue. White PVA-based woodworking glue, like “Resin-W” and yellow aliphatic glue, such as “Titebond”, are both good. For special situations, gap filling glues may prove useful. Water-based glues of the “no nails” type are one example. Polyurethane adhesives such as “Gorilla Glue” or “Evostik Polyurethane wood adhesive” are another. It is wise to see if you really need these special glues before spending money on them.
General tools such as a tape measure, spirit level, hammer etc will also be useful.
And don’t forget.... work safely, including using eye protection.
Not strictly a tool but it is good to have some reference material. I can recommend the Jeff Wilson book listed in “resources” at the end of this part of the guide.
A note about screws
Traditionally, the proper way to fit wood screws is to drill two holes as shown in 4. The smaller (pilot) hole
accepts the threaded part of the
screw. The larger (clearance) hole
accommodates the screw’s shaft and
allows the two pieces of wood to be
pulled tightly together. Besides these
holes, you need to countersink the
clearance hole to seat the head of the
screw. This scheme works fine but is
tedious. Unless you have three electric
drills, you will be forever changing drill bits. The combination bits on the right of 1 avoid this by drilling the two holes and a countersink in one pass.
Some modern screws have features that also get around this problem. First, the point (5) is very sharp so that it bites into the wood without the need for a pilot hole. Secondly, the threaded part of the screw is designed to cut easily into the wood. Finally, the underside of the countersink head has ridges that enable the screw to cut its own countersink (6).
To use one of these screws all you have to is drill the clearance hole. The two pieces of wood are then clamped together and the screw driven home. The only proviso is that if the screw is near the end of the wood, a pilot hole will be needed to avoid any splitting. These screws are not expensive and are available from most outlets
3
1
4
5
6
An electric jig saw will be needed if you are to cut curves.