Hobbes Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Hi all, after all the moving is done I'm going to get at my project of building a Town/Train layout in my new LEGO room. Looking forward to that :) Now, I haven't decided on a track layout yet, but I do know that I don't want to build it on the floor. Meaning: I need "tables". Does anybody of you have tips or tricks on how to get at that? Buy cheap tables? "Build" my own (any tips on what material)? Which height? And so on... Lots of pictures on brickshelf show "elevation systems" that look self-built. Well, I do parts of home-improvement myself but, as I'm not a carpenter, building a stable "table-system" doesn't sound that easy to me... Any info is very much appreciated. Thx :) Quote
The Middleman Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 Well, to build my display table, I used melamine. It's got a nice sheen, but retains the sturdiness. Plus, it's cheap! Just use brackets to hold together however many pieces you use (be careful - make sure the screws aren't too long) and add periodic table legs (rods of any kind cut into a uniform length do the trick - saves money). All this stuff can be picked up at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Hope that helps! Quote
Hobbes Posted June 21, 2005 Author Posted June 21, 2005 [material description snipped]All this stuff can be picked up at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Quote
Jipay Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 I bought mine at Ikea. They have cheap design/cheap price tables. You have different sizes from 60X80 (20 euros) to 150X60 (40 I think). they are also strong enough to support any lego construction. You can choose the color of the desk and the legs. Quote
The Middleman Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 I bought mine at Ikea. They have cheap design/cheap price tables. You have different sizes from 60X80 (20 euros) to 150X60 (40 I think). they are also strong enough to support any lego construction. You can choose the color of the desk and the legs. Is that inches or centimeters? And my display table is around 3 feet by 5 feet. Quote
Hobbes Posted June 21, 2005 Author Posted June 21, 2005 I bought mine at Ikea. They have cheap design/cheap price tables. You have different sizes from 60X80 (20 euros) to 150X60 (40 I think). they are also strong enough to support any lego construction. You can choose the color of the desk and the legs. I was checking the IKEA website yesterday but didn't find anything to my liking. Didn't spend much time there, though, and usually they don't have everything on the website they have in the stores. But that was a thought that crossed my mind. Thx for confirming it :) Quote
Jipay Posted June 21, 2005 Posted June 21, 2005 they don't have this model on the french website either. I do know its existence after going there several times due to my beloved Cl Quote
Hobbes Posted June 21, 2005 Author Posted June 21, 2005 Hmm... the more I think about it, the more I think I know the model you mean. The sizes sound familiar... Well, I'll have to do a shopping tour on Saturday anyways, I'll just have a look :) Quote
Hobbes Posted August 13, 2005 Author Posted August 13, 2005 Well, I have started working on my layout *satis* I've decided to use IKEA's IVAR Storage System as support and 16mm chipboards as "base", the big ones 85x50 cm, the smaller ones along the wall 85x30 cm. Here's some pics: The future "City Center": http://666kb.com/i/10ocgjqx0aj9c.JPG At the moment this construction is highly unstable cos I haven't fixed it yet (need some more cross-braces) but I wanted to see what it would look like. Here I'll probably put my Airportstrip and Shuttlebase: http://666kb.com/i/10och0p106s5c.JPG http://666kb.com/i/10och6bfdl3wg.JPG The "left side", that'll become my "Desert Strip", the Train route for the Santa Fe: http://666kb.com/i/10ochawajeakg.JPG http://666kb.com/i/10ochua2e6sjk.JPG And here the reason why I decided to use "IVAR": the side-units I used have the same height as my desk. And since my PC, Monitor and that stuff will disappear soon I can integrate the desk into the layout perfectly *satis* http://666kb.com/i/10ochzpwen20w.JPG Me happy |-D Quote
ImperialJohn Posted August 13, 2005 Posted August 13, 2005 I've been planning on a layout similar to that for some time now :oD Feel free to look at some of the layouts here ;) BTW. Homemade tables are posible ;) Here's a guide (mine) I use tables 3x4 baseplate (that is 96x128 studs) ;) Quote
Hobbes Posted August 14, 2005 Author Posted August 14, 2005 I've been planning on a layout similar to that for some time now :oD Feel free to look at some of the layouts here ;) Ah, that's you - I've seen these layouts before when I was looking through brickshelf for "inspiration" ;) BTW. Homemade tables are posible ;) Here's a guide (mine) Very nice! I just don't have the tools nor the room to build those - let alone the skills... Quote
Jipay Posted August 14, 2005 Posted August 14, 2005 Nice job hobbes. How much time and money did the structure take in total ? One thing though : if I were you, I would wait until the new train track system comes so you can implement all the new stuff it comes with :) Quote
Hobbes Posted August 14, 2005 Author Posted August 14, 2005 Nice job hobbes. How much time and money did the structure take in total ? The most expensive parts were the shelfs. I wanted to use those as the base first but they didn't line up with the posts of the side-units. So I decided to use chipboards and the shelfs will serve as what they are: shelfs (and maybe a sub-level to my city). The entire structure was about 200 Euro - not cheap, but I'm pretty mobile since the 80x50 "tables" can be arranged any way I want. Setting it up didn't take much time. But it's not finished yet, some "screwing" needs to be done still. Shouldn't last longer than half a day. One thing though : if I were you, I would wait until the new train track system comes so you can implement all the new stuff it comes with Quote
Hobbes Posted August 28, 2005 Author Posted August 28, 2005 Well, I'm finally done with my base-table-construction. I had to rearrange it altogether cos the original layout wasn't very well accessible. Since I don't have space to walk around it I had to make it accessible from the "front/center". So I decided on a U-like arrangement. The whole setting up went smoother than I thought. Here's some pics in case somebody cares ;) They are in chronological order beginning with the original arrangement. Now, where to start with the actual LEGO-layout - I have no clue... Quote
ImperialJohn Posted August 28, 2005 Posted August 28, 2005 Start here ;) Nice tables. They have what I could use - shelfes :oo But are they wide enough?!? Could you make a track circle somewhere for size reference? Quote
Hobbes Posted August 29, 2005 Author Posted August 29, 2005 Start here ;) Of course... stupid me... *wacko* Nice tables. They have what I could use - shelfes :oo That's why I used them, I don't have any other space to put my stuff. It's more expensive than your average or self-made table but since I'm a lazy person when it comes to home-improvement I didn't mind spending the money... But are they wide enough?!? Could you make a track circle somewhere for size reference? I'll try to put the boards in perspective when I get home... The wide boards are 80x50 cm (about 31.5"x19.7"), the small ones are 80x30 (about 31.5"x11.8"). So, one's not wide enough for a circle but altogether it should be enough to make a nice little track layout. I can't cram more in the room than there's space for anyways, so I have to compromise. Then again, at my last place I didn't even have a separate room... Quote
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