Changes in Framing a Layout!

An 8 foot 2x4 weighs a lot more too.

Eric, I noticed that. I don't pick up four at a time anymore. Must be a different kind of pine now. Don

Actually Don,  living nearer to the equator now you will find that the force of gravity has increased by a factor of 1.476 making everything feel heavier. A liberal application of rum added to your usual beverages will generally obliterate this effect...

Hi Don I know how you feel, its getting harder each year to get under the layout

I have a lot of the newer tools, they are much more compact and a lot lighter

Had to get rid of my old tools also.

THANKS,ALEX

Sam, my usual beverage is chardonnay, will that work with rum? We'll have to try it tonight. Don

A nice Dewalt with the lithium ion battery will be your best friend it's nice and light. The rum may have the old fart effect which could impair your judgment meaning it could cause you to want to stroll down to the beach to watch to 20 year olds in their bikinis instead of building the layout. Me? my vote is the rum but you may never run a train again


David

I still love working on layouts.  My rule of thumb is, never put the bags on (toolbelt).  Don't need a reminder of what real work is.   Have fun. 

Hi Don don't believe a word about Sam's equator story. Things are getting heavier in Philadelphia too. In fact I swear the legs on my layout are shrinking from the added stress.

I think it's the 2012 thing, the sun and all the planets are falling in alignment with that big Black Hole in the center of the Milky-Way. This is causing more closed loop, super string gravitons to be pulled in from other dimensions and that is why things are getting so hard to lift.

Here, I'll do a test to prove it.

There you go I can't get my fat *** out of this chair.

What more scientific proof do you need?

Wait until there is enough benchwork up that you have to spend hours bending over it doing track etc!  Motrin will be your best friend!  Or perhaps that Hawaiian hot tub!

And crawling around under it to do wiring, my biggest joy ... NOT!

Be watching the progress!

By-the-by how's the article on building that wonderful cat system of your coming along?  Will we be seeing it in OGR soon; sure Alan has been bending your arm on it ...

This is causing more closed loop, super string gravitons to be pulled in from other dimensions and that is why things are getting so hard to lift.

I see you watched Mike Regan's video too?
Don while your under the new layout watch out for the dingle arm that thing will take you out in a heart beat.

Cut the sleeves outta your shirt and just say ...Get er done.

David

Best investment for layout building, Light weight and powerful.

http://menards.com/main/tools-...p-1629737-c-9072.htm

The quick change drill bits are available at Lowes.  Best money spent.  Now if I could find a "heavy" 2x4 that will hold a screw.  The 2x4s from the home centers are so light weight/fast growth they are almost useless.  Picked up an old one I removed, it about killed me.

Dan

I made a deal with this guy. He's pull the wires under the table if I swat flies for him. Don

Better check and make sure he doesn't have a union card
Hawaii might have some pretty tough Lizard Labor laws
David

After the layout comes down here the bench work next time is most likely going to be from one of the advertisers. No mess no fuss and no sore backs, but I still like the rum idea.

Kerrigan, as soon as I get a little more bench work done I will start the article. Need some space first. Don

I spent a few hours last week under mine cleaning up wiring that my son kept "neat and taught" for me. I allmost hung myself on some of them they were hanging so low and I about just ripped part of them out because it was so frustrating trying to reroute them through the mess. My one hour job that I crawled under there to do to do took all afternoon and the layout is only 4' x 8'! Doesn't help when one forgets that he is an amputee and tries to push with the leg that's not there anymore!  

Bottom line is that my back still has not straightened itself out! Oh one more thing about today's construction supplies. When did the wire colors get so hard to tell apart? Especially the white ones with the colored stripes! I know there were stripes on them when we wired it before! And dang the holes in those crimp on connectors have gotten small !

I notice it is farther to the FLOOR also!  When I do get down there it is after making "old man" noises?

Don...and the rest of your "0LD" guys..  You need to do what I did and get one of those "Turbo Layout Encabulators".  If you mount one of them under the layout, the atomic weight of all of the atoms that make up the lumber is reduced by a factor of exactly twice of the gravitational increase emanating from the core of the earth.  This effectively causes a 50% decrease in the downward graviton pull due to the alignment of the sun and planets with the center of the galaxy.  You will notice as a side benefit the establishment of the Encabulator Field, as it is known more commonly, which causes all of your electrically operated tools, especially saws and drills, to have an increase in RPMs.  This RPM increase is along a factor of the inverse square of the highest voltage output of the local power grid multiplied by the average humidity on any given day.  Using the Turbo Layout Encabulator has made my layout seem so much easier to work on than before the installation....try it, I think you will concur that it will be the best $175,000,000 you have ever spent!!!

Alan

Gravity is a little stronger in the Pacific too.

I have launched a few TURBOS,...makes my friends eyes water!

While 44" is better, 54" is IHMO the best.  When viewing, you view the trains almost face on, instead of "helicopter railfanning". That is the layout height of the original portion of my home layout. 

Regarding the weight of a stud, or the poor quality today, why do layout studs have to be made out of wood?

As you can see, I avoided my own advice, and went with 26", 46", and 66" heights on my new extension, tied together with a helix, shown below.

Full disclosure, my home layout is HO.

Regards,

GNNPNUT