my Tinplate goes from on the floor to a custom table

Baby, you've just arrived!!

Wow, that's going to look awesome. Can't wait to see it.

maybe a chinese green lacquer color for the top? Here's a pic for inspiration.

Though the wood grain of the plywood we chose is especially nice- wish I could tint a clear gloss coat with some green pigment so the detail in the grain could come through . 

No. That table is too nice to cover and put trains on it. It should be in the train room with booze on top. Nothing like trains and cocktails.

We ain't got no room for a train room, but we may build our own version of a deco bar, where we currently have a long kitchen counter top with cabinets below. This table will be in the front room, next to Tom's 1941 grand piano. Music for cocktails and trains... This is also against the wall that will someday have the 42" height 6-1/2" wide long wall shelf from the length of  the side house wall down to the back door, just above the bar height

I am of course, helping with construction! Layout table update: all wood pieces cut- expect mahogany facing. Casters put on leg pieces, legs routered for the fluted deco leg design. Support 2x4 framing done.  

Leave room for 072 curves if possible - all standard gauge runs better and smoother on wide curves.

update: decided on marble pieces of the corners for the table to go with the fluted (routered) table legs.

Carey,

   Keep on Keepen on baby it all looks great!

PCRR/Dave

update: yesterday morning the table top pieces came into the house and are now set up in situ. 42" from floor to table top is taller than I envisioned it would be. Top pieces getting glued together. First and second coats of Gloss black painting done on the fluted legs. Perhaps, if a third coat of paint is not needed, the legs can get attached to the top by the end of today. That would be very cool.

Set up a few things as a mock-up, including diorama pieces from the MTH repro Ives circus set, looking terrific!

Making great progress, waiting for updates.

Table legs attached this morning!

update 4/19/2016: legs got additional bracing put on, I decided on colors of Minwax wood stains (English Chestnut and Emerald), and marble corner pieces out to get cut.

Update: trying out stain colors today. Really like the Minwax Express Colors in Emerald for the main 4'x8'  table top area. SEE top right in picture with two coats- first coat applied with a cloth, second coat with a brush application.

Not so happy with the Minwax English Chestnut stain next to the marble. SEE top left in picture. Shown with one coat. It looks perfectly lovely next to the Emerald, but next to the Blk/Wht it just doesn't float my boat.

Read online about mixing Minwax Ebony with the Eng. Chestnut, SEE bottom right in picture. Happier with that, interesting. 

Had fun playing woolworker girl getting wood stain on my clothes, my neck, my hands, my feet and myshoes, the garage floor...

I like the green, but would make it more opaque so less, but not all, wood grain would be hidden so to speak.  My wife is an excellent wood finisher.  She can make different species of wood all look the same with stain.  

Dan Padova posted:

I like the green, but would make it more opaque so less, but not all, wood grain would be hidden so to speak.  My wife is an excellent wood finisher.  She can make different species of wood all look the same with stain.  

If you wouldn't mind, would you two like to make suggestions??  

The green is good for the pine center area. It may need build up of more coats, but I do like seeing the grain. The redwood legs are primered then painted with gloss black (no grain seen)- in this pic was just the first coat.

But I do need a better solution to go on the pine border pieces that lay next to the marble at the corners. There will be facing boards also that need to match the border pieces- possibly of mahogany, if not- then these will be the same pine as the rest. 

Decision finally made! Just tried a quick wipe on and wipe off coat of the Minwax Express Colors in Onyx. Love it, goes very well with the Blk/Wht marble and the Express Colors Emerald. 

Pic shows two dry coats of Emerald, next to fresh coat of Onyx. When both are very polyurethaned to a gloss-like finish, it will be just the look I was thinking of. The shaped facing boards will also be stained in Emerald.

Ooooo.... this is going to be a good 'un

update: wow, wow... first coat of two of the Emerald wood stain on the center area (4'x8'). 

update: Emerald second coat!! Next is Onyx wood stain on the 9" deep edges, probably just one coat to get the look I'm striving for.

update: Minwax Express Color in Onyx applied on the edging boards surrounding the large Emerald center area was added yesterday morning and last night. Today, both colors got a bit of touch-up, and then the first coat of multiple coats of gloss polyurethane was applied this morning.

WOW, it really looks quite beautiful

Going out very shortly to look at facing boards.

update: I hand-selected the facing boards, of mahogany. Pick-up tomorrow a.m. by Tom. I wanted attractive graining and lovely coloration on these. Will be finished with coats of a gloss polyurethane that shows off the graining well.

update: 5 coats of polyurethane on the table top done.

Sanding, miter cuts, and bull nosing on the mahogany facing pieces to be done next. 

Hm, an art deco style lighting fixture over the table would be a nice touch, maybe one like this

Update: laid the initial loop of track down for a looksee. The marble corner pieces get glued down tomorrow. 

FANTASTIC, I especially love how the wood grain looks with the two colors and the five polyurethane coats. Like a glassy smooth green lake in the middle...

Looking at the attachments section at the post's bottom, for a better side by side view;  I'd have to be jaded to hate it . Very Art Nouveau with the lamp really.

..elegant color..with a little "U" in it too

  Hey new post....too cool ..(good un' yep, out did the original all ready )

  Just for fun, I'm going to throw a word out, or two, that might replace or change things to a slightly more Art Nouveau look, or to a heavier Deco industrial balance, still retaining the lamp if your semi-careful..... sconces.? 

Very much a part of the early era's oil burning/gas to early electric lamp look.

Two jade ceiling lamps? (enabler remember)

Adriatic posted:

Looking at the attachments section at the post's bottom, for a better side by side view;  I'd have to be jaded to hate it . Very Art Nouveau with the lamp really.

..elegant color..with a little "U" in it too

  Hey new post....too cool ..(good un' yep, out did the original all ready )

  Just for fun, I'm going to throw a word out, or two, that might replace or change things to a slightly more Art Nouveau look, or to a heavier Deco industrial balance, still retaining the lamp if your semi-careful..... sconces.? 

Very much a part of the early era's oil burning/gas to early electric lamp look.

Two jade ceiling lamps? (enabler remember)

 

thanks very much for the input!! great ideas.

Playing set-up: put out a few things I already have just for fun.

First pic, need a passenger shed by the station. And a switch, with a a spur of track with a bumper at the end.

2nd pic, the yardstick and paper show the template and position of the OOAK wooden viaduct with lights I snagged on the evilBay. The Chien litho cathedral and Barclay wedding couple shown will be up on a platform within a 42 curve circle of track set on piers, the circle of track and these pieces are going to be used at our wedding reception.

This table project on yours is looking mighty fine!

Great job.  I'll be watching this tread in the future.  Love to see how it all turns out.

Ain't seen a train table like this before - a terrific job!!

The advance unit of the Circus has arrived in town. On parade this morning to drum up interest... the tuba players went aol :0)

wmtrainnut09 posted:

This table project on yours is looking mighty fine!

Great job.  I'll be watching this tread in the future.  Love to see how it all turns out.

thank you. It is very nice to have a master woodworker in the house to help make my toy train dreams come true

 The little chapel has a quiet a bit of personality.

   I assume it's a music box. Plays a hymn or wedding song?

   Who made it? Is/was it considered common?

I want to simply say I've never seen it,.. but just had a bit of deja vu .

Is there older post on this piece maybe

Adriatic posted:

 The little chapel has a quiet a bit of personality.

   I assume it's a music box. Plays a hymn or wedding song?

   Who made it? Is/was it considered common?

I want to simply say I've never seen it,.. but just had a bit of deja vu .

Is there older post on this piece maybe

The cathedral/chapel/church is by Chien, from the 1920s. At 9" tall, its a nice size. When the handle is cranked, it sounds like an church organ sound. When I typed in 'litho church' on the evilBay- a few of these popped up.

update: the shiny, varnished Emerald green stain with the wood grain showing through, well... every time I look at makes me think of a lake or river with cool, smooth, green water.

So I'm considering the possibly working with that idea! Thinking and thinking, looking and looking at it the last couple of days, trying to figure out how to have the structures sited "at" the water's edge. Perhaps I can get thin plywood shaped to create 'dirt' brown wood stained bases for all the structures that will be at the water's "edges". 

The 'concrete' OOAK viaduct I found is perfect fit to be built "in" the water on one short end of the table.

I want to do very minimal scenery for this layout, if at all preferring to keep it as it was during Std. Gauge's heyday- but with a river or lake "look" I may at the very least need some sort of trees...

update: a couple of new goodies for my unique layout

The OOAK viaduct is 36" long x 8 " wide.  Will be really nice for my 1:24 vehicles and a few Barclay folks. I will probably paint it 'concrete' gray, it can be a WPA project for this deco era toy train layout!

Been watching after the Pride Lines passenger shed for some time, decided to snag me one. This will be next to my little Ives station and Lionel whistle station.

update: in discussion with my Groom, Tom about where I want all the transformers, controls, etc. for this layout. The quick and dirty route would be to just set them on the marble corners- but that of course defeats the purpose of having such a cool design feature. So its a no-go.

Asked him about creating some kind of pull-out drawer/shelf thing with drawer glides, that can slide under and/or behind the front or side facing when not needing to be used. He's percolating on it...

Busbars and all wiring pulled underneath is a given. 

  Interesting how perceptions can differ. More so when impressionism is the topic.  I always see water as light blue to dark blue/dark green. But I think that's from being in the Great Lakes Region & seeing freshwater more. I seldom have seen one area of a Sea for long enough to judge well. Oh well...your rules I'm just trying to guess where each part of this is build might be leading to, if you like an idea, so be it. (great fun!)

  I think the camera angle takes away from the lightness in colour, of the green. (Ooak?.Really...Neat! ),   but what I  see above is: A green field, and a "parade" filling it with animals and show folk, all in preparation for the setting of the circus's rings.

  I see a dark railway roadbed, wide enough to share a stretch with the locals on their way to the fair too.  

   The marble..mar-bull..marrrrrble.....O.k,, I'm at a loss..Hey, it needs no "explanation"its pretty . Cur Rah Hee ; I.e., its nice enough to "stand alone".

  A circus zebra being led across one square on occasionis  a "must" though .

   Are you Familiar with vintage American tv show "The Addams Family", and Gomez's layout? (search Youtube for "Gomez Addams trains")    Though little to do with much here, and the lamps are fine on your corners, his corners are a good example of what I'd expect would work well also. One piece each corner, keeping the stone mostly unoccupied.   If you get your signals near to the squares, the white stone will catch the red light when it's active. The stone gaining a red hue, and reflecting a pale, rosey light, up again as well.

(I just like playing with lighting. I had looked for a light splitting (rainbow) prism lamp (green glass) to show you too, but struck out finding it again... so far.  .)

Oh, the glass top depots. If I could have only one accessory....Ya' know,  I can't even believe they aren't still made (or the prices). I've even tried to figure a way to use one from HO and kids toy-Thomas sets. Colour me green with envy.

  Tell Tom I said to think a bit about a "plain" drawer, with the face built as a "false apron/skirt". A hinged drop face, would hide things well when idle, make lack of pull hardware no big deal, and expose controls fully, or just partially without pulling on the whole drawer each time. A simple build up of deco shapes on the drawers face, appearing to be a portion of the frame between the legs, would work nicely. Fluting alternating panels, etc... optional..

sneak peak at the as-yet unfinished mahogany facing boards, with really lovely graining.

Adriatic posted:

  Interesting how perceptions can differ. More so when impressionism is the topic.  I always see water as light blue to dark blue/dark green. But I think that's from being in the Great Lakes Region & seeing freshwater more. I seldom have seen one area of a Sea for long enough to judge well. Oh well...your rules I'm just trying to guess where each part of this is build might be leading to, if you like an idea, so be it. (great fun!)

  I think the camera angle takes away from the lightness in colour, of the green. (Ooak?.Really...Neat! ),   but what I  see above is: A green field, and a "parade" filling it with animals and show folk, all in preparation for the setting of the circus's rings.

  I see a dark railway roadbed, wide enough to share a stretch with the locals on their way to the fair too.  

   The marble..mar-bull..marrrrrble.....O.k,, I'm at a loss..Hey, it needs no "explanation"its pretty . Cur Rah Hee ; I.e., its nice enough to "stand alone".

  A circus zebra being led across one square on occasionis  a "must" though .

   Are you Familiar with vintage American tv show "The Addams Family", and Gomez's layout? (search Youtube for "Gomez Addams trains")    Though little to do with much here, and the lamps are fine on your corners, his corners are a good example of what I'd expect would work well also. One piece each corner, keeping the stone mostly unoccupied.   If you get your signals near to the squares, the white stone will catch the red light when it's active. The stone gaining a red hue, and reflecting a pale, rosey light, up again as well.

(I just like playing with lighting. I had looked for a light splitting (rainbow) prism lamp (green glass) to show you too, but struck out finding it again... so far.  .)

Oh, the glass top depots. If I could have only one accessory....Ya' know,  I can't even believe they aren't still made (or the prices). I've even tried to figure a way to use one from HO and kids toy-Thomas sets. Colour me green with envy.

  Tell Tom I said to think a bit about a "plain" drawer, with the face built as a "false apron/skirt". A hinged drop face, would hide things well when idle, make lack of pull hardware no big deal, and expose controls fully, or just partially without pulling on the whole drawer each time. A simple build up of deco shapes on the drawers face, appearing to be a portion of the frame between the legs, would work nicely. Fluting alternating panels, etc... optional..

so many great ideas! thanks for the reply.