Model Railway Forum

Marine ply same dimensions £67.80. That's why I used the basic one. As you say not needed indoors. R-

RogerB wrote: ↑Mon Dec 05, 2022 8:40 am Marine ply same dimensions £67.80. That's why I used the basic one. As you say not needed indoors. R-

Depends if ones roof leaks? Mind you, cheaper to fix the roof and use ordinary ply at those prices!
(Our roof is fine. Just my humour).

No one has mentioned compressed paper board sold under the name 'Sundela'. A lot of good model shops stock it as 1200 x 600 mm sheets (4 x2 feet for wrinklies), 12 mm (1/2 inch) thick. Fine and takes pins BUT tends to droop in high humidity and so needs more support at reduced spacings to that recommended in the manufacturers instructions ( in my honest opinion, that is).
It needs to be 'conditioned' before laying, as per instructions, and can be glued easily to a timber underframe. The recommended wood is 50 x 25 mm (2 x 1 inch) but I have used deeper material on the perimeter and less heavy as cross and longitudinal supports, but it needs closer spaced supports if it done this way.

There is a very good reason why that stuff has not been mentioned..

Sundela is excellent for notice boards, that’s just about all really.

im confused how do i know where ply comes from,im ordering 9mm from a builders merchant called kelvin timber. Also would 2xq2 pine be strong enough for legs ?

BLUEBOY wrote: ↑Mon Apr 14, 2025 2:32 pm im confused how do i know where ply comes from,im ordering 9mm from a builders merchant called kelvin timber. Also would 2xq2 pine be strong enough for legs ?

usually the supplier will have it mentioned on their site somewhere... I did some digging for you... if it's STREply you are ordering, it will be coming from Eastern China. (https://falcon-timber.com/streply/)

as for 2x2 legs... depending on your carpentry skills, and the number of legs you add, I imagine it would be OK. I'd ensure you have enough bracing to prevent the ply from sagging and twisting.

As Stese has pointed out most ply comes from the far east even Baltic Pine which is the new Birch Ply tends to be processed out there. If you are looking for sustainable timber production look to see if it FSC certified.

Richard