G Gauge lumber ?


goscrewyourselves

goscrewyourselves

I'm the one
Can anyone give me a good source for G Gauge scale timber please?

I know there is Northeastern etc, however, all of their lumber is basswood and I am looking for cedar or other wood type for outdoor structures. Thanks in advance.
 
A lumber merchant/planing mill that specialises in timber joinery? (window and door framing)
 
Stoker,

Damn, your a lumber mill in your right!!! At the moment I am looking for lumber for framing and for "siding", so scale 2" X 6" for the framing and I'm guessing scale 10" X 1" for the siding and step treads. I will also be looking for timber for the window framing and door frames as well as 2" X 4" for railings etc. Finally, and at some point, I'd be looking for sheet timber as well, for roofing, interior walls and flooring.

The scale is 1:29th scale, but I am led to believe the difference between 1:29th and 1:32 is negligible when it comes to timber. Is that right?

Let me know if you have those sizes, how much for them and if you have a Paypal account for payment. I have no idea how much I am after at the moment but enough to build a 20 - 25" by 7 - 8" station and 20 - 25" long by about 4 1/2" platform to begin with.

Trust me, once I get into the building stage (structures) I will be looking for a lot of timber!

I do have a table saw; however, the blade is a pretty "aggressive" one for cutting 2 X 4 and 2 X 6. I think it is too aggressive for cutting small sized timbers. With that being said, what blade size would you recommend should I want to try cutting my own timber from time to time?

Really appreciate the offer Stoker and can assure you that we will do business.
 
wombat457 said:
The scale is 1:29th scale, but I am led to believe the difference between 1:29th and 1:32 is negligible when it comes to timber. Is that right?
Click to expand...

Yup, that's right. The difference between a 1:32 2x4 and a 1:29 2x4 is 0.00484 x 0.00968 actual inches. A sheet of standard 20lb. bond paper is 0.004 inches thick. So that one clearly passed the 3 foot test.

As to using a table saw, I tried using an 80 tooth 3 degree hook fine finish blade with a zero clearance throat plate. It was just too tricky, but remember, I'm in HO. Should be easier in G.

PS: For those who don't know what the 3 foot test or 3 foot rule is - If the (insert flaw, feature, difference, or similar term) cannot be seen/identified/etc. when viewed from a distance of 3 feet, it doesn't matter (aka it passes the test, meets the rule, etc.).
 
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Stoker,

I was thinking about my needs last night and can tell you that I will take any scale 2" X 4", 2" X 6" and 1" X 10" you have (either 1:29th or 1:32nd scale) as that will be my main structural timber. Which ever is easiest for you to cut, I will stick with for all of my structures.

I didn't think about trestles, but will need trestle timber and open to your advice on the scale dimensions. I imagine it will be scaled 10" or 12" lumber in the main.

Mate, thanks for this and now I am looking forward to getting the timber and having a "supplier" who is so flexible and helpful.
 
Wooden coffee stir sticks come in a variety of thicknesses and lengths.
Good for loads too!
 
Stoker,

You have provided me with so much information, especially about the scales. The 3 pieces of scaled 12 X 12 in the 3 different scales is invaluable to me. It does seem as though there IS quite a visual difference between the 3, even between 1:29th and 1:32nd scale so I will make a decision on that timber to start with.

In short, I do want to make anything that is directly connected to the track work 1:29th scale, ie bridges. As such, I will take any 1:29th scale timber you have with a priority of the following:

2 X 4
2 X 6
1 X 4
1 X 10
12 X 12
4 X 4

Secondly, I will also take the same sized timber in 1:24th scale (if you want to alleviate yourself of it) as I think I will be able to adjust that to 1:29th scale OR use it for things such as retaining walls etc. It wont go to waste, I assure you.

I take your point regarding figures and vehicles and 1:24th being the most popular and attainable - a valid one at that. At the moment, that is not a concern for me as I am no where near even thinking about that side of the layout BUT, is something to keep in mind.

I love your trestle bents as well - it looks so real and believable, especially with the nails you use to put it all together. I appreciate your offer to build the bents etc for me, that is very generous; however, building stuff is the part of building a layout that I enjoy the most so, while I do appreciate your offer, that is something that I would do myself. With that being said though, I would not object if you could build me a "Jig" for making the bents in 1:29th scale. Each trestle I have built thus far has been all done by "eye" and no Jig as I (honestly) was too lazy to spend the time to build a jig for them. Basically, if you can think of anything that will make building stuff easier, such as jigs for specific and repetitive things let me know how much for you to make them.

Okay, so you know the timber I am looking for now, all we have to do is work out a price and how I pay you for it. My preference would be to pay you via a Paypal account as I don't have a check account. Give me an amount and I'll get you the money.

I'll PM you my address too - will do that now in fact.
 
Stoker,

Thank you for your candidness and it is noted. Keep in mind also that the MAJORITY of the 2 X ? is being used for framing and will not be exposed directly to the weather. All I can say is that what ever structures I do build will be well sealed for "normal weather" but will be removed from the layout in time of rain and over winter. Essentially, they will be "fair weather" structures only and not a lot of them.

As you have raised the concern of them not holding up, here is what I have been thinking in order to protect them as much as I can:

1. lay real concrete slabs for the "structures" to sit on.
2. coat the bottom of the structures with fiber glass resin that will prevent the bottoms from rotting out due to moisture.
3. coat the entire structure with flat exterior clear coat, inside and out.

I think doing the above will provide a fairly good protective coating for outdoor usage, under good weather conditions and some "light rain, dew" conditions. I also think the fiberglass resin and clear coats will add to the strength of the structures and help prevent any potential warping of the timber due to weather.

I also intend to test using fiberglass resin to coat the entire structure. If that is can be done, and remain clear, then the weather will not be a concern at all and all structures will be (almost) 100% weather proof under any conditions. The only issue I can fore see here is the resin/clear coat "might" cause some warping of the lighter timber, only might mind you. If that happens, I will need to think of ways to ensure that warping doesn't/can't happen before the resin/clear dries. All trial and error at the moment :)

A little over the top? Maybe, but have you seen the price of commercial G Gauge structures?

Mate, I am NOT going to hold you responsible if what I build falls apart for any reason, including weather so don't worry or feel guilty about that - I take FULL and COMPLETE responsibility :D

Okay, so - how much do I want of the above (less the 1 X timber) As much as you can produce in up to 24" lengths. I buy HO scale timber in 24" lengths at 100 lengths at a time, and that makes a shit load of stuff - HO scale that is. So how about I start with this in 1:29th scale:

100 lengths (24" long) of 2 X 4
100 lengths (24" long) of 2 X 6
100 lengths (24" long) of 2 X 10
25 lengths (24" long) of 12 X 12
10 lengths (24" long) of 4 X 4
X amount of "smaller stuff" for door and window trims and for kick boards etc

The above will give me enough timber for a trestle bridge, and at least one good sized structure like a station with X amount in case of "goof ups" I think. At least this will be a start and give me a good idea of how far this will go.

Cheers mate, appreciate all of this a great deal!
 
Stoker,

My commitment to maintaining the same scale applies to the railway itself, the engines, rolling stock and those things that go into the actual railway itself such as bridges. As was suggested by others, having a mix of the various scales running around the track would/could look ridiculous, so I am committed to keeping conformity with 1:29th scale in that regard.

As for the lumber, and as I mentioned at some point, the scale difference seemed to be negligible when it came to timber, the difference was apparently undetectable at a reasonable distance. Then I saw your three pieces of scale lumber (12 X 12) and it looked to me as though the difference between the scales varied fairly significantly, by almost 1/8th" from one scale to the next. 4/8" X 4/8" for 1:24th and only 3/8" X 3/8" for 1:29th. Honestly, it was that picture that made me decide to stick with the one scale.

As for coating the timber with fiberglass or exterior clear coat goes, I did say that the bottoms of the structures would be fiber glassed to provide a barrier between the ground and the timber. What I perhaps should have elaborated on was that area would more than likely not be seen. I can also say that whatever resin went onto the bottoms would not be 1/8" thick - it wasn't going to be use for strength, just a coating, some of which would soak into the timber. The exterior clear coat I spoke of would be just that - a clear penetrating coating coat for sealing the timber, again not 1/8" thick. I went onto say that it would be trial and error to see what worked and what didn't, perhaps not in those exact words, but that was what I meant. If the clear coat did work, then that would be far less than the 1/8" difference between 1:29th and 1:24th scale shown in the picture of the 3 scales.

I am disappointed that you feel that what I use the timber for will reflect on you. To be totally frank, what and how I use the timber for is wholly and solely my decision and; therefore, my responsibility if anything goes wrong. In short, you offered to supply me with timber, and I accepted your offer. So far as I was aware, that offer was still good as of last night, so now reading that you are withdrawing that offer, which of course is your decision and right to do, does come as a surprise.

With regards the laying of the track though. I have read a number of articles and watched a few videos on doing that. While I do not disagree or argue that not placing the track directly on the ground if the "best way" to go, that does not preclude other options. You mentioned that laying the track onto "mud" is a recipe for failure, and I agree 100% - I just don't know where you got the idea I was going to do that. Many video's I watched emanated from the UK, where weather is a constant issue. Those video's I did watch showed track being laid on the ground AFTER the road bed and sub road bed had been laid and prepared. The track, infact, was sitting on about 4 - 5" of ballast or some other crushed stone with ballast applied on top of it and drainage. The crushed stone and ballast, effectively, lifting the track work above ground level and that was how I planned on doing mine - not just laying it in the mud.

Anyway, I'm certainly not going to get into a flinging match over this but did want to let you know how I came to the decisions I did. Like I said, it is your right to retract your offer and while I don't understand the reasoning, or some of it anyway, it is what it is and no hard feelings.
 
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