Insulating foam board construction

[Grumpstoot]

I am new to modeling and i am about to start on a baseboard a lot of advice i have read suggests using foam boards as they are easy to sculpture for terrain etc, will this take static grass in the usual way what are the pros and cons

[Bigmet]

It's quite expensive, especially if you want a fair amount of vertical relief. I am more of a scrap wood profile frames with chickenwire over, covered with papier mache sort of guy ('shell' construction).

[Flashbang]

Anything over about 3 x 3 ft should be supported on a suitable underneath framework. In fact such insulating material is often too thick for any underneath such as wiring or point operations etc!
Personally, I would not recommend such a material as a main and unsupported baseboard.

[Grumpstoot]

Ok thanks so what about using it to create terrain such has hills embankments etc?

[Flashbang]

Ok thanks so what about using it to create terrain such has hills embankments etc?

No problem then as the main foundations or structure is held by hopefully a very secure and well made framing!
Don't forget the baseboard is the foundation of the layout, much like the concrete footings are the foundations of your house! Poorly made then collapse or other failure will result!

[Grumpstoot]

No my plan is to make the baseboard of ply then use insulating board to creare terrain and cover with static grass

[Bufferstop]

Every year around this time I get out a little layout I christened Santa Special. Nineteen years old this year, construction was based on the polystyrene foam packing from a car body panel, with foam board facings and scenic upstand around the back also from foam board. It's been bundled in and out of the loft, chucked in the car boot. It needed some repairs last year, I reinforced the corners with Gaffer tape. I based a three section baseboard on the same principle with 6mm ply ends cemented on to enable knock down joints to be fitted. It used Kingspan insulation which is a little more dense. It was my main layout for a couple of years in which time it was taken apart half a dozen times and stored on end in a wardrobe to enable the guest room to serve its original purpose. Provided you have a substantial surface, tops of bookcases or other bits of furniture, your not intending to exhibit it and don't expect it to carry heavy objects, it's an easy way to produce a portable board.

Edited to correct the stupidity of an AI spellchecker that thinks it knows better. JW

[4472]

Woodland Scenics do some nice modelling bits. I have used it successfully for an up and over incline. For a large hill I used a cardboard box, chicken wire and paper mache

[MrH]

No my plan is to make the baseboard of ply then use insulating board to creare terrain and cover with static grass

That will work fine I look forward to seeing your build

[Bufferstop]

If by insulation board you mean the compressed fibre stuff traditionally use for insulation of flat roofs I would prefer rigid polyfoam packing or insulation, it can be secured with "no nails" the joints can be stitched across with wooden skewers pushed through on the diagonal, it cuts clean with a fine tooth blade whereas compressed fibre insulation board produces a lot of soft sawdust, most glues will stick to its surface but it pulls away taking the surface with it.
My favourite method for building large embankments and cuttings is one inch rigid poly insulation stood on edge to form cells with contours cut into the top. Before grassed ground sheets were available I used to lay roughly cut strips of brown kraft paper soaked with diluted PVA. You can push it with your fingers into almost any shape, when the PVA, has dried more strips can be laid on at right angles, then repeated. When it's thoroughly dried, the surface is hard, you can cut out the footprint of buildings and set them into the ground in a prototype manner.

[centenary]

Ive been considering following Larry Pucket's method of baseboard then foam board followed by a propriety foam track bed. But it's too flipping' expensive and surely something like Woodlands Scenic or DCC Concepts trackbed onto the baseboard is sufficient for most modellers?

Id imagine the foam board Larry uses in the US is half the price of that in the UK anyway? If you do use a foam board, you need the extruded version not the compressed beadlet type boam.