TOMA Phase Two Underway

Revised Phase Two Sketch

I left off my last post with a desire to revise my plan for Phase Two and start with the new benchwork. As seen above, I shortened the plan for the new module and came up with this working plan. 

After sketching the plan, my next step involved unburying the sheet of half inch plywood from the back of a pile of lumber in the garage and purchasing a new blade for my Skilsaw. Still out in the garage, I cut a two foot by six foot section to bring into the basement to work from in order to fashion the top of the benchwork for the now six foot long cut and fill module. My plan was not to just create a flat rectangular benchtop, but to incorporate a curved front as well as some lower sections for the "fill" to rise up from. Later I will create the hill with the cut on top of the plywood base.

Using measurements of where the track on the modules to either side will be, my layout plan sketch, and some track I drew out the track plan on the plywood. If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see where I drew in the curved front of this new module. I started sketching in the track plan in pencil at this point as well, but I went over the curved front with a marker to make it easy to see. That will be the first cut with my saber saw. 

After cutting out the curved front of the plywood panel, I continued with drawing the track plan on the plywood. I first sketched in some initial ideas for the lowered section or ravine that will be cut out. I also did some basic calculations to get an idea of how low these dropped sections need to go. I have a trestle that I built from a Campbell kit years ago that I plan to use on the drill track. I also have a concrete culvert kit for the fill section. I wanted to make sure I had room for these. Then I cut out those sections that will be dropped below the rest of the plywood top. 

After cutting the plywood to its final shape, I started designing and construction of the grid framework. In this photo, it is completed and resting on sawhorses, ready for the installation of the top. To actually build the grid, I had the plywood on the sawhorses and laid out the "one by" pine panels on top of it. I used basic glue and screw techniques to put the grid together.  Having two drill motors made fast work of drilling and then screwing the parts together. 

In this photo from earlier today, the top and recessed areas are positioned in place, as is the trestle. After I took this photo I went ahead and glued and screwed the plywood top in place. One trick that I tried before final assembly was to reposition the plywood under the grid on the sawhorses in order to pencil in exactly where the grid frame pieces would be before reconfiguring the panel back on top. I also avoided positioning screws under future track locations as well as countersinking the screw heads, so they would be hidden under future scenery. 

I plan to continue working on this new section as a module as I find that it is much easier to complete some of the next steps by tipping it upside down or on edge rather than crawling under the installed benchwork. I need to complete some more prep work before installing this section as well; floor painting and extending the backdrop come to mind.