A good staple gun is really handy to fasten
cardboard strips or screen to benchwork to provide a scenery
base.
The customary hammer is falling out of use in model
railroad construction. Nails don't hold nearly as well as drywall
screws for assembling benchwork and the pounding resulting from
driving nails will cause damage in other parts of the layout.
Drywall screws are far less violent. Hammers do have utility when
blunt force is required to "persuade" some structural items into
position.
The drywall screw is much
more suited to layout construction. They are cheap, and when driven
with a power screwdriver go in just as fast or faster than nails.
They can also be removed more easily than nails when necessary.
Good sizes are 1", 1-1/4" and 2" #6 drywall screws.
This design of clamp has proven to be extremely
effective in aiding layout construction. They clamp and release
quickly and hold tight. They are used to hold the new benchwork in
place while drywall screws are driven. I got by with just four of
them, two in this smaller size and two larger ones.
© 1999 George Schreyer
Created Dec 4, 1999
Last Updated Dec 4, 1999