Where do we buy the wood?

As we will see, wood is an indispensable element for building the layout structure.
It has the major advantage of being easy to work with and, if only screws are used for fastening, easily disassembled and replaced. 

Some manufacturers (such as Noch) also have framework components in their catalog for building the layout base, but for the usual reasons of cost containment, we must avoid these specialized products and ‘do it ourselves’, armed with a saw, screws, drill, etc… 

In Model Railroading manuals, you always see wooden structures so beautiful that we might feel bad about hiding them under the scenery. 

As usual, the problem is that even plywood and wooden battens can be expensive, considering that we probably cannot buy wholesale like a carpentry workshop, and then we would lack the space and tools for cutting the larger pieces.

If you decide to use our DIAP Consulting service to build your layout, we will guide you through a simple and cost-effective method for creating the wooden structure.

If possible, let’s try to save money on buying wood and leave resources available for purchasing other essential items. 
How can we do this? 
Let’s look for reclaimed materials or alternative solutions.

Reclaimed wood from Carpentry Workshops 
Small boards and scraps of battens can be purchased at a low cost as offcuts from a carpentry shop or a timber wholesaler.

If we use reclaimed wood, we should still ensure it is:

• dry wood
• in good condition, without worm-eaten, rotten parts, etc…
• free of nails, screws, hidden and dangerous metal parts

If we can’t find reclaimed wood or economical alternative solutions, let’s compare prices and buy most of what we need from a timber wholesaler, having the largest pieces cut to size. 

Then, if we are short of any minor pieces, we can find them (even on Sundays…) in some large DIY Bricolage store.

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