The Little World

Now there is a mathematical equation that I cannot understand. But I am not going to let ignorance deter me from taking advantage of a bargain. I am a scale modeller after all, and a proud member of the clan McFrugal. We can pinch a penny until it screams.

The occasion for my reverie was a visit to the local hardware giant, Bunnings. This is an Australian store that originally started as a restaurant that served grilled sausages, but branched out into building and garden supplies. I do my own cooking, but call in there for drill bits, glue, and building board. I am proud to be able to say that I have entered the shop with the intention of buying a paintbrush and have left with a paintbrush. One of my friends cannot go through the doors without being seduced by the tools and timber and can barely stagger away under the weight of the bargains. The person I am talking about is reading this right now…

Let us move on – to the MDF shelves. This much-maligned material is a resource that the frugal scratch builder would do well to treasure. The cost of it…that 1200mm x 900mm panel of 3mm sheet for $ 5.95…is frequently nominal. Off-cuts are less, of course, and you can get the stuff in all sorts of thicknesses for all sorts of purposes. Keep it dry, brace it well, fasten it correctly, and it will serve you faithfully. I use it for foundation slabs on my Wet Dog Regional Airport layout.

MDF is a fickle material under any sort of moisture – it buckles, swells, and warps. Even the painting of it can induce this sort of stress, so I make a point of painting both sides of a foundation slab. This also has the advantage if I decide to reverse it – it is all ready to go on the under side.

It responds readily to white glue or anything else designed for wood. It will resist most paints. And it is readily sawn if you have a small jigsaw machine. Not as easy to do as the foamcore board, but then not as delicate either. It sands well.

The only disadvantage over the foamcore is the weight, and the fact that you cannot pin through it during assembly of wall panels or other structural members. But together they are an invincible duo for the scratch structure builder.

And at those prices….you can save your money and drink better beer.