ilikeplanes

My local Home Depot doesn't carry it. Of course, there are about eight Home Depots in Portland OR.

Any ideas?

ben flyn

What is Homasote?

rcalfred

Try a regular lumber yard. Here in the Chicago area Hines Lumber carries Homasote and also a product I use--White Builder's Board. Both work well for covering your work table and both come in 4'x8' sheets. Regards.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

If not the Lumber yard look in your phone book for a plywood / cabinet maker supply store. they usally have these sort of materails

gpmikemorse-RCU

I'm getting the idea that Homosote is getting less popular, so it may get harder to find. If you're looking for something to put on a table so you can stick pins in it, sheetrock is cheap and works pretty well.

Steve Guinn

Sound deadening, insulating, tackable, structural, environmentally friendly building materials from recycled post-consumer waste paper.
For more than 90 years, architects, builders, contractors, remodelers, do-it-yourselfers, model railroaders, stained glass hobbyists and others have known the genius of Homasote

to answer Ben Fly'n

ilikeplanes

http://www.homasote.com

linclogs

I've always used a product called Cellotex for building on (could it be just a different name for Homosote?). It's the stuff they make ceiling tiles out of. I haven't bought any in a long time, but I used to get it in a 4' x 8' sheet. Try a lumberyard (not a "home center").

TopShelf

My Feedback: (4)

ilikeplanes,

Try one of the new Lowes around town. I'm not sure what part of town you are in put there is one off Hwy 217 and 72nd in the Beaverton/Tigard area. I have seen lots of stuff there that home depot does not carry. Though I have never looked for homosote.

ilikeplanes

TopShelf, I'm on the east side. I think there are a couple Lowe's out here though. What club are you in. I'm an FPM member.

TopShelf

My Feedback: (4)

I fly with the Fly-A-Ways out in the Beaverton area. I'm not familiar with FPM, where is your field?

BBW Walt

My Feedback: (11)

Homasote will not lay flat on a bench by its self. I wasted $24 on 2 sheets of this stuff and cant build on it cause of the warpage. It would probably be ok for smaller planes or if you put some screws in it but Drywall at $5 a sheet works much better and over an 8 foot span lays dead flat.

bullseye000

Years ago my dad gave me a bench top that was mad of a 3" sandwich of particle board covered with laminate. The heavy bench makes a very stable and straight building surface. On top of this I spray glued a 2x4 ceiling tile. One of the manufactures sell a tille that is perfectly smooth and white. I covered the lower 2/3's with the tile and leave the top 1/3 for tools glue and drinks while building. I have a sheet of 1/4" masonite to cover the board when I'm covering or cutting. When I need to recover I scrape of the old tile, clean the top with paint thinner and glue on new tiles. A new tile lasted about 12 years, I only replaced it because we moved and during the move the load shifted and I got some gouges in the soft top.



Regards
K

OldRookie

My Feedback: (13)

You can find Homosote in the area I live in In the Menard's chain of building supply stores.
The Homosote is curved a little as Klotz mentioned but this can be overcome by spraying the back side of the Homosote with 3M 77 adhesive, and gluing it to your work surface. I have some glued to a 1/2" piece of plate glass. This product doesn't hold pins as well as I would like, but it is a lot better than ceiling tiles.

Greg

linclogs

OK.....one more time.

"Celotex"

It's the same stuff they make ceiling tiles out of - but it's not the ceiling tiles themselves. There are no fissures, dimples or any other kind of "decoration" cut or molded into it. Comes in 4' x 8' sheets, 1/2" thick. Inside it's very fiberous and is the color of light brown cardboard. Outside, it's a white, fairly hard-shell-like surface. I like to cut it into 2' x 4' and glue two pieces together for a 1" thick building board. If you need a longer building surface, cut it any size you want up to 8' long. If you need it thicker, sandwich on another piece or two. It holds pins extremely well. As long as what you are laying it on is flat, it will conform (Work bench? Table? Hollow-core door?). You can also lay a straight edge on it, check for flatness and shim under it where necessary if needed. I think glueing them together makes them much stiffer - like when you laminate two pieces of thin balsa sheet together - makes a stronger piece than when you just have a single balsa sheet of the same thickness.

I bought a 4 x 8 foot sheet, cut it into four 2 x 4 foot pieces, and made 2 building boards by glueing 2 pieces together for each. Still using them years later. I bought mine at a small, independent lumber yard years ago. I'm assuming the still make the stuff but haven't needed any so haven't checked for a current supplier. Would be disappointed if it's been discontinued! Has anyone tried shopping for "Celotex" by name?

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

I have been to every lumber store in london Ontario to find some Homasote and had no luck at all. Now i'm going to have to order it from the distributor and pay $45cdn a sheet for 2 sheets of 4x8 1/2" thick Homasote. Nobody stocks it anymore. I am currently building my work table which is 2 pieces of slate from an pool table which weigh 450 lbs each. They are 29"x 6' long, so i'll put 2 together and have an 12' table to work on. I will use some 3M 77 spray adhesive on the slates to hold down the homasote from warping cause of the humdity in the basement. I plan on building an 132" wingspan C-130 Herc.
I'll tell you it was something to get those two pieces of slate in the basement, then onto the work table legs. Pics to follow.

Joe.

Chevelle

My Feedback: (2)

Wow. Finally. I have been learning all about this new stuff in R/C after being away for 25 years. I can finally contribute something as an "old timer".

Way back when I was a youngster, I supported my stick and tissue building with a paper route. There was a really great solution to a tack/pin board that was super cheat, sometimes FREE.

Head to your local hardware store (Home Depot, etc.) and go to the accoustic ceiling tiles. Go for the 4'x2' pieces. Look for a pattern with the fewest holes. Use the UNDERSIDE. It is usually devoid of holes or bumps. It works great as a tack board and lays very flat on a flat surface. It is softer than Homasote but holds everything that you need when it comes to pinning.

So what about the "free" part? There are always a few pieces that remain from a pack that aren't enough to sell. There are also some that have damaged corners. They are no use to anyone putting up a ceiling together. No one will buy them so many times they will be given out for nothing or just a couple of bucks.

For really BIG models, you can always put several together on a piece of plywood or other backing.

rcalfred

Try this---go to http:// www.homasote.com/. Click on the "where to buy" section. I see you are in Canada but maybe there is a way to contact them about a local source.
I've never had good luck with ceiling tile because I believe it is too soft to give firm holding power for the pins. As a substitute for homasote look white builders board. It is painted on one side and works well for me. Regards.

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

Ask a local model railroader where to get it. They use it quite often for roadbed underneath their track as it holds miniature spikes well. My RR modeler friend in Cottage Grove has no problem locating it.

You cannot get it at modern Home Depot type stores. They sell Cellotex which has a rough, course texture and better for sound deadening purposes. Homosote was made for insulation purposes.

It used to be made at St Helens, a part of the Fir-Tex plant.


Wm.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

yes that was my next option to contact the local Model rwy club that i used to belong to, then contact the local model rwy hobby store. I'll let you know what i find out. I'm also going to try a major lumber distribution yard in Burlinton Ontario as well.

Joe.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

After extensive searching of 15 Rona stores, Home Depots and Lumber yards i was able to locate some Homasote in Toronto at $39.99cdn a sheet. This is the Rona that had only 5 sheets left.

2933 Eglinton Ave W
Mississauga, ON L5M 6J3
Phone : (905) 820-9965
Fax : (905) 820-9919

suitcase

My Feedback: (1)

Anyone else using a old door? My son in law and I are building on an old luan paneled door. It's flat as a pancake and the luan not only accepts pins fairly easy but holds them too. Cost $0. Came from a friend who remodeled.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

Here are some pics of the work table that i'm building for the construction of the soon to begin 132" wingspan Herc. the table is 27" by 12' long. Two slates from an old pool table, each is 450 lbs and then covered with 1/2" homasote for pinning. You can see in the pic I used an wood door for some tempary repairs to the trainer. The wood door works good for the average size work table but i needed the length for the Herc, then my next project an 13'6" wingspan of an CL-415 water bomber.

Grinder.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

another pic of the work table.

grinder-RCU

My Feedback: (1)

last pic of work area.