Building Protective Covers

When portable layout modules are not set up on the leg system for display or to be worked on, they need to be protected during storage and transport.  With my pair of Ntrak modules, I had solved this problem by arranging them in a way so that the sky board of each module was aligned with the front of the other module.  Then I added end boards with bolt holes and when everything was bolted together, all of the modeled areas were on the inside and protected.  That box is 48 inches x 24 inches x 18 inches in size and weights over 90 pounds and I am not able to handle those modules easily by myself anymore.

For the Musashi-Koyama modules I wanted to try something different.  Last Sunday was spent in the garage making sawdust.  After having had several near 100 degree days at the beginning of the month, last weekend the cooler weather took hold and I never got out of my sweatshirt while working in the garage.

My efforts got me a pair of covers made from 1/4 inch plywood that I found at Home Depot.  Each cover used most of  a 4 x 4 ft sheet plus some 1/2 x 3/4 inch strips that hold it all together

As this photo shows, the covers have a front, top, and ends.  What does not show are the holes in the end rails of the modules and on the ends of the cover so I have used Photo Shop to point them out.

The holes are to bolt the covers to the modules with 1/4-20 bolts.

This closeup shows how the bolts goes through the cover and into the end of the module.  I like to use Tee nuts where I can.










Here are the two Musashi-Koyama modules with their covers attached and with the leg system in it's folded up transport and storage state behind them.

Each of the modules weigh less than 25 pounds with the leg system weighing about 15 pounds.  I CAN easily handle these.