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Hi,

I'm currently attempting to build a modular gaming table with swapable terrain ( a bit like the official GW Realms of battle table). it will be made up of 400mm sq panels that all fit together to make a larger table. I've got the base boards for the panels, 6mm mdf that was handily cut down from a huge sheet in B&Q for me using their in store timber saw! nice flat edged perfectly square panels! they will all be held together in a larger square trellis that will make the square board sections easier to removea dn swap arounf for different scenarios and battles. the problem is i want to sculpt teired hills onto these panels. This is were my problems begin. At first i planned on finding some high density foam boards that i could cut to size and then use a hot wire cutter to scult the teires into. problem is i have such a big scale plan that the only HD poly i could find was ridiculously expensive! so to save money i though about just using normal expanded polystyrene sheets. they come in a perfect size and and super cheap! (£4 for a massive 2400x1200mm sheet!) but can anyone tell me if this will be durable enough to play on? also here's the catch, i dont have a vehicle large enough to transport the full size sheets home to work on! i also would prefer they start off the same size as the boards underneath to make fitting easier! any idea's how i manage this?? lol also if i do manege to get the it all home and cut and made all nice and perfect any hints on how to make the surface stronger? a freind of mine said to paint it all with PVA first then give it several coats of masonry paint and sand it. would this be enough for the expanded polystyrene to withstand being played on regularly?

Any help and advice is greatly appreciated!!

here are some rough (very rough lol) plans for what i intend! the green image shows the teirs of the hills at 2 different levels.

b&q do the hi density foam (for loft insulation) its 4 big slabs for £20. I bought it recently. Heres the link.

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9374253&fh_view=detail&ts=1265037105310#BVRRWidgetID

it should be fine for you to carry home as its dimensions are:

Width (mm): 500

Length (mm): 1200

i hope that helps.

I like your modular design. Im doing a similar type of design to yours.

Thickness (mm): 52.5

thats a bit too think for what i have planned! would waste more of it by cutting than i actually use! its also a lot more expensive that £5 a sheet!! lol i'll need 2 of the 1200x2400 jablite poly sheets to make all the surface terrain i want, its 30 board section in total y'see. i could actually set up 2 tables i will have that much variety!

this is what i was planning on getting just not sure durability or if it can be made stronger ...

http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav.jsp?action=detail&fh_secondid=9273750&fh_view_size=10&fh_location=%2f%2fcatalog01%2fen_GB&fh_search=jablite&fh_eds=%C3%9F&fh_refview=search&ts=1278002749125&isSearch=true

I wouldn't advise using thin expanded polystyrene sheets as the base of each section.

Better to use a thin sheet of plywood, then build up hills on top with polystyrene.

You can make the polystyrene more durable by painting it with PVA and so on as described above. It will never be as strong as wood, naturally.

oh yeah i know! i already have square panels of 6mm MDF to base the polystyrene onto! would never last if it was just the poly on its own!! lol

I suppose what i'm really after is does anyone know what tools i can use to chop the polystyrene down from the larger sheet to the smaller squares without completely obliterating the it! lol i plan on working the terrain pieces with a hot wire or hot knife tools but i need to make it into the smaller squares first but i'm not sure how to cut it down >.<

Use a bread knife.
These are long narrow knives with serated edges & are flexible.
I would keep a vacuum cleaner close at hand because no matter what you use, the little beads will get every where.
Use a steel rule and multiple light strokes.
Getting a square edge will take patience & practice though.

Ok, I'm a carpenter so have a few inside tips for you...
1st MDF is not usualy sold metric in the UK its imperial (esp BnQ) therefore the sheet you have is 1220 x 2440 the Polystyrene will be metric at 1200 x 2400
2 when it was cut each cut will shave off about 2mm in each direction so the finish sizes will proably vary unless you specified 600x600 then ignore the above
3 BnQ staff cant cut for S*!T so check your sizes
4 BnQ staff cant cut for S*!T so check the boards are Square and parallel I was asked to build folding tables for my club I had nightmares due to bad cutting, when hinged they did not fold properly so I had to re-cut them all!
You can make Polystyrene stronger by coating with PVA let it dry PVA glue on sand let it dry spray on a watered down PVA (to get into all the gaps in the sand) and then paint I have done this and it makes the top layer similar to Sand and cement! but very thin
the problem I found was it only gave a strong top layer that would crack under pressure as the bottom is spongy.
Another method is to coat it all in plaster, just use multi finish from BnQ no need for plaster of Paris its too dear, this can go on quite thick and reduces cracking the problem here is the increase in weight it can also be sanded and sprayed

my best advice though is spend the extra £15 on the blue foam, Its way stronger and will last a lot longer. think about it why skimp on the cost if it will last al ot longer why go to all the trouble of making a nice board that wont last long
Professionally speaking spend a bit more get a far better finish, do you paint your mini's with house paint cos its cheaper NO do you glue your minis with UHU cos its cheaper NO
Trust me Dont cut corners Dont buy cheap S%!T
you will be glad you spent the extra when in a years time your still using the same awesome board!

Thanks for the fantastic reply! Very helpful! You are right about spendiong more for a longer lasting table, does make lots more sense really. I was wanting to use Blue Foam but i cant seem to find it anywhere!! Do you know where i can get some from??

Thanks