What's the wooden frame inside a hollow core door like? - Model Railroader Magazine

  The center portion of the door is two sheets of veneer separated by corrugated cardboard, either in a grid or a spiral.  The cheaper ones use really thin veneer, which is why they feel so flimsy.  That, and the fact that the glued-up veneer has the approximate consistency of armor plate and doesn't take screws well, are the main drawbacks of hollow core doors.

OTOH, if you are going the all glue (or caulk) route, a hollow core door is one quick and dirty way to get a table that has a smooth surface, true square corners and DOESN'T weigh a ton.  Many people have used them successfully for simple starter layouts, or as the basis for modeling relatively flat countryside.  And they are a Godsend for those among us who are technologically challenged by woodworking tools.

However, if the object is to model Appalachia, the Canadian Rockies, the Himalayas or (in my case) the Central Japan Alps, that perfectly flat surface is way less than ideal as a starting point.  That's when most people fall back on L girder construction.

Just my .  Feel free to disagree.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on steel stud L-girder benchwork)