"Wood vs Metal Basing?" Topic

After reading this tread TMP link and a new poll (YEA! Polls!) it got me thinking.

I only use metal bases for all of my fig (28mm) and have never looked into wood bases.

Is there an advantage to wood vs. metal for basing?

Well, you can cut your own wood bases pretty easily

I used to use wood all the time but I have moved into metal/plastic as wood bases are not quite as durable as I like

I base on plastic (gw) in wooden movement trays from sarrisa precission. I fear that metal bases or washers would scrach my glass vitrine.

I do this no for 15 years so i dont change…
i think also that metal bases are lower and wood and plastic ar thicker and therefore you touch the base more often and not the figure…

So i think it protects the figure is you base on thicker wood or plastic….

Just one opinion …. Greetings

I used to used Wargames Accessories for metal bases and then one day noticed that my line was crooked. I started breaking out the calipers and bases and noticed that there was quite a bit of slop (± 2.5mm). I then switched to laser-cut wood bases from Litko and never looked back.

With metal I used to magnetize the trays. Large magnetic sheets lose their power quicker, it seems. Now I magnetize the bases by using magnetic business cards from Staples. About $25 USD for 100 2"x4" cards (approximately, I forget the dimensions). I stick metal (magnetically receptive) sheets in the storage boxes now.

The only downside to wood seems to be specialty basing; it seems more expensive for movement trays, etc. I am considering trying Shogun MIniatures steel movement trays with flanged edges to hold my singly (wood) based (and magnetized) miniatures.

My basswood bases are plenty durable.
I buy 4" (100mm) width 3/32" basswood, because this lets me cut both Standard and metric with little waste.
Cheap and versatile.

The problem I have with metal or plastic is that I am always running out of the right sizes.
It doesn't help when I use my FoW bases for "other" projects. Did you know that artillery bases are just right for sedan chairs?

I use steel having tried everything else it's the only thing that suits me for what I want. My bases are 0.8mm thick.

I've got pansy little programmer hands, so metal bases would give me all sorts of microcuts on my fingertips. Laser-cut wood doesn't produce the same effect (and neither does plastic).

I also go through the trouble of ordering the flexible magnets from Litko that are pre-cut to the same size as the bases so that I can store the smaller figures in metal boxes, and move the bigger figures on movement trays with the "flexible steel" glued in.

I used metal but found if a player happens to drop figures the metal edges do a fair amount of damage to figures. I prefer plastic or wood…

I use 90% metal because I hate the "let's have a battle, bring your own soap box" look when the bases are thick.

I heave heard that thick bases allow gamers to move troops by the base and not by the figure. I have never witnessed such behavior regardless of the basing type. Perhaps such gamers don't live in the midwest?

I heave heard that thick bases allow gamers to move troops by the base and not by the figure.

Yeah, right.

I heave heard that thick bases allow gamers to move troops by the base and not by the figure. I have never witnessed such behavior regardless of the basing type. Perhaps such gamers don't live in the midwest?

It's a learned behavior. The gamers in the Midwest have never seen it done, so can imitate no one.

It also depends on figure density on the table. If you can't reach the base, you're gonna move 'em by figure. Hence the OFM's comment -- he's playing FOW, so can't reach the base of his hub-to-hub tanks.

We are not playing with bowling trophies. Well, maybe YOU are!

This is about how thick my bases get (15mm, by the way):

I like thick bases. They just look formidable to me.

I've used 1/32nd inch model airplane plywood and cut my own bases, which works just fine.You can make whatever size base you want and, of course, square bases line up nicely. I have spent much of my life in various obscure locales, where metal bases were not easily available, and wood was available. I use 20mm washers for irregulars, who don't line up, and run around in clumps.
Grelber