24 replies to this topic

[Larry Horner]

After slicing my hand on the edge of a Formica-covered tech block, I decided to make my own out of some finish maple I had lying around. These have all their edges smoothly routed and came out really nice. Now I just need to rout the slots.

 

And in reading through a hugely informative post by Steve Ogilvie (http://slotblog.net/...lot-car-tracks/), he says the minimum slot depth should be 5/16" but I couldn't find what the width should be. I have tech blocks where the width is 1/8" (which I suspect is correct) and some where it is narrower (which I suspect is the width of a table saw blade).

 

So stupid question but can anyone confirm for me what the standard width is supposed to be? And for all I know, it might be metric (found one post that said the standard depth was 9mm).

[Bill from NH]

Larry, when I've made tech blocks, I used my table saw and a carbide blade with a 1/8" kerf to cut the middle groove. The groove depth depended on if I was using 1/2" or 3/4" material.

[Cheater]

Larry, believe it or not, there has never been a standard for the width of the slot on a 1/24 wooden track (or for most other scales on plastic tracks). I've been pointing this out for probably 20 years, but no one seems to feel it is in any way important to the hobby.
 
IMO just another example of the consistent dysfunctionality of the slot car hobby.
 
If you race on a commercial wooden track, check the width of the slot there and make your tech block match that measurement.

[Larry Horner]

Thanks, Bill.   I measured the kerf of my table saw blade and it is also 1/8" so I guess I won't have to buy a 1/8" straight-cut router bit. And my maple is 3/4" so I'll probably cut my slots 3/8" deep.

 

And thanks, Greg, for confirming that my question wasn't that dumb after all! 

[Pablo]

Why don't they make tech blocks with narrower slots so the front end doesn't move all over the place when setting up the car?

[Phil Smith]

Larry, believe it or not, there has never been a standard for the width of the slot on a 1/24 wooden ttrack (or for most other scales on plastic tracks). I've been pointing this out for probably 20 years, but no one seems to feel it is in any way important to the hobby.
 
IMO just another example of the consistent diysfunctionality of the slot car hobby.
 
If you race on a commercial wooden track, check the width of the slot there and make your tech block match that measurement.

 

Greg, somehow I missed you bringing this up. Slot width is something I've never thought about. Is it ever an issue? I've never heard anyone about talk it, much less have an issue with it.

[MrFlippant]

1/8" is also the recommended router bit size by Luf Linkert of OldSlotRacer.com where you can see hundreds of home and club wood routed tracks around the world.

[Bill from NH]

1/8" is a standard blade kerf width. They do make blades with a thinner kerfs. One of mine is 3/32".

[Cheater]

Slot width is something I've never thought about. Is it ever an issue? I've never heard anyone about talk it, much less have an issue with it.

I admit is hasn't been a particularly big issue, although I have seen instances where the variances in slot width (and depth) and flag blade width (and length) have caused problems. In the 1/32 world, it's fairly common to have to change out out guide flags when running certain brands of cars on certain brands of plastic track.

 

But in the broader sense, well-supported standards have been a key element of success in many business and hobby arenas. Standards were hugely important to the success of the McDonald's fast-food empire. Where would a number of sports be today without standards, such as the dimensions of baseball fields at the various levels (major leagues, college, Little League, etc.). Would bowling have seen growth without standard lane and ball dimensions?

 

The lack of any significant standards in model car racing clearly has resulted in a lower level of interoperability and is just another example of the irrational fragmentation that model car racing has overwhelmingly embraced, intentionally or not. 

[Pappy]

Is there a standard in real racing for the track width, length, banking, radius of the turns, guard rails, etc.?

 

About the only time you have to change out a guide flag to run a 1/32 scale car on a plastic track is if you've changed out the guide flag to run it on a wood track. They all come standard with guide flags for plastic track.

 

All baseball fields are different. Different distances to the wall, different height walls, different distances between the baseline and the stands, different distances between home plate and the backstop. Only the infields have the same dimensions. Many a home run has been hit at a field with a short distance to the wall that would have been an out at another field.

 

Even with all its flaws, slot car racing has been around a long time. There are rules to race by but most raceways make up their own, either because that's how the owner wants to race or how the racers want to race and as you've said many times, it's about having fun. 

[MrFlippant]

About the only time you have to change out a guide flag to run a 1/32 scale car on a plastic track is if you've changed out the guide flag to run it on a wood track. They all come standard with guide flags for plastic track.

 

Most, but certainly not all. Carrera is the biggest outlier in this regard. Their "1/32" track is really 1/24 track. Their slot is wider and deeper than their biggest competitor, Scalextric. Standard Carrera guides work well on most wood tracks, but need to be changed for thinner guides, if not also shallower and shorter, to run reliably/smoothly on Scalextric track. In some countries, primarily those in Europe where Scalextric is stiff competition, Carrera cars sometimes come with a red guide blade that is thinner. 

 

The biggest issue for many years was that the original Scalextric track, now known as classic track, had a VERY shallow slot, and most slot car makers catered to that slot so that their cars would work for most people. With the advent of Scalextric Sport track, the slot got deeper, and so guides could also be deeper, but those deeper guides would get stuck in the slots of classic track. Unfortunately, Sport only changed the depth of the slot, not the width, so some guides for "wood tracks" are a bit too thick and/or long, and need to be changed out.

 

But yeah, these days, since Scalextric Sport track, and pretty much every other track on the market today has a deep enough slot, most 1/32 slot car makers cater to that slot and will work on pretty much all readily available plastic track systems.

 

1/24 cars from the likes of BRM and ScaleAuto also run well on Scalextric Sport track. Their guides are deep, but thin enough to navigate even the Scalextric hairpin turn without getting jammed.

 

A 1/8" wide slot that's 1/4" or 5/8" deep usually will do the trick for just about any home racing slot car of any scale.

[Steve Ogilvie]

Every track I made had an 1/8" wide slot. I thought I mentioned it somewhere in my track building thread but maybe not. I use a two-flute carbide tipped bit with a 1/4" shank.

[Pablo]

Isn't the subject the width of the slot on a tech block? 

 

I measured mine and they are all about .125". Yes, obviously you want your car on a track to move around. But personally, for a tech block I need precision. I found a guy who makes them with a 3/32 width slot and plan on getting one. 

[MSwiss]

I've been too busy to respond to this thread, but it's lingered on too long. LOL.

Greg,

 

Slot racing has its share of standards issues, like sequence of the controller hookup posts, but slot width is not one of them.

I doubt there had been a track manufactured for commercial use,in North America that hasn't been routed with a 1/8" bit.

It's such a given, that in the below detailed add for a braid recess tool, SCC doesn't bother to even list the pin diameter.

That said, I may have heard that slot racing's current premier flat track builder, Janis Nabokins, uses a 3MM router bit on his CNC-cut tracks. I'm guessing that's probably related to being from Europe.

3MM is approximately .119" or .006" narrower, so not a big deal.

Any issues with encountering commercial tracks with wider slots, or ones that aren't deep enough, is usually from them wearing out, or too deep of a braid recess, brought on my doing the quick and easy method of cleaning out old glue, from the recess, to rebraid.

https://slotcarcorne...slot-car-corner

[Zippity]

Thanks for posting that very informative PDF, Swiss.

 

[Cheater]

Mike,
 

I doubt there had been a track manufactured for commercial use in North America that hasn't been routed with a 1/8" bit.

There's a difference between a standard and a convention, and Mike, what you're referring to is a convention, not a standard.

The fact that the OP had to even ask the question clearly indicates there's no well-publicized standard for the width and depth of the slot in a wooden track.
 
BTW, Zippity, Swiss posted a JPG, not a PDF.

 

As we all now know, you don't ever download PDFs, nor do you choose to support Slotblog financially at even at a minimal level, even though you're here almost every day, even though the original TurboFlex tome was written specifically for you, preferring to use an ad blocker rather than contribute less than 4 cents a day to support this forum. 

 

If the majority of Slotblog members shared your attitude, it would have been shut down years ago.

[Zippity]

Thanks, Greg.

 

For some reason, when I saved the file, it saved it as a PDF. 

 

But as usual, you make it personal and try to get the last word in.

 

Quite sad really. 

[Cheater]

Ron, if you had run this crazy place for nearly twenty years, I honestly believe you would have a different perspective.

Maybe you don't remember or even acknowledge the fact that the original T-Flex tome was written specifically for you. And that it generated sucess for you, according to the communications you sent to me. Yet you can't find it your heart to send a few cents a day to support what I have done for nearly two decades with Slotblog and seem quite proud of the fact that you use an ad blocker to keep from donating anything to the forum.

 

And that's what I find sad. If there's a free lunch, I haven't discovered it. YMMV.

[Phil Smith]

Greg, I donated $20 years ago, but it didn't make me a member, so thought screw it.

 

But you've shamed me into joining! Actually I never think about the membership as I never see any prompts or means to join. I just spent five minutes looking for it, finally finding it in the "store." Tried to join but got a message saying I'm already a member???

[Cheater]

Phil,

 

I don't push it.

 

But you are not a subscriber, according to the automated system, so I am unsure why you were told that.

 

PM me please and let's discuss this.

[Zippity]

PM me please and let's discuss this.

 
Oh, the irony. 

[Phil Smith]

And I thought I was a dick.

[jimht]

And I thought I was a dick.

 
"Keyboard racing"    and the winner is???
 
Personally, I think only subscribers should be allowed to post snide remarks... kidding.   

[Phil Hackett]

"Keyboard racing"    and the winner is???
 
Personally, I think only subscribers should be allowed to post snide remarks... kidding.   

 
The real King of Keyboard Racing is unknown since he's probably not a member nor would his remarks be understood.
 
Oh... and to keep this post relevant to the topic: Pops Pearson at Rosecrans Raceway routed his "Hillclimb" with .093", or maybe thinner, slots. Standards matter because a "standard" guide flag had to be modified to run on his track. That track was tricky enough without having to modify things just to run on it. 
 
That was about the only complaint I really had about the Rosecrans track. Otherwise it was fun in a masochistic way.

[Pablo]

Larry, I received my new tech block. Like I said in post #13, the slot is 3/32". Here is the info:

 

Tech Inspection Block - Caveman Bodeez