405 replies to this topic

[Steve Ogilvie]

#7 putting tops on joints#2

 

Steve Ogilvie builds a track 7 - YouTube

[Steve Ogilvie]

Let's see today I started with this:

 

 

Took out the screws and a little sanding later:

 

 

Practice cut

 

 

And making slots

 

[Steve Ogilvie]

 

I dig out the sawdust with a key hole saw. Takes about 3 passes then I had to blow it out with air.

 

First pass off the edge. Always a little nerve racking, makes me feel alive:

 

[Steve Ogilvie]

[MSwiss]

Looks great, Steve.

I use a Koford 1/8" axle, at an angle to clear the slots.

Once you get it moving, it looks a mole burrowing under the track surface.

[Steve Ogilvie]

Steve Ogilvie builds a track daily - YouTube

 

I will have to try that Mike, Thanks.

[Eddie Fleming]

Steve

 

Can you give us a view of the cross section of the joint between the track sections?

 

Thank you.

[Steve Ogilvie]

Thanks Eddie I deleted that post. Lets try this one, trimming the joints. Getting hard to keep track of them all

 

Steve Ogilvie builds a track 8 - YouTube

[Steve Ogilvie]

 

End view cross section of joint. Later today I will be taking the lower bridge section off so I will post some pics of the open joints. Before putting the sidewalls on, this area gets cleaned up with a belt sander with a 50 grit belt 

[Steve Ogilvie]

And now for some slot cutting.

 

Steve Ogilvie builds a slot car track 9 - YouTube

 

Some do's and don'ts with this type of cutter:

 

Always go to your right when cutting slots

 

Never cut the slot twice, it will get sloppy

 

Never change sides when going around the track. Pick the side you want to cut off of and stick with it. The slots will not line up properly if you switch sides.

[Zippity]

Steve,

 

I'm really enjoying following your on-line video tutorials on track building

 

Why do you not connect a household vacuum cleaner nozzle to your router? Surely that would make life a bit more easier. No?

[MSwiss]

When you are routing, you are constantly moving and don't want to be restricted by anything attached to the router.

The cord is a big enough problem.

With recently routing my drag strip, I had a helper, following me with a shop vac, but his priority was to stay out of my way, vs. sucking up every bit of MDF dust

[Steve Ogilvie]

Yes I agree with Mike, especially when you are working by yourself. One eye on the track and the other on your cord, getting your power cord caught on something can really ruin your day. The dust is absolutely the worst thing about building a track though. In our old shop we had a dust collecter hooked up to all the stationary saws. No room for anything like that in this shed though.

[Steve Ogilvie]

I think this is video 10 but I have been wrong before

 

Steve Ogilvie builds a slot car track 10 - YouTube

[Steve Ogilvie]

This is where the track is now:

 

 

 

 

I drilled the holes in the two joints I took apart to complete the routing. The tongues will be cut to allow the joints to go together without having to disturb the braid. I use a router with a 1/4" bit to slot the holes.

 

 

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[Zippity]

What type of bit did you use to route the lands?

 

Are we going to see a video of you performing that operation?   

[Steve Ogilvie]

Yes and a bit similar is somewhere in this thread in the early pages. I didn't use the recently made bit because I found a used one that looked better. I will download that video tomorrow, spent today driving to Ottawa and back to help my youngest son move out of his school apartment. From 5 am to 9:30 pm 1300 KM and 3 hours of filling the van with stuff. Was hoping to stay over but because of the covid  rules they are not allowed to issue visitor parking passes. Probably the longest one day round trip I have ever driven.

 

Thanks for the reply Ron and I will get a good pic up of that bit as well.

[MattD]

Slot Car Corner sells a bit that has a 1/8 center post and has a 3/4 inch wide cutting surface and will cut the gains perfectly.    Earlier in this thread Steve showed how he makes  the  same kind of bit.

[Zippity]

I have such a bit that I purchased from someone in Canada, years ago  

[Chris Dadds]

"Probably the longest one day round trip I have ever driven."  Steve, this is a real surprising thing to hear from a guy who has spent a lot of years building, delivering and setting up slot car tracks.  Could it be that you've just blocked some of your memories from the nineties? ;-)

[Steve Ogilvie]

Those were mostly overnight trips. The only one day round trips back then would have been trips to Detroit, fairly close to home. But

I have driven to or through 49 of the 50 US states.Still have not been to Hawaii. Life was a blur back then, working long hours and driving long hours. And you don't get to sightsee, all you see is the inside of one store after another. And the inside of your truck.

[Steve Ogilvie]

I have such a bit that I purchased from someone in Canada, years ago

 

Did you by that bit from us? When I first figured out how to make them myself we started selling them too. Usually just 2 bits a month or so. It wasn't that inconvenient to get one built by a local machine shop and he only charged 15.00 a bit but when all you had was dull bits it was huge to just be able make one up and not have to wait for a new bit.

 

    The bit I made up when I started this thread was just sitting on my desk so here is another picture of it. What I didn't like about this bit was that the cheap drill press I have now has a bit of wobble to it so I was worried that it would make the slots a little sloppy. The one I used was made with the shop drill press and has a soldered in pin instead of an epoxied pin. I have found epoxy or solder both work fine, The trick is to drill the hole as deep as you can.

 

[Steve Ogilvie]

Another video, routing reliefs for the braid (or lands as some call them). I go back and forth about 3 times, turning the router to a different position each time. When doing a bigger 8 lane track, I just stand in one spot and do about 6 feet of all 8 lanes and then just move around the track till it is done. Saves walking back and forth. 

 

Steve Ogilvie builds a slot car track 11 - YouTube

[Steve Ogilvie]

The track is bolted together  and bent up now and could have not fit together better. Only worked about 2 hours on it today, spent most of the day unloading the van. And then put all our camping stuff back in to the van. It is the tow vehicle for our camper trailer. I will get some pics up later.

[Steve Ogilvie]