Thu, 08 Feb 2007
A Few Details
I have the track graphed out in scale on graph paper. Some of the
designers at work wanted me to try doing it in Autocad and I would
like to do this. But I have found it very difficult to learn how
to do the most basic shape in Autocad. Even though I support
all the desktops, I rarely do anything with the software itself.
I leave that to a couple of the guys who are my technical assistants
and who are full time draftsman or engineers. But the layout is
a modified figure 8. I will have two 4x8 tables aligned end to
end. And on one end will be a 4x5 section. So it's kind of an
L shaped figure 8. I wanted to try and have a long straight section
so you could at least open up the cars and get up some speed.
I referred to Luf and Norm earlier. These are two guys who offer a video on how to build a track. You can find out more at Luf's web site, Old Slot Racer. I purchased the video and the router kit from Luf. the kit comes with a long lexon strip pre-drilled, the router template, and another piece of sintar that you stick in the middle slot for guiding the router on the parallel slots. It's an excellent system for routing long and free form lines.
The track itself is made out of 3/8s inch MDF board. I had to do some searching to find 3/8's inch thickness. The most common size is 1/2 inch. Lowe's and Home Depot have this and it is very reasonably priced. The advantage to getting the thinner stuff is that it is easier to form. So you can have elevation changes and banked curving. I found a place fairly close by, Beyers Lumber who were able to get me some 3/8's MDF in just a couple of days. The price was a bit more than the 1/2 inch stuff but I think it is probably worth it. I got a couple extra sheets just in case I make too many mistakes.
The track will be modular. I will use folding legs to hold it up so it can be easily disassembled and moved. And also, I can extend or replace any table module if I want to.
I will try to get more work done this weekend and provide more photos. Stay tuned!
[/slot_car_track] 0 comments permalink
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