Wood Track Construction - Questions/Discussion

[rsoward]

[HomeRacingWorld]

As deep as you can go without going through :) But 3/8 is the standard and is deep enough.

I would set the gains at .030 since you are doing it blind without testing. That is the thickness of the braid and should get you close enough to flush. Or at least as close as you will get.

[ElSecundo]

Nothing like a CNC routed track! :dance:

Before looking at any other questions, I'm going to go out on a limb and make a (possibly unwelcome) suggestion.

Plastic track is limited to looking (and driving) a certain way. With a wood track, infinitely different curves are available to you. You can create ANYTHING. So why make a CNC-routed wood track that looks like it could be made from plastic track? Why have even one constant-radius curve? So my suggestion is, use the infinite variability at your disposal, and make it unique.

It's ok, you can tell me to go shut my pie hole, I won't be offended. It's your track, your money, and you're the guy who will be living with it -- you can do it however you like! I think you'll be happier if you mix it up a bit. :)

[SRQSloter]

I might add that be sure to have enough gutter space so tail end of cars are not hitting or riding the outside wall. For 1/24 scale should have about six inches and 1/32 five or so. Inside lane should be about two and half to three inches. Layout looks good though.

[rsoward]

ElSecundo thank you for the suggestions.

Can you give me an example on the above image that I could change?

I have read about squeezing radius in turns but I am not sure how the cars react.

I am looking for low contact on cars. I have 3 small children with friends and they love to run into each other on a plastic track. These cars are way to expensive and time consuming to fix for them to run into each other. Therefore, I have a constant 3" space between each slot.

Looking at track examples, I see half with consistent and half with variable radius.

I really do need to understand the benefits and drawbacks for changing radius on curves.

Someone please explain....

Thanks,

Ryan

[HomeRacingWorld]

Matter of taste. You can create a more scale and perhaps challenging course adjusting the radius.

However, sounds to me like your design might be ideal for the racers you have on hand though. With younger/beginner racers keeping it simple is something I found to be the best approach.

I would highly advise looking into the apron width as Rusty mentioned. You don't want the cars drifting out and slamming the wall. 5 inches is a good space for just 1/32.

[The Old Jaybird]

3" lane spacing for 1/32nd is pretty tight, same as Scaley plastic track. Go with more spacing if possible, even 3.25" would be better. Since MDF is not a precision material, it is better to get just the slots CNC routed, then go back and cut the gain for the braid by hand.....seriously. This is the better way to do it to get a consistent braid depth. Slot depth should be 1/4" minimum, .25, and .30 to .375 is better. Gain depth is between .040 and .045 with the SCC braid.
You can get a small, easier to handle, laminate trimmer to do the gain routing, very easy and quick, ONCE YOU HAVE THE DEPTH SET PROPERLY AND SECURELY. You don't want the router to creep out of the correct setting!! The reason you don't want to CNC the gain is that the CNC machine will be working on a full sheet of MDF, or large pieces at least. And the thickness of the MDF can vary over a sheet. With a small hand router you are dealing with much smaller areas and the variances are easier to address.

TOJ

[ElSecundo]

Three kids and their friends? Yeah, that's a different story. As Harry says, keep it simple and straightforward for them. You can always build another down the road after they've learned to drive. Total agreement, no need to get crazy with squeezes or variable radius turns. Thanks for the clarification!

[Dangermouse]

I keep looking at the 90 degree turn left front and thinking that is one area you could change and it would lose a bit of the plastic track feel. Make it a less abrupt turn something that would flow better either onto or off of the straight

DM

[woodman]

[dreinecke]

All good advice here. We probably should ask some questions though:

1) What scale? Or 1/32 and 1/24?
2) Scenery - any plans? As your design fills the entire table, not much room to do anything.
3) Intent? Is this a club track with pedal to the metal all the time?
4) Squeezes? While some view my track as completely nuts, everyone has walked away a better driver. I guarantee it.
5) Variation? While the design is a good one, do you get bored easily? Your corners are all similar as has been pointed out and the flow is back and forth, back and forth.

Just some questions to help better pin down answers.

[rsoward]

1. 1/32 scale only
2. Have some scenery but not a must…
3. Intent – home track for me and my 2, 3, and 7 year old to race on
a. Looking for less de-slots, reduce hitting other cars, kids will hold the trigger all the way down so a fast track.
4. I can do squeezes but not to extreme... like going from 3.25” to 3 distance between slots
5. I am looking for an interesting design and this one doesn’t have a bridge. I have read on other post that people don’t like bridges based on crashes and other factors.

Comment on Old Johnny…

There will be a box around the track so I can lift it to the ceiling of my garage. I am restricted to the only an 11.5’x4.5’ space.
The reason I was going with 3” spacing between each slot was based on space and this is the measurement from SSD track. I really don’t have issues with that spacing on SSD track. However, they are running magnets and I am not sure who non-magnet cars will react with this spacing. I will draw up another design with 3.25” slot spacing.

Thanks for all the help,

Ryan

[HomeRacingWorld]

Adjustable power supply. This is likely the best investment you can make for your young ones.

SCC has the new Pro Motor in stock, or you can search for others.

Pyramid PS26KX is the kind we use.

[rsoward]

Update on new track design. Table size change to 12' x 5.5'

The distance from the outside slot and the wall are marked.

I did a slight squeeze on the left side but not much.

The track will rise on both sides with all the turn being banked.




Looking to create a cliff overhang on the internal round turn on the right. See image below.




Any suggestions on the track layout design?

Thanks,

Ryan

[turbokev]

^^^ THIS ^^^ is something every first time wood track builder (and some 2nd and 3rd timers) needs to realize and take advise on..

You are not limited to R2, R3 and R4 turns!! LOL...

The beauty of a routed track is the ability to have increasing and decreasing radius turns...
slight squuzes here and there, smooth transitions in and out of tighter turns..
Flowing corners in to straights.. That's what routed tracks allow and some people completely overlook it.
They basically make a big 'plastic track' out of wood.

I like the general design here, but throw away the compass and use a flexible strip for everything :mrgreen: