My next track is now in progress.

[Dundee Denny]

Very neat idea on rolling the track outside at night!!!

Thinking about doing that in part of the 4 car garage we never use at the cottage.

Good motivation seeing it done already!!

Dundee Denny

[Tycosaur]

[arroldn]

What is the size of the D oval? Would you be interested in hosting a Nascar proxy? The DaVols Forums Cup will no doubt be looking for new track host next year. Both of your tracks could be included since this year we added a few road-courses. Information on the DaVols/Forums Cup is on Slot Car Illustrated forum board.

Arrold

[Tycosaur]

[Tycosaur]

[FC47]

Pretty cool, moving along!

[mattb]

I made this router guide from info I got from Steve Ogilvie. He used a similiar guide to rout all the tracks he and his partner made.
Mine is set for 1/24 either 4 inch centers or 4 3/8 depending on which set of holes you use for the axles/guides. You can easily set the router bit in the router and in a slot on some 1/32 plastic track ( 3 1/2 spacing) and see where to place the pins for 3 1/2 inch centers. if you are exclusively building for 1/32.

I routed the 4 3/8 first time around using the outside edge as a guide, then moved to the 4 inch holes and used each new slot as a guide to cut the next one. Iwould advise doing the whole assembled track at one time if possible. I did it in sections and I still have a few places to "fix" where alignment is off just a little.


The original base of the router was removed and replaced with a piece of 1/4 plexi and it was doubled up where the axles go thru.

1.JPG

[Tycosaur]

I am routing the track as it lays Mattb. I do have to elevate it to get the clamps on it though. I marked each lane at the joined sections with a red marker to have an idea where the path of the lane goes. I used fly trucks as my spacing. It's gonna be tight, but it will be a drivers track. You will have to control your oversteer if you have someone next to you, but then again how many times are two cars continuously side by side during a race. There are two curves where the lanes do tighten up, but the rest of the track will be close side by side racing. I also plan to tape the track in sections intead of it all continuous and make the conections under the tables. I did sand the top edges of the track slightly where they are joined together to keep a softer edge to avoid possible tape tear. I just have to wait for it to cool down later today, now that I finally have started routing I want to keep going.

[Tycosaur]

[mattb]

The router moved real easy and there was no binding. I think you could go pretty tight on the corners. The only problem I ran into was the slot filling with sawdust and then the router not moving easy. If you had a helper, he could vac the sawdust and make it much easier and neater. I usually do everything by myself, so I would have to shut down the router and clean the slot with air or a keyhole saw to rake the dust out of the slot. routing the whole track together is much better than in section, you won't have any mis-aligned slots. I don't think elevating enough for the clamps will make much difference.

I like the router guide you made. I have been thinking of different approaches to do the same thing and I think I will make up something like youy did with the clamps and weatherstrip. I have assembled the whole track surface with banked and flat corners. I left out the final section to go from a straight to a curve. I figure I was best off to get elevations and degree of banking where I wanted it than to cut the last piece to tie it all together. Your guide method will work great to get my connecting piece routed smoothly to the two adjacent sections. I will put up some pix soon. I am not moving fast on this project and was going to just do a post when it is nearly or all done.
I am building a commercial style 1/24 track that is a lazy 8 with elevated crossover and high bank at the end of the main straights minimal banking on the other curves. It fits the space where my plastic track was, 9' X 32'. The mdf easily flows up and down and banks to make a track that rolls and doesn't have to be flat.

I got the bit from Slot Car Corner to rout the gains for the braids and put it in a second router (trim router). Once the initial slot is cut this bit cuts the gains super fast and really easy and just as smooth as can be. Makes using braid really easy.

[mattb]

Here's what I have been working on. This is looking toward the bank at the end of the main straight. The bank is the same all the way around, it doesn't flatten out in the center like it looks in this picture. It is easiest to get the banking and elevation where I want it before I cut the last section of track. I am going to let it set for a couple days like this, then cut that section. After the bank, you have a front stretch which is where the controllers will be. Then the crossover to a nearly flat turn at the other end leading to the main straight. I figure that I can remove the missing piece in the future if I want to extend the track to an added "L" shape or to put an outside loop of some sort on it.

19.jpg

Looking across the bank to the other end. It is 32 X 8.

18.jpg

I routed this as the local cnc guy hasn't got back to me yet. It wasn't hard to do with the router guide I made and the bit from Slot Car Corner for the braids. The cnc guy is getting the programming to do 4 lane straights and 8 ft diameter curves. I think I will see if he can have his guy also program for 60 inch curves. For the price he gave me it would be wonderful to have it done on a cnc and be perfect.
I may decide to do a hill climb track eventually and with those sizes it would be easy to cut and paste it together.

Even easier would be to build the track and rout it when it is all together, then braid it in one long piece with no breaks. Of course, it would require major surgery or cutting and repairing to ever move it.

More later, I am not working fast!

[Tycosaur]

Looks good n fast. I've got a mild bank on my current build, the entrance comes right after the corkscrew. I've got a driveway just shy of 100' so I'm planning a dragstrip after this build with full shutdown area and a return lane. That will be in the fall or by next spring is my goal.

[Tycosaur]

[Tycosaur]

[chappyman66]

Nice work! The beauty of wood is that mistakes are easily fixed...plus you make the corners you want. This is a great build, keep it up!