Joining MDF end to end

[bobbyraz49]

I'd like ideas on how to join one end of a MDF to another when neither are attached to a table. Am considering elevated sections to a possible new MDF track in my home.
Also...what do you use for a platform ?
Please inform me of how you do it.
Also, I see a few tracks that use copper tape and was wondering if there is a particular brand/width,thickness that is best.


Many thanks....Bob

[HomeRacingWorld]

[gascarnut]

Does this help?

051 bridge detail 2.jpg

Under the joint is another piece of MDF about 4 inches wide, and the track surfaces are screwed onto that, with the joint in the center of the 4" width.

[HomeRacingWorld]

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I've seen a lot of tracks over the years, joined with plates, tenons, dowels, all kinds of stuff. The examples here are the best there is. MDF can split unexpectedly when you don't think its stressed at all, so plates, tenons, dowels, etc just can't come out well, especially on an overhead.

[bookie]

From experience, I wish I would have never used wood glue. Some day you may want to take the track down or change it and to me, glue just ruined it. This statement was only based on my personal experience. Using scabs and deck screws alone will work and just fill in the counter sunk holes with spackling, easy to remove later.

[bobbyraz49]

Thanks for the responses.
Much appreciated.

[Fathead59]

I am planning on building a set of tables with a leaf in the middle to place a track on . The plans are in my head at the moment and it would not be hard to place the plan I have down on paper . I will be using the Scaletrix track that will be wireless . I also have a dedicated power source for it and my tire razor . The track itself will be free floating on the table , but I plan on using 1/4 inch foam poster board as a border , so some corners will have the guard rails and other corners will have the foam board . This way if you come into a corner a little hot you will be able to ride the side of the road , it will be up to the person driving the car to keep it from de-slotting , I am also thinking about putting a slight border around the track to keep the cars on the table just in case they do de-slot

[slothead]

Fathead - draw it and work on any issues on paper before you build. Use graph paper to help you get the scale right. I think most builders here would recommend borders (shoulders) on all corners with a fence beyond that. Flexible PVC molding strips are perfect for this and for a turn near the edge of a table plastic screen material can be used above it for a catch fence to ensure cars stay off the floor.

Draw - plan - build. Get a controller in your hand and have at it!

[mattb]

I see this topic is over 2 years old. Is this project done or still in the planning stages?

[docdoom]

A chap down under seemed to found the secret in doing these.
https://www.facebook.com/MrTraxcustomtracks/

[Courtney s]

That is very cool!

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Matt is right- redoing this post is necromancy, even if it is full of goodies. But I want to call attention to one of the last posts, regarding using glue to stabilize the joint. I have been a woodworker for almost 50 years, and off and on long before that, and I can tell you... with MDF, don't use glue unless its the correct place for glue. A joint that is meant to be disassembled even once a decade shouldn't have glue anywhere but the permanently joined bits. A great old track I restored slowly turned to dust because I had to take glued joints apart and re-use them. The vibration of running on it just slowly made dust in critical spots. It broke my heart to cut it up and throw it away after we all had so much fun on it, but it was ruined. There were spots where only the paint was holding it together.

[docdoom]

Would love to build a MDF track that I could take apart and put in storage as easy as i see them doing with that Mrtrax system. I would have garage again that I could get a real car in. I wonder what he is using for electrical connection and the table ends??? really is cool how it is set up. build 4 or 6 tables sections and your you can have mutable track setups by switching things around....tear down and set up look like they are a snap...

[slothead]

Even though I've never taken my oval apart it was built as a test track (first routed track) to be taken apart easily. It's made up of 4 identical 4' long straight sections and 2 nearly identical 180 degree turn sections. Just like with plastic track a tongue on one section fits into a sleeve on the next section to align and tie them together. Power is transferred from one section to the next using stereo plugs. When two sections are connected there's a plug at each end that plugs into a jumper wire that runs from the main power taps all the way around underneath the track. So not only do the sections plug into each other, each section also has a jumper attachment at each end.

This may sound difficult but it wasn't. I bought a spool of wire and a bunch of stereo plugs at Radio Shack and after each section was cut and routed I applied the copper tape and wired it up. I build one section a night after work. When it came time to put it all together I just slid the sections together, put a screw through the track surface into each tongue, and plugged in the wires. Like most projects, careful planning and prep made it go smoothly.

It would be more difficult to take it apart now than originally planned because of the scenery and fencing I've added. But it was a good plan that worked as intended.