19 replies to this topic

[Dan]

Hello my names Dan and im building a little 3 lane routed track for my 3yr old son....of course.!!!
Just thought some of you may enjoy some photos...from time to time....im not in any rush just enjoying the time in the shed!!!

So far ive built a table in 2x2m sections ,so it can be transported easier if the need arises?? used 75x35 & 20x35 pine for this,screwed and glued,then screwed and glued 6mm mdf to the top....the two section are bolted togehter with 100xm10 bolts and washers....temperary legs have been fitted as i am still deciding exactly how to rig the table so it all folds against the wall for storage...

Most of the lay out is there just have to redo one corner a little bit of straight...bla,bla,bla......hopefully i will get this done soon??
The lenght of the track will be approx 14m....non mag copper braid...variable voltage power supply....100mm lane spacing around 120-130 gutters..

Once i get the rest of the track cut and screwed i can then finish routing the slots...then the braid recess etc.....
You all know how it goes..hope to post some more pictures soon.....

[dangermouse]

Hey Dan, track progress is looking good, good to see lots of tracks happening here in sunny Brisbane
what part of town are you from?
cheers
DM

[Johnnyfly41]

Looking great Dan,

I am sure your three year old will be pleased.

I went three lanes and that seems to me about perfect for what we do. Three lanes racing is a lot more exciting than two and the space requirement is still not too great.

j.

www.pretzelcityspeedway.com

[Dan]

Hey DM thanks for the kind words...must be the perfect weather round these parts....im in south bris....how bout yourself??

[gzminiz]

looking great, makes me want to redo mine....

[Dan]

Had a couple of minutes to get a little bit more done on the track....as you can se by the photos ive cut and screwed together the remaining sections....re-routed the back s bend to get a smoother flow....and set up to route the following bend into the straight....most of the track has been routed with the elliptical method using a jig made out of mdf with the other two lanes being done with a dual pin jig to keep lane spacing at 100mm......i decided to add a slight squeeze section to the bend ive set-up for routing 100mm tightening to around 80-85mm ...hopefully giving a little bit better flo around the inside lane????

I had tried routing the s-bend with pipe earlier....as you can se from the builders bog....but the pipe was to thin in the wall and everywhere it was screwed it bulged out ...not a good look.!!!.......so ive tried a different pipe..20mmx 2mm wall from bunnings...this seems to work well as long as i drill the pipe first and dont screw it down tight.!!!....being a thicker pipe its not necessary to screw to many screws in....so if i get some more time today ill try to get most of the routing done?????

[Dan]

Gday im back again...got the chance to do a bit more..i finished routing the guide slots to a depth of 9mm approx,using 12mm mdf for the track

i routed the guide slot with a 3mm straight tungsten tipped bit from bunnings $28.00....pipe for freeform routing $8.....the amount of dust in my shed ...priceless!!!!

The 3mm one is easier to find than a 1/8 bit it seems..??...whats .1 between friends..??...after a quick rub with 120 sandpaper its all good!!!

The bit i used for the braid was aruond 17mm....1/4 (6mm) braid x2 + 3mm slot + 2mm for clearance of slot to braid....this should be ok i guess..!!
i modified the cutter in a lathe.....just drilled a hole and made a pilot to fit with a finished size of 3mm..

Compared to routing the slot the braid recesses were a piece of cake....when cutting the recesses i set the bit to leave the braid about .4 mm down from the track surface...from what ive read from here and there i guess this should be ok..!!!!

I hope to start setting the track angles and elevations during the week if i get the chance...???....Afterall its change your job week...!!!! Didnt you know..???

hope you are enjoying the progress slowly..!!!!

[dangermouse]

Looking good Dan, impressed with the routing, I am going braid with my next track

I am on the north side of the river

cheers
DM

[phoeno29]

Looks good Dan, routing looks first class. I like it a lot. I am going to follow your lead soon an build one for my son also ! *wink*

[Dan]

Thanks for the comments guys...i definetly think braid is the go hopefully fairly low maintainence..!!..The kids always seem to want a bigger track ...they just wont take no for an answer..!!! My wife never seems to believe me though..???

Hopefully i can get some more done this weekend....and some how decide what timming system to use..i would preferably like to use dead strip set-up with a windows progam..!!!...any suggestions.????

[dangermouse]

I use Ultimate Racer it works and is free. I am using IR LED lights and sensors on my track - bit of work wiring it all up to the parallel port but I got it working in the end and my electronics knowledge normally doesn't go beyond plugging it in...

DM

[digby]

G'day looks good Dan . Kangaroo Court has got 'Trackmate' for windows, deadstrip (bi directional) 30 minutes to instal & works a treat . regards Digby

[Dan]

Thanks DM,Digby...i like the idea of bi directional dead strip....tried to find kangaroo court in tracks..?? am i blind or looking in the wrong place..???? Do you have a wiring diagram or something for that set-up..???...Ones written in plain english for non tech people are hard to find..!!!!
Thanks Dan

[SlotsNZ]

Dan, on Jun 20 2010, 07:39 PM, said:

Compared to routing the slot the braid recesses were a piece of cake....when cutting the recesses i set the bit to leave the braid about .4 mm down from the track surface...from what ive read from here and there i guess this should be ok..!!!!

Looks great Dan.. Yeah, rebating scared me witless first time I did it, but it's actually the easy part.

Before you get paint done, or anything stuck down in the braid department, just check that rebate depth. 0.4mm sounds a little light on the depth to me.
Make sure the braid will sit slightly below the track surface, which prevents it getting scuffed up by wheels, stray chassis hangings and the like. (just the thickness of a couple of sheets of paper is enough.) Just place a length of braid in the rebate. Allow a fraction more if you're using the double sided tape - I stuck down short sections of tape, and press the braid on them to be sure.

When we re-furbished a track recently, and moved from copper tape to braid, Mac and I must have made a dozen cuts, slightly adjusting the router until we were happy we had it bang on. -- Then, my flaming cheap router started shifting depth on the guide.
Mac suddenly recalls he has a flash router in his cupboard he's never used, we set that depth right, zoomed the rest of the 4 x 90 feet in about 2 shakes of a dice.

[digby]

Dan, Kangaroo court was relegated to 'Discussion' some time ago. Trackmate is not cheap , but good value IMO. Just a wire each side of each deadstrip , load the program , job done. The hardware I bought will do 4 lanes can use my old desk top via printer output or laptop via usb. check their website. regards Digby

[Dan]

Yeah NZ the braid recess freaked me out a bit but as you said it was as easy as a cold beer on a friday arvo... im not sure what depth i actually routed but with the braid sitting in the slot its .4mm below the track surface...im planning on gluing the braid...just being a bit of a tight a.. i guess!! So i hope this works out..!!!

[Dan]

Hows it goin..?? Just thought id post a couple more pictures.... the track is goin slowly as work,kids and no lights in the shed really limit time..!!!!!...electrician should be over soon to fix the light problem...im holding my breath..!!!

Anyway i managed to cut all the blocks for track elevation screw the track down and together....then cut the slots for the braid to go under the track to be attatched to power...

After filling the track joins with builders filler sanded them....then filled any remaining holes etc with auto bog...much better to sand...

Then rolled on a coat of 3 in 1 primer sealer,brushed the slot...after a quick sand with a foam block rolled on a coat of low sheen enamel.....couple of days later gave it another quick sand then sprayed a couple of coats on thinned down 50/50......

When i get a chance i can start to lay some braid ......Till next time

[Eno the Wonderdog]

Dan - a 3yo son IS the best excuse ever isn't he? That's a nice looking track.

Of you want to go 'the extra step' to convince 'her indoors' that it's for the kid the Carrera Go cars run allright on a routed track. I have a set of Go "Cars" cars for my little guy - Lightning McQueen, Chick Hicks and The King..

[Davnic74]

Veeery immpresive Dan, love the layout and the workmanship looks top notch, well done.

Is this your first track build?

[Dan]

Thanks David ...yep its my first track build.....wanted one for ages but had to build a shed first etc.....ive been searching the forum for a while checking out everyones tracks and seeing how they go about things....so thank you to everyone that posts there info here...there seems to be a few clever peoples around ....sharing info with others is a good way to learn as everyone goes about things a little differently... never to clever to learn they say!!!!!

Who are "they" anyway..???

Got about 5m of braid laid tonight.....big effort i know....used kwik grip contact ,ran a bead from a sauce bottle.....wraped the braid round a pipe,cleaned it with thinners and coated that,waited till it set-up then put the braid down.......cleaned with turps...

Hope to get a bit done on the weekend will post some pics.......

Thanks Daniel.