Search options (Page 49 of 226)

Sorry Doc. I'd hire ya but, I can't afford ya!

Haven't posted any updates in the last few days but, I have been doing a little work on the track most everyday. Today I finished fitting the joints of the new sections of MDF track/roadbed. I shimmed and filed each joint to level them to the old sections of track. The pieces are now all shimmed and secured in place with screws. It's now time for muddin' and then firing up the router!

Today I trimmed up the MDF sheets and fit them into place for mock up. I also installed some more legs to help further support the track table in different areas.

DUDE. you have NO idea! This IS my PC photo! What you don't see are the beer bottles, no safety glasses anywhere, safeties on power equipment bypassed, etc., etc.

John Gill came over to help me manhandle the sheets of 3/4" MDF. We were able to get both sheets cut and fit into their respective places between the hairpin and the rest of the track.

Then Stuart Wall showed up and we discussed the track design that will fill in the gaps.

The Official PASER Track Design Team in action!

Yes, there are currently two sections for "slotless" cars........

       "All the old track records are now obsolete, you'll/we'll have to start over."

Depending on when I get all this work done, maybe I'll have another open house for the track re-opening?

What I accomplished today:
1. Another trip to Home Depot (and NOT finding what I actually wanted......again....).
2. Another trip to the lumber yard (to get what I actually needed at about the same price as Home Depot....if they had it).
3. Cut, fit, and installed tabletop plywood surface.
4. Added additional 2x4 bracing to the tabletop framework.
5. Played around with lane designs to reconnect the hairpin turn to the rest of the layout (most fun part).

I used 1/2" plywood (OK, 15/32") for the tabletop. The original portion is 5/8", which you can't find anymore. Even 1/2" and 3/4" is undersized by 1/32" now days. I mean come on, how much can 1/32" actually save them?

Here you can see where I drew in the proposed new slots that will tie the hairpin curve back into the rest of the course.

It definitely helps relieve a little stress Doc!

I don't have much to show for today's efforts. I spent a little extra time trying to find materials. It seems as though every time I restore or re-construct an existing track I find myself wondering if it would have just been easier to start over from scratch. Today some of the "challenges" that come up when re-constructing an existing track made themselves known. First off this track surface is 5/8 inch MDF. Now the easiest way to make changes in the layout is to use like materials, so that all the joint line up easily. Well guess what, I found out after visiting Home Depot and our local lumber yard, 5/8 inch MDF is no longer easy to find. So I went with 3/4 inch MDF. I'll use 1/2 inch plywood for the tabletop instead of the 5/8 inch used on the rest of the tabletop. This should put my track surface joints even where the track is flat to the tabletop. Where the straight from the exit of the banked curve comes down the hill, I will have to do some fancy shimming to make the 5/8 inch roadbed flush with the 3/4 inch roadbed.

The next challenge was with the 180 degree hairpin. As the hairpin was originally mounted to the tabletop. the entry into the corner was elevated making for downhill travel through the curve. With the layout reconfiguration the lead into the hairpin will be with a flat transition. This meant I had to remove all the screws screwing the MDF roadbed to the tabletop. Not terribly difficult but time consuming. I used a magnet (I've found many "useful" uses for 1/32 slot car traction magnets) to locate the screws, and then dug out the bondo covering them with a knife so I could remove them. I had to remove almost every screw so I could knock out the shim materials under the roadbed. The profile for this curve will be totally opposite of what it was originally.

So now it's hot and I'm done for the day!

I cut and installed a couple 2x4s in the framework for cross bracing.

In this photo you can see the 18 or so screws I had to remove to get the shims out from under the roadbed.

This shows the original profile of the corner when it was positioned at the exit of the banked turn. Not gonna work where it is located now!

Yes, thanks Rico!

That knife is my go to all purpose tool! When damage needs to be done it'll do it! Between that and my saws-all, I'm good to go!

I'm going to try to get some serious work done this week. I have no schedule yet because I'm also trying to work in days to take my Granddaughter driving. The driving days are harder to schedule because of my Granddaughter's spur of the moment schedule!

With the two temporary legs attached the curve is stable standing alone.

The curve is positioned to maintain 18 inches clearance from the other portions of the track to allow for turn marshals. Turn marshals will be able to access all portions of the track without crawling! No more hands and knees stuff for us old guys!

This is where the hairpin will sit in relation to the rest of the track. I will be adding about 12 feet overall to the lap length. The next step is to build the tabletop portion tying in the space between the curve and the rest of the track.

Nice starting grid Rico!