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The last thing I worked on today was the braid. I started to remove the old glue used to hold the braid to the track surface using an old knife I have. I was very pleased to find the braid land was well painted by Kirk Smith when he originally built the track. Being well painted helps save the MDF underneath from damage when the old braid and glue is pulled up.

This old knife was my grandfather's. I have no idea what he used it for but it works perfectly for scraping off the old glue in the narrow land next to the guide slot. It is dull so it does not cut into the paint or MDF. I love it when I can put to good use some of these really old tools my grandfather had. I know for a fact this knife is much older than I am!

After I had the track surface cleaned, I did an assessment of the condition of the braid. I used blue painter's tape to make the areas of concern.

The good news is other than where the track was disassembled there are np portions of the braid that MUST be replaced. There are some worn spots, but nothing terrible. For the most part all of the braid is in very good condition.

My plan includes storing my routed HO track underneath this track. I will build a platform on casters for my 8 foot X 4 foot HO track table. I moved and removed some of the track's legs to make room for storage of the HO track underneath the two straights.
Before:

After:

Zach, one thing to consider about an "L" shaped track is visibility. If you are considering an "L" shape with the long side up against a wall as well as the short side, you will have the potential for a really bad blind spot. This is due to the need for turn marshals to go into the inside of the "L" to re-slot cars. My last track was an "L" shape, but with the driver's stations located on the outside of the "L"'s longside (the cars travelled away from the drivers or towards them when negotiating the "short side"). Configured like this, for the most part, turn marshals did not block drivers line of sight when turn marshalling.

When it comes to power taps on a track, I consider lap length, the type of power or power supply, and the types of cars to be raced, and the number of lanes the track has. Any track with a lap length of over 40 feet I would break into quarters with a power tap in each quarter. My last track had a lap length of 84 feet and I used four power taps spaced equally around the track. My HO track has a lap length of approximately 30 feet and I used two taps spaced half around. My considerations for power taps are probably overkill, but I have raced on many tracks with "power issues" and it is really a fun killer! With that said, the track I just got has only two power taps and all reports were that it was just fine. Let your conscience be your guide, knowing that too many is WAY better than not enough!

Plan?..........drawing?..............hmmmmm..............I've never tried that!

Track builds depend on what you want to do with the track and how much space you have available. Whether you want to hold club races or just use it for practice and tuning. All you really need is a router and a 1/8" bit. There are several methods you can use when routing the slot for turns.

I have used Trackmate for a lap counting system for years. You can purchase it with everything you need to connect it to your track for about $150. It is also compatible with Race Coordinator, and I later switched to using RC. The nice thing about using Race Coordinator through the Trackmate interface is you don't have the power shut off glitches like we experience at Al's.

As far as a power supply, the Pyramid units are very good. I picked my variable power supply up off of Ebay for quite a bit less. Search power supplies that are not slot car specific. Lab units are also very good. You can get as good or better than a Pyramid  for less money.

I purchased a copper tape laying tool. I have laid copper tape with and without the tool and I'll tell you, the tool makes it a LOT easier! You're welcome to use mine if I can find it...........

Lastly, check with Chris. I think he would like to find a home for his current track. It is a small 3 lane track that fits in a corner. It is not very long but it is a blast to run on!

I figured the reattachment of the 180 degree curve at the exit of the banked turn would be the easiest part.....uh, nope! Getting it aligned well along with the curve at the marshal's hole was frustrating. Jacking up the table, attaching legs, and a little light mallet work would get one of the two just right, but upset the other. I finally got it right but it was a battle!

This joint at the 180 degree curve where it connects to the short straight in front of the driver's station was probably the second most troublesome. I finally got it lined up after I realized that straight needs to go downhill just ever so slightly, and the table needs to slope down to the left front corner from the rear just a bit. And I mean just a bit! You don't even notice it unless you stand way back to look. It's probably less than 1/2 inch slope in 5 feet right to left, but until I got it right I had a bump in the track joint because the two surfaces were not level. One thing I soon realized, there is a reason they started building slot car tracks in modular type sections with adjustable legs!

Clamping the track's framework underneath allowed me to get everything lined up before I screwed and bolted it together. I used multiple clamps at various points to get the job done.

I replaced the lag screws holding the two different sections of the track's framework together with bolts, nuts, and lock washers. I like this method a little better because it allows for some minor adjustments.

These are just some of my "minor adjustment" tools, the rubber mallet and wooden board.

After legs were attached to one side we raised the opposite side and attached a few more legs so we could move the section into place.

Lastly we reunited the two sections!

The first section was set into place in the shop. I had measured and marked out the track's planned position on the floor with duct tape.

Time to uncover the first section. Still no rain....but better safe than sorry!

Then it was Howie's turn to back his car trailer in. This feat was even more difficult in part due to the fact Howie's trailer was even wider than the U-Haul! Luckily my neighbor is an awesome guy and let us use his driveway for a straighter approach to my driveway.

Next we loaded the smaller section into the U-Haul.

Compared to loading the larger section into the trailer, this was a piece of cake.

Once the trip to my place in Vancouver was completed it was time for the next obstacle, backing up to to the shop. The side fence gate is only 9 feet wide, and the driveway approach is not level. It was a little bit tricky but, with spotters I got the U-Haul in.

We tipped the large section up and placed the bottom end on two furniture dollies to make it easier to get the section down to the trailer.

Going down the hill with this huge piece was a little tricky.

Getting it onto the ramp leading into the trailer was another trick.