[Savage]

The space has been tidied and the baseboards are down for my first routered track

I have chalked out my initial design thoughts for the 3 lane analogue racetrack, any input would be appreciated.
The "switchback" section I am thinking of making a 2 part elevation climb and possibly a dip before the bridge, with the main "straight" being essentially all flat.
This will also be a squeeze section.
Becuase of space constraints, I will keep standard scalextric lane spacing, but as I have 3 lanes I can run 2 car 1/28 or 1/24 if I fancied

The blue chalk earmarks a potential (non working) pit lane.

So, any input and tips on the best way to route my first "wood" track ?

 

[hankscorpio]

Nice one savage... you will barely miss the digital... apart from the lap tower maybe that was seriously pretty...

Doesn't look like MDF or has it been painted already... sure there will be surprises along the way!

 

[Bam]

Looking good, looks like you are up to the stage I am at.

I'm torn between 2 and 3 lane routed. How deep is that board? Looks like we have a similar amount of space to play with - I just cannot bite the bullett and go for 3 lanes - I fear I will run out of space.

 

[Savage]

@ Bam, thats were chalk comes in handy

@Hank, Its moisture resistant MDF hence the greeny hue

 

[hankscorpio]

QUOTE (Savage @ 18 Mar 2010, 19:02) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Its moisture resistant MDF hence the greeny hue

Now thats what i call thinking ahead... safe outside and no sealing before painting...

 

[knoath]

Hey Savage, good to see you're on your way!
I take it the pits are non working...
I like the loop at the right end of the table, but I keep seeing a design change.
(If I may...) How about the main straight continuing along the front of the table entering a banked turn snaking past the brick work and over to the left side. (eliminating the cross over)
Leaving the long esses as they are, but instead of heading back to the back wall, head to the front followed by a loop and under a bridge onto the main straight?

(Confused?)

Either way, you're up for some fun!

Keep us posted buddy!

Cheers,
Dick

 

[Savage]

QUOTE (knoath @ 18 Mar 2010, 21:07) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>.... How about the main straight continuing along the front of the table entering a banked turn snaking past the brick work and over to the left side. (eliminating the cross over)
Leaving the long esses as they are, but instead of heading back to the back wall, head to the front followed by a loop and under a bridge onto the main straight?

(Confused?)
Lol, Yep, confused I am.
I am always open to suggestions from you guys, but I can't quite picture what you are describing Dick, maybe a sketch could help

As it is chalked above it will be driven clockwise, so you come downhill onto the straight at the loop end.

As regards banking, I was wondering how best to achieve it, I got myself 9mm mdf for ease of flex, but do suspect I may have a weak area with an 8mm deep slot

Presumably all routering is done while the board is flat then taping done once it is shaped ? (remember, I am new to routing a track so a lot of things will need a dummies guide

)
I still am not sure if its best to tape then paint, or vice versa. It seems there are pros and cons either way ...

 

[Savage]

I have a name and a brief story now

Will PM a mod to add the title to to OP I think

Mr S aquired some land that the M.O.D. was selling off, and he decided that would be an ideal venue for his next racetrack.
As the area was used for low level fighter pilot training in the 50's and 60's, mostly with the RAF's Hawker Hunter. It soon became known as "Hunter Valley" and Mr S decided to keep the name for his track.
There may even be a Hunter placed in the infield on display at some point, but I am getting ahead of myself ...

The router bits are expected to arrive in a couple of days, so I will soon start the learning curve !

 

[knoath]

OK Savage, I'll try to elaborate.

Driving anti clockwise (Left to Right along the front) continue the straight and enter the left handed banked loop.
Right then left around the bricks and continue rising into the esses, left, right, then opening up and heading to the front of the table (over a bridge), through the right handed loop, descending under the bridge and onto the main straight.
This would still allow for pits around the same place you have them drawn, and I think it might flow a bit better.
My track isn't very long (17m) but it flows and the racing is fun... I have no cross over so the lanes aren't even, but the fun is!

I haven't routed a banked turn, but there is a bit of camber here and there on WBV.
9mm will be too thick to bank steeply in that space unless many undercuts are made.
I'd go with 6mm if you can get it, don't route the corner too widely as you'll have to pull it too tight (it will make it stand up too vertically). Just a few inches is plenty to form a bank where the cars will flow smoothly.
Check out UKsqueezea's track.

Just 2c worth, but my opinion.
Cheers,
Dick

 

[Savage]

I think I have it Dick, something like this you mean ?

I guess there isnt any "right way round " but for some reason anticlockwise feels strange !
My board is only 1.2m (4ft) wide, and the brick work comes out half of that

 

[knoath]

Oooooh that's bloody close mate, assuming it's running anti clock, instead of the esses running over the track and to the right again, run them to the front of the board and loop it back under to the front staraight....

It's up to you, I just thought I'd offer a different approach... must be the North/South hemisphere thing!!!!

All the best,
Dick

 

[Graham Lane]

It's looking good Sav. Do get yourself a Luff's guide and please read Chris Frost's excellent website on how to create a routered track. Three lanes rock for home circuits.

 

[Savage]

Hmm food for thought, just a couple of concerns with that approach for me: L.O.S issues as you power onto the straight under the tunnel, and the closeness of the opposite track at the wall point.
As for the clockwise thing ... lol maybe its 'cos you water goes down the plughole the other way

Just for comparison, the plan of how its currently chalked up, less the 3 lanes obviously:

Thanks Graham, Chris frost's site is an excellent source of info, Hoping to get Lufs vid too.

 

[keysandslots]

Just a comment on the 3 lane vs 2 and running larger cars. I decided to go with 2 because it's really only my son and I usually racing and I wanted 4" lane spacing. I also wanted a 3" inner border and 5" outer border. Now that I've had a chance to run some 1/24th cars, I'm thinking I may go with 4.5" in lane spacing on the next track, and a 6" outer border.

So, keep in mind on wood with no mags that your cars will be sliding alot more, and you might want to make sure there's enough room for some tail wagging on the corners.

Randy

 

[Savage]

Yeah, I have pretty much given 120mm allowance for slides at any corner point, which should be OK for most 1/32, but 1/24 may be an issue.
Its amazing how quickly space gets eaten up, allowing that sliding room

 

[mgmike]

Is there anyway you could remove the brick work or is it structural

 

[hankscorpio]

QUOTE (mgmike @ 22 Mar 2010, 15:17) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Is there anyway you could remove the brick work or is it structural

I must admit if it was me i would knock out a single brick (8inches wide x 4 inches high) and put the track through the hole... may even make enough space for a usable pit lane curved around the wall... even a chaparal is less than 4"... sorry savage but i love my sledgehammer!

Asked the powers that be if i could do the same between my "playroom" and the kitchen to extend the layout... she said NO!

girls hey.

 

[Savage]

I rent the house, so I can't go knocking bricks out

 

[Savage]

The router has lost its virginity !
A little update after my first ever slot track routing

I shortened my hairpin section but otherwise stuck to the original plan, and the centre lane is now all routed, with the exception of the bridge top ('cos I ran out of "hobby" time today

).
Initialy i was doing 2 drops for the depth, but as I got a bit more confident I ended up doing it in one pass

You can see my homemade radius arm made from 10mm perspex, and I also have a couple of round bases made from the same, one for running of a fence, and the other I will fix a couple of guide pins in so I can run along the centre lane and make the lanes parallel. obviously I will then just have to run off a fence to join the standard slot spacing to the squeeze section spacing into and out of the hairpins.
Not having a lexan strip, I used a length of 22mm plastic waste pipe with holes drilled for screws/nails to the non uniform fast bend to straight, and entrance to the first bend.

 

[hankscorpio]

B&Q sell plastic angle i used on my layout... Bam used that as a flexible router guide on his 1990 f1 track... gives a nice slooth edge.... clever boy!

Thinking about it, its no more than 3mm, you could cut it into a "strip", insert it in the slot you have, cut along that with your "lexan" router base giving the lane spacing, simply run along either side of that guide for three perfect evenly spaced lanes...? Nah can't be that easy... can it?