Glad I kept the pic of the original track, really looking forward to seeing this build progress. 
Good to have you back with us at Abergavenny Slot Rally Club.
Good to have you back with us at Abergavenny Slot Rally Club.
The remaking of Crow Valley Sprint Track
Crow Valley Sprint Track Mk2.
(The first pic is of the original Mk1 build and what I'm remaking, only a little bigger)
Hi Guys,
You maybe interested in the remaking of the sprint track I made back in 2005. The original track was used in the 2006 Slot Rally GB. I sold that original track on Ebay shortly after the event to a winner in London and it was never seen again. I always regretted selling it, so now the 'pull' of slot racing has returned, I want my sprint track back!
There was always a plan to add a 4th section to the Mk1 track, so in starting all over again a 4th section can be properly added. The original plan was to simply add another section in length, but since doing quite a bit of online sim racing over the last few years, I have discovered the Oulton Park turn 5 shell oils corner (as well as always knowing the Nordschleife Carousel). So this has given me the chance to add a new feature to the coarse that is a little more interesting than just more flat turns.
Now work has started on the Mk2 track. The track is made up of 4 pieces of 3x2' 6mm MDF boards. Thickness will be added to the underside of the slot once the racing line has been marked and a 3.2x9mm slot will be routed in. There will also be a load of extra wood on the underside for strength as well as all the original Mk1 details added on the topside. The white surface you can see is 3 coats of primer ready for marking out and the white will form the part of the track markings, hence why 3 coats have been applied.
The boards you see laid out measure 11x2' with a 2x1' bump, the extra piece is for the bridge and any extras I may need (carousel). I will add more pics as I go and show how I personally go about making a routed slot track.
Rob
![🙂]()
![Green Race track Urban design Leisure Recreation]()
![Brown Rectangle Wood Road surface Floor]()
![Brown Rectangle Wood Floor Flooring]()
![Road surface Rectangle Wood Flooring Plant]()
(The first pic is of the original Mk1 build and what I'm remaking, only a little bigger)
Hi Guys,
You maybe interested in the remaking of the sprint track I made back in 2005. The original track was used in the 2006 Slot Rally GB. I sold that original track on Ebay shortly after the event to a winner in London and it was never seen again. I always regretted selling it, so now the 'pull' of slot racing has returned, I want my sprint track back!
There was always a plan to add a 4th section to the Mk1 track, so in starting all over again a 4th section can be properly added. The original plan was to simply add another section in length, but since doing quite a bit of online sim racing over the last few years, I have discovered the Oulton Park turn 5 shell oils corner (as well as always knowing the Nordschleife Carousel). So this has given me the chance to add a new feature to the coarse that is a little more interesting than just more flat turns.
Now work has started on the Mk2 track. The track is made up of 4 pieces of 3x2' 6mm MDF boards. Thickness will be added to the underside of the slot once the racing line has been marked and a 3.2x9mm slot will be routed in. There will also be a load of extra wood on the underside for strength as well as all the original Mk1 details added on the topside. The white surface you can see is 3 coats of primer ready for marking out and the white will form the part of the track markings, hence why 3 coats have been applied.
The boards you see laid out measure 11x2' with a 2x1' bump, the extra piece is for the bridge and any extras I may need (carousel). I will add more pics as I go and show how I personally go about making a routed slot track.
Rob
1 - 20 of 99 Posts
The 3.2mm slot cutter I bought was the cheapest I could find on Ebay, as I said, that snapped after only 9 feet (taken in two 4.5mm cuts going slow). The replacement was ordered through my local tool seller who has an interest in happy returning customers, the replacement brand is Trend !
The original track was all done with one Trend cutter, so I know the new one will get the job done
The original track was all done with one Trend cutter, so I know the new one will get the job done
Upate on the cutter, the local shop failed to get the new cutter in, so I got a 3.2mm cutter from Screwfix.
www.screwfix.com
Erbauer 1/4" Shank Straight Router Cutter 3.2 x 11mm - Screwfix
Order online at Screwfix.com. High quality, durable design. Produce a smooth edge on a workpiece and precise, flat bottomed grooves. Suitable for kitchen worktops. Recommended for use with hand-held routers. FREE next day delivery available, free collection in 1 minute.
Looking good Rob, can`t wait to have a run on it.
Thanks, but it's not too hard to get the groove right by 'hand'.
All you do is mark out the racing line in sharpie, pin greaseproof paper over the top and cut out the paper with a new rounded scalpel blade making sure you allow the with of your router follower guide (4mm in my case from centre of cut to edge).
Then lay the cut out paper onto the 6mm MDF, mark with a Sharpie and cut it out any way you know how. The real trick is to cut a piece of 3mm hardboard into a 40mm strip and use that as a sanding block with 100 grit paper. Keep it as flat as you can to the MDF and it will smooth out all the saw marks because the hardboard will follow the curve and ride on the high spots, evening out the whole shape.
The trick to getting one groove to follow onto the next is to set the router into the last part of the last slot on the template and rotate the cutter feeling for any snagging of the cutter. Adjust the template as needed until the cutter turns in the slot with out touching the slot. Then mark on the template where the router is when the cutter is free and NEVER run the router past that mark. If you look closely you can see my 'stop' lines on the templates. I sometimes put an arrow on them as well as it acts like a countdown to the 'stop' line as the arrow emerges out form under the router.
Care should be taken when swapping from one template to the next so a seamless flow is made. I find this better to be done on a part of a shallow curve. Mistakes or adjustments can be made by blocking the groove with Blu Tack, filling with resin, scraping and sanding flat and having another go. The simplest way of getting resin is to buy a pack of Davids Isopon Fiberglass Resin form Hafords (in the UK). This will bond like hell on MDF and can be recut well. I'm lucky as I work with polyurethane resin for my day job, that can be bought from many places.
Hope that helps somebody cut a racing line slot
All you do is mark out the racing line in sharpie, pin greaseproof paper over the top and cut out the paper with a new rounded scalpel blade making sure you allow the with of your router follower guide (4mm in my case from centre of cut to edge).
Then lay the cut out paper onto the 6mm MDF, mark with a Sharpie and cut it out any way you know how. The real trick is to cut a piece of 3mm hardboard into a 40mm strip and use that as a sanding block with 100 grit paper. Keep it as flat as you can to the MDF and it will smooth out all the saw marks because the hardboard will follow the curve and ride on the high spots, evening out the whole shape.
The trick to getting one groove to follow onto the next is to set the router into the last part of the last slot on the template and rotate the cutter feeling for any snagging of the cutter. Adjust the template as needed until the cutter turns in the slot with out touching the slot. Then mark on the template where the router is when the cutter is free and NEVER run the router past that mark. If you look closely you can see my 'stop' lines on the templates. I sometimes put an arrow on them as well as it acts like a countdown to the 'stop' line as the arrow emerges out form under the router.
Care should be taken when swapping from one template to the next so a seamless flow is made. I find this better to be done on a part of a shallow curve. Mistakes or adjustments can be made by blocking the groove with Blu Tack, filling with resin, scraping and sanding flat and having another go. The simplest way of getting resin is to buy a pack of Davids Isopon Fiberglass Resin form Hafords (in the UK). This will bond like hell on MDF and can be recut well. I'm lucky as I work with polyurethane resin for my day job, that can be bought from many places.
Hope that helps somebody cut a racing line slot
1 - 20 of 99 Posts
