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After few years racing on my scaley track and few changes to my Ironman circuit, which started as a digital track with all the ultimate tech HW (PB-Pro 1.8 + Simple H and Pit-Pro) and ended to analogue with DS300 + Parma Plus controllers + Truspeed PWM, the idea of a better layout with custom fit curves has been nurture for a while with the increasing need of at least an additional lane.
Initially I planned just to route some custom fit curves, but as you can imagine as soon as I started routing I realized it was not practical to have half track in wood and half in plastic. So I went for the full scope for a complete three lane wood track.
To dismantle the existing track has taken me three whole weeks. Even with very little scenery I made it was a big decision, but the most crucial question was if I could stand for few weeks of my vacation without slot racing…
Sometime harsh decision for the better must be taken so I went along and as soon as I removed from my hobby room all the slot components and placing them in the nearest available large empty space (TV room) my half beloved realized how much stuff I bought in the last few years for the hobby… She was not that pleased…
Coming to the topic:
First thing is to learn the most efficient and precise way of defining the layout on the different MDF boards without wasting too much of it and allowing a good connection later on.
I started with the long straight and the banked curve going into the elevation.
Second piece was the shorth twisted straight
Third the the curve into the tunnel.
Fourth piece has been the big curve connected to the straight (first item routed)
Fifth the inner part of the track made of almost an entire MDF board
Sixth and almost final piece the undertunnel straight. I kept it as the last one after the track was elevated and banked since this is changing the curvature.
An empty space has been left when I will receive the new DS bridge (4 lanes DS bridge to be converted into three). I know it is a waste of money having a second Stop & Go box + DS timer only for one additional lane but maybe in the future there will be a 4 lane track…
Since I have never used a router, a big help was received reading the Christ Frosts' web site.
After reading several posts here in SF, to use a good quality router bit of 3mm - double balde - and cut the slot 9mm depth. I had an old Chinese made one of 1/8" which lasted 20cm, I bought 2 new ones of good quality and I belive I can still cut few more entire tracks before binning the first one.
For the straights it is quite simple if you follow the correct direction of the router. For the curves I had to find the proper centre given the radius. I solve it using first a balsa square stick (10mm x 10mm x 1m) with at the end one hobby pin and then with the pencil sketching the curvature. Then I build a simple attachment to the router in wood with 1"x 2" and a screw to held it in the centre while I was routing the curve.
Some initial mistakes were made but thanks to the Plastic putty for automotive (do not use the one for wood, it will crack away while routing!) it was resolved and 30 minutes after the correct route could be cut again (it says that it dry in 10 min but depending on the with of the error there could be a lot of material in 9mm depth.
For the elevations I use again the 1" x 2" wood screwed in place to the newly extended table after having tested the correct levels with some left over pieces of wood.
So far with the first hand of painting (latex based paint) it took me around 30 hours, including the extension of the existing table which is now 4.38m x 1.56m + L section that protrude of 1m with a width of 1,50m.
Next step is laying the copper tape as soon as the Parma copper tape arrives home and do some preliminary running tests!
Here there are few pictures of the beginning.
One week has passed and nothing happened (no tape yet
) but that gave me time for preparing other stuff around the track.
I spend a weekend creating the parabolic curve (only 8degr inclination) entering the long straight so I might be able to have a quite decent stretch and then I have been spending quite a while for the the side walls to make sure no cars are flying around the house.
When the paint is dry I plan to have a white stripe on both sides near the walls.
Yep, about the house: do you think my wife really really likes the big mess I left in the living room for the last two weeks? First she realize how much stuff I accumulated in the lastest years (and how much I have spent) but now she is pushing me to spend as much time as I have to finish the track so she can have a normal house once again
Cheers,
JamieG
Initially I planned just to route some custom fit curves, but as you can imagine as soon as I started routing I realized it was not practical to have half track in wood and half in plastic. So I went for the full scope for a complete three lane wood track.
To dismantle the existing track has taken me three whole weeks. Even with very little scenery I made it was a big decision, but the most crucial question was if I could stand for few weeks of my vacation without slot racing…
Sometime harsh decision for the better must be taken so I went along and as soon as I removed from my hobby room all the slot components and placing them in the nearest available large empty space (TV room) my half beloved realized how much stuff I bought in the last few years for the hobby… She was not that pleased…
Coming to the topic:
First thing is to learn the most efficient and precise way of defining the layout on the different MDF boards without wasting too much of it and allowing a good connection later on.
I started with the long straight and the banked curve going into the elevation.
Second piece was the shorth twisted straight
Third the the curve into the tunnel.
Fourth piece has been the big curve connected to the straight (first item routed)
Fifth the inner part of the track made of almost an entire MDF board
Sixth and almost final piece the undertunnel straight. I kept it as the last one after the track was elevated and banked since this is changing the curvature.
An empty space has been left when I will receive the new DS bridge (4 lanes DS bridge to be converted into three). I know it is a waste of money having a second Stop & Go box + DS timer only for one additional lane but maybe in the future there will be a 4 lane track…
Since I have never used a router, a big help was received reading the Christ Frosts' web site.
After reading several posts here in SF, to use a good quality router bit of 3mm - double balde - and cut the slot 9mm depth. I had an old Chinese made one of 1/8" which lasted 20cm, I bought 2 new ones of good quality and I belive I can still cut few more entire tracks before binning the first one.
For the straights it is quite simple if you follow the correct direction of the router. For the curves I had to find the proper centre given the radius. I solve it using first a balsa square stick (10mm x 10mm x 1m) with at the end one hobby pin and then with the pencil sketching the curvature. Then I build a simple attachment to the router in wood with 1"x 2" and a screw to held it in the centre while I was routing the curve.
Some initial mistakes were made but thanks to the Plastic putty for automotive (do not use the one for wood, it will crack away while routing!) it was resolved and 30 minutes after the correct route could be cut again (it says that it dry in 10 min but depending on the with of the error there could be a lot of material in 9mm depth.
For the elevations I use again the 1" x 2" wood screwed in place to the newly extended table after having tested the correct levels with some left over pieces of wood.
So far with the first hand of painting (latex based paint) it took me around 30 hours, including the extension of the existing table which is now 4.38m x 1.56m + L section that protrude of 1m with a width of 1,50m.
Next step is laying the copper tape as soon as the Parma copper tape arrives home and do some preliminary running tests!
Here there are few pictures of the beginning.








One week has passed and nothing happened (no tape yet

I spend a weekend creating the parabolic curve (only 8degr inclination) entering the long straight so I might be able to have a quite decent stretch and then I have been spending quite a while for the the side walls to make sure no cars are flying around the house.
When the paint is dry I plan to have a white stripe on both sides near the walls.




Yep, about the house: do you think my wife really really likes the big mess I left in the living room for the last two weeks? First she realize how much stuff I accumulated in the lastest years (and how much I have spent) but now she is pushing me to spend as much time as I have to finish the track so she can have a normal house once again


Cheers,
JamieG