[Tktonny]

Well i have my track design pinned down now all track has been purchased and did many hours of running and happy with design.
(you can see the design in my other post)

I am in the process of building the table which isnt a problem going very well.

The question i have is What is the best way to attach my track to the table board. The board will be stored in 2 pieces and
stored upright not flat?

Please any suggestions?

 

[Martyn_]

Whatever you do mate, make sure you leave room for a bit of expansion and contraction.

What make is the track (sorry, didn't notice in the other thread)?

There is an excellent thread on here somewhere listing how to attach with dowels and screws, very clever. I'll try and dig a link up.

 

[Tktonny]

Cheers Snurfen

The track is scalextric sport.

Any help would be great.

 

[Mr Modifier]

I assume your track is all Sport track given that you had a digital Scalextric set for Christmas.

I used a combination of Scalextric track clips and copper panel pins on my track which is portable so needs very secure track fixing.

Make sure you buy the right clips - Scalextric do two types for Sport track - clips that join two pieces of track together to make 4 lanes and clips that hold down the outside edges of the track. Make sure you get the right ones. I ordered 4 sets of the outside edge clips from LD Discounts and they sent me 3 correct and one wrong - fortunately I had overestimated and got away with 3 packs but was not impressed by their stock picking ability!

You will also need short tacks or panel pins to fix the clips down and I got these from my local independent hardware store at about half the price of a large DIY chain. They referred to them as brass escutcheon pins.

The clips actually hold down the join between two track pieces (when you clip to pieces of Sport track together they form horizontal slots on the side of the track join that the clips fit into).

This gives you a problem at the board edge and you can get over this in one of two ways;

1) by pinning the end of the track with a longer panel pin (12mm - 15mm depending on the thickness of your baseboard) which you should insert at the top of where the plastic lugs stick out of the track end. Put the panel pin in at 45 degrees from vertical so it effectively goes back under the track. Use a pin punch to make sure the panel pin becomes flush to the track piece so it doesn't stop a proper join.

2) or by using a bench grinder (one of the bench mounted grinding wheels used to sharpen tools) to remove half of the bit of the clip that actually goes into the slot in the side of the track so that you can offset the clip and use the smaller lug you created to hold down just that piece of track whilst the clip stays completely on the board and secured with the usual two panel pins. Do the same for the track piece on the other board that joins to it.

WORD OF WARNING

However you choose to fix down your track IT MOVES AS YOU ARE FIXING IT. You can be very very careful and still end up with a track that is out by 10-20mm at the other end if not properly managed. Been there, done that, cursed and started again. If at all possible you should completely assemble your track onto the boards. Clamp it down carefully wherever possible and use the track clips. Once it is all tacked down pull the boards apart and secure the ends of track that cross the board joints. If your layout is complex I predict that at some point during this process you will be wondering why the hell you didn't go routed!!!

Have fun!

 

[Mr. Olufsen]

Hi Tktonny,

An alternative to tacks or pins are small 2mm screws. This is useful if securing the track to hardboard, 3 to 5 mm plywood or similar boards used for bridges and other elevated sections that will not give much grip to pins or tacks. The C8232 Track Side Fixing Clips that Mr Modifier is referring to have two identical flanges (cf. photo from Scalex website), (1) one that slots into the track, and (2) one with two holes for the pins. By drilling a 2mm hole where the clip is supposed to slot into the track and using the clip upside-down you can use 2mm screws in stead where pins won't do the job.

Listen carefully to Mr Modifier's advice! Working on a track with an elevated section last year and - much worse - on a hill climb this year has taught me to prepare the boards for the elevated parts, put the whole thing on the floor and fix the track onto it, then lift it back to the table and connect it to the table-top parts.

Br,
Christian

 

[Martyn_]

Nipped out for lunch and the boys answered for you!

 

[mINdAt3z]

Anyone actually got a pic of how those clips attach to the track? I´m looking at track piece here and I assume it simply goes into the slot that forms when you join two pieces together? If so, then I feel totally stupid for not having bought these clips 2 years ago.

 

[Tktonny]

Thanks for all the help guys.

Clips are the way foward for me. I will take your advise and layout track first before and clips are brought out.

Hopefully i wont be banging me head against the wall by the end of the day.
Will all be worth it when i can just pull the boards out and race. NO more laying out track and putting away again.

Again cheers

 

[sealevel]

QUOTE (mINdAt3z @ 9 Feb 2012, 08:18) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Anyone actually got a pic of how those clips attach to the track? I´m looking at track piece here and I assume it simply goes into the slot that forms when you join two pieces together?
Exactly!
I cannot remember who originally came up with the idea of using the "solid" tab to drill one larger hole than the small ones and invert the clip in the slots.

Cheers!

 

[Mr. Olufsen]

Just came to think of the fact that screws have the advantage that if needed you may loosen them and remove track pieces while leaving the clips in place.

/Christian

PS: Sealevel, you're probably right, I'm sure this wheel has been invented before

I know my father-in-law did the screw and single hole mod before I did. As he's not really an English speaker he's not on Slotforum though

 

[sealevel]

I will remember who it is eventually.... I hope!

Cheers!

 

[mINdAt3z]

Ordered the clips also. Great timing for this post since the semi-perm Scalextric is being setup in the garage and the tables are being built right now.