It's All Groovy Now! Wood Track Build - Part 3

[@darwinmuzzy7534]

This is the first track build video I've seen that really shows how to cut the slots clearly, especially the braid recess slot! Well done video. Thanks!

[@StanFerris]

Thanks for the kind words!

[@UKGtrotter2k]

Really glad your channel popped up in my feed, I've definitely learnt a lot about these wooden slot car tracks just from watching these videos.

[@StanFerris]

Thank you Neil! The wood tracks are definitely smooth running. All nine episodes may lead to a slot induced coma! 🤣

[@mussersail]

Thanks for taking the time to put together this series. I’m also afflicted with hobby ADD, (HO, HOn30, On30, Z, O 2-Rail, Proto:48, models, rockets, RC airplanes, RC boats, woodworking, electronics, and in the next month or two will start laying 7 1/4” gauge track) but this is a whole new rabbit hole I could potentially go down. I just recently bought my two Grandsons, 2 and 4, a slot car track, AFX sized, but they would love this. They are both surprisingly good at maintaining their speeds around curves. I bought the track after we visited a commercial track in Easton, PA. There is also one about three miles from my house in New Jersey, so they do still existing here in the Northeast. I do remember as a youngster they were everywhere, a lot were in the basements of bowling alleys. My Dad, who passed away at 40 (I was 11), was also a multi-hobby individual - HO trains, HO Traction, paper modeling, plastic model building, electronics (Heathkit), woodworking, and slot cars. I’ve had his car on a shelf near every hobby workbench I’ve ever had - looking at right now in it’s box - a K&B Shelby Cobra 1/25th scale. I’ve never run it, but your videos have inspired me to give it a shot. I’ve got a slight advantage as I’m a professional woodworker, and my $60k CNC will take about 45min to draw and program a track, and five minutes to cut out. That being said, when I was starting out, it used to drive me nuts seeing Norm Abrams or someone else, use a machine that was beyond the reach of a 20 year old, for a project. Kudos on your use of common tools, well thought out jigs, and craftsmanship, on a driveway. Honestly, your end product looks like it was cut on a precision CNC machine. Thanks again.

[@StanFerris]

What a great and thoughtful post! Those of us who find joy in dreaming up and building things with our hands are often 'multi-hobbial!" (You just had to drop the "Heathkit" word now didn't you! 🤣Those kits were a box of magical wonder for me.) Yes, the track is turning out ok so far. The last wood track I build many years ago had copper tape for the power rails, so braiding this one in dados will be a new adventure. I hope you can post some videos of your projects! Stan

[@mussersail]

@@StanFerris I hope to post some, but as you know, but most probably don’t, filming is the easy part. I’ve been filming, now to just edit…. We had Heathkit TVs, stereos, garage door openers, weather stations, intercoms, ,,,etc. I used to sort the resistors and other components into trays for each circuit board my dad was soldering. Lots of fun. Somewhere I have a stack of instruction manuals for a TV - must have been a thousand pages long. We were fortunate to have a Heathkit store ten minutes from my childhood home in New York.

[@blueovalracing1582]

Wow the track is turning out absolutely lovely

[@StanFerris]

Thanks so much!

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing. The track is looking fantastic!👍

[@StanFerris]

Thanks! I got a first coat of paint on it today.

[@lschiz-photography1765]

Wow that’s cool, so that’s how it’s done!! I was wondering about the power track. I envisioned tiny t rails sunk into groves on either side of the guide slit. But the braid is such a cool solution. And when you mentioned Check W from radio, bingo a familiar name and place and time. Thanks again for this and I’m on to pt4. Fortunately for us all, I’m enjoying this w/o the cleanup of tons of msg dust.

[@StanFerris]

You knew Chuck Wagner?! He had a night show among others and worked with me on a live talk show. We had such great times! As far as the track, I'm starting to film Part 7 today.

[@lschiz-photography1765]

@@StanFerris regarding Chuck Wagner yes he and I were well acquainted, not close friends, but had contact with him and talked often. I was more closely associated to the engineering side, pink, Voss, Bob, Keith, and or Ron Kinsey those gentleman. Great friends and times of serving and ministry together. I think this was after you had left, but I had moved out to the radio station building the transmitter building in Addison where the transmitters and tower was. I lived out there for 18 years Shortly after I was married, my wife and I and our kids grew up there. I had forgotten aldo that you were involved in Radio working up in the studios there as well. Small world, and it comes together again at points like this. Very cool!

[@kenneely7899]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@StanFerris]

Lots of fun!

[@seansheerin]

Hi, I'm now thinking about going to braid, since the darn tape keep coming up, my track is in my basement, and in the winter when it gets really try, the track shrinks and the tape buckles ! The question is, did you use a jig to router the dado, or rely on the pin that's on the bit to guide the router ? Thanks

[@StanFerris]

As you correctly said, I used a jig to make the slots, but then to make the dados, the pin on the dado router bit follows the slots so no jig is needed for the dados. I'm wondering about your problem though... since mdf is mostly glue and sawdust, and is very stable, how are you getting such dimensional change? I wonder if the braid would do the same? Feel free to email me at: stanfm@aol if you want to discuss things further. Thanks!

[@marcelodefran5810]

Where are you State from? I like so much your project. I have CNC router. I made a chasis, rings, gears, etc cars, but not the truck because I have one of wood and also one ninco plastic. Congratulations

[@StanFerris]

Thanks much! Sounds like you've got a great shop setup. I'm in AZ.

[@Maxime-ho9iv]

Now that I think about it, the inner track will always win right?

[@StanFerris]

Great question! I can tell you are really thinking about the process. A complete race is where each driver must drive a 3-minute heat on each of the lanes, and then the computer not only tallies up each driver's score along the way but also schedules who is to race on what lane. So every driver will race on all lanes to complete a race. On my track with just three lanes, we may have 8 or 10 racers, but the Trackmate software manages everything so all the drivers complete all three lanes. That's why in our club we are not concerned that the lanes are not all the same length.

[@Maxime-ho9iv]

@@StanFerris Oh I see, nice. Yes I guess building a track where each lane get the same length must be quite complex..

[@StanFerris]

A symmetrical figure 8 with a crossover bridge would be one way to get nearly identical lane lengths and curve profiles.

[@jasonanderson2192]

What size bits do I need for an HO size track?

[@StanFerris]

Hi Jason! I've never raced HO cars, sorry. I've seen only a couple tracks. Some don't use braid, they use a small wire that gets sunk into the wood. Not sure if the cars use guide flags or pins to keep them in the slot.