Subject:
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Re: Question about point/switch modifications.
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.trains
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Date:
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Thu, 8 Apr 2004 22:42:45 GMT
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Viewed:
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2427 times
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In lugnet.trains, Mark Bellis wrote:
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That’s what’s put me off so far. I don’t have a very steady hand and a
dremel goes at minimum of 10,000rpm. I’d be likely to shatter the disc,
slice the parts in the wrong places or chop into my hand!
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There are other options available. Rotary tools come in three standard
groupings: single speed (on/off), multi-speed (2 or more fixed speeds), and
variable speed (low, high, and everything between). Mine is a Craftsman-label
manufactured by the Dremel company, with a variable speed between
5000-30,000rpm. Also, I went the extra step and bought one of the flexi-shaft
attachments, which makes fine-detail work a lot less cumbersome to deal with.
When it’s turned all the way down with a small bit chucked up, it’s almost like
drawing with a pen, only less inky and more carvy.
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At least the table saw you showed had a safety screen. Is a saw disc or a
cutting disc better for cutting bricks with a drill?
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The larger a device you’re working with, the less control you’re going to have
with it. I’d heartily suggest avoiding the use of a table saw for cutting track
unless you’re going to the extent of making a custom-fit miter attachment to
prevent kickback and a 0-clearance insert to prevent chip-out, and stripping all
the metal off so you don’t knock teeth loose (I’ve had a tooth break off and
spit out at me, and even through a thick shop shirt it’s not a pleasant
experience, though admittedly that was with a 14” blade on a 7hp motor, and
there’s not much that can possibly go wrong with that saw that would stand a
chance of being classified as “pleasant”).
A drill is slower than a rotary tool, but if it’s running too slow, it’ll dig
into the plastic rather than cut it, and it’ll be a lot harder to control.
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I think I might try using dremel bits in my cordless drill as it’s slower.
That’s if the chuck will hold the small collet safely.
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Cordless drills are even more likely to dig into the plastic. As someone who
customizes action figures, I can tell you that a good rotary tool setup is
easily going to be the best low-tech system you can get for cutting thin pieces
of plastic. The next step up would really be
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Is there any merit in removing the metal rail from the track, once you’ve
marked where the cut should be, and cutting metal and plastic separately?
You could solder a wire underneath the metal before refixing it.
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Depending on the modification you’re planning to do, you might even be able to
get away with using a solid piece of metal on the rail rather than having to
solder two pieces together. The benefit of removing it before cutting the
plastic is you won’t have to worry about melting the plastic when you solder.
The downside is you might have trouble getting it to reattach nicely. Before
you start stripping metal off the rails of pieces you plan to modify, I’d
suggest trying it out on off-cut sections that you don’t care about, and make
sure you can put it back on without it looking like a big pile of suck on a
stick.
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Question about point/switch modifications.
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| I've sold a few of my custom crossovers on eBay so I thought I'd chime in about cutting tracks and other track mods. I always remove the rails before cutting and my cutting is done with a single edge razor blade, making a rough cut first, then (...) (21 years ago, 9-Apr-04, to lugnet.trains)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Question about point/switch modifications.
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| (...) That's what's put me off so far. I don't have a very steady hand and a dremel goes at minimum of 10,000rpm. I'd be likely to shatter the disc, slice the parts in the wrong places or chop into my hand! At least the table saw you showed had a (...) (21 years ago, 8-Apr-04, to lugnet.trains, FTX)
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