Cutting Track

Good morning jim

Are you cutting track that is already down? If it is still on work bench I just cut twice once to get it close then again for right on.

Clem

I use the Gyros cut off wheels on a flex shaft to get the perfect cut. You can get them at Gargraves.

...keep the rails polished...

buy a bigger wheel size. They sell larger sizes at ACO Hardware stores.

Replace them when your wheel reduces below the size of the dremel.

Also on your cuts pass through the rail side to side, and avoid cutting up and down.

I basically follow NJ Daddy's rules.  I cut RealTrax straight and at angles.  Remove any burs.

I use a chop saw for the best angle, then smooth out the rough areas with a file or a dremel. 

get a bigger saw...........

When cutting track with the dremil,  I sandwich the track between two quarter inch thick pieces of steel with a clamp then proceed to cut.  Keeps cut nice and straight, have the piece you want to save between the steel.  The cut off you can start bigger then have everything nice and even when you make contact with the quarter inch steel pieces.   Hope this helps. 

Jim

I use a razor saw with the blade turned around in the holder so it cut's on the pull stroke.  You get better control and so you have minimal touch-up after the cut is made.

Dave

Dremel has a video here; it's the first video listed.  It concerns cutting HO track using a Dremel vice to hold the track; but, it does have several good pointers, including using the highest speed available, light pressure, larger cut-off wheel, etc.

And be sure to use eye protection.

Curious; what track are you cutting?  The typical poster is cutting Gargraves flex track and that's the only kind I have experience with.

Popi

Now that suggestion is just plain silly.  You'd have to have a whole lot of track to cut to warrant the cost of that machine, not to mention it'd be hard sneaking that thing past the boss.

On a serious note I use the same method of making 2 cuts to make a flush cut I use a dremel that I bought in the mid-70’s. It is much smaller than the modern ones making it easier to find wheels that are larger than the dremel. One other thing I do before cutting is to use a small square and painter' tape to mark the exact place to cut on each of the rails assuring a perfect 90 degree cut. Just be careful when cutting. I had a small piece of track cut-off hit me in the face. IMO glasses are a must.

Thanks,

Ed

 I use either a hacksaw, (At least 32 teeth per inch), or a Dremel.  

Dremel 575 right angle tool, which gives a little more of straight cut. 

Dremel blades, the largest you can get.  Note the 402 mandrel piece that is additional to the 456 (1.5" cut-off) blades.  There are other blades.

After the cuts are made, I true the end on my disk sander.

 Don't forget the safety glasses.  Bench Disk/Belt sander, probably the most used tool, My model railroad experience.  IMO.  I have also cut track using a small Craftman bandsaw with the appropriate metal cutting blade. 

For accurate straight cuts, use a hacksaw with a fine tooth blade and a miter box.

Depending on the amount of cuts you are going to make, options are available.  If you are going to do many cuts, I bought a small inexpensive chop saw with a 6 inch grinding blade.  The saw I purchased is from Harbor Freight and I have cut a lot of gargraves track and the blade still looks new.  It cuts 90 degrees effortlessly and all you have to do at the end is a little cleanup of burrs.  The model I purchased was about $35.  Well worth the ease of cuts.  If you are only doing one or two cuts, dremel saw, or fine toothed exacto saw with miter box works well too. 

If you get the Dremel right-angle attachment, you can make good 90 degree cuts with the fiber reinforced cutoff wheels.

I made this to cut Gargraves and Ross track, but you can make one for any track system. just sandwich the track between this and a flat block and clamp it together. the jig acts as a straight edge and a plumb cut block. just rest a fine hacksaw or razor saw flat against the block and cut. perfect every time.

Pine Creek Railroad suggested:

Rockwell X2 Bladerunnner portable table saw

in the thread:

https://ogrforum.com/topic/fastrack-30-inch

RickM46

All suggestions are good. If all you have is a dremel, I cut at the angle with the angle going outward at the bottom of the rail of the track piece I want to use. I use the flat of the cut of disc to grind the end of the rail flat.

You must use the reinforced cutting discs.

Nuclear pumped x-ray laser...nice & smooth

Jim,

    The new Bladerunner Rockwell X2 Portable Table Saw is what I use, clean guts at any angle you desire, on both rails and base.  Seriously nice piece of equipment for track cutting.

On sale at Lowes for $99.00 -10% if you are a Vet.  With the special made Jig type high speed saw, it cuts track perfectly.  I love it.

PCRR/Dave

The X2 is super light and the over head comes completely off for fancy angle cutting.

Makes custom pieces of FasTrack & RealTrax perfectly, should do the same for your track.

How do you trim the staggered ends of GG flex track used to form a curve?

Carl,

   You can guide the track thru the saw blade at any angle you desire, the work lays on the table and you simply turn the track to any different angle you want as you cut, no matter the staggered angle or cut.  You simply cut a custom piece of track to any length or shape you want.  I no linger have to worry about the expensive odd size pieces of FasTrack or RealTrax, I just engineer them myself.

PCRR/Dave

For most folks, buying a $100 saw to cut track may be overkill.

Sometimes I use a Dremel with a right-angle attachment and a large cutting wheel for clearance. Mostly I use a homemade miter box that is grooved for both 0 gauge and Standard Gauge track. One useful trick is to clamp the track in place with a block of wood and a clamp. The clamp goes over the block, the miter box, and the bench, keeping everything solidly in place while you cut. As has been mentioned before, use the finest hacksaw blade you can find. 

I prefer a phased plasma cutter.

Jerry

Guns,

   You are probably right, if that was the only job I intended to due with the X2 saw, and man it does a great job on O Gauge track.  However it was worth the $89.00 to me just so I can make custom pieces for my FasTrack Christmas layouts, and not have to run around finding certain small expensive FasTrack & RealTrax finishing pieces.  IMO well worth the $89.00.

PCRR/Dave 

It would be nice to have a facility to cut Fastrack neatly.  I guess I could put the metal blade on my bandsaw...

Jim

I had this saw way before I got back into the hobby. No, I wouldn't buy one to cut track.

But, if you have any access to one of these things it cuts big time.

Larry

I also used a miter box and fine blade hacksaw.

Touched up with fine grit sanding board after.

I was cutting Realtrax O-54 curves in half because the LHS was out of stock and I was in a hurry to run on the Basement layout.

Worked out well for me as it made the block breaks for my Wyes at the same time & place.

Dave, after cutting a track to length:

Where do you get the pins to insert into the track?

How do you keep the track fastened together since the cut edges do not have the snap tabs?

Since I have a penchant for having the right tool to do the job right, I would not hesitate to get the Rockwell. I can see where it will have multiple uses.

RickM46

And now it starts.

For customizing Fastrack lengths, I recommend cutting on an angle, after seeing that here and trying it, it works better than straight across, you don't get the same amount of joint noise if the joints aren't all lined up.  You can use standard O-gauge pins to help hold the rails in alignment, and glue the base.  Then I'd put a jumper wire under the base across the cuts to insure good electrical conductivity.

I just recently installed 5 rail Gargraves track and I just used a larger reinforced cutting wheel and sanded any burs off with the face of the wheel. I soldered all the track joints when I after I got it all down.

Dremel with the right angle attachment. even with this tool you always get a small burr on the top of the rail so remember to have a file on hand to smooth out the rough edges. you will save a few traction tires this way

Guns,

  You bet and I also reuse the newer type slide pins by removing them from the piece I am cutting off and reinserting them in the custom cut piece I have just made, the new Kobalt Micro Diamond & Carbon File Set, makes this work with my high speed, a precision finish job.  I wish they would have come out with these new quick coupling files around Thanksgiving time, instead of waiting till after Christmas.  All in all when you have the correct tools and cut on a slight angle, the job comes out quite nicely.

A used FT CC switch I purchased new came in with some damage, I repaired the switch in the same manner I make custom track pieces, stealing the slid pins from a cut piece of Fastrack.  Worked like a million bucks, in fact you can't even see where the repair to the front end of the switch was made now.  As the Cajuns say, Much more better than good!

PCRR/Dave

 In the lower right hand corner of the picture, you can see the custom angled track join, where the track rails meet the custom made, end of the repaired switch.

Good idea!

So, where can you get Fastrack pins??

RickM46@live.com

And now it starts.

RickM,

   So far I have been using the pins that I have cut off, in the piece of the track I am doing the custom work on.  Here is the problem, so far I can not find a place to purchase extra Lionel FT flat slide pins.  Believe me I am looking, if I need to I will pick up some extra FT straight track, from a private vendor at one of the train shows, when they do not want to pack it up, and transport it home.   I am usually able to get FasTrack at about 1/4 the cost in this manner, most times the FT is in absolutely perfect shape.  Heck Harry Neil get me RealTrax so cheaply that I should build another complete layout with it, FasTrack however is a might more expensive.

PCRR/Dave 

Thanks Dave,

Maybe some of the folks on the forum have info.

RickM46

And now it starts.

Razor saw on Fastrack ...

Best tool for track cutting:
http://ehobbytools.com/contents/en-us/p129.html

Click on image to buy, 100 1.5" wheels for $13.97.