I use atlas 80 guage flex-track in N scale. What is the best way to cut the track leaving a level smooth surface for track conection.
Thanx Benjamin R.
ben,
Use a Xuron tool (diagonal rail cutter) with the flat edge of the tool toward the section of rail you are SAVING. The other side of the cut will be pointed. I used them for the first time last year and was very pleasantly surprised at how well they work. Use a small file to lightly touch up the end of the rail and you are ready to go! I had cut rail using a razor saw before - never again!
One thing - DO NOT EVER cut anything else with the Xuron tool. You could ruin it. Use it to cut nickel-silver rail only. Good luck.
Mark C.
Thanx thats alot of help
Ben, I agree with Mark C. The Xuron tool is the only way to go! However, I use mine all the time to cut plastic parts from sprues. As long as the other material your cutting is softer than nickle/silver it will do them no harm.
Now, the purests may have their spin on this, however, my tool gets way more use cutting plastic than rail as my track is all down and I am done with the need to cut track.
A cutoff disk in a Dremel is good for cutting track, too, and doesn’t distort one end like a Xuron tool does.
I am too poor for a Xuron tool, I use wire cutters and file the rail ends smooth…
you know a xuron is only $12 right jwaldo?
I’ve been meaning to buy a Xuron for ages, but never got round to it. I use a cordless Dremel -clone (Mine’s Black & Decker) with a rotary cutting disk - I can use this to tidy up the edges of the rail after so the joiners fit on easily. This can also be used for heavy-duty kitbashing when you need to remove large amounts of plastic from a model - just don’t slip as it can do amazing amounts of damage!
Radio Shack sells a flush cutting pliers for $5-8 (haven’t bought a pair in a year or two).
They work just as well and are more commonly found and are probably cheaper.
Dave H.
Mark Deschane,
I recommend not using the Xuron tool for cutting anything else 'cause it only takes once cutting something harder than rail to ruin it. If you never get in the practice of cutting anything else with it, your investment should be safe. I have a couple of sprue-cutters (fancy tweezers) and they are great for cutting sprues. I wish I had bought them many years ago. I guess that I’m finally starting to fully appreciate “Get the right tool for the job”.
Mark C.
Sadly, yes. I am 16 and can’t get a job though [xx(]
jwaldo…
Dont be sad about your finanaces, weve all been there, just do the best with what you got and most of all enjoy what you do. John…
Mark C. I don’t have any trouble determining what is a softer material than nickle/silver. 26 years as a tool and die maker allows me know what I can do with tools and what I can’t.
However, we all have to make up our own minds about procedures to follow and I can certainly respect yours!
Mark D.
Mark D.,
As a tool and die maker, you would know the proper tool usage without even thinking. I try to tailor my responses to the guys who don’t have that kind of experience and would be more of a bull in a china shop. Simple mistakes can be very expensive if you don’t pay attention. Quite a few folks don’t. Too many expensive mistakes and the frustration from the expense drives them to something else. I can appreciate your knowledge of metal. I wish I had it.
Mark C.
Mark C. I’m going to stick with my opinion that these tools are usable for cutting both NS rail and plastic and I feel people have more smarts than we tend to give them credit for. Being able to use the tool for cutting plastic parts from sprues gives the tool a double purpose and makes it twice as valuable. By telling people this feature, I have educated them.
I have found that the Xuron tool wears out more, using it for it’s designed purpose, then using it to also cut plastic. It’s not that the tool isn’t hard enough for cutting rail, it’s that when the edges snap through the rail and sma***ogether when the cut has finished that it mushrooms the edge off the tool.
So, they do have a limited life and cutting plastic gives the tool extra life.
Wow, I am a jerk!
I use the Xuron or the Dremel with files to clean up. I’ve done the razor saw. I’m with Mark DeSchane, I use mine on plastic also. Now music wire, it’s different cutters or the Dremel.
I’ve used mine for quite a while for plastic and rail, and it still works great- but I must admit I’ve cut a lot more plastic than rail.
And my dear wife has found a way to make it three times as valuable! I caught her using them to trim our lab’s toenails!! I’ve since bought her her own pair, she abuses the heck out of them with dog nails, flowers and floral wire, any other imaginable use. Heck, she runs them through the dishwasher to clean them up. I’m sold on them, I’ve had too many Dremel cutting disks grenade (even when doubled) with only about .005" of material left to go. I use the Dremel when necessary, but betwen the Xurons and a big pair of Channellock Lineman’s pliers I can save it for the oddball stuff.