I’ve always used a dremel tool with a 1" cut off blade to fit Gargrave track. I was wondering what others used for cutting track.
I’m thinking of using a larger diameter to try and cut all three rails simultaneously (nearly) instead of one at a time. Also the 1" discs seem to break ever so frequently.
What do you guys use?
I use the dremel with the disc you are using. I find the trick is to not try to do the work of the disc and let it go at it’s own speed (do not put too much pressure on it) . It does a good job and a little touchup with file seems to work fine.
A Dremel tool with 2" Gyro fiberglass-reinforced cutting wheel. I bought two of them, but the first is showing little or no wear after hundreds of cuts. You can get them from GarGraves ( http://www.gargraves.com/accessories.php ); I bought mine from a local hobby shop.
Despite the larger wheel, I didn’t want to cut two rails at once, although I did “groove” the next rail as a guide while cutting the first. A neat tool (in a Tim Allen, “more power” sort of way) is the Roto-Zip, which you should be able to find at a local home-improvement center (no pun intended[:D]).
I used to use the Dremel cut off wheels, but I just laid a hundred feet of new Gargraves track this winter & used a Dubro 1 inch & a quarter abraisive cut- off wheel. It lasted the whole hundred feet of all the cuts. I think it worked a lot better than the Dremel wheels, as the Dremel ones break & fly all over the place. Dubro products can be found at the RC plane hobby shops. Thanks, John
With the Dremel the idea is to use the fiberglass reinforced wheels, the standard ones are very touchy and of couse don’t forget safety glasses. I’ve had pieces of the old style wheel bounce off my glasses.
I hate the Dremel for this task, I have way too many cuts to make. I use a pair of tin snips to make a rough cut, then clean up with a benchtop sander. The snips cru***he rail slightly, but the sander takes off that part with ease. The ends are always square, unlike with the Dremel.
The sander is on the right, next to the blue glass.
Good to read this thread. I just ordered some gauge1 three rail from GarGraves last week.
underworld
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