I just found out that my HO flex track needs to be trimmed to clear the section on my lift up bridge. The bottom of the “fixed” rail hits the top of the bridge rail when I lift the bridge, so I want to cut the rail on an angle. I can use the side of a Dremel cut off wheel, Xuron nippers, or a file. Which method would work best? The clearance is tight unless I remopve the bridge so I would have to use the back side of the cut off wheel. This seems kinda dangerous but I have done it before.
BB
Any of these would work. I would probably use the dremel if I could reach the rails without messing something up big time. Be careful if you use the dremel and use a light pressure. Work in smal increments so you dont end up melting ties from the heat. Do a little and let it cool. You can also test fit it as you remove the material.
I would use the dremel, and try to hold it at a slight angle to allow your clearance when you lift the bridge.
Ditto on the Dremel, at least for the rough work, and then switch to a file when you are close to the tolerance you want.
With the Dremel, very gentle pressure (2-3 oz), and then only for a few seconds at a time to allow heat to dissipate…in both the tool blade and the material. This will probably take some time, therefore, so don’t go at it until you are really geared up for it.
Bruce, how about a grinding wheel on the Dremel? I’ve got a very small wheel-shaped grinding wheel (stone) for my Dremel. That would be safer than the back side of a cutoff disc which could easily snap with the sideways pressure. It would probably go slower as the grinding wheel is rather smooth, but the thought of putting sideways pressure on a cutoff disc doesn’t sound too safe. I’ve heard of people putting two cutoff discs on the mandrel to make it more sturdy. You might want to consider that. And don’t forget the safety glasses!
By all means safety glasses, if something snaps we don’t want your nickname to become true! Work slowly and carefully, too much pressure could cause the disc to come apart, launching small parts into waiting flesh.
Will
I don’t think you need to use a motorized tool at all. Just a file or two. A relatively coarse file to rough out the angle, and a finer one to finish up.
It really won’t take very much more time than using a motorized tool like a Dremel, and you’ll have much finer control over what you’re doing. You won’t have to worry about taking too much off the rail. It takes almost no time at all to file rails to any shape that you need.
I have a Dremel, but I haven’t used to do anything in years. Anytime I want to remove a lot of metal, I use a mill file. The only time I would use a Dremel would be for something like grinding down a locomotive frame.
-Ed