After a health related delay I’m trying to resume building a flex track layout.
I’m having a lot of trouble cutting the flex track to size. When I cut the rail, the cut edge is slightly deformed so that it will not accept the rail joiners.
I’m using a pair of Xuron 90028 rail cutters which have lain dormant in the basement for a couple years. The rail cutter instructs that the rail be clipped vertically and I’ve done that.
The track is Peco code 83. The rail joiners are also Peco.
Is there a trick to this that I’ve forgotten? Or should I just assume the rail cutter is bad and buy a new one?
It’s my impression that the cutting edges should be placed vertical to the rail. That is, the cutting edges should hit the base of the rail first, on each SIDE.
One side of the blades cut very clean, the other side leaves an angled edge on the cut piece. Make sure you use them the right way around, so the side you plan on keeping is the smoother side. It’s never perfect - to get perfect you need to dress the cut edge with small needle files.
Also examine your cutters. If over the intervening years they were used to cut things harder than rail or copper wire, the blades may have a nick in them. If that is the case, you should just get a new set. The Xuron nipper should only be used with rail or softer metals like small size copper wire. The blades get quickly ruined if you use the to lop off material like music wire as used with Tortoise switch motors.
I use a Xuron rail nipper, too. Even if you have it oriented properly, so the flat cut is on the “good” rail end, it cuts by displacing metal.
Because of that, the edges of the cut may have tiny bits of “flash” that might not be noticeable, but are enough to make it tough to slide on a rail joiner.
So what I do is lightly hit what I’ll call the “edges” of the cut end, right where the joiner slides on, with a small flat file.
You don’t want to remove much metal at all, just the roughness on each of those edges. You’ll feel that roughness go away after just a pass or two with the file.
Edit: My Xuron rail nippers came with a small illustrated sheet - The cutting edges of the nippers should be on the top and bottom of the rail. It specifically says to NOT cut from side to side…
Dave said it. If it truly is a Xuron rail cutter, it should have the orange plastic cover on the hangles. At least mine does. The two jaws have an angled face and a flat face. The two jaws meet with the ‘back’ faces flat and flush. That’s the side that should face the end you intend to mate with the other rail end. Because of the angled face on the ‘front’ side of the cutters, they mash the rail material and cause the tip you cut off to fly dangerously.
The instructions that came with mine said to hold the handles of the cutters sideways from the vertical rail. They said not to cut with the cutters held above the rail head and the blades on either side of the web.
Even so, I always take a needle file and dress the three surfaces of the foot of the rail…the two flanges on either side of the web and the nether side of the foot of the rail. Your joiners, especially tighter ones from other manufacturers, will go on so much more easily.
LION cuts rail with motor tool. Ok if you are joining tracks, you need to file them square. For cutting electrical gap, who cares what angles it cuts at.
I realsize there are many hobbyists who swear by Xuron tools for cutting rail. I don’t own any. For over 30 years, every manual cut I’ve made has been using Wiss aviation shears.
They leave a very clean edge on one side of the cut that requires minimal attention with a file. If your rail cutters are deforming the rail, you could try these instead.
I use my Xuron rail nippers, but I take a file to each cut. I do this every time, just to make sure I get a good end for my rail joiners. It’s just part of the process.
10 bucks at either Amazon or Home Despot with generally good reviews, but a couple of the reviews say one of the blades snapped off. One reviewer who says he uses them professionally claims that Wiss went from forged blades to cast blades, which don’t last as long (and apparently are brittle or have casting flaws if they are breaking).
He recommends Midwest aviation snips instead. They still have forged blades, but are almost twice as expensive. US made, also on Amazon. I just ordered a pair as I have been meaning to replace my ancient inherited snips anyway.
I have always liked using my old Dremel with a cut off disc for the last 30 years, especially because I can shave off or cut rail to get precise fits - especially in yards. I do use a Xuron but I usually need to dress the ends of the rail a bit anyway - they work pretty good but I’m picky.
Seems like many things are made more poorly in recent years if the info about the Wis sheers and my experience with a newer Dremel moto tool is any indication. I have an Dremel I bought in the early 1980’s and bought a newer model (new in the box) but manufactured in the late 1990’s a couple years ago. The newer one’s shaft failed after only a few months light use - the early 1980’s Demel is still going after 33 years or so. [%-)]
I get the reinforced cutting wheels for my Dremel tool and after the rail is cut I use the side of the cutting wheel to smooth out the end of the cut rail. I am aware that that is not a recommended way to use the Dremel cut off discs (and I would never attempt it with their plain vanilla ceramic discs) but the reinforced discs are strong enough to do a good job. I do wear eye protection whenever using a Dremel tool
It also helps to hold the rail in place with one of those track laying gauging jigs when grinding in this way since it is possible for a bit of metal to catch on the wheel and you do not want to yank the rail out of the plastic spikes or whatever.
Over time I have found the thin Dremel cut off wheel shatter just too often so I have been using the heavy duty cut off wheels now on the past two layouts and they don’t break very often at all. The heavy duty cut off wheels are strong enough also that I can do what Dave does and use the side of the wheel to smooth out the end of a rail. The only thing to be aware of is that the rail can heat up but as long as you take it easy it goes well.
I have always used the dremel with the thin discs. set the body of the dremel on the rail the slowly pivot the dremel and blade into the rail. Nice clean cut. you can even go back and shave a little more off if needed for a perfect fit. I break more discs by bumping the disc than while cutting. discs come in a tube and they are easy to change anyway. ALWAYS WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!
I have the thin discs and have used them quite abit and yes they give a nice clean cut for sure, but they were just too darn fragile for for a clumsy oaf like me!
You are right, probably broke more of them bumping them than while cutting but all you have to do is breath on them sideways and the break and funs over.
The heavy duty ones actually last long enough to see them shrink down in size! [oX)]
BTW, I just happened to call Dremel and the one I have which broke may possibly be fixed by replacing a cheap part called the flex shaft. I have to check the model when I get home and then call tomorrow - would be nice to have a back up cause my 33 year old Dremel may not last forever.
My rail cutter of choice is a pair of modified diagonal-cutting pliers, with the outer face ground perfectly flat.
No matter how you cut rail - even with a plasma cutter - the rail end should be dressed with a flat file. Even flex fresh out of the box may have burrs on the factory cut rail ends. Also, after the rail ends are filed smooth, take a tiny facet out of the upper inside corner of each railhead, about 1/64" wide and 3/32" along the length of the rail. This removes the ‘step’ that can lift a flange onto the railhead if rail alignment is less than perfect, and is one easy step toward derailment-free trackwork.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on trackwork as bulletproof as I can make it)
