I’m building a N scale layout. I have masonite, then cork, then I want to spike flex track but I need a good twist drill to make holes for the spiking. Where is a good place to buy one? I saw micromark.com, but $9 for shipping I’m having a hard time with that.
Thanks in advance…
Instead of trying to spike down your flextrack, try using latex caulking. Spread a very thin coating of caulk on your cork roadbed, put the track in place, and put some weight on it so it doesn’t move until the caulk sets in a couple of hours. No spikes or drilling are necesssary, and they make caulk that is clear when dry.
I just bought two spiral drills and two sets of micro drill bits off Ebay for $21.50. It’s the best deal I’ve ever seen on spiral drills (and I burn up about one every two years or so!)
Dremel makes a small drill package that sizes 1/32, 3/64, 1/16, 5/64, 3/32, 7/64 and 1/8 for about $10 and you can pick one up locally at most Lowes Stores for sure. The 1/32 bit is handy for predrilling spike holes, chuck it up close in a slow rpm power tool like a cordless screw driver and you can drill 1000s of holes with just 1 bit. I agree, shipping on them little bits is too high for mail order unless you are already making an order. Fred
Yeah I bought the dremel bits from lowes and 6 track spikes later it was working great, the seventh spike ended up being the top half of the dremel drill bit.
What size drill bit are you looking for? Small ones like you’d most likely be using are available at most hobby shops, Walthers markets them in small packs, usually displayed with the small screws and nuts. Some are even available at Sears if you don’t go too small (below #60).
Sounds like you applied to much pressure or hit a knot in the wood perhaps?
Just wondering…
Most any decent hardware store will carry them sizes 61-80 in the welding area as a tip cleaning tool for a torch. I paid about $10.00 for mine at a Cole’s-Do-It store in Ripley TN. They come in a small metal drill index box.
I live in NJ also - there are dozens of hobby shops around - even in your area - Home Depot (I work there!!) has the same stuff as Lowes!! and your local hardware store also has small bits… use a cordless screwdriver rather than a Dremel - high speed is no good for drill bits - also be careful with pressure!! Good luck with your new pike!
You ain’t exactly out in the boondocks, there DoNotHump of Sayreville, NJ although I’m not exactly sure that New Yorkers would recognize New Jersey as lieing within the pale of civilization. Maybe you have never heard of these things called Local Hobby Shops; they frequently get mentioned here in the forum and are abbreviated LHS; consider visiting one at some time in the future. They are great places to buy drill bits. If you are planning on buying $500.00 worth of drill bits go to Micro-Mark: $9.00 will be cheap S & H. By law your LHS will be required to charge you sales tax (what is it back there in the remote regions of civilization these days; 25-30%?) That’s still cheaper than the $9.00 shipping and handling charged by Micro-Mark who, by the way, will also charge you sales tax since the two of you reside in the same “competent” authority.
Now, when you walk through the door of this local hobby shop let out with a resounding “Howdy!” (I’m so sorry!!!That’s what we say out here in the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west which not even New Jerseyites consider to be civilized. You can say, “Hello!!” which I guess means substantially the same thing in the eastern language; “Howdy!!” just sounds better!) Continue with “I need some drill bits!” Now, the reason for your gusto is that you are trying to hoodwink the proprietor/sales staff into believing that you have been shopping there for the last twenty years and have literally spent half a million dollars in that time frame . They are not going to recognize you, of course; but you can point out, however, that that’s because you recently got a haircut - and nobody ever recognizes you with a haircut.
Try getting these little things like drill bits from your local hobby shop; you’d be amazed at how wonderful the experience can be.
I’ve been to two Home Depots and a Lowes and I could not for the life of me find micro drill bits, and the poeple who work there are never any help :).
As for the LHS, that is were I eventually will buy them, but the reason I wanted to try online is I work long hours and commute to the city so it’s very hard for me to get to one during the week and I wanted to have it ready to go by friday night :(. Plus it just stinks spending an hours driving time and gas to get there and back.
Anyhow thanks for your help guys.
Perhaps this will help you…You can order some other items such as detail parts,paint,KD couplers etc to make the order worth the shipping costs.
Hi, Harbor Freight (local store or on the internet) has sets of #1-#60 in a metal box for a reasonable cost especially if you can wait for their sales prices. They also have boxes of 50 asst. resharpened bits for about $7 plus shipping. These vary in what I got from #61 to #80 with a couple even smaller. Most had a standard shank that is easy to use as it fits the same collett in a pin vise. All in all I agree with the glue down method which is quick and easy. TARP