Thread: Slow build of a half track

I admire your patience Derek cutting all those small pieces...wow, well done sir...Cheers, Peter

Originally Posted by Dalboy

..... Today I knocked up the last jig for the track parts this is for drilling the holes in the tracks.....

Do you label your jigs and write instructions for them? Just recently I culled about a dozen jigs I built in the past (to make space for new ones) as I couldn't remember what they were made for.... will admit some dated back many years.
The video is a good touch to remember purpose and use... however, not much good if you misplace your PC.

I can defiantly see the need for such note on one of a kind jigs.
Had thought of it in the back of my mind but never followed through so need to correct that.

Originally Posted by htl

..... thought of it in the back of my mind but never followed through.....

Guilty as charged, htl. Every time I intend to do and every time I forget to do until 6 months later... DOH waziz dis?

Thank you guys. going to have a cuppa and take tablets then venture out to the workshop to start sanding all those parts before drilling over 200 holes in the links as i intend to drill from each side as small drill bits can wonder and follow the grain bringing it off centre when it exits the other side and as I need to drill into the 3/16" edge and go through 1" of wood drilling from both sides sound a better bet. I will also be holding the bit in the chuck with just enough showing to also help.

Originally Posted by Alexkara

Do you label your jigs and write instructions for them? Just recently I culled about a dozen jigs I built in the past (to make space for new ones) as I couldn't remember what they were made for.... will admit some dated back many years.
The video is a good touch to remember purpose and use... however, not much good if you misplace your PC.

When i work out the router bit size for the first set of jigs I will put that info onto it. As for the little clamping jig I will leave that blank as I can use that for other small pieces. That one was just a case of saving time when drilling so many small pieces as to keep undoing the vice and setting up each piece to the correct angle will take forever

Have you considered using an Impact Driver drill bit to drill your small holes. I have found them less likely to wander.
Geoff

Thank you for the suggestion. the holes are 3/32" and I will be drilling today and I am sure it will be OK.

Originally Posted by TinyTool

Have you considered using an Impact Driver drill bit to drill your small holes. I have found them less likely to wander.
Geoff

Dalb'y (and Little'un), Never tried them (didn't even know they existed), however, have had good success with cobalt drill bits. Just a tad (TAD, ok.. TAD) dearer, but they bend like the mighty oak... not.

Well yesterday was a total wipe out went to the hospital for a monitor to be fitted and got a puncture on the way so parked the car and walked the rest of the way arrived totally shattered and having problems breathing. Got the monitor and a lift home, the silly pads that hold the monitor on all came off fitted the spares and within 10 minutes they fell off. When and sorted the car and popped back in the hospital for new pads they stuck on so good that I had problems this morning getting them off. That is life.
Back to the tracks at last after some delays and other things getting in the way.

Started by setting up the drill press and drilling 4 holes in each piece of track and there are 78 of them but only will need 62, The jig worked a treat and certainly saved time for clamping them.

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A small video showing how quick it works.



I had to keep blowing away swarf as any getting trapped would throw the hole out even with the extractor running

I made sure I did plenty of spares as by the time I had finished drilling I had damaged 4 of them.
Then the next job to rout the cut outs so they will link together expected to loose some more but did not.

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The first links shown are two of the first batch which I used to set up the router to the jig I made the other day.

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Started the routing and this took three different set ups to complete the links and that is not including the number of times I had to take the links out of the jib to turn them or replace with a fresh set which there were three batches.
The final two photo's show the before and after and a small section just placed together.

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Next job will be to touch up any bits that need it before glueing the centre pieces and then the pins in place.
Very near the end of this build now

There's a ton a work making tracks but they really are a knock out when done.
Love the way they clank around when in use.

Sorry to hear about your mishaps at the hospital. Hope everything is fine Derek.

Thanks for the video. The jig looks spot on. I love the quick release design you have made - makes it look so professional and easy to use.

Must be warm over in the UK - only a Tee Shirt. It is really cold over here. Doors shut in shed with heater on and wearing lots of clothes and a beanie - a real sight

Regards

Keith

You're a better man than I Derek. All those little, little parts and done so precisely & quickly with that clever jig...WELL DONE SIR!! Cheers, Peter

Thank you guys. There is still some cleaning to do on the links mainly on the inside edge as can be seen in the photo's. I will stick a piece of sand paper to a stick and just give it a couple of rubs as the photo makes them look worse than what they are.

Peter it still took all day yesterday just to drill the holes and rout the cut outs even with the jigs but they still seemed to work a treat so time well spent on making them. The ones you see in the jig are the test pieces the ones I will use are a better fit so came out better.

Keith it was just a pain and could have done without all the problems which took up precious time I could have spent in the shed.

This will be the last update on the half track build, as the next time I will post will be the completed model.

So I have had a pretty good day. Started by just tidying up the centre of each link using the clamping jig I made for drilling them, a couple of rubs across each cleaned these up ready for the next stage.
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I made another small jig this time to line up the centre pieces when they are glued. A nice line up of the links drying after the centre guide pieces are applied.

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While they were drying I popped out to do another little job non woodworking related.

On my return cut up a length of dowel to 1" long pieces enough to join the links.

Spent the rest of the day gluing up the links into strips of 10 links this made it easier to handle, now this is where I found another fault with the plans or I had made a miss measurement somewhere which I doubt as I seemed to spend a lot of time double measuring everything. Anyway the plans say 62 links needed that is 31 each side, I ended up having 33 each side luckily I made plenty of spares.
The last three photo's show the tracks yet to be sanded varnished and fitted.

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Tomorrow I will sand the edges where the pins just stick out a little which means it will leave them tidy.