hazefullstop Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Hi guys, Firstly, wanted to say how awesome it is to find a dedicated Aussie forum for something like this - makes it seems more... welcoming? I'm in the Eastern Suburbs of Melbourne, and I wanna build a track. I have two kids and played with slots when I was a kid and felt it high time to get back into it and give them something worthwhile to play with. I am the kind of person however that loves a project and would find it gut-wrenching to simply go and buy pieces to click together from a shop. So, I am designing a routered track and have been reading and reading and reading up on all the stuff I need to know but still have a few questions (I'm sure I will have many more and the project progresses) which would be amazing to have help with. First up, scale racers and choices and track spacing: Basically I am looking at designing a track for 1/32 cars. I like the idea of getting hold of some nice Pioneer cars to race and figure 1/32 would be the most accommodating size to start at. Now the space I am trying to design two is pretty large, but I don't want to undertake something EPIC on the first go, so I am looking at a board size of 2600mm x 1800mm (sound ok?) with a split level track. I want to make a 2 or 3 lane track (open to suggestions) but a the moment my main issue is trying to work out HOW THE HELL to space the track out correctly, as everything I read seems to contradict itself. After 4 hours of reading tonight I think 105mm seems to be the go on track spacing? with 115mm gutters? I would really like to router this myself, but to the same effect I have been reading people talking about routing quotes as little as $200 for CAD files provided... which just seems too good to be true? Does anyone have a good contact of a place in Melbourne/Eastern Suburbs that is good for this kind of job? Also in my design I am having trouble with what my minimum corner radius should be? As I havent actually raced for so long I have no clue on what is functional and what is not, so would just need to be told what to stick to... This seems to cover my main questions so far, I'd really appreciate any input people have for a newcomer and hopefully longtime enthusiast. Cheers, Brent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caddo Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Gday Brent, I've only built one routed track, but if you've got 2 kids, I'd go for 3 lanes. It'll mean you may need a slightly larger footprint, but at least you can all run together. Saves a lot of arguments in my experience, after coming from a 2 to a 3 lane track myself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalbfellp Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 For 1/32 racing you can get away with 90mm spacing, with the area you have you will not have room for much more between lanes.only the outside gutter needs to be wide, the inside can be very close to the cars. From memory I think I used 50mm on the inside on a couple of corners and 110 on the outside. One track down here is based on Scalex track dimensions with just more on the outside, he has about 50' of lap length in 3.6 x 1.2 3 lanes,but it is tight. For routing contact Stubbo on this forum he managed to get his routing done for a reasonable price, in Melbourne area. Quote Phil https://www.hobartminiaturecarclub.com/ Email Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlotsNZ Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Welcome aboard Haze. Just like Phil said above (he's one of the patriachs here), 90mm is doable. My most recent track is built at 90mm spacings, and that is just fine. You may or may not like the idea of "squeezes" where the lane spacing reduces. With kids it could cause too many crashes, but since you have a limited footprint space for your track, this is one way to er "squeeze in" a couple of turns where design space is limited. You can also decide whether to build flat, or incorporate a cross-over / bridge. Either option has plusses and minueses. Troll some track builds on the forum and you'll see a lot of discussion on various ways to build, typers of design (flowing versus "technical" aka tricky to drive) and so on. Meanwhile beware the "crazies" here..... they can readily be spotted as having made more that 100 posts . . . . ie pretty much everyone. Quote Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict * Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose ) * Total kidder * Companion of other delusional slot addicts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Gday Brent, I've only built one routed track, but if you've got 2 kids, I'd go for 3 lanes. It'll mean you may need a slightly larger footprint, but at least you can all run together. Saves a lot of arguments in my experience, after coming from a 2 to a 3 lane track myself! Thanks mate that is a good point I totally didnt even consider it (the youngest is only 1 now but one day that will matter!) For 1/32 racing you can get away with 90mm spacing, with the area you have you will not have room for much more between lanes.only the outside gutter needs to be wide, the inside can be very close to the cars. From memory I think I used 50mm on the inside on a couple of corners and 110 on the outside. One track down here is based on Scalex track dimensions with just more on the outside, he has about 50' of lap length in 3.6 x 1.2 3 lanes,but it is tight. For routing contact Stubbo on this forum he managed to get his routing done for a reasonable price, in Melbourne area. That's awesome Phil! I'll re-do my drawings with 90mm and see where it gets me I'll also try looking for Stubbo to see what he got done! Welcome aboard Haze. Just like Phil said above (he's one of the patriachs here), 90mm is doable. My most recent track is built at 90mm spacings, and that is just fine. You may or may not like the idea of "squeezes" where the lane spacing reduces. With kids it could cause too many crashes, but since you have a limited footprint space for your track, this is one way to er "squeeze in" a couple of turns where design space is limited. You can also decide whether to build flat, or incorporate a cross-over / bridge. Either option has plusses and minueses. Troll some track builds on the forum and you'll see a lot of discussion on various ways to build, typers of design (flowing versus "technical" aka tricky to drive) and so on. Meanwhile beware the "crazies" here..... they can readily be spotted as having made more that 100 posts . . . . ie pretty much everyone. Heya Slots, yeah I think i'll go for 90mm but not do too many squeezes... Oh on that note, if the straights are 90mm what do they become on corners? Also, what kind of curve angle can I get away with when the track is reduced to 90mm spacing? Yes I see alot of those crazies ;o great resource of information > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 So my design so far is as follows: Using a 90mm track distance, 50mm on internal corners and 110mm on externals. The basic idea is that the middle straight of the track will be on the top level, with a sweeping turn at the bottom left, followed by the descent down to the lower level, turning again in towards a tunnel that turns and brings the racer back to the top central straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 After looking at it some more I reworked the angles so the straights were actually straight, I think I have fit more in now. I also extended the project to 1800x3200 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ember Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Welcome to this crazy slotting world. There's a lot of fun to be had. And a lot of information available from other people. Quote Computers. They'll never catch on. Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGas Posted January 16, 2013 Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Welcome Brent, A year ago I was a noobee too so asked a s*load of Q's, some of your future ones might be answered already in one of the posts I have put up. If your embarrassed to ask "Dumb" questions don't be, I think most of mine were dumb when I look back but everyone here is very friendly and helpful. Good luck with the build I look forward to the updates. BTW my track is my first and is 3x2 so you shouldn't have any probs with it being too daunting for a first go Quote Cheers Grant . Home Track..........Corvette C1 Build..........McLaren M1A Build..........Maserati 300S Build..........Allard J2 Build..........50's Diner..........Iso Griffo A3C 3D Printed Adjustable Chassis..........3D Print Projects If life gives you lemons, take them, free s#!t is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2013 Welcome to this crazy slotting world. There's a lot of fun to be had. And a lot of information available from other people. Thanks Ember, mate been looking at your epic aussie track and it's fantastic. Nice to see so much attention to detail - it's funny how similar it is to the vision I have for mine I'm looking at some kind of junkyard track... will see how we go. Welcome Brent, A year ago I was a noobee too so asked a s*load of Q's, some of your future ones might be answered already in one of the posts I have put up. If your embarrassed to ask "Dumb" questions don't be, I think most of mine were dumb when I look back but everyone here is very friendly and helpful. Good luck with the build I look forward to the updates. BTW my track is my first and is 3x2 so you shouldn't have any probs with it being too daunting for a first go Thanks ZeGas Yeah dumb questions I'm not afraid of! Will check out your stuff and posts too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlotsNZ Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 yo again. Good simple design to use the space. Just a couple of thoughts. Try to avoid the tightest turn being less than about 30cm diameter, or the deslots of less experienced racers may drive you nuttier. Also, it appears your design consists of all fixed radius turns. Try and incorporate some "turn in" and turn out. After building mostly fixed radius on my previous tracks, I made all but one corner on Oakland V2 with turn-in and out. In my opinion it helps people time braking into the apex, then acceleration back out. It doesn't have to be extreme. I just think it makes the track feel easier and flow better to drive. It also gets it away from looking limited, plastic track design and maybe boring/sterile. Apologies to all racers with plastic tracks, I'm sure know what I mean. You may want to put some "wiggle" back INTO one straight. It shouldn't cause de-slots, and watching the cars sort of weave a bit actually looks quite neat..... and these are just suggestions, not gospel Quote Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict * Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose ) * Total kidder * Companion of other delusional slot addicts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ember Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 It also gets it away from looking limited, plastic track design and maybe boring/sterile. Apologies to all racers with plastic tracks, I'm sure know what I mean. Just as well you were quick there boyo! Quote Computers. They'll never catch on. Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 yo again. Good simple design to use the space. Just a couple of thoughts. Try to avoid the tightest turn being less than about 30cm diameter, or the deslots of less experienced racers may drive you nuttier. Also, it appears your design consists of all fixed radius turns. Try and incorporate some "turn in" and turn out. After building mostly fixed radius on my previous tracks, I made all but one corner on Oakland V2 with turn-in and out. In my opinion it helps people time braking into the apex, then acceleration back out. It doesn't have to be extreme. I just think it makes the track feel easier and flow better to drive. It also gets it away from looking limited, plastic track design and maybe boring/sterile. Apologies to all racers with plastic tracks, I'm sure know what I mean. You may want to put some "wiggle" back INTO one straight. It shouldn't cause de-slots, and watching the cars sort of weave a bit actually looks quite neat..... and these are just suggestions, not gospel Totally good points I'm wondering though if I open the curves to have entries and exists how much will that affect the contour of the board? Or can i simply slowly move the slots closer to the exterior rim then inwards to the center of the curve? I had thought about a bit of a wiggle on a straight too I was going to put it at the bottom but that is the straight that comes off a banking curve and it might not be great for people who want a bit of speed there... the middle straight makes most sense but will be a tunnel and only visible from behind the poles I wonder if that will look good still? I went and got myself some guns and a power supply today and a fairly basic 'lightning mcqueen' box set for my 3yo so he can use the car from that and the little track in the mean time (his patience doesnt extend past a few hours, let alone a few weeks or months) It also gets it away from looking limited, plastic track design and maybe boring/sterile. Apologies to all racers with plastic tracks, I'm sure know what I mean. Just as well you were quick there boyo! Hahah Also, does anyone have any skills in CAD or know someone who does? I am doing the designs in illustrator at the moment and don't know enough about CAD to transfer the design (even though I should, and it would help in my profession..) Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow_rusty Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 I used google sketch it for some of my design work, and it seems to work ok... You can also get a dxf export filter to export into autocad format. Quote Stolen from SlotsNZ Team ABC Team Leader (Ambitious, But Crap) Home Track Threads - Shadow's Semi-Permanent Layout & Another Rug Racer & Proud of It & Gymkhana Test Track Car Collection Thread - My Car Collection Charts / Diagrams - MJK Tyre Selector / Slot.it 4wd Gearing / PoliCar Rollout / Rollout Chart Generator / SCX 4wd Rollout / Track Wiring with Brake on Track Call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 This is brain bending.... soo many angles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 It looks a whole lot messier than before, but I am just trying to play with the bends a bit more.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlotsNZ Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 SLOTCADDRAW on here is based in Banana land, but is a Kiwi, who did my Oakland Raceway, so he knows what I mean. He might be able to take your design and give it the final tweaks for not much moolah. He may be offline just now, as he came back to NZ for Christmas charlesX might know, as he is from their club in New Plymouth Quote Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict * Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose ) * Total kidder * Companion of other delusional slot addicts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeGas Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 (edited) Might be because some of the TP's of the curves are not tangent and there is too much of a kink in some, eg inside lane under the word ascent. If you decide to go with CMC or even rout yourself I have AutoCAD and can produce a dwg file if need be. I can do this for free and if need be tweak it to suit you. PM me if interested. I think what SlotsNZ is on about is a reducing curve radius like a spiral. Something like this but not necessarily so dramatic. Edited January 17, 2013 by ZeGas Quote Cheers Grant . Home Track..........Corvette C1 Build..........McLaren M1A Build..........Maserati 300S Build..........Allard J2 Build..........50's Diner..........Iso Griffo A3C 3D Printed Adjustable Chassis..........3D Print Projects If life gives you lemons, take them, free s#!t is cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadow_rusty Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Or like R2 45, R1 90, R2 45 in plastic terms... (Which by the way is a fun corner...) The other good one is R3 45, R2 90, R1 45... Which is a tightening corner... Obviously as its routed, you can do infinately adjustable radii corners... Quote Stolen from SlotsNZ Team ABC Team Leader (Ambitious, But Crap) Home Track Threads - Shadow's Semi-Permanent Layout & Another Rug Racer & Proud of It & Gymkhana Test Track Car Collection Thread - My Car Collection Charts / Diagrams - MJK Tyre Selector / Slot.it 4wd Gearing / PoliCar Rollout / Rollout Chart Generator / SCX 4wd Rollout / Track Wiring with Brake on Track Call Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triggy Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Your last layout to put a few curves in the bottom half of your track, is a good idea IMO as it creates slow points in the track where the driver has to think a bit and it gives the layout a bit more feature, while maintaining a simple layout. Most good 1/32 layouts have 5-6 corners max, so you are on the right track (no pun intended ) with your layout IMO. Quote * Avatar used with permission Normal people worry me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacob Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Welcome to the forum Brent - I've moved this topic to a more appropriate section; no dramas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SlotsNZ Posted January 17, 2013 Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Yes zegas, spot on. I was going to say use part of a "french curve", but most people wouldn't know what that is these days. That's a kind offer for a newbie ! Brent, no sweat on anything, Jacob has just moved the thread across for you. Quote Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict * Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose ) * Total kidder * Companion of other delusional slot addicts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2013 Your last layout to put a few curves in the bottom half of your track, is a good idea IMO as it creates slow points in the track where the driver has to think a bit and it gives the layout a bit more feature, while maintaining a simple layout. Most good 1/32 layouts have 5-6 corners max, so you are on the right track (no pun intended ) with your layout IMO. Thanks Triggy Yeah it's almost done, a bit of a wiggle to put down the bottom and ready to go - ZeGas has been amazing and helped me CAD the drawing, huge appreciation for him doing so. Welcome to the forum Brent - I've moved this topic to a more appropriate section; no dramas. Thanks Jacob, I appreciate that Yes zegas, spot on. I was going to say use part of a "french curve", but most people wouldn't know what that is these days. That's a kind offer for a newbie ! Brent, no sweat on anything, Jacob has just moved the thread across for you. Certainly is yeah I wasn't too worried about it pics of final design to come! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 This is where we are at currently My dodgy attempt at elevations below to give a rough idea of the ups and downs of the track. Huge thanks to ZeGas for his help so far with CAD stuff and getting those corners spot on for me! Final touches will be establishing the bank curve angle and shape as a flat, and the wiggle through the middle straight. Super happy with where this is at now, can start getting some CNC quotes on it soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazefullstop Posted January 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 18, 2013 When I'm stuck in the shop with nothing to make, all there is to do is draw insightful perspective drawings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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