Refurb For an Old Track

General track discussions.
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Littlejon
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Refurb For an Old Track

Post by Littlejon »

Hello all! First post here, though I have lurked and gained a lot of knowledge the last few weeks here.

Anyway, I have a few questions about our pack's wooden track. It was free, so of course we gladly took it. However, it is my opinion that we need to do some work on it. It is a three lane track, but we only use the outside two lanes as the middle lane has some irregularities.

What I would like to do is fix those irregularities (I am a pretty good woodworker and pretty knowledgeable where construction is concerned, so this isn't where I need advice) first, then cover the track in melamine or laminate. I was wondering if anyone has done this to an existing wooden track and what some of the issues are to look out for.

Thanks in advance!

Jon
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gpraceman
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Re: Refurb For an Old Track

Post by gpraceman »

I'm not sure that I would want to use melamine on a track. The stuff can chip too easily on the edges and is not flexible enough for the curved section.

I have heard of others using laminate and I am sure that it makes for a fast racing surface. Applying it may require you to pop up all of the lane strips so there are no edges (or dried glue) that would pose a problem to a rail rider.
Randy Lisano
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Awana Grand Prix and Pinewood Derby racing - Where a child, an adult and a small block of wood combine for a lot of fun and memories.
pwdarchitect
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Re: Refurb For an Old Track

Post by pwdarchitect »

The laminate would have to be tacked down using an adhesive. You can get laminate in a variety of finishes, one of which incluse a brushed or chrome aluminum which would be higher in price but give you a very smooth running surface. Checkout: http://www.formica.com/publish/site/na/ ... metal.html

This site should give you the correct directions to applying the laminate to the substate for years of enjoyment.

Jim
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stang68
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Re: Refurb For an Old Track

Post by stang68 »

The use of laminate to cover an old track surface will not fix all the problems that you may have with your track.Any surface iregularties will be transfered to the laminate once it is glued. The labor cost alone to sand the track and install the laminate would make me take a look at a new track. I had two wood tracks i was looking at covering for our pack and for district. I decided to buy a new 35' Best Track and donate it to them.

STANG 68
Littlejon
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Re: Refurb For an Old Track

Post by Littlejon »

Thanks guys. We are a new pack and the track we have was donated a few years ago to the Boy Scout troop we feed into. It runs good, but could use some work. I knew that there would be a lot of work involved, but the cost of a new track may be too much for us to consider right now.

One other option we may have is with a high-end custom cabinet maker my boss is good friends with. He has done a lot of work for us (Architectural firm) and may be willing to cover the track in laminate for us if we buy the materials. He would know exactly how to cover it and make it work better than us "shade-tree" carpenters!

Anyway, I appreciate the input!
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