OFFICAL BSA TRACK SPECIFICATIONS

General track discussions.
GILLS
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Re: OFFICAL BSA TRACK SPECIFICATIONS

Post by GILLS »

Hey guys,

Sorry it has been a while since I last spoke to you, fall soccer has consumed a lot of time as of late.
the last time I spoke I had mentioned of a better mouse trap for wood tracks. What I have come up with is a track that meets cub scout recomendations of 3.5" centered lane sections, 1/4"x1 5/8"w lane guides, and a starting height of 48" and falls at about 30 degrees of slope.
Now the new innovative part is that the track is completely sealed with a minimum of two coats of urethane, legs and braces included. But still even better is that with the combination of brace design, front leg height, and track thickness, the slope section pulls a natural curve to the flat section with no upward draw lifting the front legs. This is done without adding any weight to the front end of the braces.
The track surface is baby skin smooth and is made of an solid 1/2" 9ply birch plywood with a white birch veneer top and bottom. The plywood is special ordered to my specifications of being cross sanded and with 3 coats of factory applied urethane to both sides of the wood surfaces.
I decided to design a better track after ordering a track from the R.A. endorsed "Make Tracks" company, and finding out that no holes were drilled for anything, and not all the pieces were there. I feel that if you purchase something like this for any organization you should not have to do anything more than simply assemble the track. So out of my flustrations came idea. Interested in any questions or comments.
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Stan Pope
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Re: OFFICAL BSA TRACK SPECIFICATIONS

Post by Stan Pope »

Sounds like you are out to give Piantedosi a run for its money!
Stan
"If it's not for the boys, it's for the birds!"
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Panzer
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Re: OFFICAL BSA TRACK SPECIFICATIONS

Post by Panzer »

GILLS wrote: The track surface is baby skin smooth and is made of an solid 1/2" 9ply birch plywood with a white birch veneer top and bottom. The plywood is special ordered to my specifications of being cross sanded and with 3 coats of factory applied urethane to both sides of the wood surfaces.
What a fantastic track design.
There are many of us our there who, like baseball purists, prefer the rich sound of wood to the tiny sound of aluminum, coming from our pinewood derby tracks.
I have a few questions:
Where did you find the urethane coated birch plywood?
How long and wide are the track sections?
How many lanes?
How did you join the track sections?
Can you post some pictures?
GILLS
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Re: OFFICAL BSA TRACK SPECIFICATIONS

Post by GILLS »

Panzer,

The track sections are 8' long sections with a stop section built into the last few feet of it. As of now I am only interested in maybe making a 2,3,4 lane track. The plywood comes from a hardwood producere here in the US. As of now I am not trying to be a national producer, nor do I have the desire or ability to even try to produce a high end quality aluminum track.
Growing up my father owned his own commercial millwork business and I have learned quite a bit from him. With our knowledge of the wood and the RA derby, I thought we could deliver a little bit more quality for the churches money. I currently am the baptist Royal Ambassador leader for my county, I enjoy working with the kids in the program. My only intention is to offer RA groups a second source on a good track via approval of the NAMB (North American Missions Board).
GILLS
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Re: OFFICAL BSA TRACK SPECIFICATIONS

Post by GILLS »

I have some rough pics available to view now, if you wish to see them it's o.k. to p.m. me and I wil e-mail them to you. I am waiting for a photographer to get me in his studio in the next few weeks so I can get some good shots made for the website.
I have also decided to spend about $5 more per track and make a shipping case from 3/4" unfinshed birch plywood for the sides and 1/4" masonite top & bottom. This will insure sturdiness and no lost items during shippment and you could add a fes 1x2's framwork and a few hinges and handles and you would have a nice storage case.
GILLS
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Re: OFFICAL BSA TRACK SPECIFICATIONS

Post by GILLS »

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