laminate flooring underlay

You asked:
"I have some laminate underlay left over from my latest
non railway project which I am wondering if it could be used
as track underlay
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.js...72&ts=69680

Also I have thought about doubling it up to make it 6mm thick
and trying to bevel the edges at something like 50 or 55 degrees.
The usual 45 degrees always looks wrong to me.
Has anyone any opions on this idea and is there an easy way
to bevel the edges except with a freehand knife."

*** No reason not to use it. The angle should be 60 degrees. Personally I think that doubling will make it too thick unless you use thin sleepered track like C&L - Peco track/sleepers are already 3mm high, so 3mm + peco is as thick as it should be for a good visual result.

Freehand is iit unless you make a cutting jig to hold the blade - best is to use a truly sharp snap off type blade and go carefully... there's no real easy other way to do it without specialist tools.

Richard

QUOTE (Richard Johnson @ 5 Sep 2007, 13:49) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>By chance you haven't a clever way of making a 60 degree cutting jig !
The best I can think of is trying to cut a piece of wood at that angle and
then clamp the two bits of wood together again with the blade in between.

You asked:
"I have some laminate underlay left over from my latest
non railway project which I am wondering if it could be used
as track underlay
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.js...72&ts=69680

Also I have thought about doubling it up to make it 6mm thick
and trying to bevel the edges at something like 50 or 55 degrees.
The usual 45 degrees always looks wrong to me.
Has anyone any opions on this idea and is there an easy way
to bevel the edges except with a freehand knife."

*** No reason not to use it. The angle should be 60 degrees. Personally I think that doubling will make it too thick unless you use thin sleepered track like C&L - Peco track/sleepers are already 3mm high, so 3mm + peco is as thick as it should be for a good visual result.

Freehand is iit unless you make a cutting jig to hold the blade - best is to use a truly sharp snap off type blade and go carefully... there's no real easy other way to do it without specialist tools.

Richard

QUOTE (Richard Johnson @ 6 Sep 2007, 03:54) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I'll work on the wood & tape idea.
Proper mount cutters only come in 45 degree angles unless
you are lucky enough to find an old, no longer used French
mount cutter which is 60 degrees.
I found this out after phone calls & web search.

Doop. Mea Culpa

Geometry/Pythagorean triples Homework properly done this time - can I go home now

for 30/60/90 tirangle, 2 units = hypotenuse, 1 + square root of 3 = 2 sides at right angle

my wrongly suggested 3,4,5 gives 90, 53, 37 degrees - close but no prize

Richard

QUOTE (Richard Johnson @ 7 Sep 2007, 04:34) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Could it be the foam type but you would have to explain the difference to me.
I used a new blade of the snap off type and went very slowly.

You Said:
Of course cork might be different with an angled cut
but not foam underlay. Even with a straight cut you need
to be careful not to tear it.

** Then its the foam type (its specified as "cross-linked foam" in the ad I saw for the stuff you have), or your technique - I know as I have about 10,000metres of high quality closed-cell foam track radbed with edges cut to 60 degrees in my warehouse . Not a tear, ragged edge or other problem anywhere!

Also... Even if its a different foam, if it'll cut cleanly straight, it'll cut cleanly angled - its in the technique and blade angle you should adopt for it...

Richard

QUOTE (Richard Johnson @ 7 Sep 2007, 07:32) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I get the idea. Will give it another go and report back.

Hi
Basically you'll need to angle the blades angle of cut to the foam - in otherwords, it should enter it at perhaps more than 45 degrees from the vertical in relation to the cut, as well as being at an angle for the 60 degree shoulder

(You are cutting a bevel at 60 degrees, and the blade itself should additionally be at a shallow-ish angle in relation to the direction of cut - does that make sense?)

The "closed cell foam" I use for manufacture of roadbed cuts easily and very cleanly at any angle, however I don't have an example of your cross-linked foam here to try.

I suspect that a series of light passes may give you a cleaner cut if it has any form of structural reinforcing or strong "graining" in the foam.

Experiment a bit... It will cut cleanly if you can find the technique.

Richard

If it's the expanded polystyrene type of foam, the best way of cutting it is a hot wire cutter. As it cuts (or rather melts) its way through it seals all the loose crumbly edges.

Petal

QUOTE (Petal @ 9 Sep 2007, 17:17) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If it's the expanded polystyrene type of foam, the best way of cutting it is a hot wire cutter. As it cuts (or rather melts) its way through it seals all the loose crumbly edges.

Petal

Thanks for the tip. Do you know by chance if the track underlay from Australia mentioned in various posts is this

http://www.barcourt.com/trackrite.htm

Thanks