Track Corners: Show us how to do it
 

Our on-road carpet track is considering all of the options when it comes to boards and as such we are trying to figure out how other people create corners for their track. We currently use square plastic down spout and it works very well, but when you get to the corners all bets are off. It seems bending square pipe is a difficult task and as such we have found that creating wooden corners to be the only viable option. But we have found with experience that this is not best and only approach.

CRC click track is really nice, but outside our budget and apparently limits the possible layouts. We know this stuff is good and works, but I want to see how everyone else not using click track is creating good, well designed track corners.

So what is everyone doing make their track design work? How does it hold up and what materials are you using to create these fine corners?

If you have a good approach please post pics where possible...

Thanks!

We use the square downspout at our track also. We use wood blocks that fit inside the pipe and pin it all together. We have a bunch of different angles to make more of a rounded corner. Recently we started used a plastic type material to help protect the cars from the blocks. You can double or triple them and create a sort of spring action to absorb the shock of the cars hitting the wall. Look at your local Menards/Lowes/Home Depot and see what you can find.

Hi, hope you can see from the video. Items in yellow are wood. Short pieces joined together by screw. Then velcroed to the carpet. Very car friendly.

+ YouTube Video

http://www.rccartips.com/tamiya-track-tac-2010.jpg

Double post.

Great thread. We've been using 4 inch square pvc pipe. We have a few rounded pieces that work well into the corners. Works very well, but takes up alot of space and not very friendly when you hit it. We're looking for 2 inch square pvc pipe right now. I would definitely like to see other options as well.

We should make them out of that memory-foam mattress material, nice and friendly. :lol:

At the Gate in Cleveland we had a 4' x 8' x 1/4" LDPE sheet cut into 3" x 8' strips. In some case we wrap the end of a double 2x4 to form a bubble. In other arrangements we build triangles or boxes as wide as 3' and form a big bubble. The material is firm enough that you don't want to try and drive through it to cut the corner but soft enough to not damage the car when you do hit it solid. One sheet cut into the strips (15 of them) was $130.

Check out the Seattle RC Racers / Hanger 30 thread in the northwest forum.

We use square PVC downspout with most joints being slip-on using wood blocks that fit inside the pipe. We have a few custom corners with different angles, but our latest layout uses lots of Losi track dots (I haven't personally seen it yet). They are small and low-profile, so hitting them will unsettle the car and spoil your line, but it won't launch you into the air or cause a huge crash. They're fast to throw down / take up for our temporary track. Most importantly, using the dots moves the apexes away from the pipes, so you get unsettled from dots long before you tap a hard apex when you're pushing hard and cutting things close.

-Mike

This ...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7...0/PC310092.JPG[/

Panoramic shot of what Wes posted! :nod:

Can you post or link some pictures?

great input thanks


What a great looking track...

Nice track and facility!

Dots will be our fourth corner system. Started with PVC pipe with pins dropped through steel couplers. Hard on cars and other then very heavy weight it was hard to keep in place.

http://b.vimeocdn.com/ts/720/282/7202822_640.jpg

Our second system we went away from PVC pipe and switched to 2.5" square vinyl downspout. Its the best pipe IMO. We started with flappers made from UHMW 1/8" plastic in a simple U shape screwed to wood plugs we made. Larger corners were made from two strips of 1/8" UHMW separated with small wood blocks. This system worked well but moved around to much with our temp track as nothing was screwed down. All pipes have 4 strips of hook Velcro but still wasn't the best. Working on finding a photo...

When it came time for our third go around we wanted something solid that would stay for the novice guys. Still using 2.5" downspout we designed a new corner and end system. Basically there plywood discs purchased from Lowes. For the end corners we used the 24" disc put a small notch on the left or right side depending if the flow was left or right and screwed a plug in the notch. Its a little hard to explain but I can get pic's if ya like. Its possible to mail an unused one as well if interested. Then we used 2.5" strips of UHMW and lined the plywood edge for a nice smooth corner. For 90 deg corners I used a 48" plywood disc and cut it in quarters. Plugs notched and screwed to the ends then edged with plastic. Each plywood corner got a nice coating of Velcro. A few strips is all that's needed. Corners were hard and mostly stayed put.

http://www.rctech.net/forum/attachme...-new-track.jpg

The forth system is what you see above... Dots! Well we did use 2 90deg plywood corners with dots around the radius.





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Thanks!

Kody,

Keep us posted on how well it works. It's very hard convincing people at our track that this type of barrier system is beneficial. Everyone is worried about the dots moving and launching cars if there hit.

I for one don't believe this will happen.