Originally Posted by
metalnut
Well, I get the theory, but as with most things in life, there are usually tricks to doing things that make them easier, more precise, less error prone, etc. I decided to try out 12th scale this coming carpet season, but this is the one aspect of the class I have not witnessed first hand. I'll let you guys know how badly I cut the first tire
Originally Posted by
RedBullFiXX
Try not to take off more than a few mm a cut
when you're finished they should look smooth
radius the edges a little
When I am prepping a batch of tires, I will get them all close to the final diameter I want. So, lets say I have 3 sets of new rear tire that are 45mm out of the box, and I'm prepping them for club racing, I want them all to be 43mm, I will first cut them all to 43.5mm in one pass,(taking off 0.75mm of rubber) with the feed set kinda fast. Then, the final cut will be at a slow feed and only take off the last 0.25mm of rubber(for 0.5mm less in diameter), this will give a nice smooth finish. Then radius the edges a bit, if racing on hi-traction surface, do a small radius, if low-traction, large radius.(you can use the radius to tune the car as well, especially the front). One other thing to keep in mind, after doing the big first cut on the tires, they will heat up, let them cool before doing the final cut. (rubber will expand and be softer when hot)
Also, get a good cutting bit for your truer, the Hudy one is good, as is the CRC, they are expensive, but they should last years.