This makes me feel like a newb. I've got to ask though. I've just made some new modules and laid track across the board joins. Now it's time to cut across the joins... I have to hand my wonderful Xuron railcutters from the USA-no-said my amigos. Too big and not clean enough. Use a dremel with cut off disc they said...but due to the diameter I cant get the disc perpendicular to the rails. Also got one of those steel backed razor saws... What do you use?
It might be too late now but don't lay tracks across the boundary between modules and cut. Stop them at the end of each module. Or if you are using Unitrack, stick them out 2mm beyond the ends. If you lay them across modules and cut, you will lose material from the cut, ending up with track gaps between modules. Take a scrap piece of track and cut one rail with any tool you plan to use, even the super thin Dremel cutting disk. You will be surprised at how big that gap is due to hand movement, etc.
How many tracks are there at each module end? If only one, then laying the track up to the end of each module will work as it is easy to line up one track. But if there are two then it gets dicey; more than two and it gets even more dicey. NTRAK with at least three tracks, faces this very problem and solved it by using a piece of sectional track between modules. While it works, it is also very time consuming to set up a layout. Using the Kato expanding track has some advantages but as with everything else, it also has its disadvantages. Several people have attempted to resolve the issue, including me, but I am not aware of anyone coming up with a workable solution. I am still working on mine. There were prior threads on this subject here. Do a search for 'joiner tracks'.
This will only work if you don't plan to mix the order of modules. Otherwise you will need a jig to guarantee the same angle for every cut if you want to mix and match modules.
Well besides the rail nippers I have an assortment of rotary cutters from composite to metal. I also have a Dremel that is permanently connected to a long flex drive. Not shown in the photo is my number 409 thin Dremel cut off wheels. A number of these disks are after market. 100_0010-1 by John Moore posted Aug 7, 2022 at 10:40 AM
In the past I've used an Atlas razor saw; kerf is narrower than my narrowest cutoff wheel. The key on ME flex at least is to not pull the rails off the ties, and the way to do that is to superglue two or three ties down to the roadbed, and superglue the rail down to ties (not that you can do one without the other), on either side of the cut prior to using the saw. Then saw carefully whilst holding down the rails to petrify them even further. However, most of the modules that I see use the sectional piece described by @Inkaneer.
I use the Xuron cutters, allowing a bit extra, then dress it with a fine file. The Dremel angle issue is the same. Cut adding a slight excess, the square it carefully, gently, with the side of the cut of wheel. Or just hit it square with a file. Only takes a few seconds.
This begs the question of when using the Xuron cutters do you cut with one blade on top of the rail and one blade beneath the rail or with a blade on either side of the rail? I heard that top to bottom is the recommended way but videos I've seen all seem to show a cut side to side. So, which is it or does it really matter?
I *think* (I've had my cutter for awhile) the instruction says the cutter should be vertical for N scale. Vertical meaning the cutting edge are either side of the rail. But for HO it should be cutting edges top and bottom of the rail. Why the difference I have no idea! The only thing I can think of is the size of the rail. EDIT: found the original packaging and instructions. Yeah! My memory was correct.
From the sides. As per the use instructions. Which I see have been posted. Then a quick touch up with a file.
Amazing! I mean about your memory! (Just kidding. . . . .honest) . So, it seems the 'vertical cut' refers to the position of the cutter and not to the position of the rail. So all those You Tube videos were correct.
Sounds like it's too late, but for Ntrack, track is laid to a point that is half the length of a piece of sectional track , then the short connector track is dropped in as the modules are connected. As noted, no matter how you cut, you are going to end up with a gap.......the gap may be small enough to not cause problems, but maybe not. If you run into gap issues, simply cut the track back further (like 2 inches on each side of the gap) and then cut a new section of track to fit the gap. This also helps if the 2 modules aren't aligned perfectly.