3D Printed fixture to glue ties under hand-laid turnout....

Sumner Jan 1, 2021

  1. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    This is a jig/fixture, actually three of them, that will hold the ties in place for gluing under a #6 turnout that was created using a Fast Track fixture or one of their printable templates. I was using a tape method shown ( HERE ) that I also use for other curved and straight turnouts of different sizes. I'll still probably continue using that for most of the turnouts I do other than the #6's which I've made a lot of and will probably make a lot more of as it takes some time to design the jig/fixtures you see below.

    Hopefully the following pictures will pretty much show how to use these jigs/fixtures.

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    The jig/fixture is faster than using the tape method of holding the ties but that is still a viable method and I'll continue to use it for other turnouts that I make in low quantities.

    You can find the files to print this on my thingiverse.com account ( Soon ).

    You can find all the files to 3D print this object and others on my thingiverse.com account ( HERE ).

    Also the above is on my web site here .....

    http://1fatgmc.com/RailRoad/Trackwork/page-30.html

    Sumner
     
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  2. S t e f a n

    S t e f a n TrainBoard Member

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    Very nice! Those Fast Track jigs seem a bit pricey though.
    A decade or two back, I made a jig to build turnouts by pencil-rubbing an ME #6 turnout on paper, gluing the paper to a piece of plywood, and then cutting slots for the rails and frog with a dremel cutoff disk. I'd then build the turnout upside down on this jig. The cutoff disk width slots were a good and tight fit for the ME rail heads. I think I put the non-soldered (wood) ties down on a 1:1 drawing (from the NMRA website?), and transferred them with tape to a glue bed. The pre-soldered turnout rail assembly then went on top of the ties, after sanding the ties level with a sanding block.

    Your method of pre-assembling everything seems very convenient.
     
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  3. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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    Stefan that was a pretty innovative way to make a turnout.

    The Fast Tracks fixtures aren't exactly cheap but if you need a lot of turnouts and like building them they can be quite cost effective. I've done over 40 turnouts now and I'm down to a turnout costing about $5. Most of them are #6's built with their fixture but I've also done several curved off of their printable templates and a couple from templates I drew up with a cad program and 5 3-way turnouts build again off their printable turnouts. I would of had a lot of expense if I would of tried buying all of those and some aren't even available.

    I don't consider buy one of their fixtures as a needed item as you can build off the paper templates without a lot of trouble. The fixtures do speed things up. They do sell two tools that I couldn't live without. One is their 'PointForm tool' filing jig for $60 that helps in filing the switch points and also makes it easy to file the frog points. I have only the #6 and it works for the point ends for any turnout and I've been able to use it for turnouts other than #6's by filing the frog points a little more or less depending on the frog angle. I've also made some jigs out of aluminum for holding the frog points at different angles while soldering for the different frog numbers. I think I can make those 3D printable also and will try and get those done soon.

    The other tool I'd strongly suggest getting is the 'StockAid tool' for $76. It makes it very easy and fast to file the notch in the stock rails for the points. The one tool will work for any turnout.

    If you have the right tools and can turnout a turnout in an hour or so after doing a few it can be quite rewarding and you end up with a nice looking and very functional turnout and save a bunch in the process. I have info on how to do them on paper turnouts and other info here...

    http://1fatgmc.com/RailRoad/Trackwork/Trackwork-Index.html

    Sumner

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  4. S t e f a n

    S t e f a n TrainBoard Member

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    Back then (it must have been 20 years ago) I found instructions on how to shape the frog point by filing, folding and soldering a piece of rail. It might not even have been on the web/internet, but in Model Railroader or the Narrow Gauge Gazette. I do remember filing the stock rail notches by hand, and making one very asymmetric turnout because I had filed one of the notches in the wrong spot... It looked odd, but worked well nevertheless.
     
  5. Sumner

    Sumner TrainBoard Member

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