Hand made Vee filing/soldering jig?

[Lacathedrale]

Hello guys,

 

I've submitted my EMGS membership form a few weeks ago and unfortunately have yet to get my access to the stores/etc. - I'm hoping that my track component delivery may turn up in the next few days and I'd like to get started as soon as is practical.

 

In 2FS I bought some wonderful jigs which assist in holding the rails at the correct angle for filing, and then subsequently for soldering into a nice vee, even with slots fo support the wing rails around the vee itself. Though I had some problems with the tie bars and gauges on the 2FS turnouts I built, they were geometrically pretty good.

 

Is this something I can/should do in EM too? I believe (it's hard to remember!) the last time I did this, I simply cut slots into a piece of timber at the correct angle and used that to both assist filing and to hold for soldering (vertical alignment a little more tricky, granted)

 

 

Is it worth holding on incase the EMGS has something like the 2FS jig offering, or is this fine/good/workable?

[brossard]

William, EMGS do several jigs for turnout building.  There's one for vees as you describe.  There's also a jig that helps you plane blades. Filing the top flange of the rail without touching the bottom flange can be a bit of a trial.  Without a jig you should get a file with a dead edge.  There's a wooden jig that assists with laying out the crossing too.  I had all these when I did 4mm.  Not sure if I still have them.

 

Then again, a homemade jig for vees using angled strips of PCB works well for me.   I plane blades using a piece of ply to lean on.  It all takes practice.

 

John

[RedgateModels]

I use Brian Harrap's method, no jigs required. Works in O gauge too

 

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/37678-handbuilt-track/page-2?hl=+quai%20+87

Edited November 8, 2018 by RedgateModels

[Lacathedrale]

Thanks Mr. Redgate Models  - I think, and this may be too far in the mists of time, that I may have even used that method too in the dark and distance past.

 

John, do you think you could PM me with the info for these jigs? It's been some weeks since I submitted my EMGS membership form unfortunately and it would be good to get an idea of cost/etc.

[brossard]

Sorry William, my purcase was a long time ago and I can't find the record for it.  I do recall the price was quite substantial.  I'm no longer in EMGS so can't access the sales section.

 

John

[dhjgreen]

Crossing V jig £30: 1:5,6,7,8

[Kelly]

Also: Switchblade Planing Jig - £30

 

The Scalefour Society also offer the following incidentally:

 

Blade filing jig, hardened steel - £34

Crossing vee filing jig, for crossing angles 5, 6, 7 and 8, hardened steel - £32

Crossing vee filing jig, for crossing angles 9, 10, 11 and 12, hardened steel - £41

 

non-members can buy them at the Scalefour Shows.

[Lacathedrale]

Thanks, I submitted my membership form quite a while ago and it appears the membership sec was on holiday; came back last week and I assume is now working through the backlog. I just wish I could send the order through for the jigs! Cheers,

[kipford]

By the way the crossing vee and plaining jigs available from the EMGS and Scalefour society are identical. Both societies use the drawings gifted to them from Dave Hawkins when he closed down Portsdown Models. I did the original drawings, for the late Peter George's and still hold the CAD 3D models and drawings. My reward a set of jigs!

[brossard]

Since the title of this is "Hand made vee soldering jig", I thought I'd throw out what I've been doing:

 

 

This is 7mm, but the method is the same for 4mm.  I print off a Peco template and tape the crossing to scrap ply.  I replicate the vee angles and nail copper clad strip to the ply.  The rails arew filed and soldered to produce the vee.

 

Easy peasy?

 

John

[nberrington]

These are really well made:

 

https://www.handlaidtrack.com/pf-6-m

[polybear]

These are really well made:

 

https://www.handlaidtrack.com/pf-6-m

 

 

It looks like FB rail though - will code 75 BH fit?

[Julia]

 

Does anyone know what rail will fit in the various society filing jigs? Will code 55 FB rail fit in the 2FS jigs? What about the EMGS jigs?

 

The Handlaidtrack jigs look great, but at $60 per jig, bloomin' expensive

 

Thanks

 

J

[Dominion]

I only know about the Fast track ones (Handlaidtrack.com).

If they are the ones you meant, I can vouch for them. They are very easy to use.

Tom

[Ian Smeeton]

Looking at the 'Products' Page for shop1 (Track) of the 2mm Association here: http://www.2mm.org.uk/products/shops.php?shop_num=1

 

None of the filing jigs are designed for FB, rail. Code 55 (Peco) is actually a double FB, as there is a chunk of rail buried in the sleeper base. Other Code 55 FB may not be so.

 

Most of the filing jigs will only take Bullhead because of the need to invert the rail, so that both sides can be filed.

 

Because of the 'foot' on FB, this is not feasible with the 2mm Association jigs.

 

There have been articles in the 2mm Journal re: building Flat Bottom S & C, however, you would need to search the archives. I cannot remember which Journals have the articles. There are some quite simple methods to make bespoke jigs. I think that the crossing assembly jigs will accept FB rail, as the crossings are assembled upside-down, but whehter or not commercial rail will fit, I am afreaid that I do not have the answer.

 

Regards, and sorry not to able to be more positive.

 

Ian

[Siberian Snooper]

11 hours ago, Julia said:

 

Does anyone know what rail will fit in the various society filing jigs? Will code 55 FB rail fit in the 2FS jigs? What about the EMGS jigs?

 

The Handlaidtrack jigs look great, but at $60 per jig, bloomin' expensive

 

Thanks

 

J

 

 

EMGS filing jigs are code 75.

 

 

[Izzy]

I think what you have to bear in mind and be careful about is that describing rail by it’s code height doesn’t always mean that the width/head/foot will be a fixed relationship to it. Often it is, or can be, with regard to BH, but that doesn’t usually apply to FB. I have different code 75 FB where one has head and foot width about twice that of the other. One is used in commercial track the other for use in another scale to the first.

 

Since I didn’t know about such things (jigs) when I first started track building I have only ever made crossings and blades up by hand with files. Once you get the hang of it it’s not difficult, and somewhat cheaper.........although I will confess I do sometimes use simple card jigs (5 min job) to solder up certain crossings at the right angle. It is also the easiest way with FB, well relatively!

 

Izzy

 

 

[Crosland]

The 2FS track book shows how to make your own jigs quite easily. I am sure it also includes flat bottom rail by arranging appropriate support. My copy is still packed away so I can't check at the moment.

 

I am sure it's worth buying whatever scale you are working in.

[Dominion]

The Handlaidtrack.com Fast tracks filing jigs Julia asked about are designed I think for flat bottomed rail originally.

Clamping vertically on the foot of the rail.

I have used them successfully on code 83 bullhead rail too, clamping the rail top and bottom.

They come in 3 sizes.

They call them 70-100, 40-55 and 125 to 148. 

One of my 70-100 tools needs a little brass shim in it when doing code 83 bullhead as teh groove is slightly deeper than the others (and also because I am using it for bullhead instead of flat bottomed).

I have also tried the 40-55 jig for code 83 bullhead and that worked fine too. If anyone wants me to measure the groove depth and width in that 40-55 tool, let me know.

Tom

 

[Julia]

20 hours ago, Ian Smeeton said:

Looking at the 'Products' Page for shop1 (Track) of the 2mm Association here: http://www.2mm.org.uk/products/shops.php?shop_num=1

 

None of the filing jigs are designed for FB, rail. Code 55 (Peco) is actually a double FB, as there is a chunk of rail buried in the sleeper base. Other Code 55 FB may not be so.

 

Well yes... But I'm using the nickle silver flat bottom code 55 rail, which I think is Microengineering (I got it from C&S a few years back). 

 

Looks like I'll have to bite the bullet and invest in the handlaidtrack jig. Looks like $75 including shipping to the Netherlands. 

 

J

 

 

 

 

20 hours ago, Ian Smeeton said:

 

 

[davknigh]

Investing in a jig depends on how many bits of rail you intend to file. If this is to be a club layout with at least 10 turnouts to be made then fine, but for the average home layout it is probably easier to just get a decent small vice and learn as you go. Code 55 being of small section works quite easily, the main trick is to use as big a file as you feel comfortable with. I use a 6" Mill Bastard which cuts quickly and smoothly rather than faffing about with a jeweller's file.

The track in the foreground is code 75 BH, the rest is code 55. There are a fair few good books on track building. My favourite is Iain Rice's "An Approach to Building Finescale Track in 4mm but the lessons translate for any scale or gauge. The various societies would also have information on track building.

 

HTH

 

David

[davknigh]

Further to the above, a jig for free! http://www.norgrove.me.uk/points.html plus instructions.

 

Cheers,

 

David

[AndyID]

There's another way to do it that does not require a jig. The filing is done after soldering the vee and the vee has a solid nose.

 

http://85a.co.uk/forum/view_topic.php?id=3173&forum_id=6

[MikeTrice]

For code 55 I use a door hinge to which a brass plate of the correct angle has been glued:

 

The rail is butted up against the brass plate:

 

With the hinge closed and clamped in a vice the angle can be filed:

 

On removing from the hinge. The rail can flex fractionally during filing so the tip is not a perfect point:

 

 

A little bit of fine filing resolves.

 

I have a collection of different hinge jigs for different crossing angles and switch blades.

 

[Lacathedrale]

I've never really understood the hinge-jig method until now, that's wonderful, thank you!