Відео

Back in the 70’s when the only prototypical looking HO track was made by Shinohara, difficult to find, and very pricey, many serious modelers hand laid their track. Homasote was a better material than cork for holding the tiny spikes in place. That was always my reason for using the stuff back then. Nowadays there are multiple brands of very prototypical looking track available. Each modeler has their own specific set of hobby aspects that they truly love doing, and looking at his workshop, I’d say that he really likes this part of the hobby! That’s great, and he does an excellent job of producing this product! I’m glad he’s happy making this stuff, but I’ll stick to my cork.

They won't because the required wiring & switching means the product will no longer be ready to run.

A frog juicer is wired to the frog and the 2 track wires. The frog juicer electronics will send current from one of the 2 wires to its “output” wire to keep the polarity to the loco correct. It can sense a short circuit caused by the loco quickly enough to switch from one wire to another. Google the term to get a fuller explanation.

@@BobWesneski I installed them on my layout and they simply did not work. Power was NCE. I have used that with electrofrogs for year with no problems until I used frog juicers. Does anyone know why?

I don't know what the source of the issue is. As long as there is power going to all the rails, including the frog, and there is no short, the train should pass over the plastic joiner okay. On the electrofrog turnout, the frog must be powered as it is electrically insulated from the adjoining tracks. The joiners themselves are only there to keep the tracks aligned better. If they weren't there, it would be the same as simply cutting a gap in the rail.

Mine did not work either Scott and I have been building layouts for 40 years.

I got it working by tossing the plastic joiners lol. Hey whatever works lol

@@Bamaboy35653 That's interesting. I am having a think about it. I have already rewired my layout now without frog juicers. I needed new switches, new point motors and a total rewire.

Nice video. Would using a frog juicer eliminate all these mods? I am trying to decide on which Peco 3 way turnout to get for DCC locos. Thanks!

It’s just a standard combination blade. 1/8” kerf. Brand: Diablo. Nothing special.

Instead of cork I use homasote. Specifically I cut my roadbed into the desired profile and cut kerfs in the side to allow for bending. I have a video on my channel showing how I made it. I’ve since learned there’s a company that sells this product; it’s referenced in my video as well. I much prefer homasote to cork for many reasons but it is more expensive.

Yes, you can use the PL1005 to switch the polarity of the frog. Another use of the PL1005 is to provide feedback to your control system to know "for sure" which way the turnout is thrown. If you want to use the PL1005 for both functions, you're in luck because the PL1005 has 2 separate sets of contacts. You would use one to switch the polarity and one to provide feedback.

@@BobWesneski thank you for responding to my questions!

I'm grateful for your good suggested alternative methods of construction. All good ideas. I'm a bit confused on the viability of using a table saw for the kerf cuts. Especially if you stack your strips 10-high, the fact that the table saw blade is circular, not straight vertical as with a band saw or scroll saw, I don't know how I'd avoid getting the cuts too deep or too shallow. Unless I tried it, I'm not sure if this is something I need to worry about. I agree that homabed can be made for close to the same price as cork. As you state, when you are doing it yourself, you have the freedom to make the pieces to whatever profile you want, even making a different profile for different sections of the layout. To emphasize a point I made in the video, homasote, I believe, holds up SO much better both initially (as in, holding spikes and nails) and over time (as in, no crumbling/drying out) compared to cork. So, if you can make the homabed yourself, I feel you're much better off in the long run. Thanks again for your good feedback.

@@BobWesneski Bob, sorry for the confusion. When I say stack the homabed pieces, it is not 10 high in front of the fence analagous to your cutting on the scroll saw, but 10 deep in front of the fence, effectively tipping your stack over 90 degrees. Consider kerf cutting a single piece of Homabed. Place the wide base (bottom/underside) of the homabed against the front face of the fence so the point of one side shoulder is firmly against the saw table and the other shoulder edge points up. Of course cutting a single piece at a time would be onerous so now place more pieces in front of this one. I've found that 10 to 12 pieces "ganged up" like this becomes the more or less practical limit due to weight, friction against the saw table and flexibility (weakness) of the freshly kerfed pieces. (I probably should have used the term "ganged" instead of stacked from the beginning). When you look down on the "ganged" homabed you'll see the edges of the shoulders looking somewhat like a bunch of very long planer blades on edge. As long as the "gang" is held firmly against the saw table the kerf cuts will be of consistent height, albeit on a 45 degree angle. I've found that if you build up the gang of homabed one piece at a time they all sit flat against the saw table quite well. Even so it is a good idea to "tamp" them down along their length to make sure they are all in contact with the table surface. If you are particular about the kerf depth consistency you could place a 10-12 inch block of wood on the top of the gang centered over the blade and press against it to keep the homabed firmly against the saw bed. You could even mount such a block to the fence permanently making the process a bit safer yet. I've found that the kerf needs to be at least 3/4 of the way through the flat top face of the homabed for it to bend reasonably well at the 24 - 30 inch radii we commonly use in HO scale. Tighter radii need a closer kerf interval. The fence should be at least an inch higher than the kerf cut depth so it doesn't flex or potentially break when pushing the gang of strips through the saw blade Setting the blade to the right height can take a few iterations but as long as you start low and raise the blade in small increments the slot in the fence is the exact depth that you will cut through the homabed as long as the point of the shoulder on each piece contacts the saw bed. Test run a short length (5-6 kerfs) through to test after each incremental rise of the blade. I hope this corrects any misunderstanding. You are so correct in your assertion that homasote is a vastly superior product to cork or the flexible foams currently used for roadbed. So much so that it justifies tolerating and cleaning up from the ungodly mess that results from working with it. And if you seal it with a paint or varathane before laying the track it becomes quite water/alcohol resistant when wetting the ballast and gluing it with diluted glue/matt medium, as long as you don't go totally overboard. Cheers, Carl.

Thanks very much for the helpful comments. There are many ways to minimize but not totally eliminate the dust. You are right in that cutting the material outdoors (not just in the garage) is truly the best. My setup did not allow that; thus the use of the dust collection system. I did improve the setup by mounting a Shark Guard dust collector hose right above the blade. For the number of pieces I had to cut, I was okay with the small amount of dust that wound up in the air. I used to cut Homasote with a sabre saw at my first job, WAY back when I was a teenager, and I know how bad it is to get that junk in your nose and airway. Regarding using 5/8" material to reduce waste: While that thickness might be offered by the manufacturer, it might be very difficult to procure in many places. Just finding one place around me that offered the 1/2" was a true challenge. My other concern would be my ability to produce 2 pieces that are exactly 1/4" thick. If the starting material is not dead on 5/8" or if I'm off very much on my measured cut, I'll have pieces that are not the same thickness, which is something I want to avoid at all cost. I can do repeatable cuts on my saw so as long as I always cut them to 1/4", as measured on my fence. They will all be equal thickness although they may not be EXACTLY 1/4" to the gnat's eyelash but they will all match. A 1/2" 4x8 sheet doesn't coot too much and I needed only 1 sheet for my whole layout so I'm okay with the extra waste. I think your suggested technique for cutting the pieces on a band saw is exactly right and I would definitely use it if 1) I had a band saw (I only have a scroll saw) and 2) I had a lot to cut. I did measure some of my old leftover purchased pieces of homabed and found that some were in fact at a 60 degree bevel, although all of mine was 1/4" thick. Cutting the pieces down to 1/8" is pretty easy; if you can do 1/4" you can do 1/8". Getting the 60 degree bevel is something I toyed with but I abandoned my efforts simply because I couldn't figure out a relatively easy and safe way to get that with my current equipment. Again, if you had more tools or experience and especially if you needed to make a lot, it would be worth the time to figure it out. Thanks again for the good comments.

Sorry but I have no plans to make and sell this item to the public. I'm retired and am not anxious to get back into the business world. However, a few months ago I purchased some "layout splines" from Randy Pfeiffer, who is the proprietor of 3rd PlanIt. Randy wrote and maintains the referenced software but he also cuts custom track subroadbed on CNC machinery. While working with him on the "layout splines" that I eventually ordered, I told him about this video and the overall process. Since he already has the machinery and a working business, and since at least one other person had asked him about homabed recently, he seemed interested in offering to make the stuff on a commercial basis. I contacted him after I read your comment to see if he'd moved forward on the idea but I've not heard back from him. I suggest you go to his website and contact him to see if he's willing to make some for you.

@@BobWesneski ok thank you. Do u have his webite name or link

@@kanishirosouthwester www.eldoradosoft.com or www.trackplanning.com. do a google search for 3rdplanit

I just learned today that a company does now make homabed. See the details in my revised description section.