Body warping

[ScoutDadinVA]

We milled out a nice 7.3g body however now the top looks concave and it is throwing my rear axles off, one close to 3 deg the other more like 5/6. Any tips? heard penetrating epoxy but I don't have and and is expensive. what about diluted CA glue with denatured alcohol or some other solvent?
Thanks.

 

[Jupiter 2.9]

Sounds like you didn’t leave enough wood to support itself & there might not be a simple fix.
Depending on ladder body or full plank routed out. Once you get past a 1/4 inch thick or past 12-15 g you start getting into the danger zone. You need to keep in mind that stiffness is important & we have to be able to survive the stop section over & over. Even a 20g body can be fast & give you good service or longevity
1 cube is about 4.5g,, is that really going to make the difference in the overall finished product.

GetRot is a penetrating epoxy “HomeDepot” or most hardware stores & you only mix about a half an ounce to seal a body.
It’s a little more user friendly than CA glue but it takes 12-24 hours to cure.

Good Luck

 

[ScoutDadinVA]

THANKS Jupiter 2.9. My scout didnt want a ladder body as he likes the router process, carefully managed by me no less. So maybe we target another session with my new fluted mill bits..should be quicker than router bits. Ill get that product too..great info!!

 

[DerbyBoyz]

I like to glue in my back weight, and then sand the bottom of my car body after 24hrs after it's dried to make sure it's flat. Then I drill the axles holes.

 

[Jupiter 2.9]

THANKS Jupiter 2.9. My scout didnt want a ladder body as he likes the router process, carefully managed by me no less. So maybe we target another session with my new fluted mill bits..should be quicker than router bits. Ill get that product too..great info!!

I built a basic jig to hold a 3/8 block, cut the pockets & sand it down almost to size then seal it. We also use a Dremel tool with a router attachment & 1/8" straight router bit, making a few passes to get the depth desired. It's a lot easier to deal with than a full on router. We aren't building cabinets.
I think the whole setup was under $100 & we have been doing it that way for 3 years.

 

[ScoutDadinVA]

I built a basic jig to hold a 3/8 block, cut the pockets & sand it down almost to size then seal it. We also use a Dremel tool with a router attachment & 1/8" straight router bit, making a few passes to get the depth desired. It's a lot easier to deal with than a full on router. We aren't building cabinets.
I think the whole setup was under $100 & we have been doing it that way for 3 years.

Thanks for the note. We have a full sized drill press so we use that with the router bits and now mill bits and it is a managable process. We used to use the dremel but the drill press process is prefered by my son. Id like to get a fence set up..looks like it would help with stability.

 

[ScoutDadinVA]

I like to glue in my back weight, and then sand the bottom of my car body after 24hrs after it's dried to make sure it's flat. Then I drill the axles holes.

Great idea, i had a different process altogether. Many of my blanks are 1/4 inch so i glued a small 1/8" square to the rear top to have more depth to work with. Do you have a target body weight for a very competitive scout car?

 

[DerbyBoyz]

Great idea, i had a different process altogether. Many of my blanks are 1/4 inch so i glued a small 1/8" sqaure to the rear top to have more depth to work with. Do you have a target body weight for a very competitive scout car?

I don't even know when is the last time I actually weighed one of my car bodies, I'm more concerned about the FDW weight. I would have to think a safe weight for a scout ladder body would probably be around 14-15g.

 

[ScoutDadinVA]

I don't even know when is the last time I actually weighed one of my car bodies, I'm more concerned about the FDW weight. I would have to think a safe weight for a scout ladder body would probably be around 14-15g.

Thank you! That is what we are targeting. We do have one that is around 7.5 but doesnt roll in straight line when we test it with pin gages and Rage wheels..so likely milling out another.