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Regular poster 377 posts ljcasey1 Regular poster 377 posts
ljcasey1

Finally got around to cutting my two sheets of homasote into 2 inch spline material.    Special thanks to Jeff Otto for the 'proof of concept'(i.e. his beautiful layout) and to Matt Goodman from the Layout Construction group who showed how to cut duplicate strips with a circular saw and jig(Jeff's method is with a table saw which I ain't got)

Couple shots of the jig and how it works:


ting_jig.jpg end_stop.jpg d_of_cut.jpg 

 

Next shows the accuracy of this...2" exactly.... checked about 7 different ones, only one showed any variance and is so marked.


e_spline.jpg 

Finally....$55 worth of Homasote(2 sheets) doesn't make a huge pile, but should get me started....3 splines screwed together into 39+ splines means 13 X 8 feet or over 100 feet of single track.   Only one siding in the first phase....all the yard areas were recycled from homasote used flat on plywood from the old layout.   Hope to start posting 'real' construction pictures soon.


_reduced.jpg 

 

Loren Casey   ICG ST Louis Division 1979

 

Loren (LJ) Casey

Maryville, IL

ICG St Louis sub 1979

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/blog/9719

 
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Virginian and Lake Erie Super User 9,223 posts
Virginian and Lake Erie

Jigs always make repetitive

Jigs always make repetitive cuts faster than nearly any other method.

Rob in Texas

Rob in Texas

MRH Blog / Prep for an Operating Session / Delving Into the Past / The Club Blog / Youtube / etmrc.org
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ljcasey1 Regular poster 377 posts
ljcasey1

yup

typical homasote cutting....fast but messy.....looked like it had snowed after I was done.    I really dig the job a Diablo 60 tooth blade did though....perfect cuts, almost no gouging at all.

 

Loren (LJ) Casey

Maryville, IL

ICG St Louis sub 1979

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/blog/9719

 
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Jeff Youst Frequent poster 696 posts
Jeff Youst

Forest for the Trees Question

I may just not see it, but what is the cardboard's role in this jig?  Looking forward to updates and good luck with your construction.  

Jeff, Plymouth, IN

EL Marion 2nd Sub Circa 1964
Jeff 
Erie Lackawanna Marion Div.
Dayton Sub 1964
ellogo2.gif 
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ljcasey1 Regular poster 377 posts
ljcasey1

ha ha...you busted me.

I wasn't thinking completely.....there is masonite on top of the plywood, then the guard is a 1 x 4.....but I should have used 1/2 " plywood there too.  I just grabbed the first thing I could find to lift the homasote so the top 1 x 6 would hold it without moving.  

Next time I will build it right.   However, it worked great first time even with the cardboard.

I have also used this type of jig to cut straight lines on sheets of masonite.  Didn't think it would be THAT messy like homasote....I was wrong!!!  Still finding pockets of masonite dust from around February.

 

Loren (LJ) Casey

Maryville, IL

ICG St Louis sub 1979

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/blog/9719

 
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Matt Goodman Regular poster 466 posts
Matt Goodman

Making Dust

Nice work Loren! There is something satisfying about those repetitve cuts and the surprisingly nice finish on the splines.  

< edit>

Linked below is a video of a fixture similar to Loren's in use.  It was made to illustrate the amount of dust created when cutting Homasote - a common question on the various layout design / construction lists.  The fixture is also handy for cutting 1x3 and 1x4 from plywood sheets for benchwork construction.

 

Matt Goodman
Columbus, OH, US
--------------------------
MRH Blog
VI Tower Blog - Along the tracks in pre-war Circleville, Ohio
Why I Model Steam - Why steam locomotion is in my blood
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ljcasey1 Regular poster 377 posts
ljcasey1

Thanks Matt,

Have you put any of your splines to use yet????   I have to clean up downstairs before I can start building again...but the CFO has mandated cleanup be done by Sunday.    She has spoken!!!!   thanks again for all the ideas on the jig.    I actually built it on sawhorses, but they are wood, and I screwed it all together so it wouldn't move or turn over.   Worked like a charm, but even outside I was covered with homasote dust....good thing I found my respirator.

 

Loren (LJ) Casey

Maryville, IL

ICG St Louis sub 1979

http://model-railroad-hobbyist.com/blog/9719

 
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