Making sleepers/ties

[justme igor]

PART ONE!!!
Thanks to the knowledge of the people on the forum, i proceeded with figuring out a production to make sleepers/ties for my tracks.


I had some wood left over from the carport, they sold it to me as azobe wood, but i think it is oak.
It was basically for firewood.
But i have other plans for them right now

Cutting them into thick slaps



Cut them into strips.
Where is that cleaning lady, saw dust al over....No worry i have a pro dusk mask on, the ventilation is not adequate enough and the filter/suction still must be installed....


Cut them into 1 x 1 cm pieces.....5 x 20kg (dogfood) bags full of sawdust.....

I am really fond of making jigs,,,makes life so much easyer. for the next batch i just can get the jig fit for that job and screw it onto the bench.


If you want to copy what i am doing and you are NOT comfortable with this....PLEASE STOP HERE.....i am a professional carpenter for 30 years plus....not a hobbiest!
Be careful at all times!!!!machines dont forgive or feel...
And do what they are designed for....CUT
I do much more stupidity things with those machines, i can trim my nails if i want to, you are NOT me



Running out of trays.....
Some buckets of azobe or oak, some buckets of unknown orange wood(smelly when sawing), and some buckets with bankirai wood.
I am planning to use more hard woods to see what will last longer.
Also cut some meranti hardwood.
Fir(coniferas: tutuja in my case) will be next when this batch is converted into track. After that one i going to buy Azobe and stick with that.
A better wood would be palisander, but my wallet is protesting.
The balance between cost/time/ect incl wood stain would be a perfect price/quality ratio would be azobe wood, no fuzz just cut and use without wood stain?

Anybody has an idea on this???please any thought is welcome, thanks in advance.




After cutting them to length they still need a slut to put the tracks in.
I made this jig with the jig on the sawing table to make sure i have a inside distance of 44,9 mm and a outside distance of 49,1mm.
I use 2 mm thick aluminium.
I bought a other sawblade of a cutting width of 2.2mm to give some more clearance, the saw blade that was 2.0 mm was just not big enough, too tight.
Didnt work, to much trouble.

I think it would be worth the effort to make a machine just for this job, i need a machinist for this, my old man was, we sold everything.
Lathe and all.
I am refuring to the machine from those folks at denver railway, i will post some pics




After playing a full day with wood stain alike(old recipe, i wont share, google is your friend, or a old fashioned carpenter) your fingers have the look that they where somewhere very deep...no need for explanation i guess?



One day of work with my woodstain......
Bucket number one sock for one to 6 hours. bucket number 2 & 3 let it drip for 12 hours minimum. All closed
Bucket number 4: Let them dry in open air.......
Dont forget to do your hippy hippy shake rattle and roll, before they stick together and on the hdpe!



By the way: for this whole process i used THREE different saw blades....any carpenter will understand.
A hobbyies will need one.

Well that is it for my production process, for now, if you think: if i forget something or you want to have more info on a bit/piece....please remind me!
Comments, thoughts, ideas or whatever are very appreciated!
It is very appreciated! Any thought or comment!
Thanks for reading and i hope i could tribute something to someone!
You can do this with very little investment regarding machinery.....

Best to you all and thanks for reading.

 

[Paradise]

I think there is another thread about that. I'm sure Paul is on to it.

Issue with attachments - G Scale Central

 

[PhilP]

It means the link to the Google (or is it Amazon) storage (for pictures) is broken, at the moment..
It is a Bank Holiday here in the UK, so I guess Paul is out enjoying the weather?

Normal service will be resumed, when it is..

 

[justme igor]

So Paul got his deserved holiday and he fixed the problem.
Thanks Paul!

 

[dunnyrail]

While stain does the job it has little preservative powers. Best for that is to soak them in 2nd hand engine sump oil, not environmentally friendly but that is why it preserves the sleepers so well.

 

[PhilP]

Long ago... Probably when their vans were green?

Telegraph poles were left to soak in a mix of old sump-oil, and creosote.. - Seemed to work for them!

 

[justme igor]

Creosote? that stuff from the chimi? and mix that with old used(or new)engine oil?(that is what you mean with: sump oil?)
I used a: look a like "carboleum".
I can think of one problem with engine(sump?) oil, the putty i use wont stick?
Best.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Can you tell us again what your white "goo" is that is the glue for the rail in the tie?

Have you been able to tell if staining the tie first affects the "gluing strength" of the "goo"?

Greg

 

[justme igor]

The goo is Poly max high tack, also available in brown and black.
It will harden/stiffen up over time, fully cured after 4 weeks.

The strength is the same, the wood stain is getting into the wood, paint is on top of the wood, if you would paint it you must relay on the paint strength.
For this application is paint not advisable....moister will get in, but not out.
With wood stain the wood can dry.
To maxim the surface that has been thread it is better to treat first with wood stain(after cutting the slots!!) then glue it with Poly max.
Just in case there is a pocket.
I hope this was the answer you were looking for?
Best.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Thanks, yes I agree, stain first, machine slot next, glue holds better.

Greg

 

[justme igor]

No, for durability machine slots first then stain, you must close the wood completely.
For pulling strength it does not matter on wood stain, with paint it does, paint is weaker

 

[Greg Elmassian]

I know most glues do not hold as well on stain, but I think what is happening is that it's good enough and better than paint.

Most stains leave at the worst an oily surface, and at the best, less penetration for the glue.

But, it works well enough it seems.

Greg

 

[maxi-model]

There is sometimes a problem with terminology around wood stain and wood dye. Wood stain can sometimes be an alias for what is in reality a translucent coloured lacquer, or wood varnish - at least that's the issue I get when I go in the DIY store. That type of product will affect bonding of the material it has been applied too to another as you are bonding to the lacquer medium on the surface of the wood and getting only minimal additional "mechanical" grip from what grain is still not filled by the lacquer and how far the lacquer has been able to penetrate the wood - probably not much.

Wood dye on the other hand, also sometimes referred to as wood stain, is a spirit or water based fluid, with the consistency of water. That product soaks right into the wood but still leaving the wood's grain open once if has dried. When you apply an adhesive to a wood dyed component, whether with PVA or CA, it is able to penetrate the wood unhindered and is limited only by the properties of the bonding medium itself. You have to apply that product before using any adhesive or lacquers as they make a surface barrier to the wood dye. But you will know all that

My preference when building wood kits is to use a wood dye, spirit based for ease of application (oh I detest those water based product forced on us nowadays) prior to any assembly. I then build up all the sub assemblies, using PVA or CA dependent (sometimes contact or silicon) based on the application, and then I may use a coloured wood stain/varnish to add a little depth to the colour used and provide a protective finish. Max

 

[Greg Elmassian]

We have the issue here too... usually the stain says "penetrating" for what you are calling dye (dye is not a common term here), and "sealer" or "sealing stain"...

I agree on using a stain that only dyes the wood, and leaves the wood better able to be glued. By the way, we also hate the water based junk, it just never works as well...

Greg

 

[justme igor]

Best for that is to soak them in 2nd hand engine sump oil, not environmentally friendly but that is why it preserves the sleepers so well.

it is not really legal in the Netherlands...sorry,
Now i am someone that is keeping to seek the border of even the "grey" area of the law..but this is illegal...but you are complete right.
And there are more very good reprice's...as a old fashion carpenter with his master degree i know a few...again not allowed anymore over here, sorry
And i would really love to share...really love to share those...

Sorry and with best regards,
Igor

 

[justme igor]

I changed a couple of things because i DID NOT like the end result.
Basics are the same, it is more the fine tuning.
I no longer run my jig on top of the sawing machine...now i have a jig that will accept a hand circular saw over it, more precise, and quicker.
I dont "stain" or "dye" my sleepers anymore, if they rot after 20 years, the rot...what are the costs for one meter? 1 euro 20 incl putty and alu strip....
Soft wood is a bit to easy to degenerate....10 years if you are lucky...but i have read reports(other countries!) that they lasted 19! years(forum member here btw)

I did not like the overall swing in gauge, 44,7mm to 45.3mm was to big for me.
Now i am down to 44.8mm to 45.2mm...still to big for me
I made a new jig and adapted my hand circular saw with screws into the base plate



So by srewing them in or out i can adjust more precisly.

Moulds are still the same


This did not changed much at all...

Prepare, sand get putty into those slots.....a child can do the laundry...



First it will feel if you are handling a bag of potatoes...the 25kg type bags...
You will get the hang of it...

Per post i can not post more than 20 pictures....aaaaand i downloaded them in the wrong order....forgive for this please...up to the sequel..

 

[justme igor]

Some of the piterus in the previos post are in the wrong order sorry for that..
Anyway appling the putty this way with painter tape cost me some time but saves me time to clean the to much putty:

 

[justme igor]

Making of the sleepers is still the same, except the jig...9x9mm

 

[justme igor]

Yes second handed(old) red cedar...
So what

 

[justme igor]

You now what the funny part is...you dont have to buy the equipment that i have....not this big or expensive.(this is just my hobby shed and for my house wood working shed btw)....get it smaller and it will also get the job done
With best regards Igor, i hope it was a pleasant read....