Tools
Let’s talk first about tools and work-around techniques. If we
all had lots of space and money, it would be nice to have all
the neat tools to make things perfectly. Mostly, we are working
with what we have. Here are a few ways to make things easier
without spending a bundle or needing a lot of storage space.
Machining weights
A common need,
when installing a
decoder, is to remove
some of the material
from the weight or
the frame of the loco.
It is easy enough if
you have an end mill
and the expertise to
operate it. But, what
if you don’t?
Before I bought a mill,
I used a belt sander to
remove material. Safety requires a pair of clamping pliers and a
pan of water. When sanding the metal, it gets hot. Don’t want
any burned fingers.
Hold the part to be machined against the fence and apply light
downward pressure. Check frequently for dimensions and
squareness. With a bit of practice, one can make pretty good-
looking and square cuts.
DCC Impulses Column - 2
1: This belt sander was my tool of
choice for milling till my purchase of
an endmill.
1
Cutting
Styrene
I cut a lot of sty-
rene for speaker
baffles and enclo-
sures, as well as
other modeling.
When I bought
a new bypass
paper cutter
for the office, I
kept the old one
for cutting styrene. While
it won’t be as accurate as
something like the Northwest
Short Line “Chopper”, it can
cut up to 0.01" thick styrene
pretty easily. I use it to cut
large (up to 12 inch long)
pieces, which I later fine cut
on the Chopper.
Hint: I use my calipers (with
the jaws locked) to transfer a
dimension to the plastic. Rest
the end of the plunge bar on
the cutting surface and push
the styrene out until it con-
tacts the end of the caliper.
2
MRH-Jun 2013
