Portable

[smithspeedway]

I got roped into doing a farmer's market that is having a motorsports day. I am building a 4x8 4 lane demo track that will be carried, slid into the back of the van, taken out set up, repeat. Should I just use finished plywood instead of mdf for durability? There is also always the possibility that someone spills something on it.

Steve

[RichD]

You did not say if the track itself would be MDF or plastic. If the track would be plastic I would use half inch plywood for the table. If you were to route plywood you would have problems with it wanting to splinter. Even half inch MDF is rather flexible, you would need some 1X3s around the outside plus at least three 1X3s going across or the table will sag.

[smithspeedway]

This is a wood track. So, maybe MDF over OSB? I was hoping to just rout some flooring plywood, but didn't know about the splintering. Either way, my goal is to have a track that can be carried around without worrying about fragility.

[chappyman66]

Good advice.....for routing use MDF. You will want to paint it with a couple coats before laying the tape and if you wrap the paint around the edge a bit and paint the slots you will have decent spill protection.
But use the braces so you don't say, that definitely was an issue on the sections I built for my first track.

For plastic, screw down to the plywood and go, but plan a couple of power taps since the joints will flex, or tape the rails.

[WB2]

I’d recommend a framework of 1”x2” set on edge, topped with 1/4” luan plywood and 5/32” MDF paneling.
The framework gives structure and also allows for wiring. You can put your controller hookups (bolts for alligator clips, 1/4” phone jacks, or XLR jacks) in the outside edge and run the wiring to the track. The edges also give your hands something to grab when handling the track.
Glue and screw the plywood to the frame, then glue MDF paneling (finished side down; lots of glue) to the plywood.
Put corner gussets on all four corners to mount legs to.

[slothead]

Agree with WB2 - having a safe place to run wiring is important. This way you can drill holes in the 1x2's to run the wiring.

Another issue is weight. I built a 4'x8' table top out of MDF with PVC trim boards as a frame around the edge for support without worrying about warping or splinters. Used regular wood boards underneath for support. It's very sturdy but weighs a ton and is very hard to move. I thought about routing a single lane track in it and hauling it out on the back deck at times to turn some laps outside in the summer, but I really can't move it alone. MDF is very heavy stuff, so go as thins as possible.

[smithspeedway]

[RichD]

MDF is what is commonly used for wood tracks, I expect that there are good reasons for that. MDF does not like water at all, it would be best to paint all of the MDF surfaces before you screw it down or otherwise fasten it to other materials. After the routing is done be sure to paint the slots.

[mattb]

I bet the local depot never routed or built a slot car track. Use medium 1/2 inch mdf. Same mdf as about every other routed track on this forum. Some bracing needed, but I bet every 18 inches is enough and a brace down the 8' center.. I would use the bundled 1X3's HD has for cross braces. Strong enough, but lighter than 1X4's.

A 1/2 inch sheet is pretty heavy. It was about my limit to load and unload one of those sheets by myself. You may find 3/8 which would work and be 25% lighter. Probably still stout enough. You could even go to 1/4, but you would need more bracing underneath as you will be routing all the way thru the sheet for the slots. 1/4 would still work.

[SlotCarCorner]

If this is a one-use track, use MDF as others have suggested. If you plan to use this as a portable track on a regular basis, I'm going to suggest going a different route (bad pun...) - plastic sheeting. It's going to be more expensive than MDF initially, but will hold up better over the long run during transport, setup, etc. and is impervious to moisture. The surface is very smooth and consistent - there will be plenty of grip and most plastics can be machined (routed) easily.

:)