NEW SOURCE FOR PLASTIC T-TRACK!

[Topgun[TK]]

I went to HD, and the ames rake now has WAY toopronounced taper, from about .25 down to what I would guess to be .10.

 

 

I noticed that too...

[Astyanax]

Hey all:

 

I thought I would resurrect this old thread, because it is still valid. Good ol' gazmosis was always on to something good here, and it's still an option for "poor man" builders, like myself.

 

Today I went to Home Depot to see what I could find along these lines. The driveway reflector stakes have all dried up and converted to round dowel-like stakes! But I did find this:

 

 

This is the Ames 26" poly leaf rake. The previous pics in this thread are expired, so I don't know if it's the same rake, but guessing from the comments, I think it is pretty close. Here's an underside view, where you can clearly see all the t-tracks available:

 

 

This rake is $15 in my area, which is still a steal for t-tracks considering I've got a DLT-19 plan ahead of me, but even lightsaber builders out there will find these useful.

 

I broke out my dremel to cut out all the usable tracks, but even a hacksaw would do just fine in a pinch:

 

 

The tracks are split across the middle, as you can see. Even though there is a "taper" of tracks down toward the end, the tracks at the base are still quite serviceable. The longest possible tracks I could get at the center base without interruption are still over 7" long:

 

 

As you can see, they are also quite sufficiently flexible to be glued as needed:

 

 

As far as the taper is concerned, in my opinion it is negligible. This 7-plus inches piece of track goes from 11/32" thickness down to 9/32" thickness according to my digital caliper. This is a 1/16" taper across 7", which I think is not noticeable at all. The picture above exaggerates the variance; straightened out, you can't easily tell unless you're looking for it.

 

The tracks are also only 11/32" wide, which puts them on the small side all around. But again, I don't think this is noticeable for your typical poor man build. 

 

Here's a cross-section view:

 

 

And a closeup:

 

 

All-in-all, the Ames rake is still a really viable alternative for the economical approach. 

 

Hope this helps!

 

Bill

Edited August 28, 2015 by Astyanax

[charlesnarles]

Cool, I was looking for smaller width tracks than wanawanga's

[Lichtbringer]

Cool, I was looking for smaller width tracks than wanawanga's

 

Marv´s are a little bit smaller. 

[Astyanax]

Marv´s are a little bit smaller. 

 

Marv has a full (or closed) PM box and isn't responding to forum posts. Any idea how to get some?

Edited September 3, 2015 by Astyanax

[charlesnarles]

I think I ordered mine directly from his website. Yup: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://wannawanga.com'>http://wannawanga.com</a>

[Astyanax]

Ah, thanks. Didn't know that was Marv's site. The prices there are very different from the original quote in his t-track post:

 

£10 ($15.25) plus postage:

http://www.whitearmor.net/forum/topic/16395-t-track/

 

$40 with free shipping:

http://wannawanga.com/products/t-track/

Edited September 3, 2015 by Astyanax

[jkno]

I think I ordered mine directly from his website. Yup: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://wannawanga.com'>http://wannawanga.com</a>

 

This is not Marv, it is Roy Gilsing.

[Lichtbringer]

If you are in a hurry - i have stored quite some of Marv´s T-track sets and could help out, don´t need them atm.

 

IIRR i have at least: 1 set long enough for Boba Fetts gun, one for the E-11, and for several sabers.

[charlesnarles]

Sorry for the misinformation Roy's are wide, then