# Any Tips on Routing Sintra



## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

Anybody have any experience or words of advice on routing a track in Sintra plastic sheet? Besides that it's a LOT more expensive than MDF.

-- D


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## fsmra (Feb 28, 2005)

Get Brad Bowman's Routing guide, you can purchase it off his website. Although not expansive its a great place to start.

IMHO

Michael Block
www.oconomowocraceway.com
www.thequarrel.com
www.slottrak.com


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## Tsooko (Oct 15, 2009)

Hi D 
I have just started cutting sintra and yes it is more expensive. 
So far this is what I am doing. I have a cnc router but some of the same things apply to hand routing
Speeds and feeds
I run the router at 16.000 rpm or slower with a feed rate of around 40 inches per min. 
The reason is that if your router speeds are too high you will melt the sintra. If your feed rates are too high you will pack the swarf ( dust ) into the groove sintra doesn't really make dust but that is a good way of explaining it. The harder it packs in the harder it is to get it out. So a good variable speed router is necessary. Just go slow and carefully.
It is very hard to fix mistakes in Sintra so try to be accurate I practiced alot on mdf. Some sellers will give you free samples to practice on, just ask. Let them know what you are doing and that you will be back to buy.
I use machining bits not wood working bits as I think they are better and they do give a cleaner cut .
The slots in sintra seem to be just a tad bigger then the slots in mdf mostly because that there are on fibers or "fuzz" in the wood. 
Use sharp bits so the cut is clean, again the dull bits will melt the plastic. The bits will last longer in sintra.. Mdf is very hard on the bits.
Hope this helps
Ted


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Best part is you don't get any fine dust, just little black chips that are easier to clean up.

Todd


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

*Ooh. NEV-er Mind ...*

Thanks for the solid info, guys.

I wanted sintra's light weight, and was hoping that it wouldn't create the dust that MDF does. I was also hoping it was easier to work, resulting in fewer oopses, frustrations, and broken bits (since HO slots and rail-grooves need such thin little bits). 

But reading a routed-track forum last night, I came across something that is probably the deal-breaker. One fellow was describing his first attempts at routing - before he got the hang of it, he farkled up one side of his first MDF panel, then started over on the other side and farkled that up too, so he had to toss it. Now that degree of personal humiliation might be survivable with MDF. With an $80 panel of sintra, I'd have to commit _seppuku_. [I guess you'd definitely need a plunge-router for ritual suicide.] So I'd say, as a first-timer's material, sintra's a non-starter. Too bad. 

Thanks again for the help. :wave: I'll be rereading it before starting my _second_ routed track. If and when.

-- D


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## tossedman (Mar 19, 2006)

Tomorrow's battle is won during today's practice. Japanese proverb

MDF is cheap. Sintra not so cheap. So get a sheet or two of MDF and practice your butt off before touching the Sintra. Then post pics please 'cause we all want to see that beauty of a Sintra track.

Todd


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## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

D,

I think the biggest part of a routing project is getting your jigs set up correctly. In HO, we are dealing with such small size increments that 1/32" may make the difference between having the right offsets and being too far off the mark.

I have redone my jig for spacing out the braid channels because my first attempt was off by about 1/16". That was enough so that the pickup shoes moved off the braid (and the braid is much wider than rail). I may redo the jig again even though I think my second attempt is almost perfect.

So my advice, from what I have done so far, is to start out with the cheapest material possible until you get all your jigs completely correct. That would involve making a small oval, laying in rail/braid, and seeing that all the spacing is correct. Once that's done, then you can think about using a more expensive board.

Routing is simple. Setting up all the proper tooling takes a lot of time and patience (because you're not routing anything yet!).

Joe


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