# A quiet table for my track



## pool207 (May 24, 2009)

I currently have my TOMY track set up on 4' X 8' tables and resting on cheap outdoor carpet (using track clips to hold some of the track together). I like the quiet this provides me while running my cars (and yes, the carpet does look like grass) I'd like to remove the 'grass' and secure the entire track directly to the tables (screws, nails, whatever), BUT I don't want noise; especially over the connecting joints. I've raced on a TOMY track mounted directly to plywood and it 'boomed' like a freight train was going by.

Three limitations: Doing anything to the underside of the track is out (my back won't handle it), 2) 4 X 8 Homosote-like building material is out (the stuff really smells), and 3) a routed track is out ($$$). Is there something I can put on the topside of the tables to insure the track will remain quiet when mounted?


----------



## Grampa Ho (Feb 25, 2009)

with the new flooring available, you can now take the foam that is used, about 1/4 inch thick, and put that down and buy some remenant piece of linoleum in the style or color and then put your track on that. works very well and is quiet and durable too!
Rich


----------



## hojoe (Dec 1, 2004)

I found some thin stadium blankets at the flea market. You can find them in green. I didn't care about the color since I lay my track between plasterboard, like a puzzle. My track (lock & joiner) sits on these thin blankets and is very quiet. The only problem I had was drilling holes for my lights. The material tends to bunch up around the drillbit. Puzzle savers, that you roll a puzzle up in are also the same thinkness.








hojoe


----------



## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Actually, wouldn't corrugated plastic work too? You can get em at sign shops in 4x8 sheets.


----------



## mikeponiatowski (Jan 24, 2006)

*Smell? What Smell?*



pool207 said:


> 4 X 8 Homosote-like building material is out (the stuff really smells


"...Smells?..." I am just in the final stages of completing a 4 x 8 roadcourse using Homosote on top of plywood. It has no smell. The only thing that smells is the oil based primer and paint I used. Within a couple of days that smell was gone. 

This is my first forray into using Homosote and so far I have no issues. I am using lock and joiner track with track clips. Car testing so far has been positive regarding noise level.

But smell? No smell here.


----------



## pool207 (May 24, 2009)

I tried a homosote-like material from Home Depot. I'm not sure what was in it, but I had to get it out of the house quickly before my wife's head exploded from the allergic reaction.


----------



## stirlingmoss (Aug 24, 2012)

rubber/foam floor matting or cork should quiet things down,on my tomy layout i used track clips and then i rtv siliconed the layout to the wood table (no need for screws or nails and now its permanent but super quiet),i then made paper templates to fill the inside/outside layout then traced them on to 1/4 inch thick rubber/foam matting.
i have used styrofoam and pink insulation boards in the past but they seem to amplify track noise for me.


----------



## Grandcheapskate (Jan 5, 2006)

Currently, my Mattel track sits on a carpet on top of my race table. It is not screwed/nailed down. I tried to nail it down once, but the noise traveled right through the carpet to the underlying board.

I might try this someday if I again try to screw/nail my track down. I will lay carpet on top of my table. I will then put the track on a thin board and screw it down. I will then lay that board on top of the carpet. I think having the carpet between the table top and track board should deaden the noise.

Joe


----------



## pool207 (May 24, 2009)

Cheapskate. Good to know I'm not the only one with the concern over noise vibrating from the plywood board. I think the suggestions given here some real merit.


----------



## RacerK86 (Jan 24, 2012)

I put 3/8 sheet rock down and covered that with pool table felt. I can run 4 cars at a time and they do not make a peep.


----------



## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Just a further thought for the OP. I'm not sure how the table is built, but it seems the more cross braces you have underneath, the sturdier the table, and the less noise it makes.

My Tomy track is screwed right to 1/2 inch OSB. Makes some noise...but nothing outrageous. 

Maybe its just me....I never quite understood the need for it to be whisper quiet anyway, unless its in a room right next to the bedroom.


----------



## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

My track is hewn from the finest granite from the deep forests of Brazil.
It is fashioned after the original Aurora tub track, replicating its elevations and banks.
The slots were scribed by hand, which required four years for me to complete to perfection.
The track surface was then buffed to a medium gloss for the best tire adhesion, be it
foam, rubber, urethane or silicone. When it came time to lay the rails, what else could 
out perform the continuity and sheer elegance of gold? It has survived wine tastings,
new year's champagne, and some mishaps involving my microbrewery. After fifteen years,
I have found it's durability is unquestionable, it's race-ability is impeccable, and it's
charm is inescapable. The ladies love this course. (I have never played a video game) 
The true art of this track is the absence of noise. In solitude, I can hear every revolution
of the armature as my car sails down the track. Occasionally, a random mosquito may
disturb the bliss. Even though the ballroom may be filled with the laughter of friends
and dignitaries, I favor an almost silent surface. You see, in those quiet, intense repertoires
that I so enjoy hearing the ensemble play, my track will not spoil the moment.

....Stay thirsty my friends....




.


----------



## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

LOL:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


----------



## bdsharp (Sep 27, 2012)

What, no miniature giraffes as marshalls? Oh right, no opposable thumbs.


----------



## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

And that errant mosquito will not bite you out of respect....


----------



## Boosted-Z71 (Nov 26, 2007)

NTX That is just Beautiful, the description is priceless.

Again you almost caused me to spit my drink on the monitor

Boosted


----------



## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

Bump!


----------



## billcj (Jun 19, 2012)

I used this on a hollow core door for my slot car club at school....

http://www.amazon.com/Duck-281876-Non-Adhesive-Commercial-20-Inch/dp/B00C2LMKTO

The track is not attached, so we can change the layout, but it is quiet, and available in tan and lichen colors, too....I secured it with a staple gun and it works like a charm! (used some of the left-over as a liner in a display case and my traveling case, too)

It's available at most big box stores in smaller rolls, too.


----------



## v8vega (Apr 18, 2017)

As others have said any screws or nails from the track into the tabletop causes the plywood top to be a drumhead and a lot of noise. I am a long time model railroader and the same thing there.
I plan to get track clips for my Tomy AFX track with cork under it and both glued down in spots. Model railroad guys use cheap latex caulk as glue.
I am new and just learned about track hold together clips here, sounds like a good idea, I hope I can find them as everything seems to have to be mail order.
I just checked hoslotcarracing and no mention of track clips. Edit again now I find on AFXracing they have the clips but are out of stock, says they will have them in May. I also found some AFX hobby shops near me I didn't know about.


----------

