Jump to content

NEW SOURCE FOR PLASTIC T-TRACK!


Recommended Posts

  • 4 years later...

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:

 

tt1.jpg

 

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:

 

tt2.jpg

 

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:

 

tt3.jpg

 

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:

 

tt4.jpg

 

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

 

tt5.jpg

 

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:

 

tt6.jpg

 

And a closeup:

 

tt7.jpg

 

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

 

Hope this helps!

 

Bill

Edited by Astyanax
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 by Astyanax
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...