Cutting flex track with dremel + cutting wheel, rail nippers, and razor saws

[rrebell]

A regular cut off disk is fine for rail cutting on already sodered track but use rail cutters for the before stuff. With each it is best to wear full goggles as things can get past regular safty glasses but they can be the cheap ones for what we cut.

[IDRick]

Excellent discussion!  Very informative!  I have changed the title to reflect the range of tools discussed in the thread.

At the risk of appearing indecisive, I am going to buy one of each!  I already have the dremel + flex shaft attachment.  I received good recommendations on cutting wheels (wide diameter, reinforced, diamond coated, and more) plus using to cut soldered and fastened track.

I'll purchase the inexpensive Harbor Freight flush cutter recommended by RR_Mel as being equal to Xuron flush cutters.  May decide to upgrade to Xuron down the road.

Hat tip to TF for first mentioning razor saws!  PC101 gave a nice tutorial on cutting with a razor saw.  I will buy a pull razor saw due to the more precise cut.  A jeweler's saw is intriguing and also under consideration.  Nice suggestion and discussion by jpg!

So many replied with very useful advice!  Most grateful my RR friends!  Have an awesome day!

[mbinsewi]

zstripe

Old school........use two (2) disc's together, not one. This has been mentioned many times over the yrs. Take Care!  Frank

Howdy Frank!  Good to see you.

I've used all the above methods, Dremel, nippers, razor saw, and a regular hack saw.

I think with all of the methods, some tweaking of the cut might be needed, to finish it up.

Mike.

[maxman]

Made clickable.

https://www.zonatool.net/cat/jewelers-saw-jeweler-saws/

 

[hon30critter]

I forgot to mention that I use a coping saw to cut gaps in turnout rails when I am adding feeders etc. It won't work on installed turnouts but it does an excellent job when the turnout can be supported in a vise.

That brings up another issue. If you are planning on using the diamond grit cut off blades, the turnout has to be secured firmly in place, and I use two hands on the Dremel. Otherwise, as was mentioned by another poster, the blades can grab the rails. I also use very low speeds so that the torque is at a minimum.

Dave

[doctorwayne]

I have a very basic older Dremel tool, but seldom use it. A razor saw, or a fine-toothed  hacksaw works fairly well for cutting track, but the easiest to use is my electric Jobmate tool with a 3' flex shaft.
It will work with various sizes of cut-off discs.  While I do occasionally break one, I more often use them carefully, so that as they wear-down, they're very useful for working in tight places...

...here's a rail that's been cut, with a piece of plastic inserted to isolate a section of track...

Wayne

[riogrande5761]

hon30critter

If you want to eliminate the risk of having the cutting discs shatter, I recommend diamond grit steel blades as an alternative. I bought a set like these several years ago and I have only worn one blade out to date. The set comes with a variety of blade sizes. If you were to use the largest diameter blade to cut track, it would eliminate the problem with the smaller discs cutting the rail at an angle:

https://www.ebay.ca/itm/384292945011?hash=item5979a4fc73:g:w-UAAOSwbWdg-~jN&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA8Pv9y1XHOp%2FvZZYPDW3S%2Fk7t0TA4L11avm7XZSqizl52Tgc7eaBJ3muVBFupXeU9PtXhbf8TBeuqeVQKIXTXK2f71YncAaYOiJC1F4kkswwAQivuU9ISjOvgd7pQ2PjTHCuUk4ig6wtmdeiwTEWrJsU6%2BmnSqfBgBfG2ivjd4XqRzXqJ8JRI3%2B1tvXAPExiN9WINhc4gPK6C3nsgkpIb%2F1FiQGW7kCPsaF%2BAsrIQHsO6yl5rYZBOhXZ2NARdbr51rLIG9YCSTLzbYoTBO%2FoAb9DY2HT2kA4pop2aSLQH7iUUG%2FWqYLAuewSChI3Is4A0SA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABFBM3NO1-I1h

Cheers!!

Dave

That link is a seller who does not ship to the US when I checked it out.

[gmpullman]

riogrande5761

That link is a seller who does not ship to the US when I checked it out.

Yhere's a bunch on Amazon that will, though:

https://a.co/d/flLBTVS

https://a.co/d/aaOdrK8

I don't have any personal experience with these but I do use several sizes of diamond chain saw sharpening bits. Much more durable than the carborundum stone bits.

Like Dr. Wayne, I use a flex shaft to get closer to a 90° angle to the rail and make a slow cut with the .025 thick, emery-resin thin disk. I rarely use the reinforced disks unless I'm cutting U bolts off an exhaust pipe.

Dremel by Edmund, on Flickr

Good Luck, Ed

[richhotrain]

I own a Dremel but I have never used it to cut rail and I never will. The Xuron flush rail cutters work perfectly fine without all of the risks and dangers of using a Dremel for this purpose.

Rich

[gmpullman]

richhotrain

The Xuron flush rail cutters work perfectly fine without all of the risks and dangers of using a Dremel for this purpose.

It is nearly impossible to cut insulating gaps in already-laid track using wedge-shaped flush cutters. Especially back when I had many power-routing turnouts I prefered to cut insulating gaps then fill the gap as Dr. Wayne illustrates above.

Yes, I use the Xuron cutters and a good quality mill file for cleanup when cutting lengths of rail while laying track but once the "waste" side is fixed in place it will rip out of the tie strip if attempting to use flush cutting nippers.

Using a cutoff wheel is just a matter of respecting the tool and assuring no binding takes place. I never had a problem with shattered discs. 

Others may have different experiences.

Cheers, Ed

[Track fiddler]

Agreed.  Besides tight places like microsurgery on turnouts, sometimes you have the clearance to use a rail jig and fine toothed razor saw but sometimes not.  It is those times when obstructions are in the way, a cut off wheel is the only choice as well, unless you want to start dismantling that part of your layout to make clearance.

 

 

TF

[rrebell]

For the cutout wheel you want to use the thinest available, but yes those are more likely to shatter. The shatering happenes mainly by putting too much presure on the sides when cutting. Wgat we really need is a right angle dremel for this operation but I don't know of one.

[Track fiddler]

Here ya go.

 

The attachment is quite inexpensive and has a longer Dremel fit list on site.

 

 

TF

 

P.S.  Notice he doesn't have any leather gloves on?  Those can be a good idea, especially with the wheel in line with the fingers.  Also two hands for extra stability and control is a good idea with any high RPM tool.  I wonder if he's wearing his face shield though

[richhotrain]

gmpullman

 

richhotrain

The Xuron flush rail cutters work perfectly fine without all of the risks and dangers of using a Dremel for this purpose. 

It is nearly impossible to cut insulating gaps in already-laid track using wedge-shaped flush cutters. 

But not if you use the Xuron flush cuttters.

Rich

[DonRicardo]

Xuron rail nippers and a fine file are my go to flex track cutters. I too have a Dremel, have had it for years, and never could get a square cut on the rails using the Dremel, and filing those cuts is a royal pain.

I have also had discs shatter. When you get used to them, the Zuron can give a nearly perfect cut.

[Medina1128]

rrebell

A regular cut-off disk is fine for rail cutting on already sodered track but use rail cutters for the before stuff. With each, it is best to wear full goggles as things can get past regular safety glasses but they can be cheap ones for what we cut.

 

I learned the hard way when cutting track with a Dremel and cutoff disks. Not only do I use safety goggles, I now use a face shield after a cutoff disk shattered and a piece hit me in the neck.

 

[doctorwayne]

I don't have any rail nippers, but in the past, have used razor saws and fine-toothed hacksaws for cutting rail.
My preferance is for cutting disks in a rotary tool.  I do wonder, though, why some modellers complain about the angled cut that most such tools create...surely you can make a matching cut if you're adding more track onto it.  If the cut was merely to create a gap to isolate a segment of track, it  wouldn't be difficult to insert a piece of plastic into an angled cut, then trim-off (or file-off) the excess.

When I was laying track on the partial upper level of my layout,  I ran out of rail joiners, but luckily, there was a hobby shop only 5 minutes away (now long-gone). The only rail joiners they had, though, were for code 55 track.

I bought them anyway, and used the cut-off disc to thin the bottom flange at the ends of the rail, then again using the cut-off disc to narrow the remaining sides of the bottom flange, so that the small joiners could fit. 
Like the regular rail joiners, they were all soldered in place, and in many instances, after the rails had been painted, the smaller joiners have become invisible.
I still have some industrial trackage to add, and will be using code 70 rail and those tiny code 55 joiners...wish I had been aware of them when I started my current layout.

Wayne

[Bayway Terminal]

For replacing layout switches & track sections I use diamond cutting wheels or titanium wheels in different diameters (see Micro Mark's online catalog) otherwise  a Zuron cutting tool for out of box track, regaredless always use saftey glasses. Bayway Teminal NJ