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Repairing a "Chopper"

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  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: Sandy Eggo, CA
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Repairing a "Chopper"
Posted by Ray Dunakin on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 10:10 PM

I have a Northwest Short Lines "Chopper", and the masonite now has a deep groove in it directly under the blade. Sometimes this results in difficulty getting a clean cut. 

Does anyone have a recommendation for repairing this? I'm thinking of filling it with epoxy or something, but don't know how well that would hold up.

 

 Visit www.raydunakin.com to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!
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Posted by trainnut1250 on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 10:19 PM

 

Ray,

Congratulations on wearing out a chopper. In repairing my worn out chopper, I have done as you have suggested and it worked pretty well.  NWSL fixed the problem with the chopper II where the cut zone is replaceable.  You have done lots of cutting and by extension model building, to wear one of these out – Awesome!!!

 

Guy

 

see stuff at: the Willoughby Line Site

  • Member since
    November 2015
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Posted by Brinty-1936 on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 10:21 PM

Replacement cutting boards are available form Northwest short Line's website:

http://shop.osorail.com/product.sc?productId=1101&categoryId=66

I'm supposed to respect my elders, but its getting harder and harder for me to find any now.

  • Member since
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  • From: Bradford, Ontario
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Posted by hon30critter on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 10:25 PM

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

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Posted by rrebell on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 11:00 PM

hon30critter

That is for the chopper two, he has a one!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Posted by modelmaker51 on Thursday, December 10, 2015 12:52 AM

I've had my Chopper for about 30 years or so and have repaired it about every 10 years or so. I use JB Qwik epoxy (get as hard as plastic). Try to lay it in the grooves as even as possible to cut down on sanding.

Jay 

C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1 

Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums 

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Posted by hon30critter on Thursday, December 10, 2015 2:36 AM

rrebell:

I find your post to be a bit disturbing. Why all the quotation marks? Are you yelling at me?

Sorry. All I was trying to do was make the link clickable. Somebody else made the recommendation.

Dave

I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!

  • Member since
    January 2006
  • From: Sandy Eggo, CA
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Posted by Ray Dunakin on Thursday, December 10, 2015 3:09 AM

rrebell
That is for the chopper two, he has a one!!

 

Actually, mine's a Chopper III. I work in large scale, so it's handy to have the larger working surface.

 

 

 Visit www.raydunakin.com to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!
  • Member since
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  • From: Sliver City,Mich.
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Posted by Catt on Thursday, December 10, 2015 6:41 AM

If you click the Accessories button you will find replacement boards for both l and ll as well as a replacement mat for lll.Personally If it is repairable I would do that.

Johnathan(Catt) Edwards 100 % Michigan Made
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  • From: west coast
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Posted by rrebell on Thursday, December 10, 2015 10:01 AM

hon30critter

rrebell:

I find your post to be a bit disturbing. Why all the quotation marks? Are you yelling at me?

Sorry. All I was trying to do was make the link clickable. Somebody else made the recommendation.

Dave

 

Sensitive, aren't we? Also there are no quotation marks, just explamation marks meaning attention.

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Posted by charlie9 on Thursday, December 10, 2015 10:56 AM

He wasn't yelling at you,  THIS IS YELLING!!!!.

Charlie

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Posted by dknelson on Thursday, December 10, 2015 11:09 AM

Distant and ancient memory of perhaps an entry in this Forum or a brief mention in MR, suggested making a sort of paste out of fine sawdust and gap-filling ACC and filling the groove to overflowing, then sanding it down once that hardens.

I probably should replace my Chopper I with a Chopper II but for now it still gives good service.  I bought a used tool of a similar design (cannot recall the make; Amended Post: it is called the K-Tool Precision Miter) but the base is plastic and the arm and blade have nowhere near the precision of the Chopper.  It had the attraction that angle degrees were marked on it.  For all practical purposes it is useless.

Dave Nelson

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Posted by nedthomas on Thursday, December 10, 2015 8:33 PM

The Chopper with the green mat can be turned 90 degrees and increase the life 4 times

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Posted by maxman on Thursday, December 10, 2015 9:04 PM

nedthomas

The Chopper with the green mat can be turned 90 degrees and increase the life 4 times

 

I wondered about that.  How is the mat held in?  Glue or friction?

  • Member since
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  • From: Sandy Eggo, CA
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Posted by Ray Dunakin on Thursday, December 10, 2015 9:06 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

 Visit www.raydunakin.com to see pics of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!
  • Member since
    December 2001
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Posted by chutton01 on Thursday, December 10, 2015 9:17 PM

maxman
 nedthomas

The Chopper with the green mat can be turned 90 degrees and increase the life 4 times 

I wondered about that.  How is the mat held in?  Glue or friction?

Friction only, pops right out if you lever an edge  up.
I have a Chopper II, and in the past I have taken the green pad out to use as a small cutting pad at the workbench (until I purchased a seperate small pad at a hobby show last year).
Also, I thought the general repair hint for the chopper grooves was CA+Baking Soda, which does produce a very hard filler that you need to sand quickly before it really hardens.

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