eaglescoutI still haven't ruled out purchasing one
Just a "heads-up", get the tuner from Micro Mark. I bought one from Reboxx, and it's about 3mm shorter, and hard to use. After I bought the Micro Mark tool, I never used the shorter Reboxx one.
Mike.
My You Tube
Seems to me a ‘truck tuner’ bit would be far more like a reamer than a drill. And that only the very end of the conical point is supposed to be the bearing, with the rest of the ‘dimple’ in the side frame not cut to match the face of the cone but at a slightly shallower angle to clear it.
I am surprised there is not a tool like a hone that will dress the very point of the cone, where it actually engages or bears on the plastic, to be sharp, smooth and concentric with the tread. Many of the axle ends I have seen have crude turning marks upon inspection. Just as in watchwork you need to stone worn pivots and rejewel to match, the axle should get attention as part of the ‘system’ being tuned.
The big question I have is: when will there be a tuner or retrofit kit to facilitate ’accurizing’ trucks with scale rotating endcaps, the single most glaring thing missing from most model rolling stock and, to me, obviously non-scale even when the rest of the car has good historical ‘fidelity’ and is beautifully weathered. Anyone have an approach to making or tuning trucks with those endcaps?
eaglescoutIt looks like a chopped off drill bit with a rubber ring for turning it between the fingers.
it's also the proper length for the axle to minimize the lateral play within the truck in addition to the proper angle.
when i use my truck tuner, the improvement is significant.
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
It's concievable. You could buy a drill bit, cut it to the right length, and grind the ends to the proper angle. The drill bit will cost you a few bucks. You would have to rig something to hold the bit while grinding. That would take time, and maybe a few more dollars. And if you don't get it right, there is the cost of the truck that you ruined. Many of us have "junk" trucks in our toolbox we could test something on. It's doable. But in materials and time, it's gonna cost way more than $20.
But then again in this hobby we do tons of things that arent cost effective if we consider our time. We may choose to scratchbuild rather than buy a kit. We may buy kits rather than RTR. We do this because we enjoy the process. So if one enjoys the process of tinkering and making a truck tuner - then it becomes worth it.
- Kevin
Check out my shapeways creations! HOn3 and railroad items for 3D printing:
https://www.shapeways.com/shops/kevin-s-model-train-detail-parts
Thanks for the ideas and advice. I still haven't ruled out purchasing one but may try Brakie's idea on a couple cars that I am not worried about ruining and see what happens.
I use mine for every piece of rolling stock when I put it in service. There are plenty of trucks that come with a burr in the bearing area from the molding process, plus I always paint the trucks of ever car anyway. It does make a difference, even if the truck would roll 10 feet on its own BEFORE using the tool.
A skilled enough machinist with the right tools could make one, from a piece of tool steel. Has anyone? Never saw it publicly mentioned if they did. Depends on how you value your time. It looks simple, but it would take a lot more than 15 minutes to make a replica of one. Yes, you CAN make one, but I doubt you would save over the $20 cost of the already made one.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
hon30critterI think it is perfectly obvious that the OP was considering making his own truck tuner, and the advice given with regard to that possibility is spot on. Dave
I think that may boil down to if a tiny easy to lose/misplace tool is worth $20.00 versus actual use and keeping in mind today's RTR cars is already free rolling.
My home made contraption works quite well..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
7j43kI will point out to responders, both previous and potential, that the OP DID NOT ask whether it was a good idea or whether it would work. He only asked if anyone had done it. Perhaps we should simply and honestly respond to the question asked.
Should we ask for your approval before posting our answers?
I think it is perfectly obvious that the OP was considering making his own truck tuner, and the advice given with regard to that possibility is spot on.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I lost my turner several months back and never replaced it since I hardly used it.. I use a small phillips head screwdriver that came in a set of small screw drivers I paid $2.99 for. I used my Dremel tool to cut the screwdriver to the size it would fit between the truck's side frames.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
NO!
I have never made a Truck Tuner.
I will update my reply if I ever do.
Happy Modeling, Ed
I think the OP might be setting himself up for quite a challenge if he wants to replicate a truck tuner, but I do strongly support one issue. That is the shipping cost! MicroMark is a rip off when it comes to shipping costs! I'm in Canada so getting their stuff up here is really expensive! I have done it a couple of times where I thought I desperately needed something, but I will never get sucked in again.
eaglescout Has anyone tried to make their own truck tuner similar to the one sold by Micro Mark?
Has anyone tried to make their own truck tuner similar to the one sold by Micro Mark?
That is indeed an interesting question.
I don't know anyone who has.
I look forward to reading a positive response to your question.
I will point out to responders, both previous and potential, that the OP DID NOT ask whether it was a good idea or whether it would work. He only asked if anyone had done it.
Perhaps we should simply and honestly respond to the question asked.
Ed
Really, I agree, 20$, is that so expensive for tool that has the right pinch, does just what it's designed to do, something that will probably last the rest of your model railroading life, to mess around with a drill bit, that doesn't have all the right angles.?
But, in a previous time, before I knew about the truck tuner, I used a philips screw drive, in the 80's? I did try to match the screw driver with the angle on the axel tips.
Mike
Why spend time, money, and more time and money to reinvent the wheel? (Or, here, the truck tuner?)
They have already tested and proofed theirs. I would not want to test it and get it wrong on a car and ruin something.
I would go with the Micromark version way, way, way before I would make my own.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Sure the design looks simple... but ——
Unlike a drill bit with two flutes and cutting faces made for removing material quickly the cutting face of the Truck Tuner is probably sharper than a drill bit because it is only one edge it will not cut too deeply.
An ordinary high-speed drill bit does not come to a sharp point, either.
Drill_points by Edmund, on Flickr
Even a 60° counter sink would probably take too much material off unless you modify it. But probably a better choice than a drill bit.
The other nice thing is the length is just right to fit in the space normally occupied by the needle-point axle. This keeps the cutting end centered and true.
The angle and shape of the cutting face allows it to shave off high spots but not remove too much material. Light finger pressure squeezing the journals together is enough to make a good cut.
The finish on mine is precision ground. I would have been able to make that kind of finish with a Blanchard grinder but I no longer have access to one.
I recently picked up about a dozen Broadway Limited HO hopper cars and they all rolled like the proverbial lead sled.
It was time-consuming, it only cuts one recess at-a-time, but using the truck tuner reduced wheel drag considerably.
It is a worthwhile investment.
Regards, Ed
Has anyone tried to make their own truck tuner similar to the one sold by Micro Mark? It looks like a chopped off drill bit with a rubber ring for turning it between the fingers. The $20 plus shipping seems pretty high for the simplicity of the design. The tough part would be finding a bit with the right pitch to properly clean out the axle socket. The other end would be easy to taper down on a grinding wheel.