Thank you everyone for your comments and likes. Mike worked hard on this slot car track and was very proud of it. I am his wife and I wanted to let those who have asked questions about the build know that Mike passed away almost 16 months ago...I'm so glad he made these videos. Watching them is like having him here again ❤
Mike did an outstanding job on this track. My Godfather was Fred Rannalli and he had his own shop in Orange County. Your table is as nice as his was. RIP Mike.
My family (kids 8,9,10, and 12) just "discovered" slot car racing. The joy that this brings the whole family (including my beautiful wife, whom I will hear off in the room alone practicing her racing at times) is wonderful. The family is just drawn to our Carrera track, daily. So, I looked on like at what pro-level racing looks like and I found Mike Whitley. Watching these videos, I see a true craftsman of vision and integrity in his craft. That is even more valuable than a quick watch on some slot car action. Glad to have found Mr. Whitley and his valuable expression of man's pursuits.
As Im building out a Carrera track in my basement (a mere 16‘ x 8‘ layout), I can really appreciate the planning and work that went into this. Respect.
Very nice job! The best track build video I’ve seen so far. I feel like the sport is picking up steam again. I know my dad raced these a lot from early 80’s to early 90’s then I was into it in the early 2000’s now my kids are coming of age and I think they would enjoy it too. Thanks again for the great videos.
You're a gifted man Mike! Great design and even better execution in building an interesting, challenging and aesthetically pleasing track. Whole family involved too! Those grandchildren have happy memories for life. Thanks for your generosity in sharing your labor of love. God bless.
I really enjoyed your video! A true labor of love if you will. That's a stunning looking track, great layout and I love that you put in a long straight where the cars can build some speed. Well done!
awesome build! my father build one back in the 90's pretty much same design exact a lot bigger an pure flat track 10 lanes 2 outer lanes were not used as tghe wall was 2 close for racing.. those were the days!
That was such an awesome video series. We don't have the room, so we just have Scalextric tracks set up, but one day I'd love to have this. Such an awesome job man.
I know why you do it, I have grandkids too.. Such a nice layout and safe, no sharp edges for excited drivers to get caught on. Could you please explain the braid install. Thank you and have fun with those beautiful children.
greetings from Australia mate ... very nice ... old school work ethic ... like my dad said a long time ago ..if a jobs worth doing its worth doing right ..great job sir
I added 1" to the lower curves. where they are 3' 4" Iayed them out at 3' 5". after the relief cuts on the back side I then drew it in 1". that have me the desired bank I wanted. the big bank at the end of the straightaway has more bend therefore I had to make it more radious. I drew them out on my drawing board first and made changes till I got it like I wanted it. Does this answer your question?
Fascinating....truly inspirational. I missed the part (in part 2 im assuming) where you actually banked the wood, I saw the cuts you made but I could watch an entire video on just the bending/arcing of the wood. and the laying of the wire tape or whatever, and the wiring and power supply details, I am new to large scale racing, just starting and im eating all this up. GREAT job Mike.....this is truly a wonderful gift to yourself and your family, friends, etc.....your lucky you don't live near me or I promise you, you would need a restraining order!!!....subbed you..
Very nice work,sir! It's plain to see you don't do things in half measures.Excellent stuff! I hope the kids appreciate the work you put into making that.-Doh! What am I thinking? They'll be too busy having fun.
You've done a great job.If you're interested I've got some simple ideas for a basic lap counter timer.Also I really like the copper loops,they look a lot safer than studs like most tracks and save a bit of space.
People have asked me what power supply I am using. I started with a cheap 12 volt constant power converter but the cars were too fasy for the kids and the controls would over heat so I swapped it out for a variable voltage DC power supply. A Volteq HY1520EX. Works great. We usually set it at 6.5 volts and the cars are plenty fast. They will still fly off the track if you just hold it wide open so spme driving skills are required. Best thing is the controllers dont burn up from getting too hot.
WOW! very nice. I could never do anything like that. I do have a 4-lane 1/43 scale track at my house but i used artin and childford track. This is the nicest track out there. Well done. you can see my track i built if you search rcplanetim slotcar. its nothing like yours though. I love all 3 of your build videos. very nice job on the cars too!!
This is a work of art. I wonder how you calculated the size and radiuses of the banked curves as they get smaller when you bank them. This also effects the fitment of the skirt in relation to the base-shape
Really enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to post. Did you cover the slots when you painted the track - or how did you keep paint from filling in the slots? Thanks again!
Very nicely done! Good video too. What if anything would you do differently having gained experience? Also how many places do you feed power to each lane?
Hi Mike followed your video great work wonder if you could give me how long your track is and how wide in the centre and at the end couldn’t really get the dimensions off the drawings much appreciate it
Hi. Very Nice build! Could you tell me what do you use to prep track. I know a lot of home tracks are using silicone and urethane. No justice for wing cars I’m sure using them for speed. Thanks.
Thank you , the paint products i used are The Epoxy primes AWLGRIP 545 primer D8001White base. The finish coat is PPG Performance Commercial Coatings ALK200 Acrilic Enamel. It is catilized.
Mr. Whitley, I recently came across TH-cam videos showing various slot car tracks. Did you by chance compare the cost of buy tracks vs making your own. As a kid, I remember building my cars and racing at a local center. I'm thinking of getting back in to the hobby. Great videos by the way.
Thank you Tony. I enjoy building things and this track is no exception. This is my third slot car tack and I learn something each time I build one. There is a commercial track in a shopping center near me but it is plastic peace. Makes a lot of noise, no banked turns and the peaces are cracking. Probably was easier and cheaper for me.
I was very interested in how you planned the lane routing in the bank? Did bending cause where the guides go change in width or depth ? A section on gear like power supply brake wiring..etc would make a great follow up
In video 1 if you look at the model on the drawing board you will see where I made a scale drawing and cut outs of the corners. I had to make several before I got the banks like I wanted them. Once I had the turns like I wanted I used that radios and cut them out of the MDF. Routed the slots and cut the relief cuts on the back side. In one of the videos you will see where I used straps to draw the turn pieces to the desired angle and so they would hook up with the strength prices
Nice job sir. Had a dream about building a slot car track last night. May I ask how long it took to build this? You have the exact same router as me, an oldie but goodie. What diameter bit did you use to make the recess for the wire strips? Did you do both at the same time, or one side and then the other? Does one transformer handle all four lanes?
Thank you for the complement. I have about 500 hours in building this track. I don't get in a hurry and a lot of time was figuring out what to do next. Like I said in the video " It didn't come with any instructions". LOL For the router bits, First I used a 1/8'' to make the slots. Then I took a 11/16" carbide tipped dado bit, chucked it up in my metal lathe and drilled a 1/8" hole in the end of it. Then I glued with epoxy a piece of 1/8" tempered rod in the hole. This was my guide that road in the slot. I set it at a depth that equaled the thickness of the wire braid plus the thickness of the 3M VHB tape. (about 1/32" ) This bit was used to make the groove on each side of the slot for the braid. The Power converter I purchased on Amazon. Was only $60.00 and handles all four lanes with no problem.
My track took an uncountable amount of hours. Mine is a slotcar track but does not work with slotcars. I use radio controlled cars with guides on, and more elaborate slots cut in (which takes some engineering in some cases) with the result of lane changing. A couple of years ago I replaced the radio gear with Micro Arduinos and Bluetooth modules, so now I have programmable ghost cars to race against. AI Autonomous Vehicles in 32 scale :) Also no braids are required because cars are self powered. Introduced a pit lane scenario. The 4.2V AAA rechargables are brilliant!
Dean,if you are interested in building one there is a forum that one of the pro builders has a ton of great info and he's always willing to help. its called slotblog dot net and there's also a lot of great info on the Old weird Herald site too.
Sounds just like a MAGracing track setup. Very Nice. How did you find the build? I'm looking to build one as well but wasn't sure where to start. Do you have any posts online where I could see your build?
Great Track and solid build Mike! I am getting a plan together to build a track for my family and friends as well. I will definitely be watching your video a few times to gain some nuggets of truth. BTW, I cant remember if you mentioned it, but what power supply are you using?
I purchased a power converter from Amazon. I am trying to find more information from Amazon but written on it is Nidec Ultraflo Compact Power 1200 Says 12 volt power supply 75 amps/600 watts at 110 volts. it only cost $60..00 and works great.. Consent power to all lanes.
Sir, I don't mean to come off rude by asking but can you ball park approx how much this cost to build? I'm getting too old to be dragging my knees around a motorcycle road race track but I'll need something to race in my geezer years. This has always been something tha fascinated me since I was just a kid. I'm still just a kid according to the wife. You would think by 57 she wouldn't think that. Lol!!! Very very nice track you built Sir.
KoolSolutions ZX12R I have around $4,000.00 in it. I get a little carried away with perfection so you could probably get by with less if you don’t do all the extra trim
Thanks Bill, not really sure what you are asking for but if you mean the plans I drew to scale to build it by I will be glad to send you a copy of my drawing. Just send me an Email to speedcraftboats@bellsouth.net.
Xhech out Vidio #2 WHERE I am routing the radius pieces. I have a piece of 1/8" thick plywood I have mounted my router to. I have drilled holes in the piece of plywood at a point where the slots need to be. Once one la e is routed,I move the nail in the piece of plywood to the next radius and rout the next lane. So there are four holes in the piece of plywood the proper distance from the pivot point to each lane. I have also made a router bit with a 1/8" piece of steel rod epoxied in the end of it to cut the places for the beaded wire. I used it after I made the four initial slots with the 1/8" router bit. Does this answer your question?
Thank you everyone for your comments and likes. Mike worked hard on this slot car track and was very proud of it. I am his wife and I wanted to let those who have asked questions about the build know that Mike passed away almost 16 months ago...I'm so glad he made these videos. Watching them is like having him here again ❤
I am so sorry for your loss. He really did beautiful work.
Sorry for your loss ...Im sure the family feel the legend he must of been.
His craftsmanship is admirable and his hobby interests look like a lot of fun! So sorry for your loss!😢
Mike did an outstanding job on this track. My Godfather was Fred Rannalli and he had his own shop in Orange County. Your table is as nice as his was. RIP Mike.
My family (kids 8,9,10, and 12) just "discovered" slot car racing. The joy that this brings the whole family (including my beautiful wife, whom I will hear off in the room alone practicing her racing at times) is wonderful. The family is just drawn to our Carrera track, daily. So, I looked on like at what pro-level racing looks like and I found Mike Whitley. Watching these videos, I see a true craftsman of vision and integrity in his craft. That is even more valuable than a quick watch on some slot car action. Glad to have found Mr. Whitley and his valuable expression of man's pursuits.
As Im building out a Carrera track in my basement (a mere 16‘ x 8‘ layout), I can really appreciate the planning and work that went into this. Respect.
Incredible, absolutely beautiful, very meticulous and detailed, Congratulations!!
Excellent work and presentation. Awesome! Very fortunate kids and grandkids.
Very nice job! The best track build video I’ve seen so far. I feel like the sport is picking up steam again. I know my dad raced these a lot from early 80’s to early 90’s then I was into it in the early 2000’s now my kids are coming of age and I think they would enjoy it too. Thanks again for the great videos.
You are the grandad we all wish we had. Thank you for sharing this knowledge with us.
A man after my own heart...banked curves. Yes indeed...love the track...looks awesome.
You're a gifted man Mike! Great design and even better execution in building an interesting, challenging and aesthetically pleasing track. Whole family involved too! Those grandchildren have happy memories for life. Thanks for your generosity in sharing your labor of love. God bless.
fantastic build. im in the process of doing one for my grandsons and picked up some great tips from mikes build
Thank You for sharing your track with us, It was extremely interesting to follow along with the build. Have fun racing.
Terrific work Mike, thank you for your video you and the family will enjoy for generations to come
I really enjoyed your video! A true labor of love if you will. That's a stunning looking track, great layout and I love that you put in a long straight where the cars can build some speed. Well done!
Great build!
Super nice job. Looks great. So much fun. I'm sure the kids...and even the big kids will just love it. Thanks for posting.
You have built an amazing track. Great entertainment for the whole family.
Very nice build! Thanks for sharing.
Klasse gemacht. ❤
Looks GREAT!
Tremendous. The kids were jumping with joy.
Awesome job! Any slot head would love to have this at their house I know I would here in nc.
Excellent build, Thanks for sharing!
I like the black when it was shinny
Thank you, Great information.
Thanks Mike 🤩🤩
Fantastic workmanship my friend, everyone will love playing on your artful track
Beautiful track. Nice design. Looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for the video.
awesome build! my father build one back in the 90's pretty much same design exact a lot bigger an pure flat track 10 lanes 2 outer lanes were not used as tghe wall was 2 close for racing.. those were the days!
Wow great job!! I wish my track looks like that... Jaja, bye from Uruguay
that's a beautiful track... looks like a fast one too. great work and thank you for the tips and tricks
Awesome work
Beautiful work! My girlfriend is starting to worry.
You are a LEGEND
Excellent job. It came out beautiful. Nice to have a hobby to share with the family. All the best to you.
Why worry about ever disassembling this? If you decide to move that is a Huge selling point for your house! A real masterpiece!
Very nice & thanks for posting/sharing your build
That was such an awesome video series. We don't have the room, so we just have Scalextric tracks set up, but one day I'd love to have this. Such an awesome job man.
Fantastic job! Just awesome.
Very nice track and excellent job!!!
Incredible layout awesome job
Mad Skills.
Mike, I need you to finish my Benchwork on my Train Layout. Use the side Door, the Key is under the Mat.
Start tomorrow!!!
Thanks
I know why you do it, I have grandkids too.. Such a nice layout and safe, no sharp edges for excited drivers to get caught on. Could you please explain the braid install. Thank you and have fun with those beautiful children.
greetings from Australia mate ... very nice ... old school work ethic ... like my dad said a long time ago ..if a jobs worth doing its worth doing right ..great job sir
Amazing job! 👏🏼👏🏼
Awesome looking track
great job great track
A fantastic job!
Absolutely amazing
What a great job!
Really enjoyed the build and your commentary, very nice project good carpentry skills and looks like great fun for the family ✅
I added 1" to the lower curves. where they are 3' 4" Iayed them out at 3' 5". after the relief cuts on the back side I then drew it in 1". that have me the desired bank I wanted. the big bank at the end of the straightaway has more bend therefore I had to make it more radious. I drew them out on my drawing board first and made changes till I got it like I wanted it. Does this answer your question?
EXCELENT!!!!!!
Fascinating....truly inspirational. I missed the part (in part 2 im assuming) where you actually banked the wood, I saw the cuts you made but I could watch an entire video on just the bending/arcing of the wood. and the laying of the wire tape or whatever, and the wiring and power supply details, I am new to large scale racing, just starting and im eating all this up. GREAT job Mike.....this is truly a wonderful gift to yourself and your family, friends, etc.....your lucky you don't live near me or I promise you, you would need a restraining order!!!....subbed you..
Good job bud looks awesome. I'd love to build one of those it's beautiful I love it!
Wow super nice!
Very nice work,sir! It's plain to see you don't do things in half measures.Excellent stuff!
I hope the kids appreciate the work you put into making that.-Doh! What am I thinking? They'll be too busy having fun.
Awesome thanks!
Awesome track!
Cool name too by the way. I live in a village called Whitley :)
Very neat! I've been thinking of building a track some day. For now, I'll go with Carrera as a start.
Nice. But it's possible you detail how install de slots and how material is and how to instal the electrical system. Thanks
Nice job !
Glorious
Very nice work.
Can you make more videos please! This is awesome content. Thanks for making these videos
love it !
You've done a great job.If you're interested I've got some simple ideas for a basic lap counter timer.Also I really like the copper loops,they look a lot safer than studs like most tracks and save a bit of space.
People have asked me what power supply I am using. I started with a cheap 12 volt constant power converter but the cars were too fasy for the kids and the controls would over heat so I swapped it out for a variable voltage DC power supply. A Volteq HY1520EX. Works great. We usually set it at 6.5 volts and the cars are plenty fast. They will still fly off the track if you just hold it wide open so spme driving skills are required. Best thing is the controllers dont burn up from getting too hot.
sweet thank for video
Very nice..
Its built real heavy duty like my Custom Slot Car Track made by American..
WOW! very nice. I could never do anything like that. I do have a 4-lane 1/43 scale track at my house but i used artin and childford track. This is the nicest track out there. Well done. you can see my track i built if you search rcplanetim slotcar. its nothing like yours though. I love all 3 of your build videos. very nice job on the cars too!!
This is a work of art. I wonder how you calculated the size and radiuses of the banked curves as they get smaller when you bank them. This also effects the fitment of the skirt in relation to the base-shape
6:25 LOL! See ya latter , Alligator! hahaha
Really enjoyed it. Thanks for taking the time to post. Did you cover the slots when you painted the track - or how did you keep paint from filling in the slots? Thanks again!
i think this guy used spray to fill paint, the slots has been sealed with tape
Nice job
Very impressed one outstanding job buddy
really beautiful track ! ..would be curious how much
$$$ you had tied up in this project
Very nicely done! Good video too. What if anything would you do differently having gained experience? Also how many places do you feed power to each lane?
Hi Mike followed your video great work wonder if you could give me how long your track is and how wide in the centre and at the end
couldn’t really get the dimensions off the drawings much appreciate it
Awesome Build! What did you use for your electric components? Copper tape? Controllers? ETC?
Hi Mike, am just getting into slot cars with my 5 1/2 year old, any recommendations on a first start starter kit?
Hi. Very Nice build! Could you tell me what do you use to prep track. I know a lot of home tracks are using silicone and urethane. No justice for wing cars I’m sure using them for speed. Thanks.
Amazing track, Sir! I have a question: after the epox primer, which paint did you use for the finish? Thanks!
Thank you , the paint products i used are The Epoxy primes AWLGRIP 545 primer D8001White base. The finish coat is PPG Performance Commercial Coatings ALK200 Acrilic Enamel. It is catilized.
Very nice make me one lol
Any plans on putting a timing system on it?
Question... do the undercuts for the banking cause a problem when cutting the slot for the cars?
Mr. Whitley, I recently came across TH-cam videos showing various slot car tracks. Did you by chance compare the cost of buy tracks vs making your own. As a kid, I remember building my cars and racing at a local center. I'm thinking of getting back in to the hobby. Great videos by the way.
Thank you Tony. I enjoy building things and this track is no exception. This is my third slot car tack and I learn something each time I build one. There is a commercial track in a shopping center near me but it is plastic peace. Makes a lot of noise, no banked turns and the peaces are cracking. Probably was easier and cheaper for me.
Did you have to beef up the underside of the banked curve with another layer of wood?
I was very interested in how you planned the lane routing in the bank? Did bending cause where the guides go change in width or depth ?
A section on gear like power supply brake wiring..etc would make a great follow up
In video 1 if you look at the model on the drawing board you will see where I made a scale drawing and cut outs of the corners. I had to make several before I got the banks like I wanted them. Once I had the turns like I wanted I used that radios and cut them out of the MDF. Routed the slots and cut the relief cuts on the back side. In one of the videos you will see where I used straps to draw the turn pieces to the desired angle and so they would hook up with the strength prices
Nice job sir. Had a dream about building a slot car track last night. May I ask how long it took to build this? You have the exact same router as me, an oldie but goodie. What diameter bit did you use to make the recess for the wire strips? Did you do both at the same time, or one side and then the other? Does one transformer handle all four lanes?
Thank you for the complement. I have about 500 hours in building this track. I don't get in a hurry and a lot of time was figuring out what to do next. Like I said in the video " It didn't come with any instructions". LOL For the router bits, First I used a 1/8'' to make the slots. Then I took a 11/16" carbide tipped dado bit, chucked it up in my metal lathe and drilled a 1/8" hole in the end of it. Then I glued with epoxy a piece of 1/8" tempered rod in the hole. This was my guide that road in the slot. I set it at a depth that equaled the thickness of the wire braid plus the thickness of the 3M VHB tape. (about 1/32" ) This bit was used to make the groove on each side of the slot for the braid. The Power converter I purchased on Amazon. Was only $60.00 and handles all four lanes with no problem.
My track took an uncountable amount of hours. Mine is a slotcar track but does not work with slotcars. I use radio controlled cars with guides on, and more elaborate slots cut in (which takes some engineering in some cases) with the result of lane changing. A couple of years ago I replaced the radio gear with Micro Arduinos and Bluetooth modules, so now I have programmable ghost cars to race against. AI Autonomous Vehicles in 32 scale :) Also no braids are required because cars are self powered. Introduced a pit lane scenario. The 4.2V AAA rechargables are brilliant!
Dean,if you are interested in building one there is a forum that one of the pro builders has a ton of great info and he's always willing to help. its called slotblog dot net and there's also a lot of great info on the Old weird Herald site too.
Sounds just like a MAGracing track setup. Very Nice. How did you find the build? I'm looking to build one as well but wasn't sure where to start. Do you have any posts online where I could see your build?
Great Track and solid build Mike! I am getting a plan together to build a track for my family and friends as well. I will definitely be watching your video a few times to gain some nuggets of truth.
BTW, I cant remember if you mentioned it, but what power supply are you using?
I purchased a power converter from Amazon. I am trying to find more information from Amazon but written on it is Nidec Ultraflo Compact Power 1200 Says 12 volt power supply 75 amps/600 watts at 110 volts. it only cost $60..00 and works great.. Consent power to all lanes.
Got it on Amazon. It is Nidec Ultraflo. Says on it Compact Power 1200 12 volt Power Supply 75 amps/600 watts @110 Volts
Do they make a router bit that cuts the slot and the braid groove?
Mike
that is a great looking job you did, I was wondering if you do or know of someone that may want to build a small track with 4 lanes for myself?
Where do you live
Jacksonville Fl and family in Columbia TN 904 2263636
Sir, I don't mean to come off rude by asking but can you ball park approx how much this cost to build? I'm getting too old to be dragging my knees around a motorcycle road race track but I'll need something to race in my geezer years. This has always been something tha fascinated me since I was just a kid. I'm still just a kid according to the wife. You would think by 57 she wouldn't think that. Lol!!! Very very nice track you built Sir.
KoolSolutions ZX12R I have around $4,000.00 in it. I get a little carried away with perfection so you could probably get by with less if you don’t do all the extra trim
HELLO : Mike great build . Could you tell me the Foot print of it ?? THANKS BILL
Thanks Bill, not really sure what you are asking for but if you mean the plans I drew to scale to build it by I will be glad to send you a copy of my drawing. Just send me an Email to speedcraftboats@bellsouth.net.
What is your lane spacing? 1/32 or 1/24? Magnabraid or non magnetic braid?
can i ask a few questions about how eo keep the slots at same distances in the turns.did you have a special jig
Xhech out Vidio #2 WHERE I am routing the radius pieces. I have a piece of 1/8" thick plywood I have mounted my router to. I have drilled holes in the piece of plywood at a point where the slots need to be. Once one la e is routed,I move the nail in the piece of plywood to the next radius and rout the next lane. So there are four holes in the piece of plywood the proper distance from the pivot point to each lane. I have also made a router bit with a 1/8" piece of steel rod epoxied in the end of it to cut the places for the beaded wire. I used it after I made the four initial slots with the 1/8" router bit. Does this answer your question?
no braking circuit, that would make driving into corners interesting
Oh yes, the break is connected
What scale are the cars please 🙂
What braided cable did you buy for this?
I used 1/4" flat braided tin coated from Wiremasters,Inc 800 635 5342 and I applied it with 3M's very high bond tape.
Stay away, kids, this is my track!