Do you remember playing with those wooden Brio train tracks as a kid? I certainly did. Well, after getting my Handibot I decided that it would be really cool to try and make those. This would be a perfect project for a handheld CNC machine like this.
To make these you first need a drawing of the tracks. After that, you need to bring them into a CAM program, in my case VCarve because it came with my Handibot. Lucky for me my mother still had my old tracks. I grabbed a few and started measuring them. In addition to that, VCarve allows Sketchup import. If you're reading this blog, you probably realized how obsessed with Sketchup we are. So in a little while, I had a Sketchup model built:
I wanted to start out with just the straight tracks to test things out. I used an 1/8" single flute bit. I had tried a 1/4" bit, but it was much of a brute for these little tracks. I used 1/2" thick poplar.
After setting my toolpaths up in VCarve I placed the Handibot on my wood and started milling.
They came out great! Now I am going to start making the adapters and the curved tracks. By using Sketchup and the Handibot I can customize these all I want. Do you want to customize and make your own? Download them below: