Wooden Ball Track

mgdesigns · Post by **mgdesigns** » Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:14 pm

Has anyone here ever made a wooden ball track? My 7-year old wants one for Christmas and I might be able to make it in pieces if I can get plans, or a decent idea how to make it modular. Thanks in advance.

BTW - I figure a 1/2" diameter round nose router bit would be the key ingredient for the grooves, and made out of either pine or poplar to keep the costs down. We have a bunch of Plan City Toys, and they are made from rubber wood, because it's green and renewable, but so is poplar or pine or fir over here. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks. MG in Nashville, TN

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:36 pm

Are you wanting something for marbles? I do know of one in this month's Woodcraft magazine on p. 36.

BPR

pennview · Post by **pennview** » Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:42 pm

Here are plans for something called a marble race.
[ATTACH]15027[/ATTACH]

mgdesigns · Post by **mgdesigns** » Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:53 pm

Pennview:

Thanks for that link - but I am looking for something similar to the Quadrilla Basic Ball Racer set. Something that the kids can disassemble and modify, and I can make more parts as needed. It seems if someone in China is making these, they got the idea from someone in the USA, and I ought to be able to reverse engineer it. The trick will be the inter-connections, and making them work at the angles so the ball keeps rolling. I'll take a trip to ToysRUs and see one in person, then I can think better how to get it made at home. Wood is cheap, it's the time factor now that has me in a bind.

charlese · Post by **charlese** » Mon Dec 05, 2011 3:03 pm

mgdesigns wrote:Has anyone here ever made a wooden ball track? My 7-year old wants one for Christmas and I might be able to make it in pieces if I can get plans, or a decent idea how to make it modular. Thanks in advance.

BTW - I figure a 1/2" diameter round nose router bit would be the key ingredient for the grooves, and made out of either pine or poplar to keep the costs down. We have a bunch of Plan City Toys, and they are made from rubber wood, because it's green and renewable, but so is poplar or pine or fir over here. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks. MG in Nashville, TN

I second the idea to get a copy of "Woodcraft" magazine - Volume 8/No 44 Dec/Jan of 2012. There you will find complete plans of how to build such a set. They use a 3/4" R cove bit with a 3/4" bearing. Also a 1/8" roundover for block edges and a 3/4" Forstner bit.

They also have plans for a carrying box for the blocks.

They use 5/8" marbles.

I saw a block kit from Amazon for $80+:eek: , but the one in Woodcraft is much better.

joedw00 · Post by **joedw00** » Mon Dec 05, 2011 4:02 pm

Here are some from WoodGears

mgdesigns · Post by **mgdesigns** » Mon Dec 05, 2011 9:26 pm

That is so cool - Thanks for the lead. Looks like something I can make - maybe.

rlkeeney · Post by **rlkeeney** » Tue Dec 06, 2011 5:24 am

This might give you some ideas.

http://woodgears.ca/mm2/index.html

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