Locking in the alignment

For our scout cars we have to use the pre-cut axels, so I lock the wheels in place with glue. League cars have drilled holes. Do you guys use set screws to set an alignment?

 

99%, if not all, of League racers use a fixture like the Silver Bullet, Silver Bullet Pro, etc... to drill their axles holes. Alignment is set by the quality of the drilled holes, not by adjusting it later. If I had to use the axle slots I would either glue them up and drill with a fixture or drill with a fixture and then cut a slot between the drills duplicating a slot.

 

I think your question was relating to holding the axles in their positions. I know there have been guys that used set screws in the past, and I wouldn't be surprised to find a couple using glue, but the drilled holes are tight enough on the axles that it totally becomes a set it and forget it thing.

 

Set screws aren't necessary for cub scout races. The only place I use set screws is when I replace the wood axle housing with delrin. I sometimes will use set screws then if I get too aggressive with the reamer. If your rules require you to use slots I would drill 2-3/32 above the slot. The cant will usually allow the axle tip to get into the slot. Drilling into slots is almost worthless. The slots are never square-straight. The drill bit will follow the slot so that's the reason to drill above the slot in good solid wood. Some guys will fill the slot with epoxy and then drill into the slot. That method isn't too bad, but occasionally I still see the bit trying to find the slot. If you drill above the slot you still have to sand off the bottom the same amount you drilled above the slot.

 

What you're saying is on league cars, use a drilled hole, set the gap, and the drill should hold the nail in place even during shipping to an event. Seems too easy.

 

Some racers will drill a hole perpendicular to the tip of the axles and then add a drop of superglue once the wheel has been gapped properly (or, in the case of the DFW, dialed in the to the proper drift). Provided that the axle has a K-house slot cut into the head, a simple twist will break the glue loose and allow reprep.

 

It really is that easy. If you use a correctly sized bit (#44 for BSA axles), they will not slip. If your rules allow you to race vendor axles, you'll be glad you didn't glue them in so you can reuse them.

 

Quick question to make sure i understand ..... So Filling in the pre cut axle slot with something like a wood glue would be solid enough to use a SB Pro to drill holes into where the slots were ???? Just asking because i am putting together a car using axle slots

 

I'd say you'd be good without first filling in the slot. Of course, with the SB Pro, you'll likely be using the #43 bit, which is a little big for the stock BSA axle. I'd drill w/ the Pro, then add a dab of white glue to the hole/slot when I put in the axles.

 

I have filled the end of the slots with 5 minute epoxy and then drilled with the Silver Bullet (first version) and it worked fine. I am sure if it worked with the original SB, it will work better with the SB Pro.

 

Every one of my league cars has a set screw on the down wheel axles but it's not for anything to do with alignment. They're there to protect the outer hubs of the wheels.

 

Now that I've done some testing with the silver bullet I'm not worried about this. Those slots we have had to use in scouts had me paranoid.