Midwest cork roadbed poorly cut

[Bill H]

Group;
I have bought a lot of Midwest cork in the past but my recent purchases have hit a new low in quality. Previously there was always a little nub on one piece that needed to be dealt with after separating into two pieces. Well, the nub remains, but the bevel that should have been under the nub on one piece is gone and the cut is not in the middle. I have three new boxes like this. Is anyone else seeing this in the latest boxes?

The result is I have to lay the cork off of the drawn center line, and will have to use extra ballast to fill in for the missing bevel on one piece - and what is now the center line of the cork roadbed when viewed from above, is no longer the center line to lay the track on... So I have to draw a new center line on top of the cork - a real pain.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Chris333]

Can't you just finish the slice with a knife? The cut shouldn't be centered because it is (or should be) cut a bevel.

[Bill H]

Chris
Sure, I am slicing / sanding it off, but for years, Midwest cork was actually sliced in the center, so that both pieces were the same width once the little tab was sliced / sanded off. Now it isn't, and if you are laying a lot of track on track centerlines, you now have to fudge the cork off the center line as one piece is at least 1/8 wider than the other.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Dave V]

This has been the case for a while now. I notice that one side of the cut gives a decently smooth bevel, but the other side invariably has to be sanded a lot more than you'd expect.

[pedro]

One half of Midwest cork having a rough edge has always been a “feature,” but it’s always been two symmetrical halves. Sounds like a bad batch, I hope? Have you tried contacting Midwest?  Not being able to lay up each half to a centerline is a pretty big problem.

This being said, I have three new boxes of fairly recent purchase; I just checked, and all seem to be evenly cut.

[nkalanaga]

Is the difference in widths consistent?  If it is, just lay two wide pieces together, and two narrow pieces together, and the center line will still work. 

If it isn't consistent, it's very poor quality control, regardless of other causes.

[Bill H]

One half of Midwest cork having a rough edge has always been a “feature,” but it’s always been two symmetrical halves. Sounds like a bad batch, I hope? Have you tried contacting Midwest?  Not being able to lay up each half to a centerline is a pretty big problem.

This being said, I have three new boxes of fairly recent purchase; I just checked, and all seem to be evenly cut.

Pedro:
There is a 1/16 to 3/32 difference in width of the two sections after the nub is sanded off. I just checked all three boxes and they all have the same defect. Indeed not being able to lay to the centerline, and then use the centerline of the cork to line up the track is for me seriously frustrating. I am not built to fudge it all the way. I am contacting Midwest on Monday and will update how they respond.

Kind regards,
Bill

[Bill H]

Pedro:
Sometimes a pic gives a better explanation. Sorry for the poor quality, my cell phone is old.. This is the least of miss cut pieces. Some of the others are worse.




Kind regards,
Bill

[tehachapifan]

It's been cut that way for as long as I can remember, both with the uneven centerline and the incomplete bevel cut. I've learned to fudge the first side applied in relation to the markings on the plywood base by eyeballing and I typically put the less clean bevel on the non-viewing side.

[nickelplate759]

It's been cut that way for as long as I can remember, both with the uneven centerline and the incomplete bevel cut. I've learned to fudge the first side applied in relation to the markings on the plywood base by eyeballing and I typically put the less clean bevel on the non-viewing side.

This exactly.  It has always been poorly cut.  Or at least as for long as I can remember, going back as far as the early 1970s.  Probably should blame Nixon.

[MK]

My stash looks just like that...purchased around 15 years ago.

[mu26aeh]

I always put the clean cut on the side that faces me.  Hide the ugly cut

[mmyers]

It's been like that for a very long time. I lay mine on the centerline then recut the wide side after laying track. I'm pretty good at using my index finger and thumb as a guide along a rail while holding a sharp utility knife on an angle. A couple of decades cutting in sheet vinyl and carpet helps though.

[Bill H]

I always put the clean cut on the side that faces me.  Hide the ugly cut

Group:
Just to be real clear, I am not referring to the rough cut on one side. I laid a lot of Midwest cork with a rough cut, with a nub, with an unfinished bevel. I am referring to the simple fact that one side is wider than the other, and thus the centerline is moved.

Kind regards,
Bill

[ncbqguy]

I haven’t used Model Railroad cork roadbed for decades.
I use cork off the roll in the flooring department of big box stores or use cork meant for bulletin boards. 
IIRC I cut it 5/8” wide which is about tie width.  The ballast can form its own bevel instead of trying to glue it evenly to a sloped cork bevel.
The single width of the cork has never been an issue as most of my work has been on spline roadbed using its edge to lay the cork instead of centerlines.
I don’t know what the availability is but bet, like everything else, you can get it from Amazon.
Charlie Vlk