MTFCA Forum

Today, I got a set of door and window shim sets at Lowes for about $6.00 and they make excellent coil shims.

With them still sealed tight with plastic wrap, I cut the pack in two at the middle with a miter saw.

Then cut each section in two off center, so I had 1 inch and 1 1/2 inch wedges.

Then made the ends slightly smoother on my belt sander, not that they needed this cleanup.

The largest pieces on one end were saved for clamping other wood pieces that I didn't want marred.

i use the small free formica samples from Lowes and Home Depot as shims. They work great. I also use the large samples for leveling heavy machinery.

That is why they make popsicles. The sticks work good.

Been using those inexpensive wood shims since I started the hobby in 2012. Just slide them in til you get the desired tightness and chop off the excess!

Where on a coil is a wooden shim needed?
Allan from down under.

If you properly rebuild your coilbox; shims are not required.
It is just another half-vast things people do to model T's.
Ron Patterson

Then too, if you put your rebuilt coil on the belt sander to smooth and clean a warped case, it fits in the box easier, but sometimes a little too loose.

Allan, the shim pushes the individual coil boxes closer to the contacts for a better electrical connection.

Again, not needed if the contacts are properly bent away from the wood side.

Now I understand. It's a colibox shim, not a coil shim. Proper arches in the coil box contacts will do the same. The only shim I have ever used on a coil is a couple of washers under the contact posts to compensate for crushed wood on the top, so I couldn't get my head around wooden shims for that application.

Allan from down under.