More More More!

So while I was waiting to hear from Calabro I figured I would get some more work done. He didn't call me back until 2 so I got some good work done again on Sunday. I keep messing up the numbers. I was missing about 42 joist hangers and about 6 boxes of #8 screws. I got to a stopping point with the transition template prep and had to move on.



I am now realizing that I still have some shuffling to do in the barn. I never would have thought that I would be using the entire space so soon. SO, I have to move the wood pile and get the 100 year old sleigh in a safe spot. I have all of these paintings from my MA degree (1999) that are too big to store in the house. You may see some in the background. Yep, strange - i was all into Blues and Jazz music at that time, kinda obsessed with New Orleans as well. So my work was a lot about music, voodoo culture, folklore and outer space.





I should also add that I would like to offer some art up for a cheap price. I need to pay for this thing some how!! more on that..

I figured out a better way to attach the fill in pieces on the bottom of each template. I had to have a foot of vert so I did the pain in the ass thing and made an uneven height of 8' 6". This means that you can't use one entire 4' x 8" sheet. However, If I were to go with this size again, I think that I could have cut that section out as part of the lower transition?? Maybe. But now, I have to make it work. So I cut out the fill in pieces with a circular hand saw. I was not being too careful with the edges since I was cutting them form the scrap inside template left overs. So now I have some janky looking fill in pieces. Which are not true on the bottom. I figured out a way to fix this problem when I attach the frame.



I may just borrow a table saw and re-cut the fill in pieces. Although, I do not like table saws. They freak me out - I cut off three of my fingers when i was 18 at a cabinet shop... They had me ripping down boards all day and when you do anything repetitive like that it can get dangerous. Especially my spacey ass. No guards, barely a fence... scarey



So anyway, I mocked up the 8' sections just to see where I was with everything. My first instinct was ok, this might work?? I am still worried about the truss situation. But my father seems to be really cool about it all. I think he is glad that I am using the barn for something for once. It was really just a graveyard for local animals to freeze to death during winter. I did use it in the past as an art studio (hence the big ass art works), a shop (when i raced motocross) and a private place to work out music/songs.

So, I have had a relationship with this barn for a long time. I guess I always come up with some kind of kooky idea to use it. I built a 12' wide mini behind it about 18 years ago. At that time no one out here skated and it rotted away. I actually have a few of the boards that I may use in this ramp for vibe points.

Moving on, I went out and picked up more joist hangers and screws and rigged up some lighting last night. I got to prep 4 more transition templates and then I realized I did not get enough screws... SO, I am gonna run out and get some today on my lunch break. I am either hitting up the carwash after work tonight or I may just get back to the barn. Who knows!

I also realized I really F'd up on the wood calculation. I am short on 2 x 4's. Bummer - this means more $$$. I had enough set aside for plywood but now it may be pretty tight. Got to check craigslist of free wood!!!

Tranny part 2

So I got up early this morning and got some work done in the barn. Had a rad sesh at Wilson last night and then watched the debate with Man-Night Eric. I really need to stop eating so much bad shit. I'll save that for the other blog.



So transitions. I got the sander out and smoothed out the waves on the curved edge. Then marked out across all 12 templates every 8". I started attaching the joist hangers and once I got to the end of template #1 I realized that I made a miscalculation. I am gonna need more 2 x 4s. Well, win some lose some.



I rigged up a cardboard template to connect the two transition pieces together. This was loosely based on Brendan's idea from Whitefish Skate Ramp CO. I decided to go with this idea because it was the least involved. Some other things I have seen require some masterful angles and I do not have a decent chop saw to do that stuff. Nor do I have the mindset. I guess I better get it if I ever want to build a bowl!



SO I spent an hour cutting those out and it worked well. I finally found a use for the scrap wood between each transition piece. I will also cut out the filler piece for the bottom of each transition template. The cuts are not pretty but it is all about using the waste material for something useful.



So after I got all of that stuff done, I put transition template #1 together and began checking the truss clearance again. This has been a major concern since the beginning. I actually started measuring at the beginning of the summer. I must have went out and measured that barn 10 times. I kept seeing the problem and trying to make things work. I finally made a mock transition and measured everything and came to the conclusion that it would work.



However, now that I have the real thing in there it looks a bit sketchy. The truss runs horizontal to the lip of the ramp. It is 6' from the lip and about 1.5' higher. When you look from one angle it appears that the skater would hit his or her head on the truss during drop in. But I also originally thought that we crouch a bit when we drop in and that it wouldn't be a problem. But of course I began to worry about Calabro. He often times catipult himself out to flatbottom and one may hit the truss when they do something like that.



So my intitial reaction to that today was fuck, I'm done. I went in and spoke with he who makes all decisions and is the final word was really laid back about it and said cut the truss out of try to make it work somehow. The neighbor did something like that to his barn where he increased the overhead height. SO, this will be another project to research the best and safest way to raise the truss up at least 2'. I guess I'll just keep building the ramp until I figure that part out. Then I have to get electric out to the barn too. Lots of extra shit!

Tranny

So, I finally got the VW out of the barn and got some room to work! I cut out the transition templates today. I searched so many ramp plans and looked at pics on the interturd. I got some rad skateramp plans from Brenden at Whitefish Skate Ramp Co. Calabro hooked me up of course. Check out the site! Brenden is one of the organizers for the super rad Dreamland park in Whitefish, MT. SOOOOOOOOO effffin good!!


I figured out a sweet way to draw out the transitions. I screwed the 3/4" plywood to the floor and framed it out to be sure it was square. I used a 1" x 2" for the vertical and screwed my compass arm (another 1" x 2") to that. Everything was screwed to the floor so it would not move. I used the string method once but it would flex and come untied... 2 x 4's are kinda bulky so these skinny boards seem to work better as a big compass. It was fun.


I used a auger bit to open up a 5/8" hole on the end of the compass arm to put my sharpie through. Measured it all out for a 7' 6" transition and drew the arc. It was pretty easy accept the first time I forgot to link up the two pieces properly. Brendan has a pretty good way to join the two transitions together so I overlapped them a bit... The pics explain themselves.



I spent the rest of the day cutting out 6 transition template sets - 16 sides and 32 pieces. Good stuff!! I will have to cut out the tombstone connector things and then belt sand the arcs. They came out pretty good though, not too much lumpyness.



so it begins!!

Wood Hoard

I brought over the wood from a donated Ramp that was in storage the weekend of the big Hurricane in Texas. That weather carried itself all the way up to the Midwest and beyond. I think we got 10" of rain during that storm. I skated the carwash the entire weekend which was really cool. I hadn't been there since March so it was all new again.

The only draw back is that it never stopped raining so it made moving wood not fun! I eventually got it all to the barn and had to wait a day or too. The ground was so saturated that it was impossible to drive through the field.

Last Thursday I made a trip to Home Depot to get more wood. I basically had enough 2 x 4s to build the transitions and some other wood for the decks. So I had to buy the wood for the flat bottom and the 3/4" plywood for the transitions, screws and other misc. I have about 10 sheets of 3/8" and will need to get more when the time comes. I figure that what I have now will keep me busy for a month if not more. Especially if the weather continues to be as good as it has been this week!! 70s-80s

I plan to build this ramp for my needs. It is great to have that kind of freedom. If you think it is too tight or not a real vert ramp or just a dumb idea then don' ride it! I have thought about this for quite some time and based on the space, the ramp dimensions will hopefully be 8' 6" high w/ 7' 6" transitions (1 foot of vert), 20' wide and 14' of flat. Wow, that is tight!! Yes, it will be very tight. This is as tall and wide that the barn will allow.

In defense of this, I am primarily a bowl/pool kinda guy. I do not like big transition vert ramps and I am not into mellow minis either. I have read that tighter ramps feel like a pool or bowl. I do not have hopes of doing 900s or anything like that. I just want a place to skate this winter and learn some damn tricks. For me, it needs to be on a tight gnar ramp like this!!

Most of the parks built by Grindline and Dreamland have tight trannies so why not build a ramp based on what is out there. I have some nice big coping for one end and hope to pour concrete coping for the other. Some will say that it should be the same on both sides. But if you go to a good park these days there is usually a variety of coping.

I do have a few guys who are willing to donate some time and maybe $$ but I want to keep most of the funding to myself here... But I think that I may have some fundraising happening soon. I would like to offer some art work up at a discounted price to pay for the wood. More on that later.

The Ramp

This is the sister site to my blog EXPSKATE which is a blog devoted to music, art and skateboarding. I decided to start a separate blog that will document the construction and various phases of my ramp to be. Ramps tend to have lives just as people do. It is a lot like the life of a work of art. It is used in different ways, may have many owners, locations and even versions.

SO to start out, I guess I should blog the pros and cons of this project. When I actually thought about it, this project has been in the making for years now. Ever since I started really skating again, I have been in search for new and interesting terrain to ride. But I am always thinking in the back of my mind what I really want to ride. As you might have read in the other site, I have been to many parks and love some and am less enthused about others.


This project is one for survival of the coming fall and winter weather. Chicago can sometimes have mild winters but in recent years they keep getting more and more oppressive! I have spent thousands of dollars on gas and park fees over the years as well. I have skated nearly every day for the last 3 years and when a good chunk of those sessions were 10-15$ then you can imagine where all my $$ went... So this ramp will hopefully help a little in that department. As well as my ramp riding skills.

Last year, a group of us got together and constructed a mini ramp, and some other obstacles in a warehouse in Chi. Some may know this place as "The Carwash". Yes, I am in on that one too. Some even try to hide it from me - hahaha. It is not a secret spot, all are welcome, as long as you can find it and kick down some cash to pay for all the shit.

It was really cool that a group of us finally got together and actually did it. After a year in the warehouse all is still well and better than ever!! Anyway - I was happy with the way the place turned out but I am not a full on mini freak. I like bigger transition, vert, pool coping, etc. SO, my heart was not fully there - I guess I just wanted something more. And finally, this year I am going in that direction. But at the same time, it is great that the mini is still there. I feel like I can enjoy it even more now knowing that I have a new project going on.

My plan 6 months ago, was to live cheap, pay off my credit cards, save up a down payment and buy land, barn, house, etc. Well, I got the cards paid off and saved a little $$. But I am in no position of obtaining the big dream as of yet. With all that is happening at this point, I am honestly afraid of even going to a bank. For one thing, they are not just giving loans to anyone these days, and who knows if they will be there next week. I give them my $$ and they fold and my down payment is gone??

Also, my dream of land is probably out of a while, at least around here - too $$$.

So I compromised, I have access to a 30'x40' pole barn. The catch was it was filled with crap (literally) and has no electric. SO these are some things I had to work with the last few weeks. Moving old stuff that needs to be dumped and other things that need to be burned and still more things like animal corpses, feces and more good stuff to be disposed of accordingly.

I worked in that barn for about 3 weeks. And now it is almost ready. I know a few electricians and hope to run a line out to the barn soon. I have a service all set up and just need to move a few things around...