I have a special post on the other blog expskate.blogspot.com. Check it and consider. Once this thing is finished, I'll be posting on there. This is just for the construction phase.
I got up bright and early this morning, headed out of the city with the Calabro van and picked up the masonite. I picked up Callahan and paid $2.65 a gallon for gas! Yes people, Lowell, IN. So today, driving the gas guzzler was not so bad. Nick was there when we arrived and the three of us got to work. All was going well, I did mess up and had to cut down two rows of ply. I swear that I measured it all but master carpenter I am NOT!
We were making good time this morning and had one quarter pipe nearly done and I had just started the other side when Dave and Mike arrived. Dave pointed out the obvious (thank goodness). I did not arrange the plywood so each end was bordering on transition a transition template or support. We had them centered on each 2 x 4 but not on the seam between two sheets. The way I had it was more economical board and $$ wise but there was a danger of breaking through, even with three layers.
This was very difficult to do but we had to take everything off! But then we got lucky because Danny, Eric and Juan showed up and we had like 7 dudes and 7 drills and 14 hands!!! So, they got to work pulling the plywood off the ramp and I tried to keep up cutting the boards down. I had to cut them all down because I had two 6' wide Q-pipes and a 94 1/4" Q-pipe. It was a lot of extra work but now I can sleep easy because we did the right thing.
Once that initial pain in the nether regions began to fade it was buisiness as usual. We all did our part and put in 100%. I am totally grateful to all that showed today and yesterday. Thanks a big bunch dudes!! You all totally rock!
So we got cranking. My cuts were not the greatest but I did what I could. Juan had to do some surgery on one of the transition templates. I had a bump that was causing part of the seam to rise 1/2" out. So he took a hammer and chisel and chewed it back to about 3/16". I did sand the edges and when I had all the templates piled up they seemed to be true. I was really bummed about that one too. You do all of that work and when the plywood goes on all of the problems reveal themselves! Eric pointed out that I am not TEAM PAIN. And he is right, I actually felt better after he said that.
I did my best and you have to learn from each experience. I was working with a lot of donated/found wood that had to be dealt with as is and space limitations are in effect as well. So I couldn't just blast away with three true 8' Q-pipes and have it all work out. If I had to do it all over again, I still couldn't do that because the space does not allow a 24' wide ramp...
Anyway, everyone is stoked on the ramp now and that makes me very happy!! Dave couldn't help himself and jumped in on the ramp while we were still plying it! He was blasting past 2 x 4s, saw dust, drills and screws!! Pretty gnar. He rips it for sure! SO we were getting some little runs in as things were winding down. I know you are not supposed to ride with only one ply but these dudes were getting pretty jonesed out!
So for this week, we ended up with the first layer down. It should go much faster now since I won't have to do so many cut downs with the next layer. I will however need to get more 3/8s because of all the cutting but no biggie. Just more $$. ugh
I am really happy with the way it is all turning out. And nobody bonked their head on the truss, yet! I will have to figure out the bracing once the center board is cut out. More to come!
I have some footy of Dave with the first run!
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