March 10th, 2010
What would a kite park be without an a-frame slider? We've had a metal a-frame at Jabberwock since Dre built it for Catalyst a few years ago, but the salt air has taken its toll on it and we decided to pull it out and asses the damage. After Dre gave it a check-up he decided it was time to put her to rest and build a new one. This time out of some heavy ass wood, something that would stand up to the weather and be a bit more permanent. He also wanted to make it a bit more mellow so it would be more fun to hit and more people would be willing to have a go at it. As usual we documented the build and have written up a little guideline for you to follow.
Wood
Six - 2 x 12 x 20
One - 2 x 12 x 16
One - 2 x 12 x 12
two - 4 x 3 x 20
two – 4 x 3 x 12
Hardware
Twenty four – 6.5” Nuts, bolts, washers
Eight – 6” Nuts, bolts, washers
One box of a hundred 2.5” lag screws
One box of a hundred 1” self tapping screws
Two sheets of half inch plexi glass (or 1” HDPE)
One gallon pirmer, One gallon paint of your choice
Tools
Circular Saw
Power Drill
Drill Bits (long enough to go thru 6” wood, also a butterfly bit for counter sinking)
Socket Set
Hammer
Square
Chalk Line
Pencil
Image 1
This A-Frame is built with some pretty heavy duty material. We chose to do this in order to maximize the lifespan of the slider. It works out to be a very heavy slider, and that helps if you’re keeping it in an area where it is affected by not only by strong winds, but by waves and tidal changes as well. Keep in mind that this article is a simple guideline to building an A-frame. There is no one way to do this, so feel free to make changes or adapt where you feel necessary.
Image 2
To get started we cut three pieces of the 2x12s to the lengths we wanted (we also cut the angles in the middle piece where they join onto the two longer beginning and end pieces) and lay them out on the grass to get a good visual of the size and length of the slider. They pieces that are laid out are one of two main structural supports for each segment. So looking at image 2 you will see a good side profile of the slider. Take your time to cut these angles carefully, as they will predict the steepness of the slope on either side of the slider.
Image 3
Once you’ve got those pieces cut and you are satisfied with the angles, use those first three pieces as templates to cut the duplicates for the other side. Now you’re ready to cut the legs and start piecing it together. Dig into your stash of 4x3s and start making your legs. Use the longer pieces for the straight legs and the shorter ones for the angled supports, you can see how we did ours in Image 4. We used our 6.5” bolts and nuts to attach the legs to the main structure, the bolts go from one side of the support beams, straight through the legs that are in-between the supports and bolted on the other side. We used our 2.5” lag screws to attach the angled 4x3 supports to the 4x3 legs. For this slider we decided to put legs (two each) on only the two end sections since they were much longer than the middle piece (20 foot as opposed to the 8 foot middle section). To support the middle section we ran a length of 3x4 from one of the end pieces to the other so that the middle section just slotted right onto that 3x4. That eliminated the need for any legs on the middle section and its well supported and also easy to line up and piece together once its in the water. See, we're not quite as dumb as we look :)
Image 4
The next step is to put the top layer 2x12 onto the structure. This is the base of our sliding surface which will be covered in plexi glass or HDPE. Line up the top 2x12 carefully Use a chalk line to mark the center so you can line it up perfectly. Remember when you are working with material this long even half an inch off at one end can really mess you up, so take time to mark your edges in pencil or chalk line to avoid any problems.
Image 5
Once you have everything marked and lined up, use some of the self tapping screws to tack the 2x12 in place. Tacking it with small screws is just an easy way of keeping the pieces lined up while you screw it down properly with the lag screws. Again, it helps when you’re working with long heavy material so things don’t slide out of place when you’re trying to screw it together. Mark all the spots where you want to put your lag screws and use a butterfly bit and drill some shallow holes on those points. This is to counter sink the screws so you have a flat surface to lay the plexi on, see Image 6.
Image 6
Next step is to put her upright and bolt your cross beams to the legs for support. In this case we used our old metal beams from the previous a-frame, but you can use 2x4s or something close to that. We also used our 6" bolts to attach them to the legs, but you can use whatever length suits the material you have chosen to use. You might need some extra friends to help hold this thing upright while you bolt the supports on since its so top heavy.
Image 7
Once you have the two end pieces standing upright, its time to get the middle section in there and bolt it all together. Remember the middle section doesn't have any legs so we just have to line up the end pieces, connect them with that 3x4 at either end and then slide the middle section onto that 3x4 from the top. Unfortunately we didn't get any shots of this part cuz all hands were busy lifting it all into place. Basicall that 3x4 slides in between the two vertical 2x12 sections of each end piece, the same way the legs do, and the 8 foot middle section fits right on top of that 3x4 nice and snug. Then you just bolt it all into place to keep it rigid.
Now shes pretty much done, you just need to splash some paint on her and cut your plexi or HDPE for the sliding surface, then get about 97 friends to help you lift it into the water :)
Good Luck!!
