Cut the wood into these specified cuts:
- Two 40" base pieces
- Two 28" post pieces
- Four 18" brace pieces
- Two 17" cross bar pieces
It was so nice today that we could cut the wood outside. That was convenient because hauling 8' of pressure treated wood into the house could have been a hassle.
Here we are are cutting the four braces. My dad was really helpful. The braces needed to have a 45 degree angle on one side.
Yay circular saw! (AKA, scary noise maker that could take a finger. Be careful!)
Here are a few of our wood pieces. I label ALL of my wood pieces with their size. Any leftovers? Label those too! "Extra wood, (Insert date here)"
Phew. That was a lot of cutting. Now lets check on our other supplies. We needed all those screws and nails and stuff, right? Yes, yes all of that. But most importantly, you need the metal pipe. It will act as our fulcrum. Eventually, we will attach the 12' long teeter board to that very pipe using pipe supports.
Look at this cool wood screw. Its 3" long!
Here are some of the other requirements:
- One 1/2" around galvanized metal pipe, 18" long
- Box of 3" nails
- Box of 3" screws
- One 1" drill bit, its a big one!
- Paint (your color choices/whatever is around the house)
Lets get building!
Attach the 28" post pieces to the 40" base pieces. Find the very center of the 40" base piece. Mark that, then mark two inches from the center on each side (four inches in total). This is where the 2X4 post piece will go. We used both nails and screws for this. The nails held the pieces steady whilst we screwed. They also add extra strength.
Next we put the cross bar pieces in. Remember, these pieces are 17" across. The need to be nailed and screwed in on either side of the post pieces.
Hammer and nail. Drill and screw. Working hard or hardly working.
Now we are adding the other base and post piece. The cross bars are once again nailed and screwed onto this piece.
More hammering. More drilling.
This is the basis of the base. The rest of the pieces are for extra support or finishing touches.
We are talking about how we want the brace pieces to go in. 45 degree angle was the ticket!
Whilst we were cutting the braces, my sister, Marie, took this photo to show how the pipe will fit. Looking good so far. The bar goes all the way across with a tiny bit of room. The end caps will keep the pipe from slipping out unexpectedly.
Testing the brace piece's fit. Its good enough for me! We then tested all of the brace's fit.
Testing. Testing 1, 2, 3...
Almost done. We nail the brace pieces into place. They each get a few screws too.
Nails and screws on the top.
Nails and screws on the bottom.
Oooo... pretty...
Almost there.
The finished, but unpainted project! My dad and I admiring our work/adjusting some nails.
Woah! Now you've got this cool base. What now? I have the answer, friend. The answer is: Drill the holes for the pipe. Ours are drilled holes are at 12", 18", and 24". This is a prefect training teeter as you can move it from a super low height (12") all the way up to AKC competition height (24"). When those holes are drilled, test the pipe for a good fit. It should fit but not be tight. However it also shouldn't be too loose! The pipe needs to rotate without jiggling around in there.
Now get to painting.
The base is now painted a light blue-grey color. It was left over from painting my room. We had quite a bit left over and this project hasn't even made a dent in gallon of paint we have left.
The holes we drilled. Aren't they nice?
Ta-da! The finished base.
Part 2 of teetering building will be out later this week.
I was planning on making my base out of PVC since it's cheap and weather resistant, but I like your idea with using wood, which may be even cheaper and you can change the height which is great for training.
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