When you're a big train buff and you have railroad tracks running 100 feet from the house and you no longer have a porch to hang your swing from and your a welding teacher, what do you do with your swing? You build a train station swing support, naturally. The design is similar to the platforms that would have been found next to the stations back when railroad architecture was something really impressive. After I designed it, two students did most of the work.
The idea going in was to have something nice for myself and to enter the finished product in the Lincoln Electric Welding Contest. The work involved was a little complicated. The circles on the ends are flat stock that is rolled the hard way. The arms coming out to the edge of the roof line are two pieces of angle bent into a nice curve and welded back to back. Not the easiest thing to do - especially if you want nice smooth curves and eight pieces all alike. The top has a 4x4 running full length with screw eyes to hang the swing from.
The project came out exceptionally well and the two boys won the top prize for the Midwest division in the contest. I don't spend a lot of time sitting in the swing but it's a nice place to sit when your taking a break. I need to invent some type of force field to put around it to keep the skeeters away in the evening. Then I'd really have something.
5 comments:
Perhaps let your readers know what "the hard way" means.
Good point, Surly. When you bend flat stock the "hard way", you edge bend it. If you have a piece of 3/16" x 1" flat stock or a yard stick, grab it by the ends with the wide side (numbers) facing you and flex it. It's real easy to bend. Turn it so the the skinny side is facing you and try to bend it - not so easy. Much more force required for edge bending and it's difficult to keep the steel from buckling when you roll it the "hard way". Hope that helps.
Good that you clarified that. I didn't get it at first. As you know, I don't know shit about this stuff but wish I knew more.
Looks good though.
RE: the door in the previous post. That sucker is real nice. I was impressed as hell when I saw it.
You're a talented old Fart.
Unk - As a carpenter and nurse, I'm sure you find yourself occasionally tossing out terms of the trade that no one else has a clue about - easy to do. I don't have any specific audience when writing, so it's more like I'm having a conversation with myself. I usually understand me but even that is sometimes questionable.
Thanks for the kind words. I'm putting the travel plans together. I'll be heading south sometime this summer and will see you then.
The door to the "GrumpyUnk Command and Control Bunker" is always open to you. Call ahead so I can disarm the Claymores and trip wires.
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