|
Average Guy DIY | ||
Outdoor Ice Rink - Page 2 AssemblyNow that all the pieces are made, assembling the outdoor hockey rink can start. I started by running string lines to make the 36'x56' rectangle, using the back wall of my house as guide. I measured 10' off the wall on one end and nailed in a stake. I walked along the back wall for ~60', measured 10' off that wall and nailed another stake. I tied a string between the two stakes and pulled it taught. I measured along the string 2' in from the stake and ran another string line perpendicular between two additional stakes ~40' apart (see Making 90° Angles on how get the string lines perpendicular). This makes one corner of the backyard skating rink. I then constructed two more string lines perpendicular to the existing ones to complete the 36'x56' rectangle. I wasn't worried about making the length and width of the rectangle exact; I was more concerned about making sure I had 90° angles. It will be easy to offset the walls of the rink against the string lines and maintain a straight line by just using a measuring tape. Now it's time to build the side walls of the outdoor ice rink. This is the easiest part, since all the brackets are built, walls are cut and string lines are run. So, I picked a corner and nailed in a bracket with a 12" spike. I lined the front 8" square of the bracket with the string line. I put a side wall section of plywood against the front of the bracket and screwed it with 2 1.5" exterior screws. I tucked the next bracket under the middle cut-away of the plywood side wall. I screwed the plywood to the plywood on the bracket and then nailed the spike into the ground through the hole in the bottom section of the bracket, making sure I kept the side wall lined up with the string line. I kept this going around the perimeter of the rectangle. I had to cut one 8' plywood side wall in half into 2 4' sections for the 36' sides of the ice rink. I also installed some metal L brackets in the corners since only one side of the corners has a bracket behind it. I used the small screws that came with the brackets and placed the bracket about halfway up the side of the side wall. I was worried about the force that 12 inches of water would have on the corner. Installing the metal L brackets secured the corners. Spreading out the white tarp was next. I recommend getting a few friends to help you do this--a 40'x60' tarp is hard to manage as one person. I spread the tarp evenly over the walls of the outdoor ice rink and then tucked the tarp tight against the bottom inner sides of the walls. Keeping the tarp neat and tight, I proceeded to staple the edge of it to the outside of the sidewalls between all the brackets. The most important ingredient to an outdoor skating rink is water, and I needed lots of it. I added water a few inches at a time, allowing some freezing in between each application to avoid having it all freeze at once creating the potential for a large crack. About a week later, I had enough water inside the ice rink for the minimum of 3" of ice. 
One could stop working on the rink and consider it a job well done. But not Average Guy. I built a 4' high backstop for behind the hockey goal and guards to protect the tarp from getting cut by skates against the side walls. Plus, I made another related improvement to insure a nice smooth skating surface of ice (See Hot Water Outdoor Spigot for how to get hot water outside to resurface and outdoor ice rink). Read on if you want to see how I made the backstop and guards, otherwise, get off the internet and take a trip your local lumber yard, but not before you make your lumber list. 
The 4' high backstop and guards have the same basic construction. They are 4 pieces of 0.5" plywood sandwiched together. For the guards, the two inside pieces are 2" wide, one outside piece is 13" wide and the other outside piece is 4" wide. They are all matched up flush on one end and then screwed together. Then I place the finished 8' long piece over the top of the side walls, with the 13" section on the inside and the 4" section on the outside. The only difference between the backstop and guards is that the backstop has a full sheet of plywood on the inside. I chose a 0.75" thick plywood so it would stand up to the pucks better. I connected the tops of the backstop together by screwing each side of a 2x4 to the back of the ajoining pieces. Plus, I angled a 2x4 behind the middle backstop and connected it to an extra bracket that was staked into the ground. This held up the backstop until the water could freeze. The ice made the backstop solid. Don't do what I did to add the guards and backstop, which invovled filling the rink with water and then holding an expensive power tool at akward angles over it trying to screw the backstop to the bridging 2x4s. The potential to give the cordless drill a bath was too high for me. Try adding the backstop and guards before you fill the rink with water.
Submit to:
|
Tools for the Job |
||
sitemap disclaimer
|
|||
