Its the new year already and it is overdue time to cease the ceasefire against the pea shooter dude...
Today we started assembling a bunch of the pieces we cut on the MultiCam over the holidays. I've built a number of trains before - all made of welded steel. That method guarantees hours and hour of grinding. And then more hours of grinding and smoothing.
With this project weight is a concern as it is going on the third floor of Mall of America in Minnesota. Every place we can possibly shave off a few pounds is important.
Even so it had to be strong and capable of withstanding lots of vibration and some abuse during the long transit, difficult instalation and subsequent use. So we are using a heavy duty welded steel frame and 30 lb Precision Board for many of the panels. We'll be painting it all with iron paint which rusts nicely to make all the HDU match the steel parts.
The boiler assembly and parts of the cab will be all welded steel to make it easier to fabricate. I'll be starting that over the next few days.
The steel I-beams will stretch 20 feet (in two pieces for transport) and will sit about 10 feet off the floor on some cut stone columns. The train will be a stationary display piece on top with the name of the golf carved into the large load of logs which will sit on the railcar trailing behind.
The piece will be viewed looking up as the players pass under the trestle so we are putting tons of detail into the lower part of the frame. We will go nuts with the detailed bits of the running gear as we fabricate it... I'm having a blast!
I'm delighted with how fast this thing is going together and the high level of detail we can achieve with the router... This pic shows how far we got in only one day of welding and assembly... about 9 man hours so far.
Having MUCH MORE fun than if I was workin...
-grampa dan
[ January 05, 2007, 02:11 AM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
Posted by Dana Bowers (Member # 780) on :
Hey - are you coming here to install it?? Better let us know... the MOA is only about 20 minutes from my folks' place... depending on traffic!!
Very cool, as usual!
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
Dana
Our contract allows for me to make 5 visits to Minnesota over the next five months with 2-3 days duration each time.
Immigration laws and union labor rules make it difficult for our Canadian based company to do any of the actual onsite installations or work. We'll be prefabricating all the pieces we are doing here in our shop and then shipping them down pretty much complete. I get to act as the design consultant/creative supervisor on site.
We subcontracted much of the project to a company there which specializes in faux rockwork. Even so our share of the project is still massive!
I suspect my first trip for install/consultation will be in late February/early March. We have to wait for the existing tenant to clear the space which is mid-February. Demo will take a week or so after that. I won't be booking my first trip until I'm a little surer of the start dates on site.
Stay tuned...
-grampa dan
[ January 04, 2007, 11:36 PM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
WOW! What a project. This is going to be great fun just watching all this stuff come together.
Now, as to the Router Wars...as usual, Sawatzky is making up the rules as we go along. This is a SIGN forum, not a vehicle manufacturing web site. The RW has to do with signs, not trains. Now, he will try to get around it not being a sign because he will put some letters somewhere.
Come on now, this is a miniature golf course! Pretty soon Dan will be making small horses out of Precision Board (ka-ching) and trying to convince us that they are traveling billboards.
I could write more, but it's time to coat out some MDO...and then a nap. After I spend some time with my GREAT Grandchild, I'll check back in.
Congratulations Dan. This is the project you've been looking for and now you can pull out all the stops and really shine. Even though I will continue to harrass you, I am extremely pleased that you landed this assignment. "Movin' on up"
Posted by KARYN BUSH (Member # 1948) on :
but train rhymes with sign...........
[ January 05, 2007, 12:53 PM: Message edited by: KARYN BUSH ]
Posted by Dan Sawatzky (Member # 88) on :
RULES??? There are no rules man.. this is all out creative WAR! There ain't no rules!
Actually Raymond, we are not actually building the Adventure Golf. I designed it and will supervise the construction from time to time but we are not building it. A sub contractor is.
We are constructing all the signs for the project however. And the features. And yes they all have lettering on them, which technically makes them signs.
The train is the PRIMARY SIGN. I'll keep posting pics so you can see that.
Got anything new to show us from the pea shooter?
-grampa dan
[ January 05, 2007, 01:06 PM: Message edited by: Dan Sawatzky ]
Posted by Joey Madden (Member # 1192) on :
what awesome tools, a brain, an imagination and a Multicamm, I see no end Posted by Raymond Chapman (Member # 361) on :
So, technically, it is a sign...it just looks like a train. Oh, I see now.
The ShopBot? Yea, it's still back there in the corner.
Mike and I have been building a mezzanine storage area in the shop, so not much has been going on this week. It is an 8' x 14' area that we moved a bunch of seldom used items to and also all the records and such. Basically, we have been doing spring cleaning...also discovering how much junk has accumulated in the past 15 years. The shop actually looks neat for the first time in a long time.
I'll fire up the ShopBot next week and see what we can post here. Probably not a train, but maybe a sign or two.
Posted by Matthew Rolli (Member # 4089) on :
Excited to hear Dan! I'm 25 minutes from the mall, and my 6 year old is really excited to hear they're finally upgrading that area.
I've been silently building up some photos on our new router we got late in November. It's been running steady doing some unique projects of our own.
I'll share in the Router Wars in the near future.
Though I believe in the GERBER.....though I don't get quite the commissions you get for your....mutliCLAM
great work as always, please let us know when you're in and you've got a dinner on us here in Hudson, Wisconsin
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