You’ve heard the expression about sleepy little towns that, at night, roll up the sidewalks… well, I plan to do just that.
For new construction, I am going to use 5/4″ decking cut offs to make 32″ wide walkways
that work like tambour doors (I will use old canvas firehose screwed to the bottom and
space the boards so manageable sections can be rolled up, and moved to the next house
under construction). This will make negotiating muddy lots a breeze and will keep the
muck out of the house.
I plan on leasing or selling these to builders. I attached a pic of the board walk I
made at my house that inspired the roll-up walkway.
Replies
looks nice brian but how tight would they roll up how long are the sections how heavy?
I have not built one yet, but I figure about 3/4" between the boards, so they roll fairly tight. Maybe 8' sections with extra fire hose at the ends to fasten the sections together.The walk in the photo has tighter spaces and I was able to carry a 12' section by myself. (it is attached to two 5/4 deck boards as "stringers" and is rigid, rather than the roll up walk.
Mike,I made up a section of walkway today, after work.The rolls are about 18" in diameter for an 8' length of walkway, and weigh about 60 lbs.Tomorrow, I'll make a few more sections up.The firehose was a gift from the Winona F.D.Cheers,Brian
Nice idea!
Thanks Jim,I think they will make some jobs much better to get in and out of. Now if I can just get some builders to buy or lease them.Brian
http://www.misterboardwalk.com/rolloutprice.ivnu
Well, wadda ya know.I could sell my salvaged material version for about half price and do OK.
Looks good. The red strip on the hose is a nice accent and provides a center location for the screws, no drill template required. Do they come in custom Cabot colors?
If they were stained, LL Bean could sell for use during 'Mud Season".Hey they could be a permanent installation in some parts. :)All kidding aside, good idea.
Brian thats a great idea just don't think i want to be the guy pulling them out of the mud, might not be too bad when things dry up. mind if i steal that idea?
Help yourself.
"Hay" Mike,Spread some hay over the mud/dirt before you roll out the walk... for easier removal later.Just thinkin'B
Mike,In case you didn't see it, The roll-up boardwalk made "Tips" column in the Jan '09 FHB. Now I'm pitching the idea to Fine Gardening too... "cross-pollenating" as it were. ;o)
i did thanks. you are becoming quite the regular in the mags makin any money at it? :) hows work ? have you been doing a lot of shop work lately? any cool projects in the works?
Mike,I dug this thread back up while looking for the link to "Mister Boardwalk"... I was checking up on the competition, now that I have decided to build and sell some of these.I did submit another article to FHB this week (from the bullnose crown project last spring), and have been asked to write two more (one in the works now--vanity cabinet with pull-out step-stool in the toekick space). I do make fair money writing for FHB and they don't edit my stuff too much. I got a call last week from a local who saw something I wrote in FHB and he asked me to do some trim work for him this spring... so that is nice. I'm doing some 14x14" fluted columns this week and some smaller columns for the next couple of weeks (bouncing back into a bath remodel too).Most of Feb. will be a kitchen remodel (over the bridge in WI). Nothing very special though.Taking nothing for granted (two of my best competitors have closed up shop this past year--nice guys I liked to work with, as much as compete against). They may be the smart ones though (one bought a liquor store and the other went into composite manufacturing).No new construction trim jobs since last summer (that used to be my main thing) but enough small remodel jobs to keep me busy.Hope all is well there.Cheers,Brian
Sorry, I'm too cheap. I guess if you build new homes and go directly from one job to the next something like this would be good.
I was on a large church job and the super spent one weekend and built a deck on the office trailer, stairs and everything. He figured if your going to spend 9 months somewhere you might as well make it nice.
My jobs are varied. Sometimes a kitchen, sometimes an addition.
I use osb or plywood scraps. 1 $10 sheet of OSB makes 16' of 2' wide walk. Storing materials is costly and I don't want any more construction stuff around the house.
I recycle them at the end of the job. All of our waste gets sorted and 70% is diverted from the landfill. The wood is used in a co-generation plant.
OB
Using sheet goods (OSB or ply rips or scraps) as a makeshift walkway never seems to work very well IMO.One windy day, a friend of mine was hit in the face with a piece of plywood that was part of a makeshift walkway. A gust of wind hurled it into his face and peeled half of his face off...no joke. Laying on damp ground the bottom swells and the top dries out, so they cup, giving the wind a way to get under them.Build your own roll-up walkway if you are cheap... all I paid for is the screws (I got paid to haul off the salvaged decking and the fire hose was a gift from the local FD). Storage is not a problem. I have an extra one on the path from the house to the shop here.
Ugg! Point taken.
we just use skids, skid walk, skid row, skiddadle ...
don't have to buy one ...
U just showed me how to make one!
It's a great idea. I've been on more than one jobsite where a coupla those would have saved massive headaches.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
I used to think I could sell them to builders that sub everything out (the ones that don't actually build anything themselves), but now, with so little new construction, I'm thinking of selling to gardeners, and RV people, etc.I will take them to any snowy, muddy or sandy job I have to go to... and leave it for the other trades to use. If it is already in place, and useful to the builder--might be able to just sell it to the builder--and they move it to the next job. Then go home and build another one.Glad you like the idea.Cheers,Bass
Geez.
I did not know how famous the BT crew is.
With Stan Foster and you around, maybe osmosis will help me.
I remember reading about the boardwalk and loved it.
I've built more 2'x8' walk boards for the sales dept. when I was in corporate america.
Your idea is much better.
Ironically, I made darn near the same thing for the kids playset but never applied it elsewhere.
the 2 towers were about 8' apart. Ran cables with 1x4's attached to them so the cross walk would shake and wobble. Kids loved it. Used 1 1/4" pvc and bent to the angle of the cable walk for the rail
Threw it all out. Could have used it for my very own walk plank.
By the way, if marketed properly, I am betting we would have tried them if priced right
Problem is shipping costs from hither to yon.
If you sold the knockdown kit (screws, washers, and the trademark cabling system (aka shot firehose) with instructions, that might have some play.
Remember the company who marketed the yellow plastic boot that you use for safety rails on the stairs. You supply the 2x4's and they tell you how to meet osha requirements with their product.
People ate that up.
In this market, it might go slow but I think you would have to bite the bullet and advertise to get it going.
Jeff,Thanks for the kind words and the advice. The kit idea is a good one.I've heard that if you have enough ideas, eventually you'll have a good idea!Have a great day,Brian
You know what also works really well as a substitute for the fire hose and is a little more available ? The cheap tow straps you can get at wal mart ........ flexible and tough as hellNaive but refreshing !
Those would work nicely. I am checking into bulk nylon webbing if I do some serious production. I can get 150' of free fire hose each year (almost anyone, anywhere, can do the same--check with your local FD). I can buy flooring grade White Oak for $1.30/b.f. delivered (with the mill begging to sell lumber). About $30 for the wood for a 30" x 8' section.I'll post again when I build another variation on this theme.
I made a new walkway section today, in preparation for "Mud Season"... almost hit 40* today... the meltdown has begun.This version was made with #2 common white oak (really cheap now):
Brian
Thanx for the update. Jobsite egress is a constant problem.
BTW Thanx for posting the columns thread.
Chuck Slive, work, build, ...better with wood
Hi Chuck,The boardwalk and column projects are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but both fun.Thanks for the nice words,Brian
We used snow fence up in Pa on one particular job. I never see that any more , round here it don't snow enough. You all use it up there?
It's red and has like 1/4" slats and wired real close together?
like this here
View Image
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
Edited 8/22/2008 7:59 pm ET by Sphere
That is a good idea, the snow fence.My design may be more durable and more sturdierer.
Oh yeah, yours would be cool. Make the slats closer than sno-fence, I tripped more than once when my boot heel got caught.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
When I did that I used vinyl chair webbing you see on folding lawn chairs. Cheap and fast with short 1/2" crown staples or rfg nails
I thought about webbing, but old fire hose is free and stronger.Here the new construction access is just a slog through mud, much of the time.Someone should do something. :o)
Used to use WWII surplus aircraft landing mats for that purpose.http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=6795.
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.
just how slippery is it going to be when someone with muddy boots walks on it. In an effort to maintain cleanliness someone is bound to break the rules.
I'm actually using salvaged decking that has been weathered for about 12 years, rough enough that traction is good.Can't be as bad as slogging through the mud.
i anit buying one unless it says fein on it,and it cost 55.00 a running foot,with extra webbing costing twice as much. if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
"Have I got a deal for you."
The museum is about an hour from me. Very cool and I highly recommend it.
Sounds like a pretty good idea.
I have walk boards that I made for a particuarly sloppy sight that worked pretty well.
Mine were just 7/16 plywood ripped into 2' x 8' then had a 1x3 or 1x4 frame around the perimeter and one or two braces across. Worked well.
I have a bunch of old 1x6 treated boards that I saved from a fence I tore down that would work pretty well - light and easy to roll. Might have to try to find some hose.
Always thinkin' Aren't cha
Stock building sold those in MI. Or maybe it was a different company but I know they sold them.
Well, "nothing new under the sun."
Just trying to have enough ideas that eventually a few good ones appear.Worth a try. They should handle undulating terrain well enough.
You do realise that as soon as you start selling these things, OSHA is gonna come in and require the following modifications:
You will also have to prepare an MSDS for it and provide a copy free of charge to any potential buyer or user upon request.
Since you plan to use it in wetlands, the EPA is going to require you to submit a 437-page environmental impact statement.
Since parts of it may be in contact with unprotected skin, the FDA is going to require two years of animal harm-free testing before you can test it on humans.
And, since it could be transported across state lines, Homeland Security will require each unit to be registered, serial numbered, and have RFID & GPS chips implanted in it.
And while you're busy taking care of all of that, somebody else will patent and trademark it and have cheap plastic knockoffs made in China for sale in Home Despot.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
That is funny... but some of those safety warnings printed on ladders and such, just confuse me.The very top step of my ladder say "No Sit or Stand," so I did the only thing I could think of, and layed down up there... that is just not comfortable up there. <g>
Aint that the truth. If it wasn't meant for standing on, why did they put it there?
It's a terlit seat for painters too lazy to climb down to answer calls of nature. For hygienic reasons, the manufacturer leaves the knock-out plug in place for the purchaser to remove.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
I've seen bed slats that were drilled out for rope to keep them together. I think they had knots between every two boards. That would roll up tighter. Shock cord might give more flex, lay flatter on irregular terrain...But now we're tweaking: drilling would be a lot more work, and both rope and shock cord are expensive.For those of us who don't have access to fire hose, I'm always pulling out old-fashioned phone wires stapled to baseboard. Might break from fatigue after a while, but ten times lighter than fire hose... Speaking of flat hose, a short length of vinyl outlet-pump hose slipped over a shelf bracket (the tap-in, standard-and-bracket-system kind) makes part of a great paint/varnish drying rack. If they get too crusty, and start to scratch, they can be cleaned off by flexing them, scrubbing with a Scotch-Brite, soaking, or all of the above.AitchKay
I like the hose sleeves for metal brackets idea.On the fire hose, I bet most can get it free from their local Fire Dept. The old hose is discarded on a regular basis.The decking I am using is reclaimed from a deck demo (was paid to get rid of it).It only took about half an hour to make that first section of walk, so labor is not bad either.Certainly could be lighter and roll tighter, but not with the free material I have on hand.Anyways, thanks for the input,Bass
Yeah, I'll definitely file away that walkway idea, too. I just threw away a deck... Oh, well, there'll be another.And I've got a friend who's a firefighter. I should be able to put one together.AitchKay
Brian,
Paint them green and call them BASSTOOL. Kin of like buying a Rotex watch on the streets of NYC.
Got any towns in Minnesota that have European sounding names?
'Made in ___________.'
They'll sell like hotcakes.
is the dog and his ball included?