Kids sled

[SwampDonkey]

It's been 15 years since I got some Teflon for the sleds, but I don't think it was more than $25 a pair, they cut it off of long narrow scrap. They use narrow stuff to line machinery to reduce wear. In another town 40 minutes from here is comes dry in tubs, they make their own shapes in moulds, something like that. I knew a guy that used their empties to ferment wine. :D

[doc henderson]

these sleds are designed to pull infants or toddlers bundled in snow suits and get pics for a Christmas card.  I bet the wood is fine, and they will not be trying to go down a hill lubed up like Clark G. in Christmas vacation.  you could add the plastic surface if the wood really sees some wear.  even use the plastic from an IBC tote liner.  If you can find the right way to glue it up.  I would start plain.  My kids are in their 20s and our sled kept inside looks brand new.

[21incher]

Remember most plastic will expand and contract 3x as much as wood so it should only be fastened at one end or very thin with flexible adhesive. Adhesive for UHMW will cost you $50.00 a tube  . 
Melt some paraffin on the runners and scrape it flat so the snow doesn't stick for the photo ops. That's all we ever used on our wooden skis and toboggans when I was young.

[Wlmedley]

Doc,21incher,you're both probably right.The more I do to it the more chances of screwing it up.I'll probably bend back rest and finish it and call it quits. I can always replace runners if needed and I like the looks of it without plastic. I always overthink things. I'm really tired of fooling with it.It will never be used like SwampDonkey used his.

[SwampDonkey]

Teflon has an operational temperature range of -300 degrees Fahrenheit and +450 degrees Fahrenheit. You'd have to have awfully cold or awfully hot to get those kinds of dimensional changes suggested. :D Never been a problem on my sleds. It doesn't go brittle in cold either and stays flexible. Just saying. ;)

[doc henderson]

my dad had a roll of plastic that was prob. 14 inches wide.  he made us a toboggin by putting some strait rails down each side and fastened with pop rivets.  it wanted to roll back up and this made the flat seated area and the front rounded up.  we were older and it eventually broke.  

[SwampDonkey]

Reminds me of crazy carpets, they always rolled back up. :D

Mother said all they used was waxed butchers boxes to take apart and slide on. ;D

[SwampDonkey]

My cousins had a long bobsled with rear brakes by pulling levers and foot steering on front. That would go down an iced or packed snow road. :D  Nice long run down uncle's drive way and down to the church by the main road. I haven't seen that thing in 45 years.

[doc henderson]

we used to slide down a grassy hill in the fall when the grass was dormant.  used a box until it turned into a flat chunk of cardboard.

[Old Greenhorn]

Well this is truly a great project with a great resulting build coming out of it. Just for the folks that will read this one for reference for a similar build in the future it bothered me that I didn't take the time to look up those plastic prices for the builder that wants to include them. I priced out 1/4x6x48" pieces, thinking you could get at least two and maybe 4 strips out of it. Using the same vendor, so the prices compare properly.

HDPE= $29.75
UMHW= $82.58
PTFE= $177.13

 I just wanted to keep the record straight on that.

 As for waxing, probably your best bet, now that we are entering the season if you got to a cross country ski shop, get the white Swix wax. That is the lowest temp and should work for you well as a general purpose sliding wax.

[doc henderson]

Christmas Vacation (6/10) Movie CLIP - Downhill Fast (1989) HD - YouTube

[SwampDonkey]

Yeah, white Teflon is CDN$437 for 1/4" x 12" x 48" if you go purchase it that way. Scraps are way cheaper, but you need a source. ;D It is also superior to the other plastics against wear and good slide characteristics.

I used to have one of those flying saucer type sleds. It's someplace down in the woods the last time I saw it. :D

[Don P]

Keep your eyes and ears open too. One of the glass plants here was using UHMW in crating operations. Their drops have been great beam bearing blocks.

As far as mixing plastic and wood through temperature swings, it is a real problem, check the thermal expansion numbers on the data sheets. Wood moves in response to moisture, plastic in response to temperature.

I built a new type plastic topped deck one time during the shoulder season, about now. They were very specific about allowing for thermal expansion and contraction, complete with tables and equations for gaps around notches, ends of runs, etc. I mean there was a small book. Outside in the real world we were doing substantial temperature swings between when stuff was measured, figgered, and screwed down. As it got colder I could see the notches binding on posts and the corners of them turning white. Even with all that brilliance it didn't seem like the best idea.

[kantuckid]

ebay for plastic small pieces. many sellers of "scraps" plastic and metals. It's my go to spot for certain items. Not that I know what teflon sells for. My skis are not wooden. I use WD40 on our plastic sleds. 
 

[SwampDonkey]

A narrow wooden runner might move 1/16" or an 1/8" after being kilned. A narrow piece of Teflon, not much different. It's not going to be a joint, but a topical thing. ;) Don't overthink it like a PHD in physics and 200 degrees in temperature change. It will survive at -100F, you ain't. :D

[Wlmedley]

I've got to thinking back when my son was a kid and although we had a regular steel runner sled and a metal disc sled we had the most fun sledding on a large truck inner tube.It would slide on about any snow conditions and rode pretty good although you couldn't steer it.I'm going to find one so when my grandson comes up here we can ride it.When I was a kid with no video games and no television we figured out ways to entertain ourselves all year long.A old Buick car hood made a pretty exciting ride down a steep gas line right of way if you had enough boys to drag it to the top :laugh:

[21incher]

The good thing about  using tubes was at the bottom of our sledding  hill was a stream. If you didn't stop in time with  a tube you didn't  get totally soaked. Sleights and tobbagons sunk quickly. Surviving childhood was tough back then with very little adult supervision.

[SwampDonkey]

Used to like the crust to slide on, could slide about a 1/2 mile down the field before the woods. :D If it was thick enough it was like walking on concrete back up to hill. ;) Wasn't steep. About the only supervision was making sure the snow on your clothes was knocked off outside. :D

[thecfarm]

I remember sliding with those plastic sleds in my 20's.
One time my brother was taking his 4 year old down the hill. I heard someone holler really loud and saw my nephew all by himself go by me saying MaMa MaMa. I ran after him but the trees at the end of the field stopped him.     He was fine and happy when I got to him. All was relieved as they were all running down the hill!!
We use to slide down the road I live on growing up.
Only had crust maybe once a year to slide on.
I went sliding about 10 years ago down the side of the road. I don't remember the walk back up the road being that long!!!
Then we would go sliding when the full moon was out.
We really thought we had something that night.

[Wlmedley]

Finally got a warm day to bend my back rest which is the last piece I need to finish this project.Built a steam box out of hickory being plastic pipe I used for runners wasn't working to well.Built a form to bend back rest.Took two try's to get a good one.First one bent ok but came out of steamer cupped on one end and when I clamped it it cracked .Second one worked out pretty good.Going to let it dry awhile before attaching to sled.Hope to have it finished by Christmas.Found out building forms and steamer more work than building sled.Maybe I'll build another one someday being I now have everything ready.

 

 

  

[Wlmedley]

Hopefully this project is about finished.Got back rest on today and cross piece on front to fasten rope to.Predrilled all holes and nothing cracked (I was holding my breath).Brought it inside to dry some more.Need to sand a little more and apply finish.Bought a can of spar urathane .Hope it works ok I used it on my front door and seemed to hold up pretty good.Should be ready by Christmas  :laugh:

 

[Magicman]

That is magnificent !!!  8)

[SwampDonkey]

You got'er done. Great stuff. smiley_christmas

[Larry]

Excellent work!

[Wlmedley]

Thanks for the compliments.Turned out to be a pretty difficult job.Especially for me.