BUILD A SLED FROM SHIPPING SKIDS!

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Once you've decided on the stock to use, outline on the raw billet, in pencil, the shapes of the parts you need, and then cut them . . . first to length, next to width, and then-if you wish-to thickness. Obviously, a table saw can be a boon to this project, but a circular saw-or even just a pair of sharp handsaws (one rip, and one crosscut)would do in a pinch. When cutting, keep a sharp lookout for any buried nails . . . and try not to position a large nail hole or knot in any structural member.

Finally, use a jig or coping saw to round of the ends of the components and-on the appropriate pieces-to contour the surfaces.

RODS AND RUNNERS

When you've cut your wood to size and shaped it as best you can to duplicate what you see in the illustration and photos, you can start working on the sled's metal parts.

The runners are, like the frame, a two part proposition. The main section (at the rear) consists simply of a pair of 1/2" electrical metallic tubes (E.M.T.), each 31-3/4" in length and curved to a 45 ° angle on what will be the forward end. You can make these curves with a conduit bender or by carefully bending them around a post. About 2" of straight stub should protrude ahead of the arc when everything's done. The front, or steerable, section is made of the same material, but each runner is 16-1/2" long with 2-1/2" of straight stub .. . and is equipped on its bottom edge with an 11-1/2" skeg made from 1/4" reinforcing rod.

To install each of these metal guides, you'll have to cut threads into one end with a 1/420 die, bend a small hook in the other end, form the rod to the curve of the runner, and put a 90 ° crook in the threaded end so it'll pass trough the rear of the tubes and accept a 1/4" nut. Once this is done, you can drill 9/32" holes into the conduit at the points where the hooks and the threaded stubs will penetrate (keeping in mind that the former elements have to pierce only one wall of the runners' tubing). Then twist, slip, and fasten the skegs in place.

The next task is to mount the runners to their respective wooden frame rails. We did this using two pairs of galvanized wrought steel door pulls having a center-to-center hole measure of 5-3/8" and a projection o 1-1/4". For the main (rear) skids, it's easier to first drill a 3/4" hole (about 1/2" deep) into the forward end of each main side rail at a 45 ° angle-leaving enough of the rail's tip to accept a fastening bolt that you'll install later and then slip the front of each runner into place. Now, position the door handle mounts toward the rear, so that the pull holes are centered over the stanchions the frame rails (see the diagram) . . . mark the wood for drilling . . . and lock the handles to the conduit with a few pop rivets (o braze the parts together, making
sure that you do so in a well-ventilated area).

The front runners are similarly fastened only in this case they mount to the handles just forward of the midpoint between the straight end of the tubes and their bows . . . and the handles, in turn, are simply bolted to the 6-1/2"-long forward frame rails. The runners' front tips are housed in 1/4" deep, 3/4" sockets drilled into the nosepiece on an I 1 " center: The bumper board can be locked to the conduit either with a good epoxy glue or with short 1/4" roundhead bolts threaded into nuts brazed within the tips of the tubes.

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