Watch 'Ask This Old House': Ice rink (= ice racing?)

[SteveK]

This week's 'Ask This Old House' had a cool segment where they built a small ice rink in a backyard, and it got me thinking: If you can build a rink to skate on, why not a track to race on?

The rink it made with 2"X12" lumber for the walls, special spikes to keep them in place, sand to fill in the gaps between the wood and ground, and special plastic to keep the water in. The plastic is similar to the kind used to shrink-wrap boats for the winter.

I don't see why a small track couldn't be made using the same method. The biggest problem would be finding a level area, so you don't have to build up the walls at the low end (Since water finds it's own level, and the low end of their yard was 12" lower than the high end, they had to double up the 2X12 to give them 12" of board above the ice surface.

The best thing is, if you have parents or a spouse that balks at the idea, the thing can be disassembled in the spring and store for the next winter, and if you put the plastic down after the grass goes dormant, and take it up while it's still dormant, you won't do any damage to the yard.

So who wants to try it?

[bufferoo]

I've already decided that I'm doing this next winter. I told my wife it is for the kids ( ;) ) but let's behonest...it's all about me here. :D

I have an ice racer I made a few years back with a propeller and blades. This sucker is silly fast and turns on a dime. Stopping is a whole different story however. But really...who wants to stop anyway?

I'll have an area that's pretty much flat and will be 35' x 50' so I'll have plenty of rrom to run.

Bufferoo

[Silent Scope]

But really...who wants to stop anyway?


Thats right.. breaks are so over-rated.


SteveK.. i like your idea.. to bad it wont be possible.. since i live in Georgia. :(

[tadium54]

So these brakes you speak of, where would one get these? ;)

I built one with my brother a few years ago for hockey. never used it for rc stuff

[SteveK]

Yeah, brakes are over-rated too......

Georgia? Oops.....

I have a plan for some ice tires, to use on a rally car. The studs would be very short, and it would be virtually impossible for them to come out. If the 4WD car even needed them: The ice wouldn't be glass-smooth, and with sticky tires, a ralky car should work pretty well on ice, especially once you get the hang of pitching the car sideways at the right time to make the corner.

I'm looking at a new house this weekend, and depending on the backyard, we'll see what we can do with it. What I want to do it make a little garden with miniature trees, and a road winding through them, like a little rally stage. If I had the cash and the right yard setup, I'd build a 3 or 4 foot high section in the corner, with a stream running down the middle, so that I can have a couple of hills, a bridge or two, and maybe even a water-splash (Thank you Alan Titchmarsh and Ground Force for giving me ideas!).

I'd rather do that than an ice-track in the winter, but with luck, I could do both.

[Silent Scope]

man.. you can also freeze stuff into the ice.. or even make a track.. with diffrent compounds of road..

[ososlow]

You could also go to your community ice rink and rip around. We used to do an ice rink at the school up the road. I used to run my stampede there all the time. It sucked though, the one corner was 12" lower than the other, so it had to be filled right up before anyone could skate on it. :rolleyes:

I think a backyard course would be fun. I am going to make myself some spiked tires for my tmaxx this year. So I can run it on the ice at my cabin next winter :D . Between the atv and the Tmaxx on the ice, it should be a hoot :D