Derby Talk

We built one when I was in scouts - lots of fun & innovative way to learn about physics.

My son & I came up with a great idea to build one for his science project. We are going to build a zip line & explore variables that will affect velocity...............can you see it? We are getting the parts to assemble it & should be finished before the end of the month.

It will look something like this................

http://www.outdoorfunstore.com/zipmovie.asf

ZIP LINE................actually a cool name for a PWD car.........hhhmmmmmm.

Keep us posted.

A couple of summers ago I took a week off to unwind after completing a major project and dug out a roughly 15' x 25' area in our new backyard (we have a big yard out in the country). I backfilled with pea gravel (about 10" deep) and installed our huge wooden swingset that we brought with us from the old house. The solid 4" x 6" crossbeam of the swingset is about 8 feet off the ground.

The base of the house is about 6 feet uphill of the swingset, and we have a back porch that is about 5 feet off the ground. I keep threatening to install a big old anchor bolt into the wall about 5 feet above the porch and one on the crossbeam of the swingset and install a zip line for easy access from the back porch to the swingset!!! Can you imagine the fun in that as a boy!!!

With about 50 feet from the house to the swingset, I think we would be looking at roughly a 8 foot net drop or a 1 to 6 / 1 to 7 grade.

I need to think through the mounting at the house and the anchoring at the swingset, but it shouldn't be a lot of money in parts, I would think. One of those fun projects I kick around in my head while stuck in traffic.

Mrs. Bubba is not impressed, but over time I think I can warm her to the idea (or maybe just install it when she is gone to the store!).

Note: at least this time I smartened up and borrowed a John Deere tractor with loader from a neighbor. When we were in town I performed a similar dig out and backfill exercise with 25 yds of pea gravel by hand (i.e. wheelbarrow). Learned my lesson on that one (I'm too old to do that stuff by hand anymore). Mrs. Bubba didn't care for the diesel smell with the tractor, though. So much for the upgrade to a DuraMax with the next pickup