I am making a box and have finished framing it. I picked up some lexan and steel piping. How should I mount the coping and how much lower is the topsheet from the coping? Thanks.

Others might not agree, but you don't need coping. I made 4 boxes last year, all without coping. They worked fine.

i already have the coping though, i got it for free

I like boxes with coping level with the top sheet. Granted I'm a snowboarder, but nose/trail pressing it, sometimes I get caught on the inside of the box by the coping if it is higher.

Is it round or square tubing? Do you have access to a welder? How thick is the lexan?

It is 1 1/4" round tubing and 3/8" lexan. I have no idea how to weld.

dont use the tubing its a waste of time you wont need it especially since you cant even weld

likwid nalez!!@!!111!!

I already have the tubing in the length that i need it though. I wounldn't need to do any welding would I? How would an 1/8" lower topsheet sound? Cause i have 3/4" plywood + 3/8" lexan and the tubing is 1 1/4".

put plywood under the lexan to match it up with the coping. the coping must be even with the lexan, or the grind/slide whatever is going to be inconsistant feeling.

thanks for the help. I just finished mounting the coping on a little bit ago. Should have some pics posted by tonight.

yeah definately post pics. i need to make a new box so i might need to steal your design if its good haha

Here it is. It is 10' long x 1' wide x 1 1/2' tall.

Note: I left the plywood off of the sides so that you could see the inside and the framing. Enjoy!

nice job

very very nice. did you use the lexan? if so how much did it cost?

how long did it take?

Thank you. I did use the lexan. I purchased 3/8" instead of 1/4" like i was recommended because i didn't see countersinking screws in 1/4" without cracking it. I bought it off of eBay for $40 and $10 shipping. Not a bad deal. You have to wait and look around for the size you need cause there isnt a lot on there.It took about 2 months because i needed to find where to get the lexan. But actually man hours, if I had all of the materials I could have done it in a weekend or so. I drew it up before hand in google sketchup (which I can send or post if anyone wants it) so I knew what I was gonna do which helped. I wasnt in a big hurry though. Its done now so hopefully we get a little snow tomorrow so I can use it (or carpet).

if you dont mind i would really like to see the google sketch. that looks really fun. you might want to paint it with some sort of protective stuff so the wood doesnt rot out from being set in snow and rain and whatnot

Sure no problem. I am going to put plywood around it and paint that. I didn't so you could see the framework.

If you have access to a paint sprayer i'd tape ff the lezan and coat all the frame work real good. Then go ahead and put on the plywood and give it all another coat. That way water doesn't soak up into the interior of it. It's a nice box and looks to be a fairly decent size. I'd do everything i could to protect that bad boy.

I don't have acess to a sprayer though. I was just going to put the plywood over it and paint that. Do you think that will protect it enough cause painting all the framework would take forever without a sprayer.

Here is the google sketchup plans. You can get the software free online. Its a little confusing at first.

I spaced the 2x4s a little farther apart on the real box.



Here's what it will look like once I put the plywood on it.

Well the plywood will work fine if you are putting a piece across the bottom too, but that may be a bad idea cause when u set it in snow it may want to slide. I'd say at least do something fir all that framework since when you put it in snow it is going to dig into the snow and essentially become a giant wick for any melting snow. Unless it is pressure treated, but the pics look like it is just standard lumber.

ya its just standard lumber. I'll just have to move it once I'm done with it.

The coping just adds to the strength of the box. Without it, the lexan will eventually wear on the sides from your edges grinding on it. Having the coping on the edges combats this and makes your box stronger.

Also, lexan is a bit of a soft material compared to the steel edges on your skis or board. It is possible to get hung up without coping.

Cover the sides of the box with some plywood and paint the exterior surfaces with some type of water sealing paint (any paint will work if you can't afford it). Keeping that exposed to water will rot it out and severely weaken it pretty quick, might as well protect your investment.

Ya thats why I decided to put on some coping even thoguh it took forever to figure out how to do.

how did you attatch the coping? liquid nails or something? or did you drill holes in the top, then screw through?

I put a bolt through the ends at an angle through the pipe into the 2x4. Then i drilled on hole through at the middle and sunk the screw in. I put the bolts at an angle at the end so I wouldn't have a hole at the top of the pipe. I couldn't figure out a way get around that in the middle so I had to.

i'm coming over tomorrow to check that out haha

Nice box. I want to build something like that, but I'm not even sure where I could use it. I wish I had a truck

nice looking box...not be be a dick but did you really use that many 2x4's when framing it cuz that sure seems like a ton. i spaced mine like evey 2ft and it is sturdy as hell.

ya i def did not need that many 2x4s. if i were to do it again i would space them out a lot more, but im not gonna take them out now! But hey, my box isnt going to go anywhere when i use it.

an easy way to mount the coping too is just drill holes in the sides and put screws through, how did you mount the coping?

is there anywhere else to get lexan?

http://www.onlinemetals.com
http://www.mcmaster.com

Search for polycarbonate sheet, lexan is a specific brand.

Ya. I just drilled a hole the size of the screw head in the side and then went all the way through with a bit the size of the screw itself.



What justin said. I got it off of eBay, so you can look there too. If you wait a little you can get a pretty good deal. I also know that Home Depot carries it even though they are a little over priced. But who knows each store may be different. You just have to look around.

yea ebay is the way to go, those sites are pretty expensive, you didn't just use one sheet did you?

Do NOT buy polycarbonate from eBay.

90% of all orders I ever got from eBay turned out to be plexiglass, which is exactly what you don't want. Only get it from a reputable source like McMaster or OM. An easy way to tell is to try snapping a corner off with pliers. If it crushes, its plexiglass. If it does nothing, its polycarbonate. You should only need 1/8" maximum for your box....it's not that expensive.

oh yea it is cheaper for 1/8 you sure thats thick enough tho

I've never had a problem with eBay. I used 3/8" thick lexan. I would think 1/8" would be too thin to countersink screws in it, but you could probally use liquid nails though. I used 3 sheets. 2x 4' sections and a 2' section that I cut myself.

Common now we've had some snow since you got that bad boy ready. Lets see some clips and pics of you sliding it now

you ruined it with gay stickers