RhinosoRoss
23-11-2008, 04:08 PM
I thought I'd share an idea in time for Christmas for those who know kids with stacks of wooden track.
The only idea that makes it better than slinging all the stuff in a box is the bars that the track hang from: they let the children see what they have available when they're laying the track and learn about tidiness; everyone can put the track away in handfuls as the animation below shows.
Of course you don't need to make the trolley like I did, the bars can be inside a cupboard or part of a shelf that isn't so deep.
The bar the track hangs from is 12mm x 7mm (1/2" x 1/4").
I made the bar from 12mm dowel planed down to make the thin section.
The dowel has had rough kids wrenching and leaning on it and survived!
Each bar passes through the middle MDF sheet without being fixed in the middle to be as flexible as possible.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/understanding/Forums/TrackRack.gif
In case someone wants to make something similar:
The two painted vertical MDF sheets are 12mm thick screwed into the edge of a 12mm MDF base board.
The middle vertical MDF sheet is 10mm thick and rests on the base board with screws holding it from underneath.
The base has two elm skirting boards to strengthen it.
The main thing that holds it all together is the curtain rail across the top (a broom-stick would be fine too). A long (decking) screw goes through each painted side into the end of the pole so that there is enough strength to lift the whole thing up and carry it around.
There is a tiny screw down from the top of the middle vertical MDF sheet into the side of the pole to keep that sheet in the middle.
The clear plastic sides were from an old shop display and held in place with bent cable clamps! Not neat, but no one notices!
If anyone has a go, or extends the idea, do let me know!
The only idea that makes it better than slinging all the stuff in a box is the bars that the track hang from: they let the children see what they have available when they're laying the track and learn about tidiness; everyone can put the track away in handfuls as the animation below shows.
Of course you don't need to make the trolley like I did, the bars can be inside a cupboard or part of a shelf that isn't so deep.
The bar the track hangs from is 12mm x 7mm (1/2" x 1/4").
I made the bar from 12mm dowel planed down to make the thin section.
The dowel has had rough kids wrenching and leaning on it and survived!
Each bar passes through the middle MDF sheet without being fixed in the middle to be as flexible as possible.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/understanding/Forums/TrackRack.gif
In case someone wants to make something similar:
The two painted vertical MDF sheets are 12mm thick screwed into the edge of a 12mm MDF base board.
The middle vertical MDF sheet is 10mm thick and rests on the base board with screws holding it from underneath.
The base has two elm skirting boards to strengthen it.
The main thing that holds it all together is the curtain rail across the top (a broom-stick would be fine too). A long (decking) screw goes through each painted side into the end of the pole so that there is enough strength to lift the whole thing up and carry it around.
There is a tiny screw down from the top of the middle vertical MDF sheet into the side of the pole to keep that sheet in the middle.
The clear plastic sides were from an old shop display and held in place with bent cable clamps! Not neat, but no one notices!
If anyone has a go, or extends the idea, do let me know!