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The Mini Dogwalk |
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Home > Equipment Index>The Mini Dogwalk
| My carpentry is an art form in itself.
One day it may become a national treasure. Nothing encapsulates this idea more than
the mini dogwalk. I made it for next to nothing from old pallettes which I obtained
courtesy of the local DIY shop and the Inland Revenue. (Don't ask.) I had to buy some dunnages for the legs, but at 50p each they were cheap at half the price. Dunnages are bits of timber which are thrown into a bin and sold at the DIY shop. I have a theory as to why they are called dunnages. I reckon that every so often someone falls over a bit of timber that has been left lying around because it isn't classy enough to go on sale. Before he passes out, the unfortunate employee manages to gasp "I want damages." It's then that his workmates pick up the piece of timber and chuck it in a bin. "What d'e say this was mate?" "I dunno. Dunnages weren't it?" So they label the bin "Dunnages" and go off for a tea break. The upshot is that I get eight lovely bits of timber for four quid and they're perfect for the mini dogwalk. I had to buy some two by one at the normal price for the framing of the ramps. The four by four is much too big and the one by one's two small. Sorry - old music hall song crept in there. The details of the construction are a bit hazy it goes something like this. |
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Take two eight foot lengths of two by one and make up frames for the ramps. Use any spare bits of timber to make the spacers and give the frame solidity. The ramp frame should be twelve inches wide. |
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The next step is laborious. You have to take the pallettes apart and saw the good timber into lengths that will cover the frame. You can saw them lengthways but the ramp must be strong enough for the dog. |
| Now you can make the trestles in any way you want. Mine are square and are very solid indeed. With the winds speeds we get up here a normal dogwalk stand no chance of remaining upright. The trestles are about three feet high. The platform that sits on top is made with a frame in the same way as the ramps but the timber sizes are larger. This platform is four feet long. The height of the whole thing is between three feet and three foot six. |  |
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I scratched my head
over the attachment of the ramps. Here's what I did. I nailed a bit of wood
across each end of the platform for the ramps to sit on. I then cut the ramp frame
at an angle so that it would sit square up against the platform. I then used two
metal straps to attach each of the ramps. I had to drill holes in the sides of the
frame and the platform so that I could bolt the ramps in place. |
| Now for
painting. I was advised to mix gloss undercoat with sand for a good non slip
surface. I didn't have any gloss undercoat and it was expensive to buy, so I got
some white emulsion, some white gloss and some blue garden paint. I mixed it up with
sharp sand and slapped it on. I think the contacts are painted with white masonry
paint. The whole disgusting mess took about a week to dry properly and the sharp
sand hurt Jamie's tootsies. I spent the next three weeks picking the sharpest bits
off and at last we had a workable mini dogwalk.
Now you can see what I mean about it becoming a national treasure. Have fun. |
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