building northshore? (help) like da real stuff?

trouble

trouble

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Just wondering guys, I am interested in building a feature which uses northshore peices. I have seen these excellent video's of these types of fetures from riding spots in canada ect. I was wondering how to they connect those large tree's (logs) as the man horizontal support's in the air,usually connected to too more tree's? Do they use nails or rope?

Thanks,ben,sorry I cant really explain it better
 
the massive ones are trees that have fallen there, they just brace them up so the don't wobble.

sometimes they'll use old stumps as upright supports.

the newest trick is to get a really twisted knotty log, carefully split it long ways with a chainsaw and then you have two matching twisted knotty logs to use as stringers (horizontal beams). Unfortunately I don't think it's safe to do that with Aussie hardwoods the chainsaw would jump and skip way too much.

just remember that triangles are the strongest shape and that it's better to overbuild it.

If you've got a picture of where you want to put it, post it up and we'll all draw ideas over the picture, it was pretty interesting last time someone did that :D
 
t said:
just remember that triangles are the strongest shape and that it's better to overbuild it.
Click to expand...

i would beg to differ i believe arches are the strongest of all the shapes in construction as they can bare the most wait

but becouse only 90% of the load will be puching directly down the triangle would be best shape to use as frame

but technicly i am correct about the arch
 
yeah good plan - build arches while you are out in the bush... they are the stongest - they couldn't be that hard to make..
boffin
 
Nails. F#@k off big ones. The ones in the pic below are not even the biggest that get used. Some are 12 inch ones. I don't know if you can see it in the pic but try and get the ones with a twist in the shaft, apparently it helps to prevent the wood splitting. Note that these nails are for supports and fastening stringers into place, you can nail rungs on with much smaller nails.

And all good responsible builders here in Canada no longer nail into living trees. Lastly I don't know if it helps you because you need a chainsaw but the latest trend here is to mill 2 or three inch thick slabs of cedar with a chainsaw (and as long as you need) and use them in place of ladders. Quicker and easier and use less timber. If they are flat you don't need rungs, if its steep you can either put rungs on or use some other covering to prevent wheels slipping. You can see some milled slabs in the pic below as well.
 

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We actually screw all ours together. Take a battery drill in with us and away we go. We have found that the nails will not hold the timber in as well as screws do due to the forces of hitting the bits at speed and what not. That would be the reasoning behind using the twisted nails though. Screws work sweet though.
Overbuild the bastards as well, dont cheap out on it
 
Hey heres a video from youtube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lthqu98qoo4
Me and my mates have been building some north sure in my next door neighbours backyard. We found that the triangles work well in the construction and screws seem to be better than nails. If you have to use nails, use more and galvanised ones.. their more expensive but dont rust. For the thicker logs to nail through we cut out a section of the log where were nailing so the nail gets more grip into the support.

Its not good to nail into the trees so try to put in your own supports into the ground sometimes we couldnt help it though but dont cut any trees down to build it use the ones lying on the ground.

Hope this helps, need anymore help just ask theres loads of guys on here that no what their talking about.

Cheers

Oh and for the record in the video We had to rebuild that corner, the wood was rotten, its the only reason we broke it.
 
Tree connections

On the subject of fastening the North Shore to the tree we have found that threaded rod is the go. The only limiting factor is the thickness of the trees and the length of your drill bit. We are building some north shore in an area where the trees are pretty thin so its not a problem.

The basic idea is that you get a farkin long drill bit and drill a hole strait through the tree. As apposed to tying a rope around the tree where you end up ring barking it (the tree dies), the hole only pierces the tree and has no adverse long term effects, similar to piercing your ear.

Once you have the hole drilled in the tree and your support piece, thread the rod through and then wind a washer and nut onto either end. Using a spanner on either end tighten the nuts until the support piece is resting hard up against the tree.

You will require a hacksaw to cut the rod to length out on the track though as it usually comes in lengths of about 3/4 of a metre or so (in my experience).

We have found that u dont need the threaded rod to be any thicker than about 9mm.

If you are short of wood, Bunnings (for those of you that are in Australia) usually have a stack of 'Non Returnable Pallets' out the back, and if asked politely will usually let you have then as it costs them money to get rid of them. They arnt usually the greatest quality but a lot of the wood is usable.

Yeah and screws are the go. The last longer and hold it together better. Drilling pilot holes in the planks before you put screws into them stops the planks from splitting........................................................
 
tie wire

don't forget about TIE WIRE!!!!!
It's been extremely useful for me.
For those don't know, its a roll of thin-ish wire, and flexible/bendable but strong. Sort of like a roll of coat hanger wire but a little less thick.
You should be able to pick up a roll from most harware places (Harware & General) for around $10.
All you need is a pair of pliars to snip & twist it at the end.
 
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