A-level DT project

[pink_heffalump]

hey guys! being the crazy woman i am i decided to make practice gymnastics equipment for my A-level DT project, i was just wondering what you considered the most useful practice apparatus that you had in your gym?! The idea is that im adapting a few things so they can be used at home with a bit of funk added into the design! any thoughts on the idea would be valued from what colours you like the idea of to what its important to be able to work like strength or flexibility! Thanks!

KT xXx

[Sue]

How about a set of parallettes? We just make them with a piece of stair rod on wooden blocks but at Lilleshall there is a set with curved yellow metal handles. Or what about a mushroom for learning pommels - could be all sorts of different colours!

[pink_heffalump]

lol quite bizarrely i ahve a photo of those very bars in my research section! hehe good old lilleshall! and im lookin into making a mushroom! harder than might think tho!

KT xXx

[jacquie]

Hi Pink Heffalump!!!

Im trying to make one for my son at the moment! Id be really interested in your plans coz they will help me! At the mo Im going with a big sheet of 2cm thick plywood i salvaged, and planning to cut 5 x 60cm diameter circles from it, and sandwich them together. After that the dome bit - not sure whether to get smaller circles, then pad with foam and make a vinyl removable cover?
Im going to get some box section steel and attach this for a leg, onto some sort of base.
What are your ideas? And can you see any problems with my plan ?- because Im going to borrow a suitable saw in the next couple of days, and start this week - so If its a real bad plan I should be changing it!!
bye,
Jacquie

[pink_heffalump]

sounds like it should work! the hardest bit of your plan sounds like it will be the leg and base, they will have to be mighty strong! I'm doing a low to the ground one, but im not making the top the same either..... im having.... this is hard to describe! Oooh i can attatch a piccy of a modle i had to make! hehe im makin mine like that, if you can imagine all of those pieces are like sort of quater circles but with a not so steep a curve.... get me?! then im having another 12 which go inbetween those but only go half way to the middle. After that im filling the gaps with expanding foam, sanding it down to be smooth, using a cover of high density foam and then some material of somekind.... somethign quite tactile but i not sure yet!

hope thats handy! KT xXx

[Sue]

some kind of vinyl should be good for the covering - it is important that it doesn't get slippery in use.

[jacquie]

How's yours coming along Pink Heffalump?

Ive done the top, but base is more of a prob- so progressing !!

[pink_heffalump]

hiya! its going great thanks! im still making the top... its like the picture of the model only wooden and its got all the expandable foam inbetween it, currenlty it looks like a massive pavlova.... no joke if there were strawberries on it I'd be convinced! I'll try to get a picture up sometime! Its taken over the kitchen table too so mum is loving me! hehe I can imagine the base would eb hard! keep on going at it though!

KT xXx