# Making Park Boxes for Home Use



## alaric (Aug 28, 2007)

I built a wood box, painted it, and it's holding up great. Hasn't warped or split or anything. As of now, we only have old countertop as out sliding surface, but we're hoping to get UHMV (i think that's what it is), it's just wicked expensive


----------



## Dcp584 (Sep 10, 2007)

Why don't you just try plexi glass like a 1/2" sheet see how much that costs. It's not exactly the same as what is at the resorts but I think it would work close to the same. You know what I mean.


----------



## boarderaholic (Aug 13, 2007)

IF you get plexi-glass, countersink that thing. And be warned that the repeated impacts will probably shatter it. The thing that most parks use is called lexan, and it's the stuff that hockey arenas use, and it's EXPENSIVE.


----------



## alaric (Aug 28, 2007)

boarderaholic said:


> And be warned that the repeated impacts will probably shatter it.


Exactly... originally our box had PG, and it shattered within like a week. We got another sheet and it was gone again in about a month. This old countertop is working well enough for now, hopefully we can get something better soon.


----------



## Guest (Oct 10, 2007)

Okay so I'm not going for the hockey arena stuff, but I have a new idea.About a year ago we got our countertops redone, and we have a like 1.5 ft x 3.5 ft piece of granite (maybe 2 inches thick) lying around. Would that be durable enough for a box and have a good feel/speed to it? Also, if you think it would work, what would be the best way to go about attaching that to wood??

Okay wow sorry for being slow. Alaric I just fully read your reply. By countertop do you mean granite?? If so could you give me some feedback/construction tips on it?


----------



## alaric (Aug 28, 2007)

Yeah, it's granite. By no means is it amazing, but it works. What we did, and I'm not sure if this is the best way to do it, but it's how we did it. We screwed a piece of plywood on top of the box, then put liquid nails on top of it, then put the countertop on. Then we screwed a few, but not many screws in, and countersunk the screws so they wouldn't catch. It usually works well. Sometimes you'll get a sticky spot, but we just throw snow on it and it works.


----------



## Dcp584 (Sep 10, 2007)

How thick was that plexi glass you used?


----------



## Guest (Oct 10, 2007)

alaric said:


> Yeah, it's granite. By no means is it amazing, but it works. What we did, and I'm not sure if this is the best way to do it, but it's how we did it. We screwed a piece of plywood on top of the box, then put liquid nails on top of it, then put the countertop on. Then we screwed a few, but not many screws in, and countersunk the screws so they wouldn't catch. It usually works well. Sometimes you'll get a sticky spot, but we just throw snow on it and it works.


Okay I got a few questions:

1) Is "liquid nails" just like Gorilla Glue or something like that?
2) How the hell do you screw through granite?
3) By countersinking do you mean putting the screw heads below the top of the granite and then covering them with something, so that the top surface of the granite is flat?


----------



## alaric (Aug 28, 2007)

NJ SHREDDER 28 said:


> Okay I got a few questions:
> 
> 1) Is "liquid nails" just like Gorilla Glue or something like that?


I would think so... not positive though.



NJ SHREDDER 28 said:


> 2) How the hell do you screw through granite?


Predrill w/ a titanium bit, then screw em in... I didn't do that part, was sick, but I'm fairly sure that's what the other guys did.

EDIT - I just found out the countertop already had holes in it, so really those screws were easy to screw in. I'd asume a drillbit would work to predrill... if not, I'm sure liquid nails would hold well enough



NJ SHREDDER 28 said:


> 3) By countersinking do you mean putting the screw heads below the top of the granite and then covering them with something, so that the top surface of the granite is flat?


Yup. We don't even cover them with anything. If ya do it right, the screws will be pretty much even, but just a little lower than the granite


----------



## Guest (Oct 14, 2007)

*Boxes*

If you make you box out of wood, it will last pretty long and even longer if you paint it cuz it will help protect the box from water damage. For my box, i used polycarbonate and it seem to work just perfecly, but pretty much anything made out of plastic would work...Just go to your nearest home depot or whatever and look at the material they have. Im sure you will find something in your price range.
Another thing you could do for fun is if your plastic thats covoring your box is transparent, you can paint a design under it and it will stay nice because of the surface covering it..

I hope this helped

-..Alex..-


----------



## Guest (Oct 15, 2007)

gorrilla glue is....glue. liquid nails is an adhesive as well but definately more appropriate for this situation because it doesnt harden. yea make sure not to get particle board cause even though its the cheapest, it will be destroyed by the moisture


----------



## Guest (Oct 15, 2007)

invadesaturn said:


> gorrilla glue is....glue. liquid nails is an adhesive as well but definately more appropriate for this situation because it doesnt harden. yea make sure not to get particle board cause even though its the cheapest, it will be destroyed by the moisture


Yea particle board sucks ass. I'll probably end up using pine because thats what we get at school. So will gorilla glue work? And wouldnt it be better for the glue/adhesive to harden anyway?


----------



## Guest (Oct 15, 2007)

if it hardens it'll get brittle and break, possibly resulting in your top coming off.

check craigslist for surplus materials, there's always all kinds of shit going for cheap or free, stuff you wouldn't even think of most of the time. You can also browse hardware stores and you'll probably get ideas. we used to make skate stuff out of 2x4s found in construction site dumpsters and metal edging, that would probably work for you as well.

Home depot sells plastic edging for gardens and such that's supposed to be safe for kids, I think it's made from recycled plastics, like those park benches you see, that could be used as well.


----------



## Guest (Dec 12, 2007)

well, its not lexan that they use on the tops of boxes, or atleast not the ones around here. for anyone making a homemade box, dont waste the money on sheet of plexi that will break, or pvc that will shatter. the resorts use a plastic known as hdpe, or High Density Polyurethane. works great, wont be brittle in cold, supper smooth surface that is also abrasion resistant. anyways, who ever makes there own box, good luck. i scored the top of a soccer goal for the backyard bash and its great!


----------



## Guest (Dec 12, 2007)

20"x50' Galvanized Roll
That's what you need. Build your box and cover it with sheet metal. Use some cooking spray on it every once in awhile and it'll be real slick. 
I've been on a few boxes covered with this stuff. Seems to work great if your on a budget. Won't shatter.


----------



## Guest (Dec 12, 2007)

what do the mountains make there rails out of the white material on the top???


----------



## Guest (Dec 12, 2007)

the white material on top of the boxes is hdpe, or in other words, high density polyurethane, run a search on google.


----------



## Dcp584 (Sep 10, 2007)

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Sheeting - US Plastic Corporation


----------



## Guest (Dec 13, 2007)

thanks.....


----------

