Reader D.I.Y.: Home made concrete floats
Joesf Heffner, AKA NWeyesk8, sent in some pictures of concrete floats he made to fit the tranny on a new backyard project he’s undertaking. Check ’em out after the jump.
Here’s what he did:
I made some new floats today for my bowl project. I have a 4ft radius currently, but I needed to make a 5′ and 6′ radius ones also. I started by building float forms by screwing my tranny forms together, only a 2×4’s width, no cutting necessary as I have a lot of 2×4 scraps. Ryan had already given me a few plexiglass pieces he cut with a bandsaw, I heated those in my oven at 350degrees for 20 minutes. I placed the heated pieces of plexiglass on top of a strip of masonite laid over the float forms. I also placed bags of cement over the heated plexiglass, they conform very nicely to the now concave plexiglass and keep the edges from rolling up as it cools down. I next took the wooden handle off of a purchased wood float, using a saw I trim the handles bottom to fit the top of my float. After drilling a guide hole through the handle into the plexiglass, I use woodscrews and a healthy dab of goop type glue to keep the handle secure. Now I am one step closer to pouring my new concrete.
Pretty easily understood, now here are the photos.
Rad!
That Heffner just keeps going it is rad!
Look close at the oven floor looks like a lot of frozen pizza droppings. Those were the days!
I just made 2 pool trowels last night, just cut down some cheap square ones. I need to make some new handles so I can bend them top the tranny shape.
lololololololol
I have always wondered how Plexiglas would work on concrete. For my bowl I just bought a couple of canvas floats and bent them to my radius using some wood cut to the shape of my tranny. they work really well the canvas grabs the rocks and shoves them in while it scrubs the surface smooth. They work way better than aluminum/magnesium I think the Plexiglas would be to smooth. let me know how it works for you
i really like how the plexiglass works, i have a magnesium float too, the plexiglass feels better for working it. I have considered making a flat plexi float even.
interesting, have you used a canvas scrubber before? I have used magnesium, fiberglass, aluminum, and wood, but nothing comes close to the way canvas works. although I haven’t used Plexiglas it seems like it would be to smooth for scrubbing out lumps and shoving rocks deeper into the surface. I bet it would work good for freestyle shaping & cutting though. Good Luck on your project when is your first pour? and what are your dimensions?
my first big pour was going to be this thursday, but I fell on my back at aumsville monday and I wanna skate the contest at aumsville this saturday, so I have decided to let my back rest and not try and mix,throw, float and finish 35 bags. hopefully next week I will get the first pour done. then I plan to try and get 1 section a week till the deep is done. deep side is about 18×18 then it will narrow down as it flows around an oak tree into the shallow area, which will be about 14×12. Deep is a misnomer, it will simply be deeper than the shallow end, at 4.5′ with 4′-6′ varrying trannies. the shallow side will be 2-2.5’with 3′-4′ trannies
hey nweyesk8, i am building a five foot concrete bowl and a 4 ft halfpipe which spines into the side of it..can you help me by letting me know how to make the tranny forms the right curve, not too sharp a curve as it is for kids age 5 to 12. please if you have time to answer i would really appreciate it thanks, cheers, raj.
Nice idea Josef. Seems like a reasonable way to make some custom floats/trowels.
Wasn’t completely my idea, this is just my adaptation of it, thanks though.
lemme know if you want a hand with any of it nweyesk8. what time does that aumsv contest start?
more photos please,keep up the good work!
there’s a post around here somewhere with a tentative schedule on the aumsville contest
duh on my part, thanks.
let me know if you need a laborer to throw some bags of crete, I’m free this weekend…