The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Techniques and skills => Topic started by: HappyHippy on February 23, 2011, 04:11:25 pm
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Okay folks, hubby listened to me this time ::) with the result that the arc was made in about 3 hours, rather than the whole day ! Photo's below to show the steps.
1) Make your base (heavy timber and heavy screws) to whatever size your finished arc is going to be.
2) Cut your end pieces, easiest way is to lay a piece of the curved steel on the ply and draw round. You can add holes for lifting, ventilation or farrowing rails. And I'm going to look for some steel strips to re-inforce the doorways.
3) Attach end pieces to the base and add the extra supporting rails along the side and top.
4) Put the curved pieces in place and screw in with tex bolts (on the high bits, not the valleys to prevent leaks) Hubby has taken the belt & braces approach with EVERY support rail having the curves screwed to them. Personally I'd do along the bottom on both sides and the high central one - but what do I know ;) ;D
Feedback very much appreciated :-*
Karen x
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so simple
if only you could get the pictures bigger
seriously with practice and serious power tools they should be doable in a couple of hours
looking at my power tools i really need to get some land soon :-)
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I always struggle uploading photo's on TAS - I either make them too small (like these ones) or too big and it won't let me post them !
Bloomer - I've emailed you some photo's to your tesco email, you should be able to get a good close look at them ;)
HTH
Karen x
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thanks karen
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thanks for this, where did you get your corrugated roofing from?
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I got mine from a company in Glasgow called Cladco - but there are loads of places down south too - there's also a guy on ebay sells them, just search for pig arc sheets and you should get them.
HTH
Karen x
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thanks Karen.
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Do you know how much it cost you to build them?
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We paid £40 for each of the curved steel sheets, the bolts were £20 for the bag, £25 ish for the sheets of exterior plywood (18mm think) and we had the heavy timber and pallets here anyway ;)
HTH
Karen
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We are thinking about building 2 arcs so the girls can seperate in the paddock to have piglets and I was looking for a template and this is great.
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Thanks for that, will have to get my OH to study and get building. :)
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We are thinking about building 2 arcs so the girls can seperate in the paddock to have piglets and I was looking for a template and this is great.
This can actually be adapted to span over two paddocks quite easily ;)
Make it with an extra curve of steel or 2, put a plywood or OSB board division in the middle of it and have a door/hole at each end into each of the two paddocks. You need to site it on the fence line or fence around it - but it does save on a sheet of ply and if you're using electric fencing will be quick and easy to do.
If that's not clear let me know and I'll do a drawing to try and explain it a bit better (get myself confused sometimes with my explanations lol!)
The good thing about making them yourself is you can take them apart again and reuse the stuff for other arcs if and when you need them ;)
HTH
Karen x
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Never thought about making a back to back one like that you are a genius.
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Very professional Karenit looks great. Rob is a carpenter and that's how he makes them. I'd not thought about a back to back might just give him his next project :-)