Making an ice rink

[Hockeyman9621 0]

I have a very bumpy backyard and last year it didn't matter because I made a little shooting pad. I did it on what I thought was the flattest part of my backyard and that was not as flat as I thought. My rink was very uneven but it didn't matter because of the size.

Well, this tree that was stopping me from have a big rink last year was trimmed down and now my backyard is twice the size. How can I even out my backyard? I'm planning on using a tarp but the slant is a couple inches. Should I use wood? Or what? How do you guys that make rinks make up for the slant?

[Hobbes_86 0]

I've heard if its no more than 2 inches off level you should be ok. Most people I know that used to make there own rink used to take a bobcat and level the area in the fall.

[Hobbes_86 0]

ok I stand corrected:

http://www.southcoastal.com/history/rink.htm

Decent how to instructions without using a kit.

Speaking of kits, anyone try one of those Rink-in-a-Blink kits? They were basically baggies that one fills with water and lets freeze. Rip open the top and viola...no so instant rink.

[biff44 0]

I made a rink for a few winters on an uneven plot. Since I was going for BIG, it was fairly uneven, around 7 inches difference from high to low point. It can be done IF you live in an area where it is very cold and there is little risk of the ice thawing. If you are in a warm area where you have some cold weeks followed by warm weeks, you might end up going swiming in the deep end.

What I did was to get some 2 X 6 and 2 X 10 boards, and laided them out standing on the 2" side. I overlapped them by maybe 6" and used drywall screws to hold them together. Obviously, the 2X10's go at the deepest end. I then took some 2X4's around 2 feet long and nailed another 2X4 around 6" long on top. I then screwed this double 2X4 sandwich at right angles to the sideboards. I took some long spikes (home depot sells them for landscaping timbers) and drove a spike thru each of the 2X4's into the earth.

I rounded over any sharp edges on the sidewalls, then laid in a big sheet of poly plastic, fill with water (smoothing out any weird ovelaps as you go) and let freeze.

The water pressure was pretty high on the deep end, so if you have to go higher than a 2X10, I would work on a more substantial way to shore up the walls.

[Hockeyman9621 0]

I made a rink for a few winters on an uneven plot. Since I was going for BIG, it was fairly uneven, around 7 inches difference from high to low point. It can be done IF you live in an area where it is very cold and there is little risk of the ice thawing. If you are in a warm area where you have some cold weeks followed by warm weeks, you might end up going swiming in the deep end.

What I did was to get some 2 X 6 and 2 X 10 boards, and laided them out standing on the 2" side. I overlapped them by maybe 6" and used drywall screws to hold them together. Obviously, the 2X10's go at the deepest end. I then took some 2X4's around 2 feet long and nailed another 2X4 around 6" long on top. I then screwed this double 2X4 sandwich at right angles to the sideboards. I took some long spikes (home depot sells them for landscaping timbers) and drove a spike thru each of the 2X4's into the earth.

I rounded over any sharp edges on the sidewalls, then laid in a big sheet of poly plastic, fill with water (smoothing out any weird ovelaps as you go) and let freeze.

The water pressure was pretty high on the deep end, so if you have to go higher than a 2X10, I would work on a more substantial way to shore up the walls.

Thanks, mine is about a 4 inch difference. It stays cold around here so I should be good. First good snowfall today so I'd better get started soon.

[biff44 0]

4" is nothing! A little snow under the plastic is good, it reflects the sunshine!