Joe Zastrow's 
Sturdy Shrinkable Skinny Saw Horse Station

 

 

Document and pictures © copyright 2004 by Joe Zastrow.

 

The Sturdy shrinkable skinny saw horse station consists of a two parts.  The first part is a foldable saw horse that makes a platform with foldable legs.  The second part is a fire resistant board that can be snapped on or snapped off the platform.  Fireworks are attached to the fire resistant board. The fireworks can be all fused together in one group to make a fire boat.  The fireworks can also be fused together in several groups or each firework on the station can be fired separately. If you have two stations, they can be used to display wheels. You attach one end of a 1"x2" or 2"x2" pole with wheels to one station and attach the other end of the pole to the other station. The wheels will be about 2.5' off the ground.

The saw horse station provides a sturdy and safe place to attach fireworks. The fireworks won't tip over. The board snaps on tight so it won't fall off during the show and you don't need to tape it or clamp it down.

The station improves the performance of fireworks, by getting them off the ground and closer to the eye level of the spectator.  This is especially
true for fountains.  Not only do they look about 2.5' taller, the spray can go an additional 2.5' below the base of the fountain. The station legs
and board are skinny, so they don't block the view of fireworks behind it. 

The removable board and foldable legs make the station easy to transport and store. Five skinny stations use as much storage space as a 2'x4' board, but can hold 2-3 times more fireworks. Saw horse stations give you more flexibility in placement of the fireworks in the fire zone than
2'x4' boards.

Materials (for one Saw Horse Station)

- 1 Tool Shop Folding Steel Saw Horse, 360 lb load, 243-8012
- 4 1.5" Corner braces
- 8 #6 3/4" wood screws.
- 1 formica or melamine board, 4.25"-6" wide, 3.5' or 4' long and 5/8"-1" thick.
- Porch and floor latex enamel paint.

DIRECTIONS


                          
The Tool Shop saw horse makes an ideal platform or "legs" for the station.  It is all metal and painted in yellow and black "warning" colors. It is resistant to heat and sparks.  It can also be used as a road block or barrier.  Unfolded, it stands 31" off the ground.  Folded up it takes the space of a 3.25' long 2x4. It is not very heavy and it has a fold up handle on the side to make it easy to carry.

The formica makes ideal surface for the removable board of the station.  Formica is resistant to heat and sparks up to 400 degrees. Melamine is also heat and spark resistant, but not as good as formica. If you can find an old formica counter top it can be cut up into several boards. You can also get formica laminate and glue it to a board. You can also purchase shelf boards 4' long by 10" or 12" wide.  These have a melamine or "formica-like" surface.  These can be cut length-wise to make two boards.  The advantage of these shelf boards, is after cutting all surfaces still have the melamine surface except for one edge.

The length of the board should be either 3.5' or 4' long. I used 3.5' as it was more convenient to fit in my vehicle. A 3.5' board will extend 1.5" past the ends of the saw horse. If you use a 4' board, this will give you a bit more room and the board will extend 4.5" past the ends of the saw horse. The width of the board can be anywhere between 4.25"-6" wide.  The wider the board, the bigger the fireworks you can place on the board without them sticking over the edge of the board. The board can be anywhere between 5/8" to 1" thicker. The thicker the board the heavier it will be to transport.

Constructing The Board

Sand any non-formica surfaces of the board (bottom and sides). If you are sanding the sides, bevel or angle the sides slightly inward from the top of the board to the bottom as in this diagram. This will give additional protection to the side during a fireworks performance.  Paint any of the non-formica surfaces.

 

Measure a line 4.25" (for a 3.5' long) or 7.25" (for a 4' board long) from each end the board, going across the BOTTOM of the board. This will be on the non-formica side. This picture shows the board with the line drawn on it.  Do this for the other end of the board also.

Place the two corner braces along the line. Each brace should be the same distance from each side. The inner edges of the braces at the bottom should be 3.5" apart. The picture on the left illustrates this.  Note, the reason the braces are 4.25" or 7.25" inches from the edge is that there are some rivets on the side of the saw horse. This distance will place the braces just inside the rivets and it will prevent the board from sliding back and forth.
Use a pencil and mark the locations of the holes in the braces. Remove braces and drill 1/8" starter holes. Be careful not to drill all the way through the board.  Put the braces over the holes and screw the screws into the holes. Repeat the process for the other end of the board. When finished the board should look like this picture.

Adjusting The Braces

Unfold the stand. Place the board on top of the saw horse with the braces down and the formica top up. Push down on the board so the braces go around the top of saw horse and the bottom of board is flush with the top of the saw horse. Make sure your fingers are out of the way, so they don't get pinched. This picture shows the board on its side, on the top of the saw horse. It is about to be turned with braces downward and pushed onto the saw horse.

The braces will either fit firmly over the saw horse, be too loose or too tight. The fit should be snug, but it should not scrape the paint off the saw horse when you put them on. If it is a correct fit, you are done.
If the fit is too loose, you need to adjust the braces to make a snug fit. Take a pliers and bend the braces INWARD at the corner of the brace and then straight about 1/2" inch up. Do this for all four braces.  The diagram on the right illustrates the bend in braces.

If the fit is too tight, you need to adjust the braces to make a snug fit. Take a pliers and bend the braces OUTWARD at the corner of the brace and then straight about 1/2" inch up. Do this for all four braces.  This diagram illustrates the bent out braces.


Here are two pictures of a saw horse station with some fireworks on it.  The fireworks are about to be taped down to the board. Don't tape the board to the saw horse as you won't be able to remove the board when it is transported to the display site.



Here is a picture of some saw horse stations during my 2003 New Years Eve display. It was 20 degrees and there was snow on the ground.  The stations kept the fireworks off of the snow. This video clip shows some "Silvery cones" (Red Lantern) firing on a station at the end of the show.  Notice how impressive they look. The garage in the background is ten feet tall at its peak. The "Silvery"s go about twice that height on the saw horse station.



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