Now you can download the 5 Steps to Building a Model Bridge PDF ebook. The ebook contains the expanded version of the outline below, plus a lot of helpful pictures. The ebook also contains 25 bonus tips.

#1: Know the rules!

• Be able to define in your own words what the bridge must accomplish

#2: Design the bridge

• “Center” the design around the loading point
• Plan for extra bracing around loading point
• Choose a truss to use
• Warren
• Pratt
• Howe
• Design your own
• Draw the bridge to scale on graph paper
• Forces you to choose sizes for everything
• Label everything
• Name the design and add a date

#2b: Before building

• Get the wood
• Hobby stores
• Specialized Balsa.com
• Pick out the “good” wood
• Tools
• Glue
• Saw/Exacto knife
• Gram scale
• Clamps/clothespins
• Workspace
• Good lighting
• Good ventilation

#3: Build the bridge

• Step 1
• Tape down the top and bottom chords
• Glue on remaining pieces
• Make sure everything is held firmly in place and let dry
• Step 2
• Make two piles of books, spaced correctly apart
• Tape trusses to piles
• Glue bracing on top
• Glue bracing on bottom
• Double check for leaning
• Glue on lateral bracing
• Weigh the bridge
• Record weight and all specs of the bridge

#4: Test the bridge

• Test before competition if:
• You have time to build another bridge
• You are only testing your bridge to a certain point
• Testing procedure
• Bathroom scale (top loaded only)
• Bucket and sand (top or bottom)
• Time
• Practice if you have a time limit
• Don’t waste time loading, load the bridge quickly

#5: Evaluation of the bridge

• Efficiency = mass that bridge held divided by mass of bridge
• What is a good efficiency score?
• What failed?
• Video taping
• Carefull examination of broken pieces
• Improving
• Design
• Construction

If what you’re building is a home then general contracting is something to try to learn as much about as possible before hiring new home builders to work on your home. The process of building a home is something that still might involve the use of a remodeling contractor so that’s something to keep in mind.

(44 votes, average: 3.66 out of 5)

 Loading ...

This entry was posted on Monday, June 11th, 2007 at 9:26 am and is filed under Building, Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.