Team Epic Journey : Our Sleds

  How much fun is it to make a sled?
I built this sled during Christmas vacation 2002 with my father. I took about three days of straight work. We actually bent steel 1.125 square stock for the sub runners. I later removed the bent part of the sub runner to reduce weight. This sled weighs about 38 lbs.

I received a LOT of assistance from two musher's I contacted over the internet on SleddogCentral. Without they’re assistance, this project would have been much more difficult.

Toboggan sleds are used in long distance racing and touring. They are incredibly durable sleds and keep the load weight close to the ground. My sled is a little long for my needs but it makes a great sled for giving rides!
  This sled took several months to build due to other time commitments. This sled is a racing style sled with tied joints. My sled is a little heavy and non-traditional in design. It is built of red oak. Typically smaller structural members are used. Ash is a more common sled building species today. (that and aluminum!)
 
Here is the Moody Sled that I purchased. Nice racing sled but not as flexable as you might think. VERY light.
 
The moody sled and my home built sled side by side.
  How do I bend the curve on my runners? I saw two saw-kerfs into the runner and then add material eqaul in thickness to the saw-kerf. The runners are glued and clamped on a form. Some folks steam bend runners but I find this technique works well for me.
 
Here's a picture of my wonderful steamer. That's a five gallon drum sitting on an MSR stove. I heated the water to a boil on my kitchen stove to save fuel and time. You can see that PVC gets fairly soft at the boiling temperature.
 
Here are the curved sides of the sled being bent to forms. I traced a thin strip that was mounted on the stantions to get the curve needed and marked the mortise locations. I then cut the plywood and traced it on my "sled bench".
  All the parts hanging to dry after being coated with polyurethane.
  The sled ALMOST finished. Still a few final touches needed (Bridal, drag brake, cross bungies on the back and those wonderful snow hook holders I made).
 
Here is Lynn's sled completed and in use.