Making a simple but reliable practice jump
Hi,
this is Carmen. My dad Rich Dieppe has put off making new practice jumps for me for just too
long, but today is the day. He has some new ideas that should make it simpler, and between you
and me, I'm hoping this set of jumps will be a little nicer than the ones he built last time.
I’ll show you pictures of what we’re doing this as we go. As I’m an 'All American' (crossbreed
to you) please excuse me if I speak in American English and use inches and feet instead of
metric measurements.
The first thing that Dad
has to do is to buy all the material required. Since I have been working hard all morning, I’ll
sleep on the couch while dad runs to the hardware store to buy the following items for one
jump:-
-
(12 feet) 1' PVC
(plastic pipe)
-
1 x 1'
PVC elbow
-
2 x 1'
PVC tees
-
8 x ¼' screws
-
8 x feet
- ¾' PVC
-
Some pretty colours of
tape for dressing the bars.
-
Don’t forget the PVC
glue
He already has the jump
cups. He bought these real cool (and inexpensive) cups to hold the bars from a guy here in
California. They are easy to mount and almost make my jumps look like something from a catalog.
Carmen Says
Get all of your tools
ready to use.
This time you’ll need:-
Yawn, what a nice nap. The
sun is shining. There is this frisky little ground squirrel...
Oh the jumps, right
Dad just walked in. He’s finished cutting all the
PVC. He started with the 1' PVC only. He said to wait till the end to cut the ¾', I guess he’ll
explain later, but these are the lengths and quantity for one jump:-
-
1 x 45"
-
2 x 30"
-
2 x 16"
-
1 x 2"
This jump will be smaller
than regulation in just about any country, but your handler won’t notice, and it will be easier
to load in your car.
Dad mentioned that if you
are building a set of four, this happens to be five 10-foot lengths (just about perfect). We
need to clean (not with your tongue) the ends before we start gluing. Since we don’t need a
structural or leak-proof bond, just smooth the ends with some light sand paper, so it’s easy to
put together.
Now it’s time to glue, I
just can’t stand the smell, and Richard thinks it’s bad for me, so he’ll have to explain the
order and technique.
'Thanks Carmen'. Let’s do
this in steps so no mistakes are made and we don’t have to go back to the hardware store. This
will also be a good time to look at the pictures. Glue the stabilizer together first, that’s
the section that consists of the one real little piece, the two other small pieces and one of
the 1' tee’s. If you look at the picture and glue it like it shows, it’s a 'no brainer'. The
other piece at this time will only be one of the 'standards' (that’s what we call them) and the
base pole attached with the 'elbow'.
We’ll also glue the other
standard with the other 'tee', so all the pieces should be attached with glue to something
else.
Before I let Carmen out,
I’ll probably finish the gluing, oops she got in the picture. This may seem like a long time,
but so far I’ve spent more time typing this for you guys than I have picking up hardware,
measuring, cutting, and gluing.
And then, glue the other
standard that has the 'tee' on it, the base pole that has the 'ell' and other standard. I want
you to look at that picture and think about what is going on. If you glue these together hap
hazard, the angle of the pole may vary across the two standards, and the distance between the
standards would be such that you would need custom length poles for every jump. So I used one
pole as a 'stop' up against the fittings prior to my final gluing. At this juncture (while
Carmen and I are waiting for the glue to dry) I’d like to mention that you could add caps on
the stabilizers and the standards. That would increase the price of each jump some but although
the caps are not necessary, they finish off the 'look' of the jump very nicely.
Carmen keeps butting in
and trying to tell me that I could have been more efficient by drilling the holes for the jump
cups before gluing, and she has a valid point. But I’m the one with the thumbs in this family,
and if you try to do that you will be fighting alignment of the holes, to the standards along
with getting the correct height. Also don’t forget that the height of the top of the bar is not
where you will drill the hole to mount the jump cup. More on that later.
Let’s
talk jump cups
There are many different ways to support the bar on the standards. Some ways involve
cutting into a PVC tee. Other ways utilize just screws, see the comparison photo. The jump cups
that I have used on these jumps are very simple and meet all specifications. It can mount on
round tubing, like we used here or on a flat steel standard. They are inexpensive and will last
a lifetime.
Well, there’s not a whole
lot to add at this point. I ended up cutting my poles to 45 ¼' long. If you want to transport
your new jumps in a small car, don’t glue on the stabilizer bar. If you have enough property to
always keep your jumps set up (we’re jealous!) glue the standard. Not only do you now know how
to make some very nice jumps, but Carmen now has four brand new jumps to try out in the
morning.
Over the last few years
Team Carmen has grown to understand the sport of agility not for what it is, but for what it
isn’t. Week after week we continue to have fun, and try to burn as much energy as we can. Since
we have entered the master’s ring (USDAA) we’ve realized that this sport isn’t about placement
and winning. We haven’t placed in our class for over a year. But 'lordy' do we have fun. Dad
has been teaching a beginning pet obedience class and a little agility this last year. He has
also been become a judge for the USDAA.
About Carmen, Warrior Princess & Rich Dieppe
Carmen is a whippet/shepherd mix who was rescued from a local shelter. She lives with four
other brother and sister dogs including a Whippet puppy, five cats and Rich and Ginny Deppe in
Port Hueneme, California (USA). Her favorite sister Kelsey (PWD) is also involved in agility.
Carmen has her AAD title in USDAA, and her NADAC; EAC,
OJC, and OGC. She takes three classes a week, and one private one. Luckily she lives in an area
that makes trialling easy. She has quick access from the Bay area to San Diego.
Over the last few years Team Carmen has grown to
understand the sport of agility not for what it is, but for what it isn’t. Week after week we
continue to have fun, and try to burn as much energy as we can. Since we have entered the
Master’s ring (USDAA) we’ve realized that this sport isn’t about placement and winning. We
haven’t placed in our class for over a year. But 'lawdy' do we have fun!
Carmen also does therapy work and obedience. Since she
can only do obedience with the UKC, it's taking a while to get her UCD. (There are few UKC
trials in Southern California).
Carmen's future will be a happy one. Although she has
great potential as a champion, her handler Rich insists that he will not spoil the fun. He
promises that he will not get a Border Collie puppy just to compete. He will not get mad at
Carmen nor will he lose sight of the reason he started this sport. Together they will try to be
more of a team, and to know each other. Ever since Rich started thinking like this, Carmen's
got faster!
Rich has been teaching a
beginning pet obedience class and a little agility this last year. He has also been become a
judge for the USDAA.
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