# anyone built a homemade playground slide?



## rotten apple (Mar 19, 2016)

I'm an aging, handyman/maintenance guy. one of the people i do stuff for wants to build a home made slide for his grand kids. he would like it to come from the 11 foot tower he already has. We've been discussing a 20 foot slide , made with two 20 foot 2x8s for the sides ,sanded and coated with something to avoid splinters , with 3/4 plywood and sheet metal screwed to the bottom of them. supporting would be easy. The web doesn't seem to have much on this. I would love some input. Thanks


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## ChuckF. (Aug 25, 2013)

You need a flip up at the bottom, so the kid doesn't end up driven into the ground. 2x8's okay, but put the slide at about the halfway point because you don't want sidewalls too high. Use a piece of aluminum roll flashing for the slippery part. Radius over the top edge of the sidewall.


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## rjniles (Feb 5, 2007)

Do you really want the responsibility for that?


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## Mingledtrash (Nov 27, 2015)

growing up we had a sheet metal slide in the local park... a few kids i knew growing up are missing toes and a few others have scars from lacerations from the sheet metal.


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

There's a reason why there's no mention of it.
Got a picture if whats there now?
No way is pressure treated or plywood is a good idea.
Google "playground slide" for some far better ideas.


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## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

Mingledtrash said:


> growing up we had a sheet metal slide in the local park... a few kids i knew growing up are missing toes and a few others have scars from lacerations from the sheet metal.


curious. I'm 64 years old and sheet metal slides were about all there was when I was a kid. At all the schools, at all the playgrounds, I didn't know anybody who lost toes or had laceration scars from slides. 
I do remember when they started dismantling merry-go-rounds because kids would go flying off of them :vs_karate:


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## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

rjniles said:


> Do you really want the responsibility for that?


Something worth pondering. If you were building it in your own fenced in yard where you could confine its use to your own grand-kids it would mitigate any liability you might face. But in somebody else yard I'm not sure I'd take it on.


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## Millertyme (Apr 20, 2010)

You could line the slide with PVC. I think a 1x12 would be wide enough for the bottom. And it's quite slick. Comes in 20' lengths. You can frame with 2x pt and just wrap it with the PVC


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## Mingledtrash (Nov 27, 2015)

craig11152 said:


> curious. I'm 64 years old and sheet metal slides were about all there was when I was a kid. At all the schools, at all the playgrounds, I didn't know anybody who lost toes or had laceration scars from slides.
> I do remember when they started dismantling merry-go-rounds because kids would go flying off of them :vs_karate:


here is a picture. :biggrin2:


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## de-nagorg (Feb 23, 2014)

You could use a roll of COIL STOCK , it comes in 100 foot + rolls, and have a continuous path,.

The slides at my Elementary Playground (circa 1958) were at least 12 feet high, But were a commercially built design. 

I would use thick wall pipes as the sides instead of wood, and maybe build a trestle style supporting structure underneath to support it.

Kids do tend to ride one in groups of 2 or more at a time. 

Please over build this because you do not want to have a child harmed because you or grandpa skimped on cost.


ED


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## rotten apple (Mar 19, 2016)

thanks for all the input ,guys. on consideration of all the comments,[and my wife], I've decided to take a pass on this particular project. I'm really skeptical that I could do it right enough to suit me. 
thanks for the help.


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## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

Mingledtrash said:


> here is a picture. :biggrin2:


:surprise: the mother of all slides :vs_OMG:


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