Day 7

Today was quite productive! We finished digging all the holes required for the tripods despite running into issues with large rocks in the ground. With the aid of the backhoe and some helpful hands, we were able to get them all out!

Meanwhile, the cable and the rest of the poles, donated from SaskPower, were delivered. The poles were then measured, cut, and labeled.

The arrival of three more team members brought fresh energy and excitement to the work site. That night, we worked late to erect all the poles. Tomorrow, we plan to calibrating them to the right angles and bolting them together.

Day 6

At home base, some members of the team designed the entry sign for the site with the help of some interested kids. Painting in color starts today! Rodney, a local artist, has volunteered to paint scenery onto the sign.

Back on site, a dedicated team worked to finish auguring the rest of the holes. Meanwhile, with the help of some community members, tripods were being erected. By the end of the day, five out of sixteen of the tripods were finished.

Rex and Marlene treated the team to a barbecue at Lake Kip. There was swimming, marshmallow roasting and ice cream for all!

On a side note, Justin has been participating in tri-weekly poker nights and has become the community’s favorite bounty! He hasn’t won yet, but we’ll keep you posted!

Day 5: Wednesday, July 21, 2010

During the day, we split into two groups to allow one group to focus on getting the 48 holes dug (6 feet deep!) while the other team worked on sorting and measuring the power poles. After the poles were measured we began to cut them length: 18 feet long for the two support poles and 26 feet long for the single spar (for more information about spars see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spar_%28tree%29). We're still short a few poles, so have been able to secure a few more which will be delivered tomorrow.

Throughout the day we ran into a few technical difficulties with dull chainsaws, broken generators, broken starter, shortage of hydraulic fuel for the backhoe and missing tent poles (for the tent we're putting up for a little shade on the site).

On a more positive note, the day was also filled with a few fun activities: we ate lunch with the Kinistin Lands Committee at the Hidden Meadows Golf Course and spent the evening at the Beardy's pow wow! A few people could help themselves from sketching the arbour.

PHOTOS WILL BE POSTED SOON.

Day 4: Tuesday, July 20, 2010

In the morning a group started to lay out where each tripod would stand - marking the centre of the tripod with a stake. At the same time a group worked on constructing the first test tripod. From the first test tripod, we shifted the angle of the hole and lengthened each post. Once we figured out where each post should sit on the ground, we were able to mark out all 16 tripods onto the site.

Parametric Model

A parametric model has been incredibly useful throughout the design process. To build the model, we input certain givens and/or parametres to the structure to help determine engineering questions like load capabilities, forces, etc. (check out the flow chart image above that shows different variables and such!)

Day 3: Monday, July 19, 2010

As work was being done to finish the 1:50 model, a group started building a 1:10 scale model on the front lawn of the Band Hall. The models gave the team an opportunity to sort out construction details and questions before creating the first full scale test tripod on site (which we'll start tomorrow!).

Day 3: Harvey Knight from Muskoday Lends a Hand

Communities that are working on the Comprehensive Community-Based Planning (CCBP) project are working to foster learning exchanges between First Nations in Saskatchewan. Throughout the next few weeks, we hope that many representatives visit Kinistin to contribute their knowledge and skills as well as to learn new skills. Harvey Knight from Muskoday came to Kinistin to help with model making and to think through ideas for the arbour (Harvey is furthest right in the photo above).