The concept was done previous to our receiving the technical information for the ride, especially in regard to the orientation of the booth and the sizes required. We'll be adjusting things a little from the concept as we go but it will be substantially like the drawing.
I started by creating the cut files for the half inch plate steel. The MultiCam plasma cutter made short work of the cuts. The plate is much thicker than normal because the feature will be moved a number of times through it's life. Over the next ten years the entire park will be transformed and the rides rearranged as necessary. Initially the tree will be placed on tarmac without being bolted down. Because the upper portion is cantilevered a fair amount we needed to compensate with a broad base. The heavy steel will help as well.
The hollowed out inner portion of the tree will serve as an operator's booth. The dimensions were mandated by the ride manufacturer and are quite large. To ensure the bottom portion of the concrete survives all of the moves we built a three trusses which span the three closed sides. More braces fro out to the portions of the roots which will extend from the center. Heavy steel uprights and cross members were welded into place. A fourth truss forms the large trunk of the tree which extends out.
We made great progress on our first day of fabrication. This is going to be a fun project!
