Paul Jensen

Chain Ladder...

(above) Instead of trying to further improve the cable ladder, I built one from some scrap chain and other stuff that has been around the house for a while...

(above) The treads are 1/2" electrical conduit...They slip over a 12" piece of 'all-thread' with a nut on the outside...The all-thread ends were peened to keep the nuts from spinning off...To keep the chain ladder from swinging while on it, I opted for a simple cord to hold tension on the chains...

(above) Up top a 3/8" nylon rope keeps the chain off the metal and is knotted to the chain and the plywood rack hooks...

(above) The rack hooks...I went up and down a half dozen times and I can say, it's solid and will get me up and down no problemo...

(above) It all fits in the tire chain box too...!!!...

Tire Chain Ladder

(above)I was cleaning out the garage and I found a set of tire chains, cables actually...On thing I have on my list of things to do to the Sprinter is to find or make a ladder to the roof...

(above) I removed the cross cables I didn't need...A stiff, thin prybar and some hand strength are what's needed to get them off...

For steps I found some scrap conduit...

(above) It turns out that 3/4" electrical conduit fits over the cross cable ends, perfectly...

(above) After passing the cable through the pipe, the cross tie "things" are repositioned and hammered closed with center punch and a heavy hammer...

(above) About a half hour invested so far...

(above) The plan is to hook the ladder over my roof racks...Plywood is the easiest way for me to fab most things...Here are the rack hooks...

(above) Major assembly done...

(above) With the nylon cords, it super easy to adjust the overall length...As it is, it is an eight foot ladder...

I can reach the roof rack (barely) standing at the rear door and on my tip toes...The plywood hooks get dropped over and there it is...Roof ladder...

Hooks over rack...

I need to do one more simple things before I 'll call it done...It need a strap between the bottom stem and the step bumper to keep the ladder taught...If not, it's like a ladder up to a trapeze...

More new stuff...

Audio Rack Mock-up

Collaboration...

The paintings posted below are the work of Jesse Joshua Watson...It's the third board in an ongoing series of me producing a HWS veneer bottom "canvas'", then turning it over to an artist to complete the deck...These boards get glassed and built to ride...

So far the artist's I've worked with are stoked to do something different...Most artists have a preferred medium and style...Most of the time their painting is on a flat canvas...They recognise that painting onto a hand built wood board is more unique than painting a canvas or even a foam blank...It just is...

We also see these projects as a way of threading together other artists through a "common canvas"...I put no expectations on the art or the time to get it done...It's fun to see what emerges from diverse artists...All of those I've worked with so far said they are honored to do these boards and it has elevated their work...

Artists interested in collaboration can contact me through my website...

Paul Jensen

www.hollowsurfboards.com ... http://hollowsurfboards.blogspot.com