Some questions occurred as to how bowling alleys are constructed, given their specific kinds of uses and abuses they're subject to, such as especially directly at and under the floor in the areas where the ball falls and rolls. Might anyone like to shed some light in this regard? (Anyone like to bowl, BTW? I used to, but haven't in quite awhile. I hear they were a bit of a hangout in the past.) Here's a nice pic of an older one:
I always wondered what keeps those heavy balls from cracking the surface of the lanes. Especially when you see some beginners throwing their balls high up in the air where they come crashing down hard.
one:
That's made me wince on occasion.
It's an oldie; 1914. Imagine a lazy summer day in the 1920's in there with good friends, drinks and the sun streaming in. The surrounding area looks nice too.
That seems quite substantial as I'd imagined... Perhaps if one had a bowling alley in their house in Florida, they might be better able to weather a hurricane. ;)
Your post also offers an example of a collateral result of plonking as a bit of a reverse mental dragnet. I edited out part of your paragraph to further enhance my point.
2 strikes for the price on one.
Certainly one of the harder ones.
Hi
Bowling lanes are made to an international specification. I have various sections here at home, from existing lanes that were demolished and replaced with synthetic materials.
Basic constructing until the synthetics took over is as follows:
for the principle impact surface..... that is; the first several feet - American Rock Maple, probably 3 inches wide and 1 inch thick, nailed face to face to provide the 1 inch revealed edge and the impact surface. The material is moulded across the 3 inch face in a manner akin to tongue and groove. Once it is all nailed together and makes (I believe) a 42 inch regulation lane width, small holes of around 1/16th inch are drilled in specific points and a special adhesive is injected at high pressure into the voids around each tongue and groove. For the rest of the lane, down to the pin plate, Ponderosa Pine is used, in the same manner. As the Pin Plate (or whatever it's called) also takes considerable abuse, it too is made from Maple. Of the hundred or so sections I have seen, the Pin Plate always seems to be the most damaged.
The 'arrows' are Walnut, from memory.
Hope this helps.
BTW I purchased this material for use as kitchen benchtops - hope it works out
Steve downunder designer
IOW, they are installed 'on edge', and that's my understanding of how they are built.
If I understand him correctly, he's saying the 3" surfaces are joined together, thus the 1" 'edges' forms the actual lane you see - picture a (3)2x12 beam only with much smaller boards and lots more of them - maybe a (42)1x3???
HTH,
Michael (LS)
Makes sense, sounds like they would be able to withstand more abuse that way. Kind of like a very large glu-lam beam?
Exactly - 3 inch side is nailed and 1 inch is the impact surface ....
Yup.
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