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I receive inquiries from time to time from clubs wishing to make
their own stands using the Scarborough Orienteering design. In
an effort to facilitate their efforts and allay any apprehensions I
offer this support program. The idea is
to help clubs produce high quality stands
for their own use while recognizing the source as well as the time,
effort and innovation that went creating a viable commercial
product. I have no patents or interest in legalities beyond this
good faith agreement confirmed by a token $100 payment. This
allows both parties to feel comfortable
about sharing the ideas and gives us an avenue to make it easier for you
to come up with a superior result.
Support Agreement: Scarborough Orienteering will provide
instructions, e-mail support to assist in the process, a sample
of the model of your choice (shortened for ease of shipping) and
permission to reproduce the design. In return, your club agrees that the information
received and stands produced will be for its exclusive use. The Fee
is $100 to make an unlimited number of stands. All materials
needed are also available at your option.
No need to reinvent the wheel. The SO design has undergone nine
years of development beginning with the introduction of electronic
punching to North America by my club, BAOC of California. With a
premium on low cost along with low weight, durability, stability,
ease of construction and use, the design has been refined by
SO over the years to become what we believe to be the best yet and least
expensive on the market. Dozens of orienteering clubs and
military organizations in the US and Canada now have SO stands
in use
The new SuperLite and Elite models are recommended for ease of
construction and poundability though the popular gooseneck model is
also supported. The original Velcro model is pretty much obsolete
now that I can supply holders at a reasonable cost. The
SuperLite bypasses any bending or bolting, typically on a 5/16" x 36" rod,
ideal where ease of construction and field transport are highest priority. These stands take light pounding and
more with threaded steel caps installed. The Elite involves 3/8"
hex stock creating a very sturdy unit and with steel cap and can
stand considerable pounding without bending or mushrooming.
Steps include some or all of the following: cutting, grinding,
drilling, die threading, jig construction, heating and bending. The
use of a drill press and Workmate or similar is recommended.
Aluminum is the material of choice. Steel has the disadvantage of
heavy weight, the tendency to mushroom under pounding and is much
more difficult to work.
The stands can be reproduced exactly or modified based on equipment,
expertise, cost, etc. I can turn out a consistent stand fairly
quickly and obtain materials at reasonable dealer prices. Producing
an acceptable stand does require a moderate amount of skill and
experience. There is also the expense and location of materials so
there are trade-offs and cash savings of the do-it-yourself may be
limited.
Scarborough
Orienteering can supply the necessary materials including rods in 3’ or 4’, 5/16" or 3/8"
round or 3/8 hex, caps, holders (for BSF-7 or 8), blousing straps,
needle
punches and regulation flags, laminated code cards and, of course a
full line of SPORTident EP equipment.
-Joe
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