 | To
build the supports needed for the switches, cut 2x4 lengths long enough
to fit between the 2x4 supports for the panels. Use them to create a
frame in the well for the arrow panels. Now you should have support for
all four sides of the arrow well. You'll notice that these supports in the picture are not as wide as a 2x4. I cut the 2x4s in half lengthwise to allow for more room in the center of the arrow panel. You can do that or use 2x2s (or just use the 2x4s and not have as much space). I bind these to the bottom plywood piece with the same method I used to put the main 2x4 supports down. |
 | Cut
triangles of 3/4" plywood that will fit under the corner braces. Leave
enough room under the edge for the acrylic edges. Bolt the supports
down in the corners with just enough room to squeeze the corner braces
in. Take into account that the sheet metal might not be bent completely
to 90 degrees. The corner braces will be tight, but the acrylic can
still
be loose if you trim it right. |
 | The center of this
image is just a description. In reality, it would be the
empty center section of the arrow well. This depicts what you
see as you look down on the arrow well similar to the picture in the
previous step. Weather stripping is in grey going along the edges providing a restoring force to keep the acrylic lifted. Mending brackets are in blue. They are just 2" metal strips with holes for two screws at either end. Each side of the arrow well has two mending brackets: one connected to ground and one connected to the arrow wire in an alternating fashion. The description in the center with the washers under the mending brackets describes how to configure the switches. It says to stack some washers, and set the mending bracket with its holes over the centers of the washers. Bolt the mending bracket down through the washers with the stripped end of the line pinched between the washers and mending bracket. |
 | Place the acrylic
panels in the wells, and make sure
that they can move fairly easily vertically. Be sure to do
this with the
corner braces on. If it can't move easily, trim it until it can.
Because of variances in construction, I suggest that you now
mark which
acrylic panels fit best in which arrow well so that you can keep the
best fits mated. When this is complete, cut 16 sheetmetal strips at 1 1/2 X 6 inches and attach them underneath the bottom piece of plexiglass so that when it contacts the mending brackets, it will connect the circuit. You need four strips per arrow and align them so that they would rest above the 2x4 edges we built within each arrow well. You can use spray adhesive or mounting tape to secure the sheetmetal to the acrylic. The mounting tape will help to reduce noise. |
 | This
is a pic I took to show how the pad would look completed. It wasn't
really finished in this picture. I still needed to add the switches
and bolt the screws into the corner brackets. It's just set up for
looks in this picture. |