BURNINGMAN 2004
The making of the Raising Couchh

Go to the continued story of the AeroThrone

	This photo is from June 23, 2004 So I must have started building in early June. The base frame is done, wheels are on but the Accerman Steering hasn't been corrected, and the rear axle is in place.
	The scissors have been started. Building these scissors was a long and difficult process. I don't have a lathe or milling machine, so everything looks low tech. I do have a plasma cutter and TIG welder.
	That's me on the right. The bottom scissors are working. The couch at this point goes up about three feet. Peter started helping me. He decided to make my life much more complicated by adding another set of scissors which will raise the couch to six feet.
	The Rams I bought the first time were one inch in diameter. Because we have the second set of scissors we needed bigger rams. These are 2 inch rams which will conservatively lift 8000 lb..
	The bottom of the scissors on one side has to roll in a track. It only rolls about eight inches as the couch goes up four feet from the top of the frame.
	Here are some of the electric motors. Peter wanted eight motors, I wanted four motors. We compromised on six. This shot shows four of the with U-Bolts which will not work as we could not adjust the chain. We switched to Uni-struct. In the back the differential is visible.
	A shot of the scissors.
	Another shot of the motors and stuff.

Chains, motors, Uni-Struct, all hooked up. We've tested the system with three motors but not with all six.

Rear of couch showing differential without the chains on it.

July 29th. 2004. Only the month of August left with five weekends. We are beginning to realize that we'll be lucly to get this couch running let alone decorated and nevermind revamping the old couch.

	Knee of the Scissors axles completed with grease fittings.
	Back rest started

	Jen and Loreal take a ride up.
	Armrests. 8/4/04

Steering mechanism. Because the couch raizes up, the steering has to be electric. This is a windshield wiper motor and a linear screw or ball screw from a giant lathe. Ebay is good.

Micro switches limit the travel. I call them sensors.

Faucet controls the flow of speed. The button is the electric brake. You rock the faucet to turn right and left. The couch is controled all with one hand. The switch on the left controls motion in the vertical dimension.

Wiring disconnect which will run up the scissors to the couch.