Cheaper option for "synthetic ice"?

[Fremitus Borealis]

Just curious if anyone has suggestions for a cheaper option for home training than the "synthetic ice" you can buy at HockeyShot, Total Hockey, etc. I'd rather not spend 100 bucks for six tiles or whatever.

Also, I really don't need to skate on the stuff; I don't have enough space to make that a good option, anyway. I just need to make a shooting surface that'll allow the puck to move more or less like it does on the ice, and was hoping you guys had some DIY ideas.

 

[puckpilot]

Last year they had 4x4 shooting pads at costco for $20 canadian. On hockey shot they have 2x4 shooting pads for $30 canadian.

Other options are you can get a green biscuit and a wrap around blade protector and just use a relatively smooth sheet of cement.

http://www.hockeywraparound.com/

 

[shoeshine boy]

you can buy a board at Home Depot for around $15 that'll do just fine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1XhqltcUWg

much like the kid in the video I can't remember what that stuff is called. I have one though along with a home-made rebounder and with a little furniture polish on the boards it works just as good as those expensive ones that you buy from hockeyshots.com

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Yeah I did a little searching and it looks like a lot of people have had luck using melamine paneling (you make cabinets and stuff out of it) plus furniture wax, like you said. I think I'll head over to Menards today and check it out.

 

[Penguins23]

Yeah I did a little searching and it looks like a lot of people have had luck using melamine paneling (you make cabinets and stuff out of it) plus furniture wax, like you said. I think I'll head over to Menards today and check it out.

Let us know how you make out.

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Okay, went to Menards today and picked up a 2' x 4' x 1/2" piece of Melamine paneling. If you don't know what this stuff is, it's basically like higher-quality particle board with a shiny finish on both sides; similar to the stuff a lot of pre-fab "wood" furniture is made out of nowadays, except better quality. I went in intending to buy a larger piece, but the bigger ones wouldn't be able to fit in my car, and everyone at Menards couldn't be bothered to stop and help me (or respond to my "hey, question for ya..."), so I couldn't see about getting them cut in half or whatever, and decided to just leave with this smaller piece to see how it worked out.

Anyway, got it home, sprayed it down with Pledge and.... it totally works! Mind you it's not 100% the same as ice, but for a $10 chunk of particle board and some furniture spray, it's pretty damn close I'll definitely be getting some bigger pieces so I can do more stick handling, because that's really the one drawback: the 2x4 piece is enough to shoot from, but not big enough for anything else.

 

[shoeshine boy]

yeah, we got the bigger piece because the guys at Home Depot WOULDN'T cut it in half. no idea why not. somehow we were able to fit it in the back of our Prius.

if you have the inclination I also highly recommend making your own rebounder too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhlSDeApFMU&t=61s

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Wait, seriously? I have the same car and I was absolutely sure 4x10 was under no circumstances going to fit without hanging dangerously far out the back

 

[shoeshine boy]

Wait, seriously? I have the same car and I was absolutely sure 4x10 was under no circumstances going to fit without hanging dangerously far out the back

it might not have. I want to say our piece was 4x8 though I could be wrong. I wish I'd taken a picture because it was quite ridiculous. I remember we had to take the head rest off the passenger seat to make it fit. fortunately it was only about a 10 minute ride home.

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Yikes! Yeah while I maintain the cargo capacity for my car is surprising given its size, anything that's an awkward shape can be disappointingly hard to transport, even if it's mostly empty space. Case in point: I bought a table and chairs from the local Goodwill, which, mercifully, is like a 4 minute drive away Just by sheer measurements, it all should've fit no problem, but since I could only take it apart so far, I had to strap down the trunk and try to not hit any bumps or make sudden movements so as to have the table pop out and roll down the road

Anywho, back to the topic at hand: I did a little more asking around, and it sounds like even when Menards/Home Depot/Lowes etc does cut wood for you, they may not exactly do a good job of it, especially if they're busy. This could be a real issue, since I'm using these pieces of wood for their smoothness, ya know? And if the cut is so bad that they don't even line up properly afterwards (something I've heard happen)... Unfortunately I also don't know anybody with a truck, and I really don't feel like renting one just for this, so... hmm.

 

[Fremitus Borealis]

Did another couple measurement checks, and the actual measurements of the panels are 4x8, just as yours was, Shoeshine Boy. But now that I'm looking at it, I think the width is gonna be a problem. If I fold my backseat down, the boards will only hang about a foot and a half out, which isn't bad... but the 4ft width is the issue. While there's more than 4ft of room inside the car, the trunk opening is less than that, so I'm not sure how I can get it in without cutting first........ except I just called up Menards and apparently they don't even have a table saw to cut plywood-sized boards, so I'm stuck there.

I guess the other option is renting one of their trucks, but I'd really rather not spend another $20 just to get these things home. Hmmm....