Tricks and Tips
A flat surface to work on is invaluable. I use the back patio (a concrete
slab). When I am doing a frame, I cut all
four sides of the frame before I put the frame together. I then lay
all four sides out, one end butted up against the patio step and then I drill
the pilot holes and put the screws in the opposite end. This helps me get
the initial frame square / even. It also gives me something to push
against when I am putting the screws into the frame.
Use Deck screws.
I use the Phillips Head Deck screws because that is the kind of bit that I have
or my drill. Do not use nails. If you use "normal" nails
they will (eventually) pull out and rust. Also, I used LOTS
of Deck Screws when I did these projects. I
used 3, 4 or 5 screws when I put two of the 1.5X7.25 boards together.
Think about whether or not the boards seem to be "structural" or
not. Will they need the strength? It is easier to put more screws
in now than try to add screws after the whole thing is together.
When buying deck screws, I generally bought the 5 Lb box of 2.5" screws.
I then bought a 1 or 2 Lb. box of 3" screws and a 1 or 2 Lb box of 1.5"
screws, just get an assortment. Most of the joints I put together were either
joining a 1" board to 1.5" board or two 1.5" boards together.
I have the small box of 3" screws and the small box of 2" screws just in
case the boards I am joining are thicker or thinner than the 1.5" and 1"
boards. I use one or two of the 3" screws when I joined the 1.5"
boards together I use many screws. Do not be stingy
with the number of screws when you are joining boards together. It is
easier to put more screws in while you are building the project than to try
to add them when the project is finished and wobbly because you did not use
enough screws.
Pilot Holes are a very good thing.
It helps keep the wood from splitting. It also helps to drive the screws
in straight.
Get a tool that allows you to quickly switch from drill bit to Phillips head
bit. At first I would drill the holes, remove the drill bit, put the
Phillips head bit onto the drill, screw in some of the decking screws, pull the
Phillips head and put the drill bit back in (and so on). A little tedious
but it worked. I found the DeWALT reversible Screw / Drill Bit "Drill
Drive" and that helped immensely. Switching from drill bit to
Phillips head bit only takes a few seconds. I am sure that other
manufactures have created the same (basic) tool. I do (however) go thru
quite a few drill bits and just a few Phillips Head bits. I don't have
the drill bit set exactly center in the DeWALT and the drill wobbles a bit
until I get it in the wood.
BE SURE to check the wood and see how it is treated.. If it is CCA wood
PLEASE be very careful. Recent data has shown that
this wood is not as safe as previously thought.
This is where the pliers come in to play. If you ever chew up the head of
a deck screw you have two choices. If it isn't in too obvious of a spot
(or you don't care) you use the Vise-Grip
Locking Grip Pliers. Close the end of the pliers until they are a little
smaller than the head of the screw. Clamp down HARD
on the head and either tighten the screw or loosen
it (if you want to try again with a new screw). You can use the pliers to
drive it in flush or you can back the screw out and try with a new screw.
The cheap hotel pens are perfect
for marking the length of a board before I cut it. They never
seem to get all gunked up with wood shavings / dirt / etc. If there is
ever any dirt, just drawing a line on a piece of paper just cleans them right
up.
All my measurements are in inches. If you can find a tape measure that
has inches on one edge and feet / inches along the other edge that will
probably make life easier.
I tried to allow for "slop" in these projects. Error of
1/8" or 1/4" here and there should not make too
much of a difference, but do try to be as accurate
as possible. Very few of the
5.5" by 1" boards I worked with were exactly straight, most had
curvature of some sort in them and I still managed to get good fits.
I didn't use the clamps at first, but the would have been extremely
useful if I had them available. You can do
the work without them but life is easier with them.
If you do not have an old deck out back but you still want to do these
projects, check with a local salvage yard for the wood. Look in the
yellow pages under "Building Materials, Used". Also see if there
is a swamill in the area. You may be able to get wood that isn't perfect for a
very low price.. The porcelain coated cast iron double kitchen sink in
the potting bench was $35 at a used Building materials place (The faucet and
plastic tubing I attached was much more than that). Be sure to check
the "Used" prices against your local hardware store (like Home Depot or Lowe's). New might be about the same
price as used.
When you need to move these projects around, get 3" PVC pipe and cut into
4 foot sections making 3 of them. Lift up one end of the project, slide a
PVC pipe underneath, roll it forward and slide the next one underneath and
finally the last one. All of these projects can be rolled around the yard
using the technique that the Egyptians
used to roll their large
stones around.
All of these projects are downloadable in PowerPoint format and PDF files. The Powerpoint
version is available so that you can modify the projects if you have different kinds of
wood than I have used. Each of the "boards" in the PowerPoint is set up
at a 12 inches = 1 Foot ratio (unless otherwise noted). It makes it easier to
see if everything is going to fit together before you actually cut the boards.
Some of the ratios I used are in the file Ratios.txt.
To see the "size" of the board in PowerPoint, Right Click on
the board you wish to size. Click on Format Autoshape then click on the Size tab.
The "size" will be the ratio, for example if you want a 12"
wide by 24" long board, the width will be 1" and the height will be 2".
If you want a 24.5" high by 15" wide board you would put 2.04"
into the "height" box and 0.12" into the "width" box.
Rotation should be 0 (Unless you want the board to be at an angle).