The Log house Project begins........

[MotorSeven]

Kyle, I tried knee pads, they seem to annoy me almost as much as blisters....must have been cheapies...never tried a quality pair.

Well, I tried really hard to take a day off. I went shooting in the morning trying out my new Ruger Takedown 10/22. I have not started to modify it yet(diy trigger job, auto bolt release, etc) and it shows promise with 1"ish groups at 20 yards w/iron sights. Scope & see thru base is on the way, and the bolt goes out tomorrow for headspace, pinning the firing pin, extractor profile and jeweling. In about a week I should be putting it back together.

After I got done shooting, I just could not stand it being good weather and a deck that needed a transition skirt. Soooooo, back to work:

I still need to get the 2x10 & 12's to window frame it, so it is almost finished.

 

[MotorSeven]

Mike I don't have plans to skirt it...should I?


Or is this one reason for skirting? We were up on the deck having cocktails and Murphy(one of 3 Welsh Terriers) went nutso in the basement. I go down there, thinking he had a chipmunk, or a wood rat cornered...nope it was a full grown groundhog:

I quickly made a catch loop out of a EMT bender handle and 14 ga wire. Snared him with it and got him out of my basement....I guess I should keep the dang basement doors closed eh?

 

[tnmike]

That is exactly what I was thinking one the deck skirting. Think skunk and it will be worse They will dig holes up under the deck and you will never get rid of them.
The pressure treated lattice has always seemed flimsly to me but it might work backed up with rat wire buried in the ground.

 

[bucktaker]

nice build....going back to your hi tensile wire I have had it as a horse fence for many years..... It will expand and contract based on temp. Hard tenisioners like you designed while neat will not work well. I recommend you find a way to add a spring and turn buckle to your design. It will allow the wire to be retensioned and take up some pressure as well....


Maybe a marine suply will have SS turnbuckles and possibly springs

Just my experience with have a high tensile fence for 17 yrs. ...

FYI really impressive Build..... DIYERS rock

 

[MotorSeven]

Buck I kinda expected some expansion & contraction. Odd thing is the only thing I could find at TSP are these:
Heavy-Duty Wire Strainer - 3602217 | Tractor Supply Company

Looking on their site I see Zareba springs...$8 a pop....NOT.

MistyRidge suggested used valve springs a few pages back...I like that because I could get them cheap/free.

 

[MotorSeven]

I finished the front porch deck skirt and thought I would get a railing up on the West deck before someone takes a 15' non-bungee jump. I still have cedars down in the woods, and this rail will be a full log natural type, so I collected some unusual looking round posts that had "character".

They were pretty hairy, so I broke out the "Tennessee Water Peeler":

Before peeling:

 

[MotorSeven]

After peeling:

Figuring the layout:

 

[MotorSeven]

40 horse wheelbarrow:

Front porch posts are also ready:

Notching the first one's:

 

[MotorSeven]

As you can see, I have something different in mind....for some reason I woke up all "artistic" yesterday:laughing:. The end posts will be blowdown Cedars that have been down in the woods so long most of the sapwood(white part) has rotted off, leaving the hard red heartwood. They are very solid and very heavy.

I spent two hours looking for the "perfect" top rail(it has to be 31' long). I studied many cedars...too fat, too skinny, too much taper....wait what about this one....hmmmm, nope... too straight. I really also did not want to cut a live tree...too HEAVY Finally, on the back side on my property, off an old roadbed, across a creek and 80' up the side of a steep ridge......I found it. A standing dead Cedar with a nice curve to it:thumbsup: Once on the ground, and measured, I found that I will have to incorporate a fork into the equation to get 31'.....this should be interesting. Now, I had to drag it down hill and turn it lengthwise in into the creek. Couldn't get to it with the tractor, so I had to use the winch on the 'wheeler to pull it 60' down the creek to a place it could turn and go up an embankment to the roadbed. Then I had to be very careful dragging it out and home without breaking off the fork.

It doesn't look over 30' in the pic...but it is:

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Notching the first one's:

How did you cut that notch??

Chainsaw??