# Gazebo build.



## Chaincarver Steve

My wife and I have been wanting me to build a gazebo in the back yard. This will be a 10-foot octagon. I plan to build it all myself. Well, except for preparing the footing and setting up the tall corner posts (that was more than I could comfortably manage on my own). We finally got some other major projects finished up (pool re-surfacing, rock waterfall built, pavers on pool deck, paver sidewalk down to the dock, fire pit area with seating and pavered ground) so I jumped right in with the build about 2-3 weeks ago. 

A week off of the project occurred between the time the concrete footers were finished and when the 8 corner posts were erected. That's right, I said erected! That was yesterday. Today, I added the center pad and the 6x6 support block on top of it, followed by the joist work that's done so far. My back definitely feels the constant bending over, the little bit of digging (through rock and clay), and the cutting and nailing of today's work.

During the last two weeks of the Baileigh build I was working on the footers: 8 1-foot diameter, 2 feet deep concrete-filled cardboard tubes. That was some back breaking work. Luckily a friend of mine did a majority of the hard labor. He was beyond helpful. Thanks again to him.


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## Chaincarver Steve

The heart of the web.









What is done so far.









Now I have to notch angles into the outsides of the 8 corner posts so I can put the headers (I think that's what they're called). Then shorter joists will be added from the center of the inner octagon you see above to the center of the headers that will form the outside border of the joists.

Then I can start on the floor. I know that isn't fine working, by any means. Hopefully some one will enjoy seeing it come together. I know I will.


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## tc65

It may or may not be "fine" woodworking, but it looks pretty fine to me! 

Looking forward to watching it come together.


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## Wema826

I want to see a tricked out ceiling inlay Micheal Angelo or Davinci style!! anything less coming from you Steve would simply be unacceptable!!:thumbsup:


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## Ted Tolstad

I'm in on this one....we are in the process of purchasing a new place and my wife has already determined that she wants a gazebo built in our front yard.....we shall see.....


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## johnnie52

Count me as a follower for this one. Pretty solid construction so far. I would have just built it on block leveled on the ground. Would never have even given footers a thought. :laughing:


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## Chaincarver Steve

Wema826 said:


> I want to see a tricked out ceiling inlay Micheal Angelo or Davinci style!! anything less coming from you Steve would simply be unacceptable!!:thumbsup:


I shall dub thee the Sistine Gazebo!

Actually, the ceiling will have a ceiling fan with light kit. And rope lighting or white Christmas light strands for accent/mood lighting.


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## Longknife

johnnie52 said:


> .... I would have just built it on block leveled on the ground. Would never have even given footers a thought. :laughing:


Might work in Florida but not here. Our building code says frost free depth is 6 feet.

Nice build so far, Steve. Are you building this from plans or do you do it your normal way, winging it as you go?


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## Chaincarver Steve

johnnie52 said:


> Count me as a follower for this one. Pretty solid construction so far. I would have just built it on block leveled on the ground. Would never have even given footers a thought. :laughing:


Let me tell you, the whole footers stage was a major chore. I'm soooooo glad that part is over with. It also took a lot longer than expected (and really cut into my contest build time). But I'm also very glad it was done that way. We put J bolts in the concrete. So the metal post anchors are bolted down and are definitely not going anywhere. What's built so far is extremely solid.

You may have also noticed that it's built on a slight hill.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Longknife said:


> Might work in Florida but not here. Our building code says frost free depth is 6 feet.
> 
> Nice build so far, Steve. Are you building this from plans or do you do it your normal way, winging it as you go?


I bought plans on eBay by a company called ADV Plans. The disc comes with about 6 gazebo variations. I wouldn't feel safe ringing this one. I wanted to make sure it's done properly.


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## thegrgyle

That is some mighty fine framework you have there, from what I can tell. I have built quite a few decks in my day, and I can empathize with you about the footings. I don't think my back can take anymore of those. That is why we rent this now when we do a deck. You can get different size post holes augers. Kind of fun to play with too.

Consider me signed up to this thread! :thumbsup:


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## robert421960

nice work steve!!!
cant wait to see more


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## guglipm63

looking good


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## Kenbo

Consider me subscribed. I love how it's looking so far. I wouldn't mind seeing some pictures of the other projects too.........eg. fire pit, pool, waterfall, etc. Don't be stingy man!!! You know how much we love pictures.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Kenbo said:


> Consider me subscribed. I love how it's looking so far. I wouldn't mind seeing some pictures of the other projects too.........eg. fire pit, pool, waterfall, etc. Don't be stingy man!!! You know how much we love pictures.


The other projects were hired out. They aren't my work but I'd be glad to show you guys. They turned out very nice. We're quite pleased with all of it. The gazebo will be the icing on the cake in our little lakefront paradise. I'll get pictures tomorrow.


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## DaveTTC

nothing like the art and beauty of quality construction. This takes me back to one of my first projects when i went out on my own as a contractor / builder. The one I did had a concrete base and concrete pillars with marble effect on the pillars.

The roof work was similar to what you have started for the floor only pitched. It looked a real piece of art only to be covered with terra-cotta tiles and lined underneath with western red cedar. The perimeter beam was boxed and lined to look like a marble plinth joining the pillars together.

looking forward to seeing it done - looks great so far


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## Chaincarver Steve

I put in a few hours today. Each corner post had to be notched with a pair of 22.5 degree angles at the same height as the floor joists. These are where the outer joists will sit. I made a simple layout block so I could set a mortise gauge and a T-bevel to the proper depths. Then I was able to easily lay out all of the notches with relative and consistent ease.

I used a back saw to create the stop cuts that established my depth and angle. Then followed up with a chisel to clear away the waste wood. It went _somewhat_ quickly. 

























Then I cut the joist pieces that will go there. I got 6 of the 8 screwed in place before my screw gun battery died, and the back up battery wasn't charged. Silly me. I would have had time to attach the last two before sunset. They are both charged now and ready to go for tomorrow.

Kenbo, you can see a glimpse of the fire pit in the background of this picture. There are some black chairs sitting around it.


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## cabinetman

Looks good so far. There's a question whether nails are better than screws for mechanical fasteners. I built my shed 10'x12' with screws, time will tell. On the question of footers...



johnnie52 said:


> Count me as a follower for this one. Pretty solid construction so far. I would have just built it on block leveled on the ground. Would never have even given footers a thought. :laughing:





Longknife said:


> Might work in Florida but not here. Our building code says frost free depth is 6 feet.


Florida is in the hurricane belt. Things get blown away. I had two metal sheds 10'x12', that the shell of one was completely carried off (maybe by tornadoes during a hurricane). The entire contents remained and all that sheetmetal...gone somewhere. None of it was found in my neighborhood. The flooring and its framing I installed with concrete footers.








 







.


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## Chaincarver Steve

So far the only screws (Spax self tapping) used are on the outer ring of joists that fit into the notches. The decking will also be screwed down.


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## cabinetman

Chaincarver Steve said:


> So far the only screws (Spax self tapping) used are on the outer ring of joists that fit into the notches. The decking will also be screwed down.


I stick built the shed, and it was easier for me to drive screws than swing a hammer. When you have problems with the fingers and hands, you pick the best method.









 







.


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## MapleMoose

Nice job on those 22.5 notches! Did you miter the end of each rim joist, also? Can't tell from the pic's.


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## Chaincarver Steve

MapleMoose said:


> Nice job on those 22.5 notches! Did you miter the end of each rim joist, also? Can't tell from the pic's.


Thank you. Yes, they are mitered to the same angle (or maybe it's the complementary angle of 67.5 degrees). Here's a closer shot of where they meet.









I got all of the joist work completed today.









And installed the first three floor boards. Nails were set between the boards temporarily to space them evenly. The notched board at the outer edge was fun to cut. Amazingly, it worked out the very first try (other than having to trim a bit deeper into one of the notches to tweak the fit. You really have to ease into it to reduce the risk of having a huge gap around the posts.). I hope the rest of them work out as smoothly.


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## Smith Brother

Hurry up, were waiting for the CONTROL (thing-a-ma- jig).

Looking good though,

Dale in Indy


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## Chaincarver Steve

*Since Kenbo asked...*

These next 10 pictures don't have to do with the gazebo. But since Ken asked about some of the other projects I'll give you guys a little tour of the back of the house.

Here's the new rock waterfall at the pool. The old waterfall was more of a planter thingy. It was quite dated and unattractive. We like this a lot better. Obviously it's off at the moment. The water comes out over the third horizontal rock from the bottom. That's one of our two cats sitting to the left.









When we bought this house almost 3 years ago, the back wall was just this tall, sheer wall of stuccoed blah. We added the balcony and spiral staircase and had the bay window covered with the stonework. This was another project we were very pleased with. It made the back of the house so much nicer, more up to par with the house's interior.









The pool was recently resurfaced with a high end (read very expensive) surface material called "Beadcrete". The stuff is amazing and feels like heaven on your feet and skin. This is the second pool we've have surfaced with Beadcrete (we had it done at our last house - which is about 8 houses down from where we live now - as well). According to the Beadcrete guys, we are still the only people in central Florida to have Beadcrete. And we are one of very few anywhere who have it at a private residence. 

Most installs they do is at resorts and places like that. We love Beadcrete. Not only does it feel awesome, it looks incredible too.

The pool deck was redone with pavers right before the Beadcrete. And the tile around the top edge of the pool (under the coping) was redone. The old was dated big time and ugly. The old coping was red building brick - hard edges and all - and looked ugly.









Another view of the stairs/balcony. We also had the door to the balcony added. There was a window there before.









You can't really see it but, at the far end of this picture and around the other side of the house is an area we sit in a lot. We had it roofed over about 2 - 2 1/2 years ago. It has a fancy iron gate that separates it from the rest of the pool cage.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Here's what my wife refers to as the memorial garden. No dead bodies here but, the plants came from various members of my wife's family's funerals. Sorry, the angle of the sun washed out the picture.









Updated walkway. The old one was plain concrete, narrow and in bad shape. You see the gazebo-in-progress in the background.









New fire pit area. Again, the low angle of the sun made for a poor photo. Most of the back yard is a hill sloping towards the lake. So the fire pit area is dug out into the hill, turning a mostly unusable space into one we've used several times so far. And we'll be using it again on Sunday (Mothers' Day).









The yard ends with a sheer sea wall then our dock. We used to have an 18" pontoon boat that bit the dust. We're still deciding on when to get our new one. At the far end of the dock is a floating dock with a smaller pontoon boat on it. You can't see it from this angle though.

It looks like I must have bumped my camera into soft focus mode on this picture. Oh, I put all the railings on the dock shortly after we moved in. When we moved in it was just the upright posts with nothing in between, making for a dangerous place, especially for small children.









The lake is a lot bigger than it appears from our back yard view. We're kind of ticked away in a nook. The lake snakes out and around to some cool areas. There are also about a dozen small islands out there. It's an awesome place to boat around. Man, we really need to get our new pontoon soon. I miss going out on the lake. It's so awesome.


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## Smith Brother

I feel so bad you didn't win the $1,600.00. Looks like you are nearly homeless, LOL.

Very nice Steve, I'm happy for you and family. Can I tell Mr. Obama that you will be most happy to pay more in taxes? 

Best wishes,

Dale in Indy


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## DaveTTC

Smith Brother said:


> I feel so bad you didn't win the $1,600.00. Looks like you are nearly homeless, LOL.
> 
> Very nice Steve, I'm happy for you and family. Can I tell Mr. Obama that you will be most happy to pay more in taxes?
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Dale in Indy


I think Steve can tell him himself. That's Obama buy the window on the second floor isn't it 

Nice home Steve. You have done well. Looking forward to the rest of your build.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Smith Brother said:


> I feel so bad you didn't win the $1,600.00. Looks like you are nearly homeless, LOL.
> 
> Very nice Steve, I'm happy for you and family. Can I tell Mr. Obama that you will be most happy to pay more in taxes?
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Dale in Indy


Oh I've got a few things you can tell Obama. And I'm quite sure we already pay plenty more in taxes than many others.


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## jharris2




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## Kenbo

Wow, that's a beautiful home. If I ever get down your way, I wont be wasting my money on some silly hotel..........I'm coming to your house where it looks cosy. I love the look of this yard. Very nice.


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## Wema826

Chaincarver Steve said:


> I shall dub thee the Sistine Gazebo!


Taking a line out of a movie here, If that is the Sistine, then who built the other fifteen?

Now who can name the movie?


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## Chaincarver Steve

Come on down... We've got a nice guest room(s) all set up and waiting for you. Your own bathroom(s) too. :thumbsup:


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## Smith Brother

What do you call your home, "COME ON DOWN", or "PRICE IS RIGHT"?, sounds like it would.

Dale in Indy


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## guglipm63

Wema826 said:


> Taking a line out of a movie here, If that is the Sistine, then who built the other fifteen?
> 
> Now who can name the movie?


History of the world part 1?


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## Hubbard

Annnnnnnnnnnd

Subscribed.


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## JohnnyTooBad

Steve,

That's a beautiful home and you've done some really nice work to it! I love the setting and the way you get good shade in the screened porch. Looks like a great place to hang out. Next project:n Outdoor kitchen with keg-er-ator!


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## knotscott

Too cool for words. This a great post! :thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve

To flesh out the look of the back of the house, we put up decorative window boxes with (fake) plants.









Bugs is looking for carrots.









I didn't get any gazebo work done over the weekend. It rained most of Saturday and Sunday was Mother's Day. But I did get a little done yesterday. Then more today.

I spent some time in the pool yesterday with my wife and son. So I quit earlier than I would have otherwise (it was well worth it though. That Beadcrete is so nice on the feet.). Here's where I left off yesterday:









Then I got a good 5 hours or so in today. Here's 3 1/2 out of 8 sides done (sans the center)









And here's where I left off for the day. I know progress doesn't seem all that impressive but I'm kind of taking and not hustling through it.









I'm sure I'll be back on it again tomorrow for at least a few hours. I'm trying to get the floor finished up so I can take a break and get back to and finish straightening up the garage. Then I can get all the garage stuff back into the garage side of the, uh, garage and out of my workshop. Then I can think about spending more after-dark time on the Baileigh build that I need to complete. People are anxious to see it done: here and at home. I know because I'm asked about it at least every other day. Of course, I want it done too, trust me. All of the critical parts are built and working beautifully. I just need to get back on the various hold downs. But man, not getting it completed in time for the contest really took the wind out of my sails on that project. :blink: Not to mention the fact that I was already promised out for other projects starting the very next day.

So anyone waiting to see more progress on the Baileigh build should get the satisfaction of an update within a week or so. I'll be camping this weekend (Friday - Sunday) so I don't know if I'll get back to it this week or not. Gazebo: Yes. The other project: We'll see.


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## Dominick

Awesome job Steve. Sorry I'm late to the party, but it's gonna be nice when it's all done. 
Nice home as well.


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## buggyman1

Nice place Steve. Love the waterfall, did you build it?


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## DaveTTC

Nice progress. Are you gonna stain it or keep it a light colour.


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## Chaincarver Steve

buggyman1 said:


> Nice place Steve. Love the waterfall, did you build it?


I did not build the waterfall. It was done by the company who did our pavers (sub-contracted out by the pool company).



DaveTTC said:


> Nice progress. Are you gonna stain it or keep it a light colour.


I think once it's had time to dry out I'll most likely stain it. I'd probably stain it the same color as the balcony.


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## MapleMoose

"I know progress doesn't seem all that impressive..."

Hey, it sounds like you have your priorities right (Mother's Day, family pool time, camping, etc).

Regardless, that gazebo floor is looking good!


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## guglipm63

beautiful so far. this is fun to watch the progress. thanx for charing it with us


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## BZawat

Nice work. I'll be watching for sure!

Brian


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## Chaincarver Steve

*I have acheived:*

PacMan! The board you see clamped in the open joist area is the final edge piece, clamped in place while I jig saw the notches. It's always nice to be able to say that I'm 7/8 done with a particular step. I like the way the decking is coming together. My seams on the diagonals aren't perfect but, you know, it's plenty sufficient for what it is. It's also kind of nice to do a major project where I don't have to be so fussy and particular about getting perfect angles and brag-worthy fits. It's all close enough. And - in this case - close enough really is good enough.

I don't do much carpentry at all. It's a nice break from the norm. But I'll sure be happy when I get done and we can start using the gazebo. This stuff is a lot of work :laughing: Everything's so heavy. I'm working on a hill. Every angle has to be gauged individually, marked then cut. Some pieces require me to walk to my shop to table saw pieces a bit narrower (for some reason, one octagonal ring is requiring the pieces to be a ripped a little narrower to compensate for an error accumulation that occurred early on). And the horse flies are eating me alive. 

I've never had an issue with horse flies in our back yard. Until I decide to build a gazebo. Then it's open season on my flesh. Those little hell hounds are brutal!









I had to go to Home Depot this morning to get 9 more PT 2x6's for the decking. It's surprised me how many 2x6's it takes to do the deck on this thing. I just cut into #19 or 20. It will have taken about 23-24 8-foot 2x6's to do just the decking (not counting the joists, which took about 8-10... I forget the exact count). There's been very little scrap so far. Maybe 4 1/2 feet of total scrap cut-offs so far. Not too bad for how many I've gone through up to this point.

Barring rain, I'll have the deck completed tomorrow. Then I'll probably call it quits until sometime next week, after completing cleanup in the garage, getting the rest of the stuff that doesn't belong in my shop out of my shop, That will also give me my space back to work a little on the "Baileigh build" after dark, when I can't work on the gazebo.


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## DaveTTC

progress is looking mighty fine


what are you doing on the roof. I have done terra-cotta tiles, shade clothe, tin, poly carbonate sheeting and what looked good on a 4 sided on I did for a mate was siding (as you call it) it was the fibre cement sheet variety. Just used the little tin corner caps down the ridge line (had to slightly flatten them)


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## TimT

Great build! I'd probably be standing on the bank fishing non-stop if that were my place.


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## johnnie52

Hey Steve, that is really coming along nice. :thumbsup: It looks just a tad bit small for a picnic or a band stand, but its just right to put one chair and a small table in and enjoy some iced tea.


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## Chaincarver Steve

I did get the decking done today. Except for the very center, where I need to cut and add the final flooring piece: a slightly deformed octagon. I'll cut it from a single piece of 2x10. But, seeing as how I reached my goal for the week (and have Cub Scout camping from tomorrow til Sunday), I'm done until next week.

Next week i'll start with the center piece of the deck then work on the braces that span the 8 sides up near the top. Then I can finally get all these 2x4 braces off of the corner posts and out of my way.


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## DaveTTC

Chaincarver Steve said:


> I did get the decking done today. Except for the very center, where I need to cut and add the final flooring piece: a slightly deformed octagon. I'll cut it from a single piece of 2x10. But, seeing as how I reached my goal for the week (and have Cub Scout camping from tomorrow til Sunday), I'm done until next week.
> 
> Next week i'll start with the center piece of the deck then work on the braces that span the 8 sides up near the top. Then I can finally get all these 2x4 braces off of the corner posts and out of my way.


Sounds good, I eagerly await your next bout of pictures.


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## ACP

That looks really good so far. Looked like a wooden spider web for awhile. You have a beautiful home. It's an assumption based on your home that you are well off, which makes the fact that you are building your own gazebo really cool in my eyes. You are making your own little resort back there. With gas prices you won't have to go anywhere for vacation!


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## <*(((><

You have a very nice place there! Thanks for sharing, it is good to see hard working people (which it has always appeared you are with your threads and what not) achieve nice things and places to live. I'll get there someday, and I'm not a person who is all about material things, but I still hope to have a nice private place like yours. 

Your gazebo build is awesome as well, it's nice to be able to take your time on it like you are able to do, that is something that right now none of my projects are afforded, I'm too busy. 

Are you retired, semi-retired? I always took you as being younger, in your late 30's or so?

Keep up the good work and your threads are always enjoyed by me! :thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve

DaveTTC said:


> progress is looking mighty fine
> 
> 
> what are you doing on the roof. I have done terra-cotta tiles, shade clothe, tin, poly carbonate sheeting and what looked good on a 4 sided on I did for a mate was siding (as you call it) it was the fibre cement sheet variety. Just used the little tin corner caps down the ridge line (had to slightly flatten them)


Sorry, I never answered your roofing question. I'll be using 'regular' roofing tiles. You know, the heavy tar paper-like stuff with the colored gravel stuck to it. I'm not decided on what color yet. I don't want it to to conflict with the stain color so, I don't know yet.



johnnie52 said:


> Hey Steve, that is really coming along nice. :thumbsup: It looks just a tad bit small for a picnic or a band stand, but its just right to put one chair and a small table in and enjoy some iced tea.


It's large enough that I'll be adding seating benches along a few sides. And some other accessories as well. I imagine it'll comfortably seat 8-10 with enough wiggle room that no one is too crowded. Leaving plenty of toe and standing room in the middle. But until I get there it's still hard to envision the exact setup.

Whatever I do - seating-wise - the gazebo will be cozy but not cramped. There will be table spaces of some sort. But smaller built-ins in conjunction with the seating. Those are all details I haven't worked out yet. I'll see how it feels when I'm farther along in the build.


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## Chaincarver Steve

ACP said:


> That looks really good so far. Looked like a wooden spider web for awhile. You have a beautiful home. It's an assumption based on your home that you are well off, which makes the fact that you are building your own gazebo really cool in my eyes. You are making your own little resort back there. With gas prices you won't have to go anywhere for vacation!


I miss the cool spider web too. It's a shame that that part of it will never be seen again, outside of the photographic records.



<*(((>< said:


> Are you retired, semi-retired? I always took you as being younger, in your late 30's or so?
> 
> Keep up the good work and your threads are always enjoyed by me! :thumbsup:



Thank you, guys, for the kind words. I swear this thread was not meant to turn into a bragging platform for myself (well, except for the gazebo part of it). In real life, we are very generous, humble and low key about our living conditions. I'll turn 40 in July. I was in the electronics repair and retail field for many years. But - in the last two years or so - our shop gradually got to where it was barely breaking even, due to the inevitable evolution of the electronics industry. So we gave the techs several months notice of closure and pulled the plug on the operation. 

Our last day open to the public was March 31st of this year. We spent the first half of April finishing clearing the store out. That's a part of why my Baileigh contest build wasn't completed in time; I got started two weeks late. So, yeah, I am "retired" now. But who knows what the future holds. "Retired" sounds so final.

In all honesty, though, the reason my wife and I are able to be retired (she retired about 15 years ago, but on her own merits) is not because of my prowess. If my own work was depended upon I'd be slaving at a job somewhere until death do I collapse. We were very blessed by the fact that her father (an absolutely amazing and wonderful man whom we miss dearly) was very high up in a major supermarket chain from nearly day one of its founding. So we were fortunate and very blessed with stocks. Now that I've given out too much information...

But my plans are to make and sell my woodwork. I also need to get in gear within the next couple of months to start selling off all of the electronics merchandise and components we're paying to store in a warehouse. I plan to do tons of eBaying and flea marking. As well as spending tons of shop time creating lots awesome projects.

So, officially, I no longer have a job. But I'm definitely working. I won't be sitting around gathering dust. We still have expenses and I hope to contribute to their payment. That's partly why I wanted to build the gazebo from scratch. There are kits one can buy, but they're much more expensive than this gazebo will cost us. And a kit - same goes for paying others to build a gazebo - won't have the same kind of pride attached to it.

When I build something I want to be able to honestly say that I built it and not have the baggage of strings attached. I know a guy who bought one of those grandfather clock kits. He claims he "built" the clock himself. Maybe in his eyes assembling the kit was "building it himself". But, to me, it's not the same thing. Having some one else do most of the work for me isn't the same thing as building something myself. No offense intended to any one who prefers kits. Kits have their place. But not in my shop. Kits don't carry the same weight in bragging rights.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Here's the current state of the gaze-bow. You may notice the off angles I had to cut to compensate for accumulated error on the three center-most slats of the section in the lower middle of the picture. The error, mind you, is the result of the fact that the corner posts aren't exactly perfectly located. They are very close. But any error is going to eventually manifest itself when trying to keep the slats meeting in the middle of the joists. Plus, not all of the joists are centered absolutely perfectly. But the offsets are very minor in the grand scheme of things. This isn't fine woodworking and I wasn't treating it as such.

You can see, however, how the open octagonal space in the center is kind of lopsided. I'm seriously considering pulling the two worse middle pieces (the last one I attached and the one directly counter-clockwise and adjacent to it) and reshaping them to form a more regular octagon in the center. I have a feeling that an octagon in the center that is too misshapen might stand out like a sore thumb.

















See, it is on a hill.









Overall, I'm VERY happy with the progress. I think it's coming along great. Even at my relaxed pace. The angled seams on my slats aren't perfect but they really aren't too bad. I've seen gazebos in public places that weren't any better. And I imagine most of those are constructed from pre-measured, pre-cut kits. 

Not too shabby, if I may say so myself :thumbsup: More next week.


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## johnnie52

If you put a table in the middle of the floor. no one but you will ever know the center piece isn't perfect. No one but you and all of us... and some relatives 3 year old who sees it and tells their parents on the drive home. :laughing: It really is looking nice though. I love that you have a shady place to build it. We have no shade in our city yard which makes enjoying the outdoors somewhat less than enjoyable.:thumbdown:

I agree about the difference between kits and making it yourself. There is a huge difference in pride and bragging rights between the two. I wish I was still whole enough to build stuff like this. I need a new shed big enough for all my shop to be in one place. I have the know how, but not the physical abilities. :thumbdown: Besides, if I tried to build it myself, it would take me 5 years to get it finished now. :laughing:


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## thegrgyle

Steve, your gazebo is coming along very nicely. I think you have really done a great job at working around some slight missteps. I have all the confidence that the gazebo will turn out fine, because YOU are building it. Also, it is nice that you have the time to do it at your pace, and it will certainly be another project to be proud of.

Thanks for filling us in on what you do/done. It gives us a little insight into you and that "twisted" mind of yours. :blink: :huh: :laughing:



Chaincarver Steve said:


> When I build something I want to be able to honestly say that I built it and not have the baggage of strings attached. I know a guy who bought one of those grandfather clock kits. He claims he "built" the clock himself. Maybe in his eyes assembling the kit was "building it himself". But, to me, it's not the same thing. Having some one else do most of the work for me isn't the same thing as building something myself. No offense intended to any one who prefers kits. Kits have their place. But not in my shop. Kits don't carry the same weight in bragging rights.


Its funny you bring this up... My father was an electrical engineer, and always felt the same way that you do. He always designed stuff as he went along, rarely working off of any sort of plans. I think that is where I got my tendency to "wing it" as well. When the project is finished, then there is that little extra pride that you designed and built your project. :thumbsup:

Keep up the great work!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Fabian, I am working off of plans. Just not a kit. I don't have enough experience in structural carpentry to feel confident in designing this project. I'll forgo the design credit in favor of having a safe, enduring gazebo. Not to say that I couldn't have designed one. But I thought it wise for me to go with a proven design on this one.


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## DaveTTC

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Fabian, I am working off of plans. Just not a kit. I don't have enough experience in structural carpentry to feel confident in designing this project. I'll forgo the design credit in favor of having a safe, enduring gazebo. Not to say that I couldn't have designed one. But I thought it wise for me to go with a proven design on this one.


Design is not to hard, if your ever unsure just post it with dimensions and ask if it seems structurally sound. We'll help you out 

I often just wing it. Knock out a well here another wall there, change my mind put a wall back blah blah blah


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## Chaincarver Steve

DaveTTC said:


> Design is not to hard, if your ever unsure just post it with dimensions and ask if it seems structurally sound. We'll help you out
> 
> I often just wing it. Knock out a well here another wall there, change my mind put a wall back blah blah blah


My creativity will kick in when it comes to the railings and other decorative touches. As well as with the internal fixtures. I'm only using plans for the structural aspects. But I dislike the boring lattice work and generic gingerbread details suggested by the plans. I want something a little more unique and decorative. Customization, baby!


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## against_the_grain

Not sure it would be any easier, but you could hide the gap in the hexagon with some kind of moulding 
or something.Nice work. Probably wouldn't have noticed the accumalation error had you not pointed it
out.

Nice progress.


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## Chaincarver Steve

No progress so far this week on the gazebo. It rained too much yesterday and today. :sad: And tomorrow and/or Thursday I'll be moving a house full of stuff for a friend of mine who was in the hospital all weekend having a pacemaker installed. He's now in a rehab facility trying to regain better use of a bad arm and leg he injured in a fall last week. But he has to be moved out of his home by this Friday and there's no way he can be there to do so. So a friend and I will be moving his stuff to a storage facility for now.

Anyway, that means that I may not get to work on the gazebo again for a few more days.


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## DaveTTC

Thanks for the update. I ain't going anywhere fast so I'll just keep lurking.


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## BZawat

I'm so OCD, a lopsided octagon in the middle would drive me batty every time I saw it lol! And i agree with your assessment. Seems the easiest way to fix it would be to pull up those 2 pcs and taper cut the short side to fit. Maybe run a 1/8" radius round over bit on the cut edge afterward. 

Looking good man. I'd love to get outside and frame something, it's been so long since I've built anything structural in nature.

Brian


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## sanchez

Nice work on the gazebo. Beautiful house!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Alright, I was finally about to get back on track after the various distractions I had going on all of last week.

This probably won't look like major progress but it did take a lot of time to do. I went around and measured up 96" from the deck on all 8 poles and temporarily tacked wooden blocks. The wooden blocks were to help support the head rails and keep them aligned as I installed them. Here you can see one of those support blocks. I removed each one after securing the head rails, as they were no longer needed.









The plans says to use 2 2x4's nailed together to make the head rails, so that what I did. I ran four screws from each the top and the bottom of each one. They are all screwed in place to the corner posts. With four screws on each end.

















Then I measured 6" above the head rails and used a reciprocating saw to cut the 8 corner posts to the final length.


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## Chaincarver Steve

That's where I left off today. It's been storming for the last few hours. If tomorrow is clear I'll probably start cutting the notches in the tops of the corner posts. The notches will accept the 8 main rafters. There will also be 8 intermediate rafter, which will mate to the head rails.

I'll spend some time in the shop this evening finishing getting my area prepared to resume my "Baileigh build" project. Gazebo by day. Baileigh by night :thumbsup:


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## DaveTTC

2nd last picture highlights grade of ground. Did not realise you were on a slope. 

Coming on well. Down here in Australia the 'head rail' would be a perimeter beam checked into the posts. The rafters would either butt into or run over this beam depending on wether you have over hang. 

Looking forward to watching this develop.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Believe it or not, guys, it's rained here virtually every single day since my last update. Granted, it usually waits until at least noon and I _could_ get my lazy butt in gear at an earlier hour. Butt...

So I've gotten almost nothing done worth posting about. It's either been a rainy day, parties going on here at the house or I've been out of town.

I did get the king post cut. It's cut from PT 6x6. The king post is the center of the roof rafters. It's what they'll butt up against, like the keystone of an arch. I sprayed the ends of this piece with several heavy coats of clear enamel to, hopefully, stop the splitting from getting any worse.









I also cut the top angle on the 8 main rafters. I'll cut them to final length after they're in place. There will also be 8 intermediate rafters, for a total of 16. Plus a couple of rafter add-ons to hang a ceiling fan from.

The 8 main rafters each sit in a notch cut in the main support posts. I cut the first four notches today right before the rain moved in. I don't want to cut the notches until I'm ready to put rafters into them. Or at least only a day or two away from doing so. I didn't want to cut them all and risk some twisting or cupping that will hinder the insertion of rafters and bolts before I have a chance to actually get them installed.









Hopefully I can get the first four rafters (and king post, of course) in place tomorrow. But I do have to go out for a few hours tomorrow. So we'll see what happens. I assume I'll need at least two hours to get the first four rafters in place because it'll me trying to do it by myself. And the first two are going to be a real challenge. 

I'll probably have to employ two tall ladders to support the first two rafters/king post assembly in place while I center them and get the bolt holes drilled and bolts installed. I'll have to add at least the next two, perpendicular, rafters in the same session to support the first two avoid damage when the rain and wind kicks in.

It would be nice to have some rain-free days so I can get some real work done on this project.


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## DaveTTC

glad to see itis still a going concern


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## Kenbo

Wow, looking good. Who would have thought that a gazebo would have been this much work? It sure looks like you're doing it right though and it will probably outlast you. Loving this build Steve.


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## thegrgyle

*We're all in the same boat, my friend.*

Man, that is looking good, and don't sweat it, Steve. It will get done when it gets done. No one is going to look at the final project and say, "Boy, I bet he put that up in record time!" No.... They will appreciate the accuracy and all the time you took to build a quality product.

I have also been working on a deck with a friend/coworker of mine, and between working around mother nature, and both of our other commitments, it has been real hard to get it done. Hopefully, We will be able to finish that tomorrow.

Keep up the great work!


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## Chaincarver Steve

As always, the words of encouragement are appreciated.



thegrgyle said:


> Man, that is looking good, and don't sweat it, Steve. It will get done when it gets done. No one is going to look at the final project and say, "Boy, I bet he put that up in record time!" No.... They will appreciate the accuracy and all the time you took to build a quality product.
> 
> I have also been working on a deck with a friend/coworker of mine, and between working around mother nature, and both of our other commitments, it has been real hard to get it done. Hopefully, We will be able to finish that tomorrow.
> 
> Keep up the great work!


Good luck to you guys. I hope you make some decent progress tomorrow, if not get completely done :thumbsup:
---------------------------------------------------

Well, I started at about 9:30 this morning and got the first four main rafters in place. I did it by myself, had no injurious incidents and just beat a torrential downpour, which started at 12:20. The rain is starting to taper off now. Just in time for me to hit the road and go take care of what I need to do across town.

I wasn't sure what ladders I'd need so I carried around an assortment. I ended up only need the 6 foot and the 10 foot ladder.

























Getting the first two in place was the challenge. After that, the rest are a piece of cake. :thumbsup: I'll try to get an earlier start tomorrow and get at least the last four main rafters in place. Then there are 8 intermediate rafters that span from the king post to the centers of the head rails.

It's a relief to have the rafters started. Honestly, I was kind of dreading it. It seemed like it would be a pretty hazardous task getting the first two raised and in place by myself. And it was. But I was careful and methodical about it and it went quite safely and smoothly. Yay. :yes:


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## Chaincarver Steve

*Darned rain*

I started earlier today. So did the rain. I got rained out twice then finally gave it up for the day. The second raining out drenched me. All I got done was to cut three more notches and installed two more main rafters.


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## Smith Brother

I really like the method you are using to secure rafters to verticals.

Nice,

Dale in Indy


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## DaveTTC

looking mighty fine, on the home straight now


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## sanchez

Thanks for updating. Nice progress!


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## MapleMoose

Looking good Steve! Those bridle joints are cool!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Another rainy day. But that's of no surprise. I did get the last two main rafters in place though. So now I have 8 intermediate rafters to cut and place.

I'll have to make a Home Depot run when that time comes. It's time to get more serious about figuring out what kind of decorative features to incorporate into the lattices. I don't want to do the same 'ole boring diamond pattern lattice that every other gazebo seems to have. I want to make something more interesting and less "home center-ish".

I'm also looking more into seating and table ideas to put into the gazebo.

I may go get more lumber tomorrow. We'll see. And hopefully I can get a start on some of the lattice panels later this week. I can make them in the shop and install afterwards. But I first need to decide exactly what the heck I'm going to make. I've been searching around the net for some ideas. I have it narrowed down to a few possibilities. 

But, do I use one pattern for every side? Or do I use two patterns and alternate them? Or do I devise some sort of wrap-around design? Yeah, I don't know either. But I will figure it out. And it'll be cool, whatever I settle on. I hope.

Oh look, the ibis dropped by to check on the progress. He seems to approve. The zoom in this picture gives a misleading depth of field. The gazebo isn't quite as close to the sea wall as the picture suggests.

































It's amazing how strong the king post method of construction makes this structure. The rafters aren't going anywhere any time soon. Adding the intermediates are only going to strengthen it more. Not to mention add about another 200 pounds of weight to the structure.

I can't wait to get the roof done. I'm doing OK but I don't really enjoy being up high on a ladder. And I enjoy even less being high up on a ladder handling long, heavy materials.


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## GROOVY

Thanks for posting I especially enjoyed your ladder display, I too hate ladders..


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## Chaincarver Steve

Dang, it's been a while since I've made any progress on the gaze-bow. Until today. It was actually a day of no rain. A veritable miracle.

All I got done today was 6 of the 8 intermediate rafters. I ran out of time before finishing the shaping of the 7th one. And the 8th 2x6 I had (the one on top of the stack) developed a bow while stored in the garage over the past month or so. So I'll be buying another tomorrow morning.

Each intermediate rafter attaches at the king post cluster, along with the main rafters.









The other end of the intermediate rafters are notched and screwed into the centers of the head rails.









I swear the gazebo is plumb :yes:









I'm going to do my darnedest to do the remaining two rafters tomorrow. Then I can move on to the actual roof. I'll be so glad when I finally get the whole roof done. But there's a still a lot to do to reach that point.


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## chsdiyer

Man, that's looking good! It sure shows that when you do something you take the time to do it right! You must have a lot of patience. I think if I tried to build a gazebo people would think I was trying to build a replica of the leaning tower of Pisa.


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## Chaincarver Steve

I got the last two rafters cut and in place this morning. 

















I also bought the plywood to begin on the roof. But I had other chores to take care of (gutter cleaning and trimming more hedges) so all I didn't get anything else done on the gazebo.


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## Chaincarver Steve

*Oops, we have a wayward screw!*

What the heck? I just noticed in one of the pictures I just posted that there's a screw that missed the mark. Duh. So I'll be fixing that tomorrow.

A screw that misses isn't doing any good. Look at the yellow oval I added to this picture:


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## johnnie52

Hummmm... Between the two of us we about got it covered.... one guy brain dead and the other has a screw loose. :thumbsup: :laughing:

Pretty soon you'll be relaxing under that sipping iced teas and carving naked totem people doing nasty things.


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## Chaincarver Steve

johnnie52 said:


> Hummmm... Between the two of us we about got it covered.... one guy brain dead and the other has a screw loose. :thumbsup: :laughing:
> 
> Pretty soon you'll be relaxing under that sipping iced teas and carving naked totem people doing nasty things.


Damn, you know me well!


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## 27207

johnnie52 said:


> Hummmm... Between the two of us we about got it covered.... one guy brain dead and the other has a screw loose. :thumbsup: :laughing:
> 
> Pretty soon you'll be relaxing under that sipping iced teas and carving naked totem people doing nasty things.


HA!!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Ok, I went out and fixed that rogue screw.


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## sanchez

Nice work on all those rafters! Thanks for the update.


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## Chaincarver Steve

This is just a minor update to prove that, while I've been largely unproductive lately (at least with project stuff to post on the forum) I'm not 100% lame. 98% maybe.

I made a template for the inner roof panels. The template was cut to the dimensions and angles specified in the plans. It fit fine on 4-5 of the rafter sections. So I went ahead and cut the first four roof panels and installed them today. Some of the remaining four will need to be about 1/4"-1/2" wider for a perfect fit. You know, normal expected tolerances when doing rough construction. Hopefully I can get them cut to fit and in place tomorrow.

Template:









First four in place:









The roof stuff is hard to do on on this gazebo. Since the rafters all meet in the middle, clearance for my body to fit through (to hammer nails) is very tight and awkward. Using the ladder that's tall enough to get me up there is also proving to be tricky. Make that frightening. To position the ladder where it needs to be, the legs of the ladder have to be only 2 inches from the edge of the deck. Even that's not really far enough back to give me much wiggle room. And to get my body high enough through the gaps requires some iffy maneuvering that kind of scares me.

I'm getting it so I can't complain too much. Hopefully, the 8 larger panels will be less precarious, ladder-wise, than these ones are. But I suspect they'll only be precarious in a whole different way. Though I'm impressed with myself to have done what I have so far regarding the rafter work without needing assistance. Especially since the plans pretty much insist that a helper is a must.

Slow and steady won't be winning any races. But it's getting the job done.


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## Smith Brother

So maybe we should call you the 'TURTLE', nothing wrong with being slow and steady. 

Everyone LOVES a Turtle.

Looking good,

Dale in Indy


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## MapleMoose

Steve, I can really empathize with you - ladder work is definitely not my favorite thing!
Even with my Little Giant ladder (which I love), I hate being up too high.

Are you using a hammer or a nail gun? If you know someone who has a roofing nail gun, that might be a nice alternative.


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## johnnie52

Not being one who is likely to tell another how to approach a project, would not it have been easier and yes maybe less scary had you started at the bottom of the roof and worked up to the top? That way the ladder could have been more steady and you could have sat on the roof while nailing in the next higher section.

Just saying...


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## Chaincarver Steve

Turtle? How about sloth? It's funny how some projects get whipped right through. But then there's others that just drag on for a long time.



MapleMoose said:


> Steve, I can really empathize with you - ladder work is definitely not my favorite thing!
> Even with my Little Giant ladder (which I love), I hate being up too high.
> 
> Are you using a hammer or a nail gun? If you know someone who has a roofing nail gun, that might be a nice alternative.


I'm using a hammer. The hammering isn't really much of a challenge. The challenge is just getting to where I need to be to do the hammering.



johnnie52 said:


> Not being one who is likely to tell another how to approach a project, would not it have been easier and yes maybe less scary had you started at the bottom of the roof and worked up to the top? That way the ladder could have been more steady and you could have sat on the roof while nailing in the next higher section.
> 
> Just saying...


I'm just following the plans I have. It says to do the upper parts first, then the larger, lower pieces. While I don't disagree with your assessment, I can see how it would be tough to fit the smaller pieces into the top area if the larger panels were already in place.

So, for ease of access, your idea seems to be the way to go. But for ease of making the pieces fit properly and as seamlessly as possible, starting up top seems to make sense. And honestly, it was fairly easy to fit the small panels. Only a few minor angle adjustments had to be made. My idea of making a template piece made the process go pretty smoothly.

The larger panels should be a breeze to cut to fit. Hopefully, they'll be easier to get to with the ladder as well. What worries me is that I'll have to haul larger panels up the ladder. And the ladder will be leaned up against the side of the gazebo - rather than standing on all fours on the deck. So ladder footing is going to be more of a concern, especially on the lower side of the hill (which happens to also be where all the rocks are, posing even more stability issues). But I'm sure it'll be fine once I start on it (I'm shooting for tomorrow morning).

-----------------------------

I did get the last four upper panels done today. Now the roof looks like a snow-capped mountain. The upper panels, by the way, are 26" tall. The lower ones will be 48" tall.

This picture shows what I got done before having to go to our son's soccer game. Then we went out to dinner. 









When we got back home I had just barely enough time to run out and install the final panel. Moments later the sun set and it was too dark to even get a picture.









I make such a big deal out of this project. Every little board and panel put into place seems like an accomplishment. Then I think about all the construction guys - many of whom are on this forum - who do stuff like this every day and do it better and faster and it's not a big deal at all. But to some one like me, one who has no experience with any kind of structural construction other than helping a friend make a basic rectangular deck once about 15 years ago, this is tiring work!


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## Chaincarver Steve

MapleMoose said:


> Steve, I can really empathize with you - ladder work is definitely not my favorite thing!
> Even with my Little Giant ladder (which I love), I hate being up too high.


Yesterday, we had guys at our house to replace the old, ugly, dated, 80's chandelier in our home's entryway with one my wife bought while we were in Gatlinburg, TN, a couple of months ago. The main guy had to climb on a tall-ass ladder. Our entryway is 20 feet tall and he had to reach all the way up to the ceiling. No thank you!


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## slimjay

Looking good. I'm new around here but subscribing to your thread. I hope to tackle a similar project in the next year (if I can get money together). While it has taken you a while, you have the right attitude to keep chipping away at it. It will probably take me even longer since I have 2 children below the age of 5.


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## Chaincarver Steve

All I got done today was to cut out one of the large roof panels and trace it for two more. Then the rain set in. Man, the few days of no rain or late drizzling had me thinking the storm season was winding down. 

I did test fit the panel I cut today and did the necessary trimming for a nice fit. Getting that thing onto the roof and back down was slightly nerve-wrecking. And looking at the slope made me nervous about the 'impending' tasks of felting, shingling, flashing and setting a center cap. We'll see how it all goes


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## Smith Brother

Just stop where a new roof is being installed, and ask if anyone is interested in MOON-LIGHTING a job. 

You can cut the panels, hand to him/her and stand there and watch, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO. But I'm going on 77, and expecting, maybe......

Enjoy,

Dale in Indy


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## johnnie52

Chaincarver Steve said:


> All I got done today was to cut out one of the large roof panels and trace it for two more. Then the rain set in. Man, the few days of no rain or late drizzling had me thinking the storm season was winding down.



SURPRISE!!!! The rain caught me out in the shed and I had to stay there until way past time to eat tonight. So not only did I get soaked, I had to eat a cold meal. :thumbdown:

You could have been a nice guy and kept that storm over there :boat:


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## Chaincarver Steve

Smith Brother said:


> Just stop where a new roof is being installed, and ask if anyone is interested in MOON-LIGHTING a job.
> 
> You can cut the panels, hand to him/her and stand there and watch, THAT'S WHAT I WOULD DO. But I'm going on 77, and expecting, maybe......
> 
> Enjoy,
> 
> Dale in Indy


I'm thinking more and more along those lines. I WILL be installing all the panels myself (I got 1/8 of the large panels nailed in place now; about to head back out in just a moment to cut the next two panels from a fresh sheet of plywood). But I do think I'll probably be hiring someone with roofing experience and nerves of steel to do the felt, shingles, flashing and center cap.

But, as usual, we'll see how I feel when that time comes.



johnnie52 said:


> SURPRISE!!!! The rain caught me out in the shed and I had to stay there until way past time to eat tonight. So not only did I get soaked, I had to eat a cold meal. :thumbdown:
> 
> You could have been a nice guy and kept that storm over there :boat:


But what kind of friend would I be if I hogged all the rain for myself? Hell, I explicitly gave the storm your address and told it to hurry because you were waiting for it and you aren't the kind of guy who likes to sit around all day waiting for rain to arrive.

No need to thank me. You're more than welcome. :yes:


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## Chaincarver Steve

I did get the first four large roof panels in place yesterday. I just haven't had a chance to post a picture. Nothing today though. Other projects and rain were going on all day.

I am concerned though that my ladder might not even be long enough to reach some of the roof sides from the lower side of the ground slope. Also, I have conceded that I should have a real roofer come and do the shingle work. The slope of the roof is steep enough that I don't feel comfortable at all with the notion of climbing up there. I'll let someone with harder nerves and bigger balls handle that aspect of this build. I may even be forced to have them fit the final couple of panels too (if I can't get there with the lasers I own).

Real roofers, in theory, will have longer ladders, scaffolding or whatever is needed to make the job a safer one.


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## johnnie52

Getting real roofers is probably for the best. Heck even when I could climb a ladder the one thing I never felt comfortable about doing was laying a roof. At least one that didn't leak anyway...


And you sent me too much rain again today. Tomorrow you should keep all of it to make up for the overage you sent today. :laughing:


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## wood shavings

You are showing yourself as not only a craftsman but a wise one as well. When I was younger I had no problem doing a roof like that today I would pay someone to do it. Good call on your part. Live for another build.

Jerry


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## Chaincarver Steve

johnnie52 said:


> ...
> 
> And you sent me too much rain again today. Tomorrow you should keep all of it to make up for the overage you sent today. :laughing:


Shoot, we pretty much shared the precipitation today. I tried to send it all your way but it didn't work out for me.



wood shavings said:


> You are showing yourself as not only a craftsman but a wise one as well. When I was younger I had no problem doing a roof like that today I would pay someone to do it. Good call on your part. Live for another build.
> 
> Jerry


I'm 40 years old and have never broken anything besides bread, wind, stride, hearts and a little toe or two. I'd like to keep it that way. :yes:


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## Chaincarver Steve

This is what I got done Friday:

Here's the size difference between the small roof panels and the larger ones.









I learned the hard with the very first _small_ panel that I need to pre-drill and start the nails in the panel before hoisting it onto the rafters. Otherwise it is very difficult to hold the nails and the panel while trying to hammer them.









With the large panels, I've been measuring 48" from the end of the small panels and putting a clamp onto the center rafter. The clamp acts to hold the panel in place to allow me to use my hands for things like nailing and holding on for dear life.

Here's a panel about to be nailed in place.









In this shot you can see the clamp I was just talking about (near the top of the ladder). I first have to have the ladder sideways, get the panel up in place (resting against the clamp), go ahead and hammer a few of the nails I can reach, THEN I can re-situate the ladder to lean up against the panel (as seen in this picture. Only by repositioning can I reach high enough to just barely hammer in the upper nails by gripping the hammer way near the back end to extend my reach.









And underbelly view.









And I just realized that I do have an extension ladder that I can use to handle the last roof panels. But it's a lot narrower than the base of the ladder you see in the above picture. So I'll have to try tying it off to the gazebo to keep it steady. Here's to hoping I can do it and feel secure about it. :drink:


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## Phaedrus

Woa, looks like you have made tons of progress since I last checked out this thread. Nice going!

All of the irregular polygons and angles in something like this sorta make my head spin. Looks like you have it under control, though!

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Woodworking Talk


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## Kenbo

This is going to look amazing when you are done. Heck, it looks amazing now. Great stuff.


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## Tilaran

DaveTTC said:


> I think Steve can tell him himself. That's Obama buy the window on the second floor isn't it
> 
> Nice home Steve. You have done well. Looking forward to the rest of your build.


If that's him, he broke in. He's supposed to be out in the front holding a lamp.


----------



## Chaincarver Steve

*Thank you, Shopman.*

Well, you can change my WILL to WILL NOT. As in, I will not be installing ALL of the roof panels myself, as I so anticipated. I did get the 5th one in place today (Saturday). But I found that my ladder just isn't going to allow me to get to the other 3 safely and do the work with any peace of mind. 

Just getting the panels up and down when I'm not able to free stand the ladder perpendicular to the rafters made me feel too off balanced, having to hold my weight too far behind myself. And that makes me feel very uneasy about the prospect of raising the panels, test fitting, lowering them to trim to fit, re-raising then nailing the final 3 panels.

On top of that, since the ground slopes downward on that side of the gazebo, a ladder footing is very iffy (at best). So I have to concede defeat and allow a real roofer to not only do the shingling job, but also place the final 3 roof panels for me. Let him risk breaking his legs, not me.

But that doesn't mean that my work here is done. I still have a LOT to do: the "lattice" up top, seating, railings, table(s) and whatever other decorative touches might come to mind. Then staining.

Speaking of decorative touches, ever since Shopman posted this thread: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f13/gargoyles-well-more-like-lizzards-53241/ I've been thinking about cutting those gargoyles into my gazebo rafters. I've definitely decided that I will.

Here's a full-sized template I made to trace onto the rafter ends. It's pictured at the same slope as the actual rafters (30 degree). 









This will go on all 8 corner rafters. The intermediate rafters will be trimmed off plumb at maybe an inch or two past the end of the roof. My wife loves the idea too so, again, thank you to Shopman for the cool idea. :thumbsup:


----------



## MapleMoose

Those gargoyles are going to be awesome!

Not that I am encouraging you to do anything that you don't feel safe doing, but here is an idea about how you might make finishing up the roofing safer and easier: you could build two (or more) cantilever arms and attach those to the vertical posts, then span the gap with some 2x10 (or 12) scaffolding. I am picturing faces that are big 8-15-17 triangles made from 3/4 ply with some 2x4 blocking inside. The triangles would need to be big enough to get the planking out past the overhang. If you build 8 of them, you could actually walk all the way around the gazebo - right at (or near) the roof line.

Disclaimer: I have never done this - I am just imagining how I might go about this (given that I have a pretty strong fear of heights). Don't try this if you wouldn't feel safe doing it.


----------



## Smith Brother

The lady across the street is getting a new roof TODAY....... When I picked up the newspaper this morning the crew was just getting started. They put up an extension ladder, I would guess a 24 footer, then one by one 4 fellows climbed up with tools in hand. FAST TOO, then stepped on the STEEP roof and went to work. NO SAFETY HARNESS, and they seemed like it was just a walk on a flat side walk. 

It all has to do with your ears, inter-ears that is. Sharon and I installed 40 squares of hand split cedar shingles on our roof in 1977, and I could walk right down to the gutters up two floors without any doubts, but NOT today. 

Have fun Steve, 

Dale in Indy


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## Taylormade

Nice work, buddy boy, but damn it's taking forever! Good thing you're retired or else it'd never get done, ha. As for the roofers, I paid to have some professionals do the shingles and tar paper on the boat house I made. Best $500 I spent. There were four of 'em, and they were done within an hour and a half. Not a single one had anything safety related on, and they just walked up and down all over without any problems.


----------



## GROOVY

As a fellow ladder hater I applaud the pro roofer call-in ,,, When I built my house 2 story with a 5' foundation and 9' ceilings its high in the back real high plus a 12/12 pitch after the first group was dismissed the second group finished the job, I had one guy come back to trim the edges and he was up there while it was sleeting. I finally talked him down .


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## Chaincarver Steve

MapleMoose said:


> Those gargoyles are going to be awesome!
> 
> Not that I am encouraging you to do anything that you don't feel safe doing, but here is an idea about how you might make finishing up the roofing safer and easier: you could build two (or more) cantilever arms and attach those to the vertical posts, then span the gap with some 2x10 (or 12) scaffolding. I am picturing faces that are big 8-15-17 triangles made from 3/4 ply with some 2x4 blocking inside. The triangles would need to be big enough to get the planking out past the overhang. If you build 8 of them, you could actually walk all the way around the gazebo - right at (or near) the roof line.
> 
> Disclaimer: I have never done this - I am just imagining how I might go about this (given that I have a pretty strong fear of heights). Don't try this if you wouldn't feel safe doing it.


I think I can picture exactly what you're talking about. I've considering building scaffolding - of some sort - but my idea wasn't quite as cool as yours. That said, I'll let some one else finish off the roof. I'll also feel better that the shingling will be done properly. After all, I have zero shingling experience. And the shingles will be a protector barrier between all of my hard work and the weather. The more I think about it the more convinced I am that it's the right thing to do.

I'll still be doing the rest of the build, including the ends of the rafters (which I can safely get to with no problem). Just not the rest of the work ABOVE the rafters.



Smith Brother said:


> The lady across the street is getting a new roof TODAY....... When I picked up the newspaper this morning the crew was just getting started. They put up an extension ladder, I would guess a 24 footer, then one by one 4 fellows climbed up with tools in hand. FAST TOO, then stepped on the STEEP roof and went to work. NO SAFETY HARNESS, and they seemed like it was just a walk on a flat side walk.
> 
> It all has to do with your ears, inter-ears that is. Sharon and I installed 40 squares of hand split cedar shingles on our roof in 1977, and I could walk right down to the gutters up two floors without any doubts, but NOT today.
> 
> Have fun Steve,
> 
> Dale in Indy


Some guys were installing a solar heater for the neighbor's swimming pool about 6 months ago. I watched the guy who was hauling piping up to the roof holding a bundle of pipe on his right shoulder with his right arm, holding his cell phone up to his left ear with his left hand (carrying on a conversation the whole time). He walked up to the ladder, up the ladder, stepped onto the roof, put the load down, stepped back on to the ladder, walked down the ladder, and dismounted onto the ground: All without breaking stride. All without ANY hand or arm contact with the ladder. Talking on his phone the entire time.

And it was at least a 24 footer as well. That guy is insane. WAYYYY too comfortable and casual with that ladder.



Taylormade said:


> Nice work, buddy boy, but damn it's taking forever! Good thing you're retired or else it'd never get done, ha. As for the roofers, I paid to have some professionals do the shingles and tar paper on the boat house I made. Best $500 I spent. There were four of 'em, and they were done within an hour and a half. Not a single one had anything safety related on, and they just walked up and down all over without any problems.


I know. I have no excuse for why it's taking so long other than dreading the whole rafters/roof portion of the build. But now that the rafters are in place and the roof is done (well, my part of it anyway) I think I'll be able to progress at a little quicker pace.

Though - and here comes more excuses! - I am also in the middle of a few other woodworking projects that I need to have done by early next month. So they are cutting into some of my gazebo time at the moment.



GROOVY said:


> As a fellow ladder hater I applaud the pro roofer call-in ,,, When I built my house 2 story with a 5' foundation and 9' ceilings its high in the back real high plus a 12/12 pitch after the first group was dismissed the second group finished the job, I had one guy come back to trim the edges and he was up there while it was sleeting. I finally talked him down .


Wow, that's a Steep roof! Being stuck up there during any kind of precipitation would scare the heck out of me. Thank god there are people who don't mind that kind of work.

I'm still waiting on the roofing guy to come check out the situation so I can show him what I want done. I was hoping they'd be able to send a guy today but it's not looking like that's going to happen. I want the roof done ASAP. It's been raining every day again and I don't want the plywood - even though it is CDX sheathing grade - getting rained on too many more times. It's weather resistant for only so long.


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## Chaincarver Steve

I finally took some time this morning to take care of a long overdue step: completing the decking. Some of you with good long-term memory might recall that I still had an opening in the center of the gazebo deck. It's amazing; the stupid kinds of things I put off, thinking they're going to be a pain in the butt. But when I just DO them they almost always end up being very, very simple. and this couldn't have been simpler.

I laid out and cut a 7" wide octagon.









Then I laid it in place and traced around it. 4 of the existing decking pieces had to be unscrewed and trimmed a small bit on the band saw to make proper clearance for the octagon. Then I screwed them back in place and mounted the center piece.









It's just another tiny victory. But it feels good to finally have taken care of that. I hope I'm not boring you guys with all of my minor updates.


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## 27207

Chaincarver Steve said:


> I finally took some time this morning to take care of a long overdue step: completing the decking. Some of you with good long-term memory might recall that I still had an opening in the center of the gazebo deck. It's amazing; the stupid kinds of things I put off, thinking they're going to be a pain in the butt. But when I just DO them they almost always end up being very, very simple. and this couldn't have been simpler.
> 
> I laid out and cut a 7" wide octagon.
> 
> Then I laid it in place and traced around it. 4 of the existing decking pieces had to be unscrewed and trimmed a small bit on the band saw to make proper clearance for the octagon. Then I screwed them back in place and mounted the center piece.
> 
> It's just another tiny victory. But it feels good to finally have taken care of that. I hope I'm not boring you guys with all of my minor updates.


Not boring at all. I look forward to hearing about your updates, and its looking good. 

That canter piece would be really cool with some sort of medallion put in it. Maybe some family thing? Even a simple north east south west marker?

If jigs and tools were chairs and stools, we'd always have a place to sit.
~Stumpy Nubs


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## johnnie52

Your work never bores me Steve. I always learn something even if it just who to blame for all this darn rain!:laughing:


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## rayking49

An inlay or carving would look nice there. Im glad it was so easy for you to fix. You'd never know they were a little uneven now.


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## Smith Brother

Oh, I can tell, I put my MICROMETER to work, and found .00059 off of one. 

Maybe next time he will get it right, hehehe. 

Dale in Indy


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## MapleMoose

Not bored at all. That octagon looks very nice in the deck, although I have to agree with rayking49: a carving would look pretty sweet right there.


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## slimjay

Any plans to add lighting/electricity to the gazebo? Also, I agree that the octagon looks really nice.

EDIT: Nevermind, I see that you plan to install a ceiling fan w/ rope lighting.


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## Phaedrus

slimjay said:


> ...Also, I agree that the octagon looks really nice...


The octagon is the obvious choice--now a HEPTAGON on the other hand...:laughing::yes::thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve

Phaedrus said:


> The octagon is the obvious choice--now a HEPTAGON on the other hand...:laughing::yes::thumbsup:


I was going to put in an icosahedron. But then realized it would be a terrible trip hazard. Maybe I can mirror it and hang it from the center of the rafters like a disco ball. Don the bell bottoms and crank up the Saturday Night Fever: It's party time! :laughing:

Besides, only the likes of Kenbo can convincingly pull off a heptagon.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Oh, a roofer came out yesterday to meet with me. He/they should be getting started Monday morning. Yay!

As for ornamenting the center of the deck with inlay of carving, I don't know. I kind of like the ideas you guys have mentioned. I just worry it may seem out of place. But I'm still open to ideas for decorative touches in general. I'm done now with the plans I used to build the main structural aspects of the gazebo. So now it's all up to me and my imagination.

The plan wants me to make head rail support thingies (whatever they are called) like what's shown in the left of this picture. But I'm leaning more towards a gusseted design, similar to what's shown on the right. I want less of a picket fence look to the structure. Plus, I think gussets would be a better compliment to the "gargoyles". A little more gothic in character.









The design isn't so critical. But _something_ has to be there for increased rigidity and anti-racking strength. The railings will also serve those functions.


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## BZawat

If I've got a vote, it's the gussets.


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## Smith Brother

I would make a cardboard proto-type and hold it up and seeeeeeeee. 

I lean more to the spindle theme on left, but it is YOUR piece. You will figure it out.

I wish you well, 

Dale in Indy


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## Repliconics

I thought I'd have a look at your Gazebo, which by the way is really "bloody nice" (I hope it's OK to say that I'm Australian it's how we speak)
I too have a backyard and it dosn't look like that, the only thing greener than my envy is your grass!
What you have there is a slice of heaven, I wish I could wakeup in the morning and see that before me!
And just to add another Australian term "you lucky bugger"
I can only say good onya mate, the work is top shelf and your location is wonderful.


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## slimjay

Phaedrus said:


> The octagon is the obvious choice--now a HEPTAGON on the other hand...:laughing::yes::thumbsup:


An octagon is the obvious choice but not the only choice. You'd just have to get a little more creative, possibly lose symmetry, and deal with larger gaps in the center. However, I would not recommend a heptagon. :smile:


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## johnnie52

I vote for the gussets. To me they scream quality workmanship and design. Plus they will go really well with the gargoyles. But you're the one who has make, instal and maintain them.


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## MapleMoose

In timber framing parlance, that (gusset) is a corner brace. If you aren't familiar with timber framing, you might enjoy doing an internet search on "timber frame corner brace", or even just "timber frame".

You will notice that the traditional corner brace uses drawbored mortise and tenon joinery, which provides an incredibly strong joint. But mortising your posts (vertical) and "beams" (horizontal/top wall plates) in place, will be challenging.

Another option I have seen is to attach the corner brace by drilling a hole perpendicular to the post/beam. The hole will enter the brace at a 45 degree angle, as far from the end as you can get without showing. Then glue in a hardwood dowel. This would be a much easier retrofit.

Whichever style bracing you pick, and whatever method you use to attach, I am enjoying this build. Thanks :thumbsup:


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## Chaincarver Steve

slimjay said:


> An octagon is the obvious choice but not the only choice. You'd just have to get a little more creative, possibly lose symmetry, and deal with larger gaps in the center. However, I would not recommend a heptagon. :smile:


Hehe, the heptagon comment he made was actually a joke referring to some heptagons made by member Kenbo. He used the 7-sided shape as a foundation to create wagon wheels for a Conestoga Wagon that both he and member Buggyman built. You may find the thread as interesting as I did. Excellent stuff: http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f13/kenbo-buggymans-1st-build-thread-42392/



MapleMoose said:


> In timber framing parlance, that (gusset) is a corner brace. If you aren't familiar with timber framing, you might enjoy doing an internet search on "timber frame corner brace", or even just "timber frame".
> 
> You will notice that the traditional corner brace uses drawbored mortise and tenon joinery, which provides an incredibly strong joint. But mortising your posts (vertical) and "beams" (horizontal/top wall plates) in place, will be challenging.
> 
> Another option I have seen is to attach the corner brace by drilling a hole perpendicular to the post/beam. The hole will enter the brace at a 45 degree angle, as far from the end as you can get without showing. Then glue in a hardwood dowel. This would be a much easier retrofit.
> 
> Whichever style bracing you pick, and whatever method you use to attach, I am enjoying this build. Thanks :thumbsup:


I appreciate the information, Moose. On your recommendation, I did look it up via Google Images. Pretty cool to see how they are traditionally mortised in. I always envisioned them being toe nailed or screwed in place. Mortising is definitely a far superior solution. 

My first thought actually WAS to call it a corner brace. But that seemed wrong somehow. I imagined a "corner" brace being the version that sits flush with in the corner. Then the word "gusset" came to mind. I had to look up "gusset" to verify my thinking and found that, indeed, the corner brace is often referred to (perhaps incorrectly? I don't know now.) as a gusset.

So I learned something from your post. Thank you. Anyway, that's what I'm going with: the corner brace/gusset.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Well, the roofer(s) came and started yesterday (Monday) morning. But, of course, it had to start pouring about noon. And it continued to rain pretty much non stop until after noon today. So the roofing was put on hold. Hopefully they'll show up tomorrow and finish.

The guy who did most of the work so far is fearless. He started with his ladder folded in half, so that it was about 4 feet shorter than the lowest part of the roof. He'd climb up the ladder - all the way to the top rung - and then hoist himself up onto the rafters. Then he'd walk around on the bare rafters like it was nothing.

So he got the last 3 panels cut and in place for me. One of them gave him hell though. He had to cut it, then re-cut it, then get more plywood. Then cut another one. But he finally got it figured out. While he's much braver than I, I have him beat in the layout department. Though the panels he put in place were cut pretty accurately and were a nice fit. That's all that matters.

Then he got finally extended his ladder (after doing the 3 plywood panels) and put the self-adhesive weather barrier stuff. And that's the state of the roofing at this moment.

























The guy was walking all over the roof (and at least one of the head rails). So I know my rafter work is nice and solid. :thumbsup:

The shingles will be the "Estate Gray", as seen in this picture:


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## rayking49

That's going to look nice man!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Of course it had to rain this morning. So no roof work today. Arghhh!


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## Smith Brother

Why don't you just PACK UP AND MOVE TO GOD'S COUNTRY, Indy?

4 wonderful, colorful seasons. LOL

Dale in Indy


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## Chaincarver Steve

Smith Brother said:


> Why don't you just PACK UP AND MOVE TO GOD'S COUNTRY, Indy?
> 
> 4 wonderful, colorful seasons. LOL
> 
> Dale in Indy


We have only 2 seasons: rainy season & hot as hell season. And the two usually overlap.


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## MapleMoose

Chaincarver Steve said:


> So I learned something from your post. Thank you.


Heh, if you learned one thing from me, then I am about 1% on my way to paying you back for everything that you have taught me (and I imagine, many of us), in all of your posts. Thanks go to you, Steve!
:yes::yes::yes:


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## Chaincarver Steve

Ok, so the roofers are supposed to be here tomorrow morning to finish up with the roof. It only sprinkled a little today. And tomorrow should be virtually rain-free, according to the weather people who, well, _sometimes_ aren't wrong.



MapleMoose said:


> Heh, if you learned one thing from me, then I am about 1% on my way to paying you back for everything that you have taught me (and I imagine, many of us), in all of your posts. Thanks go to you, Steve!
> :yes::yes::yes:


Awww... thanks! Though I suspect you may be overstating the magnitude of my posts just a little. But, hey, I'll take it


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## Chaincarver Steve

So the roof got completed today (well, yesterday now: Friday). I think it turned out pretty well. There is a metal cone in the center. I kind of wish now that they'd tarred the cone black. But perhaps I can paint it when I stain all the wood.









Drip edge.


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## johnnie52

Looks like it was money well spent. :thumbsup:


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## rayking49

It looks great!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Boy have I been busy lately. Just not on the gazebo. All I managed to get done on this project last week was to cut out one of the gargoyles. I also have the second one partially cut.

Here's the one I got done.









Maybe this week will be more productive since I've completed two of the other projects I was working on that had hard deadlines. I do have another project due within a few weeks so I'd better get my butt in gear.


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## Taylormade

Really cool bud. Glad to see this coming together, I'm sure you and the misses are enjoying it!


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## johnnie52

We are supposed to have cooler weather later in the week, so it should be easier to get things done outside.

I like your gargoyle/dragon/lizard for sure.


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## shopman

Hey, The Gazebo looks great and thanks for the shout out with the Gargoyles! I have been away from the site for a while and I wanted to show my friend the ones I did. When I entered gargoyle in the search I was surprised to see two entries, then when I went to your post I saw those "bad boys" and it made me smile. That is a perfect scenario for them. What a top rate job you did on the whole project. i have been talking about building one for years but i never seem to get to it. Take care.
-John


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## Smith Brother

GAZEBO, did someone say GAZEBO? 

Is Steve building a Gazebo? 

I know, I know, I get busy too, and let a project sit a day or so.

Still love ya Steve,

Dale in Indy


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## Chaincarver Steve

shopman said:


> Hey, The Gazebo looks great and thanks for the shout out with the Gargoyles! I have been away from the site for a while and I wanted to show my friend the ones I did. When I entered gargoyle in the search I was surprised to see two entries, then when I went to your post I saw those "bad boys" and it made me smile. That is a perfect scenario for them. What a top rate job you did on the whole project. i have been talking about building one for years but i never seem to get to it. Take care.
> -John


I love them! I really appreciate that you posted the gargoyle idea. I loved the idea the moment I saw it. Though I haven't really finished my gazebo yet, I will get 'er done at some point. At least it's to a point where it's a usable structure. Just need railings and seating and corner braces and other decorative features... :laughing:



Smith Brother said:


> GAZEBO, did someone say GAZEBO?
> 
> Is Steve building a Gazebo?
> 
> I know, I know, I get busy too, and let a project sit a day or so.
> 
> Still love ya Steve,
> 
> Dale in Indy


*puts fingers in ears* La-la-la-la-la-la-la... I can't hear you!


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## ctwiggs1

Man I was really looking forward to the completion of this one. Now that we're in the cold months I guess we'll have to wait.

OH WAIT YOU'RE IN FLORIDA

Let's see some progress man!!


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## Smith Brother

But it's GATOR season, and they can run/climb fast. 

Dale in Indy


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## Chaincarver Steve

*Back on the gaze-bow*

Hello, guys. Time for me to knock the cobwebs out of this thread and post some updates. I know, I know... It's been awhile. I haven't posted much in the past 6 months or so but I am still very much consumed with woodworking (well, that and family stuff, son's school stuff, craft shows, woodcarving show, YouTube, yadda-yadda). Enough with the lame excuses!

I got back on the gazebo project about a month ago. I've got to have it done in time for a wedding that's taking place in our back yard later this year. The couple really wants to feature the gazebo in their festivities. So this boy needs to get off his ass and make progress.

I got all of the gargoyles/turtle heads cut.

















Then, to strengthen things, I cut 16 corner blocks. You can't tell from the picture but one of the 45 degree angles on each one is compound cut at 22.5 degrees.









And here is some of them in place.









I then began on the railings. Here, you can see the top rails, support rails and bottom rails all in place. The ends of all of these pieces are mitered to fit.


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## johnnie52

Been wondering what you've been up to. 

Remind me why the gussets needed to have that 22.5 compound miter.

I'm still loving those niga turtles/gargoyles you made.


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## guglipm63

Good to see you're back at the gazebo. I had almost forgotten about it.


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## gabeleon

Great seeing you back on the gazebo. Any chance we'll see a conclusion to the box in a box locking combo mechanism box.


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## Chaincarver Steve

johnnie52 said:


> Been wondering what you've been up to.
> 
> Remind me why the gussets needed to have that 22.5 compound miter.


Because the 8 corner posts are at an angle with respect to the 2 adjacent sides. The edge of the gussets that rest alongside the "head rail" is at 90 degrees. But the edge that mates to the vertical corner post is angled inward to allow the gussets to follow the octagonal shape.



guglipm63 said:


> Good to see you're back at the gazebo. I had almost forgotten about it.


Well, luckily, my wife didn't allow ME to forget about it. :laughing:



gabeleon said:


> Great seeing you back on the gazebo. Any chance we'll see a conclusion to the box in a box locking combo mechanism box.


I sure hope and expect to get back to it. I just don't know how soon. It's really a shame that the wind got knocked out of my sails on that project. Because it's an awesome, working mechanism that is completely original. And the box itself is really cool (in my opinion). Actually, I feel somewhat bad - for the sake of those who were so faithfully following along with my build.

And, strangely, I feel bad for the project itself. As if the project had feelings. But, darn it, that project deserves to be seen through to completion. Ughh, thanks for nudging me about it. I still can't say how soon I'll get back on it but I do appreciate your bringing back to the forefront of my mind.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Just the simple addition of railings make the gazebo so much more gazebo-ish and not just an octagonal pavilion. Much more like a room now. More cozy.









Now, the lattice work is my own layout but is inspired from pictures I found on line. Five of the sides have the same pattern. Then the 2 sides that flank the opening (entrance) have a different pattern. Here's how I started the 5 common lattices:









These one's involved lots of compound angles, each measured and cut to fit by hand with a back saw. Tricky, but it went smoothly.

















In this next shot you can see one of the entrance panels. It's similar to the others but takes on an iris/shutter form. I think this variation was of my own design.


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## guglipm63

I like the way it draws your eye toward the center


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## Taylormade

Damn, bro, I LOVE the lattice work! Well done, sir.


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## Chaincarver Steve

The "shutter" lattice was a little trickier to lay out. Here's how I went about it. I first placed string at the horizontal center. The string was then marked to indicate the vertical heights of the diamond points.

The first 4 pieces, the ones that form the center diamond, had to be placed, then removed for trimming one at a time. Only then could I actually attach them together. Hopefully the photos get the idea across well enough.

































Finally, the spiral, radiating fins were added.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Some more pictures to show off the lattice work. Hey, that was a lot of work! Not hard work; just time consuming and tricky.


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## guglipm63

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Hopefully the photos get the idea across well enough.


Oh yeah. Well done and thank you for showing us


----------



## Chaincarver Steve

It was suggested to me by various people that I just buy lattice and save myself a lot of design and work time. My response was that of sheer bafflement. Like I am going to buy some boring ass Home Depot lattice. Really? They obviously don't know me too well. Why would I spend all this time and effort trying to make a unique gazebo only to slap on that generic garden lattice? I'm appalled by the notion! :thumbsup:

So, anyway... I've started on the seating, which will wrap around on 5 of the sides, leaving room near the entrance for standing, chairs, a table, or whatever else might suit the needs of a given occasion.

Here you can see some of the seating supports I've attached. I've gotten a little more done but this is all I have photographic evidence of so far. It's rained today and yesterday so I be in a holding pattern since Thursday.









I'll update as soon as I have more to share.

*pinky swear*


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## guglipm63

Angular nightmare


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## johnnie52

How does one describe such total beauty in design and execution?

That is some of if not the best lattice work I've ever seen! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


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## Art Rafael

" Hey, that was a lot of work! Not hard work; just time consuming and tricky. "

Tricky? I'd say so! I do believe that the whole project was - is - has been TRICKY with no straight cuts anywhere. Every cut is angled or sloped if not compound angled and / or sloped. How have you managed to retain sanity, or have you? I can't imagine how you measured, marked or set your equipment and your mind to render such a complicated project. And you've made it look so easy, natural and simply pleasing. Your genius is truly showing. Now the seating components will also require some wizardry. Great job, Steve! Thanks for sharing as you continue to approach the finish line. Ralph


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## Chaincarver Steve

guglipm63 said:


> Angular nightmare


You got that right! Everything on this project has been exercises in the strategic use of sliding t-bevels. And there's lots more of that to come with the seating as well.



johnnie52 said:


> How does one describe such total beauty in design and execution?
> 
> That is some of if not the best lattice work I've ever seen! :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:


Ahh, thank you, Johnnie! :thumbsup: I like the patterns and knew it would be a pain in the ass to pull off. Honestly though, it didn't seem tedious at all while I was doing it. But looking back I can't see how it didn't.



Art Rafael said:


> " Hey, that was a lot of work! Not hard work; just time consuming and tricky. "
> 
> Tricky? I'd say so! I do believe that the whole project was - is - has been TRICKY with no straight cuts anywhere. Every cut is angled or sloped if not compound angled and / or sloped. How have you managed to retain sanity, or have you? I can't imagine how you measured, marked or set your equipment and your mind to render such a complicated project. And you've made it look so easy, natural and simply pleasing. Your genius is truly showing. Now the seating components will also require some wizardry. Great job, Steve! Thanks for sharing as you continue to approach the finish line. Ralph


Thank you, Ralph.

My adjustable t-bevels have been my go-to layout tool through the entire project so far: from joists to roof panels. Only on occasion is a square called for. 

To my own amazement, I only cut *two* wrong angles in the whole process of making the latticework. So only two pieces had to be cut a second time. Frankly, I am astounded by that fact because virtually every single piece is cut to fit and slightly different in regards to angles, length or both. :blink:


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## Longknife

Art Rafael said:


> " Hey, that was a lot of work! Not hard work; just time consuming and tricky. "
> 
> Tricky? I'd say so! I do believe that the whole project was - is - has been TRICKY with no straight cuts anywhere. Every cut is angled or sloped if not compound angled and / or sloped. How have you managed to retain sanity, or have you? I can't imagine how you measured, marked or set your equipment and your mind to render such a complicated project. And you've made it look so easy, natural and simply pleasing. Your genius is truly showing. Now the seating components will also require some wizardry. Great job, Steve! Thanks for sharing as you continue to approach the finish line. Ralph


+1. Exactly my thoughts. Good to see you back on this project.


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## DaveTTC

I was only talking about this thread with Repliconics the other day. Great timing.

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## Chaincarver Steve

DaveTTC said:


> I was only talking about this thread with Repliconics the other day. Great timing.
> 
> Dave The Turning Cowboy


It sure is nice to know that someone was thinking about me. Or were you talking about my procrastination? They're kind of one in the same, I guess. :laughing:


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## DaveTTC

Chaincarver Steve said:


> It sure is nice to know that someone was thinking about me. Or were you talking about my procrastination? They're kind of one in the same, I guess. :laughing:


It was all good. Though a couple if times he called you 'chainsaw steve'. It did r sound bad so it must have been good.

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## Smith Brother

Well, I was just thinking, Grandma was SLOW but she was 84 and expecting, So, I was thinking, WHAT's Steve's excuse.

Loving it my friend,

Dale in Indy


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## Repliconics

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Like I am going to buy some boring ass Home Depot lattice. Really? They obviously don't know me too well.


 There's nothing Home Depot about you mate, let alone any of your work.
It's looking great Steve.


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## rayking49

I love it Steve!


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## gabeleon

Chaincarver Steve said:


> I sure hope and expect to get back to it. I just don't know how soon. It's really a shame that the wind got knocked out of my sails on that project. Because it's an awesome, working mechanism that is completely original. And the box itself is really cool (in my opinion). Actually, I feel somewhat bad - for the sake of those who were so faithfully following along with my build.
> 
> And, strangely, I feel bad for the project itself. As if the project had feelings. But, darn it, that project deserves to be seen through to completion. Ughh, thanks for nudging me about it. I still can't say how soon I'll get back on it but I do appreciate your bringing back to the forefront of my mind.


Not a problem. It's a project that i think about occasionally and wonder what happened. I can fully understand getting to a point with something and then just losing the drive or ambition to finish. I figure someday I'll look on the boards here like I do everyday and see you back at it.


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## garryswf

you did an awsome job steve, and what i like the most out of this build thread other than the gazebo is the fact that you "DIDN'T" go to HD and get that butt ugly lattice, that would have ruined the railing, a person should use imagination when ever a project is screaming "unique". :thumbsup: to you and great job.


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## Chaincarver Steve

I made some more progress today (well, yesterday now). I got all of the seating framework taken care of. Before I make any of the seating slats I am going to stain the gazebo. Otherwise, I may not be able to position my ladder as needed to brush on the stain in some areas.

So tomorrow I'll be buying the stain and - providing it's not threatening to rain - get a good start on applying it.

Here's where I'm at right now:

























I initially was going to angle the front supports back towards (and meeting) the rear supports. But the more I looked at it the more the required angle seemed like it might not have been the best route to go. So I opted to use front supports that go straight down. They are set back several inches from what will be the front edge of the seats.

I do believe that the angled supports would look better (but they'd ba at a very sharp angle). But the way I did them will put much less "leveraged strain" on the 8 main support posts. No worries here; I'll make it look decent.


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## Repliconics

Gee that looks really nice Steve. :thumbsup:

Rep.


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## DaveTTC

I'll echo those words, looking great

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## Carvel Loafer

That's taking on a real nice look Steve. I love the lattice design too, I wonder how they would stand up to my grandson though :laughing:.

Beautiful job so far!


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## MapleMoose

Steve, glad to see that you are back on it - your custom lattice work looks great!

Question, are most of the seats facing the lake? It looks like it from the one photo, but I wasn't sure.


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## Kenbo

Looking absolutely awesome!!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Smith Brother

Two weeks ago YOU Steve, couldn't even SPELL carpenter, NOW YOU ARE ONE. 

How much was that Home Depot lattice, anyway???? I didn't know they offered such STURDY stuff, hehehe. 

Looking SOOOOOOOOOOOOO! nice.

Dale in Indy


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## wood shavings

Dale Not HD Lowes 

All kidding aside great job

Jerry


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## Nick Ferry

Looks like you need to go to "AA" - angles anonymous. VERY cool build!


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## Chaincarver Steve

MapleMoose said:


> Steve, glad to see that you are back on it - your custom lattice work looks great!
> 
> Question, are most of the seats facing the lake? It looks like it from the one photo, but I wasn't sure.


More or less, yes. The opening to the gazebo is turned 90 degrees from the lake so that it faces the fire area and has a more direct path to it. Of the 5 sides having seating, 1 of them has its back to the lake.


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## Chaincarver Steve

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the comments :thumbsup:

I got the 'ceiling' almost done. The stain requires two coats. I've got the first done and am 3/4 through the second coat. The 1-3/4 coats on the ceiling alone has taking me three days (maybe 5-6 hours a day, I'm guessing). I sure don't envy you painters out there. That's quite a chore. 

Paint would have gone on a lot quicker but I'm glad I'm using stain. The redwood stain with the greenish streaks of pressure treated 2x lumber is really looking nice so far. It's going to look great on the rest of the gazebo. The stain really has to be brushed down to a very thin coat without streaks. Failure to do so would show horribly. The construction grade plywood has rough surfaces that take some effort to really coat well. But I'm getting there.

This is the most current picture I have, as I've run out of daylight the last two days before I could get an updated shot. This picture is taken after only one partial coat of stain.


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## Chaincarver Steve

My current state of progress on this build is that I have the "ceiling" completely finished with 2 coats of stain. Well, almost. I still have to use an artists brush to touch up where the 16 rafters meet at the king post, as the larger brush couldn't get deeply into the crevasses. And the part of the rafters that extend beyond the decking (primarily the gargoyles) still has to be finished. But that will be approached from the outside.

This may be the last update for a week or so, we'll see. I may be out of town for a few days later this week. Also, there's forecast of lots of rain, which will definitely put a delay on staining. So I may switch gears back to seating and begin on the slats, which I'll have to postpone attaching until the rest of the gazebo is stained.


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## johnnie52

Nice job Steve.

My question for you is how much stain did you get on yourself painting it on over head like that?


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## Chaincarver Steve

smithbrother said:


> Two weeks ago YOU Steve, couldn't even SPELL carpenter, NOW YOU ARE ONE.
> ...


Correction: Now I'm even more glad that I'm NOT one.  I don't mind a little carpentry work now and then. It's a great learning experience. And life experience. But I sure couldn't handle that kind of work all the time. My hat's off to those who can and do.

I must admit though, the feeling a building a structure is pretty cool. I can't wait to start using it.



johnnie52 said:


> Nice job Steve.
> 
> My question for you is how much stain did you get on yourself painting it on over head like that?


Remarkably little, to my own surprise. There's only about 12-15 drops on the deck that I'll need to sand a little. But the only stain on me has been a little on some fingers, knuckles and hand. Not much at all though. My shirt(s) were ragged ones I'd resigned to ruining so I used them to wipe my fingers on a few times and to catch a few drips.


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## Repliconics

Chaincarver Steve said:


> I must admit though, the feeling of building a structure is pretty cool. I can't wait to start using it.


I can understand how you feel Steve.
Your doing a marvels job on it.
And the view from your back yard is a pearler!

In the end I'm sure you'll be able to soak up the view as well as the timber has the stain. :thumbsup:

Cheers mate
Rep.


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## Phaedrus

Looking good Steve! I know I've been absent around here for a while, but I'm still coming by to watch! :yes:


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## Carvel Loafer

Looking so good Steve. This whole thread has been great, I still haven't shown it to my wife, she wants one of these some day.....


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## Taylormade

Alright, now drive 40 miles west and build me one, buddy. I don't even have a deck at the new place yet!


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## johnnie52

Taylormade said:


> Alright, now drive 40 miles west and build me one, buddy. I don't even have a deck at the new place yet!


When you finish Taylor's, you can keep coming west for another 15 miles and build one for me too.


Oh and don't forget the dragon heads!


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## Chaincarver Steve

Scott and Johnnie, you are both delusional. I have neither will nor desire to ever make another gazebo.


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## Taylormade

Chaincarver Steve said:


> Scott and Johnnie, you are both delusional. I have neither will nor desire to ever make another gazebo.


But I want gargoyles! 

:laughing:


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## Chaincarver Steve

Taylormade said:


> But I want gargoyles!
> 
> :laughing:


I will gladly send you my pattern. :yes:


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## DaveTTC

johnnie52 said:


> When you finish Taylor's, you can keep coming west for another 15 miles and build one for me too. Oh and don't forget the dragon heads!


well I am a chippie and love it ... I'll build one for you Johnnie if I can get a sponser over there 

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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