cleanerg6e Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 For this section of boards the width will be 440mm and the cross supports are 550mm to give me some room to play with. Having cut 3 pieces of 2.4m timber into 16 550mm lengths I'll show you how I attach them to the 4x4 upright posts. With a large 'quick grip' clamp, 2m spirit level and a small spirit level I get the levels right on a dry run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Next I draw a pencil line where the cross piece is actually attached to the post and use Selleys liquid nails adhesive which is super strong. I've included a photo of the cartridge adhesive I use in case anyone from this side of the world views these photos. A word of warning: with the Selleys range of adhesives ONLY use the Liquid Nails for this sort of construction as other glues in their range can be used for timber applications but aren't as strong as the Super Strength Liquid Nails adhesive and super strength is what I'm after. Its also water resistant, but will NOT work if immersed in water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 Having applied adhesive to the area within the pencil line and using a 'quick grip' clamp I secure the piece of wood to the post. I usually do eight uprights in a row and give the adhesive 24 hours to cure and harden. The clamps are removed after six to seven hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 After 24 hours it's time to attach the other cross member. Using a shorter spirit level I make sure that the other cross member is the same height and also level to the other piece of wood. Photo 009 the wood was adjusted before final clamping to leave to cure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 I also have a very old wooden spirit level that a builder found in the wall of my bathroom when he was redoing it. How long it had been there is any ones guess. But the main thing is that it still gives after all these years a true level indication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 10, 2011 Author Share Posted April 10, 2011 After all the glue has dried I then screw in 4 treated pine screws, (two per cross member). The screws are prepainted so they won't rust and contaminate the inside of the wood. The first photo shows the screws on top of a white cover and the second photo shows two screwed into a cross member. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 Having completed the cross pieces on 8 posts it's now time to move onto actual board construction. First thing to do is to move my 'pride and joy' out of the garage. My 'pride and joy' is so large it almost fills the garage. You ain't got nothing like this in the UK. My dad said 'god that's a brutish looking car!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 This time I've used structural 15mm ply as it's a 3 month wait at the moment for hardwood exterior ply with nearly all of it going to Queensland to rebuild damaged homes. Here's a photo of the ply in it's cut state. It's cut for me by 'Mister Plywood' where I bought it in Penrith. It comes uncut in 8x2m sheets and is too large to transport home in the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 A photo of a couple of the tools I use. The circular saw has the largest blade I could get (270mm) and will cut through a piece of 4x4 in one go. The Jigsaw used to belong to my dad but he and mum are in a retirement home and have no need for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 I also have a portable work bench with a variety of other tools which I think is essential to do this job. First photo is a selection of 'quick grip' clamps of various lengths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 Taking one piece of ply and two 2.4m lengths of treated pine I now start to set them up on the next posts and get the alignment right with the previously completed board which has a width of 240mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 I must make sure that the piece of ply covers the 240mm piece slightly so that a pencil line can be drawn underneath prior to cutting with the jigsaw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 I also mark in pencil the 4x2 treated pine prior to cutting with the circular saw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 Back in garage I have the 4x2 in the workmate ready for cutting with the circular saw. The wheel barrow helps to catch most of the saw dust making cleaning up at the end of the day a little easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 With the ply wood and treated pine cut I take them both back outside and give them a trial fitment to see if any adjustments are needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 This photo shows the new board lining up perfectly with the previous board. It also shows how crucial it is to make sure the cross pieces are level. At this stage the ply has yet to be fixed to the treated pine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 Now for gluing and screwing the plywood top to the pine. I first mark in pencil a line on the ply where I'll place a thin bead of previously shown adhesive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 With the adhesive on the ply I place the 4x2 treated pine in place and using 4 clamps to clamp the pine firmly in place. I use the builders square to make sure I've clamped them accurately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 Turning the clamped board over I now put in all the treated pine screws which for this job are 8-10x32. You can buy them in plastic boxes of 100, 500 or 1000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleanerg6e Posted April 17, 2011 Author Share Posted April 17, 2011 Now I cut pieces of 4x2 to make the bracing pieces for the ends and the middle. You'll note that the end pieces are on the sides (so to speak) to make it easier to run the bus wires from one board to the next. These two photos show the underside of the board complete with the bracing timber glued and screwed into place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now