M - Treehouse Update #2

Decking...on one hand this part is usually satisfying because it starts to actually look like something. On the other hand, I take no shortcuts and as a result it takes a LONG time to put twelve 3" wood screws in sixteen different 8ft boards. My hands are REALLY sore today, too. What an aged sissy I am...













I knew the rains were coming hard and heavy; thus the life preserver. Either that or my knees were seriously in pain and it provided a nice knee pad. Actually, I couldn't have asked for better working conditions. The winds were calm, the temps cool, and the rain skirted Edmond quite nicely. I got a LOT more done than I would have otherwise because my goal was to get the deck boards cut before the rain hit. Instead, I got them almost all screwed down as well.













Chalk lines are essential to keeping the screws in line across the 8ft deck. It also helps ensure that every screw gets a full grip on the 2x6 support joist below. As you can see, I'm not quite finished working around the tree. You might notice the other lumber worker's essential gear besides the orange life preserver --> sunflower seeds.













You should have seen me cut this curve with my ancient orange garage sale jigsaw. It wasn't pretty (the cutting, not the curve). The curve turned out quite nicely in my opinion. The blade on that jigsaw is so dull I think it burned more wood than it actually cut.

My last major woodworking project was the deck: