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Big, Bad Treehouse

Homemade varnish:

Mix together one qt. boiled linseed oil, 1/2 pt. pine tar, 1/2 pt. Japan drier and one qt. turpentine in an old stockpot. Once you've mixed varnish in the pot, do not return it to the kitchen or run it through the dishwasher Andy or you'll be living in that tree house.

Place the pot over medium heat.(I use a camp stove) Stir constantly with a long wooden spoon (again do not return this to the kitchen or you will be stirring your nuts into the mixture) when you see little bubbles form on the outside edges remove it from the stove. Do not boil the sh*t out of it!

KEEP STIRRING!!! until it is all dissolved. Let dry to room temperature. Play around with it, add more turpentine to thin it if you think it needs it.

This is what I used to finish many a wooden boat. It just smells fantastic and seems oh so correct. It should be fine after it sets up about a week and not rub onto the kid's clothes like a lot of oils would.
 
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I want more than anything to live in a tree house someday. Of course, the compromise with my SO is a cabin somewhere...

This project is cool on so many levels :thumbup
 
Happy Hornet said:
Homemade varnish:

Mix together one qt. boiled linseed oil, 1/2 pt. pine tar, 1/2 pt. Japan drier and one qt. turpentine in an old stockpot. Once you've mixed varnish in the pot, do not return it to the kitchen or run it through the dishwasher Andy or you'll be living in that tree house.
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yeah. this is what I was talking about (with a few extra ingredients thrown in). I've done this less pine tar and drier for the shingles on my roof.
 
It's been my experience that the pine tar offers some rot resistance and the Japan Drier prevents the leaching of oils.

It smells so wonderful this stuff does.
 
At the risk of being a wet blanket...

That railing may as well not even be there the way it is built and attached. The gap between the floor and bottom stringer is big enough a full grown adult could probably fit through. A kid certainly could.
 
Im starting to look forward to this thread every Monday hoping you worked on it over the weekend and made more progress. :laughing
 
ejglows said:
i want more than anything to live in a tree house someday. Of course, the compromise with my so is a cabin somewhere...

This project is cool on so many levels :thumbup
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i knew you were secretly a shaven ewok!!
 
I would suck to show up one weekend and find it being used as a tree house/meth lab.
 
Traq said:
At the risk of being a wet blanket...

That railing may as well not even be there the way it is built and attached. The gap between the floor and bottom stringer is big enough a full grown adult could probably fit through. A kid certainly could.
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The gap is about four inches. If someone gets through that, the fall will be the least of their worries. :laughing

Britny said:
I'm anxious for an update!
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Kim said:
Im starting to look forward to this thread every Monday hoping you worked on it over the weekend and made more progress. :laughing
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I'm starting the drive home now and you'll get an update tomorrow. :)
 
Andy; when you're up in the tree, bustling around making your nest, do you ever make squirrel noises?
 
tzrider said:
The gap is about four inches. If someone gets through that, the fall will be the least of their worries. :laughing
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Ah. Looks bigger in the photos...more like 6. You'd be surprised how easy it would be for a kid to slip right through that kind of gap. Since the railing is mounted to the outside of the posts it'd be easy for them to step close and hit air instead of decking...straight through at that point.
 
Traq said:
Ah. Looks bigger in the photos...more like 6. You'd be surprised how easy it would be for a kid to slip right through that kind of gap. Since the railing is mounted to the outside of the posts it'd be easy for them to step close and hit air instead of decking...straight through at that point.
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You haven't met Andy's kids. I'm pretty sure you could launch those guys out of a giant slingshot aimed at a tree and they would calmly grab a branch on the way by, swing around, and climb down while giggling like crazy.
 
planegray said:
Andy; when you're up in the tree, bustling around making your nest, do you ever make squirrel noises?
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I try, but can't get my voice to go that high. Comes out sounding like a warthog. Freaks the deer out, because they don't expect to hear a warthog in a tree.

It's been funny to see wildlife in a different forest zone (up in the tree) than I normally encounter them. Birds land right next to me. Deer walk by below, alert that I'm there, but never looking up because they are never threatened from above in that environment. Right after I'd finished nailing a board, I turned and saw a chipmunk sitting on the deck three feet behind me, looking on with his head cocked as if to say, "Whatcha doin', mister?"

Traq said:
Ah. Looks bigger in the photos...more like 6. You'd be surprised how easy it would be for a kid to slip right through that kind of gap. Since the railing is mounted to the outside of the posts it'd be easy for them to step close and hit air instead of decking...straight through at that point.
Click to expand...

I patterned these rails after the ones on the existing deck up there. The deck was built about 20 years ago and codes have probably changed with regard to slat spacing and the bottom gap. In a high use area, this rail would not be safe for infants, but I don't expect infants up there.

Bonerov said:
You haven't met Andy's kids. I'm pretty sure you could launch those guys out of a giant slingshot aimed at a tree and they would calmly grab a branch on the way by, swing around, and climb down while giggling like crazy.
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Nice of you to say, but they'd be the first to tell you they're happy the rail is there now. :laughing

Traq's comment was constructive and intended that way. I read his post before the drive home last night and considered whether I want to remove the slats and install longer ones. It will remain an option and I'll look at the gap again this coming weekend.

On one hand, there will be weaker links from a safety standpoint, such as the hanging bridge. I'll make it as safe as I can, but there will be limits to how much I can minimize gaps. On the other hand, if I can make a part of the structure safer by cutting a few boards two or three inches longer, it's worth considering.

In the end, I have made some assumptions about who will be using the structure and it's safe within those assumptions. It's not lost on me though that I have created an "attractive nuisance;" a structure on which a trespasser could be injured and sue. It seems to go with the territory of having an adventure with my kids.

Chet said:
Anymore update Andy :) Ouch MotoGP my bad :shocker
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I was in the tree this weekend and will have an update shortly. :)
 
tzrider said:
The gap is about four inches. If someone gets through that, the fall will be the least of their worries. :laughing
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4" is the code in most places for deck railings etc, most Ca carpenters use a 2"x4" as a spacer while building railings which makes them 3 1/2" and you never have a problem with inspectors.
 
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