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Big, Bad Treehouse
- Thread starter tzrider
- Start date
tzrider
Write Only User
Later that evening, my wife and older son arrived and I got to brag a bit about how well Nick was looking after me.
The next morning, I began by sanding the railings and rounding some corners. While I was at it, my wife came up to see the progress and take some pictures. She walked clockwise around the platform, taking shots of various angles and you can see the relationship of the two structures:
The next morning, I began by sanding the railings and rounding some corners. While I was at it, my wife came up to see the progress and take some pictures. She walked clockwise around the platform, taking shots of various angles and you can see the relationship of the two structures:
i_am_the_koi
Vito Koi'leone ~ The Twinfather
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2011
- Location
- Whine Country
- Moto(s)
- 2005 Concours
2003 SV-1BILLION
2017 R3
- Name
- The Koi
- BARF perks
- AMA #: 2823804
Friggen Awesome!
Where are the monkey butlers???
Where are the monkey butlers???
tzrider
Write Only User
With the worst of the mill chatter sanded away, I turned my attention to hanging the chains for the bridge. The first step was to drill 1 1/4" holes in the facing boards for the chains to pass through. These boards are backed up by 4x6's and some of those overlap. In places, I would drill through 8 inches of wood.
While I had planned from the beginning to install the bridge, I hadn't worked out exactly where the span would be when building the platforms. Because it this, there were inevitably nails in the way of the holes. Most of them were hidden behind other wood, so it left little choice but to grit my teeth and chew through the nails with one of my nice Forstner bits.
Every so often, a nail would dull the bit to the point where I needed to sharpen it. Sharpening Forstner bits isn't trivial. The bit is a shaft with a steel disk at the end with teeth around the perimeter. The teeth cut the outer diameter of the hole. Inside the ring of teeth are a couple of flat chisels that carve away the wood between the outer edge and the center. All of these features needed sharpening, so it would take ten minutes or so to resharpen the bit.
Nick came up while I was sharpening a bit and asked what I was doing. I replied that I was sharpening the bit because there were nails in the way of where I needed to drill holes and that they would dull the bit every so often.
He looked thoughtful for a few moments and said, "Wouldn't it have been easier if you hadn't put nails in those places?
Yes. Yes, it would have.
While I had planned from the beginning to install the bridge, I hadn't worked out exactly where the span would be when building the platforms. Because it this, there were inevitably nails in the way of the holes. Most of them were hidden behind other wood, so it left little choice but to grit my teeth and chew through the nails with one of my nice Forstner bits.
Every so often, a nail would dull the bit to the point where I needed to sharpen it. Sharpening Forstner bits isn't trivial. The bit is a shaft with a steel disk at the end with teeth around the perimeter. The teeth cut the outer diameter of the hole. Inside the ring of teeth are a couple of flat chisels that carve away the wood between the outer edge and the center. All of these features needed sharpening, so it would take ten minutes or so to resharpen the bit.
Nick came up while I was sharpening a bit and asked what I was doing. I replied that I was sharpening the bit because there were nails in the way of where I needed to drill holes and that they would dull the bit every so often.
He looked thoughtful for a few moments and said, "Wouldn't it have been easier if you hadn't put nails in those places?
Yes. Yes, it would have.
Hoho
Ride to Eat
tzrider
Write Only User
Eventually the holes were drilled and it was time to hang the chain. I passed the chain through the holes in the tree house, leaving it in a continuous loop, with both ends hanging out of the holes in the facing boards. I shot a lag bolt through the mid point of the chain to keep it from sliding to one side or the other.
I pulled he two free ends across the span, routed then through their guide holes and fastened them to eye bolts with a 2,200 pound safe working limit. With a level perched across both chains, I adjusted the tension until both chains hung at the same level. I then cut, drilled and sanded the boards that would form the bridge surface.
Board by board, I bolted each end in place and then crawled out a bit farther onto the bridge to repeat the process. Before too long, the span was complete. I didn't have all of the rope to fashion the hand rails, so I hung temporary ones so the boys could come up and check it out:
I pulled he two free ends across the span, routed then through their guide holes and fastened them to eye bolts with a 2,200 pound safe working limit. With a level perched across both chains, I adjusted the tension until both chains hung at the same level. I then cut, drilled and sanded the boards that would form the bridge surface.
Board by board, I bolted each end in place and then crawled out a bit farther onto the bridge to repeat the process. Before too long, the span was complete. I didn't have all of the rope to fashion the hand rails, so I hung temporary ones so the boys could come up and check it out:
SNsMoto
Don't be that guy.
how is the bridge attached on both ends of the houses?
ThumperX
Slayer of Deer
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2007
- Location
- Off Elk Mtn
- Moto(s)
- Different strokes
Big Bore and little bore Thumpers Imaginary Twingle
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- AMA #: 2817058
tzrider
Write Only User
And with that, it was time to pack up and have dinner. We had a fabulous dinner together and the boys talked excitedly about the next steps, which are to build the, uh, steps to get up there.
My schedule towards the end of this week is uncertain. I hope to go up and build the staircase, but there may be a week's delay. Stay tuned.
My schedule towards the end of this week is uncertain. I hope to go up and build the staircase, but there may be a week's delay. Stay tuned.
Lunch Box
Useful idiot
WTF! You're making a hanging bridge?! That is BADASSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Maybe in twenty years that whole area will be like a little hanging bridges park
You clearly don't know Andy. I give it a year. Tops.
tzrider
Write Only User
At the tree house end, there are holes in the facing board for the chain to pass through. Behind those is a 4x6 beam, also drilled in two places. The chain passes through from the front, routes back to the beam, passes through the holes in it and doubles back to come back out of the other hole in the facing board. This forms a continuous loop. I adjusted the chain so the free ends hung down equally and then placed a lag bolt through one link where the chain runs against a beam. The bot doesn't carry a load, but prevents the chain from sliding back and forth in the holes.
At the other platfrorm, both chains pass through hole in the facing board and route to a 4x6 beam about two feet behind that is parallel to the facing board. This beam has two eye bolts to attach the chain to, as in this diagram:
The chain is attached to the eye bolts with screw pin shackles like these:
Abacinator
Unholy Blasphemies
Awesomest dad evar!! That is some mighty impressive work!
tzrider
Write Only User
I might have to buy a trials bike and take it up there when you're finished
There is probably enough room for one!
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2002
- Location
- Menlo Park, Ca.
- Moto(s)
- Keep me rocking life
- Name
- Budman
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- AMA Life Member #203453
Wow.. if we had the best Dad of barf forum this thread would be stickied.
Great stuff Andy.
Great stuff Andy.
dmaxAl
Active member
Wow.. if we had the best Dad of barf forum this thread would be stickied.
Great stuff Andy.
You could fix that ya know
mean dad
verum super omnia
^^^^
aaaand now we know what the official way to get down will be
aaaand now we know what the official way to get down will be
n10sive
Well-known member
andy would at least have had a way to get the car to the top without pushing it with a pole