Waldo's Deck

G'day,

Progress has been slowed up a bit over the last week or so with clients deciding to give me some work. :U and having a few 36º - 39º degree days also don't get me racing out in the heat too fast.

Anyway today I got the last of my available 140x19 boards down (have to wait about another two weeks for my next order to get delivered - I'm short on account of the increse of size due to some post holes moving the deck out due to s/water pipes and t/pipe :doh: - but bigger is better.

To give SWMBO an idea of the deck and pergola being finished I hosed the deck down. :2tsup: I was impressed myself.

Next stage is to check out the posts to take the top and bottom rails, get the balustrates in and start on the stairs - in no particualar order. Only once the stairs are done will I finish off the decking in total - reasons for that in later posts

G'day,

It's been a while since my last confession.

Over the last two weeks off and on I've been able to get some more work done on the continuing saga of Waldo's deck.

With the help of Skew over two days last week we got a start on the stairs. While Skew was busy crunching numbers based on the rise and run for the stringers ( pic 1) I made a start on the stairs.

Dressed merbau 1000m x 300mm x 45mm x 5 slabs was going to cost me pretty penny and the waiting period was about a month, so I got rough sawn. (pic 2) So while Skew was doing the above I was running the slabs through the thinknesser and dimensioning on the trusty 10HB. I was pretty happy with the end result, 1 of which has some really nice figure running through it, which will show nicely with some oil on top.

Based on the BCA codes there has to be no more spacing between each tread that a 125mm sphere can pass between them. Based on a 183.33mm rise between each tread given an 1100mm rise over a 1500mm run, each tread needs to be 60mm, given that they're 40mm thick I needed another 20mm. So I ripped some 90mm sq. left over posts down to 881mm (width of tread) and 25mm (pic 3) and set them back 100mm from the leading edge and inset 15mm from the outside edges on the underneath of each tread.

(pic 4) So far as putting it all together I figured it'd be easiest to do clamped up to the bearers, it worked a treat. :2tsup:

Pic 4 also shows some previous progess. Over Wednesday and Thursday, again with Skew's help :2tsup:, we ran the cut lengths of 85mm x 40mm merbau through the router, it's first real test, and routered the channels 19mm deep. You can see one of these in handrails in place. Posts were checked out with my 1/2 TR-12 and a 1/4 router of a dodgy name (Black & Decker).

More progress shots in the coming days.

i am totally bummed you dont like my handrail !!! But pleased you sought to consult my photo's anyway LoL

One does have to remember you are building your deck yourself to save costs and if you had to pay a contractor aswell i'd imagine whilst your deck would have been finished months ago it would have cost you far more and you may have been forced to cut back on some of the things you have afforded by doing it yourself.... Cant wait to see your rails i hope they turn out great.. Research pays off the more you do the more you see which will hopefully get you the end result your after.,..
Snapped tips is a fact nof life they shatter all the time cause they are junk.. pull it out with needle nose pliers if you can grab it other wise tap the board next to the screw


http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...chmentid=65481http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...airinter-3.jpg

Cheers utemad

G'day Utemad,

:yes: it probably would've been finished a while ago now. Building myself, even with some help :2tsup:, takes longer but I get more satisfaction from it.

Research has been a big thing and then nutting it all out. Your pic of the handrails was a starting point, more really of what I didn't want to do :U . For me fixing the slats on the outside of the rails, while on the inside looks neat, I think on the outside, while quicker to erect, it's not as neat as I'd like. When I get to the h/rails it'll be the downhill run of the construction phase.

I can't remember where the snapped tip is :no:, I'd even forgotten about it. All up so far, one snapped tip and no more than 6 screws that I did the heads on.

Heres one thats cut in top and bot although rails are a cleaner square look and not moulded

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k2...mad/balc-1.jpg

cheers utemad

:think: :yes:

There are a million and one ways to do things.

G'day,

Got some more work done over Friday arvo and today. Skew gave me a hand to lift the stairs into place and fasten to the bearers, no way i could've done it myself. The stairs as a complete unit weigh a tonne, given that each merbau tread is 911mm x 295mm x 40mm.

Pic 1 The stairs in place and concreted in :woot: Pic 2 shows the stringers mortised into the posts. A bit of a whack and the stringers went home nice and tight into the posts. We ran a level over the treads and they're perfect on all accounts - slope, the works and jerks. :2tsup: A concrete pad will be put under each stringer to provide extra support.

Pic 3 Now here's the beauty. A sneak peak at the detail I'm putting into the deck.

Over the coming week I'll finish putting the perimeter boards around the deck and then give the whole deck a pass over with the Metabo Duo Turbotec (slight gloat :U )

* smacks his chops while looking at photo #3 ... *

those treads have a decidedly non-G-rating affect on me :U

Did you try fitting any of the outside trim (flashing the bearers) to see if all's going to plan?

Or were you just checking that the KDHW strip was correctly sized?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Did you try fitting any of the outside trim (flashing the bearers) to see if all's going to plan?

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:yes: it's :2tsup:


:cool:

Good :U

:2tsup:Top stuff Waldo.

Thanks Yonnee,

even thought the build has been going for a couple of months now it's still early days yet and i'm enjoying the whole build, the next stage I'm looking forward to is getting the hand rails up.

(a week digging stinking holes doesn't count as enjoyable, you've always got to fill the rotters back in)

If it'll make you feel better, my first footing holes were dug the same time as my shed footings, 2-1/2 years ago. The main framework of the deck and pergola were then started almost 12 months ago, and I've just taken delivery of the tiles to lay on the deck last week! But before then, there's waterproofing the Greentongue structafloor, laying cement sheet, then I can lay tiles.

And I'm trying to build a trailer or three...

G'day,

spent Friday getting the last of the decking down. Tell you what, Bessey K60's are worth their weight on gold, I need some more and some K1000's - without them I wouldn't have been able to make all the bananas straight.

Today I spent the good part of the day on my hands and knees sanding the deck and posts down to 400 grit. Seeing s how the deck is undercover I wanted to get the top coating off and now over the next three months will periodically hose down and scrub the tannins off with a hard bristled broom.

After the sanding i put the top and bottom rails in. Next step now is the slats, they'll be 70mm x 19mm merbau with 40mm spacings.

Pictures tell the story.

Looking good Waldo :2tsup:

Thanks mate.

:2tsup:

She's coming along nicely ... Can i ask a question.. why are the stringers trated pine?

Cheers utemad

Stringers are treated pine purely for the reason that I had off-cuts left over from the bearers. Could have ordered in some merbau for it, but I'd already spent a fortune on merbau and the pine didn't worry me, as there's pine visible in the pergola. There's also t/oak highlights around the perimeter of the decking which the stringers also tie into as a contrast.

Lookin' good Waldo... the tassie oak highlights are a very nice touch!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blu_Rock

Lookin' good Waldo... the tassie oak highlights are a very nice touch!

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Thanks.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blu_Rock

Lookin' good Waldo... the tassie oak highlights are a very nice touch!

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:yes: And serve a very practical purpose too... :U

She's looking really good, Chris.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

:yes: And serve a very practical purpose too... :U

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:;


:U

I'm sending all my blades from the t/saw, thicknesser and jointer in to be sharpened before I start on the pailings.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

She's looking really good, Chris

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With your help along the way :2tsup: Still away to go yet though before it's finished.