I must say its been quite a while since I have posted here. Mainly due to projects around the house, getting the garden ready to go, etc. I have lurked periodically when I had the spare moment, but now I feel rejuvenated! Its time to build something! Plus my porch is cleaned off. Last year we were putting siding on the house, a total mess!
Some of you may recall a thread I had last year:
http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/93300-gothicy-gate-post-w-i-p.html
That thread basically was my attempt at a gate post. Lots of ideas were mashed out and tossed around in that thread. I think overall, it turned out pretty decent... the gate post that is.
The original:
I was surprised to find that some members were still looking at, and posting in that thread. I have to say thank you, to everyone who posted, and followed along. Because of that I was inspired to fulfill my desire to complete the project. That is, to build the remaining posts. And the fence to go between...
So here we go, my must do list for 2011.
1. Build a matching twin for the existing gate post. Those 2 will then become the corner posts.
2. Build 2 more gate posts in the exact same style, only taller. These 2 will be for the gate.
3. Address the shoddy "address numbers" that I used last year.
4. Build fence and gate, to attach to gate posts.
5. Repair and touch up work on MMMR (mini monster mud reaper)
6. Decide on 3 more toppers similar but different then MMMR.
7. Include a tutorial on casting resin. I plan to add a couple of fresh new features that will require casting resin in custom shapes. If you have always wondered about it, its not as hard as you might think. Stay tuned..
8. An entirely new paint scheme, that can be completed by anyone without the need for those expensive cans of "make it stone" spray paint. Cheap is the key, and what ever colors you want.
As you can see, I have my work cut out for me. Being that its just now June, I think I can do it. Lets get started!
I went to Lowes to pickup some building supplies to get things started. You may recall that the body of the prototype post was made from particle board. Im not going to get back on that argument. Check out my water proofing solution in: http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/93300-gothicy-gate-post-w-i-p.html
Anyways, I discovered something.. Lowes (my local location) doesn't sale particle board anymore Honestly, they have sold that product for as long as I can remember! Now all of a sudden.. BOOM its gone. Not to be dissuaded, I switched gears. I decided to go the plywood route. Problem solved.
I opted for the 2 foot by 4 foot sheets of 15/32 BC plywood. Less then $10 bucks a sheet. A little more expensive then the a-fore-mentioned product, but it is certainly stout enough. I chose the 2x4 sheets because I like working with that size. I feel comfortable ripping that on my table say, unlike a 4x8 sheet. And not to mention I have no way to transport the 4x8 sheets. Just wont fit in my Toyota.
Heres what I started with:
After ripping 2 2x4 sheets down to 11-3/4 inches each you should have 4:
The construction of the gate post pretty much went just like it did in the previous thread. The only major difference is in the corner bracing. Unlike particle board, plywood likes to bend and bow. The original had small scrap blocks, these new posts have corner braces that run the full length. Check out the pics for the difference. The 1st pic, being the original.
Aside from that, its the same build. The twin nearly complete.
Im holding off on making the cap of the post until all 3 are ready. Its time consuming setting up the table saw and miter saw repeatedly, over and over. Especially being that I have to miter 12 of the exact same thing. Moving on.
As I said earlier, the original post, and its new counter part will become the corner post. The new posts that will be intended as "gate posts" will be nearly identical, except taller. 11-1/2 inches taller.
The taller post are built similar to the shorter post. Same base, etc. Because I bought 4 foot long sheets of plywood, and ripped those in 11-3/4 inch wide panels, I could take two of the panels and cross cut 11-1/2 inch extensions. The fastest, and safest way to cross cut plywood, and keep each piece almost identical is with a sled or a temporary rip fence.
All those episodes of The New Yankee Workshop finally paid off! The idea is that a block of wood is clamped to your rip fence. You set your width accordingly. As the wood enters the blade it is no longer touching the fence. Therefore, no binding, no kick back, you get to keep all your fingers!
To be continued...
Some of you may recall a thread I had last year:
http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/93300-gothicy-gate-post-w-i-p.html
That thread basically was my attempt at a gate post. Lots of ideas were mashed out and tossed around in that thread. I think overall, it turned out pretty decent... the gate post that is.
The original:
I was surprised to find that some members were still looking at, and posting in that thread. I have to say thank you, to everyone who posted, and followed along. Because of that I was inspired to fulfill my desire to complete the project. That is, to build the remaining posts. And the fence to go between...
So here we go, my must do list for 2011.
1. Build a matching twin for the existing gate post. Those 2 will then become the corner posts.
2. Build 2 more gate posts in the exact same style, only taller. These 2 will be for the gate.
3. Address the shoddy "address numbers" that I used last year.
4. Build fence and gate, to attach to gate posts.
5. Repair and touch up work on MMMR (mini monster mud reaper)
6. Decide on 3 more toppers similar but different then MMMR.
7. Include a tutorial on casting resin. I plan to add a couple of fresh new features that will require casting resin in custom shapes. If you have always wondered about it, its not as hard as you might think. Stay tuned..
8. An entirely new paint scheme, that can be completed by anyone without the need for those expensive cans of "make it stone" spray paint. Cheap is the key, and what ever colors you want.
As you can see, I have my work cut out for me. Being that its just now June, I think I can do it. Lets get started!
I went to Lowes to pickup some building supplies to get things started. You may recall that the body of the prototype post was made from particle board. Im not going to get back on that argument. Check out my water proofing solution in: http://www.halloweenforum.com/tutorials-step-step/93300-gothicy-gate-post-w-i-p.html
Anyways, I discovered something.. Lowes (my local location) doesn't sale particle board anymore Honestly, they have sold that product for as long as I can remember! Now all of a sudden.. BOOM its gone. Not to be dissuaded, I switched gears. I decided to go the plywood route. Problem solved.
I opted for the 2 foot by 4 foot sheets of 15/32 BC plywood. Less then $10 bucks a sheet. A little more expensive then the a-fore-mentioned product, but it is certainly stout enough. I chose the 2x4 sheets because I like working with that size. I feel comfortable ripping that on my table say, unlike a 4x8 sheet. And not to mention I have no way to transport the 4x8 sheets. Just wont fit in my Toyota.
Heres what I started with:
After ripping 2 2x4 sheets down to 11-3/4 inches each you should have 4:
The construction of the gate post pretty much went just like it did in the previous thread. The only major difference is in the corner bracing. Unlike particle board, plywood likes to bend and bow. The original had small scrap blocks, these new posts have corner braces that run the full length. Check out the pics for the difference. The 1st pic, being the original.
Aside from that, its the same build. The twin nearly complete.
Im holding off on making the cap of the post until all 3 are ready. Its time consuming setting up the table saw and miter saw repeatedly, over and over. Especially being that I have to miter 12 of the exact same thing. Moving on.
As I said earlier, the original post, and its new counter part will become the corner post. The new posts that will be intended as "gate posts" will be nearly identical, except taller. 11-1/2 inches taller.
The taller post are built similar to the shorter post. Same base, etc. Because I bought 4 foot long sheets of plywood, and ripped those in 11-3/4 inch wide panels, I could take two of the panels and cross cut 11-1/2 inch extensions. The fastest, and safest way to cross cut plywood, and keep each piece almost identical is with a sled or a temporary rip fence.
All those episodes of The New Yankee Workshop finally paid off! The idea is that a block of wood is clamped to your rip fence. You set your width accordingly. As the wood enters the blade it is no longer touching the fence. Therefore, no binding, no kick back, you get to keep all your fingers!
To be continued...