Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Why I Have The Best Dad In The World! Reason # 23 944 813

So maybe I am exaggerating a bit on the number of reasons why I think my dad happens to be the absolute best. In reality, I (and my sisters) am very fortunate to have two very wonderful parents - the worlds best, in my opinion - and there are countless reasons for this. What follows is just one of many.

In the construction of the treehouse, I needed a way to keep the four floor beams lined up at 90 degrees to the main beams that support them. I decided that in the back a metal framing bracket would do, and although the appearance was ugly, it would be hidden from view. On the front however, I opted for wood blocks, as they would provide excellent strength, perfect alignmnent, and nice aesthetic appeal. I decided that the 'post blocks' (short lengths of 4x4 post) would look nice if they were designed to resemble an ornamental 'hanging' finial, like you would find on a staircase or the like. Who better than to contract this job to than my father, master of all things creative, and an experienced home woodworker. Giving him nothing more than the specific dimensions of the total length of post block, length of finial carving, and a general idea of what I wanted, I let him get to work.

As usual, his work far exceeded my expectaions! Not only did he source a length of cedar post at no charge from his neighbor (who was removing a deck and giving away the scrap), he produced four absolutely beautiful turned finials, each with distinctly different designs. And not only were the designs different, they were all extremely detailed, and very creative in their appearance. To top it all off, the dimensions and fit were also absolutely perfect. as evidenced by the photographs of one of the four in place.

No comments: