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.

Bits and Pieces

A few photographs of various parts of the treehouse described in the previous post.




This is a shot of the cantileverd deck edge, with the new 2x8 end beam in place. This was the one that had to be cut at approx 65 degrees, and spans the three deck beams. Lots of fun chalking, guesstimating, cutting, and fitting to get this baby in!




A view from underneath, showing one of the pair of main beams bolted through the tree, two of the deck beams running perpendicular to the main beams (at the extreme left and right of the photograph), and some of the 2x6 floor joists which run in the same direction as the main beams. Note the joist hanger and crossjoist which had to be installed to support the floor close to the tree itself.





Finally, a close up of one of the two sheet metal sliders fastened under the main beams that rest on top of the wooden bracket on the smaller tree. The main beams will creep back and forth across the bracket when the wind picks up, and these metal strips will hopefully reduce the friction and wear on both the beams and the bracket.

Dog Days of November

We had a beautiful nearly full week of weather here, Monday was wet and warming up, but Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (today) were glorious, highs of about 20 degrees each day, with sunny skies.

I finally cut and installed a 2x8 end beam which attaches to three of the four main deck beams (It doesn't span the four as I am leaving space for a suspension bridge to a third tree. Yes I am a bit crazy!) This end beam provides strength, alignment and proper spacing for the three deck beams. I decided that the deck of the treehouse would be irregular in shape, so this end beam is set at about a 65 degree angle to the deck beams, which made for an interesting couple of hours measuring, cutting, and installing. A bit of ingeneuity was required to singlehandedly install a 14ft long 2x8 (weighing about 40 lbs) seven feet above ground with no support!

More of the 2x6 floor joists have been raised and installed, and some brackets to prevent unwanted flex or movement have also been installed where necessary. The two steel sliders for the main support beams over the wooden bracket on the small tree have also been painted, drilled, and installed. It seems the weather is going to turn to more wintry conditions, so I am looking to finish the floor joists, and hopefully the main support for the platform on the smaller tree before the end of November.