The Wedding

This is what the arbor was built for !

Arbor Ready For The Big Night!

Erected early in the afternoon, the sweat stains on the cedar are authentic!

Getting It All Together

Finally got the arbor together.  Here is what the wedged through tenon looks like.  Yes, this is actually holding the thing together.

 

 

A variety of jars  with candles in them will be hanging on both sides.

 

 

Fence pickets do not come in lengths greater than 8’ and if I allowed 18” to extend past the posts (as all arbors do), that would have left only 4’ inside the posts.  So in order to get a 7’ span inside the posts, these extensions make it look like a 11’ beam.  They are attached after assembly so I don’t have to transport anything longer than 8’.

 

On the Road

I can’t erect a 8.5’ tall arbor in an 8’ foot garage, so it’s time to load it up and take it somewhere with a much taller ceiling.

Brackets and Wedges

Assembly of the brackets that are part cosmetic and part functional.  The thicker lumber built into each end will receive the small headed deck screws that attaches the bracket to the post and beam.  These small screws will be the only visible screws in the whole arbor.  However, non-readers of this blog will never know they are there.

Two of the 4 sides need 45 degree mitered cuts on each end so that the whole “box” appears to be a solid 6x6 post.

 

 

20 wedges that will hold the whole thing together.  If you look carefully, you will see familiar lettering on the table.  This is the same work surface used to screen the wedding invitations.

 

A very productive day

I guess after the wedding, the arbor posts could be used as high-rise bird apartments?

Because the ground where the arbor will sit is uneven, it needs to be adjustable.   These feet were found in Christopher’s grandfather’s garage.  With these, each post can be raised up to 2” if needed.

 

Interior of a beam.  The old stock that is 20” from end is there to receive the screws from the diagonal brace.

 

The end of the horizontal beam can be left open because a faux extension (to make the beam appear to be longer) will cover it.  The tenon will glide above the old stock secured between the two holes.

 

There are 10 crosspieces, each having 4 sides.  That is 40 planks that all need to be the same length.  Since the drill press is heavy and already sitting close to the miter saw, I just turned it into a cutting stop.

 

 

Before assembling the 10 crosspieces, I needed to fabricate the 20 tenons.  This requires a hole in each end for the wedge to fit through.  The tenon is a  rough sawn cedar 2x4.

 

 

All the “holes” and the corners cut from the tenons are thrown into an old bucket that belonged to Christopher’s great-grandmother in Alabama.

 

 

20 tenons finished and ready for assembly.

 

 

I built this jig to hold everything while attaching the interior supports to the tenons (see next pic).  To answer the father’s day card sent from J&E, “I am.”

 

 

Some of the tenons ready for crossbeams to be built around them

 

 

 

 

 

assembling the crosspieces

 

I’ve been writing or painting this phrase in hidden places on all kinds of remodeling projects for as long as I can remember.  I still do!

A very long "box"?

All the elements of the arbor will appear to be 6x6 cedar posts.  A real 8’ post would cost $60 and weigh about 50 pounds.  My posts will be “faux” posts that are actually hollow.  Using Western Red Cedar fence pickets that are rough sawn, we will have the look and feel of heavy timber without the weight and expense.  The light weight is important since there is a distance from the parking lot to the lakeside where the arbor is needed.   The cedar is also an environmentally good choice since it does not have to be treated with chemicals.

 

This picture shows one of the vertical posts before the 4^th side is attached.  These 8’ “boxes” have inner supports at each tenon.  The support at the top and bottom is from lumber found in the groom’s grandfather’s garage.  It is very seasoned, sturdy lumber that appears to have been used to strap machine parts onto pallets and more than likely came from his years at Standard Manufacturing.