Tonight Mason, Bill and I went with Chris to the hardware store to purchase the lumber for the Gaga Pit. Chris made this whole process a lot easier for a number of reasons. As a framer, he knows his way around a pile of wood, he has a truck and trailer for hauling and at his home, he has all the proper tools for making precise cuts on lumber.
For this project, we bought 2 x 8 x 10 for the sides, 4 x 4 x 12 for the posts and 2 x 4 x 8 for the entrance.
We went back to Chris’ house to prep the wood. Had we not been there to “help,” Chris might have been able to cut everything in about half the time it took. However, he talked Bill and Mason through each step and taught them a lot.
First they measured 3” up, marked a V and then draw a line through it.
Chris did the miters since Boy Scouts under 18 years of age are not allowed to operate saws.
When it was time to create the entrance, Chris showed them how to use the blue corner ruler to create the proper angle for the cuts. Because he does this kind of calculation all the time, he knew the exact measurements to make them work out perfectly the first time.
Once the cuts were made for the entrance, Mason used the drill to screw in the 2 x 4s. Three hours later, the wood was cut and ready to be hauled back to school for the building work day at the end of June.
God bless the N family especially C & L. Still remember how hard L worked on the trim project for the school.
wow – this is going to be very cool!