Enjoying the Moment

To add a little atmosphere and gaiety we hung garlands of LED Christmas lights from the pergola. The LED garlands are solar powered so wiring was a cinch.  It also made a nice spot from which to view our campfire though it was a ways off. We were fortunate after a long dry spell and fire ban to have the ban lifted so that we could enjoy our campfire this evening.

Final Phase 2: Pergola Complete

Enjoying our first Brunch in the New Building

Working into the Dark

 Darkness was starting to come earlier but we were determined to finish the job this evening which we accomplished by 9:30 pm that night.

What's interesting is that with the LED Headlights on our heads we were able to keep working uninhibited by the dark. We never needed any other lighting either which we had at the ready.

Some of the lag screws and washers used.

The long galvanized screws became quite a burden to screw in because of the friction with the wood. We screwed them in using a ratchet and socket. By rubbing regular bar soap into the screw threads and on the shaft made the work much easier.

Installing the Purlin Beams

 The two purlin beams were installed. The tops of the posts were sloped to align with the curvature of the beams.

 The beams were fastened with two 12" galvanized lag screws and washers into each post.

The bent braces were then screwed into the beams and posts. The ends of the braces were mitred to sit flush with the post or beam surfaces.

Installing the Four Posts

Once the four posts were prepared they were cut square at the top and bottom to ensure that they would stand straight. For each post a base was created by digging an 18"x18" hole 4 in. deep, then filled it with stone dust and covered with an 18'x18' patio stone which was then carefully leveled. The posts were then stood up on the patio stone bases.

The spacing of the pergola posts was 12' wide by 15' long. Once the posts were placed they were stablized by temporary braces fastened to pegs. This would allow us to put up the beams without having to worry  about knocking over the posts.

Preparation of the logs

Bent pieces were selected for the braces.

Improvised Crosscut saw using ladder and chainsaw to the left.

Electric hand-plane made quick work of the knots.  

The logs were planed and sanded.