Bob's caboose build

[bobhenry]

Well, we cut 2 monster trees down and the bottom sections were huge. I really didn't want to get that up close and personal with a sledge hammer and some wedges so I decided to make a robin hood table. In order to get 2 very un-uniform lumps to support a table at 34" and be level I decided to use a couple scrap 2x8's and place them in a dado that was chain sawed to be level side to side and make each cut match in depth so the table will be level the length as well. After those lateral cuts were made I positioned a center support that was also dadoed into stump and screwed to the lateral braces making essentially a big capital letter "I" centered all and installed the 10' 5/4" deck boards for the top.



Later we just had to cut the walnut seating.

[godskid]

Gorgeious! And verrry clever!

[Nansplace]

It looks great but I don't think you'll sit there too long before your bottom starts begging for something softer. LOL Very nice idea and it looks great! Enjoy!!!

[S. Heisley]

Very clever!

[bobhenry]

It looks great but I don't think you'll sit there too long before your bottom starts begging for something softer. LOL Very nice idea and it looks great! Enjoy!!!

SOME OF US COME WITH EXTRA PADDING !

[bobhenry]

Well Christmas day and Saturday was great weather 55 - 60 so the tractor barn doors went up.




Rain came in about noon Saturday so I went inside the caboose and test fired the vent free propane heater and was most pleased. Got some wiring done and made some piddle adjustments to things and picked up a bit.


Just putting along enjoying my vacation time. I don't go back till next year!

UPDATE ~~~~~


Finally got rid of that undersized ugly door and found some pretty ones yep free ~~~



repurposed doors for the tractor barn. They were rescued from the trash pile at the window and door place next door at work.
20 lite real glass and solid (heavy as hell) oak doors. They came out of a municipal building the city is renovating.

[pjo129]

Well Christmas day and Saturday was great weather 55 - 60 so the tractor barn doors went up.




Rain came in about noon Saturday so I went inside the caboose and test fired the vent free propane heater and was most pleased. Got some wiring done and made some piddle adjustments to things and picked up a bit.


Just putting along enjoying my vacation time. I don't go back till next year!

UPDATE ~~~~~


Finally got rid of that undersized ugly door and found some pretty ones yep free ~~~



repurposed doors for the tractor barn. They were rescued from the trash pile at the window and door place next door at work.
20 lite real glass and solid (heavy as hell) oak doors. They came out of a municipal building the city is renovating.

And you didn't think government was good for anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bobhenry]

Well Sunday was so hot and muggy we took a road trip. Went 145 miles to rescue an early 1900 cast iron/ porcelain sink. In so doing I also found in the trash pile about 200 feet of black plastic cold water pipe. That saved a few $ that I was planning on spending to plumb the solar coil hot water heater. Finished tightening down the rubber roof and now just need to paint and install the dental molding to finish the roof. Soon to come is the rainwater harvesting and the solar collectors to be installed. Seems like the closer I get the slower I become.

[Nansplace]

Is the sink going in the caboose or the HIH?

[bobhenry]

The sink was original to the land ladies farm house and she wants it reinstalled to get the house back to it's original look. This farm house has been in her family for 4 generations and the land and the farm goes back to a civil war land grant to her family. I think its great to have roots that run that deep

[VijayGupta]

Relevant to this topic: http://news.smallerliving.org/2016/07/2 ... nyhometour

[bobhenry]

WELL A LITTLE UPDATE.... The 150 pound garden window won the first round. Attempts to lift it with the little ford tractor and boom was a bust. I ran out of lift inches before it could be inserted into the big gaping hole I have cut in the side of the caboose.

I am going to attempt plan B today (Sunday)

Hell just cutting the hole was a nightmare! To keep the window centered and to avoid cutting more than one wall stud completely out I had to literally split the two other stud Why did the window have to be 48" wide, why not 46+. To accommodate the 48" wide window I needed to remove 1/2 of the thickness of the 2x6 wall studs flanking the window sides. So using a 3/4" thick one by I marked a 3/4 cut mark which I followed with my circular saw set as deep as possible. I now have a 5 1/2" deep 2x6 cut not quite half way thru. With a saws all equipped with a new sharp 10" demo blade I plunged it into the kerf and let it literally pound its way thru the remaining 2x6 material and the zip wall exterior sheathing. It wasn't too bad on the left side but as the blade dulled the opposite side was a fight. The blade wanted to wandered here and there. I finally scored the remaining material with the circular saw set at 3/4" deep every couple of inches. As the saws all cut off a chunk I could at least attempt to restart the saws all blade at 3/4 deep. It was a mess when finished but as luck would have it I had a 32 grit metal impinged grinding head on my little 4" grinder so the humps and bumps were slowly worked smooth. I also needed to remove the mid height blocking and relocate it flat at the bottom of the window opening to be reused as a sill. I did not put in an upper header as the window box is built like a tank with 2" thick LVL laminate material. This is the reason the window is so damn heavy. It is a monster. What I haven't mentioned is that I have the 4 - 5 layers of removed blue foam stacked here and there in the caboose taking up space and getting in the way,or the fact my electrical wiring has some 12-2 romax exiting a stud in the cut out area

Well round 2 starts in about an hour wish me luck. Will have some pics of this adventure Tuesday when I get to work.

[Philip]

If round two doesn't get it let me know. I'll drift down and help. I have been wanting to see your caboose.

[bobhenry]

Phil just let me know. However, It would have scared you to death yesterday. I had to rip out about 20 sheets of 3/4 blue foam insulation and think I made a 5 gallon bucket full of sawdust but after round 3 it is in the hole. By the time I cabled around it and fastened it to the lift boom I kept losing 18" or so that I really needed so I got mad and screwed in a big eyed lag screw. I was really worried the lag would rip out of the lvl frame but I was determined the window was going in. So I pried open the eye and made a hook, fed it thru the eye on the boom and set it on dual gangplanks I had these resting on the 275 gallon liquid tote I have ready for rain water harvesting and the other end was secured to a 2x6 cleat I screwed to the wall just below the opening. The 3rd lift was a success it went high enough to rest on the makeshift runway. I oiled the boards to make sliding easier and unhooked and started pushing. As I pushed the right side it went forward and the left side slid back. As I pushed the left side the right slid back

Not to be out foxed I pushed one side and took the battery drill and screw in a stop on the gang plank then pushed the other and set a stop screw and on and on. about 4 pushes and it was at the hole. I went inside to take a look at the fit and all was well but the top. It was hitting. I determined that at the 15 degree angle it was coming in too far in at the bottom causing the top to hit. I shoved it out a bit and grabbed the safety strap I had placed thru the side windows and around the unit and tried to tip it up square onto the window.... and of course the bottom slid in again

OK adapt and overcome ! Placed a 1x3 as a stop at the bottom and pulled the window again . It tipped up and slid in like a hand in a glove

Now how to do this alone and get every thing to stay snug so I can screw the unit final into the opening. Well after a trip to the truck for a small ratchet strap there was the question what to secure it to to draw in the window? The porch lights outside the side door have an elbow support that offered a place for a 6 foot 2x4 so I plop the 2x4 on the brackets and threw the strap over the 2x4 and feed the end back thru the hook eye. It is now securely loped over the 2x4. I placed the hook and ratchet on the safety strap thru the windows and started cranking. As the window entered the opening I removed the temporary bottom bump board. I had previously placed stops at 4" so the window reveal would be correct from the outside . As the window met the depth stops I inserted 3 1/2" construction screws. It took a few jerks to jockey all corners into place but I finally won in 3 rounds.

Today ( my last day of my 4 day weekend ) I will silicone caulk and butyl tape the opening and hopefully find some 1x4 for trim to finish off the opening and install the 2 missing batten boards and the tiny is a step close to being winter ready

[bobhenry]

P.S. pics to follow in the AM Tuesday when I get to work.

UPDATE: Here are the pics as promised

cutting in



here is the reason "the view"

the dangle

the hole is waiting

here is the make shift dual gang plank in the background

finally in !

here is the 2x4 outside the side door

and the safety strap that pulled it into place

the gang planks from inside

a late night shot. Still needing paint and final 1x4 trim but it's in and weatherproof.


Probably to much info but it was a fun and frustrating project and getting it done alone was quite a feat.