|
|
Post by Volktales on Feb 3, 2021 20:54:14 GMT -8
Sooo, it is finally time to do that damn stairs project I have been putting off. I hated the old rotting stairs leading into the suite above the garage, and it was time to do something about it. Yet I hate building things with wood and have no skills or patience to work with it either. So enter plan B...  This project was started before Christmas, but then the Metal Supermarket ran out of 1 1/2" square steel tubing. Only recently Dad found another source that could guarantee to get it, but unknowingly at a MUCH inflated price. The piper was paid...  It is coming along. Basic design of previous stairs was original inspiration, but the rest of this was was drawn up on some graph paper to my own weird design. Surprisingly the Boo-Boos were few...  The spokey things for the railings were old rebar found buried in the dirt behind my garage. It is coming together ok, and better far outlast my lifetime as I certainly don't want to ever do this again... |
|
|
|
Post by 1hotvw on Feb 3, 2021 23:16:10 GMT -8
pretty clean buried rebar.
|
|
|
|
Post by Volktales on Feb 4, 2021 18:28:50 GMT -8
pretty clean buried rebar. Mr. wire wheel on Dad's big bench grinder took care of that rust nicely... Hopefully all the welding will be completed tomorrow... |
|
|
|
Post by PICTUP on Feb 4, 2021 19:22:55 GMT -8
This is going to end up being a 'feature' on your property Russ!  |
|
|
|
Post by Volktales on Feb 6, 2021 21:40:51 GMT -8
Sooo, still at it...  The other side main railing is done, now doing the stair portion. Angles not as much fun, and drilling and angling the holes for the spokes not as fun either. But got there eventually.  This thing just keeps growing bigger and bigger. Looks like a jail cell...  Dad insisted that I add these mounting plates to allow it to be bolted to the foundation. The previous stairs just sat there under their own weight, but he felt that this must be bolted. Gotta keep him happy...  Then finally all the stupid welding and fabricating was done and time for paint! I vastly underrated the time to do this with brush on Tremclad...  But done it is. Except for the steps and landing, and that is going to be 2x6" pressure treated WOOD! Boo Hoo hoo! |
|
|
|
Post by tony on Feb 6, 2021 23:13:29 GMT -8
Nice job , now I see why you were getting the pickup fixed! 😁 Do ya need a hand moving it?😱
P.S. I wear masks when I install insulation , not when I move stairs!
|
|
|
|
Post by PICTUP on Feb 7, 2021 21:27:34 GMT -8
Geez, if you ever move you are going to have to take this masterpiece along and somehow find a place for it, lol!! Nice job!  |
|
|
|
Post by Volktales on Feb 17, 2021 22:24:01 GMT -8
 Well there it is. Pretty much finished up. Finally. Came out OK in the end, but what a lot of work.  Not all that fancy, but very strong which is what I wanted. This thing does not move at all when you jump on it, so that makes me happy.  Don said I had to use some old oil based paint to seal up the ends of the boards. He said "the older, the better". How does some Flecto X-3D bought at the old Harewood Co-op in 1983 sound? Was nice and thick and goopy after close to 40 years sitting in a cupboard... Now how to move this damn thing??? |
|
|
|
Post by Volktales on Feb 21, 2021 20:13:55 GMT -8
 Well today was the big day. It was finally time to move the stairs out of Dad's garage, and get it on over to my house. Don and Terry are strapping it down after five of us lifted it onto the trailer. The wet and slippery trailer deck meant sliding it to the front was a piece of cake...  Getting back off and plopping it into place took seconds. Luckily my measuring paid off and it fit very nicely in place...  And there it is at last. Only took 3 months!!! Oh well, at least I learned a lot as this was my first major designing, fabricating, and welding project, with a bit of WOOD thrown in there too. Now I have the confidence to do more projects like this, and the next might be a new support base for my collapsing garden shed (damn wood base is rotting away...) More fun too come.... |
|
|
|
Post by PICTUP on Feb 21, 2021 20:38:03 GMT -8
HEY! Sneaky guy with camera, lol !! Here are the conspirators:  The look of relief on Russ' face is quite evident, even though his dad is wondering(out loud mind you) why he's not getting to using the Hilti to affix it to the wall concrete  |
|
|
|
Post by Volktales on Oct 21, 2021 21:08:33 GMT -8
Sooo, instead of starting a new thread on home repairs, I will just add the current "project" here. And once again it involves replacing rotting wood with more metal. And this is the reason why the Ghia project has not been updated... Pics coming soon...
|
|
|
|
Post by Volktales on Oct 24, 2021 20:28:04 GMT -8
Sooo, only one picture at the moment...  So what do you think this contraption is that is intended for home repairs??? And yes it was later fully welded by someone with much better skills than me... |
|
|
|
Post by Volktales on Oct 31, 2021 19:07:27 GMT -8
No I did not get any more accomplished on the above project this weekend. Why???  You just know that I cannot turn down free stuff. Our scrap metal bin at work is shared with the forklift repair shop next store. And sometimes they throw away cool stuff. This very heavy duty cart thing was likely once for a big welder. Nice heavy easy rolling casters on a stout frame is just too good to throw away... Fishing it out of the dumpster was a bit fun...  It cleaned up nicely with Super Clean, dried off well in the nice sunshine today, and then why not spray on some new grey paint I had lying around. Reorganized the garage to accommodate it, but it was worth the effort. The end result for this thing will probably be used as a platform for starting VW engines (and maybe Corvair engines) eventually. When I get the time... |
|
|
|
Post by PICTUP on Nov 21, 2021 19:25:02 GMT -8
Sooo, only one picture at the moment... So what do you think this contraption is that is intended for home repairs??? And yes it was later fully welded by someone with much better skills than me... I know what this is for, but you gonna let everyone else know? Did you ever get it fully welded? |
|
|
|
Post by Volktales on Nov 21, 2021 21:27:53 GMT -8
Is fully welded. Lacking motivation to install it...
|
|
