Saturday was naturally stormy since I can't have nice days. I saw another deer between the bouts of rain, a buck this time, though his rack doesn't look big. He looked like a 4 pointer, though I would wager this time of year they are still growing. I notice he came through the same spot as the last few I have seen.
Since it was rainy, I decided to work on the design for a shelter for the tractor. It essentially turned into a carport, the spot I measured out at the top of the hill was 12x20, which is a common size. I tossed around three designs.
The first was just buying a carport. If I went this route, I would use the provided roof metal for the walls and put a real roof on it. The metal they give you is ribbed the wrong direction to shed snow. Not a problem if you live in the south, not a good thing in the north. They claim it is good for 35lbs per square foot snow load, which using what I am sure are marvelously accurate numbers from the internet, would be good for about 18 inches of heavy wet snow. I could probably make that work, big nor'easters that dump more than that are rare, even in the hills where we always get more.
I also looked at building my own. 12x20 is a pretty major project though. I first looked at a pretty common gable design. This design had a pretty common ridge board design roof with a 4:12 pitch. I set the parameters for the overhang so it was all standard 8' lumber for the roofing.
The design for the whole shed wasn't terribly complex. Its main features would be acryllic/plexiglass for the siding in the front and rear (above the 8' single sheet mark) to let in light (a problem with my current shed).
I also looked at single slope (run in/shed roof) design. This one is simpler, would be easier to build, but is running only a 3:12 pitch so it won't shed snow well, and requires beefier very long rafters that aren't cheap boards (14' 2x6). I don't really want to go with a smaller rafter, since in this design the rafters hold more of the weight, and for a 12' span the general rule of thumb is that a 6" board is already too small. The tractor is just shy of 7' tall, so that means that I would be running 10'6" on the tall side, meaning a 10' board with double plating. That would give me a header height for the entrance of almost exactly 7'. Tight but everything would fit without trouble (until I buy a bigger tractor).
I intend to run through how much the home built versions would cost before making any determination. I expect it will be only marginally less than the pre-built metal shed, which would also be the easiest to build and set up. In case people were wondering where I generate the roofing designs, I typically use an online tool: https://www.blocklayer.com/roof/gableeng.aspx
Since I was curious, I also looked at the weight of a pre-built shed. I haven't worked on the camper designs in a while, but seeing that a pre-built shed the size I was planning on building was 2,000 lbs made me think I should do a weight analysis of my design. I am planning on putting it on a single axle trailer with a GVWR of 3500lbs. The trailer and that shed would only leave me 1000lbs for everything inside. I think I can beat the 2000lbs of a pre-built shed by a significant margin though. Still, it is enough to at least get the wheels churning on a weight analysis as to whether I am going to make it.
Today started off kind of dreary and gray, but it is has cleared up (and gotten hot). My pile of dirt is still really wet, so it looks like no tractor work for me this weekend. I decided to work on a different project that had been put on hold; the folding table. The stain is drying as I write this, but I got the main pieces done. They didn't come out the color I had hoped but I do like it. I bought an oak colored stain hoping it would match my oak cabinets, but it doesn't. It is a much richer color than my cabinets are.
They look pretty good considering I didn't use any wood conditioner and this is my first time staining. My other table wasn't a traditional stain (where you put on a thick layer and wipe it off), it was more of a paint.
I intend to finish the other side tonight, and then when it is finally cured, it will be time for the protective urethane layer. It was actually really nice to get out and do something, I have been cooped up for far too long because of the weather. I think I preferred the drought part of the summer.
I have made a few bee traps as well (they are just cut up soda bottles) and I intend to put them out tonight. Let the war begin.
How's the bee traps working for ya?
ReplyDelete