Appalachia mission trip – days 2, 3, 4, 5…
I couldn’t manage to get a WiFi connection every day of the trip, so now that I am back home, I am just going to post the rest of my week.
Day two started with us tying all the posts together with a couple of 2″x8″ joists.
We set and bolted headers under the joists.
I had the boys cut the first piece of decking to set initial height of the ramp.
Everybody took a turn at cutting with the miter saw.
I had the kids cut some blocking to support the center joist, then we all signed one of the blocks, and installed it before the decking.
The boys measured and cut the decking, and the girls screwed all the deck boards down. Next we did a load test…
I did the slightly more difficult job of cutting the tops off the posts.
Each of the kids took a turn running the router around the top and bottom of the rail before we installed it.
The girls screwed the side rails on and the top rails down to the left side.
And the boys did the right, completing day two.
Day three was basically exactly the same as day two because we did the second ramp.
The kids were a lot more confident with the tools and flew through the decking.
The kids got a lot more experience with the router the second day. I think they were a little scared of it the day before, but they jumped right in with no fear on the second set of rails.
Both ramps were built 90% by the kids themselves. With minor instruction. I was very proud of them.
Day four, we split my group. The guys watched as I spent most of my day working on modifying a counter top for another group.
Since I wasn’t planning on doing this, I had to get creative with what tools I had.
I cut the counter down with the circular saw, from the rear. Then I cut the straight parts of the hole for the sink.
I carefully cut the radiused corners. by hand and eye, with a small router and a 1/4″ straight bit.
With a little patience, I managed a perfect fit. I also had to notch the backsplash to accommodate a window frame, but I didn’t have a photographer for that mess…
We spent a while ironing on the side pieces and modifying another set of side pieces to fit the notch in the backsplash. I pre-assembled the cabinets with screws, then pulled the screws back out so it all could be transported to the job site. I understand that the home owner liked her new cabinets and counter a lot.
Day five, it was just me and the boys, so they helped me set up a bandsaw and a drill press that was purchased for the camp’s work shop.
Since we finished half a day early, I taught the boys how to make signs, freehand with the router. They had a blast, and we made signs for the girls and the other adults in my crew.
I did not realize that I only gave a link to my own site, on my last post. So here are all of the site links. My project was for the camp site that hosts us every year, and it was amongst the easiest. Please check out the other sites. Our teens and adult leaders did a great job and had a truly productive week.
Not all of the pictures have been uploaded yet, but they should be this weekend. Keep checking back, I believe that the kids will also be uploading pictures as well.
Midnight Woodworking 