Mother's Rustic Pergola
(Page 8 of 13)
February/March 1998
By the Mother Earth News staff
Infill
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For greatest strength and stability, the two upside-down "U" shaped post/rail frame components needed to be connected with lateral stretchers (like rungs in three ladders) at the midpoint of each ladder-frame, and close to the 90°angle joints in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions.
First, I cut 7 stretchers of 3" to 4" diameter ash to be 4 inches longer than the measured distance between post and rail at their mid-points and at points 18" in each direction from the 90° joints. That means three midpoint stretchers plus four others, some located a foot-and-a-half down from the top of each pair of posts and others connecting the overhead rails the same distance in from each end. Using the Lancelot and inch-plus-wide logbuilding chisels, I made wide slot-joints that will prevent the spreaders from rolling if some youngster decides to use them to climb up on the pergola. Indeed, stacking cylinders to make a wall defies the laws of physics, and no-roll joints are desirable in any log construction. If a log can roll in a joint it will, and work loose over time.
To make these joints, I first cut notches into top and bottom of each stretcher end to produce 2" wide, 2" deep rectangular tenons at the ends of each stretcher, assuring that shoulders at both ends were parallel. Then I milled mirror-image open horizontal mortises (slots) to fit each tenon into the post. Finally, using a (nonscarring) mallet and block as needed, I firmed the joints together and locked them in place with deck screws driven through the post into the stretcher from the sides. (see sidebar: Slot Joints.) If you anticipate that your pergola will be actively used as a climbing/play structure by children, fasten these main joints with lag screws. (See the sidebar on lag joints on page 74.)
To provide rungs for plants to climb on, I filled the balance of each ladder-frame by nailing-on lengths of straight ash, twisty apple limb, and old grapevine each 18" or so. Strictly ornamental, the straight, regular stretchers were fastened with inset lap joints where undersides of ends of stretchers are notched out to fit into slots milled and chiseled into inside edges of posts. The more ornate, twisty stretchers were placed in full view for best visual impact. Their ends were individually shaped to fit into custom-milled notches in the posts.
To fasten, I used a cordless drill and 3/32" bit to make small pilot holes through the stretcher ends and fastened them with deck screws if the stretcher was large enough to take it without splitting. To fasten thinner pieces, I tapped in 2", #6 galvanized ring-shanked box nails. You needn't inset every stretcher or length of infill or fuss over every fastener you use if the wood is more ornamental than structural. Generations of rustic builders have simply nailed sticks together without even drilling pilot holes. I prefer using selftapping galvanized or rustproof alloy deck screws to nails as they are easier to remove without ruining the wood if you find you've made a mistake. More importantly, they can be cinched tighter or replaced with a longer screw to tighten up a joint that's become loose as wood shrinks in drying or that is getting sloppy from constant working by weather or hard use.
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