Wednesday, November 22, 2006

another cross beam

i fell the perfect tree for the next cross beam for the barn--see previous post for photos. our new friends got to see it fall--from a distance. the kids immediately ran to the tree and started climbing it. an instant monkey bar set. bouncy climbie and generally lots of fun. after i let them have some fun i shooed them away and cut it into pieces. most of the tree is firewood but two sections will be beams. the bottom thirteen feet i am cutting in half lengthwise and the top seventeen feet will be the center lower beam that supports the hay loft.

when tristan came back to see his new monkey bar set he was very dismayed that the tree was totally gone. i decided to light a bond-fire to get rid of the branches and it is endless entertainment. tristan has developed this game where he pokes a leaf from the surrounding area and roasts it like a marsh-mellow. i figure constructive monitored fire investigation is better than making it taboo and nurturing a hidden craving to play with it.

i plan to raise the center beam into place next. i need to devise a plan since the beam is very heavy, two hundred plus pounds, and i have to do it by my self. i have a plan but need to attach a rope and pulley to the top of the center upright.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

do you have any money invested in the building?

Omelay said...

not really. gas for my chainsaw, a portion of the load of stone that i bought a while ago.

i plan to use rough timber to frame it. the bolts i'm using to hold it together were given to me by my neighbor. i owe tom a days labor for the twenty two sheets of slightly used roofing material--enough to roof and side the barn.

in true ozarks fashion i plan to see how cool i can make it while spending as little money as possible.

the barn will have a loft for hay and plenty of room to milk and keep the cow and any calf that might happen our way.

i'll make this a whole post about this very soon.

Anonymous said...

I'll be interested to read how you raise the beam..

Anonymous said...

You know, if I was there, I'd lift that big log without a device. Good idea about monitoring the Boy's pyro exposure. Ease him into it.

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