And used a template to drill pilot holes for the big bridge decking. This decking is a multi-part operation.
1. pilot holes, quite small, drilled into the painted decking board: 4 each. They don’t go all the way through. This part we did. There are 44-45 boards for this bridge. Thats 180 precisely placed holes.
2. next comes the countersinking of the 180 holes: this takes a special bit to center in the pilot hole and take 180 divots out so the screws will be flush or lower than the decking surface. We got the small conical bit to do that.
3. next MAY come the drilling of the top hole all the way through the board, or not: we have acquired a ‘hammer’ drill, capable of driving a screw into wood. Its ability to drive the screw smoothly through fir is what will determine whether or not it will do a one-shot job or whether we need to drill a slightly wider hole.
5. then we insert a pair of 3/8ths inch spacers to be sure we get a regulation gap between boards to account for flex, heat, cold, and let water and air flow through. And add the next board, preparing to screw it down.
6. having secured one end of the bridge, we then go to the other side and screw a couple of boards on there, to be sure the build is ‘true’ and not skewed or warped. The boards are of a known length: the crossbraces are of a known length; everything should be on the square, but we learned doing the tiny garden bridge on the dry streambed that getting the build on the square is not a piece of cake and needs to be carefully measured and seen to.
7. then we just build both ends toward the center. If we don’t end up with a whole board up there, we’ll have to cut it, but hey, it’s ‘character’. It’s more important to be sure we’re true and square, and that the line of screws is even all the way.
Having done one, we went to the store, got the bits we needed, and then headed to the Swinging Door, had lunch, and had an afternoon rest. We think we’ve kind of earned it.
Well, YES…..
Hammer drills are used to drill concrete, rock etc.; to put screws in fir keep the hammer function turned off. They are usually good strong drills so they can do a pretty good job of driving screws too.
I second what CMac said about turning OFF the hammer function. Usually this is engaged or disengaged by rotating a collar located just behind the chuck on the drill body. If the drill is making an extra-raspy BRRRRRRR sound when you squeeze the trigger, the hammer function is engaged.
A neat, sneaky trick you can do, if the screws are being especially difficult to drive: keep a small open dish with a generous squirt of liquid soap at hand — dip your fingers and coat the screw just before driving it in. The little bit of lubrication can work wonders. I’ve driven 4″ screws with *no* pre-drilling this way.
This is a great idea! I’ve used the dry soap method, but not this. A little bowl and just dip the in before driving would solve the soapy fingers problem.
Glad you like the idea. Having enough soap in the dish to do that is a little more wasteful of soap, but it it’s worth it to you to keep fingers dry… :shrug: or keep a second finger bowl of plain water handy…
My trick on screws is to use a bar of cheap soap, stab it full of screws then just pull them out as I need em. The screws pull out a bit of soap as you pull em out, and the bar holds on to them as you move along.. Also, no soapy hands wrestling with drill.
Option #2, a bit messier, use a can of paste wax and do the same. ONLY use that one if you’ve already painted all you want to though, the wax, well, its wax!
It’s possible I’m too caught up in writing. I originally read the first line as:
Plot holes, quite small . . .
So, you know, how is the writing going for the two of you? LOL
May all your plot holes we small and easily drilled.
Pilot Holes? That pilot’s in for a hard time. Probably better if those holes are out than in.
DO drill the clearance holes in the top board. The whole point of using screws is to pull one board into contact with another.
Without the clearance holes, all the effort goes into just drilling through to reasonably close boards.
With the clearance hole in the top board all the effort goes into pulling the boards together.
And I agree with previous comments, DO NOT use the hammer function on screws, you will rip the heads off them. The hammer function is for drilling concrete.
PS: Great to see some of your books up on the Amazon Kindle. I am now buying things here and on Amazon, just to push your electronic publishing efforts. I am sure it is moving slowly, perhaps frustratingly so, but electrons will eventually/soon prevail over pesky atoms for many things
Shades of Norm Abram — Measure twice, cut once.
Having done a lot of this sort of thing may I suggest that the deck boards get clearance holes rather than pilots, that you not use the impact function, that you do use stainless screws and that you lay out the boards before screwing them down, and I mean lay them ALL out. Snug them up to another, fill the space, measure what you have left and space accordingly. Nothing looks worse than a narrow board in the middle of a deck. If you need a narrow board put it at either end, they’re less noticeable there. If you put it in the middle you eye will be drawn to it every time you look at it.
Good luck.
Phil Brown
Gotcha. We’ve drilled the clearance holes, we’re using proper rustproof screws, and we are just about ready to start laying them down.
I was going to offer “good” advice about turning the hammer off and using soap to lubricate the screws, but several folks have beat me to it. So I will just wish you good lick!
er.. “luck!”
Lol—we’ve got everything drilled and prepared, but actually attaching the boards I think will be tomorrow. Jane’s strength still isn’t up to long bouts, and countersinking 4 screw holes on each of 45 thickly painted, first-rate fir boards is a bit of a wrestle! Jane got very tired. She’s still building back her blood supply.
We did get some good news: our cranky, miserly insurance is actually paying part of some of the bills. This is really good news! We’re going to take a hit, but we are not being left on the curb by these people whose bills we have paid for ten claimless years.
Oh, you are optimistic. Twenty years, m’friend. Twenty.
Too bad you don’t have access to a drill press. It would make short work of the pilot holes and countersinking.
Drill presses are wonderful things. But we’re pretty good. We got through all of it, and all we have to do now is screw the planks down in an orderly and measured way. 😉 [small job, that!]
While I am sure you always do a good job, I also know how much you love the pirate motif — resist the temptation to leave the planks a little loose, “shiverin’ yer timbers” here would *not* be a good thing 😉
STOP THE PRESSES111
The deck boards are painted? Down here in The People’s Democracy Of California we don’t paint our decks so it didn’t register.
Get some primer into the screw holes before you install the boards. It’s important. If you don’t every screw hole will act as a highway for water and rot from within. Especially with a snow load. We use redwood or one of the Brazilian hardwoods down here.
Sorry to shout but I am a painter from birth, fourth generation, and paint isn’t just pretty, it protects the wood..
Phil Brown
Thank you, Phil! We haven’t attached them yet!
You’re welcome. I know it’s a PITA but in a few years you’ll be happy. What happens is that water wicks into the wood, the painted surfaces keep it in, it rots from within and in the worse case you have beautiful deck boards that are just painted dry rot and they look perfectly fine. Use a small brush and if you can tint it to match the finish. If I can I just dump some finish into the primer to tint it down. Good luck.
Phil Brown