Tom King Posted July 21, 2022 Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 Started to work on our old dock. I built this sometime in the mid 1980's. They let the water down low in the lake that Winter, and I built it then. I've been trying to get someone to come drive pilings for a new large dock and boathouse complex. I only want the pilings driven, and the bands set. After that, I will do the rest myself. All the dock builders are booked up for a year or more, and I don't think anyone wants less than the whole job. Hopefully things will slow up some this Winter. I had started tearing this one down before I found out it would be a year or more before a pile driver could get here. While I'm waiting for that, I'm just going to re-deck this one to get by for the rental house. I only thought to take this picture after I had dug out for the first new step. I have that built, and all the nails backed out of the old decking, but I forgot to take a picture. Will do that after lunch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tom King Posted July 21, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 I'm done for the day. It was overcast this morning, so it wasn't so bad. I think I can finish it in a couple of more mornings. I have all the nails backed out, with the slide hammer nail puller, so just have to finish pulling them with a wrecking bar. You can see them sticking up in the second picture if you look closely. I have them out of the way down the middle, and will leave them like this to hold the boards in place while I work on a section of about five boards at the time. You can see in the background that I almost have the beach in good shape. I'm going to put one more step like that, but will redo the dock first. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 21, 2022 Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 Here's what that cove looked like three years ago, not too long after we got that place. We had owned the point since the late '70's, but not that cove and beach. It was full of weeds, and gunk. Almost all sand now. Where I have grass now was all swampy overgrowth. This picture was sometime after I had starting working on it. You can see a bare red dirt hill in the background. A guy was clearing that lot to build a house. I gave the heavy equipment contractor a place to dump stumps very nearby in exchange for putting that topsoil there. We both made out good on that deal. And sometime later: Below shows an I beam drag. The water is clearer and cleaner now that it was then. A few more Springs for flushing with a jetski, and it should be great. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted July 21, 2022 Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 Hi Tom. How is the fishing? Is that a lake? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjeff70 Posted July 21, 2022 Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 That decking looks like pressure treated wood but it looks straight & dry. I didn’t think that was possible. Last time I tried using some of that as a cap on a porch it warped in the sun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 21, 2022 Report Share Posted July 21, 2022 It's not dry all the way through, but had been at the building supply long enough to dry a lot on the outside. I pick every piece, and don't take any wild grain, or juvenile wood, so don't really have that much trouble with it. That will be taken up, and used some kind of way when I build the big dock. I just put one screw anywhere until it's good and dry. If any twists, it will get replaced. There are a Lot of Bass tournaments here. Some pro fishermen pull Striped Bass out of here, and there are plenty of Sunfish, and Catfish. I don't know about now exactly, but for a long time both the North Carolina and Virginia state record Largemouth Bass came out of here. I've never been that interested in fishing. I like boats of all types, and mainly sailing. I'll have the Prosail Hobie 21 catamaran sitting on that beach this Fall, I hope, but whenever I get ahead enough to get it setup, I invite anyone here to come sail with me. I ordered some folding dock cleats for it. I've seen too many people get hurt on regular dock cleats. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01EXUYT2W?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details I think I will even recess these, and back them up with aluminum angle underneath. I already have some angle left from other jobs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 Tom, does the lake level remain steady for most of the year? The larger lakes in my region tend to use floating docks to acommodate varying water levels. Of course, the 'larger' lakes are mostly those created along the Tennessee and Cumbeland rivers by the TVA. Maybe their levels vary more than others? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 This was the last lake flooded on this Roanoke River in 1963. Just because of the design of the dam, water level is maintained within one foot. The lakes upstream, and the one downstream vary a LOT. Back to the hearing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tom King Posted July 22, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 Redoing something old is always more work than it looks like it ought to be. One side of the dock was pushed up by ice at some point. I was able to level it back up with a 20 lb. sledge hammer to persuade the high posts back down. With that, and straightening up now crooked sides, I only have about 1/3 of it re decked. The Sun was out, so I was only good for about an hour and a half, especially with that big sledge hammer. I'm letting the boards run long a little on each side. They will all get cut after drying out for a couple of weeks. The old 2x10 bands are still hard as a rock, but being over 35 years old, I only trust them so far. I'm putting a 2x4 inside, so the screws don't have to go in the old wood, and so close to the ends. After it all gets edged, and straightened up, I'm going to double a 2x12 along the outside, flush with the top. We're going to use dock bumper edging. I'm thinking about using beige instead of white, so it won't stand out so much, and also the white doesn't look good for that long. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyJack Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 Looks like a fun project.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tom King Posted July 22, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 link to some info on the lake: https://www.lakegastonchamber.com/area-information/about-lake-gaston.html I was 13 when they flooded it, and used to ride my bicycle down to where they were clearing it the couple of years before that. This was about the end of the World before the lake came here. I never wanted to live anywhere else. I was very much into water skiing when I was a teenager and always worked somewhere on the lake even before I was able to drive. I was pumping gas to boats at 14. There was almost no traffic on the roads back then, and my Parents were fine with me riding my bike wherever I wanted to go. It's quite a bit different now. I grew up about 7 miles from our place now, just over the state line in Virginia. Everyone around here knows me, even if I don't know them. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyoak Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 On 7/22/2022 at 6:23 PM, Tom King said: It's quite a bit different now. When did you first start carpentry/woodwork? With a family member? Thanks for the description of how it used to be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tom King Posted July 23, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 23, 2022 My Dad was a well digger. First real carpentry job was when I was 15. A man starting a campground, where I worked pumping gas on the lake, asked me if I could build 200 picnic tables. I told him I could, but had no idea how. He had a 9" RAS with a bent blade, and some wooden handled hammers. He had a man helping him that he gave me as a helper. I built a form on a sheet of plywood to assemble the ends by. He brought a truckload of 2x6's, and several 50 lb. boxes of nails. I think we built about 10 a day. My best friend and I built telescopes. When we were 16 and 17 we built a 12-1/2" f/6. We built a 12 x 12 house that the roof rolled off of for an observatory in the cow pasture at our house left empty from my Dad's failed dairy farm. My friend went to work for NASA. He was one of the lead scientists on the JWST. When they had trouble with the Hubble, he took our 12-1/2" mirror, that we had built by hand into the lab there. It was better than anything they had. He was put on the team to fix the Hubble. Picture is him and me skiing on the lake, maybe the first people to ever ski here. There were no houses on the lake then. After I graduated from college, there were no jobs around here. I worked at an airport for three months, and decided I didn't want to be an employee or live in a city, so I came back to the lake and talked a man I knew from Boy Scouts into putting a lot in my name so I could borrow money against it to build a house to sell. Lots were 10k then. I told him I'd pay him 15 after the house sold. I did. I told him if I couldn't sell the house, that I'd put the lot back in his name, and he would own the house. He knew I was honest, and could do what I said I could do from Boy Scouts. That was my first spec house. I knew I'd have to figure it out as I went along. I did that for 33 years, taking the Summers off to play on the lake. I got better, and better equipped every year. That first house had a lot of mistakes in it, but sometime last Fall, a guy came by the shop one day, and told me how much he loved that house. I think he was at least the third owner. He is retired and lives there with his Wife. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Coop Posted July 23, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 23, 2022 @Chestnut, I can’t believe you have anything occupying your time that prevents you from posting here. Just checking to see how Megan and Hazel are doing? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted July 23, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 23, 2022 Finished scrubbing the last 400 sq. ft. of deck, to prep for the bi-annual sealer treatment. A lot of grime builds up in 2 years. Having little to occupy my mind while scrubbing, I ruminated on all the things I have learned about working in the heat. For those unfortunate enough to have never enjoyed such an experience (and because I'm bored), let me share. Specific to this task, scrubbing with TSP and water: 1. Keep the surface wet with cleaner. Dry brushing is a lot of work. 2. Brushes work best when the tips of the bristles scrape the surface. Observe your angle of attack for maximum contact, and keep the pressure light. 3. Change posture, grip, and push direction often to avoid concentrating fatigue in one muscle group. 4. Wet hands blister more than dry. Keep a towel handy, and use a grip to minimize movement of your skin against the brush handle. These tips apply to hot work of any type: a. Solar radiation will make you much hotter than just air temp. I started at 6:30 am, well before the sun was above the treeline. At 75 degF, I worked shirtless, sweating profusely, but not uncomfortably hot. By 7:30, I had to don a shirt, hat, and cooling towel on my neck to avoid the intense radiation. Sunscreen is no substitute for light, loose clothing. By finishing at 9:00, the air temp was still just 84, but it felt like over 100 in the sun. b. Water doesn't cool you until it leaves your body. Drinking very cold water when overheated can cause uncomfortable stomach cramps. Cool water and heavy perspiration are your friends. c. Becoming heated opens capillaries and lowers blood pressure. Take care when rising from a crouch or bending over, you may become dizzy. d. Drink twice as much water as electrolyte drinks. Too many minerals cause problems, just like too few. c. Drink more than you can sweat! I once worked a 16 hour day at carrying drywall into houses in a new development. Temps in the upper 90s, I consumed more than 2 gallons of water, and never needed a bathroom break. Failing to keep the kidneys flushed raises the risk of stone development. IMO, that is the most painful experience of my life, even more that an accident I survived with 15 broken bones. I'm tired now. Feels like I spent those 2.5 hours jumping between pushups and a rowing machine. That's what a sedentary day job will do for ya. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 23, 2022 Report Share Posted July 23, 2022 I'm retired when I want to be, and when I could see the humidity in the air this morning, it was already 80 degrees, full Sun, with no air moving, this is a retired day. No way am I swinging a 20 lb. sledge hammer in that stuff. When the horses are standing in front of their fan first thing in the morning, it's not a good day to leave the house. I did take the tractor down, and picked up all the old dock decking boards, and disposed of them, but that was it outside for today. All the grass needs cutting, but I'm not doing that when it's close to 100 either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post wtnhighlander Posted July 23, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 23, 2022 I'm tired today, but plan to apply the deck sealer tomorrow. Will that make me 're'-tired? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnG Posted July 24, 2022 Report Share Posted July 24, 2022 Our AC went out last night. So that’s great. Signs point to low refrigerant, I think. Not low enough for the compressor to throw a low pressure fault, but it won’t cool the house. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted July 24, 2022 Report Share Posted July 24, 2022 Dang John, I hate to hear that. Call the Marriott for tonight and tomorrow night and the AC guy Monday morning. Good luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post curlyoak Posted July 24, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 24, 2022 On 7/23/2022 at 4:56 PM, Tom King said: this is a retired day. Florida summers into October takes the bounce out of your step. The earliest I start woodwork is 8 due to noise rules. I might start earlier if I have work without the machines. Otherwise I have a half our of hand watering the orchids before 8. I sometimes stretch it out to 10:30 or 11. I find I loose my focus due to heat exhaustion when there are complexities going through my brain. But the next morning with a clear head and cooler temps, I re-find my focus. And all of this requires a spray down of mosquito repellent. Florida summers provide a caustic environment. The pay back is the rest of the year...And mangoes 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 24, 2022 Report Share Posted July 24, 2022 I learned about HVAC repair online, and with a good book. That's the one thing I didn't do when I was building new houses because I knew they would stop working at some point, and I didn't want the calls. We have too many units now to depend on paying someone an exorbitant price to fix them, especially with the older units at the rental house. Fortunately, we don't have anything that still runs R22. I'm pretty sure I have less in equipment than what we would have paid for pro repairs in two years, with what I've had to fix. My Scientist friends do their own too. A couple of them got their licenses, so they can buy what they need. edited to add: I do have an air dryer that runs R22, but fortunately it's very sturdily built, and has never stopped working. I have one tractor that ran R12, but I'm running R21a (which I think is just Butane) in that, and it's working fine. The vehicles run 134a, but they still sell that at auto parts stores. Looks like we will only have two days with the extreme heat-yesterday and today. I'm not much good for sitting down doing nothing, so I'll at least cut grass this morning. My "hobby" is keeping this place up. edited to add: Rectorseal is a company that I have complete confidence in. If you have a unit that has lost refrigerant slowly over a long time, I've never not had this stuff to be a permanent fix. If it was a fast leak, the leak needs to be found and repaired. https://rectorseal.com/ac-leak-freeze-pro-group/ I just bought it off Amazon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 24, 2022 Report Share Posted July 24, 2022 We've had a lot of rain over the past week, and all the grass was about to get too long. I started the mower at 9:30, and had everything we have to cut done, and the mower rinsed off and put away at 11:26. When I got back to the house, Pam asked me if I was supposed to be going that fast. I wasn't rushing myself, but I wanted to get it done. It's somewhere between 12 and 14 acres (rough guess) to be cut with the lawnmower. At least I feel like I got something done today. Yesterday was a disappointment. It was only 90 when I stopped, and humidity wasn't as bad as it was yesterday, so it really wasn't too bad. edited to add: This was the first time I've had to cut all the short grass at one time. The mower doesn't quite have 40 hours on it yet, being new last Summer, but I'm starting to get used to it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JohnG Posted July 24, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 24, 2022 Added refrigerant and we are back in business, for now. Evap coil has a leak, but hopefully we can get a new coil before all the refrigerant leaks out again. Maintenance guy at work has a license to buy the refrigerants, so I might get more from him if needed. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted July 24, 2022 Report Share Posted July 24, 2022 Glad you're able to stay ahead of the heat. 96 here right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Askland09 Posted July 25, 2022 Popular Post Report Share Posted July 25, 2022 Went and bought a couple of kayaks. Long weekends of camping and yak’n in the near future Excise the mess in the garage…. Cheers Mates! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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