Let's Make a Pergola!

"What's a pergola?"

I get that a lot.  A pergola is...

Well it certainly isn't an arbour or a trellis.  Sometimes these terms are used interchangeably but they are certainly not the same thing.  An arbour is more like an archway or a gateway.  A trellis is generally a wall or a panel that is used for shade or to grow things on.  A pergola is also used for shade or to grow things on, but more on that later.

Anyway, let's make a pergola!

Here we are in sunny Medicine Hat, Alberta.

You can see here that the posts that hold the structure up have been placed, braced plumb, and lopped off at level.  Beautiful landscaping was done by our friend Digger Dan.

Now to start on the first level.  Pergolas generally have three levels of framing.  The bottom level in this case consists of two beams that run from post to post, plus two cross beams that link the whole structure together.  Pictures above is the bottom of the beams.  They are about to be lapped to receive the posts.

Let the lapping begin!  Gang the timbers together to make things easier.  The circular saw is set to cut 1/2" deep.

Smash the remaining material out with a few hammer strokes.

Then clean the joints with a sharp chisel.

And now it's time for mortises!

The cross beams are are joined to the beams with big, fat through tenons.  Pictured above is a template saddled to the beam. 

The router follows the template...

Voila!  A square hole!

Not very deep, though...

Aha!

Remove the remaining material with a big drill.

Note: the template was used on both sides.  That way, the hole doesn't break out on the other side when you drill through.  Also the mortise won't be wonky.

At this point we cut the tenons on to the cross beams.  The shoulders and cheeks were both cut with a circular saw, then finished with a handsaw.

Considerable time was taken ensuring that the joints fit before...

Assembly!

Pictured above is the box frame being dry-fit.  It is upside-down.  Note the laps that will land on the posts when it is flipped over.

It fits.

Bevels on the through tenon offer a nice detail.

After glue is applied to the tenons, the box-frame is assembled.  Be sure to check for square and twist.

Pergola Part 2

Coming Soon...

Road Trip 2

Pack the van!  We're going west!

Jacobson Construction, along with my wife and daughter, are heading west to do a big renovation for my mother.  We packed the van with personal items, the rental trailer with tools, and drove from Sarnia ON to Medicine Hat AB.  

Fun with Mom.

Fun with Dad.

Hooray!  We made it to Winnipeg!

It sure is windy here.

At last...

After 6 days we arrive on the high plains around Med Hat.  The drive is possible in 3 days, but not with a 5 month old baby!

Now it's time to go to work...

Custom Doors

We got this contract through our friend Dave Dillon.  The client wanted to spruce up their screened in porch.  The idea was to cap the white columns with cedar, as well as replace the existing screen door with a custom one and add an additional screen door at the rear of the house.  Although one could use cedar for the doors, I persuaded the client to go with spanish cedar.  Strangely enough, it is neither spanish, nor cedar.  It is a hardwood from the tropics, is most similar to my eye to mahogany, and it has a delightful aroma.  It is most often used for making humidors, and is naturally resistant to rot, a great quality for exterior doors.

The doors were built in the shop.  That process is not shown here, but next time, I promise.

I set up shop in the driveway, where all the cedar would be cut to fit, as well as fitting the doors with hardware and installing the screens.

It is great to have a shop that will set up in small locations.  That way any problems that spring up can be solved right on site, without the delay of having to haul things back and forth.

A shot of the screen door at the rear of the house.  The design is simple, but very pleasing to the eye.

Note the great colour on that spanish cedar.

A shot of the screened-in porch after capping with cedar and the installation of the new door.  The clients also had us put a finish on the deck.  They are thrilled and so are we.