Five ago, my wife and I had talked about putting a pergola upon on our back patio. Mostly because that western sun-set can be quite brutal in the summer. Especially since we often sit out there for dinner just as the sun is setting back there. A pergola would give is a a scaffold to attach cloth tapestries to block out that bright, deadly menace.
Back then, I had zero wood-working experience and didn’t feel like it was something I could build myself. So, due to cost and other priorities, the pergola was put aside as an idea that never saw fruition. But now… I’m a wood-worker! A pergola is an easy project compared to the bookcase I built last year. Precision is on the order of inches, not 1/16th inches. Therefore, after wood prices went down enough for us to stomach the costs, we begun our pergola adventure.
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I started by digging out the holes for the posts. They were going to be 6×6 12′ posts, so I had to go pretty deep.
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I found the massive posts actually pretty easy top maneuver. Cedar is not very dense, so I was able to manage moving those massive things around by myself. I soon had them deep in the ground.
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A little bit of concrete and covered with dirt, and voila!
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Next, I added the crossbars, carefully measuring their placement and ensuring they were level as they went across. I then had to drill through two boards and the post (9 inches) to fit a carriage bolt through the assembly.
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With all the bolted crossbars in place, it was time to cut off the excess tops of the posts. I cut through them quite quickly with the cross-cut side of my large ryoba (japanese saw). Soon, I had four stumps for another project.
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Next, it was time to add the second layer, the scaffolding for the thin slats. These pieces were a bit tricky, because I had to cut out a notch in them so that they were ‘fit’ into the crossbars. I oversized the notches to make it easier, but perhaps a bit too much, as now I see some gaps. I few screws ensured they will stay put.
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It was a perfect Saturday to be working on this. Blue skies and a comfortable 75 degree (F) temperature. I just love the Minnesota summers.
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Next, I cut the slats for the top layer. I ripped a number of 2×4’s in half and added a special curve to the ends to match the curves I did for the crossbars. The curve was made using a template.
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With all the slats on with a few screws, the pergola was finished, perfect time for a summer afternoon hang-out.
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