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Post by FrostyTurnip on Jan 19, 2023 14:40:19 GMT -6
Much respect. I marvel at your hard work. My shoulders and hips ache just reading about it. Yet, I’d be doing the same if I had those hungry deer around. Good work, woodeye.
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Post by woodeye on Jan 19, 2023 19:22:43 GMT -6
Hot dog! The walls are done. Now on to the ends with these "swinging" gates? I'm definitely gonna be paying attention!
Great progress Teddy!
Thank You, Rick. Yes, the swinging gates on each corner will not necessarily be fancy, I don't have a cutting torch or welder, but I know I can construct something that will ease the closing of the end portions of the enclosure. At least with the swinging gates, the gates will always remain standing and I won't have to lift them up and attach them twice per year.
I also plan to use top rail that will go from one side to the other, preferably at each post on the sides. There will be sag in that length of top rail because it would be 23 feet of unsupported top rail. But, I have devised a way to remove the sag. (in theory only at the moment) I'll leave several feet of overhang on each top rail piece, the overhang will be necessary to remove the sag.
I am catching up on wood shop projects through Sunday, but will work on the top rail and permanently attach the fence fabric next week...
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Post by woodeye on Jan 19, 2023 19:34:12 GMT -6
Much respect. I marvel at your hard work. My shoulders and hips ache just reading about it. Yet, I’d be doing the same if I had those hungry deer around. Good work, woodeye. Thank you, FrostyTurnip. I appreciate your comments. It has not been painless, but hopefully the pain of building this thing will go away faster than the pain of watching the deer eat everything that I have planted. They are good at it, they have done it for several years now...
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Post by hmoosek on Jan 20, 2023 17:04:56 GMT -6
Man, You’re Stylin’ and Profilin’! I’ve been lax on keeping up with the forum the last few weeks. I’m sorry for my negligence. So much is going on around here. I’ve been trying to decide if I want to plant this spring or take a break. I know if I don’t plant, I’ll regret it though. I’m just not sure I can give plants the care they need.
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Post by woodeye on Jan 20, 2023 17:39:27 GMT -6
Thanks, hmoosek . It has been a slow go on account of everything going on here too. I understand if you take a break from spring planting, I took a 4 year spring break. I'm really anxious to break the cycle, my break is over for this year. Hopefully I will have moderate success and the subsequent years won't be so irritating from crop losses. Time will tell. Regardless of your decision, Best of luck with whatever you decide to do...
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Post by woodeye on Feb 11, 2023 21:32:28 GMT -6
I'm trying my best to get started back on the Iron Curtain construction. Today was a perfect day for it, and I had planned to start on the pipes that go all the way across on the north and south ends. However, my brother has been back in the hospital, so I went to visit him this morning. It turns out that he was released from the hospital today, so I took him home to Tecumseh, then headed to Atwoods for some cattle panels.
I was attempting to buy five of the 16 foot panels, but they were out of stock. However, one of the yard workers called into the store and wanted to know if I would like to look at their pile of damaged panels. It cost nothing to look, so I told him that I would. He had them picked up partway with a fork lift so I could inspect them. There was a total of 8 panels in the pile, seven were regular stock panels, but one was a hog panel. One of the stock panels had a portion of it torn up, same with the hog panel. Very salvageable though, and depending on the price they wanted, it might be a bargain. The regular price was $24.99 each for the stock panels, but the hog panel was more expensive than that, though I'm not sure how much more it cost really. Anyway, he told me that he would sell me the entire stack of 8 panels for the price of 2 panels. It ended up costing me $54 for all 8 panels. I felt that was reasonable.
Now it's loading time though, and I didn't pull my trailer today, but took my cable cutters to cut them in half. I told the Atwoods workers my plan, but one of them insisted on trying to bend the entire stack into a giant upside-down "U" shape so that I could haul them home that way. Well I didn't have to help, so I told them to go for it. They used the fork lift to start raising the stack up, and managed to get it into a spraddle legged "U" looking shape. The guy that had insisted to try doing this was in my pickup bed underneath the stack for some unknown reason for a short time. Problem was, the forklift was no longer being used, and the stack went from spraddle legged "U" looking shape, to flat. He was trapped under the stack of 8 panels, but by that time I was having to help hold the panels high enough for him to get out. I just knew he would come out looking like a breakfast waffle from all the weight of 8 panels, but he seemed to be okay. After that, it was decided that I would cut the panels in half, which was my original plan. The next problem was that the workers weren't allowed to do any of the cutting, so I had to cut all the panels in half, then carry the 8 halves and stack them on top of the 8 halves that were already in the pickup bed. I strapped it down and hauled them home, I'll unload them tomorrow, then start on the pipes at the ends of the Iron Curtain. It doesn't look like there are all that many, but there are 16 pieces in the stack that are each 8 feet long.
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Post by hmoosek on Feb 11, 2023 22:02:07 GMT -6
Saving money! Your were lucky to have help as those things can be mighty cantankerous. Flip Floppy comes to mind. Good idea cutting them too!
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Post by chrysanthemum on Feb 12, 2023 7:39:16 GMT -6
Phew, I’m glad everybody came out of that deal unharmed. Your story about the panels suddenly unbending had me nervous for a bit. I’m glad you were able to get them cut and transported safely. That was a lot of work, though.
Congratulations on getting eight panels for such a great price. Maybe you can use the extras inside the Iron Curtain for trellises.
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Feb 12, 2023 13:41:50 GMT -6
Woodeye,
That was a blessing to read. Congratulations on getting all of those panels home safely. Bending one stock panel to fit in your truck is dangerous enough, but bending all 8 of them at once sounds like a really bad thing to try. Oh well, 'Free lesson in Physics' for all of those in attendance I'm sure.
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Post by woodeye on Feb 12, 2023 19:18:16 GMT -6
Actually, in hindsight, I wish they hadn't loaded the panels at all. It would have been easier to cut them with them in a stack on the ground, then load each half. I had to cut them with them laying on top of the tailgate of my pickup, so it was tough at times to reach far enough over to cut the middle parts.
My upper arms were pretty sore this morning from all the cutting with the bolt cutters. That soreness got better as the day went on, but the soreness in my legs took over. I still got some more pipe hauled from the fence boneyard and more of the fence fabric wired together, but tomorrow I hope to get the pipes installed on the ends, if I can climb the ladder tomorrow...
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Post by macmex on Feb 13, 2023 5:48:32 GMT -6
Oh my! Sounds like those guys were inexperienced. I've seen up to three panels loaded by bending into an arch, but no more. Three, I suppose even one, such arched panel can be dangerous when unloading. Some years ago I heard of someone who opened the tailgate with arched panels in the bed and was promptly killed by them as they straightened out. When I have done arched panels I make sure to tie front to back, so that they won't spring free unexpectedly. Unloading, I drop the tailgate, while standing to the side and then, once the tailgate is down and everybody is clear, I go around to the side and cut the line, holding them. Actually, I think I only did that once with more than one panel. After that I simply borrowed a flatbed trailer to load them on flat.
Glad you got them home safely and cut!
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Post by woodeye on Feb 13, 2023 8:22:47 GMT -6
I definitely agree with you, macmex . I told them at the get-go that I didn't bring my trailer on purpose, because I wanted to get the cutting over with and it didn't matter at all where they were cut. The toolbox on my pickup shortens up the bed even more, so those things would have launched a person no telling how far when the tailgate was opened. Luckily it was a lesson learned for the 2 young employees, and the older one that almost got crushed learned something too, don't be so gung-ho next time...
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Post by heavyhitterokra on Feb 13, 2023 8:36:23 GMT -6
Out here where we live, Tractor Supply will rent you a 16' foot trailer for $15.00 I've rented one from them quite a few times.
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Post by woodeye on Feb 13, 2023 11:04:28 GMT -6
That sure is a fair rental price, heavyhitterokra. I considered pulling my trailer that day, but talked myself out of it. The best part of not pulling my trailer that day was the surprise I got when I went to see Chester at the hospital. I wasn't expecting him to be released from the hospital that day and if I had taken my trailer I would have had to pull it to Tecumseh to take him home. Thanks for the info, I hadn't thought about Tractor Supply renting trailers, and if the situation ever comes up again I'll check into it...
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Post by macmex on Feb 14, 2023 6:29:07 GMT -6
I believe the biggest danger of unloading arched panels isn't so much getting tossed by them but rather cut by them. The casualty I heard of had an artery cut by the panels as they sprang out of the truck bed.
I totally see why it would have been better to cut them right there before loading.
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