OP
bluesman2a
Well-known member
OH! lets not forget the most valuable addition to the deck!!!
The Skunkworks Build begins
- Thread starter bluesman2a
- Start date
78fj40
Well-known member
I love the hand rails....can you post more pictures of how you did the cabling?
OP
bluesman2a
Well-known member
Sure thing Norm...
I looked into cable railing systems, but they were INSANE! So all the stuff I got for this came from a combination of Home Depot and Lowes.
For the cable itself I got 3/16" vinyl coated galvanized wire rope. If you buy it by the complete spool either at HD or Lowes it's significantly cheaper than their per foot price.
On the ends, I had better luck finding a selection at Lowes. Each cable has a 1/2" woodscrew/eyelet to anchor it, then a turn-buckle and a ring for quick detach. The cable is secured with... Not sure what they are called, but they are made for cabling, it's a u-bolt with a locking collar on it so you can fold the cable over and it'll stay put.
Personally I would have gone with fewer wires, but local code says 3.5" spacing.
Where the cables go through the posts, I took a piece of 4X4 and measured out a template, then drilled it on the drillpress so I could get good spacing and everything was straight. I would then clamp that template to the standing posts and use it as a drill guide with a long 1/4" bit. This made a snug fit for the cable through each post.
Once everything is strung up, put as much tension on it as you can and clamp the end of the cable, then you can tighten the turnbuckle. The cables are nice and tight, with no droop.
78fj40
Well-known member
Very Nice......
those are just called wire rope clips (or clamps). You could of gone with a thimble and sleeve ferrule instead of the clips, they give a clean look. Here is a web-page pdf with a bunch of descriptions of different style ends for wire rope:
PDF File
I think I'm going to copy the idea when I get tired of looking the crappy warping 1"x1" match-sticks I bought from Lowe's last year......
those are just called wire rope clips (or clamps). You could of gone with a thimble and sleeve ferrule instead of the clips, they give a clean look. Here is a web-page pdf with a bunch of descriptions of different style ends for wire rope:
PDF File
I think I'm going to copy the idea when I get tired of looking the crappy warping 1"x1" match-sticks I bought from Lowe's last year......
Last but not least we have the MAN-Towel-bar:
We all know it's a power squeeze bar not a towel bar, no sense in lying.
Omphaloskeptic
Well-known member
Looking good Mr. Skunk! 
That shower is sharp! Since it is a 'Man-wash', I presume one of the spray nozzles spits out 'Eau-de-WD-40' and of course another nozzle should apply a nice coat of Meguier's 'Man-wax' to help keep your body clean and shiny.
I think the only thing missing from the Man-bath is a polished stainless steel urinal (to match the Man-vanity). It should be SS because acoustically it would say - 'I am MAN...Hear Me Roar'!
Nice work on the deck too!
That shower is sharp! Since it is a 'Man-wash', I presume one of the spray nozzles spits out 'Eau-de-WD-40' and of course another nozzle should apply a nice coat of Meguier's 'Man-wax' to help keep your body clean and shiny.
I think the only thing missing from the Man-bath is a polished stainless steel urinal (to match the Man-vanity). It should be SS because acoustically it would say - 'I am MAN...Hear Me Roar'!
Nice work on the deck too!
OP
bluesman2a
Well-known member
Thanks Norm, good resource there, I'll have to keep that for reference. While the ferrules look cleaner, I opted not to use them cause I didn't want to buy the $40 swaging tool I'd only use this once. Also with these I can disassemble the lines after they are made rather than having to cut them off. I looked at using thimbles but they were a little too round/big, I wanted the cable to deform and look more ugly/industrial.
You say tomato, I say massive squat... but after a power squeeze, a fresh/clean towel is always nice.
Let's just say it's MULTI-purpose. 
In all seriousness, I tried to go that route, but believe it or not the only place you can get one of those is a where they make them for prisons. All kinds of special in-wall stuff. So instead, I went with a Toto toilet. If you guys haven't had one of these things, TRUST me, they ROCK!!! Best darned toilet I've ever owned. I can count on one hand the number of times it's ever stopped up beyond a single flush in over 5 years.
Thanks for the kind words, all... Glad you guys are enjoying the build. Sometimes it slows down and I get a little frustrated, y'all keep me coming back for more!