west of Philly - barn saving

[burger]

Howdy neighbor!

I’m subscribed to your thread but managed to miss updates for a few months. Sorry to hear about your back! That’s rough! The coat rack turned out awesome and the gate looks great too. Best wishes for the new year!

 

[rieferman]

Hey Burger! Great to hear from you, and thanks for stopping in. Back's improving a lot with the help of the physical therapy and rest, and hopefully I can avoid future instances by strengthening etc.

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Gate is (basically) done! I still have to touch up a few things and lighting will be added in a few weeks when my electrician frees up to give me a hand, but pretty much there now.

Once everything was built, finished, and dry fit in the shop, it was time to do the install. It was about 40 degrees F that day and my 17 year old son helped me for many hours. My back was quite sore still so it was a bit of a chore, but went well.

Several challenges during install were overcome with some resourcefulness and we now have a smoothly functioning gate.

The decoration system for the front works really well. Holds things nicely secure, but easy to swap out for the next season.

Before:



After:

 

[kjdhawkhill]

Well, I spoke too soon about surviving the work tornado.... I was supposed to be on vacation last week but ended up needing to work about 1/2 day each day... continued stress and fatigue and too many hours sitting at a computer.... and then my lower back seized up, badly.

Ugh. I had three weeks scheduled off in December, and could have taken all three weeks, but the work world would have "burned." So I agreed to a bunch of "half" days. Which quickly became 1/2-3/4 in-office days, with enough hours at home to become more than a full day. Grand scheme of things, I can't complain, but I have empathy for anyone who's had plans of home-time ruined by scheduling.

 

[Max Power]

Your projects inspire projects of my own. Keep up the great work. As to physical therapy, it has been a game changer for me and my back. I have started running at 55.

 

[rieferman]

Thanks! Woodworking (and similar) is one of those things that's increasingly fun with practice. I tell my wife (in my best super hero voice) that "I can build anythinnnnnnnnng!!!!!!" and I gesture profusely towards whatever recent creation has come into existence. lol

PT is great so far. My plan is to fix the back > fix the hips > lose about 70 pounds (ugh!) and try to play basketball and tennis again. The "lose 70 pounds" part will help (almost literally) a ton, but is a project in and of itself. It's long overdue after many years of prioritizing things other than myself.

 

[rieferman]

Hey guys!
It's been so long since I was on here last, and I hope everyone is doing well.

It's been a year of health for us... lost a ton of weight, built a ton of strength, got my sore back feeling good etc.

Currently working on a set of Morris Chairs (and matching stools) for our own use. It has been a super complex project, and is turning out nicely.

My old barn got a new roof yesterday. Charcoal steel. That building should officially last another 100 years now.

Happy holidays!!!

 

[rieferman]

For anyone looking to read way too many details about my recent build, please see attached.

And here's the final product