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gurdymonkeyLast weekend one of my tent poles split during set up. I made it through the weekend with a judicious application of strapping tape, but it's definitely time for new lumber, hence, my not driving up to Quincy for June Crown this weekend.
Alameda has an excellent family run hardware store called Pagano's, and I use them, given the choice. Unfortunately, they don't have lumber, necessitating my foray to the Ninth Circle of Home Depot. It's saving grace is that it's less than 2 miles away. Of course, at 9 AM on a Saturday, the joint was jumping. Not helping is the fact that there's a 24 Hour Fitness and a McDonalds in the same complex (making navigating in and out of the lot special). At least the usual patient horde of day laborers keep to the sidewalk down on the corner and stay out of the way of traffic.
Had to pick through a lot of 2 x 4's, but knowing you're going to whack 2' off the end of each means you can go with a board that has flaws in the section you're going to discard. One of them was so wet it weighed a freaking ton, but it was fairly clean. The pine 2 x 2s were trash. I wouldn't trust a single one I could reach not to splinter under normal tent tension, so I splurged and got the Douglass fir ones instead. Also picked up a piece of steel rod to cut into pins for the tops of the poles.
I had packed along my little pull saw, figuring that if I cut my poles in the lot, they could go straight into the back of the truck without having to worry about tying them down or crap flying out of the back of my camper shell because the door was open. I pulled out the old poles to measure with and sawed on my bumper - easy peasy. LOVE my cheap little pull saw enough that I may eventually invest in a decent Japanese one. So much more efficient than trying to start a cut by pushing. Went through the 2 x 2's in no time. A day laborer must have heard the sawing because he came over to ask if he could help, only I was almost through the last board when he did. I thanked him politely, though I felt bad. Almost in uniform of ball caps, mostly white tees, jeans and work boots or sneakers and almost exclusively Hispanic, these guys wait and wait and wait in the hopes someone will tap them for a few hours of honest work. I'd've given him a few bucks to cut my boards if he'd turned up sooner.
Came home, put my new boards in the alley to dry out a bit, began cutting up my old boards on the truck bumper to put them in the trash and Glenn pulled up to do the repair on the front steps. He had a Sawzall with a metal blade, so he cut my still rod into the necessary lengths.
I figure I'll drill my poles tomorrow - by then maybe the wood will have had a chance to dry out and contract a bit before I make holes in it.
Off to meet James and Sylvia for a matinee of "Brave" in a little bit. Should be fun!
Alameda has an excellent family run hardware store called Pagano's, and I use them, given the choice. Unfortunately, they don't have lumber, necessitating my foray to the Ninth Circle of Home Depot. It's saving grace is that it's less than 2 miles away. Of course, at 9 AM on a Saturday, the joint was jumping. Not helping is the fact that there's a 24 Hour Fitness and a McDonalds in the same complex (making navigating in and out of the lot special). At least the usual patient horde of day laborers keep to the sidewalk down on the corner and stay out of the way of traffic.
Had to pick through a lot of 2 x 4's, but knowing you're going to whack 2' off the end of each means you can go with a board that has flaws in the section you're going to discard. One of them was so wet it weighed a freaking ton, but it was fairly clean. The pine 2 x 2s were trash. I wouldn't trust a single one I could reach not to splinter under normal tent tension, so I splurged and got the Douglass fir ones instead. Also picked up a piece of steel rod to cut into pins for the tops of the poles.
I had packed along my little pull saw, figuring that if I cut my poles in the lot, they could go straight into the back of the truck without having to worry about tying them down or crap flying out of the back of my camper shell because the door was open. I pulled out the old poles to measure with and sawed on my bumper - easy peasy. LOVE my cheap little pull saw enough that I may eventually invest in a decent Japanese one. So much more efficient than trying to start a cut by pushing. Went through the 2 x 2's in no time. A day laborer must have heard the sawing because he came over to ask if he could help, only I was almost through the last board when he did. I thanked him politely, though I felt bad. Almost in uniform of ball caps, mostly white tees, jeans and work boots or sneakers and almost exclusively Hispanic, these guys wait and wait and wait in the hopes someone will tap them for a few hours of honest work. I'd've given him a few bucks to cut my boards if he'd turned up sooner.
Came home, put my new boards in the alley to dry out a bit, began cutting up my old boards on the truck bumper to put them in the trash and Glenn pulled up to do the repair on the front steps. He had a Sawzall with a metal blade, so he cut my still rod into the necessary lengths.
I figure I'll drill my poles tomorrow - by then maybe the wood will have had a chance to dry out and contract a bit before I make holes in it.
Off to meet James and Sylvia for a matinee of "Brave" in a little bit. Should be fun!
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Date: 2012-06-23 07:55 pm (UTC)