Looking for amateur carpentry advice

[Turin39789]

I'm getting married next October. It will be an outdoor wedding at a historical site in a garden/hedge setting. I want to build a nice arbor for the wedding for myself and the bride to stand on. I'm not sure that we will be allowed to dig holes for the posts, so I will probably have to rig up a temporary stand, and then after the wedding I would like to install it into the backyard of our house someday.

Anyone here ever build an arbor? I haven't done much carpentry, most recently I built a picnic table with plans from the internet and a borrowed miter saw. Anyone know where I could find a plan for one. It doesn't have to be too nice, but I'm thinking about shelling out for cedar or redwood so that it will last for decades. I'm pretty busy, so I'm trying to start early to make sure that this is setup and done, although I'm thinking it shouldn't take that long to actually build once I have it all figured out.

Discuss.

 

[Howard]

Got any power tools?

EDIT: Guess not.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Howard
Got any power tools?

EDIT: Guess not.

I do, just no nice bench saw that does angles with lasers and all the trimmings. It's a great excuse to buy one though. I've got a jigsaw , drills, spade bits, el cheapo dremel. I'm amassing tools as I go and most that I have are auto related. Whatever I don't have that isn't super specialty I should be able to buy or borrow.

 

[Rike]

Maybe start here:
http://www.buildeazy.com/plan_links_arbors.html

Edit: BTW, I'd use screws and nuts and bolts in place of nails so you can put it together and tear in down more easily.

 

[imported_weadjust]

It would be easier and cheaper to rent one from a wedding/party rental place.

I could here my wife saying lets go on the honeymoon. Not yet honey I got to dismantle and transport my arbor.

 

[Greenman]

Originally posted by: Turin39789
I'm getting married next October. It will be an outdoor wedding at a historical site in a garden/hedge setting. I want to build a nice arbor for the wedding for myself and the bride to stand on.

Discuss.

Do you mean stand under? An arbor is generally an overhead assembly.

And if you could find a pic thats sort of what you want I'd be very happy to explain how to build it.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Greenman

Originally posted by: Turin39789
I'm getting married next October. It will be an outdoor wedding at a historical site in a garden/hedge setting. I want to build a nice arbor for the wedding for myself and the bride to stand on.

Discuss.

Do you mean stand under? An arbor is generally an overhead assembly.

And if you could find a pic thats sort of what you want I'd be very happy to explain how to build it.

Yeah, I meant stand under, but I was thinking about adding a platform.

a lot of them are the simple like this

http://www.magnoliaweddingcompany.com/photos/arch1.jpg


perhaps something like this, more square, almost a small gazeebo. transport could be a pain if it gets too big though.

http://www.trellisstructures.com/wedding/wedding.html


I haven't found anything that extremely strikes my fancy, she mentioned getting an arbor, and it seemed like it would be nice if I built it myself.



edit - thinking about it, it may be wiser to stick with a smaller more standard arbor. I was trying to picture it being a usefultru part of the yard, something I could add a roof to at some point and put a chair turning to do too many things at once. Something like this
http://www.shedsri.com/images/arbor/PTA.jpg would fit somewhere around a house fairly easily.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: weadjust
It would be easier and cheaper to rent one from a wedding/party rental place.

I could here my wife saying lets go on the honeymoon. Not yet honey I got to dismantle and transport my arbor.

He could build it and his buddies could dismantle it for him.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: weadjust
It would be easier and cheaper to rent one from a wedding/party rental place.

I could here my wife saying lets go on the honeymoon. Not yet honey I got to dismantle and transport my arbor.

that's what relatives are for

 

[Kelemvor]

We built two for our wedding. I'll see if I can find a pic.

Was really easy. 2x2s for legs with a channel for lattice inside of it. Also channel on bottom and top to form a frame. More 2x2s for the top with crossing ones.

Pic coming if I have one... HMm, can't find one. Will have to check with the wife.

 

[Injury]

Using carriage bolts to attach the top to the sides would make for a 3-piece, easy transport. (as long as you or someone you know has a truck)

You could actually design it so there are a minimal number of screws on the vertical side posts so that when you do want it in your back yard you can easily swap out the posts for taller ones that you can put in the ground a bit.

Based on the last picture you showed us, it should be pretty easy. Maybe a project that could be done in a couple weekends. The hardest part will be putting the curves in the horizontal pieces of wood along the top, but it's definitely do-able. It would be a matter of cutting the general shape out of both pieces, clamping them together and sanding the crap out of them until they are smooth and shaped the same. After that, putting the rest of it together is a matter of getting it balanced and perfectly angled. Like I said, it should be a fairly simple project even for someone with little no experience. The books at Home Depot/Lowes might have some good plans for building one... also check your library... they might have some good reads on it.

 

[Squisher]

Like has been said, you couldn't have picked a more basic project. If you've built a picnic table already you should have no problem.

Most of the plans you'll get will have the side supports extending into the ground. You can get around this by building it flush with the ground and drilling a hole up into the bottom of the leg with a spade bit and pounding a piece of fence post up in there that still sticks out a foot. Later, after you move it, you can set these in concrete.

I did this trellis in about 3 days, but it was a 9 ft. tall and 16 ft. wide monster (to keep from having to look at my neighbor's hot tub).

 

[Howard]

Pick up a sliding compound miter saw.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: Howard
Pick up a sliding compound miter saw.

Will this one do?





I'd actually be interested in make the project a little more complicated. Something like the hand carved from a single piece of wood gazeebo from meet the parents. Not that complicated but something that I can be proud of and hang onto for 40 years

 

[CycloWizard]

1. Watch "Meet the Parents" and take some stills of that gazebo.
2. Buy a tree.
3. Carve a gazebo.
4. Get married.
5. Profit?

 

[Squisher]

If you're going to do anything fancy you are either going to need get some power tools like; a table saw, circular saw, router (and table), and miter saw or you are going to have to go medieval.

I love hand carved wood and have done some myself, but I'd certainly rough things out with some modern power tools.

 

[pontifex]

i'm sure plenty of ATOTers can talk to you about handling wood.

 

[bctbct]

Put in the pre-nup who gets the arbor.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: Turin39789

Originally posted by: Howard
Pick up a sliding compound miter saw.

Will this one do?





I'd actually be interested in make the project a little more complicated. Something like the hand carved from a single piece of wood gazeebo from meet the parents. Not that complicated but something that I can be proud of and hang onto for 40 years

Well, yeah, but it's pricey.

To be honest, you won't need a miter saw with sliding capability, unless you want to cut boards more than 5-6" wide.

 

[MikeyIs4Dcats]

I hate tp burst your bubble, but something like that probably won't last 40 years. You might get 10-15 before it starts looking pretty shabby.

 

[Turin39789]

So I'm bringing this thread back. Sears is having a sale and I'm starting to eye power tools and sawhorses. This will probably be a June project so I can get some saw based birthday gifts and then buy the tools I'm missing afterwards.

Currently liking this design - might just pony up for the plans if I have to. http://www.gardenstructure.com...rafts_Arbor_Plans.html

Flat top, and movable for temporary installation

 

[bctbct]

Originally posted by: MikeyIs4Dcats
I hate tp burst your bubble, but something like that probably won't last 40 years. You might get 10-15 before it starts looking pretty shabby.

How dare you speak of the bride that way :laugh:

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

A miter saw is nice, but you NEED a GOOD circular saw. I have a Milwaukee and never regretted spending the money. Do not buy a cordless for this project. They have smaller blades and you might be cutting sizable mortise and tenon joints. Besides, the majority aren't up to a real project.

 

[BoomerD]

http://www.gardeningdata.co.uk...n_arch/garden_arch.php

http://www.buildeazy.com/fp_pergola.html

http://www.ronhazelton.com/howto/Arbor.htm

 

[Greenman]

If I was heading out to build that for someone, I'd take a chop saw (12" sliding), a jig saw, a portable table saw, a couple drills, an impact driver and a belt sander. Depending on how those small grids are assembled, I might also take a small compressor and a pin nailer.

Having the right tool is often the difference between a poor job and an outstanding one, the right tools will also save you may hours of time. I understand most people don't want to invest six or eight thousand in tools, but if you plan on doing a lot of projects, even two thousand dollars worth of gear will give you the ability to tackle almost anything that might come along, and with occasional use, those tools will last a lifetime.